Lyon POV:

“Hey, Ness. Everything okay?”

She narrowed her eyes but didn’t reply straight away. I had seen her a lot these past few days, so we became acquainted with one another.

“I don’t like how you’re so friendly with me.”

She would say that line often too. I found it strange since this was just basic courtesy in my mind.

Ness was a blunt person. She never said anything that would extend the conversation and she always kept her distance. However, I thought she was quite nice.

The other day, I gave her a fluffy teddy bear I received from an old lady a few streets away, and her expression changed ever so slightly—it became a little warmer.

I watched the freckles across the bridge of her nose bunch together as her lips curved into a thin smile that lasted for a couple of seconds before fading away. It was thanks to Ness answering some of my simpler questions that I was able to solidify my understanding of this place.

I had also gone out to observe the daily life of the people living here and today was no different. It was through this that I came to realize just how much of a lawless area this district was. There were few places you could truly call safe, and Comfort was one of those places.

I wanted to bring Marina here, but it wasn’t a place where you could live easily. Customers in Comfort had a time limit to how long they could stay inside.

Mr Cruiser claimed it was for regulation purposes, but I imagine he was trying to create less friction with those running this area. He could handle himself just fine, but what about everybody else? Concessions had to be made.

“I hear she’s on the move again. It’s better to lay low for now.”

“Y-yeah... She’s pretty ruthless.”

I overheard some people talking on my way back to Comfort and wondered who they were referring to. I knew I had a target on my back, but nobody looked at me suspiciously.

In fact, once I had changed my clothing, the locals assumed I was one of them despite being an unfamiliar face. It was unsettling.

‘Maybe I should hit another one of their supply chains?’

I thought about it for a while as I walked down the street. I turned left and entered a narrow alleyway before arriving at an intersection. It split into two pathways with Comfort being situated directly on the corner, merging into the sidestreets ahead.

I made my way inside and Ness greeted me with her usual emotionless face. She told me that Mr Cruiser wanted to speak with me, so I took the stairs and knocked on the closed door once I reached the top.

“Come in, boy.”

I entered the room as my gaze swept over his desk stacked with papers. I sat down on the sofa and examined him closely.

“It’s been three days and no one’s made a move yet. Is this how they hunt down their targets?”

His eyes widened slightly while he leaned back in the chair. Though I was gathering information in the area, I was also purposefully making myself an easy target.

The fact that I hadn’t been attacked yet meant that they either still didn’t know what I looked like, or were waiting for me to lower my guard even further somehow.

“You know, for a kid, you think a lot.”

He had a point. Master told me that thinking too much could be detrimental, but I guess you could say it's a habit I’ve always had.

'!'

A concern I had brushed to the side suddenly resurfaced to the forefront of my mind.

“Something strange happened when I fought against those bodyguards. Their elemental attacks damaged the environmemt, but after the battle was over, the area was returned back to its normal state.”

Mr Cruiser's eyebrows twitched slightly as he narrowed his eyes. He didn’t answer immediately, instead, he focused on examining the intricate details of the brown pipe in his hand.

“...We call them Cleaners. Don’t know who or what they are, but without them, Outer Astril would look much worse than it does now.”

‘Cleaners?’

That was interesting. I thought back to my time in Efros and realized they probably had something similar. I imagine it was just a security measure that most countries or cities took in order to ensure damage control.

‘Damage control? Perhaps...’

I was deep in thought when Mr Cruiser interrupted me.

“Just a heads up, if you hit one of their supply chains again, you won’t come out unscathed.”

“Is that so?”

Even if I took into account the possibility of them being stronger than before, I had a hard time seeing myself lose. In terms of pure combat experience, I had yet to face anyone even remotely close to my level here. I was overpowered and caught off guard by Mike, but for now, I was treating that group as an outlier.

“I’m not joking, kid. I hear Brunaulf personally put a hit on your head.”

Mr Cruiser tapped the desk as he took a puff from the pipe.

“Brunaulf?”

“Copycat’s trusted disciple. He gets the job done no matter the means. I hear he even sold his sister off to be an older man’s plaything for getting in the way of his work.”

I let out a sigh. The longer I stayed here, the more messed up people I came to know. Anyway, the current hierarchy was something like this: Bodyguards — Dealers — Brunaulf (disciple?) — Copycat — District Leader. He was next on the list to deal with, so this worked out in my favour.

“Tell me where and who the next dealer is.”

Mr Cruiser didn’t bat an eye at my words and instead dashed a folded piece of paper towards me. I caught it between my fingers before placing it down on the table.

I examined the contents and noticed the difference right away. This dealer had 12 bodyguards protecting him at all times and he could use Ki himself.

“...”

I got up from my seat and threw the paper in the bin, having memorized all of the target’s information.

“I’m warning you, kid. Don’t let your strength get to your head.”

“I don’t intend to waste my time here, Mr. Cruiser.”

I closed the door behind me and quickly made my way downstairs. Ness was still standing behind the bar, even though there were no customers here at the moment.

“Ness, I need a favour.”

After a short conversation with her, I left Comfort. I walked down the street while I organized my thoughts—deciding on the best course of action to take.

‘I’ll take out this dealer and directly get the information about the others from him. If I’m lucky, I’ll also be able to find out more about Brunaulf too.’

I threw my hood over my head as I pulled my mask up.

‘Playtime’s over.’

***

??? POV:

I leaned forward while I tapped my finger against my knee. The district had become noisy lately, too noisy.

‘Hmm.’

The dealer that was tortured a few days ago was my nephew. The boy was so scared he refused to speak, and instead locked himself away in his room. Now, who would dare touch my kin like that?

“Update.”

A man wearing a mask stepped forward and went down on one knee.

“The assassin Brunaulf contacted appears to be on the move.”

I continued to tap my knee lightly while thinking things over.

‘He already sent Brunaulf?’

If that was the case, then this matter would resolve itself in the next couple of days. I couldn’t lose face in front of the other district leaders.

“I reckon this newcomer will probably hit our supply chains once more as well. He’s confident in his strength and that will be his downfall. I’ve already cast the bait.”

I clicked my tongue and wondered if he knew he had assaulted my nephew, or if it was just a coincidence. There were no drugs at the scene either, meaning my goods were stolen.

“Don’t kill him. Bring him before me and I will make an example out of him.”

It’s a shame, but I’ll have to remind this district who their leader is once more.

***

Lyon POV:

I stalked the target for most of the day from above. I had gotten accustomed to moving along the rooftops and staying out of view.

“Twelve bodyguards...”

My eyes shifted to each of the targets below as I examined the group carefully. They encircled the main dealer who walked confidently down the street without a care in the world. No matter how much I thought about it, that number was too excessive.

‘Then the reason I wouldn’t come out unscathed is because this was a trap?’

I observed them for a little longer before reaching a decision. I kicked off the ledge of the rooftop and dropped to the ground in front of them.

“!!!”

The bodyguards swiftly moved into a new, tight formation that guarded the dealer securely—they had been waiting for me to appear.

They all wore masks that covered most of their faces, matching their dark clothes, and they watched me carefully; no one wanting to break the balance of the current status quo as we observed one another in silence.

“Brunaulf. Take me to him.”

I saw surprise flicker through their eyes while they turned to one another and whispered. It seemed like they were considering what action to take when the dealer stepped in.

“We can do that, but you’ll need to take a beating first.”

“Really? That’s too bad then.”

I shrugged my shoulders unapologetically and walked forward.

“!”

I jumped back just as a blade slashed past my face. My feet skidded across the street while my attention shifted to the unidentified attacker who wore a hood over their mask. Judging by their physique, it was definitely a woman.

“You’re here. I’ll leave the rest to you and contact Brunaulf.”

The dealer spoke politely to her, even bowing his head while the bodyguards followed suit before escorting the dealer away.

“...”

I remained silent as they disappeared down the street. There was no need to go after them when I had found a better target. I activated the Mark of a Pantheon and felt power pulsate throughout my whole body.

Her Ki exploded in response, wrapping around her tightly as she lowered her center of gravity. The musty wind blew intensely while the gap between us gradually closed. I could feel the tension in the air increase; her Ki calmly flaring around her as her hood covered what the mask couldn't.

‘Uso...’

That was the Ki Stage she was at. My lips curved upwards slightly as I adjusted my stance.

This woman was strong.

‘Let’s see what you can do.’

I kicked off the ground and the remaining distance between us immediately vanished. She reacted calmly to my speed, throwing a high kick in response, but I blocked it and spun inside.

I placed my hand on her chest, transferring the momentum of my spin to the center of my palm. The shockwave rippled through her body, shooting her backwards like a bullet as she crashed into some of the trash bags littered around the street.

“...”

My gaze shifted to my sleeve which had been cut several times during that brief exchange. I had avoided it in advance, hence the reason the blade didn’t penetrate my skin, but she was crafty.

‘She let herself get hit on purpose. Looks like the feeling out phase is already over.’

I watched her get up and brush her clothes off nonchalantly. She spun the knife around her fingers before gripping it tightly as she stretched out her other hand, beckoning me over with her fingers.

‘Alright. Let’s do this properly then.’