“Guh…”

“Oh. You didn’t scream? If you were loud, I would have hit you more.”

That’s why he didn’t scream. He had actually seen a child beaten to death. The man grabbed the boy’s hair.

“You have no choice. Think about it. Do you want to die here, or will you bring them to us?”

The boy bit his lip but eventually murmured in resignation.

“…Okay.”

“Good. You’ve made the right choice.”

The man chuckled as he let go of his grip. The boy, who had been sprawled on the floor, clutched his aching stomach and managed to get up. There was no other option. Had he refused, he would have likely been killed. Seeing the boy grit his teeth, the man sneered in disdain.

‘Really, kids are so easy to handle.’

They were nothing less than a gold mine. Taking in orphans and giving them just enough discipline before teaching them to pickpocket. And then making money off of them. As for food, mixing in some garbage was sufficient, and since their minds weren’t fully developed, a bit of violence ensured they wouldn’t rebel. There was no sweeter deal than this.

Even if they got caught while pickpocketing, it wasn’t a problem. They were taught well enough to keep their mouths shut, so only the kids would die. They never got caught. Being orphans, the lords of the land didn’t bother much with them either.

Thanks to this, the man had made quite a fortune. He smirked, thinking it might be time to move on to a larger domain, gather more orphans, and make even more money. It was a humble but grand dream, he thought.

“Now, bring those kids over. Figure out the method on your own. Got it?”

“…….”

The boy nodded gloomily. Both paths ahead were cliffs; it was only a matter of falling sooner or later. Just as the boy was about to leave, someone knocked on the door.

Knock. Knock.

“Who is this?”

The man frowned and approached the door. All the kids were inside. Could it be a lost vagrant then? If so, he could just send them away or kill them.

He hid a knife in his clothes and opened the door.

“Wow, smells like drugs.”

“Low quality. You don’t use the good stuff, huh?”

The moment he heard the voice, the boy jolted as if struck by lightning. It was a voice he couldn’t forget, different from the murderous intent before, but unmistakable. The boy cautiously peeked outside. A girl in a robe smiled at him.

“It’s been a while?”

—

“Pleased to meet you.”

Karos entered, followed by two others in robes. The scrawny man instinctively stepped back. The commotion seemed to have attracted several other men towards the door.

“To think it’s in such a foul-smelling place, oh well. Can I take off this robe?”

“It doesn’t matter. There’s no one to report us to anyway.”

“That’s a relief. I was feeling suffocated.”

With those words charged with a peculiar meaning, the robes were removed. Red hair shone in the darkness.

“Ah.”

Gasps were heard simultaneously. The face revealed from under the robe was beautiful. Perhaps she was fifteen? Her red hair softly waved, her skin was white, and her features, including her eyes and nose, were neat. She was both cute and mysteriously alluring.

“Ooh…”

Then, when the girl behind her took off her robe, gasps were heard again. Unlike the girl with red hair, this one was more cute than beautiful. She wore an outfit that was somewhat revealing, which stirred the men’s desires.

Such beauty was unseen in rural villages. The man’s eyes quickly filled with greed. The girl with black hair hid behind Bathesia.

“This feels unpleasant…”

“Humans.”

The girl, Bathesia, clicked her tongue. Among those they faced as enemies, there were those who cast such leering gazes. She had beheaded them all. To prioritize greed even in the face of a life-threatening fight was beyond her understanding.

“Anyway, you there, boy. You’re the one who stole our money.”

“Eek!”

The boy screamed in terror and scurried away on the floor. He was afraid of dying. Fear consumed his mind. The scrawny man regained his composure and stepped forward.

“Excuse me, sirs. What business do you have here?”

“That kid took our money. We’ve come to take it back.”

Karos spoke leisurely as he removed his hood, revealing black eyes and hair. The man flinched but then smiled confidently, wielding a dagger.

“Sorry, but we’re not involved in this. And you know, possession is the law here, what comes into your possession is yours. Who are you to come and cause trouble over someone else’s property?”

“…….”

Karos remained silent, just looking at the man. The man felt a chill down his spine but, realizing his companions were behind him, stepped forward confidently.

“If you just hand over the boy, we’ll leave without causing any trouble.”

“You’re spouting nonsense. Taking someone’s employee and then just walking into our place of business, thinking you can just leave like that?”

The scrawny man signaled, and two others blocked the door. The man smiled cruelly.

“It’s best you forget about leaving unharmed.”

The would-be adventurers had found their graves. The man could hardly contain his glee, as there was no need to trouble himself to call them over. Moreover, the two girls behind him were more beautiful than any woman he had ever seen.

Those girls were for him. He licked his lips, anticipating what was to come. Bathesia sighed.

“How long do I have to endure this?”

“Don’t endure at all! Guys! Attack…”

“Get rid of them.”

As Karos finished his sentence, a green slime that had been resting atop Soccu’s head charged. The slime quickly slithered across the floor and climbed onto the body of the man blocking the door. The man panicked, trying to shake it off, but the slime evaded his attempts and climbed onto his face, even entering his nose.

“Agh, ugh!”

As the slime, as big as a head, entered his nose, the man desperately tried to pull it off, but it was too late. He convulsed, his eyes rolling back as drool dripped from his mouth.

Eventually, the man collapsed. Silence ensued.

Gulping.

Then, the slime reemerged from the nose, covered in white mucus and bits, and charged towards Karos, who dodged, expressing disgust.

“This thing, trying to bring that filth onto me?”

“…Huh?”

The scrawny man mumbled, dazed.

Hyung_Otaku

I'm currently Translating the following novels: Pick Me Up! | A Frontline Soldier Awakened as a Gamer In The War! | The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player. If you want to support me and read more chapters please subscribe to my Patreon!