Chapter 53

“Oppa, buy me a weapon too!”

“No.”

“But I want to help you too.”

“Just staying quiet is already a big help, so stay still…”

I hesitated to give Seolhwa a weapon.

Ever since she devoured that monster, I’ve been worried something might happen to her body, and she seems more aggressive than before.

Right now, I can control her, but what if she learns how to fight?

What if she becomes more aggressive as she fights?

Can I be sure she won’t turn into that ferocious personality from the original?

Maybe I’m overreacting.

But it’s not a possibility I can ignore either.

Even if it’s a slim chance, if Seolhwa turns out like the original… I’d have to kill her with my own hands.

To prevent that, I couldn’t allow Seolhwa to fight.

“But… I can’t count well, and I can’t write well…”

“That’s normal when you’re young.”

“I’m only one year younger than Mina unnie!”

“Seolhwa, calm down.”

“Does Mina unnie also not want me to have a weapon?”

“Well…”

Mina looked at me with a troubled expression.

Seeing my negative reaction, she probably found it hard to speak up.

But she couldn’t ignore Seolhwa’s words either, so she took a deep breath and asked me.

“To survive in this world, you need some means to protect yourself.”

“But…”

“Oppa, I’ll listen to you. Okay?”

This was the first time Seolhwa had ever begged me like this.

What made her so eager to ask me?

“Why do you want to fight?”

“Because I want to help you?”

“How about studying hard instead? Work hard and go to a school in Seoul.”

“School?”

“Yeah, school.”

There were no schools in swampy areas like this, but schools still existed in Seoul.

With this much income, sending Seolhwa to school was entirely possible.

Though I’d have to figure out how to get her an ID first.

“I’d rather fight with you than go to school.”

I looked into the eyes of the girl I had saved, seeing Seolhwa’s clear determination.

Her eyes were more resolute than ever.

…She’s not going to listen to me.

“Alright. But don’t get too excited, don’t eat anything, and only fight when I tell you to.”

“Okay!”

“…What kind of weapon do you want?”

“A bat!”

A bat… huh. I guess I could just carve one out of wood. But maintaining decent strength with just wood would be tough, so I’d need to find a proper weapon.

“Let’s ask around when I go to find my weapon.”

“Okay! I love you, Oppa!”

Seolhwa hugged me tightly and smiled brightly.

Being an only child, I don’t know much about it, but having a much younger sister probably feels something like this. As I absentmindedly stroked Seolhwa’s head, a sulky voice came from beside me.

“Boss, don’t I get anything?”

Kids will be kids.

I smiled at Mina’s cute jealousy.

You’re just too cute.

“Do you want something?”

“Uh, well… Can we talk about it later?”

Mina glanced at Seolhwa and postponed her choice. It must be something awkward to talk about in front of Seolhwa.

I was curious, but I didn’t press her.

She’ll tell me when the time comes.

“Alright, let’s talk after this is over.”

“Yes, Boss.”

With an unknown promise made, I gripped my spear again.

I planned to swing it and think about my next steps.

Standing in the middle of the front yard, I swung my spear and started pondering what gift to prepare for the uninvited guests arriving tonight.

——————-

“I wonder how it will go.”

In the dark night with only moonlight as the light source.

Ina sat on the rooftop of a building near Isaac’s office, looking down at it. A decent building at the edge of the Crocodile Bird’s territory.

But that building wouldn’t last much longer.

The uninvited guests didn’t care about manners.

‘How will they handle it?’

Ina tore a piece of jerky and tossed it into her mouth.

The salty, savory taste stimulated her tongue, and she smiled contentedly.

“If I had more time, I would’ve brought popcorn…”

What was a life-or-death fight for some was just a fleeting amusement for her.

Ina looked down at the office, or more precisely, the shadows that appeared around it, with expectant eyes.

‘Thirty… That means they’ve sent their main force.’

Elite, handpicked.

Each one a survivor from the Viper’s Den, one of the few remaining dens of lawlessness in this world.

They were no easy opponents.

Individually, their combat skills might pale compared to faction leaders, but numbers have no equal.

With twenty people moving, even Isaac would struggle.

At least, that’s what Ina thought.

“Please, remain a good trading partner.”

Soon, those with ill intentions entered the front yard of the office.

As they stepped into the front yard, they met the person they were targeting.

An unexpected situation.

The lawless ones looked at each other.

“How did they know we were coming?”

“Damn it, we weren’t supposed to be caught.”

“What does it matter? We’ll just kill them-”

“Well, I didn’t expect so many guests at this hour.”

Isaac spoke nonchalantly, looking around at those who had entered the front yard.

‘About thirty. That’s a lot.’

If I hadn’t prepared in advance, it would’ve been really dangerous.

‘Not sure how far it’ll go, but if I can reduce their numbers, it’ll be manageable.’

Individually, they’re not that tough for Isaac.

Considering the experience gained from past battles, their skills are just slightly better than minions.

‘In the end, those affiliated with the Viper’s faction are just minions.’

The lawless ones from the Viper’s faction I’ve fought so far weren’t that strong.

Isaac guessed their level was similar, with some margin of error.

There’s a limit to how much lawless ones can improve, and with the faction in turmoil, the ones they could mobilize…

Isaac calmly assessed the situation.

“So, what brings you here in the middle of the night?”

Isaac’s sudden question.

They didn’t need to answer, but the lawless ones hesitated.

Somehow, they felt an ominous vibe.

But they couldn’t just not respond.

The oldest among the attackers stepped forward and spoke.

“We came to collect a neck.”

“Oh, a neck. That’s nice. Whose neck?”

“Yours.”

“My neck is expensive. And it’s not for sale. Heads are precious, you know.”

Isaac shrugged and observed the attackers’ reactions.

‘I wish they’d come a bit further in.’

For the trap I set to work, I needed to lure them as far inside as possible.

Without them realizing they were walking into a trap.

“We don’t need your consent. Lawless ones don’t ask for permission.”

“Sorry, but I’m a businessman. If you want to take something from me, you’ll have to pay the price.”

“Just as I heard, all talk.”

“Better than nothing.”

The two engaged in a battle of nerves, glaring at each other.

A tense situation.

Isaac smiled calmly, as if he knew nothing.

“It’s going to be a long night.”

“…Attack!”

“You’ll regret it.”

Isaac smiled meaningfully as he saw the lawless ones approaching him.

The one who had been talking to Isaac wanted to know the meaning of that smile, but there was no time.

Soon, Isaac was surrounded by the lawless ones.

But Isaac’s face remained relaxed.

“Die, you bastard.”

“Sorry, but that’s what I should be saying to you.”

Isaac raised his right hand to his chest and showed his open palm to the attackers.

An inexplicable action.

But the attackers could feel a chilling murderous intent from that simple gesture.

“Sorry, but the office is too small. Sadly, only one or two can come in to talk to me.”

Before the attackers could ponder the meaning, his hand clenched into a fist.

“Shit!”

“Ahh!”

“What the hell are you doing…!”

“I practiced some magic tricks to show our guests.”

All he did was pull on the metal fragments scattered across the front yard.

The metal fragments mercilessly tore through the attackers’ backs, filling the area with screams.

Isaac let the screams flow past one ear and threw a joke only he understood in this world at his enemies.

“You can come in as you please, but you can’t leave as you please.”