Chapter 10 : Apprenticeship – 2

God, these guys are sickening.

Letting out a small sigh, I furrowed my brow sharply.
Flipping them off with my middle finger was just a bonus, same as before.

What’s different from yesterday?
The ring now on my finger.

As a Stoner, punks like these back-alley thugs could never match me.

It’s about time to cut this rotten tie for good.

“What’s the holdup?
If you’re not coming at me, I’ll start.”

I’ll beat them just shy of death.

As I clenched my fists and got into a stance, I couldn’t help but tilt my head.
Their faces were twisted in a way I hadn’t expected.

What’s this?
Normally, they’d be leering with perverted smirks, hurling harassment.

“…Is it true?”

The abrupt, contextless question threw me off.

“What?
No subject—how am I supposed to get that?”

Geum Taeyang, face still snarled viciously, pressed me.

“No way it makes sense.
You joined Red Dog…?”

“Ohhh.”

That’s what this is about.
I got it.

Red Dog, revered as a living legend in the mercenary world.
Naturally, they draw both admiration and jealousy.
This guy’s one of the jealous ones, it seems.

“What?
You jealous that the girl you’ve been bullying forever joined Red Dog?”

“I tried to get in countless times and failed!!
Why the h*ll…!”

God, he’s so pathetic it’s painful to watch.
If it were me, I’d be scheming to exploit my Red Dog connection somehow.
Does this guy even realize how pitiful he looks right now?

“…Oh.
I get it.
That’s it, huh?
You spread your legs to get in, didn’t you?
Bet you’re loving it, huh?”

At this point, I was too dumbfounded to even get mad.
Isn’t that practically paranoia?

It hit me how pathetic the old me was, getting beat up daily by a guy like this.

“You f*cking sl*t!!”

Unable to contain his rage, Geum Taeyang charged first.
His lackeys, like accessories at his side, rushed in too.

I didn’t even need to get serious against small-fry like these anymore.

The moment I linked the connector to my brain chip, Stone energy surged through my veins.
In that instant, the world I saw transformed.
Their incoming punches felt so slow I could yawn.

With a flick of my head, I easily dodged and threw a light jab.

CRUNCH—!

With a savage sound, Geum Taeyang’s face crumpled.
Seeing the gruesome sight, his lackeys flinched and stumbled back.

No way I’m letting them off easy.
Time to repay everything they’ve done to me, with interest.

Leaning forward, I sprang off the ground and charged.
With blinding speed, my kick landed square in the next guy’s face.

Oh, that attack might’ve been a bit risky.
I tried to hold back to avoid killing them, but it’s harder than I thought.

Seeing them writhing on the ground, they’re luckily still alive.
They might be half-crippled for life with aftereffects, but that’s not my problem.

One left, huh?

“Fck!!
You monster btch…!!”

I froze for a moment at the gun aimed at me.
Panicked after his two buddies went down in seconds, the last guy pulled a pistol from his coat.

Swallowing hard, I focused every nerve on his finger hovering over the trigger.

My head screamed to subdue him now, but my body wouldn’t move.
I was stiff as a statue, unable to even twitch.
Could I dodge a bullet?

Based on the physical abilities I’ve felt so far, it seemed possible.
But this wasn’t some math problem with a fixed answer.
One slip, and a bullet could pierce my forehead, stealing my breath.

Thump.
Thump.
Thump.

My racing heartbeat shook my body.
My mind went ice-cold, then blazed like it was burning.

Adrenaline surged wildly, screaming to tear the enemy apart.

As every circuit in me melted into Stone energy,

BANG!!

A deafening gunshot snapped me awake.

Even in that moment, I stood frozen, staring blankly ahead, not moving a muscle.

A body slowly collapsed.

Thud.

“Tch.
Still a rookie, huh.
…Hic!”

A gruff, drunken voice.
A potbellied middle-aged man staggered toward me.
Smoke curled from the pistol in his hand.

Only then did I realize I’d survived, and as tension melted, I slumped to the ground.

Glancing over, the thug sprawled on the ground had blood seeping from a hole in his temple.
No life remained in his eyes.

“…How’d you get here?”

“You’re moving to our bar, right?
Lycan told me to stop boozing and help with the move.
Kicked me out.
Heh.”

Franklin grinned, blowing into an empty bottle.

I stared at him briefly before shakily standing up.

“Thanks for the save.”

“Why not quit being a mercenary now?”

His sudden words stopped me cold.
He spoke casually.

“You’ll die out there.
I’m genuinely worried.”

I understood what he meant.
How pathetic must I have looked, freezing the moment a gun was pointed at me?
Biting my lip, I vowed never to hesitate again if it happened again.

“I can see what you’re thinking, rookie.
You’re swearing you won’t hesitate to kill next time, right?”

“…”

“That’s the fast track to becoming a demon.
Sure, in this cesspool, you’ll have to kill to survive sometimes.
But you should hesitate every time.
Lose your humanity, and you’re just a monster.
…Hic.”

I mulled over Franklin’s words, then glanced at the dead thug.

“Did you hesitate just now, Franklin?”

The drunk paused at my question, then gave a bitter smile, swigging his booze.

“Who knows?
When I drink, my memory gets fuzzy.”

His answer made me wonder if I’d glimpsed why he drowns in alcohol.

“What about the other two?”

I looked at the remaining pair.
Geum Taeyang, face caved in, and the other lackey, barely recognizable.
In that state, they’re as good as useless.
Maybe this is a crueler revenge than killing them.

“…Let’s go.”

“Heh.
That’s harsh.”

“Didn’t you just say to hesitate before killing?”

“Come on, let’s move.
Your cute sister’s waiting, right?”

I went along with his cheeky subject change.

“I’ve got a stop to make before home.”

“Just saying, if you’re working me harder than moving stuff, I’m bolting.
Where to?”

“Uh… my old job?”

Since joining Red Dog happened so suddenly, I hadn’t even told Marco I was quitting.

Plus, I needed to explain how I ended up with the ring I took.

So, Franklin and I headed to the black market.
As expected, Marco was there, begging on his mat like always.

Sensing our shadows, Marco looked up, glanced between us, and let out a dry laugh.

“Now this is a fresh combo.”

“Yo.
Long time?
Still living like a dumb*ss, huh?
…Hic!”

The two seemed acquainted.
In Rat Town, where interests tangle, it’s not weird for two players like them to know each other.

“Seeing you together, I’m guessing it’s about yesterday’s job.”

“Yup.
Your errand girl caused a huge mess.
You know how pssed* our lady was?
Smoking like a chimney—I nearly choked on the fumes.
Heh.”

I gave an awkward smile under Marco’s sharp gaze.

“Uh, sorry…”

“My mistake for trusting you.
You did well enough before, so I thought you had a decent head on you…
So, how much do I owe?”

“Owe?
Bullsh*t.
You know how pricey that thing is?
Karen poured all her Red Dog earnings into that Stone.
It’s processed from raw Stone meant for Ikazuchi.”

Franklin’s cheerful explanation made me gape at the ring.

This was that valuable?
I knew Stones were rare, but Ikazuchi’s name coming up?
Without knowing, I’ve racked up a deep grudge with Neotopia’s biggest corporation.

Then I felt Marco’s heavy stare on my hand.

“You…”

“Uh, well, it’s a long story, but somehow…”

“Dumbss.”

…Seriously?
Just straight to insulting me?
That’s embarrassing.

“Anyway, that’s how it is.
I’ll be working with Red Dog from now on.
Thanks for everything.”

I said my goodbyes a bit awkwardly.

Marco, mouth twitching like he had a lot to say, sighed and waved me off.

“Fine, just scram.
Don’t draw attention.”

“…Alright.
Live well.”

It’s the last time—can’t we part on better terms?
Swallowing my grumpiness, I turned to leave.

“Watch out.
Word is, cops are sniffing around Rat Town’s outskirts.”

His words stopped me in my tracks.