“Nothing?” Diamond muttered those words repeatedly, staring dumbfoundedly at the destruction before. The crimson-eyed man–if he seemed a mysterious man before the incident–now seemed like an old master disguised as a teenager.
“This looks so cool…” Matthew muttered, his eyes glittering in excitement. To him, the scene seemed to be something straight out of an action movie… Not that movies existed inside the tower.
The villagers slowly stepped out of their homes. A few collapsed on their knees, devastated by the sheer destruction caused. A few shed tears of joy, having gotten ridden of the gangsters ruling the town.
Arthur didn’t mind them and simply motioned for Diamond and Matthew to follow. “The bumps have been smoothened.”
*
The three continued after Diamond sorted her thoughts. However, she still couldn’t understand the extent of Arthur’s power. He’d evolved into a seemingly mysterious existence within her mind.
Was he trying to trick her and Matthew? Was he genuine?
A man with such power would not allow mere commoners such as them to work under him. Also, a man with such power would not recruit a boy he knew only for a single day. What was the catch?
Alas, whenever Diamond raised the question, Arthur dispelled her doubts by offering a seemingly logical answer. It seemed there were no catches, there were no strings attached to the situation.
But was that possible?
There was no free lunch. Although Arthur clearly stated Diamond and Matthew would need to work, the salary was incredibly high. The mother could not believe Arthur was so generous, despite not having tested Matthew’s skill.
‘But what can I do?’ Diamond asked no one in particular, staring at her son, who seemed so excited. ‘I couldn’t let him live in the slums his entire life. To give him a better life, this is the only option.’
‘Also, those gangsters deserved nothing but death after what they did. So, although he’s mysterious, he seems somewhat nice.’
Arthur’s impression rose in Diamond’s mind, and a sense of acknowledgment built up. It wasn’t long before the trio appeared in the Outer District. Matthew gasped, excited to explore the new land.
As someone who’d been born on the First Floor, and had never stepped into the Outer District, he seemed like someone from the countryside.
‘He can’t return to the First Floor,’ Arthur muttered internally. ‘If he tries, he’ll be transported to the Tutorial World. That seems to be a flaw I need to deal with. Perhaps training him will help him pass the Tutorial World.’
Arthur glanced at Diamond, who seemed to be thinking the same. Her son–if he teleported yet again–would end up in the Tutorial World as a newbie. In order to resist death, he needed to be prepared.
“Shall we continue?” Arthur inquired, once Matthew had properly explored the Outer District. It was almost evening, and the rays of the Sun seemed to have turned orange-gold. Matthew and Diamond nodded.
A few minutes passed, and they arrived at the hotel where Kai and Ferhill stayed.
Entering, they immediately headed to the room.
Knocking on the door, they instantly heard the sound of soft footsteps. As the door gently creaked open, what welcomed them was Kai, dressed in a burgundy, scarlet-red suit and donning a gaze fitting of a playboy. 𝒍𝙞𝙚𝒂𝓭.𝒄𝙤𝙢
He wore stylish glasses and held a wine glass in his hand. With his hair short and neatly combed to one side, he truly seemed like a gentleman.
“What the fuck happened to you?” Arthur wasn’t able to contain his words, as Kai’s appearance was seriously off-putting. With a quick glance and a smirk, after which he shook his head up and down, Kai stepped aside.
“Come on in, youngsters,” said the Child Of Fate. He then dug into his pockets, retrieving a rose. “This is for the lady.”
Diamond blushed, to which Arthur and Matthew cringed. She gladly accepted the rose, caressing her cheek as she pinched Kai’s nose. “Oh, how cute and charming you are! What’s your name?”
“Regular people call me Kai, but for babes…” Kai began, maintaining a smirk. “Babes can call me darling if they want.”
Without hesitation, Arthur stepped forward and smacked Kai on the head, resulting in him releasing a wince. He caressed his head, at which moment Diamond stepped forward protectively.
“Don’t harm the boy,” said Diamond, interlocking arms with him.
Arthur glanced at Matthew, who glanced back. Disappointment was written on their faces.
‘This is disgusting, right?’
‘Yeah, very disgusting!’
Kai chatted with Diamond, while Arthur and Matthew explored the room. The crimson-eyed man immediately headed in search of Ferhill, who seemed to be in the bathroom. Banging on the door, Arthur threatened the man.
“Get out before I count to 5, or else your little brother won’t live to see another day.”
As soon as Arthur said those words, he heard a banging sound, followed by a screech of pure terror. He heard a few more banging sounds, to which he let out a few chuckles while counting. “3…. 4….”
Before he could utter the last number, the door shot open, revealing Ferhill, with only a towel draped over his family jewels. His breathing was rather erratic, while his chest heaved violently. His face was red as if he were exhausted.
“What the fuck did you do to Kai?”
“You told me to make him accustomed to society!” Ferhill protested, attempting to escape Arthur’s wrath. “I did exactly that, and even went overkill! He can pull any woman he wants, now!”
“Yeah, but he’s also obsessed with his image, now!” Arthur yelled. “I needed him to be a normal person. Look at him, that is not normal!”
“Yes, it is!”
Arthur looked at Ferhill in disdain. “Are you slow? Have you never interacted with a female before? How do you have a wife if you think that’s ‘normal?’ I feel bad for your wife, who has to suffer through you.”
“Say whatever you want about me, but don’t disrespect my wife!”
Arthur gave up, massaging his temples as he glanced at Kai again.
‘He needs to be fixed.’