Chapter 25: Kill or Be Killed

  When rad and Cra arrived at the church school, their attention was immediately drawn to a huge crowd gathered before the closed church gate. Several rough-looking men blocked the entrance, preventing anyone from entering.

  "Why is there such a huge otion?" Cra asked nervously.

  A hand grabbed onto her arm, givihe fort that she was safe no matter what. Looking up, oticed her brother's eyes were focused, calm like a deep o with some on his face.

  "Stay near me."

  "Hmm," odded slightly, walking alongside her brother.

  Maya stood among the crowd when she spotted her best friend approag.

  "Cra, you're he—oh... rad, you're here too."

  "Maya, what's going on?" rad kept his eyes fixed on the men blog the path ahead.

  "The men you beat the other day came back with more backup. They said their boss wasn't in town then." Maya fidgeted with her fingers while expining.

  "Oh, so they think they take me on now?" A smile pyed across rad's face.

  "rad?" Cra looked at her brother with fusion, w what he was thinking.

  "Hey!" rad called out to one of the guys he'd beateerday.

  The man with the scarred face trembled slightly at the familiar voice. "You—" he pointed a shaking fioward rad.

  "You think you behave like this? Don't get me wrong, you're strong, I'll give you that, but our boss—"

  "Yeah, yeah, I get it. You guys are small fries," rad cut him off. "Let's not make a se where kids are studying for their future. We should take this somewhere else. I have a proposal: why don't y me to your boss? Isn't that a good deal?"

  The man remembered yesterday's brutal beating. One of his friends had gotten his leg broken; he'd been lucky to just fall unscious. He sidered the proposition.

  "Okay..." He signaled his panions to move away from the gate.

  "rad, no! It's too dangerous!" Cra pulled at rad's arm.

  While patting his sister's head, rad said, "Cra, listen—your brother isn't that weak. Trust me." He turo Maya. "Take care of her."

  " I e with you?" Maya asked.

  "No—it's too dangerous. You two stay here and study. Let adults haheir business." rad's gaze swept over the group of men waiting for him.

  "I'm an adult now," Cra whispered, making a face.

  rad gave her a gentle smile before joining the group.

  "Alright, I'm ready. Let's go."

  "rad!" Cra called out from behind.

  But the group walked away, leaving Maya and Cra behind. The bell rang to start csses, and church school begahat day.

  I've had so many things on my mily. Retly I've been studying the book and learning about the way of Essentia. The more I learn, the more aware I bee of just how terrifying this world is. If I want to escape and survive, I o be strong—but strength alone isn't enough in any era, that much I know. History withat individual strength doesn't matter as much as the power you wield. I o create something that rival this world's power, like UG or nations' strength, while increasing my own power and w toward my goals.

  rad looked at the man leading the group. "Hey, scarred face—"

  "Neo," the man interrupted.

  "Yes, Neo. Where do you live?" rad asked.

  "We all live ireets and dark alleys. Even though there are National Civil Guard and police departments active in Prismara, they overlook this side of town. Here, we are kings," Neo replied.

  "Is that so? Then why does the king live ireets instead of these luxurious houses?" A mog smile pyed across rad's face.

  Neo g the young man who was her too tall nor too short, but whose blue eyes knew no fear.

  "Huh... your silence says everything. It's not like you want to live in these dark alleys. You fool others, but you 't fool yourself. You also want a normal life, but—"

  Thud!

  With a sudden push, rad smmed into the wall. He saw it ing but didn't block as Neo gripped his colr with calloused fingers.

  "You brat think the world is some idealistic pce, don't you? I tell you're from a well-off family. Those fug blue eyes—some noble family of the past, maybe? Do you have any idea how tough it is when you don't have a job? When you never got a ce to study? You want to lead a normal life but you 't. Your stomach growls every day. Yes, with my face, it's so funny—I was eveed for being a prostitute. Do you think I chose this life?" Neo's voice trembled with rage and frustration.

  "Oh? So what? If you 't live a good life, let's do bad things and that will justify your poor excuse of a life? Is that what you're saying, you dirty bastard?" rad grabbed Neo's hands and twisted them so hard the man screamed in pain.

  "Boss!" The other men called out but didn't dare approach rad.

  "This world really is unfair. People are born with privileges, but that doesn't mean you bme it on life and bee some kind of mania the name of your misfortune. I'd rather die as some poor bastard than live as somebody whose life will be remembered as some dirty dog from the dark alleys w for others."

  Neo looked up, his enraged eyes meeting the young man's calm gaze. He remained silent as the group resumed their walk toward a rge house.

  Ring! Ring!

  "Sir, rest assured the girls will be to your liking... No, sir, I promise this time it will be fifteen. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."

  A man with blonde hair set down a device that looked like a round circle ected to a small pipe-like material. It was called a Kation—people could unicate over long distances with it, though it had a very specifige and ore depending on the distahe maximum raypically spanned a nation, but the general public didn't have access to those models. Rich families usually owned ohat could unicate between cities. Poor and middle-css couldn't afford those models, though cheaper optioed.

  "Kalifa," the man called out.

  "Yes, sir?" A woman with dark hair streaked with white stripes replied. Her eyes were devoid of aions if they are just meant to listen and obey.

  "Did you hear? These Teocratic Society members want to have a party, so they want girls from roup. Do you know what that means?" A wide smile spread across the man's face.

  "....."

  "It's a loot, an opportunity Kalifa. Twenty thousand Aatan for each girl." The man ughed.

  "Boss," a maered the room to report.

  "What is it?"

  "They found that guy who beat our meher day."

  "Oh, is that so? Tell him to the third floor. And tell him not t his whole group. I don't like poor people leaving dirt in my room."

  "Yes, boss."

  "Did you find any record of that man, Kalifa?"

  Kalifa gnced down at the papers in her hands. Adjusting her gsses, she analyzed the information.

  "rad Valor. He's nothing out of the ordinary. He studies at the prestigious National Aurelias Uy, but his grades are among the lowest. He has three unmarried sisters. His family might appear middle css, but they're actually quite poor, with massive debt after their parents' passing. rad Valor isn't bright, reportedly very cowardly in nature, and likes to gamble." Her tone didn't have any fvour like some mae reading out the it's predermiexts.

  "Sounds like some random person. So how could he beat our men?" The man's eyes narrowed.

  Could he be an Essentia? Essentarii are rarely found causing public ses. Maybe a newbie, but I'll sense him once he's here. Let's see who he really is.

  As he pondered, a maered his room as if he owhe peo followed behind like a bodyguard instead of being the captor of the blue-eyed man.

  "So this is the pce of the big bad guy." rad looked around, his eyes taking in the vish mix of modern and Victorian furniture filling the space.

  I'm not sensing any Brahman. He's an ordinary person.

  "Wele. I am Juliet Harley, owner of the Drako gang in the underworld," the blonde man said with a smile.

  An Essentia. I sense his Brahman fluctuations. Now this is very iing, rad thought to himself.

  "I'm rad Valor, the one who took down your men. It's a pleasure to meet you, sir." rad bowed with one hand on his chest.

  Kalifa observed the young man through narrowed eyes behind her gsses.

  A beauty with gsses. I must say there's no she of beauties in this world.

  "Don't mind her. She's my personal security and former sister-in-w," Harley said, taking a sip of wine.

  "Former?" rad asked.

  "Oh, don't worry. In our business, sometimes brothers must die by brother's hands."

  rad's eyes shifted to the young woman; there was no hint of sadness in her expression.

  Sick bastards.

  "So I was curious, rad—how did you beat my men so easily? I heard it was like some superhero ing down to save the girls."

  Harley pressed his fiips together and brought them to his forehead, straightening his posture like an interrogator.

  rad stared at him for two seds before a smirk crossed his lips. "Well, what I say? I'm just such a dies' man. I'm not some good person myself, but if bugs interfere with my life, I like to squish them like the pathetisects they are."

  The veins in Harley's hands became visible.

  "Bugs, huh? Hahaha, yes, if they get squished so easily, they must be bugs." He ughed loudly.

  "Usually I like to crush bugs myself, but I do like those with a little attitude. Okay, rad, let me be ho here—I really don't care much about those men you beat, but it made me look bad. I'm a busy man, so let me propose a good deal."

  "But Boss, he—"

  ried to interrupt, but Harley raised his hand to stop him. "I'm talking."

  Neo felt a shiver down his spine as if something unnatural had taken hold of his heart. A fear of death encroached on him like a snake.

  "Excuse my i men. As I was saying, work for me and I'll let everything go. You'll receive a handsome sary, and that debt of yours will be paid in no time. I'll take full responsibility for that."

  "So what do you say about our deal?" Harley extended his hand for a shake.

  "I always like profitable business," rad replied with a smile.

  "I knew you were—"

  "And the most profitable situation for me would be if I took over your entire business, wouldn't it?" rad cut him off.

  Harley stared at the young man, dumbfounded, as if too fused by what he'd just heard. Then he burst into ughter. The entire room echoed with the sound.

  "Hahaha, oh you... Hey his brat is a funny one. Oh, I didn't think there would be idiots like this still alive in this day and age." He wiped his eyes as if clearing away tears from ughing, then tinued.

  "You really think like some hero from those crappy street dramas. But think about it realistically, boy—do you think just killing me makes you the boss of this entire business? How easy do you think that would be?"

  rad's eyes turned serious. "Don't worry. I'll think about that after your death."

  "You really are serious. I'm surprised a kid like you talk about killing someone so easily. I'm curious who you really are." Harley took another sip of wine as if unbothered by the threat from a young man.

  I've decided I o kill to survive. I won't be like those fool characters in novels stuck with their stupid ideology. This isn't my world—from the information I've gathered, it's a world of kill or be killed. I've killed an Oddity. I also kill a human. I o grow stroo survive. This isn't a world where I learn by failing aing back up. This is reality—I won't get another ce. I o take this situation seriously.

  "Are you going to just talk?" rad said, his face emotionless.

  Bang!

  Suddenly rad was struck by some kind of invisible bullet. Though he sensed something ing, he couldn't dodge in time.

  What just hit me? If my body wasn't enhanced by Brahman, I would have suffered serious internal injury or just died.

  A drop of blood trickled from rad's mouth. Looking ahead, he saw the blonde man already standing, still holding his wine gss.

  This won't be easy. rad's mind tensed as he prepared for his first bat without Anira.