Rewards

"I'd heard for ages that this was a place where rats liked to gather. Now that I've come to see for myself, I can confirm it. I can smell the stink coming off this place from a mile away."

A man in a black suit slowly emerged from the rear of the gang that had barged in. His brazen taunt immediately riled up many of the patrons inside Haisha Bar.

"Well, what's wrong? Judging by your faces, you think I'm wrong?" The man in black raised an eyebrow and looked contemptuously at the scavengers nearest to him.

Alcohol already had a way of making people lose their heads, and the man's expression made it clear he didn't consider them human. Two or three scavengers immediately saw red, grabbed their beer mugs, and prepared to hurl them at him.

The scorn in the man's eyes deepened, edged with disdain. He didn't care in the slightest about their attack. In fact, it was exactly what he wanted.

Once a bottle came crashing down, the bar would be the first to resort to violence. Then...

The dozen or so gangsters he'd brought along were no pushovers.

A few members of Kalleva had already aimed their dark gun barrels at the scavenger holding up a bottle, waiting for him to take the bait.

The bottle was about to come down.

A burly figure darted forward and caught the scavenger by the wrist before the bottle could fall.

"Leave this to me," came a low, soothing voice.

The burly man who'd stopped the scavenger was Brian, the owner of Haisha Bar, who had been standing with Liao Ji and the others earlier.

The lecherous look he'd worn around Irin was gone, as was the slightly tipsy expression.

Brian clearly commanded a great deal of respect. The enraged scavenger immediately calmed down and lowered the bottle. He himself was also shaken by the close call. If he'd let his temper get the better of him and brought the bottle down...

He'd probably have been carried out of there today.

"Anyone who isn't involved, please leave. Haisha Bar is closing early today." Brian's booming voice echoed through the bar. Most of the patrons let out a long breath and hurried to leave this trouble behind.

If it had been some other gang coming to cause trouble, they might have tried to put up a show of resistance. But this time it was Kalleva, the biggest gang in Black Cave Settlement, which ruled the place with an iron fist. Even if they were called rats, they could only swallow their anger. Staying alive mattered more than standing up for themselves.

As for the Kalleva gang, their apparent leader—the man in black—only snorted. A trace of regret crossed his eyes, but he didn't stop them from leaving.

As the bar rapidly emptied, Liao Ji glanced at the girl beside him.

Irin stood completely still, watching the gangsters and Brian face off at the entrance with a tense expression. Judging by how absorbed she was, Liao Ji suspected that she'd unconsciously crossed "leave" off her list of options.

After all, from the way Irin had excitedly introduced the bar to him earlier, she probably thought of this place as a second home.

Fine.

Liao Ji didn't say anything. He turned his attention back to the scene.

"This is Viper's territory. I may not be one of your people, but it's basic etiquette for gang leaders not to cause trouble on one another's turf, isn't it?"

Brian spoke in a deep voice, trying to reason with the man, but all he got in return was the man's mocking smile.

"Sure, that's right. But there's one exception: Viper is dead."

"You're Brian, the leader of the rats around here, right? To save us both some time, I'll be blunt. The idiot who used to protect you got himself killed by being an idiot. I'm the new boss around here now, so... you get what I mean?"

The man gestured at Brian. In Black Cave Settlement, with the exception of a few businesses backed by outside forces, almost every local shop had to pay protection money to the gangs. Kalleva was the most brazen of them all.

"Haisha Bar has already paid this month," Brian replied in a low voice.

But the man shook his head. "You paid Viper, not me."

After a few seconds of silence, Brian signaled to some of his men. One of them immediately headed to the back of the bar and returned less than half a minute later, carrying a box.

"Take it and leave." Brian picked it up and tossed it to one of the men across from him.

Irin relaxed a little. She thought Brian was right to swallow his pride. They'd have to pay another month's protection money, but at least they'd avoid casualties in an armed confrontation.

But Liao Ji, standing beside her, shook his head inwardly. He had a feeling this wasn't over. The black-clad leader had made such a show of coming here. He wanted more than this.

The man merely glanced at the box of money, then held up three fingers to Brian.

"What does that mean?"

"You haven't paid enough. I don't know what rates Viper set for you, but if this little box is all you're giving me, then you'll need to hand over three more like it."

The first to lose their temper at those words were the men behind Brian.

The man was demanding four times the usual protection money. One box held around five thousand Ash Coins. If they accepted, they'd have to pay him twenty thousand a month!

Haisha Bar couldn't even bring in twenty thousand in a month. Most months, its revenue probably didn't reach ten thousand—and that was revenue, not profit. This wasn't just a robbery. It was a naked attempt to take their lives!

The members of Haisha Bar erupted in anger. While cursing, some of the more hotheaded ones even pulled out their weapons.

The tension in the bar shot up in an instant. The situation was on the verge of spiraling out of control.

"Everyone, put your guns down!" Brian's roar brought things back under control.

Seeing that several of his men were still furious and hadn't lowered their guns, Brian stressed each word, speaking to them slowly and emphatically. "Put. Your. Guns. Down."

"But, boss—"

"Are you going to ignore my orders, too? Put them down!"

At last, though their faces were filled with resentment, everyone from Haisha Bar lowered their guns. Brian then spoke in an exceptionally calm voice.

"Wood, bring three more boxes."

Clap, clap, clap.

The man in black, who'd watched the whole thing unfold, applauded. Even he had to admire Brian's patience. Of course, to the people on Haisha Bar's side, the applause sounded like mockery.

Irin clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her palms.

Deep down, she felt the same way as most of the people in the bar: she wanted to lose her head and fight the gangsters who'd pushed them too far.

But perhaps it was because she'd spent half the day with Liao Ji. Her rational side quickly told her that Brian was doing the right thing.

The other side had clearly come prepared. No one knew if they had more men waiting outside the bar. If the fight began, Haisha Bar would be at a disadvantage, utterly unprepared. And then it wouldn't be a matter of how much protection money they had to pay—the gang could simply take over the place outright.

Of course, there was another way to win.

That was... her.

She had become a Corrupted. Her experience fighting the kobolds in the Relic Cave had given her a clear understanding of the tremendous change in her combat abilities.

If she joined the fight, Irin thought they'd definitely win. But then what? These people weren't clumsy kobolds who relied on brute strength, and she couldn't protect everyone else from a hail of bullets. Even if they won, there would surely be heavy casualties. Irin knew that the people at Haisha Bar weren't scavengers anymore. They had families, wives, and children. If they lost their lives here, what would happen to their families? And what about Kalleva's retaliation afterward?

And then there was the final reason Irin had given up on fighting.

Liao Ji.

The young man beside her had nothing to do with this. She couldn't let her own impulsiveness drag him into the mess. She was supposed to be his bodyguard. What kind of bodyguard picked a fight and made enemies for her employer instead of protecting him?

Besides, given their current "Contract," it was more accurate to say the young man was her "master" than her "employer."

From what she knew of Liao Ji, Irin was sure that if she tried to stand up for Haisha Bar, he'd immediately take control of her body away from her.

The girl unconsciously looked over at Liao Ji.

To Irin's surprise...

She met his gaze. He'd been watching her all along.

"You..." Irin was speechless.

"Not bad, Miss Irin. You've shown some real restraint. I thought you'd rush in without thinking."

Liao Ji meant the praise sincerely.

He'd made two contingency plans. If the girl had ignored him and charged in on her own, Liao Ji would have restrained her without hesitation. Afterward, he would have considered treating her differently.

As his only Corrupted fighter for now, Liao Ji had one simple requirement for Irin: she had to put him among her top priorities deep down, and understand her place as his subordinate.

He could tolerate Irin's many flaws and bad habits, but not someone who didn't keep him in mind. He couldn't tolerate a subordinate who disregarded her "boss."

Fortunately...

The unpleasant scenario never came to pass. Liao Ji didn't need Irin to explain. The way she'd looked back at him had already told him plenty. That was enough for him.

After all, they'd known each other for less than half a day.

Looks like I've been pretty efficient at earning her goodwill.

He muttered to himself before speaking up. He'd prepared two plans, and now it was time for the second one.

"Miss Irin, given how much you've improved, I think you deserve a reward."

"So..."

"Go ahead and do whatever you want."

W-what!

Irin looked stunned, unable to believe her ears. Until now, Liao Ji had always seemed calculating and cautious—the kind of person scavengers called a "rat." Yet suddenly, he'd gone from a scheming bastard to a hot-blooded bruiser?

As if he'd read her thoughts, Liao Ji said helplessly, "I just hate trouble. But if trouble comes looking for me, I don't mind turning it into experience points. Besides, I'm pretty short on those."

E-experience points?

Irin's mind couldn't make sense of the term, but her excitement soon swept the thought away. Her whole body felt hot, as if she'd finally been allowed to release all the pent-up frustration. There was just one last thing holding her back.

"B-but they have guns, and there are so many of them. I'm worried everyone else might..."

"Miss Irin, they may have plenty of guns, but don't forget what you have. You've got the legendary 'legacy.'" Liao Ji cut her off.

The young man's words seemed to have a kind of magic. They gave Irin overwhelming confidence and dispelled her final worry.

The Corrupt Calamity inside the girl began to stir. Waves of power belonging to a Corrupted surged forth.

Faint flashes of dark red appeared in her eyes, and the Contract insignia on the back of her neck began to glow softly.

"I understand!!"

Until now, the gangsters and the bar patrons had all been focused on the main hall by the entrance. They hadn't noticed the two "outsiders" still in the back.

But as Irin began to walk, the crisp click of her high heels against the floor rang out through the empty bar. In an instant, everyone present turned to look.

As he watched the girl's back, now the center of attention,

Liao Ji called after her with one last reminder.

"Oh, and if you can kill them, try not to leave any survivors."