At that moment, Coleman, the one his older brother was praying for, felt nothing but annoyance.
He had no idea why he'd run into that idiot he'd conned last time in this lousy little town.
His mouth twitched as he discreetly glanced behind him.
Sure enough, several dark figures were leaping from rooftop to rooftop.
They were that "idiot's" men.
They belonged to the Sko Family.
The Sko Family was a mid-sized Mafia family.
It had existed for over five generations, spanning three hundred years of history.
And this "idiot" was one of the men serving the youngest son of the current family head's younger brother.
A man who was... dispensable, but could wield a small part of this massive machine's power.
Coleman was only interested in the Sko Family's gold.
So he'd made up a ridiculous lie to get close to that youngest son.
But it was clear that the youngest son had no interest in the treasure and didn't care at all about the information Coleman had put out.
That underling, however, was very interested.
Naturally, he'd taken the bait.
And naturally, he'd gone to the supposed treasure site and found nothing.
Ever since then, for some inexplicable reason, he'd held a grudge against Coleman.
Whenever he saw him, he had to get his revenge.
Coleman didn't understand it at all.
So what if he'd conned you once?
Then you used that fake information to deceive your family head, didn't you?
In the end, your family head chewed you out.
What's that got to do with me?
If you're upset, go take revenge on your family head!
With a faint headache, Coleman suddenly slammed on the brakes.
He skidded to a halt, then turned around and headed back.
Most of the people pursuing him were thrown off by their momentum.
Coleman had no intention of killing them. He didn't want to make an enemy of a mid-sized Mafia family at his age.
It was too dangerous, and there was no need.
Expressionless, Coleman said, "There's no need to lose your lives over an idiot, is there?"
His gaze icy, Coleman wanted to bring this boring game to an end.
He considered how he could kill them without a sound,
and keep suspicion from falling on his family.
But he still had to try talking them out of it.
Just in case.
Today wasn't a good day for killing.
Coleman, who had already killed one nobody, thought without a trace of emotion.
Looking at their hostile, even mocking eyes, Coleman sighed.
Fine. He'd have to do unpaid work again.
"Come on, baby!"
Coleman spoke with a slight lift in his voice, smiling.
"Let's take our time and enjoy this game."
"Relax. It'll be over soon."
He sounded as if he were reciting a poem, yet also issuing an invitation.
Coleman gave a slight bow and grinned.
"Now the real game of hide-and-seek is about to begin."
His blood-red eyes glimmered beneath the moonlight.
Like a vampire's mocking gaze, he watched the fearless fools who knew no better.
He hid his true intentions in his eyes and raised the corners of his mouth.
Across from him, the group looked at one another.
Tch, he's just a little kid. What's there to be scared of?!
Their gazes hardened, and they charged forward.
But the moment they made contact with Coleman, their pupils contracted.
Something was wrong. The sensation was all wrong.
Sure enough, the figure before them shattered like an illusion.
It vanished in a scattering of starlight.
"Hey! What are you doing? Our game's over here!"
The child's shout came from far away. The leader whipped around and saw a white figure standing in the distance.
Without suspecting a thing, the man in black grew irritated.
That bug actually dared to toy with me?!
Though furious, he stayed calm and waved his hand, ordering his men to give chase while he followed.
His men acknowledged the order with a nod and darted off at full speed.
The leader stayed where he was, looking around carefully in case the kid was using a diversion to escape.
He didn't believe that a kid who'd just been running away in a panic would suddenly get so bold.
Either he had reinforcements, or...
He was planning to escape!
They'd been chasing the kid for almost half a year. How could he let that white-haired brat get away?!
Squinting, he searched the area thoroughly.
Suddenly, his eyes lit up. Just as he'd expected!
Three thin threads stretched between the trees, their ends trailing off toward the patch of woods they'd just come from.
But they led in the opposite direction from where the voice had come from.
Toward the northern part of the woods.
The leader scoffed inwardly, pleased with himself.
See? With a cheap little trick like that, you still couldn't escape me!
You're just an ignorant brat.
What other tricks could you possibly pull?!
Certain that he'd found Coleman's location and sure he had the upper hand, the leader didn't hurry.
With a grim smile, he followed the threads in what he was certain was the right direction.
You're dead this time, kid!
Hidden in the jungle, Coleman watched with blood-red eyes as his prey walked step by step toward the abyss of death.
After all, the jungle was the beasts' territory.
How dare a bunch of reckless bugs—
How dare they wander into Spider's territory?
Especially when they'd watched Spider return to his own domain long ago.
He looked up at the crescent moon and grinned.
Excellent. This time, he could take a series of figure studies.
He'd call it "Dinner Hanging in the Jungle."
Watching the "materials," each one reckless enough to charge into the maze, Coleman was delighted.
Time for some handiwork.
Before you continue