First battle

With a quick step, he hefted the stove and rushed behind the thug rummaging through the cupboard, then smashed it into the back of the man's head without hesitation.

Thud!

With the crunch of breaking bone, blood quickly spread from the back of his head.

"Vic?"

Hearing the noise, the other thug realized something was wrong. He shouted for his companion, swiftly rolled sideways, and turned to look.

"It's you!"

The thug glared through gritted teeth at Lorry, who finished the first man off with the stove. Reaching behind his waist with his right hand, he flicked out a gleaming dagger.

He charged, brandishing the dagger.

Without a word, Lorry hurled the stove at him.

The thug sneered disdainfully and easily sidestepped it.

But a moment later, his expression froze.

Lorry lunged forward and grabbed the Double-Barreled Shotgun from the table. He aimed at the thug, set his index finger on the trigger, and pulled without hesitation.

"No! We still-"

Bang!

Flame erupted from the muzzle, the report booming like thunder through the spacious bedroom.

Even though Lorry had fired the shot himself and thoroughly braced for it, the thunderous blast at such close range still made him shudder.

The thug flew backward as though struck by a massive blow and slammed into the wall.

Then he slowly slid down, defiance etched on his face.

"What the hell are you two doing?!"

An angry, dissatisfied shout came from the kitchen.

Another thump followed. An immensely powerful kick blasted the wooden kitchen door open, sending it flying in the opposite direction like a cannonball.

Heavy footsteps sounded.

Lorry's gaze swept over the two thugs' bodies in turn. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly, and he let out a long breath before turning and walking out with the Double-Barreled Shotgun.

He stepped outside, stopped, and met the other man's gaze.

"Nimble Lorry?"

Standing nearly one hundred and ninety centimeters tall, Glowa looked nothing like a man from Loen. Instead, he resembled those self-proclaimed descendants of giants from the kingdom's great enemy, the Feysac Empire.

He wore an enormous boxing glove on each hand, their surfaces studded unevenly with metal protrusions and stained dark brown.

The stains were just recognizable as traces of dried blood.

Besides those, he wore a mask shaped like a bird's beak. Made entirely of metal, it gleamed in the crimson moonlight.

"Giant Glowa?"

Lorry raised the Double-Barreled Shotgun and aimed at Glowa, answering with a pointed question of his own.

Was that the largest ball of light?

The size of the light represented its value. It was worth a lot, but there was nothing unusual about its appearance. What exactly was that thing?

A Beyonder item?

His gaze flicked almost imperceptibly toward the Bird-Beak Mask on the man's face. The term sprang reflexively to mind, and his heart sank slightly, though his expression remained unchanged.

I had no idea what ability it granted Glowa.

Strike first...

These thoughts flashed through Lorry's mind.

"Good. Looks like I came to the right place."

Even with a gun aimed at him, Glowa showed no fear. His gaze drifted toward the bedroom behind Lorry. "You killed those two useless-"

He never finished.

Bang!

The gun fired.

Glowa staggered three steps backward, but did not fall.

Scarlet spread from the left side of his chest toward his waist. He let out a low growl of pain, fury and savage menace filling his eyes.

I hit him near the heart, and he was only lightly wounded?!

Lorry's pupils abruptly constricted, his gaze freezing.

He really wasn't afraid of gunfire. At least, not from a Double-Barreled Shotgun.

He had already suspected this when he saw Glowa's reaction earlier-no ordinary person would remain so composed with a gun pointed at him.

Unless he truly had nothing to fear.

"Looks like my name still isn't feared enough."

"Enough that... even a lowly pickpocket dares pull the trigger on me! You should know a Double-Barreled Shotgun only holds two rounds!"

"They told me to bring you back alive if possible."

"But now, it looks like all they'll get is a corpse."

"I'll make you die in endless pain and torment, just like that stubborn old man in the kitchen!"

"You know, he didn't have to die."

"He only ended up like that because he wanted to hide where you'd gone-I shaved the flesh off his lower body, slice by slice."

"But he never told me where you were, not even with his dying breath."

"And now you've come looking for death yourself!"

Glowa lightly pressed his gloved left hand against his wound several times, flexing his right hand as he spoke in a raspy voice.

"Believe me, that's exactly how you'll end up today!"

Although he knew the man was deliberately trying to provoke him, Lorry couldn't help gritting his teeth at the thought of that decisive, vigorous old man.

Uncontrollable fury filled his eyes. He wanted to tear the man opposite him apart.

At the sight, savage menace flooded Glowa's gaze.

He pushed off the floor and charged, displaying agility at odds with his massive build. He crossed more than two meters in less than a second.

Glowa raised his right hand, drawing his enormous fist back slightly before swinging it forward with even greater force, whipping up an audible rush of air.

Danger!

His spirituality instinctively warned him. Lorry reflexively stepped back and held the Double-Barreled Shotgun crosswise in front of Glowa's fist.

Crack!

Under Glowa's crushing punch, the iron Double-Barreled Shotgun was as fragile as tofu. The instant they made contact, it was smashed clean in two.

Lorry hurled both broken halves at Glowa's face, then turned without hesitation and darted nimbly toward the storeroom.

Thud... crack!

Lorry flung the storeroom door shut behind him, but Glowa's fist struck it almost immediately. Then a casual kick shattered it to pieces.

Whoosh!

A heavy fist came hurtling toward him.

Lorry abruptly dodged aside.

The wall behind him suffered instead, splintered wood flying everywhere.

Another powerful left hook followed.

Lorry suddenly ducked, evading this blow as well.

Crash!

The wooden shelf holding assorted odds and ends became an innocent casualty, its contents clattering to the floor.

Though the Marauder Potion he had drunk was incomplete, it had still strengthened Lorry's body and given him agility far beyond that of an ordinary person.

Especially in a space as cramped as the storeroom.

Giant Glowa, by contrast, looked clumsy even when turning around.

"You sewer rat! Is dodging all you can do?" After several consecutive attacks missed, Glowa couldn't resist taunting him.

"Then..."

"As you wish!"

Lorry swept his hand down and picked up a palm-sized crescent knife used specifically for cutting seedlings. His thumb settled lightly against its handle, then exerted a little pressure.

The crescent knife immediately spun deftly in his palm, settling into a reverse grip.

Lorry charged in a crouch, slipping past Glowa's fist. The instant they brushed past each other, his right hand flicked upward with incredible speed.

Blood flashed!

An enormous fist dropped to the floor, glove and all, severed at the wrist.

"Aaaah!!!"

Glowa could not hold back his agonized roar.

Lorry turned expressionlessly, and a gleam of steel stabbed toward Glowa's throat.