Roy frowned as he stared at his hands, which had a firm grip around the silver baton, a small tuft of steam rising.
That attack wasn't as strong as it was meant to be… he realized. It seemed just because he had overpowered skills didn't necessarily mean he would be overpowered. His constitution, strength, along with other stats had to be robust enough to wield them.
After all, higher dimension or not, some principles still remained the same — like the one that stated that every action will result in an equal or opposite reaction. This principle was precisely his problem, as his constitution and strength weren't enough to withstand the buff of 100x, so instinctively his body reduced the output to what it could handle.
Roy shook his head and sighed. Well, let's look at the bright side. At least I didn't accidentally kill my first criminal. If not for the nerf, how could Dio still be living? One had to realize the attack just now wasn't anywhere near 2x, and he was this battered…
He finally turned his attention to the victim, his expression cold. Though she was attacked, there could only be two reasons she would step into his territory: either seeking recruitment or seeking his head. So which are you?
The lady, sensing his gaze, trembled faintly as she curled up, using what was left of her clothing to conceal her body. Naturally, she didn't need him to say anything, but she could already discern his thoughts. She quickly stuttered in an attempt to clarify, "E‑esteemed Lord… I am here to seek refuge under your… banner…"
Hearing her purpose, he sighed. After all, this was a staggering beauty — he couldn't bring himself to strike her. It's a pity. At this stage I'm not looking for liabilities. I only need the best of the best.
He was given a policing system, not a philanthropist system, and with the way Arcana ran, taking in the weak would just weigh down the strong. He might consider doing this later when he was strong enough, but not now, not at this stage.
He was just about to politely turn her down when a chime paused his decision…
[The system applauds you for having a survivalist mentality…]
[But before rejection, Host needs to be alerted that he is before two order bearers…]
His eyes flickered with confusion. I thought you said hunters with systems would be rare?
[Host has an unprecedented amount of fortune. A hunter with an order is indeed rare — they are one in ten million. To find two so easily and so early at that is unprecedented!]
Roy couldn't help but measure the lady once more, who flinched under his scrutiny. One could practically see the degree of wariness with which she regarded Roy.
Which was reasonable. She had found the likes of Dio an insurmountable foe, but in a single attack Roy took him down.
Can you tell what type of system she has? Roy questioned mentally.
[No. Host can only inspect this after she has pledged her allegiance to you.]
Roy nodded. Either way, though it was a pity only one among the two system bearers would become his subordinate, the other would be a prisoner.
[Prisoners also count as subordinates of the Cosmic Policeman… After all, it is only after earning enough merit from their master that they can be granted clemency.]
Roy's eyes sparkled. This… this was awesome!
Didn't it mean that no matter the foe he captured — be it another Lord or an absurdly powerful being — they would still be at his beck and call?
His lips pressed into a smile. This was great!
He nodded at the lady. "Give me a minute to deal with this scum, and I will take you back with me."
On hearing this, the lady noticeably calmed as she exhaled a pent‑up breath. Her gait loosened, but she still remained curled, as most of her upper region was bare.
Roy retrieved a blanket from his inventory, an item he drew during his unlucky rounds, and threw it to her to cover herself.
Then he turned back to Dio, striding toward his struggling figure.
The hairs on Dio's neck stood on end as fear unlike ever before assailed him. To him, he didn't see a human walking toward him — all he could make out was the looming figure of an abyssal behemoth ready to finish its prey.
His teeth clenched as he summoned all the energy he could scavenge. He staggered to his feet, his knees buckling as they trembled, not even able to bear his weight.
He stretched his arms forward, his head bent and his eyes closed as though fearing the outcome. His cracked voice spoke of the horror in his bones. "P‑pls… I‑I seize… to… r‑rsist."
Each word was hard to spit out, not only because of his pride, which had been shattered in a strike, but because of his internal injuries. He prayed this beast in human skin would at least just apprehend him or something — anything was better than death.
Then suddenly he heard the looming footsteps stop. He hesitated before gritting his teeth and raising his head to see his fate. At least even if he died, he should see how.
But to his utmost shock, the cop just nodded solemnly and spoke.
"It's good you know what's good for you. I'll be detaining you now on both charges of assault and resisting the law." As Roy spoke, he fetched the cuffs from his waist.
Seeing the cuffs, Dio's expression couldn't help but turn weird. He was starting to get the feeling that this cop wasn't a cop but a retarded, delusional fool.
First of all, where the hell did he get cuffs? As though his baton, gadgets, and outfit weren't weird enough.
And second, did the fool really believe a metal cuff could hold him? This was Arcana! A world where even the weakest humans by now should have physiques of top athletes, not to talk of someone like him whose capabilities were already bordering on superhuman.
A metal restraint like this didn't even need effort to get out of. His eyes glinted in glee. This was an opportunity. Since his opponent seemed to have lost his nuts, he could use this chance to bide his time, and when he regained enough of his strength, he would strike back!
Dio wasn't a fool. He had deduced that the damage he was dealt just now was mostly because of the mysterious baton. He just had to take the chance when the unsuspecting moron let down his guard…
Just as Dio was lost in his treacherous thoughts, a soft Clink! rang out as the handcuffs had been clipped on his wrists.
Suddenly sensing something not quite right, his expression turned ugly as his pupils constricted violently and his frame trembled. A familiar mortal weakness permeated his being. His eyes bulged as he screamed in terror.
"I‑IMPOSSIBLE!"