Jack felt his shoulders loosen a little but stiff at the next moment. He couldn't help but feel a chill suddenly linger onto his spine. Who would have thought that this seemingly gentle elder albeit muscular had already ended more than five hundred lives?! The idea of someone even ending lives that many were almost unreal. How did he even kill that many people?
'The appraisal skill works on people too. But what kind of data is this?!' Jack blinked, thinking his eyes were playing tricks on him but the sight was unmistakable, and for some reason, black and crimson motes of dust now seemed to swirl and bleed out around Brian.
'What about her?'
After seeing Brian's stats, Jack expected the girl to have equally shocking achievements. But she was far more ordinary by comparison. Or so he thought.
[Lucy Blaine]
[Codename: 432]
[Level: 20]
[Race: 24% Elf, 19 % mermaid, 57 % human]
[Age: 18]
[Position: Agent I]
[Kill count: 0]
[…]
'Huh? What is this? 24% elf, 19% mermaid and 57% human?' Jack's eyes almost popped out of his eyesockets, but he quickly remembered what the man told him about the so-called truth of this world.
'So that's true?!' Jack's mind raced and couldn't even begin the process properly.
Lucy has long black hair which fell effortlessly over her shoulders. She has a slim body with not so big and not so small bodily proportions. Some people were just blessed with good genes and that unmistakably included the girl. But it seemed untrue that involved the blood of something as unbelievable as elves and mermaids.
However, what caught Jack's attention the most was her demeanor. She seemed uncomfortable, almost shrinking. It would give anyone the impression of someone who lacked self-confidence, despite her appearance.
He ceased his personal evaluations when Brian opened his mouth.
"Long time no see, Jack. How have you been?"
The old man's voice unexpectedly carried the warmth of a kind grandfather. It was very calm and steady, as if it was telling the world the owner of such voice was the kindest person you ever meet. But knowing what the appraisal results revealed, Jack's expression tightened and dark within.
It was his plan to fight the person who would come inside the room, and escape using the basic fighting skill and use the last surge skill as a trump card, but that seemed impossible now.
Under the current circumstances, his chances of escaping were most likely zero.
Even the Gods wouldn't be able to convince him otherwise.
The old man wasn't just big and scary for a show and Jack trusted the system and understand that that this was a monster who had ended hundreds of lives and could erase him without hesitation.
'First I need to calm down, and answer his question. I won't let a murderer—no matter how ruthless—make me bow .'
The atmosphere, however suddenly turned heavy. Even Lucy froze as though caught in the same crushing weight. Jack nearly lost all his composure but he kept his ground.
But Brian's next statement has thrown him off.
"Say your name!"
'My name? Why? Is this a code and when I answer incorrectly, he will kill me?' Jack's mind spun. Jack couldn't tell if he was just testing him or being serious.
Brian's words then turned to a different road without warning.
"We allowed you to stay low these past three years because of that incident… but you've grown dull and soft. You have turned so pathetic!"
Suddenly, Brian hit the armchair, and broke it into pieces. The sound echoed las if there was a gunshot in the quiet room.
'What the hell is this guy talking about?!'
"Eventually arrogance… gets you killed. Same with talent. Even the sharpest blade rusts if it's left to dull."
For a second, the pressure coming from the old man felt unbearable. But for some reason, it slowly started to go away and then for a second, something slipped through the old man's hardened expression, which made both Jack and Lucy accidentally exchange questioning looks.
In Brian's head, an old memory surfaced as he looked at the young man looking at him with a dark wary expression in his eyes.
He would never forget that moment. It was the first time he had seen Jack, barely six years old so he was small, powerless, and weak yet with eyes just as sharp and fearless as they were now.
But the memory soured and angry veins surfaced along Brian's neck whens the images from the CCTV footage replayed in his mind.
"I saw the footage of your fight," he said coldly. 'Your movements were sloppy. you've even put on weight!"
Brian's sudden remark caught him off guard, striking deeper than he expected. Guilt prickled at him as that was true.
'I've put on weight? True but what am I supposed to say? …'
"Don't just sit there and speak back." Brian's voice cut through his thoughts, the weight behind it making further silence feel dangerous.
Jack forced his mouth open. "So… who was the guy I fought?"
'I messed up!' Jack immediately screamed in his mind, but controlled a neutral expression.
"A mercenary tied to a local syndicate," Brian answered without missing a beat. The ease of his reply shocked Jack as if all that fury from moments ago had simply vanished.
"You need not concern yourself with some small fry. We already mapped their network."
"I see" Jack then replied.
In reality, the man he'd fought barely mattered to him. If the organization was on their trail, then they were already finished. According to the little things he could remember in that dream, the organization wasn't your simple gangster group, fraternity. It was as big as the Italian mafia, if not bigger, and is completely buried in the within the country's darkest and ongoing secrets.
Jack, albeit, finding the situation dangerous, couldn't felt but feel the thrill. 'Is this really real? It feels like I'm in some role I don't know the lines for… I need to calm down.'
Then, surprisingly, Brian's gaze softened even further, and a sly thought flickered in Jack's mind.
"I owe you an apology, Jack." The elder said, "It was my mistake to ever let you walk this path. I still respect your decision to live an ordinary life, so I won't force you to return to the Organization."
'…now, what is this guy talking about again and why did he suddenly become gentle? It looks like he has some relationship with that man--.' Jack was thinking when he realized something.
"…"
"Thank you for understanding, dear…grandfather," Jack replied and swallowed his saliva hard inwardly, though uncertainty tinged his voice. That uncertainty only grew when Brian's face went stiff and Lucy suddenly took a step back, as if she'd just witnessed the world ending.
It was 5 seconds of silence and Jack started sweating buckets.
'This old man was suddenly being so emotional for a mere stranger so I thought…'
But then Brian's stiff expression slowly and unexpectedly melted before Jack's eyes like warm pancakes, making even his eyes widen slightly.
'I'm…right?'
He could barely believe he'd guessed correctly.
Jack was just betting because Brian's softened expression struck Jack so strongly that he'd have bet his life the man could be his grandfather. After all, even in that dream, Brian had seemed especially close to the man Jack had been living as. And even if he wasn't his real grandfather, calling an old man "grandfather," even a stranger, didn't feel entirely wrong.
At the same time, he also heard a familiar sound in his head and a new panel appeared in the corner of his eyes.
[First mission in progress: Advancement detected.]
[You have gained knowledge about yourself]
[10 exp received]
[60/100 exp]
'…So it works like that?!'
Jack's gaze couldn't help but drift toward Lucy who he couldn't help but feel a twinge of annoyance at. Her exaggerated reactions almost made him shit his pants.
'H…he executive Colminer got a grandson?' was all that Lucy was thinking, still unable to believe what she'd just heard. 'This is breaking news!'
Brian's gentle tone returned as he spoke.
"Hmph, do not flatter me. After that display, I can't trust you," Brian said. "I will still honor your request to stay out of the Organization, but I won't let you return to that life unmonitored."
Jack felt like he had just crawled out of hell, but his chest had tightened again, feeling something ominous but before he could speak, Brian continued as she suddenly introduced Lucy:
"It must be your first time meeting her—this is Lucy Blaine. She will monitor you twenty-four hours a day and report your activities directly to me."
The old man even paused, watching Jack's reaction, but the other party still seemed very composed.
"She's extremely skilled and a fresh graduate of the HadZion Orphanage Society. Don't worry about the logistics. We've arranged everything so her integration into your life will be seamless. She's also around your age, so you should get along quickly."
'What is this old man deciding by himself?!' Jack's restraint cracked.
"Stop. What do you mean integration into my life? Twenty-four hours a day?"
Jack's fear of the old man was still there, coiled tight in his chest. But even through that fear, he could sense it—this elder should held him in a place of rare importance: family.
"You heard right." The old man continued, as if he expected his reaction.
'What? How? How could you?! I don't want someone watching me all the time,' Jack thought, hating the idea with every cell in his body.
"…Grandfather," Jack started, his voice tight. "I'm not particularly fond of that idea."
Thankfully, Brian wasn't as scary as before.
"I expected as much but the decision is final: six months, then you're free. Fail to meet the terms and I'll drag you back in by force. Also, come here twice, no, four times a month. I need to see you so I know you're not neglecting your training."
'Fuck… my life really flipped overnight!!!' Sweat slid down Jack's back, but he forced calm into his words. For now, he seemed safe and he needs to build up on that.
"Alright, grandfather. I'll take your concerns to heart. But this is as far as I can accept."
Brian studied him with narrowed eyes, then gave a low grunt.
'…Huh?' Jack did his best to keep his calm.
"For now, stay here until you've fully recovered. I'll be taking my leave. And young lady—keep what you heard here to yourself."
"Y--yes, Vice-Executive!'
Then, Brian finally stood up from his seat.
Hwoevr, instead of leaving, he sauntered and stopped before Jack sitting in the chair and, with a patronizing gentle gaze that hardly anyone in the organization saw, he patted him on the head like one would a child who'd finally behaved.
Brian then turned around and started to leave.
When he was finally outside, someone who had been standing guard outside and waiting for him, couldn't help but notice that he had a smug grin stretching from ear to ear as they walked, as if a marching band were playing just for him.
Meanwhile, Jack sighed in relief and just noticed then that his back was drenched in cold sweat. But he remembered that he wasn't alone yet.
At the very same time, he received an alert panel at the corner of his eyes.
[You are hungry.]
[You need to eat].
[Nutritional intake insufficient. Recommend consuming protein-rich food.]
[Get out of the room and find food. Use this opportunity to know more about the previous user.]