"Please, don't kill me!" the merchant screamed from inside the carriage, clutching a cloth sack as if it could protect him.
Ryan sighed heavily.
"I'm not going to kill you."
"Liar!" the merchant shrieked. "You attacked me, you ruined my life!"
Ryan was about to respond when a small hand touched his arm.
Lia, holding her notebook, quickly wrote a few words and showed them to the merchant.
"We won't hurt you."
The merchant stared at the page. Then at the girl.He breathed with difficulty.
And finally, he calmed down a little. Slowly, he stepped out of the carriage, though his face still showed distrust and fear.
But as soon as he regained his composure, his expression changed completely.
"IT'S ALL BECAUSE OF YOU THAT I LOST EVERYTHING!!"
"I know." Ryan closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead.
"YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IT COST ME!!"
"I know."
"AAARGH!!! You have to compensate me somehow, you damn bastard!"
Ryan nodded.
"That's why…" he pulled out a small pouch of coins and handed it to him. "This is for you."
The merchant frowned and snatched the pouch roughly. But, to Ryan's surprise, the man immediately threw it to the ground.
"That doesn't matter anymore."
Ryan raised an eyebrow.
The merchant sighed and looked at him with a calmer expression.
"The truth is… losses can turn into future rewards."
Ryan looked at him in silence, not understanding.
"If I think about it, you did me a favor." The merchant smiled faintly.
"How so?"
The merchant crossed his arms.
"The bastards I was doing business with had me trapped. I couldn't get out of their deals without them killing me. But now they're all dead…"
Ryan studied him carefully.
The merchant nodded.
"And that means I'm a free man."
It took Ryan a moment to process it before he realized that Nobu had been controlled by the merchant who had ordered him to destroy his carriage.
"My name is Nobu." Finally, the merchant extended his hand.
Ryan looked at it for a moment.
Then he shook it.
"Ryan."
The merchant smiled.
"Your name is strange. I've never heard it before."
"Same as yours." Ryan simply shrugged.
"My name means 'Trust,'" Nobu said with a smile. "And now I know I can trust you."
Ryan didn't reply, but deep down he knew Nobu wasn't a bad man.
With everything ready, Ryan and Lia stored their belongings in the carriage and climbed aboard. Lia was excited. It was the first time she had left Valthera, the small trading town where she had lived.
For Ryan, however, the feeling was different. He was nervous. The last three days had been hell. And now he was heading to Eryndor, a city-state he knew absolutely nothing about.
As the carriage began to move, Nobu tried to start a conversation with Ryan.
"Tell me, how did you end up in a place like this?"
"Long story," Ryan replied.
"Well, the journey is long too."
Ryan sighed.
"Let's just say I'm looking for answers."
Nobu nodded with understanding.
A little later, they looked at Lia and noticed she was fast asleep.
"She must be exhausted," Nobu murmured.
Ryan watched her silently. To think that, being only a child, just a few days ago she had been an object to others… and now she was free.
"She's strong," Nobu said quietly.
Ryan nodded.
Hours passed, and without realizing it, Ryan fell asleep as well.
Nobu said nothing. He knew Ryan had been through a lot. He could see it in his wounds. And he also knew that if something were to happen, Ryan would wake up and help him.
After being knocked out that day by Ryan, when he woke up he saw the bloodbath surrounding him. Something that was not normal for an ordinary human. Besides, if Ryan alone had managed to wipe out the corruption of the merchant who controlled the markets of Valthera…
He was also aware that if Ryan had wanted to kill him, he would have done it without hesitation.
So he only murmured to himself before continuing to drive the carriage:
"You're not a bad man either, Ryan."
_____________________________________________________________________________
Icy water struck his body like needles piercing his skin.
Ryan woke with a start.
But it wasn't adult Ryan.
It was Ryan as a child.
He was soaked, trembling on the stone floor of his military complex.
"RYAN, WAKE UP!!"
The one calling him was his childhood friend, Cedric.
"W-what… what's happening?" Ryan asked weakly.
"They're attacking the complex!! We have to get out!!"
Ryan blinked, disoriented, watching Cedric extend a hand to him while the other was covered in blood.
Then the alarms sounded. Red lights flashed everywhere. And the screams of soldiers echoed in the distance.
It was chaos.
"Come on, now!!" Cedric shouted.
The two ran through the dark hallways, dodging bodies and debris.
For a moment, they thought they would make it.
Until an entire squad of augmented soldiers appeared in front of them. Their eyes glowed with mechanical implants. Metal plates protruded beneath their skin.
"STOP RIGHT THERE!"
Ryan and Cedric froze.
"Escape is treason." An amplified voice echoed behind them.
They were surrounded.
There was no escape.
After that moment, the punishment for treason against the complex and the guard began.
Jets of freezing water under pressure.Running barefoot over rock.Push-ups on spiked surfaces.Whips.Years.
The training never ended.
When they were nearly twenty-five years old, they had already lost hope.
Then one of the high commanders summoned them.
"The Great Leader has approved your release… under one condition."
One final mission.
Impossible.
If they survived, they would be free.
They accepted.
MISSION: ELIMINATE THE COMPLEX
Objective:
☑ Infiltrate the complex.☑ Destroy the operations center.☑ Eliminate the commanding officer.☑ Execute the scientists.☑ Activate the self-destruct.☑ Escape alive.
Dark night. Dense jungle.
Seven shadows advanced in complete silence.
Ryan and Cedric led the mission, followed by the other five soldiers of their squad.
The enemy complex was a fortress protected by watchtowers, armed patrols, and motion sensors.
But it didn't matter.
They were ghosts.
"Once inside, we split into groups," Ryan whispered through the communicator. "Cedric and I will handle the commander."
"The rest of you make sure no one gets out alive."
The infiltration began.
Guards eliminated.Bodies dragged away.Shadows moving among shadows.
Until a stray bullet rang against steel.
The alarms exploded.
"Shit!" Ryan growled."Hurry it up!" Cedric shouted.
The hallways filled with enemy soldiers.
The massacre began.
One fell. Then another.Explosions.Gunfire.Blood.
Hell had begun.
Publication schedule:
Monday: HP: Dion the magician who changed everything
Tuesday: INVINCIBLE: SECRET PROJECT
Wednesday: VAREN: THE REBIRTH OF A NEW WORLD
Thursday: HP: Dion the magician who changed everything
Friday: I Reincarnated and Now They Call Me the Blood Demon - INVINCIBLE: SECRET PROJECT
Saturday: VAREN: THE REBIRTH OF A NEW WORLD