The young man blocked Remedy's path.
"We'll pay you here. I hope you don't mind?"
Remedy looked up, as if he hadn't grasped the situation.
"If that's what you want. It's ten percent of the gold coins. You should have 180 gold coins in total, so that'll make it..."
Before he could finish his sentence, the young man started to complain.
"What? Ten percent? That's unfair!"
"The commission was indicated on my poster," Remedy retorted.
"Oh yeah? I didn't see anything." He turned to his accomplices. "And you guys, did you see anything?"
"Well, no, I didn't see anything," the one in red chimed in.
"Me neither," the blue one followed.
The other two played along.
Remedy observed them for a moment, then stated in a cold voice:
"That's your problem. It has nothing to do with me."
The youths felt the chill pass through them, but they had the confidence of those who had just become stronger.
In this world, leveling up didn't offer stat points to allocate. It was a direct enhancement of the body and mind.
A true evolution.
In just a few minutes, their bodies and minds had already covered a third of the distance towards the capabilities of humanity's greatest sporting elites. Strength, speed, endurance… and even cognitive ability.
"We just told you we didn't see anything. What don't you understand? And what are you going to do if we refuse to pay you?" the red one got angry.
"I wouldn't recommend that," Remedy evaded.
"What? You don't recommend it? You think the guild will intervene?" the yellow one sneered.
"I think two coins should be enough for him," the red one cut in.
"But you can always refuse to take them, you know?" the yellow one added.
Sparks of electricity crackled around his hand.
These were rookies who had just barely dipped a toe into the world of Players, and already they were looking to intimidate someone weaker than them.
But what they didn't know was that they were picking a fight with the wrong person.
For Remedy, the word "negotiation" was hard to find in his dictionary.
He sighed.
"Do you think you can stand by your words?" he asked.
His tone was so calm that one would never have guessed what he was preparing.
Before the yellow one could answer, Remedy plunged his gaze into his.
A visceral fear engulfed him.
These three didn't know what it was like to face monsters. They were ignorant of that primal terror that freezes your blood, that inner voice screaming that death is before you.
They didn't know it yet.
But Remedy knew it all too well.
And for someone like him, the mere act of engaging seriously in a fight was enough to make his gaze terrifying enough to break normal humans.
For a split second, the yellow one's body froze.
Then he jumped back, out of pure instinct.
Too late.
Remedy had already drawn his two daggers. With a crossed motion, he slashed his chest.
The amusement vanished from the faces of the other two as their eyes registered the scene: their friend mid-flight, a trickle of blood at his lips, before receiving a kick that sent him flying further.
They had very clearly seen their friend get slashed.
But their brains hadn't fully processed it at that moment.
They only truly realized it when Remedy's foot exploded into their comrade's abdomen.
Before they could react, a searing pain tore through their chests.
The daggers. Remedy had thrown them at the very moment he delivered the kick. They had embedded themselves in their chests with surgical precision.
He seized the blades still stuck in their flesh. His eyes had already calculated the depth thanks to the exposed part. He withdrew them slightly, just enough to control the depth, then slashed them downward, from the chest down to the top of the thighs.
An expert like Remedy could prepare an attack without a novice noticing it. And his experience allowed him to execute this combo at a speed that, even with their newfound strength, they couldn't yet counter.
Power is good.
But combat experience and technical mastery cannot be bought.
And they didn't have that yet.
Remedy took out his phone. The voice recording had been running since he pressed the button.
This kind of fraud was common practice. And he had prepared for it.
He finally tied them up and made them leave.
— — —
In front of the field guards, he made them listen to the recording.
A way to avoid complications.
Because even if it was self-defense, excessive use of force could get him into trouble.
The guard observed the three boys. They couldn't meet his gaze.
But no matter how he looked at them, the injuries weren't deep enough to endanger their lives, but they weren't superficial either.
The calculation was simple: with what they had earned, if they deducted Remedy's share, the guild's commission, and the healing costs, they would have at least two gold coins left.
Enough to walk away with a reminder and a tiny profit.
The matter was closed.
Remedy took his share – eighteen gold coins. He took a hooded cape out of his bag and put it on.
Snow was falling in the descending night. Remedy exhaled; a cloud of mist escaped his lips.
It was cold.
Then he left again, as silently as he had come.
— — —
Nighttime
In his aunt's small but warm house.
Around the worn wooden table, Remedy shared the meal with his Aunt Flora, her husband Victor, and their daughter Sora.
"So… it's in a week, huh? How are you feeling?" Flora asked, putting down her spoon.
Remedy was still chewing. He swallowed a bit too quickly and replied with a slight smile.
"Very well, Aunt. Really. I'm ready."
He straightened his shoulders slightly, as if to emphasize his words.
Flora sighed softly, not very convinced. But she knew she couldn't stop him.
"Don't put too much pressure on yourself. The most important thing is to come back in one piece."
Victor, still glued to his phone, added in a detached tone:
"Yeah. Coming back in one piece is a victory in itself."
He finally looked up.
"By the way, I transferred some money to you. Ten thousand credits. Get yourself some good gear and kick everyone's ass. Heh heh."
(1 gold coin = 100 credits)
A frank smile – and a bit too creepy – lit up his face.
Remedy's heart clenched.
He knew their situation all too well. The difficult ends of the month. The silent sacrifices. Ten thousand credits was a huge sum, probably the result of long savings.
"No… But…" he began, hesitating.
"There is no 'but.' The exam is dangerous. You're not going there unprepared. Otherwise, no exam for you," Flora cut him off without letting him finish.
The boss had spoken. Who could contradict her?
She turned to her husband, eyebrows furrowed.
"And you! What do you mean, 'kick everyone's ass'? You think that's funny?"
She grabbed his ear.
"Ouch, ouch! Okay, okay! I'm just trying to lighten the mood!" Victor protested, laughing.
"Hmph."
"If you want, I can help him spend it. Ten thousand credits is heavy to carry all alone," Sora intervened with a mischievous smile.
Remedy sketched a smile and lightly tapped her head.
"Keep dreaming, little witch."
"Hey!" she protested, mock-vexed.
A light laugh rose around the table.
Remedy looked down at his bowl.
I will come back.
Not just for himself.
For them.
His new family.
— — —
Meanwhile, outside in the dark night, above their house, a rift opened.
It wasn't a dimensional rift.
It was like a corruption of reality, as if an error – an entity – was inviting itself without permission.
Then an eye – vertical, almost reptilian – emerged from the violet and black energy of the rift.
Its pupil was of such dense and profound blackness that it reflected nothing.
It turned towards Remedy's dwelling.
[TARGET DETECTED... IDENTIFICATION... CONFIRMED. NEW SEED LOCATED.]
The End