Chapter 297: Naive Newcomer!

****(POV)

There was once a young orphan that had grown up to become a petty thief. He had refused to curl up and die, thus had taken his survival into his own hands.

Then, one day, his entire existence changed. This happened before the Credits, the Tower, and the Climbers. It was a far simpler time: when nimble fingers and quick wits could feed someone. It was before currency became virtual.

On that one fateful day, this thief was scouring the streets in search of a good mark. The morality aside, it was lucrative enough, and the profession itself was an art. Picking the right target was the first step that one had to master.

The thief just happened to notice a man who seemed particularly agitated and lost in thoughts. He was wearing a leather jacket that wasn't fashionable but was expensive nonetheless.

What made him a good mark was that he was unconsciously holding his right pocket. Knowing where to strike was vital for a thief. Every encounter needed to be as brief as possible, making a search impossible.

After finding the mark came the next step: waiting for the perfect opportunity. At some point, the man arrived near a pedestrian crosswalk. He went to push the button that would control the traffic light and allow him safe passage.

Without waiting, the kid exploited the weakness! The man wasn't holding his pocket anymore and was distracted. A discrete and swift fluid motion later, the thief was walking away smoothly. In pickpocketing, one had to be lightning fast. Get the loot and get out!

He finally stopped in a small alley nearby, observing his bounty: it was a weird black envelope with a silver dagger inscribed on top. The thief quickly opened it, hoping for valuable notes, but nope! It was a letter featuring a single address.

He could only sigh, lamenting his bad luck. What was the point of owning this? This information was probably valuable in the right hands but was useless to a street rat like him. It was such a waste!

Just as he turned around to resume his hunt, he abruptly froze and almost pissed himself. In front of his eyes, there was a dagger. A man he recognized very well stood there with a calm grin. The thief's life was now at the mercy of the man he had just robbed!

The child felt like crying. This was such a disaster! Had he known about the item, he wouldn't have bothered. Would the man kill him? Would he deliver him to the authorities? Either way, the thief wouldn't have a good ending.

The cold glint of the dagger seemed to announce his upcoming demise. The man slowly uttered:

"I believe you have something that belongs to me." His voice was far too calm. There was no trace of anger or stress. It was as if he threatened people with a dagger on a daily basis.

The kid could only gulp before handing the small letter over. The man had seen it, so he couldn't even try to bluff his way out. He was utterly helpless. The man grabbed it, slowly nodding, but didn't move the weapon.

"A-are you going to kill me?" The kid asked.

"Should I?" He nonchalantly replied.

How was he supposed to reply to this? Whether the man should or not, he didn't know. Right or wrong were foreign concepts to someone just trying to survive. But there was one thing he was certain of: "I want to live." was all that he said.

The man sized the youngster:

"You're pretty good at pickpocketing. I may have been distracted, but you still managed to fool me for a little while. How long have you been doing this?" He asked.

"T-three years."

"Three years, and you're already this proficient. You've been stealing every single day, haven't you? I'll tell you what. I'll give you a choice. Either you can work for me, or you can leave right now, and we shall never meet again."

The kid felt at a loss. Was he getting offered a job? What could it even be? The man continued.

"Of course, if you steal from me again, I will kill you." It wasn't a threat. It was a promise.

The kid had no idea what was happening, but there was one thing he was sure of: he was nothing but trash. He was a plague for society, one that no one cared about. He thus decided to roll the dice with this mysterious man.

"I'll work for you...."

The man chuckled as he smiled at him. "Aren't you going to ask me what the job entails? What if I want you to kill people?" He mischievously added.

"Then I'll learn how to kill people." The kid replied with conviction.

"Damn, chill out, kid. That's way too gloomy for someone your age! Anyway, follow me. Let's eat something, shall we? You're way too scrawny!" The man exclaimed.

This single decision would change his life forever...

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After a few years, the young thief had grown until it was his turn to join the test for the LoA.

Only recently had he learned the true meaning of the letter he had seen long ago. He was now determined to pass this evaluation so he could follow in his mentor's footsteps. But, he had already reached a seemingly insurmountable wall.

In front of him was another candidate blocking his way, the most violent of them all. He knew he wouldn't be able to defeat him in a head-on battle as his specialty was larceny. That's why he had resolved to flee.

But, the man had reinforcements who blocked the exits. What were the chances of victory of a lone thief versus a dozen Climbers? Fucking nil! This was a deadly trap. All he could do was grit his teeth and put his life on the line.

He locked his gaze to the enemy candidate in front. Never had he been so focused! He charged forward using all the speed he could muster. The savage hammer drew an arc in the air, aiming for his chest. The thief waited until the very last moment and suddenly changed direction!

He could feel the gale from the swing ruffle his clothes as he dodged the deadly blow. He had avoided it! He only had a few meters left to run, and everything would be fine!

But suddenly, he felt intense pain as his body was launched in the air, catapulted like a cannonball. The powerful blow shattered both his shoulder and hopes. He then crashed heavily into a few garbage bins.

— Clang Clang!—

The man was smirking, his plan working perfectly: The hammer swing had been a feint from the start. The real danger had been the mighty fist following. The thief was sorely lacking combat experience, and it would be his downfall.

The thief slowly rose with his legs shaking as his body felt so heavy! He wouldn't accept dying on the floor. He had to make the opponent leave some flesh!

The man approached, striding forward with the confidence of a conqueror: "Did you really think you stood a chance?" He looked at him as if he was looking at garbage.

But suddenly, the tension was broken by an incredibly calm voice that felt so out of place.

"That punch was pretty good." A young-looking man was coming out of the shadows, lazily clapping.

Everyone present couldn't help but jump. Had this guy been spectating the whole time?!

"Who might you be?" The hammer guy asked with suspicion.

"Me? Don't worry, I come in peace. As long as someone gets eliminated and my spot is secured, then everything's fine." The newcomer amicably said.

He was a contestant?! Wait, this could only mean that he was the one who had been missing earlier. Both the thief and the hammer-wielding guy reacted strongly to this revelation. The latter spoke first.

"So you're the fifth contestant! You seem like a smart fellow. I have some beef with this little guy in the garbage. You don't mind, right?" He carefully asked.

"Nope. You kids have fun now!" His smile was so bright.

The thief was flabbergasted. Who was this guy calling kids?! The hammer guy could be seen twitching upon hearing this, but he didn't make a fuss either.

The thief was bound to die, but he would at least do one last thing before he kicked the bucket. He shouted a warning at the mysterious man:

"Be careful. All the recruiters hate the guy who recruited you to the bone. Well, all besides my mentor. Anyway, there's a bounty on your head, so never turn your back to any other candidates."

"A bounty?" He looked at him, puzzled but not scared.

"They want you to die in the first rounds to shame your recruiter. I'm not privy to the specifics. All I know is that there will be plenty of trouble coming your way!"

The man turned to the hammer guy: "Is this true?" He nonchalantly asked.

Would the assassin even tell him the truth? What was the point of asking?! But instead of denying, the man nodded in agreement.

"Indeed. Hate is even an understatement. I'm not sure what happened between them all, but they really are vindictive." He shrugged casually.

"I see. What's the bounty reward then?" The mysterious man asked.

"A few thousand credits. Anyway, you can relax. I don't care about such a paltry sum. Just look around you." He pointed toward the dozen Climbers who were obeying his orders.

"A few thousand Credits?! Damn, those assholes sure are stingy! If it's not close to a million, why would people even bother?" The mysterious man was shaking his head.

Everyone spectating couldn't help but be taken aback as some began giggling madly. Was this guy dumb?! A life was worth way less than a million Credits! Hell, an MTA leader was only worth a few hundred thousand, it didn't get more expensive.

"Brother, come stand behind me so we don't hit you with our skills by mistake." The hammer guy amicably said.

The thief tried his best to help one last time: "Don't go, it's a trap!" He whispered as the man happily ignored him and walked forward.

He watched in horror as the mysterious man walked next to the hammer guy and even went for a handshake. As the two shook hands, the thief was expecting the man to kill the newcomer at any moment.

But...nothing happened. Had he misjudged him? Had this guy suddenly turned kind? No, he was still watching him with the playful gaze of a predator. The man's smirk became even larger, and he suddenly made his move.

His hammer moved lightning fast toward the newcomer's head. The latter was so surprised that he didn't move in the slightest.

"Quick, dodge!" The thief shouted, but it was far too late. At such close range, it was already over.

But then, right before impact, the hammer slipped from the man's hand. That's when the thief noticed the blood, so much blood! It was gushing from the assailant's neck, one that was punctured by a green glass shard.

Through the blood fountain, he could distinguish the newcomer serenely smiling. Where had this devil come from?!

But, there were still so many Climbers remaining...

Creator's Thought

How nice of him to warn me! Honestly, this hammer guy was kind of an idiot. I had no reason to kill him before that stupid move of his. What's the point of being lightning fast if you emit clear killing intent a minute before acting?! So dumb!