Chapter 80: Do You Want to Die, or Become a Dog?
‘It wasn’t a plan or anything… but I really did cause all of this, didn’t I?’
As if the meaning of positivity had suddenly dawned on them, I could hear the people rolling on the floor swallowing hard.
“T-this was all planned from the beginning?”
“N-no way. Have we been moving like pawns on his chessboard this whole time?”
“The entire Leviathan organization… taken down by one person…?”
Watching their cliche lines spill out was like watching a bad soap opera.
Creeeak—
A sinister sound echoed. I looked up to see the chandelier shaking. It looked like it could drop down at any second.
‘Oh no! If we stay here, we’re all toast!’
In a panic, I stepped further into the room, and the people sitting on the floor flinched, trembling and crawling backward. They stared up at me with cold sweat dripping down their faces.
‘Gotta keep them from freaking out… yeah, let’s smile!’
*
Atan, the boss of the Leviathan organization, felt a chill run down his spine the moment the Slaughterer flashed a charming grin. His whole body started to tremble.
‘We’ve been playing right into his hands…’
Since when? How deep does his plan go?
No matter how hard he tried to figure it out, he couldn’t. The blood-red sword in his hand glimmered ominously, as if it was just waiting to soak itself in their blood.
The mountain of corpses behind him seemed to foreshadow their future.
‘He’s not just some Hunting Dog…’
With a youthful face and slightly downturned eyes, he looked like a cute kid who’d obey without a second thought.
Maybe they had been fooled by his innocent looks.
‘He’s a monster… The real kingpin of Nest has to be this guy.’
A man who looked like he swallowed a snake couldn’t be just a lackey in a little organization like Nest. It was clear he was the actual boss, making the current leader just a puppet on strings.
Leviathan was a whole different beast size-wise compared to other organizations. Naturally, all the juicy gossip in Cardishian was flowing straight into Leviathan’s ears.
But no one knew that such a monster was hiding in Nest!
How much power did he have to keep everything about himself under wraps? Atan’s eyes filled with dread as time passed.
‘Why is he doing this? To blow up Leviathan?’
Nah, that didn’t sound right. If he wanted Leviathan wiped off the map, they would’ve been gone ages ago.
As thoughts raced through Atan’s mind, Lian spoke up.
“Wondering why all this happened? Well, it’s simple: Leviathan threatened me.”
“….!”
The word “dare” echoed in Atan’s head. Lian hadn’t actually spoken it, but that’s how it landed.
“The fix is simple. Just stop threatening me.”
Lian meant it literally; he wanted them to cut the threats to stop his powers from engaging. But to the others, it sounded totally different.
‘Is he telling us to bow down and submit?’
‘Gulp, did he plan this whole thing just to swallow Leviathan whole?’
No one took Lian’s words at face value. “Don’t threaten me” basically translated to “Become something that’s not a threat.”
In a war between organizations, what could you do to not be a threat? Form an alliance? Make a pact?
In a place riddled with betrayal, those meant nothing. To obliterate a threat completely, you had to annihilate or consume the opposing organization.
So, Lian’s words came out sounding like, “If you don’t want to end up dead, shut your mouths and become my loyal puppies.”
The thought of Lian gobbling up the entire Leviathan organization turned the executive members and the boss into ice statues.
‘This chandelier really looks like it could fall any second…’
Lian kept glancing at the ceiling and stepped further into the room. The folks on the floor crawled backwards in a panic. Lian plastered on a smile to ease their jitters. The faces of the execs and the boss went pale as fresh snow.
“We don’t have time. This isn’t rocket science.”
Since their defeat was already set in stone, Lian was practically urging them to submit. The executives and boss trembled in their boots.
Humiliation and terror spiraled in their heads while they struggled to think of a response.
Creeeak, screeech…
The chandelier shook violently like it was on a rollercoaster ride that might just get derailed at any moment. Lian glanced up at the ceiling and said,
“…You can answer later, but for now, get out of there—”
Just as he was about to push them out of the line of danger…
Boom!
The ceiling completely caved in, and the chandelier began its descent. The executives and boss stared at it with eyes so wide they could’ve been part of a cartoon.
‘Ugh… that’s why I told you to move!’
Lian morphed his demonic sword into a long spear and launched it in a flash.
Clang!
The spear shot through the chain connected to the chandelier. The part where the blade and handle met jabbed out, snagging the chain.
Crash!
As the spear embedded itself in the ceiling, the chandelier halted mid-fall. It dangled right in front of them like a piñata waiting for someone to take a swing.
“AAAH!”
“AH HA HA HAH!”
Finally snapping back to reality, the execs scrambled away from under the chandelier. A few of them even managed to wet their pants in pure panic.
Though it wasn’t scary enough to make someone piss themselves, the gag filter had them overreacting. Lian, noticing this, sighed and said sympathetically,
“I told you to say you wouldn’t threaten me, didn’t I?”
Those consumed by fear trembled and looked at Lian.
“If you don’t come up with a response quickly, things like this will just keep repeating.”
His voice was laced with genuine concern, but what they heard was merely spine-chilling threats.
“I’m no fool. If you keep on threatening me… well…”
Lian lightly shook his head and reached for the ceiling. The spear smoothly returned to his hand.
Boom! Clang!
When the spear came free, the chandelier crashed to the ground. Glass and metal shards popped like popcorn. Amidst the shimmering chaos, the executives and boss felt a deep, creeping fear.
“Um, if you want to stay alive, just decide not to threaten me anytime. Got it?”
He couldn’t stick around forever, so Lian readily shared the solution and turned on his heel, striding away without a second thought.
“Huff, huff…”
“Ugh…”
Only after Lian’s departure did the echoes of their terrified whimpers fill the room. Atan, looking as white as a sheet, stumbled to his feet.
‘Dammit, dammit!’
Atan couldn’t contain his rage at being played like a puppet by someone so young. No, he had to be furious; otherwise, fear might swallow him whole.
‘We have to spread the word. There’s a gigantic mastermind lurking behind Nest!’
And so, the title ‘Nest’s Hunting Dog’ morphed into ‘Nest’s Mastermind!’
For Lian, who had tried to help those who’d threatened him, this was an unfair situation, but he wouldn’t find out for a long time.
*
After escaping the chaotic realm of Leviathan, we headed west toward Nest’s territory.
Along the way, we didn’t forget to loot the abandoned shops of black magicians and slave traders. Having done similar gigs at the arena, scrounging various items wasn’t tough at all.
It was great to finally have bulging pockets as we reached the western part…
‘Hmm… where could Noah be?’
I knew it was in the northwest, but pinpointing the exact location was impossible. After considering it for a moment, I settled on just asking around.
“Excuse me, do you know where the Nest organization is?”
“W-whaaat? Why the heck are you asking me?!”
When I pulled out a silver coin and held it out, suddenly they became a lot friendlier.
“If you keep going straight, then turn right, you’ll spot a restaurant called Nest. It’s run by the Nest organization, so head that way.”
“Thanks a lot!”
Proving once again that money solves everything!
*
“Mmm, it smells heavenly…”
As we approached the building labeled Nest Restaurant, a mouth-watering aroma blasted over us. Jess’s eyes grew huge as she gulped down her drool. Her tail wagged so much it was practically a flag.
‘Should we grab a bite before we meet her?’
I thought to myself as we ventured into the restaurant.
“Welcome!”
The server looked younger than I imagined—about 12? Maybe 13? It made sense in this harsh world where even kids were seen as valuable workers. But looking toward the kitchen, all I saw were kids cooking too!
‘Uh, is this even legal?’
While blinking in disbelief, we were led to an empty table. The heavenly scent made it hard to complain as the place was jam-packed with customers.
“One more bowl of braised meat over here!”
“Same here!”
“When are we getting our beer?!”
The place buzzed like a marketplace, packed with rough-looking patrons. Watching some pretty dangerous individuals chow down made me increasingly anxious.
‘Isn’t this just a bit too risky?’
Even in a regular restaurant, I’d be worried, but seeing little kids serving in such a rough atmosphere shot my anxiety through the roof.
My worries weren’t unfounded. Someone suddenly yelled out a string of vulgarities.
“How many times do I have to ask when my food’s coming?!”
“Hey, you’ve barely waited a minute since you ordered! There are plenty of tables ahead, so shut it!”
“What?!”
Tension skyrocketed like a soap opera showdown, and everyone’s eyes turned toward them.
‘Oh boy… I should probably step in?’
Just as I thought that and started to get up, something flung out from the kitchen.
“Huh?!”
A familiar book-shaped object soared through the air.
[Who dares to cause trouble?]
Noah’s teacher, Julianna, had arrived on the scene!
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