NOVEL NEXT Chapter 18 – Under the Lamp? (3)
“…Lost your way, kid?”
“Ugh!”
I kicked the store door open. It was crazy, but I needed to do it to calm my nerves.
In the end, it just made me more irritated.
“What a dimwit. You really think a bar would accept a kid like you?”
Ren clicked his tongue, looking incredulous. I had no response. I knew I was just going to get kicked out anyway.
“Damn it, but now that I see it, I really want a drink.”
Excluding the alcohol I had in the Demon Realm, I had only tasted beer and soju on Earth, but I still craved it. Finally stepping back out into the night, I strolled through the buzzing lights of the entertainment district.
Among the sights, an arcade caught my attention.
I worried they might chase me out for being a minor, but thankfully, it seemed like there were no stupid curfews in this world.
“It’s been ages since I’ve done this.”
I exchanged money and sat down in front of a game machine. After all, I had some experience with fighting games.
“Hmm?”
Just as I was getting lost in nostalgia while fiddling with the joystick, someone scanned me and sat down opposite me.
This guy looked like an evil, scheming villain who wanted to prey on the cute girl who looked like she weighed less than half him.
“Y-you think you can win? Your opponent’s an adult!”
Before I knew it, Ren had tapped my head. I couldn’t help but chuckle. Since when did age matter in games?
The game started, and I immediately launched an all-out assault.
“Ugh?!”
I heard a startled gasp as he fumbled. Still, he was blocking better than expected for someone caught off guard. I decided to unleash a bit more of my power.
With a rapid fire of strikes, my hands and eyes moved even quicker.
Having been used to controlling dozens of tentacles at once, moving a few fingers quickly was child’s play.
“Kick.”
In an instant, he was knocked out. I couldn’t hold back my smirk. It was such a thrill to stomp on someone who had underestimated me.
“Whoa, Uncle, want to go again?”
“…”
He silently put in more money. If he was challenging me again, I had no reason to refuse.
So, round two, three, four.
I continued to utterly destroy and stomp him down. Just as it was getting boring…
“Why, Uncle? Are you feeling bad because you keep losing?”
He stood up and came closer to me.
“Not particularly.”
“Really? You seem like you have something to say.”
“Don’t you have to go home? It’s 11 PM.”
“Are you lecturing me because I lost?”
I fired off whatever came to my mind. After all, I had nothing to hide. His brow twitched slightly. I certainly didn’t treat everyone like this.
“This guy seems to have some deep-seated malice,” Ren said, and I could feel the thick aura of evil emanating from him. The dealer who trafficked drugs would look like a saint compared to this.
“Not that. I just wanted to help if you don’t have a home.”
“And how do you plan to help?”
“You’ll find out if you come with me.”
Is this a blatant abduction scheme? I stifled a laugh. I didn’t want to seem too crazy so they wouldn’t take me away.
“And if I go, what’s in it for me?”
“Is there nothing you want to eat?”
I smiled back at the guy who wore a friendly grin.
“Alcohol. Anything will do.”
Of course, as soon as he heard my response, his smile crumbled, turning sour.
“This way.”
He led me off to some unknown place. Naturally, I followed quietly. After all, I wanted to see what kind of thugs they were and deal with them.
[But this is really annoying. Why do I keep getting dragged into this kind of crap?]
“Can’t you see how you look right now? You’re an easy target for criminals,” Ren shook his head at my grumbling. Thinking about it, he wasn’t completely wrong.
Who’s the most vulnerable demographic for crime? Probably kids without parents or a home, right?
“Get in the car.”
“What kind of work do you do like this?”
He stuffed me into a heavily tinted van. Then he asked me to wait a moment and made a call.
“What kind of people are you dealing with… Human trafficking? With this kind of malice, that’s the least they could be doing.”
Ren started rummaging through the van, checking every nook and cranny.
[If you looked, you couldn’t tell.]
But honestly, from the moment I got into this van, I sensed something was off. My nose was twitching.
[A smell of blood that couldn’t be masked by a diffuser. And, also, a smell of… bodily fluids.]
I was sure these guys were scumbags who wouldn’t even get a pass if they died.
“Want a drink?”
He handed me a drink with the cap already popped. It looked so shady I could see right through it, but a normal girl would have probably chugged it and passed out.
I needed to get back before morning, so I decided to drink the beverage and pretend to be asleep for a quick exit.
*
“This is insane… Isn’t this way too young?”
“What use is that? They’ll probably charge more for her. Plus, at this age, she’s a premium product.”
The van hadn’t driven long before it stopped somewhere. I squinted my eyes open and glanced outside. The atmosphere was similar to the entertainment district I had just left. Though this place was a little more seedy and dark.
“Let’s move her inside for now. Despite her looks, she’s a cheeky little brat.”
“Seriously…”
Someone scooped me up. I was carried downstairs, presumably into a basement.
The thick smell of cigarettes made me feel nauseous already. I hated cigarettes more than anything else in the world.
“Hey, Kim Doddori! Strip this girl and give her some basic training…”
“Training my ass. Today’s the day you guys get your funeral.”
I opened my eyes and drew upon my magic. The horrible, dreadful malice around me was making me sick.
A minor sex slave? Deserved to be killed a hundred times over.
“Ugh… Argh!”
With the shockwave from me putting on my clothes, the guys around me collapsed and died as their bones broke.
The next one to die was the clueless staff standing right next to me.
“I don’t see any innocent people here. Looks like I’m the only one who was forcibly taken. Am I wrong, Ren? They all have malicious intent beyond the limit.”
“That’s…”
“So, I can just kill them all, right? If the living die, the dealers gotta die too.”
I swung my blade, slicing the screaming prostitute in half. After all, she recognized my face, so I couldn’t let her live.
“It’s a small place and yet they’re abducting people.”
The whole thing didn’t even take thirty minutes. I broke in through what looked like the owner’s office.
The owner had just been torn apart, but I thought I might find something useful here.
“Client list…”
For example, this. This didn’t even feel like a proper reward.
“It seems like there’s a commotion outside. You should escape without waiting!”
“Just wait. Is this really all that’s left?”
I thoroughly read the list. I couldn’t believe people still recorded information this way in this day and age. The list contained information about other illegal establishments nearby.
I tucked that away for now. I didn’t want to hassle with performance reports, but I figured it might come in handy someday.
“Alright, let’s go.”
Stepping over the puddles of blood, I headed outside. There were already signs of life outside. I grinned and grabbed Ren’s ear.
“Now, just a moment… Aaaaah!”
And with a swift motion, I broke everything as I soared into the sky. Half of them were on the ground, broken, while the other half were pointing up at me.
“What fools.”
I laughed at them, concealed my presence, and shot straight towards the facility.