[A/N: Guys, This chapter is supposed to be disorienting, cuz it's a time skip. I'm aiming for the same thing that happened with G3's time skip. So like, yeah, this chapter will be confusing.]
_________________________________________________
"WHAT!?"
A man slammed the table, eyes bloodshot as he glared at the boy across across the table. "Y–YOU!"
The boy, his face hidden beneath a helmet, let out a sigh and casually put his feet up on the table.
"What?"
With a flurry of sparks, a jian materialized in the man's hand, the blade pointing straight at the boy.
"You cheating bastard!"
The boy chuckled. "Cheating?" He leaned back, shrugging nonchalantly.
His voice echoed in the man's mind, not spoken aloud, but clear as day:
'My Aspect lets me speak telepathically. How exactly would that help me cheat at dice?'
The man's face darkened to a deeper shade of red. "Don't mock me! Your rolls are always ONE higher than mine!"
Pfft—
With a shout, he raised the sword, going in to strike.
The boy flinched and tumbled from his chair, landing hard on the ground. His limbs trembled.
"N–No, wait! I swear, I didn't do anything!"
[Audio Player: Starting...]
A robotic voice crackled to life outside the building.
Everyone in the room, previously disinterested, in the commotion perked their ear. Eyes gleamed as they turned toward the door.
"It's him!"
"No way—I get to see it again! Two days in a row!"
"This is it!"
"He's coming!"
The door flung open.
A blinding light from outside framed the silhouette of a man—his features lost to the light, but no one needed to see his face. They all knew who he was.
The man who had been threatening the boy dropped him instantly, his sword clattering to the floor.
His face drained of color.
TUMP—
The door slammed shut.
The figure stepped inside. Not overly muscular, not too lean. He wore a dark leather suit lined with white fur. A mace hung loosely in one hand, while a floating speaker orb drifted behind him, glowing faintly.
But what struck everyone most was his mask.
Birchwood. Simple. Two ink-black circles for eyes, nothing more.
Someone whispered, awestruck:
"The Musical Manhandler..."
TUCK—The mace hit the stone floor with a dull thud.
"SAINT ZEREI!!!"
[Audio Playing: HoneyPie – jwnny]
The crowd erupted.
The man who'd accused the boy began to tremble, backing away, his lips quivering in dread.
"It's... it's..."
♫ Ooh girl, don't you stop
Don't you stop 'til you get enough, honey ♫
"THE HONEY BEATDOWN!!!"
Cheers exploded as Zerei vanished from his spot—only to reappear inches from the terrified man's face.
♫ Oh, honey, honeypie
Honey, honey, honeypie ♫
A fist smashed into the man's jaw. He flew backward like a ragdoll, crashing through tables in a flurry of splinters and broken wood.
♫ Til you're mine, girl
And I won't stop it until you're my girl ♫
Another punch. Then another. Teeth scattered across the floor like dice. The man screamed and tried to crawl away, sobbing.
"S-Stop! Please! I'm sorry! I won't ever accuse anyone of cheating again, so—!"
—CRACK!
Another blow silenced him. His sobs were muffled by blood.
Pound.
Pound.
Pound.
♫ And you can't stop that until you're my girl ♫
The crowd?
Unbothered. They danced and cheered like it was a festival!
And then— Silence.
The music stopped.
The beating stopped with it.
Zerei straightened up, brushing a speck of blood from his shoulder. A few people flinched at the mangled mess on the floor.
[Audio Ended.]
"WOAHHHH!!" Everyone screamed in joy.
"Saint Zerei! Thank you so much for saving me!" The boy from before cried, holding onto Zerei's foot.
Zerei nodded calmly as he began to walk out in silence.
The boy dramatically got on his knees as Zerei left as he shouted, "Saint Zerei did it again, saved a man who feared the stronger. He delivered justice!"
He turned to the crowd, raising his arms.
"Long live Saint Zerei!!"
"LONG LIVE SAINT ZEREI!" The crowd echoed back in unison.
"LONG LIVE SAINT ZEREI!"
Creak— A door at the back of the room slowly opened.
The cheers died instantly.
A petite girl with jet-black hair stepped into the room, her expression cold as she scanned the scene. Silence descended in the room.
All eyes turned to the man still lying amidst the rubble—Levenno. His already bruised face drained of what little color remained.
A shadow loomed over him.
He looked up.
She was already standing above him.
"Hunter Levenno," the girl said with a small smile. "I believe you know why I'm here..."
She leaned closer, her smile turning disturbingly cheerful.
"According to your membership contract, destruction of guild property requires payment at three times the value of said property."
She looked at the man, and smiled warmly, extending her palm. "Now, pay up."
Levenno jaw dropped. "Wait, Aiko! I didn't break the furniture though! It's that bastard Zerei! I—"
"Oh please!" Aiko cut him. "All this 'bastard' you spoke of did was defend..."
She pointed toward the boy, still loudly singing Zerei's praises, "...this boy's life! As the scum responsible for threatening his life, I hope you can cover your expenses."
Levenno's shoulders dropped. Even Pathfinders and hunters like him had no hopes of challenging Zerei to a duel. The only ones that can even manage to even compete with him are the captains and the king himself...
Aiko, looking at Levenno's resigned expression smiled. "Ok! Let's see..." She looked around the room, it was certainly a mess.
She glanced back at Levenno, maintaining her smile. "You should only pay about 18 awakened soul shards!"
Levenno looked like his soul left his body...
***
Clank—
The door creaked open as Aiko stepped inside, a hefty sack slung over her shoulder.
The room was small—barebones. Just a single table, and two men seated at it. Both instantly familiar.
One was the boy from earlier.
The other?
Zerei.
"Did you get it?" Zerei asked, pulling off his mask. His voice was calm, but anticipation laced his words.
The boy removed his helmet too, eyes gleaming. "So? How much did we rake in this time?"
Aiko looked between the two of them.
One was a plain-looking young man in his early twenties—light brown hair, hazel eyes and a decently built body.
The other...
"Ugh."
Aiko squinted, visibly annoyed at what the Author was clearly about to do.
The second man was the opposite of forgettable—absurdly, unfairly gorgeous, with long, snowy white hair and eyes like polished pearls, glinting blue under the lamplight.
She shot him a flat stare.
"Asher."
Then her gaze slid to the plain-looking one.
"Hou."
With a sly grin, she tossed the sack onto the table. It hit with a satisfying thud, the clinking of soul shards inside like music.
"We scammed them."
___________________
[A/N: This is the daily chapter. By the way, recommend playing the said song while reading. It's funnier that way.]