After savoring the ecstasy brought by his newfound strength and bodily evolution, Ren began thinking about his next step.
"Let's test my power now! I'm really curious to see how strong I've become in practice!" he muttered as he decided on his next move.
Ren then picked up the glass on the table and downed it all in one gulp. "Ahh..." he exhaled in satisfaction as he finished his drink, placing the glass back on the table.
He stood up and approached the counter to pay, notifying the tavern owner that he was ready to settle the bill.
"That'll be XXX Strahl," the owner said, but as he waited for payment, he noticed Ren just standing there silently.
Ren's reaction immediately caused the owner to raise his eyebrows with an unpleasant expression, suspecting that he had just encountered a customer who couldn't pay.
Annoyed, the owner barked while glaring at him, "Well? Are you going to pay or not?" His sharp tone drew the attention of everyone else in the tavern, who turned to watch the scene unfold.
Fortunately, before the owner could lash out, Ren suddenly smiled. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a gold bar, instantly capturing the greedy gazes of everyone around.
Of course, Ren hadn't actually had any gold in his pocket. He had acquired it moments before from his [Mall] system but pretended to pull it out of his pants pocket. If he had conjured gold from thin air, it would surely raise suspicion and curiosity that he didn't want right now.
Although, to be honest, his actions still had the same result: everyone was now curious about his identity, wondering how he could so easily pull a gold bar from his pocket without any visible effort or reaction.
As he placed the gold bar on the table, the tavern owner quickly snapped out of his stunned state and immediately plastered a flattering smile on his face.
"Cough! Honored guest, please forgive my previous rude and unwelcoming behavior! If you don't mind, I would be more than happy to serve you all the food and drinks in my tavern as a token of my deepest apology!" he said while rubbing his hands together, looking like a lowly servant groveling before a king.
Of course, the tavern owner didn't forget to quickly snatch up the gold bar and hide it inside his pocket, not wanting anyone else to snatch away the unexpected fortune due to his own carelessness.
As for the offer, Ren simply shook his head and replied, "No need. I have more important matters to attend to right now." With that, he left the tavern, under the watchful gazes of everyone and the reluctant tavern owner.
Naturally, after his departure, everyone inside the tavern began whispering among themselves about him. After all, such a display of immense wealth was bound to attract not only attention, but also greedy eyes and dangerous individuals.
"Boss! What if we rob that young man? He looks pretty weak, and I didn't see him carrying any weapons or even a magic staff," one man whispered. It was, unsurprisingly, the same man who had been whispering earlier.
"Idiot! Think carefully!" the boss snapped, smacking him hard on the head. "How can someone so casually flaunt his wealth in public like that if he's truly weak?"
"Ugh… but Boss..." the man whined, still unwilling to let go of his greed. Clearly, his avaricious heart couldn't simply ignore the vast fortune Ren had shown.
"You fool!" the boss growled, hitting him again before explaining, "Listen! When someone displays that kind of fortune without fear, it means they aren't afraid of others' ill intent — not from lone attackers, not even from groups."
The boss narrowed his eyes and continued, "That kind of confidence can only belong to someone powerful enough to crush anyone foolish enough to make a move against him. I even suspect that kid purposely showed off his wealth to bait people into trying to rob him."
Upon hearing his boss's words, the greedy man finally experienced a moment of realization. A chill ran down his spine as he understood how close he had come to falling into Ren's possible trap.
The man went silent, and his boss nodded in satisfaction. The two of them then calmly observed the other fools inside the tavern as they schemed amongst themselves to rob Ren. Watching their naïve discussions, both boss and underling couldn't help but sneer in sympathy at the misery that was about to befall those idiots.
Soon, several groups left the tavern, tracking Ren's path. Before long, they found him standing alone in a quiet, dark alley.
They surrounded him, blocking every possible exit. Weapons were drawn, eyes gleaming with greed and bloodlust.
One of them, likely the leader, stepped forward, smirking wickedly. "Kekekeke... Poor boy. Hand over all your wealth if you want to live," he sneered, pointing his sword at Ren's chest.
Ren, on the other hand, displayed a perfectly convincing look of terror. He stumbled back several steps, voice trembling, "P-Please! Don't rob me! This is everything I have left… my parents' entire inheritance! Please, I beg you, let me go!"
He fell to his knees, bowing his head and clasping his hands together in desperate prayer.
The bandits glanced at one another before bursting into loud, mocking laughter that echoed through the alley.
"Hahaha! You poor fool! Blame your own stupidity for flashing your wealth in public! If you hadn't done that, we never would've even noticed you!" the leader mocked, staring down at Ren with fake pity, though his expression quickly twisted into a sinister grin.
"Please! Spare me! Please!!!" Ren continued to beg, but his pleas fell on deaf ears.
The bandits slowly began closing in on him.
However, what they failed to notice was the wicked grin that started to form on the corner of Ren's mouth, hidden from their view.
Before they could launch their attack, Ren calmly opened his mouth and uttered a single word.
"Zoltrak."
In an instant, mana surged through Ren's body. Several glowing magic circles appeared behind him, flaring brightly before unleashing beams of light at near-light speed straight into the cluster of bandits.
BOOM!
Several bodies were instantly vaporized, leaving only the lower halves of their legs still standing for a brief moment before collapsing lifelessly onto the blood-soaked ground.