Peering through the crack in the wall, Lynn saw two unfamiliar men who exuded an air of menace.
One was knocking on the door while the other stood slightly behind.
The man knocking was stocky, with rough, unkempt brownish-yellow hair. The one behind was taller, his expression shadowed, and he was puffing on a rolled cigarette.
Neither of them looked like decent people.
Lynn stepped back, gripping his short sword. He took deep breaths while scanning the shed for anything that might be useful.
He had no idea who these two sudden visitors were, nor what they wanted.
But in this humble shed were four freshly crafted spell plates, his entire savings of 4 gold dragons and 58 silver wolves…
These were the tools he relied on to survive, his hope for the future; he couldn't afford any mishap!
Bang bang bang
The knocking continued.
Smoke began to drift in through the cracks, followed by a murmur:
"Bro, seems like no one's home."
Lynn held his breath and stared at the door, a flicker of hope rising in his chest.
The man in the back seemed to take a deep drag of his cigarette before replying:
"That so?"
"Yeah, looks like it. Let's go try the next place. I heard the kid next door also got kicked out by the Academy..."
Next door too...? These guys are targeting former Academy candidates?
Lynn frowned deeply.
Thud.
A muffled smack came from outside.
"Bro, why'd you hit me?!"
"Idiot!
Keep knocking. The lock's from the inside, he's definitely in there."
"But bro, what if it won't open?"
"If it won't open, then break it down! Do I have to teach you everything?! Once we're in, beat the hell out of him first, then ransack the place. Don't leave behind even a single copper eagle!"
That flicker of hope was shattered instantly. A heavy weight sank into Lynn's chest, and his knuckles turned white from how tightly he gripped the short sword.
Standing silently in the dim shed, Lynn stared at the door as if he could see straight through it, into the faces of the two men outside.
They were planning to break in and rob him?
But why?
Lynn took a deep breath, his mind racing.
Known: These thugs were likely targeting ex-Academy apprentices.
So, the reason might be...
Lynn relaxed his brow and let out a mirthless laugh.
Did it even matter?
In a world like this, weakness meant being preyed upon. If you had any money or anything of value, that just made you a bigger target.
These two thugs were probably just like Dor: they saw weak, discarded kids and got ideas.
Lynn exhaled deeply and walked to the door, silently bracing himself for a fight.
Trouble like this... hiding was no longer an option.
"What are you doing?"
Suddenly, a loud and firm voice rang out. It was an elderly woman!
Mrs. Carter? Lynn blinked in surprise.
The knocking paused for a brief moment.
Then came the raspy voice of the leader:
"None of your business, old hag."
"You," Mrs. Carter tried to speak again, but was harshly cut off.
"I said, stay out of this, you old bat. Or are you looking to get hurt?"
The knocking stopped completely.
It sounded like the two men had left the door.
But they were now heading toward Mrs. Carter.
Lynn drew a deep breath, unlatched the door, and suddenly flung it open.
Clang.
The man who had been knocking Kiddie stumbled back a step, grinning mockingly:
"Well, look who finally grew a spine!"
He looked Lynn over, his eyes pausing on the short sword in his hand. Then he turned to the man behind him, Bartoli, and laughed loudly:
"Ha! He's even got a short sword! Boss, think he knows how to"
Whoosh!
"Watch out!"
Before Kiddie could finish, Bartoli's expression shifted. He grabbed Kiddie by the shoulder and yanked him back.
Behind them, Lynn lunged forward, stabbing fiercely with his short sword!
From afar, Mrs. Carter gasped in shock, mumbling something as she quickly ran off.
Kiddie had no time to react before he felt a chill across his backside, then that chill turned into searing pain.
"Aaaagh!"
He screamed, stumbling forward two steps.
Lynn pulled back the bloodied blade, a trace of regret flashing through his mind.
He had aimed for the lower back, but Bartoli's quick reaction had pulled Kiddie out of the way just in time.
He didn't chase blindly. Instead, he pressed his back to the shed and calmly raised the short sword again, pointing it at the two of them.
His heart was racing, blood roaring in his ears, but his face remained utterly composed like still water.
"My ass... my ass..."
Kiddie reached behind, his fingers coming away soaked in red. He shivered and mumbled in a trembling voice.
Fear flickered in his eyes. Bartoli wasn't looking much better. He dumbly removed the cigarette from his mouth.
Lynn noticed it all and blinked in surprise.
These two… didn't seem as dangerous as he'd first assumed.
Kiddie hobbled over to Bartoli and whispered in a quivering voice:
"Boss, this… this kid's not like the other wimps we ran into before. He just attacked without a word!
What do we do now?"
Bartoli stared at Lynn, his face shifting. Then he clamped the cigarette back between his teeth, gritting them as he muttered:
"Stop whining. Try again. You can't let that stab go unanswered!"
He drew a dagger and looked coldly at Lynn:
"I'll admit you've got more guts than your little buddies.
But are you sure you can take on both of us alone?"
Buddies… He means Giggs and the others?
No, that wasn't right.
They had just been talking about heading next door, which must've referred to another expelled apprentice.
In other words
These two thugs had already robbed one of the other dismissed students.
A sudden clarity struck Lynn. He guessed silently:
Perhaps these two stumbled upon a student by chance and found it profitable. That success had emboldened them to start targeting the rest of the expelled apprentices for deliberate, planned robberies.
There was just one thing he couldn't quite figure out
How did they know where to find him?
The only people who knew where the expelled students lived were the Academy, the four-man group, and… that Ironclaw Gang steward Ellison.
Bartoli, seeing Lynn deep in thought, mistakenly assumed his words were working. He raised his voice with renewed confidence:
"Look, we just want money!
That stuff earlier about not leaving you a single Copper Eagle? Just a joke… Ten Gold Dragons, that's all we're asking. Hand it over, and we'll leave you alone. Got it?"
"Add one more! No two! By the Truth, he stabbed me in the ass! That's worth compensation!"
Kiddie suddenly shouted from the side.
Bartoli shot him a glare, then turned back to Lynn. "Kiddie's got a point.
That stab of yours did hurt. Just two gold dragons for his medical bill isn't that a fair price?"
Lynn snapped out of his thoughts and looked at the blabbering Bartoli and the groaning Kiddie, clutching his rear. The whole thing struck him as absurd.
By now, he had figured out exactly what kind of people they were
Just a pair of cowardly, third-rate thugs who only picked on the weak.
And to think… he'd stepped out prepared to fight to the death.
Not worth a reply.
He gripped his short sword and calmly stared them down, his voice cool and emotionless:
"Get lost."
"…You!"
Bartoli flinched as soon as the word came out.
Anger surged within him, but alongside it rose a trace of fear.
He'd seen earlier that the stab Lynn gave Kiddie wasn't a bluff. He was aiming to kill.
That kind of cold-blooded intent was enough to terrify him. He was still here, trying out of pride and stubbornness.
But now that Lynn once again showed that same calm, dangerous aura, his last bit of courage evaporated.
"What's going on here?"
A familiar voice rang out from behind.
Ellison, the steward of the Ironclaw Gang, had somehow appeared nearby, watching the scene with mild interest.
Standing beside him was someone else familiar, Mrs. Carter.
The old woman had run off earlier to find Ellison.
Noticing Lynn glance her way, she smiled at him, gave him a quick once-over, and let out a breath of relief once she saw he was unharmed.
Then she pointed firmly at Bartoli and Kiddie and loudly declared to Ellison:
"It's those two, Master Ellison. Coming here to rob people seems they've got no respect for the Ironclaw Gang's authority!"
"You damned old hag, watch your mouth!"
Bartoli panicked and glared at her, then quickly turned to Ellison, forcing an ingratiating smile:
"No, sir, you've got it wrong. We were just joking around."
"Oh? Is that so?"
Ellison stepped forward slowly. He reached out, took the hand-rolled cigarette from Bartoli's fingers, and dropped it to the ground.
As he crushed it underfoot, he lightly patted Bartoli's cheek and asked quietly:
"You didn't know this was Ironclaw Gang turf?"
"M-Master…"
Cold sweat broke out on Bartoli's forehead. He hesitated for a moment, then hurriedly pulled a gold dragon from his pocket and handed it to Ellison.
They weren't real gang members, just low-level street rats hanging around the area.
The kind that bullied the weak and robbed the helpless. The knives they carried were for show, not actual combat.
But now, faced with a real gang member, someone who lived by the blade, they were terrified.
Ellison raised an eyebrow and took the gold dragon.
Where did a couple of gutter punks get that kind of money?
He didn't ask for now. Instead, he waved a hand and said:
"Scram."
The two thugs didn't dare say another word. Like dogs with tails tucked, they turned and fled, vanishing down the alley in a matter of seconds.
Ellison turned and looked at Lynn, who was still gripping his short sword. He smiled faintly.
"Seems Mrs. Carter worried for nothing. Looks like you could've handled them yourself."
He had a square face and short brown hair. When he smiled, only the corners of his mouth moved, the kind of smile that never reached the eyes.
"Just as you said, they were only small-time thugs," Lynn replied with a slight smile, sheathing his sword.
So, Ellison hadn't sent them.
"That's how they seem to me," Ellison said, slowly shaking his head. "But to most ordinary people, they're like mold growing in the damp corners of these shacks, persistent and hard to get rid of."
"Maybe they just weren't scraped hard enough," Lynn replied quietly, feeling the cold steel of the short sword in his pocket.
"Maybe… But scrape too hard, and sometimes the mold pushes back," Ellison said meaningfully, gazing at him. "Not all thugs are as spineless as those two."
Lynn nodded but didn't answer. Instead, he said with sincerity:
"Regardless, thank you for stepping in."
Of course, he knew not all thugs are that soft.
In truth, even though he had stepped out of the shack in a hurry...
He had already decided that if needed, he would kill.
Ellison said no more. Tossing the gold dragon lightly in his hand, he left, lost in thought.
Lynn had hoped to find Mrs. Carter to thank her properly.
But she must've gone back to work. After bringing Ellison and seeing that Lynn was okay, she had slipped away quickly and was nowhere to be found.
"I'll thank her properly another time."
Right now, he had more pressing matters.
As he passed by Giggs and Leona's shacks, he paused for a moment.
Both were locked tightly from the outside.
"Must be out. Not back yet…"
Repacking his belongings, Lynn turned and headed for Bauhinia Thorn Street.