Rey knocked on Kyoko's door. After a few moments, the door creaked open. Kyoko stood there, her face pale and worried.
"Oh, Rey—you're back."
Rey immediately noticed the strain in her voice. His brows furrowed. "Miss Kyoko… did something happen?"
Kyoko hesitated, wringing her hands. Then she nodded slowly. "You see… Yuki is—"
Rey's eyes widened. His voice grew sharp. "What happened to Yuki?"
"Follow me," Kyoko whispered.
Rey's heart pounded as he hurried after her. She led him to a small room, where Yuki lay on her bed. Bandages covered her shoulder, cheek, head, and legs. Her breathing was shallow, her hair matted with sweat. Rey froze, his eyes widening at the sight.
He rushed to her bedside. "Yuki… what happened?!"
Kyoko held up her hands quickly. "Wait, Rey! She's sleeping."
Rey exhaled in relief, though his gaze was drawn to the glowing number above Yuki's hand. 40. His fists tightened. His voice dropped, cold and heavy. "What happened to her—and her number?"
Kyoko's lips trembled as tears welled in her eyes. "While I was here, I didn't know… Yuki got into a fight in the village. Some boys mocked her father. She couldn't ignore it. She fought back but—" Kyoko's voice cracked. "They beat her. And after… they absorbed her number."
Rey clenched the fabric of his shirt so tightly that his knuckles turned white. "They absorbed it…" His teeth ground together. "I'll handle them."
Kyoko shook her head, tears falling. "You can't, Rey! You don't even know who they are, or what they look like."
Rey's jaw tightened. He let out a slow sigh. "…You're right."
A few minutes later, Yuki stirred awake. Her eyes fluttered open, hazy but searching. She spotted Rey sitting silently by the window.
"…Rey."
Rey snapped his head around. Relief softened his expression. "Yuki. You're awake. Are you okay?"
Yuki gave a weak nod. "Yeah… I think so."
Rey moved closer, crouching at her bedside. "Tell me what happened."
Yuki hesitated, her fingers curling into the blanket. "…While I was walking in town, some boys mocked my father. I got mad. I tried to fight them, but there were too many. Their numbers were way higher than mine—twelve thousand to fourteen thousand."
Rey's eyes narrowed. "…How many were there?"
"Three," Yuki whispered. Her voice shook. "Worse… they're children of the nobles in this village. Nobody dares to argue with them. Anyone who tries… is punished."
Rey's hands curled into fists again. He forced his tone to soften for Yuki's sake. "Don't worry. Just stay here and heal. I'll do something about this."
Yuki's eyes widened. "You're not going to fight them, are you?"
Rey's gaze hardened. "…Yes."
"But if you do, you'll be hunted down and punished," Yuki warned desperately.
Rey stood, pulling his sleeve back just enough to see his faintly glowing ∞ mark. His voice was deep and steady. "I don't care. Look what they've done to you. They beat you… stole your number. Of course I'm going to fight them—and return what they took."
He left the room, removing his battered iron chestplate and setting it aside. On his way downstairs, he called out, "Miss Kyoko, I'll be late for lunch."
Kyoko's voice cracked as she turned toward him. "Rey, wait—where are you going?"
The sound of the door slamming shut answered her.
The village square was buzzing with noise. Rey arrived to see a large crowd gathered.
"What's happening?" Rey asked a man at the edge.
The man gave him a troubled look. "Kid, the noble boys are at it again. They're beating someone up."
Rey's jaw tightened as he pushed his way through the crowd. The sight before him made his blood boil.
A boy lay on the ground, bruised and bleeding. One of the noble sons—a youth in a red shirt, black pants, and a flowing red cape—was grinding his boot into the boy's head. Two others stood beside him: one in a blue shirt with a brown undershirt and wand in hand, and another in green with a sword at his waist and a smug grin beneath his hat.
"Don't you ever bump into us again!" the red-caped boy snarled. "Now apologize to my brother for spilling your drink on his shirt!"
"Yeah, apologize!" the boy in blue echoed, smirking.
The boy in green sneered and tapped his sword hilt. "I won't accept your apology unless you kiss my shoes."
The bleeding villager boy whimpered. With no choice, he crawled forward, his lips trembling as they neared the noble's boots.
Until—
BANG!
A sharp kick to the face sent the green-shirted noble sprawling. The crowd gasped.
Whispers erupted instantly.
"That kid—does he have a death wish?!"
"It's one of the noble sons he just kicked!"
The two brothers rushed to help their sibling. The red-caped one glared daggers at Rey. "Who the hell are you?!"
Rey stepped forward, his voice calm but cutting. "I'm Rey."
The crowd murmured at the name. Some adventurers exchanged glances.
The red-caped boy scoffed. "Do you know who we are?"
Rey tilted his head slightly. "No. And I don't care."
The boy bared his teeth. "I am Zane. This is my brother Zereft—and the one you kicked is Zander. We are the noble's sons!"
"So what?" Rey said coldly. "I'll beat you three into a pulp."
The crowd gasped.
Zane drew his twin daggers, flames flickering faintly across the blades. "You don't even have a weapon. You think you can fight us?"
Rey raised his hands, tightening the gloves over his knuckles. "You're wrong. These are my weapons."
Zereft lifted his wand, mana pulsing. Zander drew his sword with a grin.
"Let's kill this brat!" Zane roared, rushing in.
Steel flashed. Rey dodged the first strike, grabbing Zane's arm and flipping him hard into Zander. The two crashed together.
"Glacial Spike!" Zereft chanted, launching a barrage of ice spikes.
Rey weaved left and right, sprinting straight at him. But Zander stepped in to intercept, sword clashing against Rey's gloves. Sparks flew.
The crowd roared. Some cheered Rey's name. Others shouted warnings.
From the back, adventurers whispered.
"Isn't that the kid who beat the Runebear?"
"Yeah… and now he's fighting the noble's sons!"
Zane recovered, charging in again. The three worked together, their attacks weaving. Swords, daggers, and ice magic pressed Rey back. For a moment, he staggered into a stack of crates, buried under wood and dust.
The triplets smirked.
"Hah! He's done for."
But the rubble shifted. A faint red glow pulsed beneath it. Rey emerged, his ∞ mark blazing. His eyes were cold as steel. "Is that all? I thought nobles were supposed to be stronger."
The adventurers watching shivered. "His aura… it's terrifying."
Zane's flaming daggers slashed in blinding arcs. Rey ducked low, grabbed him by the throat, and slammed him against a wall.
"Zane!" Zereft shouted, rushing in. But Rey used Zane's body as a shield, forcing Zereft to hesitate. With a grunt, Rey hurled Zane into his brother, sending them tumbling.
"Icicle Spears!" Zander chanted, launching a rain of frozen spears.
Rey vanished. He reappeared behind Zander, gripping his face, and slammed him brutally into the ground. The cobblestones cracked.
The crowd gasped.
"Did you see that speed?!"
"He's faster than most adventurers!"
Zereft snarled, slashing with a glowing green blade. "Bloom Doom!" A wave of green energy mixed with pink light shot forward.
Rey smirked. With a single step, the attack dissipated. Zereft's eyes went wide. "What the—?!"
Before he could react, Rey's fist crashed into him, launching him into a wall.
Only Zane remained standing. His daggers ignited fully, blazing with crimson aura. "You'll regret this, brat! Revolving Slayer!"
He blurred, a whirlwind of fire and steel, crossing his daggers in a deadly arc.
But Rey wasn't there.
A sharp CRACK rang out as Rey's boot slammed into Zane's spine from above. Zane crashed into the dirt, coughing blood. His daggers clattered away.
The crowd erupted in cheers.
"He did it!"
"He beat the triplets!"
The adventurers stared in awe. "This kid… he's dangerous."
Rey stepped on Zane's head, pressing him into the dirt. His voice was cold as ice. "How does it feel? Being forced down—just like you did to others?"
"P-please," Zane wheezed. "Mercy…"
"Mercy?" Rey growled. "Did you give a mercy when you beat a girl and stole her number?"
Zane froze, trembling. "W-we'll return it. Please."
Rey's eyes narrowed. "How much do you three have?"
Zane coughed. "I… 18,000. Zereft has 16,000. Zander, 15,000."
"Good. You're going to give me 12,000. All of it will go back to Yuki."
Zane's hands shook as he pulled out a crystal shard from Zander's pocket—a storage item for numbers. One by one, the brothers poured their numbers into it, their totals dropping.
Zander: 15,000 → 11,000
Zereft: 16,000 → 12,000
Zane: 18,000 → 14,000
Rey pocketed the shard, his eyes cold. "…Good. Now crawl like the worms you are."
He turned and walked away as the crowd slowly dispersed, whispers following him.
The triplets lay in the dirt, battered, humiliated, and seething with hatred.
"We'll never forget this," Zane hissed weakly. "We'll get our revenge…"