The man gulped.
For a few seconds, he simply stared at Boros.
Then his eyes drifted toward Susan.
She refused to meet his gaze, keeping her eyes fixed firmly on the floor.
"It seems we've gotten off on the wrong foot," the man said with a nervous laugh.
Surprisingly, Boros looked perfectly calm.
But somehow, that only made him more terrifying.
"My name is Rocky."
He cleared his throat.
"Rocky Hill."
"Pfft-"
Akeno immediately covered her mouth.
Boros glanced sideways.
"I can see you trying not to laugh, Akeno."
"I wasn't-"
"You absolutely were."
Kinuko folded her arms.
"That's disrespectful as shi-."
Boros shrugged.
"Well, it is a stupid name."
Then he looked back at Rocky.
"But I don't really care."
Rocky forced a smile.
Inside, however, his thoughts were racing.
'That symbol on the card... White Tigers Guild.'
His eyes briefly shifted toward Akeno and Kinuko.
'And Griffin personally paid a ten-day advance for those two.'
A shiver ran down his spine.
Gideon Griffin wasn't a man known for patience.
Especially when it came to people he considered his own.
'The other inn owners told me years ago to partner with a Guild...'
His jaw tightened.
'But my pride got in the way.'
Now he was beginning to regret it.
'If I'd listened, I could've thrown that connection in his face and bought myself some leverage.'
Another bead of sweat rolled down his forehead.
Then a new thought crossed his mind.
'Wait...'
'Just because he has the card doesn't mean he has money.'
Rocky's eyes narrowed slightly.
'I haven't seen him before.'
'Which means he's probably a recent recruit.'
'He might not have even completed a single mission yet.'
Slowly, a grin spread across his face.
'Perfect.'
'I'll name an outrageous price.'
'There's no way he'll actually be able to afford it.'
The room remained awkwardly silent.
A full minute passed.
"Oi."
Rocky jumped.
Boros had suddenly grabbed the front of his suit.
"You done daydreaming?"
Rocky swallowed.
Boros leaned in slightly.
"How much?"
The grin slowly returned to Rocky's face.
'He can't actually afford this place.'
Rocky fought back the urge to smile.
'And to make it even better...'
'I'll give him a number that's far below the inn's actual value.'
His grin widened.
'When he realizes he still can't afford it, it'll crush that ridiculous High-Rank pride of his.'
Rocky looked up at Boros.
Then spread his arms dramatically.
"Eight hundred thousand Nex!"
The room fell silent.
Rocky immediately burst out laughing.
"Ha! Ha! Ha!"
He pointed at Boros.
"I knew you wouldn't be able t-"
"Sold."
Rocky froze.
Boros was already holding out the black card.
The grin disappeared from Rocky's face.
"What?"
"Sold," Boros repeated.
"Take the money."
For several seconds, Rocky's brain completely stopped functioning.
Then-
"WHAT?!"
He shot to his feet.
"How?!"
He pointed accusingly at Boros.
"Aren't you a new recruit?!"
"Yes."
Rocky's eye twitched.
"The official induction hasn't even happened yet!"
"Yes."
"You haven't gone on any missions!"
"Yes."
"THEN HOW DO YOU HAVE THIS MUCH MONEY?!"
Boros rubbed his forehead.
"Oi."
Rocky immediately stopped shouting.
"I've got a headache."
Boros leaned forward slightly.
"I'd appreciate it if you stopped making it worse."
"B-But that's impossible!"
Rocky's voice cracked.
"This inn is worth way more than that!"
He grabbed his hair.
"I-It should be worth over five million Nex!"
"I don't care."
The answer came instantly.
Rocky blinked.
Boros stared at him with a completely blank expression.
"None of us forced you to say that number."
He tapped the desk once.
"You chose it."
Tap.
"So that's what I'm buying it for."
"P-Please!"
Rocky's eyes watered.
"I'll lose a fortune!"
Boros leaned forward again.
The movement alone made Rocky shrink back into his chair.
"It seems you didn't hear me the first time."
His voice remained calm.
Dangerously calm.
"I."
"Don't."
"Care."
The man's hands trembled as he lowered himself back into his chair.
Slowly, he opened one of the drawers beneath his desk and pulled out a Relay—a portable payment terminal used throughout the world.
The device was small enough to fit comfortably in one hand.
Its body was forged from polished black metal, thin veins of Nexa crystal running beneath the surface like glowing blue cracks trapped under glass.
A smooth rectangular screen sat at its center, dark and reflective until activated.
The moment Nexus flowed into it, pale symbols flickered across the display before settling into neat lines of text.
Near the top was a circular crystal plate no larger than a coin.
That was where payment cards were placed.
Whenever a card made contact, the crystal illuminated briefly, sending ripples of blue light through the Nexa veins embedded throughout the machine as it verified the transaction.
Small indicators lined both sides of the Relay, glowing softly to display its remaining Nexus charge.
Despite its sophisticated appearance, the artifact was incredibly common.
Merchants carried them at market stalls.
Innkeepers kept them behind reception desks.
Guild clerks often operated entire rows of them during busy hours.
A pleasant chime signaled successful transactions.
A harsh buzz indicated failure.
The entire process rarely took more than a few seconds.
Rocky swallowed hard before entering the amount.
Even now, he refused to believe some rookie Adventurer could actually afford it.
Boros casually placed the black card onto the crystal plate.
The machine immediately lit up.
[Large Transfer Detected]
Rocky's eyes widened.
A second message appeared.
[Voice Recognition Required]
"Huh?" Boros frowned.
"Voice recognition?"
The Relay suddenly emitted a soft pulse.
[Voice Recognized]
[Proceeding With Transfer]
Several seconds passed.
Then—
Beep.
The transaction completed successfully.
The color drained from Rocky's face.
"M-My empire..." he whispered.
His legs gave out beneath him.
He collapsed to his knees.
Boros looked down at him.
"We're not done yet."
Rocky visibly flinched.
Slowly, he forced himself back to his feet.
Every step toward the far wall looked painful.
Like invisible chains had been wrapped around his ankles.
Reaching the wall, he moved aside a large framed portrait.
Hidden behind it was a steel safe.
He unlocked it and carefully removed an ornate golden box decorated with intricate embroidery and crimson accents.
Returning to the desk, he set the box down with trembling hands.
Then he retrieved a key from his drawer.
Click.
The box opened.
Inside lay a neatly rolled document tied together with a red ribbon.
Rocky hesitated.
For a brief moment, he simply stared at it.
Then he reluctantly handed it over.
"H-Here..."
"The deed of ownership."
Boros grabbed the document.
But Rocky didn't let go.
His fingers tightened desperately around the ribbon.
Boros stared at him.
Then simply pulled harder.
The document slid free.
Rocky's hand remained frozen in the air.
Boros glanced at the deed.
"We're done now, right?"
Rocky nodded weakly.
"Y-Yes..."
He wiped his face.
"I'll just gather my belongings and leave."
"Your belongings?" Boros repeated.
Rocky blinked.
Boros stepped closer.
Towering over him.
"I bought this place."
Rocky's throat tightened.
"And everything inside it."
Boros folded the deed and tucked it into his pocket.
"Those aren't your belongings anymore."
A grin appeared on his face.
"They're mine."
Then Boros grabbed the collar of Rocky's shirt and lifted him off the ground.
Rocky's eyes widened.
His feet kicked helplessly in the air.
"W-Wait—"
Boros ignored him.
Turning around, he simply began walking toward the door.
Akeno, Kinuko, and Susan quickly followed behind.
None of them said a word.
The silence somehow made the situation even worse.
As they exited the hallway and stepped back into the reception area, the lively chatter that had filled the inn came to an abrupt stop.
Every head turned.
Every conversation died.
Dozens of eyes locked onto the scene before them.
In their eyes, the owner of the inn was currently dangling from the hand of some giant silver-haired lunatic.
Nobody dared intervene.
Nobody even spoke.
Rocky's face burned with humiliation as Boros carried him through the center of the room.
The massive front doors stood open, revealing the evening streets outside.
Boros stopped at the entrance.
For a brief moment, he simply stared at Rocky.
Then—
He threw him.
"AAAAAAAH—!"
Rocky flew through the doorway and crashed onto the street outside.
Boros dusted off his hands.
Stared at the man for a few seconds.
Then calmly turned around and walked back inside.
As if nothing unusual had happened.
Outside, Rocky remained sprawled on the ground.
His body trembled.
Then suddenly—
"MY INN!!"
He slammed both fists into the dirt.
"My beautiful inn!"
Tears streamed down his face.
"I BUILT THAT PLACE!"
Several pedestrians quickly crossed the street to avoid him.
Eventually, Rocky dragged himself to his feet.
Looking like a man who had lost the will to live.
Then he slowly stumbled away into the evening.
Back inside the inn, the silence remained.
Nobody knew what to say.
Nobody knew what they had just witnessed.
Boros scratched the back of his neck.
"Susan, was it?"
The receptionist immediately straightened.
"Y-Yes, sir."
Boros nodded.
"This place isn't a public inn anymore."
The words hit the room like a hammer.
Susan blinked.
"...Sir?"
Boros pointed toward the customers.
"Tell everyone to leave."