Rag was distraught after he released the woman from his hands. The hostage quickly carried her things up and went behind the young Don's back.
'U, Unbelievable. This is not what the informant told us about,' Rag bit his lips upon saying it inside his head.
According to his intel, he should be unprepared for this outcome. But how this child managed to set up a trap in this place.
'This is making me nuts!'
Hermes Archnemesis was a child brat who was unblessed of talent in terms of magic and he's an incompetent leader of his generation that the mafia council of Donnas considered him as a taboo ruler of this island. That's why Rag couldn't believe what he's been seeing today.
Despite the situation right now, the child in front of him had put them into their place. The lions were trapped inside the cage by a mere rat. This was a humiliating defeat for them, but still, little did the child knew there was still a trump card on their sleeves.
"Oh, thank you very much, child," said the old lady, attempting to touch his back. But the young Don slapped her hands before she did it. "Please don't touch me. Please bear in mind. I don't like being touch by strangers. I don't mean any disrespect, so please keep your distance from me. By the way, you're free to go, milady," Hermes explained earnestly, making her too surprised.
The old lady bit her lower lips, and she followed his request.
"Hold it. Before you leave, let me ask you a question. Are you perhaps living in the village?" asked Hermes, gravely. "Yes, I am," The old lady tilted her head on the side before she responded.
"Do you know how you can enter to the next district?" quizzed Hermes, looking for a quick answer.
The old lady shut her mouth for a second, lips pursed. However, she contemplated first what should she answer.
"Yes, I lived in the fourth district, child," she simpered, pointing her index at the location of her home.
"Good," Hermes placed a hand on his chest and heaved a sigh of relief. "You may go. Please call for help as fast as you can. I'll catch up with you."
The old lady's eyes turned sharp upon hearing it.
"A'ight, sir. I will," she replied with a smile.
As Hermes turned around to face the thugs, the old lady pulled out a knife from her bag and cast a spell on it. The color of the object turned black like clear water covered with the oil spill.
The color of her sclera turned black, and her pupils changed to bright yellow.
Hermes' life should already be ended that time, but the old lady spared his life before her knife sliced his throat.
The old lady recalled what the person she dearly loved ordered her to do.
'The fate of your family lies in your hands. Don't kill the last descendant of the Archnemesis. Capture him alive. Let me do it by myself. This is not a request but an order. Don't disappoint me, my devoted subject,' said the beautiful lady, her scarlet dress shone like a diamond at that time. Her red lips upturned upon saying it.
"I guess, I'll play along," she murmured before her eyes returned back to their original color. "The plan hasn't changed yet though. Let's see what this kid can do next."
"Hmm?" Hermes realized that the old lady was holding a knife. She quickly hid the weapon behind her waist. "What the hell are you doing? I don't know what are you planning to do. Don't waste the time I'm giving you. Save yourself. Call for help, if you have to."
"Y, y, yes, child. I'm going now. Please take care of yourself," said the old lady, returning the weapon inside her bag. Then, she left the place without turning back.
"Now then, maggots." Hermes folded his arms full of confidence. "What shall we do next? I already warned you all. That if you take a step, you'll die. Now then, the hostage is no longer here. Who wants to go first?"
Rag and his comrades gasped upon he said it.
'Why the hell did the underboss do? He didn't help us at all!' Rag worried.
When everything was already in the palm of his hand, a sudden unexpected group of people crossed at the narrow street where they were standing. Hermes flinched upon seeing their faces.
Around fifteen men wore an expensive black suit appeared. One of the members of the group recognized Rag at first glance. He waved a hand to say hello. His name was Alfred. This man with red mohawk hair and a half-upper slim suit simpered upon seeing a friend.
"Hey sir, what's up? Why're you guys holding up to today, huh? Camping or playing? Why are you guys dressed like that?" asked Alfred, blowing a cloud of smoke on the air.
"Alfred?" Rag's eyes blinked twice before he said something, "Alfred, capture that child right now. Capture him now before he triggers the traps!"
The whole crew who just came in were bewildered at his order.
"Huh? This kid?" Alfred pulled out his caliber forty-five pistol from his pants and he pointed it directly to the young Don. "Tell me, sir. Why the boss wants this person? He's just a mere child after all," said Alfred with a momentous tone.
"Idiots, subdue him before he activates the traps around here." Rag urged, pointing his index at the young Don, "Like I said, subdue him now!"
Alfred laughed it off upon hearing his command.
'An opening,' Hermes quickly grabbed his weapon and chopped his neck before he could react. He shuffled the gun away from its owner, and he pushed him away with a hard kick. Then, he shot a warning shot to the new group.
All of them were bewildered at first. They quickly raised their hands up the air before they could react to his action.
"Silly men, what a bunch of noobs, " Hermes commented as he fixed his hair straight up. He used the Villanueva style, a Filipino Kali special move that was often taught at the secret school of martial arts at Batangas City, Philippines. "Do you really think I'm just an ordinary child without a plan? You must be jokin', lad."
Rag surprised with mouth agape and he muttered, "Shit, he's dangerous!"
"Now," Hermes looked at the edge of the pistol and unloaded the magazine to check its rounds, "Eight, huh. Hmm, not bad. Damn, it's heavy than I thought in this world. It can't be helped, huh. I only stole a small weapon in the first place, though. Hey, " he reloaded it and pointed at the pitiful man, "You're Alfred, right? Don't play dumb on me. Hand over your possessions to me. All of it."
"I, I don't have any money, kid, " Alfred shuddered, trying to show his innocence. "What the fuck are you doing, huh? I don't need your money. What I want from you is your magazines. Hand over your magazines right now. Or else, I will kill you," Hermes bickered, pressing the barrel on his forehead.
'Man, I'm becoming a criminal in this world. Fuck this development,' Hermes sighed inside his head.
"Is this all of it? What a shame. You only possess four mags, huh. I'm so disappointed. You make your mother disappointed too, Alfred. Goddamn it, man. Next time, bring more than ten. But never mind, it's enough to wipe your existence from the map anyway," Hermes bragged, placing all the magazines inside his pockets. "P, please I have a wife. Spare my life!" Alfred begged for mercy.
'Lies, you're a single man without a wife, asshole,' Rag commented.
"Hey, you're name is Rag, right? It appears you're holding the highest authority within this group. Tell them, no, order them to disarm themselves. Make it slow and steady when they throw away their weapons. Once I notice something odd is happening in front of me, please expect to see the God in front of you, alright. Gentlemen, I don't want to commit a crime in this place. Needless to say, everyone has a first time. You don't want that to happen, right?" Hermes instructed, reloading his weapon when he gave his warning.
The whole group gasped upon hearing it. Rag gulped his saliva and he followed his command without a second thought.
Hermes giggled like a villain looking down at his enemies. He felt a sense of relief in this situation.
'So this is the villain's life, huh. I love it. I've never felt this sense of comfort of ordering around the bad guys,' Hermes smugged.
Hermes had done his part in this forced quest. And now, he's waiting for the status report.
'How long should I wait before the newspaper shows itself? I already finish the quest though. I saved the old lady's life, so this should end as of now.'
The dice of luck had already rolled in his favor. However, everything went south when the bald guy sneezed.
After his head hit the string, it inadvertently pulled the string down. Rag and the others ducked their heads down before an arrow hit their bodies, but nothing happened thereafter. All of them bewildered at first and blinked their eyes before they turned their sight at the young Don.
'So, the traps are... fake?' Rag grimaced.
'Fuck my life,' Hermes bit his lower lips with a cold sweat.
Hermes smiled at them and sent his regards. He slowly moved closer to the small hole on the wall next to him.
"It was a bluff?" Rag concluded. He had finally realized the trap was unreal. "Why you?"
"If these traps are fake, then this string… this string is…. Wait a minute, it was just an ordinary string for a kite!" The blonde man pulled out his gun and pointed it at the young Don. "I don't care what happens to me, but I'll fuckin' kill you!"
"Now, that you mentioned it. This place is the previous firing range and weapon warehouse. So, it is not a surprise that there's a lot of weapons around this street. Fuck you, kid. You're going down, pal. I'm going to smash your butt until it turns red with my dick!" The bald guy added, pulling out his pistol from his pants.
Hermes was unable to shoot them when Alfred tried to steal his gun away from him. This time, he had no other choice but to run. He rushed his feet towards the hole and jumped in before everyone could react.
"Follow the fuckin' bastard. Surround the area. ASAP, " Rag ordered with a distraught face. "Don't let him get away from this place. You, you, follow me. Alfred, go to the other side and block his way over there before he does. If you see that kid, remember to capture him alive. But I don't care if you try to torture him to death!"
"Sir, yes, sir!" everyone agreed and followed.
Hermes saw two men behind him.
The caliber forty-five was a small weapon with a high power attribute that could damage not only the target but also the user. Unfortunately, the body of former Hermes wasn't trained to use this weapon. All he could do for now was to use this opportunity to learn how to use it properly today.
His right hand grabbed the handle of the pistol with his index on the trigger whilst his left hand acted as its guide. In the same direction, he locked his eyes at the two living targets and pulled the trigger before they counterattacked.
*Bang* *Bang* *Bang* *Bang* *Bang*
Luckily, he hit the left leg of the second thug after the fifth bullet, and the pain made this poor man inadvertently shot the chain connected to the huge container over them.
The two assailants screamed before they could react. Several sacks of cement rained on their location and it smashed their bodies instantly.
Hermes closed his eyes before he could see their dead end.
Their blood lay scattered around the floor thereof.
Hermes changed his magazine despite it still had two bullets left.
Three men rushed on the right and four men appeared on the left corner. He kept running whilst dodging the bullets they're releasing against him.
He shielded his eyes with his left hand from the dust of the sacks. He slid down into the slope area before the captors rained him with bullets. Then, he counterattacked after he got a good spot.
*Bang* *Bang* Bang* *Bang*
The bullets didn't hit them, however. His arms were starting to stiff and his legs trembled from pain because of the weight of his weapon. But he had no time to rest, so he must run until his last breath.
*Bang* *Bang* *Bang*
He clenched his teeth and bit his lower lips to ease his exhaustion.
He changed the magazine of his pistol and reloaded it again after he got a good hiding spot. Then, he opened fire upon seeing a group on his side. He shot the first guy from the right and luckily, he hit his feet. The target jumped from pain and overreacted, accidentally shot his two comrades in the head and killed them both on the spot. His comrades saw it and they mistook him as the target, killing him without remorse.
Hermes took the chance and he appeared on their left side. He pulled the trigger and shot them down. However, they received a minimal injury, a shoulder wound.
The survivor quickly dragged his buddy to the safe corner and hid him. Then, he returned fire against the young Don before he checked his comrade's condition.
Hermes saw a huge loot box above them and targeted it.
*Bang* *Bang* *Bang*
The chained which carried the huge crater collapsed and fell down onto the captors. But unfortunately, they survived when the survivor dragged his buddy away from the position and both of them received minimal damage.
Hermes saw Rag coming into the scene. He shot four bullets before he rushed to the next warehouse. Then, he changed the magazine of his weapon and locked his eyes at the wood which supported the steel bar of the large weighing scale.
*Bang* *Bang* *Bang* *Bang* *Bang* *Bang* *Bang*
At last, it hit his target. The large circle of the weighing scale rolled down onto the door, and Rag and his group got blocked before they could enter the warehouse. Hermes made guts pose before he changed the magazine of his gun.
'Damn, I'm so good at this sport' Hermes commented inside his head.
As he approached the next room, his body automatically slid down upon sensing a rain of bullets hit his position. The glasses of the window from his rear shattered into pieces from the rapid-fire of the assailants. Hermes jumped next to the corner of the door and ducked his head down.
"Y' fuckin' bastard? Are you still alive, huh?" Alfred reloaded his rifle. "I am thankful that this place is an abandoned armory. I saw a crate of my favorite gun. I hope y' don't mind to use it against you, do you?"
"Boy," Hermes reached the doorknob, opened it, and peek at one of the holes after the door got closer to his side. "Sir Alfred, you really a stubborn creature. Do you know that it's bad for adults to use a rifle for a simple young man like me? I hope you don't fly like a vulture. That's not good for our culture."
"Are you speaking riddles, now?" Alfred shot five bullets again. "C'mon on, fuckin' bastard. Show yourself!"
Hermes heard the sound of the approaching trouble from the other side. He's completely surrounded and he had no place to hid except the second floor.
He closed his eyes to calm himself.
"Stump G," Hermes grimaced after he recalled his name. "After I get out from this, you're a dead man, you son of a bitch!"
Hermes stood up and shot two bullets at the running man on his front.
*Bang* *Bang* *Bang* *Bang* *Bang*
He hit him on the shoulder, but he survived his counterattack.
Rag heard the sound of the bullets and ordered his men to give him a suppressing fire. Hermes retaliated and aimed his gun at Alfred's crew. Then, he quickly hid on his spot before they could hit him.
Hermes quickly shot his three bullets in the direction of Rag's crew.
*Bang* *Bang* *Bang*
Hermes quickly removed the empty magazine out of his gun and reloaded it with a full magazine.
Alfred came out with an idea to approach the door by himself, but little did he know the young Don had seen his shadow approaching the door through the small crack from the door.
Hermes locked his eyes and aimed his weapon at the door, waiting for him to attack.
Alfred kicked the door away and entered the warehouse, but he's bewildered upon seeing the child in front of him.
"Fuck, spare me!" His face turned blue and screamed.
"Take this, motherfucker, " Hermes pulled his trigger and sent him flying out of the place.
*Bang* *Bang* *Bang*
One bullet hit his right leg, the other one hit his right shoulder, and the last one hit his left stomach. His body pushed away from the deep impact of the pistol, and he fell down onto the surface with a wounded body.
"Ouch, my shoulder," Hermes pressed a hand on his stiffened shoulder. "Damn it, I only got one magazine left."
"I have no other choice but to use this man as a hostage, " Hermes said, wearily. He moved at the side of the wounded Alfred, and he pointed his gun on his head.
Rag and the others came in later. All of them aimed their weapons at the young Don.
"Stop! In the name of God, stop already. If you want to keep this man alive, hold on to your position. Lay down your weapons, and listen to my demand. I said, put down your weapons. I'm not jokin' around. If you value your comrade's life, don't strive. I know you value your companionship so well — I can tell. So, stop already!" Hermes demanded, shooting a warning shot in the air.
Everyone, except Rag, lowered their weapons as per his demand.
"Oh ho, don't move closer," said Hermes, "I will kill this man if you take another step, Rag. Put down your weapons or else," Hermes shot a second warning shot on his position. "What do you want then, kid?" asked Rag, trying to calm the situation. "I want you guys to leave me alone. That's all I ever wanted today," Hermes answered without a second thought.
"No, fuckin' way, fag. If we let you escape from this place, we'll be in big shit than what you think. Don't you know how much money we will be lost for this trouble? A hundred thousand Luzers, y' know," Rag adamantly denied. "Then, do you seek for a big shit or deep shit? Because I don't take shit about you pricks. Then, let me change the topic. Why are you pestering the life of the old lady earlier?" Hermes replied a question.
Rag shut his mouth and remained silent.
"What now? Scared to speak? That your mouths are starting to resemble the sparrow's peak, huh? I think you guys are hiding somethin' so speak up. Or I'll smash your friend's head and turns his head into a squashed tomato. Speak or liberate me, your choice," Hermes demanded abruptly. "Y-y-y-you fuckin' piece of shit. You dare to insult the member of a well-known family. As expected to the renowned leader of stupid clan, you're still the same in the profile they sent us. If we weren't devoted to our leader, we won't hesitate to shoot you right now! You're lucky that we have to endure this humiliating situation today!" Rag cursed him with a grave face.
Hermes's veins appeared on his forehead, and he stepped his shoe on the face of his hostage.
Rag and his men stepped aback.
"Oi, oi, oi, you're not allowed to insult my name. You have no right to call me, a piece of shit. Why? Because I'm worse than the rumors as per say. Do you really think you can make fun at me in this situation, huh?" asked Hermes, looking down at them. "Of course, we have the right. Fight like a man, Hermes. I demand you to hand over the hostage right now," Rag demanded, poiting his index at his comrade.
"Oi, do you really think I'm stupid enought to hand over my hostage? I'm not, silly. It is normal to use some tools to become your scapegoat from this situation, though. Y' guys are buggin' my life too much here. Man, you know what? I didn't like to fight against you lads in the first place. I was forced to do it, believe it or not. Like you guys, there's an important mission I have to accomplish no matter what. I have to clear this event before an unforeseen event comes for me!" Hermes bickered.
Rag and his crew were bewildered by his reaction.
'H, he's what? I, I don't understand. Is this a psychological war now? Maybe, he's just messing with us!' Rag clenched his fist tightly.
But as the leader of the group he had to be tough about this situation. From his eyes, the young Don was just a weak and pathetic man who was hiding his true identity from the mass.
"Hermes Archnemesis, we demand you to surrender now. Do you really think we are going to play with your scheme? Fool, we know you're just bluffing!"
Hermes placed a hand on his face and slid it down from his eyes to his jaw.
"Man, please believe it, Rag. I'm not a liar. I'm telling the truth, though. I'm going to kill this man for real if you continue to put me into pressure. Step back already, and leave me alone, please. Anyway, why are you guys interested to capture me?" asked Hermes with a curious face. "Shut up, you don't have to know!" Rag pointed his gun at the young Don. "According to your profile, you're supposed to be weak. Y' don't kill on your own. you're using your own men to do the dirty job. You don't have the guts to do it!"
Hermes sighed and then one bullet shot the shoulder of his men beside him. Because of the power from the bullet, the man flew back and fell down on the surface. He was still alive but unconscious.
Everyone was surprised, with Hermes as an exemption.
"Do you really think I was still bluffing from the beginning? Do you really think I still kept this friendly conversation without taking a shit? Don't fuck with me, you moron." Hermes smirk.
Rag turned blue and screamed inside. The eyes of their target were terrifying and he was gravely telling the truth.
"Sorry," a familiar voice caught their attention, "This play should end right now." Behind the young Don, the old lady placed her hand on his right shoulder. Hermes, surprised, bewildered by her sudden appearance. "What the hell are you doing here? Y' should be callin' for help from the other side!" Her feminine voice started to change into a deep tone, she replied with a smile, "Child, you're really a fool." Her hand pressed his shoulder so tight. His body trembled with pain after his whole body was electrified. His voice echoed around the place. He knelt down with one knee while trying to release himself from her.
In this world of an Otome game, the characters had their own specialties and abilities. There were two types of humans in this universe, a magicless and mage. According to their history, the mages were descendants of the witches and warlocks that lived a long time ago, but for science, they were part of the family lineage of the previous Ratican Empire created to become their biological weapons against other races a thousand years ago.
"S-s-s-shit," Hermes couldn't speak out loud but kept moving his mouth. "I... I.. I totally... forgot about this!" However, the pain kept electrifying him. He was unable to finish up his last word, 'Every mafia and gangsters have their own forces of mages working with them in this world!'
"Oh ho, you're good. You can still talk, huh," the old lady said with her eyes glittered from the electricity. "It is just tier 3 magic but you can still move your mouth." Hermes clenched his teeth with dripping blood while raising up his gun with his eyes flowing with tears. "Fuck you!" Three bullets released from the barrel but it was deflected by the barrier, however. "I won't.... let.... you... ― catch me alive!"
The old lady was unable to respond from his sudden assault. She got hit by his headbutt before she could use again her fortification spell.
Her hand released him after she covered the part she got hit, and the young Don quickly picked up the rifle on the surface.
Hermes aimed his weapon at her and pulled the trigger, but unfortunately, the gun ran out of bullets. He clicked his tongue, and he left no other choice, but to endure it for a few seconds. Then, he slowly tried to reload his gun with a new magazine.
The old lady noticed something odd about him, and she increased the volume of her electricity to fifty percent, but to no avail.
'W, what?' The old lady was surprised.
"Fuck you, bitch!" Hermes aimed again his weapon and shot her directly.
*Bang* *Bang* *Bang*
"[Obice!]" The old lady cast a spell, a tier 3 barrier deflected his bullets.
The blast made a huge crack to the floor and the smoke blocked the eyes of everyone, with Hermes as an exemption.
As the smoke disappeared, the young Don had already vanished from the scene.
"Why he didn't collapse from that point? I used a tier 3 magic. Why the fuck he didn't get hurt so much? Why he can move so fast? Why? Find that man. Find Hermes Archnemesis!" The old lady clenched her fist and teeth with her veins showing up from her face. "Find him at all cost!"
The last piece of the newspaper fell down on the ground, the torn piece that Hermes failed to read. It contained a valuable information about his new achievement. This ability was not part of the setting of the former owner of his body. The system pushed him to the edge, and the anonymous newspaper that shouldn't exist in the Otome game showed a new revelation.
Virus Achievements:
[Unlocked: Evil Slime Battle Suit - The last Ratican Empire powerful armor. The Emperor's pet transforms into a powerful tier armor that consumes everything's on its path. A God tier forbidden item that should be extinct thousand years ago. All of the sinners will become its meal and won't see heaven and hell. The user will be given the ability to wield weapons and customize it according to its will. As a parasitic armor, it will consume the host's sanity but will heal the body whether severely damage, injured, and stabbed to death. The user will always be revived until his sanity level reached its limit.]
[Insanity Level: Normal.]
[Side effects: The insanity level will increase and will make the user lost control if it handled wrongly.]
Requirements:
[1. The user must be the Emperor or descendant of the Emperor. The soul of the Emperor and son of Evil God who is in favor of Wicked Goddess.]
[2. The user must possess the characteristics of all Seven deadly sins.]
[3. The user is scared to death and weak.]
[4. The user must be magicless, with no abilities, and an unfortunate worthless individual.]
[5. The user possesses nothing but wisdom and knowledge of the present and past world.]
[6. The user must be from ANOTHER WORLD.]