Seeing the strongest among them was easily defeated, the other three men panicked and lost their minds.
The nearest to Yeshua was Triye. The mouse was trembling. It looked like he wanted to run away but Yeshua really wanted to punch this mouse's face from the beginning so he did not let him escape!
"Wait! Let's talk about this! If you want, I'll even pay you! I have money!"
"That's my money, bastard!"
Bang!
With a punch, Yeshua smashed the mouse's face to a pulp. His thin body could not take the force of the punch and it made him fly! A flying mouse crashed to the ground!
"Oi, boy! Do you know what you're doing?! Our boss is an Alterer! If you hurt us, he will hunt you down wherever you go!" The pig's squealing was filled with panic. Pora wanted to run but his fat body was not built for running!
"Shut up, fatty! Are you a young master that your boss will take revenge for you! Save me the cliché threatening and just receive my fist!" Yeshua was very elated. He felt like he was a brave warrior who found a legendary sword and was slaying a dragon. A fat dragon though!
Bang!
Though Pora's face was smashed and filled with blood, he did not fly away. He just crashed down. This really disappointed Yeshua. "I thought I will see a pig flying. So, even in this world, it's impossible?"
Remembering there was still the last one, Yeshua prepared to attack.
Uwan was hunching and his fierce eyes were staring at Yeshua like a raptor ready to hunt his prey. Seeing this, Yeshua thought that this fight might not be simple as the others. Expecting to receive an attack, Yeshua prepared himself.
Suddenly, Uwan jumped back!
Then, he knelt down and bashed his head on the ground. "Please, forgive me! I'm only doing what the boss told me! I'm just doing my job! I really need to earn money! I have three wives and seven children, no, nine children, my two wives are pregnant! Please, spare me! I don't want to die!"
Yeshua was dumbfounded.
(I thought it was a raptor but it's actually a chicken!) Looking at the raptor, ahem, chicken, Yeshua suddenly lost his excitement.
The feeling of being strong and bashing with impunity made him realized how important strength was. If he was not strong, the one lying on the ground and begging would be him.
(Speaking of strength…)
During the smashing and clobbering, Yeshua did not think about it as the excitement filled him but thinking about it now, why did he become so strong?
To answer his question, Yeshua asked the AI.
- AI, what happened to me? Why am I this strong?
[Task received. Analyzing…]
After a while, the AI finished its analysis.
[User Yeshua's body is already comparable to an Alterer. Although User Yeshua's advancement was due to the mutation caused by the unidentified shard and not through normal advancement, the effect it brought to User Yeshua's body is not much different from becoming an Alterer.]
[During the transformation, the unidentified shard used the spirit genes injected by the natural laws to create the microorganisms in the cells of User Yeshua. The existence of these microorganisms strengthened the body.]
[Since the microorganisms can further contain spirit genes, the body can be further strengthened after User Yeshua obtains different Alter Beasts. Each Alter Beast is equivalent to a set of spirit genes and each set means a passive physical boost to the body.]
Hearing the report of the AI made Yeshua understand why he was strong even when in human form.
"So, in human form, Alterers have passive physical boosts though just a portion of the strength of their Alter Beast. Actually, I already learned that from the memories of Yeshua. It's just that I don't have a proper Alter Beast so I didn't think about it. Because of that, I still thought that my body is as strong as an ordinary human." Yeshua mumbled in understanding.
Learning the cause of the strength of his body already surprised Yeshua but knowing that the microorganisms could further strengthen his body made him feel elated. With this advantage, his path in becoming strong was looking good.
Since he already answered his question about his surprising strength, Yeshua had to deal with what was in front of him now.
Yeshua looked at Uwan still begging on the ground. "Stop talking. I have something to ask."
Since Uwan was the only conscious among the four, Yeshua wanted to ask him something he realized when everything calmed down. Uwan stopped begging and deferentially listened to Yeshua.
"I already told you that I'll pay for that package but you still wanted to capture me. I already lost the package so even if you take me I won't be able to give it back. Why are you insistent in taking me? I don't think you just only want to invite me for a drink and beat me up afterward."
Yeshua thought that paying for the lost package would end his problem in this gang but it seemed that the situation was not that simple.
"The b-boss ordered us to get the package back. He did not explain why but it seems like the package that was given to you was w-wrong. Y-you supposed to deliver a different package but someone messed it up. Y-you did not come back yesterday, so we thought that you still have the package. S-so, we went here to get it from you and also to t-teach you a lesson for crossing us." Uwan's voice was trembling while explaining what he knew to Yeshua.
"It seems the package is not a simple package. If it's really important to the boss of this gang, then this won't end here. He is an Alterer so if he is insistent on getting the package, confronting him will be inevitable. The package is already lost so I can't give it back to him. What should I do…," mumbled Yeshua with knitted brows.
Then, an idea came to Yeshua's mind. With a teasing smile, Yeshua said to Uwan. "Actually, I still have the package."
"T-then, you can just give me the package and we will not bother you anymore." Though Uwan should have doubted Yeshua, he was more worried about being clobbered.
"Is that so? I don't think your boss will just let me go like that. I didn't do the job and tried to keep the package. I bet he won't like it that someone tried to cross him."
(And even if he is kind enough to let me go if I give the package back, I cannot do it since I really lost the package!)
"T-that…" Uwan also thought that his boss was not a person who likes to be crossed so he thought that just giving the package back was not enough.
"Tell your boss that I will meet him tonight at the outskirts of Red Wood Forest on the west side of the city. Since he wants the package then I will give him the package."
Yeshua was only trying to buy himself some time. If confrontation was inevitable, then why would he wait for that gang boss to look for him? He would just bet that what he planned to do would be enough to deal with that gang boss.
Yeshua set the meeting tonight since he thought that was enough time to do what he planned. Also, it was not too long that the gang boss would not be able to wait. He just hoped that the gang boss would be patient and not look for him until the meeting time.
"Go now. Don't forget to take your brothers with you."
"T-they are not my brothers. We're not related…," said Uwan meekly as he moved to collect the bodies of his 'brothers'.
(Like I believe you! I've seen through it, bro. You have the same parents. Maybe you just don't know!) Yeshua mocked the generic goons with number-like names in his mind.
"Boss, that was exciting! How did you do that? How did you become so strong?" Bobo, who was worried when Tuwo attacked Yeshua and became dumbfounded when Yeshua was smashing the goons, exclaimed to Yeshua when he saw him done dealing with Uwan.
"Hehe, you just don't know but all those labor made me strong." Yeshua could not help but speak nonsense to Bobo. He felt that telling Bobo that he suddenly became an Alterer would be a long story so he planned to tell him some other time. There were still things he needed to do.
"But boss, is it really alright to meet that gang leader? He is an Alterer, right? That will be dangerous!" Bobo heard the conversation of Yeshua and Uwan. He was worried about what Yeshua was going to do.
"It's alright. I have a plan. Don't worry, Bobo." Yeshua could only assure Bobo with those words although even Yeshua was not sure if everything would really be alright.
By this time, Uwan was able to wake up Tuwo. The raptor, ahem, chicken was clutching the still unconscious mouse under his arms and the wobbling frog was dragging the heavy pig.
Looking at the back of the departing Uwan, Yeshua remembered something. "Bobo, I have a question."
"What is it, Boss?"
With a serious face, Yeshua asked an important question that would affect his path to strength. "Is it really possible to have multiple wives in this world?"
"..."
Bobo could not help but take a long look at Yeshua. "What do you mean in this world, boss? Anyway, yeah. You can have many wives as long as you can feed them."
"So that's really possible? There is no law that will punish me because of cheating on my wife?"
"I think there is no law like that, wait! There is one law I remember!"
Alarmed, Yeshua hurried Bobo. "What is it? Tell me, Bobo!"
Raising his fat fist, Bobo said with conviction. "The law of the fist! If someone stronger than you says that you can't take wives, then you can only become a eunuch!"
"What a load of bull!" Yeshua could not help but shudder!
After hearing what Bobo said, Yeshua found another reason to pursue strength!
With determination in his eyes, Yeshua walked towards the direction of the Trade Association.