"UGH!"
A loud groan resounded as we see the boss slowly getting to his feet.
His eyes had become bloodshot, his left hand was still holding his baby maker. The gang members made unsightly faces.
Yet, as if all those things didn't exist, the boy who had been the cause of such a problem didn't even bat an eyelid before saying…
"Oi, you should be careful, it won't do you any good to have the other egg broken"
*STOMP*
The boss stomped the ground in rage, causing it to cave in and resound.
Nevertheless, the boy only yawned as if bored, causing three veins to pop up on the boss's head.
The boss looked at the boy before making a decision.
'I'm going to kill him no matter what it takes' he promised himself as he unleashed his aura and killing intent.
The boy looked at him as an amused smile formed on his face. He then moved his hands as if trying to swat a fly, which dispersed the killing intent that caused most in the bar to freeze.
The boss was about to take action when the boy calmly called out a name.
"Fredrick"
Immediately another aura more oppressive was unleashed and, like a tsunami, washed the boss's aura as well as his killing intent away.
The boss, whose rage had almost blinded him, quickly came to his senses as fear and apprehension hit him.
The person who had unleashed the thick aura was standing behind him, so the boss looked back and saw a fairly old man with brown hair and thick muscle in peasant clothes.
The boss could tell the aura was around Expert rank, an expert that could quite literally sweep the floor with him, and considering the earlier events, he seemed to be working for the small child.
The boss quickly connected the dots, showing he was the boss for a reason, before quickly coming to a few conclusions.
'The boy should be from a noble family, but why is he wearing peasant clothes? Hmm, maybe he is an heir in hiding or one from another continent!'
'He has a single knight accompanying him to keep a low-profile. Which means others might be nearby! But what is he doing around here? What kind of bad luck is this?'
The boss wanted to cry at the turn of events. He had been turned into a half-eunuch and he couldn't dare to retaliate or even run-away!
'Damn it!' the boss cursed, before retracting his killing intent and aura as he calmed down and began thinking rationally.
'I was unconscious for quite some time. He could have killed me easily if he wanted to, as well as the other members with ease. The fact that he didn't means…he might want something from me!' the boss realized.
'But what could it be? I don't think I have anything of value that would warrant a noble's attention' the boss thought before heaving a depressing sigh.
His life was turned upside down in the span of barely two hours. His gang and his bar were almost completely destroyed.
He didn't even know how he would start another business.
Thankfully, it seemed he could survive with enough luck on his side, but he would have to find out what they wanted first.
The boss took another deep breath to calm his heart, before grabbing and wearing his jacket.
He looked at the two people, as well as a girl in torn clothing, which he decided to temporarily ignore as he faced the two men and said…
"It seems you want to have a chat, follow me" he said, as he moved to a door beside the bar table, whose liquor were now broken to pieces, and entered.
Ezra and Fredrick followed him into a small office with a single table and three chairs, one for the boss and two of them.
As they did, the boss went into action.
"It seems my boys had greatly offended you and for that, I'll offer my deepest apologies" he said, bowing his head.
Ezra nodded nonchalantly as if it was no big deal.
The boss inwardly smiled at the reaction.
'If I can play my cards right, this could become a massive opportunity'
"That aside, the fact that you spared both I and my men's life doesn't seem to be an act of kindness. So I'll get straight to the point, what do you want from us?"
Ezra nodded without saying anything. He liked this kind of person.
'It seems keeping him alive was the right choice' Ezra thought.
'The way he's treating us, he must have realized that I'm from a noble family…but he doesn't know which one'
'Then…I'll have to act my part impeccably' Ezra affirmed.
The boss didn't know who they were, and was probing them with questions to see if they were impostors, or maybe something else entirely.
"Fredrick, give him a coin" Ezra said to Fredrick who sat with an aloof expression, and without saying anything, he tossed a coin onto the table.
The boss's eyes almost popped as he looked at the gold coin that landed on his table.
He quickly regained composure and asked…
"Can I check the authenticity?"
"What an ingrate! Do you think I would waste time tricking a wastrel like you?" Ezra said with an awfully arrogant tone.
"Forgive me, great Sirs, this untrained one is only trying to see the extent of your greatness" the boss answered with a flattering tone but wasn't backing down.
"The extent of greatness is beyond what you can imagine, but if you insist, then so be it and make it fast" Ezra answered.
The boss immediately took the coin in his hand and used mana to appraise its quality.
A moment later-
*GASP*
A gasp was heard as the boss unintentionally dropped the coin before standing up and bowing as a sign of apology.
Multiple thoughts went through his head as he did so.
'It's a genuine gold coin and…it's Nitonian'
'So, he must be the bastard son of a Niton duke, or viscount at least'
'I have to make sure to please them well' the boss thought.
"Humph, at least you're smart enough to understand, then again, if you weren't, you would have died already" Ezra said as the boss sat back down.
"What is your ambition?" Ezra asked the boss out of the blue.
Nevertheless, the boss quickly answered.
"Hmm, well for my gang to become one of the top dogs in this city, that's it"
"Such a small goal?" at this moment, the boss and Fredrick had incomprehensible looks on their faces.
"Why can't you aim higher? What is stopping you from aiming for the first? What is stopping you from aiming for being the best?"
The boss felt his heart sting at the ridiculous question.
Of course he thought about such things, but that was all it was, thoughts.
To actually succeed would require too many things, from the money involved to the man power and individual strength.
All these were the least of the problems. There were many more that one would have to think about before trying such an endeavor.
Yet this boy is saying it like it's child's play. The boss was about to berate him on his ignorance when the boy continued.
"Is it money? Manpower? Mana techniques? What if I said I could give those to you?"
Fredrick could only look on while his own thoughts churned, trying to figure out what his lord was trying to do.
After all, weren't they supposed to be looking for someone? How did things suddenly take such a turn, or had he seen something?
Numerous questions, yet no answers.
Fredrick could do as Ezra said.
'Watch me'
Meanwhile, the boss suddenly took a blank look as he cupped his hands and began muttering some things under his breath, before looking at Ezra and sighing.
Then he spoke…
"What do you want from us?"
The boss recognized it as an opportunity. It was too good to be true!
But this was exactly the problem, it was…
'Too good to be true. Are they thieves or bandits?" the boss thought.
Honestly, he couldn't come up with a reason why a nobles would want to sponsor him.
He didn't have any special qualities, well except his above average intelligence and he knew it, so this was the question.
'Why?'
Ezra, who understood what the boss was thinking, spoke up.
"Hmm, you don't think it's for free, do you?"
The boss raised brow in an expression of "What kind of (stupid) question is that?"
"Hmm, it seems you get it, Mr…?"
"Cabrera"
"Mr. Cabrera, you see, I am an ambitious man and I have grand plans, so it's normal for me to sponsor you rather than the top dogs"
"What I want from you as payment for my support are numerous and dangerous. Are you up for it?" the boy said with cold eyes, the arrogance nowhere to be seen.
The boss quickly understood that this was the breaking point. His next answer would either mean this man went to another gang to sponsor or made his, and that if he accepted. There was no backing out.
Now, what would he choose?
To retreat or to advance?
To stay on the safe ground or fly into a sky full of predators?