"That's the Bloodhound Cartel. We better get out of here!" Morgan pulled Theo's hand, leading him away before the Bloodhound Cartel arrived. It could be dangerous if they got there first while they were alone with the corpse. Morgan felt they could end up dead right there on the spot.
Theo walked reluctantly behind him. He wanted to stop Morgan, but the man's grip on his wrist was too strong, leaving Theo with no other choice. As they walked, Theo couldn't divert his attention from the corpse of one of the Bloodhound Cartel members lying there. He still felt anxious about the issues that would arise after all of this.
Right after Theo and the others left, Dante and the Bloodhound Cartel arrived. They intended to search for one of their members who hadn't returned after completing the assigned task. However, they were shocked to find the man they were looking for lying lifeless in the streets with a dagger impaled in his leg.
Dante and the Bloodhound Cartel quickly approached the sight of the corpse. Once there, they could see more clearly that it was indeed the body of one of their members, whom they had been searching for since earlier. Some members of the Bloodhound Cartel, upon seeing the body, appeared saddened and angry, while Dante remained silent without uttering a word. He stared intensely at the corpse before him.
"He killed him; now what should we do, boss? We can't just stand by, can we?"
One of his members asked with an emotional tone, but Dante completely ignored the statement. Instead of responding, he now crouched down, gazing at the face of the man in front of him. Their deceased member lay there with eyes wide open, not far from his body; Dante could see another blood-stained dagger nearby. He could immediately deduce that the member died by having his throat slit.
The dagger on the street captured his attention. Dante reached for the weapon, examining it carefully. Just by looking at the shape and motif on the handle, Dante could instantly identify the owner of the dagger. "So, she's back?" Dante murmured softly, almost like a whisper.
"It seems like this is a warning signal from the Infero Ravens; they're trying to alert us that now the Infero Ravens are back in power like before," he said to all his members standing there.
"Do you mean this wasn't the man's doing?"
"No. It wasn't Theo who killed him. It was one of the Infero Ravens members."
"So, are you saying we won't seek revenge for what they've done, boss?"
"I can't just stay silent. They may warn us, but that doesn't mean it can stop us from retaliating!" Dante shifted his focus to the corpse in front of him. "You've done well, my brother; now rest in peace."
All members of the Bloodhound Cartel bowed their heads upon hearing his words. It seemed that now Theo was truly under the protection of the Infero Ravens. That means I have to face him as one of the Infero Ravens members I have to kill!
*
"Can you join me for a moment?" Kate asked once they were back at the club. As soon as they arrived, Jim and Berta bombarded Theo with questions about where he had gone. However, Kate quickly stepped in to explain everything, calming down his two colleagues. Once she had successfully eased their concerns, Kate immediately instructed the Infero Ravens to help clean up the chaos caused by the broken window glass.
Theo looked up as Kate stood in front of him. She then walked out, and Theo followed. Whatever Kate wanted to discuss seemed quite serious.
Theo still couldn't shake off the recent events. He couldn't find peace of mind.
Kate and Theo stopped when they finally reached the field where Theo had once fought with the Bloodhound Cartel. Kate led him to sit on one of the benches in the park, not far from the field. She asked him to sit while she went to buy drinks from a vending machine nearby.
Kate returned with two sodas in her hands. She handed one to Theo, who still looked tense. "Drink this and calm yourself," she said.
Theo took it and opened the drink before finally taking a sip. Meanwhile, Kate moved to the other side of the bench and sat beside him. She took a sip of her drink before starting to speak. "Are you sure you're okay? Are you injured?"
Theo fell silent for a moment. In truth, the back of his head had been slightly injured by glass shards earlier, but the system had already restored it to its original condition. That's why he's perfectly fine now. "I'm fine. I'm not injured at all," Theo said before taking another sip of his drink.
"I don't understand why he chose you as the main character in this world," Kate mumbled, instantly confusing Theo. He turned to her with furrowed brows.
"Huh?"
"One thing is for sure: with your current abilities, you won't be able to achieve your revenge goal."
"I don't understand what you mean."
"I mean, if you want revenge, then you have to change. Your attitude and mindset need to change, Theo. That's the only way you can evolve. Strong determination and martial skills alone won't be enough to achieve all that if you continue to be naive and weak as you are now."
"What? How can you say something like that when we've only just gotten to know each other? You don't even know anything about me." Theo was slightly offended by her words.
"Don't take offense and jump to conclusions so quickly, because I'm saying all this so that you can develop further. As I mentioned, my arrival here is because of a task I have to complete, and the task I mean is to help you grow."
"Why would you say that? On what basis do you have to help me grow? And why do you speak as if you've known me for a long time?"
"We may have just met. But someone who sent me to help you grow has told me everything about you."
"Someone who sent you? Who is the person you're talking about?" Theo fell silent. His face immediately turned panicky as a sense of suspicion began to creep in.
"You don't need to worry because the person who sent me isn't evil. That person has met you. You might not know him, but you've met and talked to him. And even if you don't recognize him, he knows everything about you. That's why he sent me and provided a bit of information about you so that I could help you grow."
I've met him, but I don't know him? Then who is it? Who does Kate mean? Theo thought hard. He genuinely felt like he had never spoken to a stranger. Theo felt he had never talked to just anyone, except...
Theo widened his eyes. It couldn't be! Could it be him? If that's true, does it mean Kate knows the man I met on the bridge that day?
"It seems like you already know who I'm talking about," Kate said while taking a sip of her drink.
"Tell me, do you know him? Who is that man? And why did he send you to help me? What's your connection with him?" Theo bombarded Kate with various questions.
"I can't reveal all that because it's beyond my task. But there's one thing I've wanted to ask you from the beginning. What has he given you?"
Theo once again showed a puzzled expression. He didn't understand the meaning behind Kate's words. "What has he given me?" Theo repeated his question.
"Has he given you an item? Or... a system?"
"Wait, how could you—"
"Judging by your reaction, it seems he has given you a system. It turns out that your plot is developing just like Zane's." Theo fell silent again. His mind was still trying to process every word Kate just said. He was still surprised at how much Kate knew about the system he had acquired. "What does the system offer you once you get a second chance at life?"
"Seek revenge in a better way."
"But hearing Alessio's story, it seems what you're doing is actually deviating far from what it should be. Did you have thoughts of revenge once you found out who tried to kill you?"
"How do you know about that too?"
"It's easy. I heard from Alessio that you were stabbed in the club alley, causing the club to close, and the place was investigated by the police. After that, Dante was seen attempting to attack you. All of this shouldn't have happened if the flow wasn't disturbed. The meaning of the system's words about revenge in a better way is to change your life and make you a new person without having to dirty your hands by facing them directly. You could retaliate when you have power and influence by sending them to prison. But because the flow was disrupted by your desire for revenge with violence, the system's course changed to follow your greater desire. You must be thinking that beating them until you're satisfied, without having to kill them, is a better way of taking revenge, right?"
Theo fell silent, unable to say anything. Upon reflection, what Kate said was indeed true. Moreover, Theo immediately recalled the incident when he first ignored the system and ended up in the hospital after being stabbed by Dante for the second time. The memory replayed in his mind like a video on repeat.
"You might be wondering, Why did the system change its course according to your desire, right? And you may be wondering why you're still okay until now, even though you altered the system's path? Just so you know, even though the course changed, the system still strives to keep you safe by giving you the opportunity to become stronger through the martial arts skills you now possess."
"I did ignore warnings from the system, but I never knew it would lead to a change in its course..."
"The system he gave you was actually designed to guide you to achieve what you want in a prepared way. But because your desire for revenge with violence is stronger, the system automatically changes its course according to your wishes. The system's course he created will change when someone has such a strong belief in their goal. But even so, the system still has a plan to protect and guide you through the path you choose." Kate took the last sip of her soda. Once the can was empty, she tossed it from her hand towards the trash bin near the drink vending machine. With one throw, the can went straight into the trash bin.
"Kate, may I ask something?"
"What do you want to ask?"
"Why do you know so much about how the system works? It's as if you've also received the same system as mine."
"I got all that information from my friend. She's the only mentor who explains how the system works to its chosen users. Never mind, let's stop all this conversation because I've conveyed what I needed to tell you. In essence, I just want to remind you. If you truly want to achieve your revenge goal, then you have to discard all your naive and weak traits. Besides, isn't it no fun being the main character with the soul of a hero? Better to be like me, a main character with an antiheroic spirit." Kate stood up from her seat. She smiled while staring intently at Theo.
"You talk as if we live in a fictional world with a main character, side characters, and antagonist character," commented Theo.
Kate chuckled in response to his statement. Because, in reality, that's what it was.
"Forget what I said. Let's go back!" Kate walked away at a leisurely pace, leaving Theo standing by as he watched her leave, still leaving so many questions in his mind.
***