Pacho's words shook me. Really, they did. My eyes widened as I looked at him. He was sweating and in more pain and shock than I was. Pachi was his twin and only sibling, so it was understandable.
"Did you see him? Where are they taking him?" I asked.
"I didn't see him, but some other kids saw the security. They're on their way here."
Oh, this is bad. This is really bad. Worst case scenario, we all get beaten. And when I say we all, I mean everybody, with no exceptions—even women, both old and young.
"Pacho, make sure all the kids are in their huts. No one leaves their hut. Store the packages in the secret storage. I have a plan."
"Yes, boss," Pacho replied, turning to leave. But he stopped midway and glanced back at me, his eyes teary. "Please save Choya. Please save my brother, Tsu-kun."
"I will," I reassured him.
I had to do something. I couldn't let anything happen to anybody. They all looked up to me as their leader, so I had to act accordingly.
I stood up and was about to move but paused. My gaze shifted to my mom. She had a smile on her face. Even though she looked old and worn, it was still a beautiful smile. I rushed out of the hut.
As I moved through the street, it was empty, with only women and little old men—no kids in sight. It seemed like Pacho had done his job well.
"Where do you think you're going, Tsu?" An old man and Nana's mother approached me. The old man was like the head of the slums.
"I'm going to save Pachi."
"No, get back inside. It's too dangerous for a kid like you."
"But I have to save Pachi. He's in trouble."
These old men did nothing but stop us from running wild. Yes, I know it's for our own good, but still, it's my brother who's in trouble. I have to do something other than sit in my small hut.
"Will you listen to me this instant?! Get back in your hut and stay with your sick slave mother who can't even move—"
"Hey, don't bring my mom into this!"
My eyebrows furrowed as I stared into the man's eyes. I was enraged, but I had to maintain my composure.
"You—!"
The man continued talking, but I left him standing there with Nana's mother. I didn't have time for that.
"Status open!" I called out.
A holographic window popped up beside me. It was the companion the light guy spoke about. I'm not going to lie—it was really helpful.
NAME: Tatsuya Uzui
AGE: Nine
CLASS: LOCKED (Unlocks at level 20)
LEVEL: 6
ATTRIBUTES
STR: 6
STA: 35
SPE: 16
ADG: 14
CLASS ATTRIBUTES
(LOCKED)
SKILLS
Neural shell (lv1)
CLASS SKILLS
(LOCKED)
ITEMS
Skill boost (2)
My stats are pretty good for a nine-year-old kid, if you ask me. But still, I'm dealing with well-trained ninjas here, and I need to have some tricks up my sleeve.
"Skill boost!"
STR: ^ 16
STA: ^ 42
SPE: ^ 22
ADG: ^ 19
"Yup, I'm ready," I muttered to myself.
I made my way towards the path leading from the slums to the village. That was the only route they could possibly take if they were coming here.
Squinting my eyes, I gazed far ahead. Just before the main village, I saw three men clad in ninja attire. The man in the middle was holding Pachi. Pachi was in tears, his face red.
Huff…
"Here goes nothing," I muttered, walking casually towards them, my mind racing with possible ways to save Pachi and avoid the beating everyone in the village would surely get. It had never happened before, but after all the warnings we'd received, today might be the day. I needed to stop that at any cost. I wished I'd let the old guy handle it, but Pacho's face and the trust he had in me weighed heavily on my mind.
"A kid? What's a kid doing here?"
"Oh! It's one of those slum rats. He's one of your friends, right?" The man holding Pachi tightened his grip around his neck, choking him.
"B..Bo..su..." Pachi tried to speak, but the man's grip tightened further.
"Stop that!" I barked. My voice sounded childish, but there was an edge to it.
"Oh? You've got guts, kid, even for a trashy thief like you," one of them sneered.
"What if I don't stop? What if I kill him? You won't do anything but watch him die. Hahaha." The man's grip tightened again, and Pachi shrieked. At this rate, he was going to die.
I quickly scooped up some dust along with tiny stones and dashed towards them.
"Damn garbage kids!" One of the ninjas pulled out a wooden stick used for discipline.
He swung it at me, but I sidestepped, bending low to dodge the attack, and threw the dust into his eyes.
"What?! My eyes!" He screamed, grabbing his face in pain.
I continued my charge and leaped into the air, thrusting my leg at the guy holding Pachi. He let go of him and blocked my kick.
The mission was to save Pachi, and it was nearly completed. Everything else could wait.
"Pachi, run!" I screamed.
Pachi tried to pull himself up, but his weight got the best of him. After a few attempts, he finally stood and bolted back towards the slums.
"You're not going anywhere, kid!" Another ninja sprinted after Pachi, about to catch him.
I quickly kicked towards him, sliding and tackling him to the ground, then threw more dust into his eyes and mouth. I wasn't called a slum kid for nothing.
Glancing back, I saw that Pachi had gained some distance. I was relieved and turned to face the third guy, the one who had held Pachi.
"You've done it now, kid. I'm going to kill you and make sure everyone in that village pays—"
While he was busy yapping, I dropped to my knees. He was taken aback.
Why I did that you may ask? Because I clearly stood no chance. The only reason I was able to beat the other two was that I used Skill Boost, which was about to wear off in three seconds. Plus, they underestimated me. Now that they had seen what I was capable of, they would be more cautious. And in terms of strength, I stood no chance at all.
If this continued, not only I but everyone in the village would be in even more danger. So, while fighting, I came up with a plan. It wasn't perfect, but it was better than fighting and putting everyone at risk.
In a solemn, shaky voice, my eyes filled with fake tears, I begged, "I was the one who did everything. They had nothing to do with it. Please, forgive them."
I wasn't expecting them to believe me, so I had prepared a second line—a third-party culprit.
"Look at this garbage kid! We caught your friend red-handed!"
"Arggh! That damned kid threw dust in my eyes!"
"Look, kid..." The middle guy approached me. "The last time, you and your friends were set free with a warning that everyone in the village would pay dearly for your actions."
"But my friends had no hand in this. I acted alone this time," I insisted.
"Then explain why he was caught with stolen goods!"
I stayed silent, waiting.
"This wasn't stolen goods," a voice spoke from behind. It was the old man selling fruits—my unwitting third-party culprit.
"What do you mean? You told us your goods were stolen."
"Yes, they were, but these aren't mine," the old man replied, lifting up the basket and tossing it on the ground. It was filled with raw meat from different animals. "I sell only fruits and vegetables."
The middle man clicked his tongue and turned back to me.
"Explain yourself."
"L-Like I s-said, I was the only one who stole, and I did it for my personal gain. I ate everything—I've eaten it all."
"Then explain how he got this meat!"
"His father..."
"His father?"
"Yes, his father works at the construction site. That's how he got money for the meat," I explained, not daring to look him in the eyes.
"Get up," he ordered, grabbing me by the neck and lifting me up.
"Are we just going to leave the other garbage villagers alone?" the other guy asked.
"I never planned on that. You two, check the village for any fresh fruits and vegetables. If you find anything, make sure to discipline everyone—no exceptions." He turned his gaze back to me. "As for you, you'll pay for your crimes."
At that moment, I was happy—yes, very happy—because the village had hope. There was no way they'd find the goods. As for me, I knew what awaited would be cruel.