Damned System

Chapter 96. Compounding Interest (6)

I did not wish for the commotion to escalate further, and if by any chance the security forces arrived, I might have to hand over their safety to them.

‘I don’t fancy that.’

Involving others, especially groups, would mean I couldn’t investigate as I wished.

Avoiding the black smoke, I retreated and hurled two Blackwood throwing stars, which were hanging from my waist, at the scarred man.

“Aagh!”

One of the stars, similar in size to a finger or two, embedded itself precisely in his wrist. The other grazed past the head of the leather pouch.

Ssshh.

Due to the surrounding commotion, I wondered if the sound was something only I heard. The end of the leather pouch tore and fell to the ground.

I would check on the items that left their owner’s possession later.

‘Let’s just roast them all at once.’

If given time, they would use the magic stone again, so it seemed better to bind all their limbs before that.

Crackle-!

Releasing about half of my attribute mana, sparks spread up to a radius of 10 meters. Most of those within that radius were electrocuted.

Those with bad luck seemed to have died from shock.

The smoke and smell of burning flesh never became familiar, no matter how many times I experienced it.

“Tsk.”

Just by materializing the mana, they died. It was a moment that made me realize anew how pitifully weak humans were compared to monsters.

I clicked my tongue inwardly while walking past the trembling, electrocuted individuals, heading toward the scarred man.

Perhaps because he was further away from me, he was still trying to move, albeit trembling.

It was admirable how he tried to crawl away with his hand pierced by the star, but it seemed unnecessary to pay attention as he barely moved at all.

While he struggled, I picked up the leather pouch that had fallen to the ground.

Just in case, I glanced inside and, as expected…

“Whistle.”

A whistle naturally escaped my lips because there were quite a few colorful stones inside.

‘Are all these magic stones?’

An unexpected bounty drew a smile across my face.

Worried about losing them, I hurriedly stuffed them into my inventory.

Though I had already stuffed various things inside, and worried they might not fit, luckily, they went in.

Having secured the spoils, the next step was to interrogate the prisoner.

“Stop moving.”

I firmly stepped on the waist of the scarred man, who still couldn’t give up and was struggling.

Then, I squatted down to meet his eyes.

“I’ve got time to spare, so do you have any more tricks up your sleeve?”

“Ugh….”

I pointedly referenced what he had said before using the magic stone, but there was no meaningful response.

“If you have any tricks, use them quickly; otherwise, they’ll go to waste.”

I tried provoking him further, but still nothing. It seemed my words weren’t reaching him properly, possibly due to the aftereffects of being electrocuted.

The scarred man flailed his arms before collapsing forward.

Seeing him with his face buried in the muddy ground, completely motionless, it seemed he had fainted from exhaustion.

I turned him over so he wouldn’t choke to death.

As I looked around, there was no one left unscathed. Some had fainted like the scarred man, while others were convulsing.

A few appeared to have stopped breathing entirely. They were probably dead.

Though I didn’t feel guilty for the ones who drew their swords on me, it certainly inspired caution.

‘I should be careful when using this on regular people.’

Getting struck by lightning should indeed threaten one’s life, but I hadn’t considered that.

Realizing just how far removed I had become from the realm of ordinary people, it was not a pleasant feeling.

I briefly glanced at the scarred man.

Gathering ropes that some of the ruffians had, I began tying them up.

* * *

“Hey, how long are you gonna keep sleeping?”

Slap, slap.

“Ugh, cough!”

The impact on his cheek roused Ladriol from his slumber.

It felt like being forcibly dragged back to consciousness by the scruff of his neck — a most unpleasant sensation.

Coughing up blood, Ladriol forced his heavy eyelids open.

Momentarily startled at the blurry sight, like a breath-fogged window.

In his drowsy state, Ladriol attempted to assess the situation.

Thanks to that, he quickly spotted the Outsider crouching in front of him.

The eyes bore no distinct feature, just a dull brown hue.

Within those eyes, something blue glimmered briefly before fading away.

Perhaps it was a figment of his imagination, as it vanished in an instant.

Yet, why couldn’t he move?

While Ladriol stiffened, the Outsider looking down on him clicked his tongue and murmured.

“I would’ve let you sleep all day.”

That Outsider rose with a mutter and stepped back.

In the fleeting moment, Ladriol noticed that all his subordinates were on their knees.

Of course, not by choice.

With their hands and feet tied together, they had no other option.

Ladriol found himself in the same predicament.

The only difference was that he lay prone on the ground due to his unconsciousness.

Having witnessed the unexpected scene left him frozen when the Outsider nudged his leg and spoke.

“What are you doing? Get into position.”

With a flick of his head, he indicated toward the subordinates.

Recognizing the implication, Ladriol, with gritted teeth, wriggled and squirmed.

With his hands and feet tied behind him, he struggled to rise.

‘I… I must get up.’

Sensing the watchful and demanding gaze upon him, he could no longer delay.

The Outsider, who had aligned his subordinates and forced them to their knees, sat across from them, staring keenly at Ladriol.

The fact that the Outsider was seated on one of Ladriol’s subordinates as if he were a chair was minor in comparison.

What mattered now to Ladriol was the Outsider’s persistent and quiet stare.

Against all odds, Ladriol managed to rise on his knees, avoiding the intense gaze.

“Tsk, you’re sluggish.”

The Outsider clicked his tongue softly, muttering in discontent.

Yet somehow, evading the chill-inducing gaze was a relief.

Ladriol discreetly sighed in relief while stealing glances at the Outsider.

“You’re not sitting properly. You’re making it wobble.”

The Outsider smacked the back of the head of his human chair, who immediately straightened his back more.

“You should’ve done it right from the start. Must you really wait for a word from me?”

Clicking his tongue again, the Outsider scanned through his captives.

Each person he glanced at trembled or bowed their head lower.

Upon closer inspection, a few faces bore prominent bruises.

Additionally, with lips or skin around the eyes split, blood trickled down, leaving them almost unrecognizable due to swelling.

Ladriol recalled the situation before he fainted.

Though there had been a physical altercation with the Outsider, it hadn’t been of the sort to leave bruises like that.

Both sides had wielded blades.

Thus, the explanation for those injuries was simple.

‘They were beaten while I was unconscious.’

The one serving as the Outsider’s chair had the most battered face.

Clearly, he had been beaten meticulously — a showdown of sorts, without restraint.

His subordinates’ tense demeanor suddenly made sense.

But things didn’t quite add up.

‘Outsiders should be fairly uniform in skill.’

Most were on par with soldiers assigned to corrupted areas.

Some wielded mana like knights.

Yet even then, it wasn’t of a significant level.

Barely akin to novice squires materializing mana.

Overall, outsiders mirrored the ratio of soldiers and knights in this world.

This assumption partly led to the underestimation of the assignment.

With enough numbers and some illusion magic, it seemed catching him would be easy.

Then, why did it turn out like this?

‘These are my men who have endured so much under me.’

Engaged in human trafficking, banishments to corrupted areas — they are men who lived and gained skills in tough conditions, yet they were smashed by one Outsider.

It felt odd since it wasn’t a simple loss due to attribute mana.

Even before the Outsider used mana, not a single ruffian could even graze his cloak.

As if battling a seasoned knight.

“So, what now?”

Ladriol’s musings were interrupted.

The Outsider broke his long silence.

“Y-Yes?”

Ladriol gulped silently as his peers remained mute, throwing him dubious looks.

“Tell me who sent you.”

“I-I don’t know!”

His honesty stemmed from the belief that a wrong answer could result in death.

The corpses of the deceased lay neatly in a corner.

Ladriol wasn’t foolish enough to hold stubbornly to an already failed mission.

“Sigh.”

The Outsider sighed heavily, closing his eyes. It was a chilling sight.

“Right, I didn’t expect you’d spill all at once.”

He mumbled, rising from his seat.

“It’s all right, totally all right.”

“Wh-what?”

“Don’t worry. After some beatings, you’ll remember.”

The Outsider rolled his shoulders as if warming up; Ladriol’s heart raced with urgency.

“Orders through the guild are really unknown to us!”

Desperation led him to spill everything he knew.

Guild-related tasks kept the client’s identity secret.

The guild handled advancements and completion payments.

For this task too, capturing the Outsider meant a guild representative would fetch him.

Ladriol explained his knowledge earnestly with desperate sincerity.

Had his genuine earnestness finally resonated?

“The guild? What’s that?”

The Outsider returned to his seat, asking inquisitively.

Officially termed the mercenary guild, their role went beyond managing registered mercenaries, they acted as intermediaries linking clients to mercenaries.

However, with the prolonged war wiping out over 80% of Demi-humans across the continent, deployed mercenaries dwindled.

This naturally reduced income for mercenary guilds reliant on brokering deals, pocketing commission fees.

Consequently, they discreetly engaged in illicit activities, human trafficking being notable.

Teams focused on kidnapping, like Ladriol’s, and those purchasing children from parents for meager sums existed.

Well-known yet invulnerable due to reliance on mercenaries for exterminating creatures beyond strategic locales.

Resistance handled ones at strategic sites, but mercenaries dealt with those gathering in remote regions.

That longstanding necessity enabled the Resistance to overlook the guilds’ illicit acts.

Once again, Ladriol divulged all he knew.

“Well, is that so?”

With arms crossed, the Outsider mused. Even tapping his feet impatiently.

Ladriol held his breath, eyes affixed to the Outsider’s foot movements.

Whatever words the Outsider uttered next would determine his fate.

“Well, can’t be helped then.”

A resounding gulp echoed from Ladriol posthaste.

The Outsider abruptly stood, untying Ladriol and his subordinates.

“Alright, quickly tie them.”

Befuddled, Ladriol looked up at the Outsider with a dumbfounded expression.

The Outsider, in a rare act of kindness, elaborated.

“You claim ignorance of the client, right? So I must meet them myself.”

For the bewildered Ladriol group, the Outsider repeated, holding out a rope.

“What are you doing? Hurry and tie them. There’s no time to waste, so hustle.”

He clapped his hands, drawing attention, urging Ladriol and his subordinates into action.

Damned System.