Dhak
My head shook, blood dripping from the corner of my mouth as I barely stopped myself from hitting the floor.
Shaking my head, I looked up and heard the man say, "Get up, you bastard! How dare you f*ck my fiancée?!"
His fist came straight toward my face, and I had no choice but to take it.
Dhak
"Ah..." I staggered back, my vision shifting toward the small lamp above us that lit the tiny arena.
I could feel my face going numb from being punched so many times. My left arm was throbbing as well, since he had twisted it earlier to corner me.
God, he was strong.
Well, that’s a D-rank for you. Even without using Mana, he was strong enough to kill an F-rank like me with nothing but his brutal strength.
"She was my life! And you knew it! Yet... yet! Aaah!" he roared.
For the first time, I felt mana surging.
My body went rigid, ready to defend myself, but did I just not mention the difference in our ranks?
CRACK
It was like a boulder had struck my shoulder, and I was sent hurling backward.
Thud
"Ghaaak!" A pained cry left me as I slid down to the floor.
Hearing me cry out, someone finally stepped into the room and spoke in a loud voice.
"Using mana was strictly prohibited!"
I exhaled a sigh as I realized the angered man had finally realized what he had done.
Truthfully, if he wanted to, he could have crushed even the man who had come to rescue me. After all, much like me, he was also an F-rank.
"I-I am sorry, Kai." The same man who had been cursing and hitting me hurried toward me with an apologetic look.
I grunted. "It’s fine. I understand. Your fiancée must have mattered to you a lot."
"She did." He exhaled a sigh, his shoulders sagging. "She was my life."
"And now, she is the cause of your extended bill." My manager informed him. "Using mana just got you an extra charge of five hundred dollars."
The man nodded twice. "I will pay. And if possible, let me take you out for a meal."
I chuckled. "Nah, it’s okay. You are already paying me two thousand dollars. That should be enough to cover the bills."
I said that before Frank, my manager, helped me get up.
The man bowed his head and apologized a few more times before transferring the money and leaving in a rush.
"Really, man. These people are way too emotional. I mean, even VR doesn’t make you this immersed in a world, and here, that fool just..." Frank grumbled under his breath, clearly displeased.
"Well, forget it. He paid, and that’s what mattered."
We both headed toward the front area, which was just a makeshift office where Frank sat and dealt with my customers.
Customers... like the one who just left.
"Here, I have prepared it for you. Thick broth, extra meat, and two sausages." Frank said as he extended a steaming bowl of noodles.
I would have rejected it since this was Frank’s meal, while I had already eaten before the customer arrived.
However, I could feel mana already working through my body and repairing my damaged parts. Albeit slowly, it needed energy that I already had, depleting whatever I had stored within seconds.
I was forced by my stomach and my powers to take the bowl and begin slurping on the noodles.
"Easy there. Sit down first." He chuckled and nudged me.
I nodded and, while still pulling the noodles in as if I were breathing them in, sat down.
He poured me some water and sat across from me.
"You shouldn’t have accepted this deal when you already handled two customers since this morning."
"He took the interactive course." I said between gulps. "...Easy extra five hundred. And considering how he still wore his engagement ring, I knew he would lose control and end up compensating for it. So another extra five hundred."
My words caused Frank to look at me in disgust.
"Really, dude... you bet your life as if you have a stock of it in your fridge."
I grinned at him once I finished.
"I’ll pay you for the bowl. Get yourself something good on your way back."
He nodded before asking, "So we are going on a vacation for a week, right? I have already promised my wife."
I nodded. "Of course, we are. I have been working for quite too long now, and you also work as a porter and then as my manager. It’s about time we take a break."
I took my phone and transferred some funds to him.
"And here is a gift."
He frowned. "Kai... are you crazy? Five thousand for what?"
I shrugged. "Just so you don’t end up bringing your wife in a local bus to a rundown motel. I mean, this is your first trip with her. Buy her a dress, bring her gifts, book a good stay. Be more generous during this trip."
"But what about you, Kai?" he argued back. "You yourself live in a shack, eat whatever fills your belly, and wear the same clothes every day. You could use this money to at least buy yourself a new pair of shoes, mate."
I chuckled. "And impress whom? I have no wife or girlfriend, man. And the day I get one, I’ll ask you for some tips and a loan."
He turned silent. My argument was reasonable, and he knew it.
An orphan with no friends except the one sitting across from me, and no responsibility whatsoever.
I just earn and spend. Surviving for an unknown future.
So why not use the little money I have saved on someone who could use it for a better present and future?
Getting up, I patted his shoulder before saying, "Say hi to Mia for me and enjoy the trip, Mark. You deserve it."
Saying so, I stepped out of the office and left the building.
I glanced back at the abandoned building where I worked. It might undergo renovations soon, and we would be forced to change places.
What I did wasn’t illegal. Charging people and allowing them to vent was perfectly legal, and I did have my Hunter’s license to use my magical ability freely as well.
What I feared was the reduction of clients.
As a Hunter, I earned almost nothing. So all my income came from this... getting beaten.
Haah.
Advertising it on the internet feels a little too much...but what should I do then?
My shoulders sagged as I made my way to my house.
...completely unaware that my life was about to change for good.