Scarface was jolted awake by a searing pain.
He let out a cough and forced his eyes open.
When he saw the boy standing before him, he wished he could immediately cast *Stupefy* on himself.
“Don’t…
don’t kill me…
please, I’m begging you.
I’ll give you money, lots and lots of money…”
Evan crouched down, the tip of his knife pressed against the man’s heart.
“Weren’t you acting quite the tough guy just now?
Scarface Hank of Knockturn Alley, claimed you’ve killed more people than I’ve ever seen—isn’t that what you said?”
Scarface began to tremble violently.
“I was wrong…
I was just talking nonsense…
I’m just a mercenary, I take money to do jobs…
Please, have mercy, just let me go this once…”
Evan smiled and leaned in closer, whispering into his ear like a devil.
“Weren’t you looking for that walking 800 Galleons?”
“That would be me.”
Scarface’s eyes bulged.
He knew it was over.
He tried to open his mouth to scream—but the blade had already plunged into his chest.
The thrust was deep; the tip of the knife even protruded from his back.
Blood welled up from Scarface’s mouth, and his throat could only manage a wet, gurgling sound.
He stared at Evan, his eyes filled with absolute disbelief.
How could a child, an eleven-year-old boy, take a life so easily?
Evan withdrew the blade.
“A pity you won’t live to spend it.”
Evan stood still.
The moment Scarface died, a massive influx of experience flooded into his system panel.
Following that, his body was reinforced once, twice, three times.
The experience from a single wizard had actually allowed him to level up three times.
This was worth hundreds of head of poultry.
He clenched his fists, silently feeling the changes in his body.
After a long moment of recovery, he turned his burning gaze toward the other four men on the ground.
Those four were still unconscious, sleeping peacefully.
Evan walked over, raising his blade.
*Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.*
Four clean, decisive strikes.
When the last man drew his final breath, Evan could feel that his level had reached Level 11.
Although he didn’t have a visible attribute panel, he could count—three levels this morning, and just now, eight consecutive reinforcements.
That was correct.
He felt the newly added power surging through his veins like a floodgate had been opened.
Incredible!
This was absolutely incredible!
This feeling of becoming stronger with every enemy killed was intoxicating.
“Bo—Boss?” Kyle’s trembling voice came from behind him.
Evan turned around.
Ten people, including Lupin, were all looking at him with complex expressions. This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
There was shock, fear, and a certain indescribable awe.
“What is it?” Evan flicked the blood off his blade.
“Never seen someone get killed?”
No one spoke.
Kyle swallowed hard.
“I’ve seen it, but never like that…”
Evan laughed.
“All of you, remember this!
Mercy to your enemies is cruelty to yourselves.
It’s a cliché, but it’s remarkably useful.
I don’t want any of you throwing your lives away in the future because of a moment of soft-heartedness!”
Having said that, he ignored the crowd and walked toward a nearby wall.
He had an intuition—an intuition that he could shatter the wall with a single punch.
Action followed thought.
He raised his fist.
*BOOM!*
The wall actually shattered.
Bricks flew, and after a cloud of dust rose, a hole the size of a washbasin appeared in the wall.
Fine, spiderweb-like cracks spread out from the edges.
Seeing this, the alley fell into a dead silence once more.
Everyone stared at the wall, at the clear fist print, and at the small figure that had caused it all.
Ears stood there dumbfounded, unable to stop himself from muttering, “Merlin’s lace knickers…”
Claws grabbed Greyback by the collar and snarled, “When did you bite the Boss?”
“What?” Greyback’s reaction was half a beat slow, then he angrily slapped Claws’ hand away.
“You’re the one who got bitten!
Your whole family got bitten!”
Claws stared straight at Greyback.
“I *was* bitten by you, and so was my whole family!”
Greyback: “…”
“Then…
then what is this, Boss?” Kyle asked curiously.
“It’s nothing.
I’ve just been eating more meat lately, so my strength naturally increased.” Evan casually brushed the dust off his hands.
Claws was bewildered.
“Eating more meat can make you strong enough to shatter a wall with one punch?!”
“Yes, it can.
At the very least, you can be like me!” Evan rolled his shoulders, feeling the surging power within his body.
The sensation was addictive.
If he could just get a few more reinforcements…
even if he could never use magic, he could hold his own against ordinary wizards with this body alone.
As for werewolves?
He glanced at Claws and Greyback.
It wasn’t out of the question to test it out later.
“Alright.” Evan clapped his hands to pull everyone’s attention back.
“Let’s talk about the results of this assessment.”
The group immediately stood at attention.
“You all performed very well this time.
Everyone receives an ‘Excellent’ rating.
You can collect your bonuses from Lupin when we get back.”
“And Marcus is injured.
The medical subsidy I mentioned before must also be given,” Evan said, looking at Lupin.
“Understood,” Lupin nodded.
Evan paused, his gaze sweeping over every face.
“You can all see the flaws in this operation.
From today on, all field missions must be carried out in groups of two or three to look out for one another.
If anyone else gets isolated and injured…” His voice turned cold.
“The entire team’s wages will be docked.”
“Withdraw.”
On the way back, Lupin walked beside Evan.
“Evan.”
“Hmm?”
“You just…
killed five people!” Lupin’s voice was very low.
“Yeah, so what?”
“I mean…
you’re only eleven.” Lupin stopped and looked at Evan.
Evan stopped too and turned to face him.
“And?”
“And you shouldn’t be like this…” Lupin furrowed his brows.
“Like this?” Evan smiled.
“You mean killing?”
“Yes.”
“Remus, if I hadn’t killed them today, have you thought about what they would have done?”
“…”
“They would have gone back to report, telling the Rosier family that I’m here.
Then tomorrow, it wouldn’t be five thugs coming for us, it would be a squad of Rosier family hunters, or worse—”
Evan kicked a stray stone by his foot.
“By then, more than five people would die.
You, me, Kyle, Claws…
everyone would die.
Or we’d end up in a state worse than death—locked in a Rosier cellar, treated like animals for the rest of our lives.”
He looked at Lupin.
“So, which do you choose?”
Lupin said nothing.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Evan continued walking.
“You think I’m cold-blooded and ruthless for my age, that I don’t act like a child.
But Remus…”
He turned his head; the streetlights cast a glow on one side of his face while the other remained hidden in shadow.
“Since the day I was born, I have never been treated like a child.
In my father’s eyes, I am a stain.
In my mother’s eyes, I am a failure.
In the eyes of everyone in the family, I am trash that needs to be cleaned up.”
He gave a faint, thin smile.
“You want me to keep the innocence a child should have?
Sure.
After we’re all dead, you can go to my grave and praise me for my innocence.
I’ll be sure to thank you for it.”
Lupin opened his mouth, but in the end, he said nothing.
The two of them finished the rest of the walk in silence.