Raji was originally a middle-aged hoodlum living in a remote little mountain village near the Hongyi Kingdom—a village inhabited only by humans—where he counted as the local bully.
But he knew he was only a low-tier Psi-Spirit Energy user—to use the big-city term, his Psi-Spirit Energy was only F-rank.
So no matter how much the people in his own village feared him, the moment he stepped outside it he was nothing.
Every so often the village would get visitors dressed far more brightly than anyone here.
These people either held some status in the big cities or were high-tier Psi-Spirit Energy users (in his eyes)—people he couldn’t afford to cross.
Just when Raji figured he’d spend his whole life bullying ordinary folk or Psi-Spirit Energy users even lower than himself, a young man from the village who’d gone out to make his way in the world returned to his hometown.
Raji sort of knew the young man—when he was born, Raji had even gone to his house for a meal—but after that they’d had little to do with each other.
Yet this young man apparently still remembered him, and the moment he was back he politely invited Raji for a drink.
The young man seemed to have a poor tolerance—two cups and he was drunk.
After getting drunk, he seemed to unconsciously show off a stone of his to Raji, saying that holding it could boost one’s Psi-Spirit Energy or something.
Hearing that, Raji was easily tempted.
While the young man was drunk and asleep, he took the irregular-shaped black stone.
Perhaps because his Psi-Spirit Energy rank was so low, the instant he gripped the stone in his hand he felt his Psi-Spirit Energy strengthen and his magic power rise markedly.
Strangely, when the young man woke the next day he seemed to have forgotten the previous day’s events, and didn’t act like someone who’d lost anything.
But with Raji’s intelligence he couldn’t puzzle out the why of it, and instead felt a little relieved.
The young man didn’t stay many more days before leaving.
Before he left, he seemed to casually tell Raji that with his ability he shouldn’t stay in such a remote place—he should go make something of himself in the big city.
For some inexplicable reason Raji believed him, so he took two lackeys and came to Ur City in the Hongyi Kingdom.
The reason he didn’t go to the capital was that Raji feared he might offend some noble there with a single misstep.
But upon reaching Ur City, Raji found he seemed to be good for nothing, and was instantly dumbstruck.
He had no choice but to use his Psi-Spirit Energy [Biological Disguise], together with his lackeys, to pull petty thieving jobs.
[Biological Disguise] could disguise him and his lackeys as other creatures and grant them some of those creatures’ abilities and traits.
After the stone’s enhancement these traits could be stronger—unfortunately, most high-level species he could only disguise as an outer shell, with no ability traits.
Relying on this power, Raji and his lackeys had so far avoided getting caught—but clearly, having gained a power boost, he wasn’t satisfied with just this.
Today he and his lackeys had agreed to pull off something big: a kidnapping!
First, they picked out a blonde, big-forehead elf girl whose outfit and accessories looked anything but cheap at a glance.
Since he’d heard elves had keen senses, he’d turned himself and his lackeys into three white cats in advance, then tailed the elf girl to a spot with few people around.
Along the way the elf girl did sense something following her, but seeing that it was three kittens, she let down her guard—after all, elves have a great affinity for small animals.
And so she was drugged unconscious by a kitten that leapt onto her shoulder.
The plan went smoothly.
Raji practically saw wads of cash flying toward him.
But since it was his first time doing something like this, the job was full of holes—for instance, who exactly was he supposed to demand money from?
Still, action outran thought; before considering such things, Raji had already dragged the person off…
“How many times do I have to say it—I’m not some rich family’s young lady, I’m not rich at all! Why would you even kidnap me?!” Asiya, the light glinting off her forehead, started yelling.
“You think I’m stupid? Dressed in clothes that obviously aren’t cheap and you dare cry poor?” Raji wasn’t buying her act at all; he grabbed her phone and had his lackey make the call.
Asiya felt the veins bulging on her forehead: “That’s a school uniform! A uniform, you idiot!”
But Raji selectively ignored what she said.
“Boss, this girl’s only got one contact.” Lackey A said, deflated.
“What? Then just call that one.” Raji’s position was that as long as someone would bring him money, he didn’t care who they called.
And then things unfolded just as in the previous chapter.
Because it was a suspected large-scale kidnapping case, the City Guard dispatched every hand they could currently spare to join the rescue operation, so Mir wouldn’t worry too much—though he hadn’t been worried about that big-forehead woman in the first place.
Walking into the lobby, Mir immediately spotted the expressionless, black-haired girl sitting there.
The girl sat with her sleek, slender legs pressed together, wearing a tacky flowery dress bought in the Modern World—yet it didn’t detract in the slightest from her beauty; her fair, tender skin showed no trace of having grown up in a mountain village.
“What a shame, though.” Mir once again voiced his inner thoughts aloud.
Hearing him, Xia Ye turned her head toward him: “Do you have some kind of problem with me?”
Sensing the killing intent, Mir wisely chose not to court death again, stiffly changing the subject: “No—I’ve got a friend who’s been kidnapped, and I’m about to go rescue her. Want to come along? We’re both just sitting around bored anyway, right?” Damn it, I wasn’t even planning to go.
Xia Ye remained expressionless—no telling whether that was just her nature or she’d become this way after losing her family.
But she stood and walked over to Mir’s side as her answer.
“Alright then, let’s go.” With that, Mir ambled out of the station, looking for all the world like he was heading out for a stroll rather than to rescue someone.
The girl blanked for a moment, then kept pace with Mir and walked out.
“Boss? You think that kid can really cough up a million?” Lackey B didn’t seem to believe a brat could produce a million within two days.
“Hmph, so what if the kid can’t? Even if he can’t, we can sell this girl and still make a killing—elves are said to fetch a good price on the black market.” Raji didn’t care in the least whether the kid who’d answered could come up with a million.
“Heh heh, Boss really is the smart one.” Lackey A didn’t miss the chance to kiss up.
“Boss, we’re just sitting around bored anyway—might as well take this chance to have a little fun.” Lackey B finished with an ugly, leering laugh.
“Heh heh, good point. I’ve been holding back a long time planning this job.” Raji leered too.
And so, under Asiya’s horrified gaze, the three closed in on her, ugly intentions written all over their faces.