Chapter 282: Chapter 280

His breath caught in his throat. The bank manager ran and ran. He sprinted through the city at a breakneck pace. Towards the bank where Suho appeared!

Thud! Crack! Bang! Bang!

His legs, taut beyond reason, kicked off the ground, cutting through the wind. The ground he stepped on caved in. All the citizens of this city were Awakened. The bank manager was also a B-rank villain. But it was the first time since 'that day' that he ran this fast. The moment he heard that Suho appeared at the bank, the hair on his body stood on end like that day.

'I have to stop that bastard!' He was impatient. Were the employees handling things calmly? He was worried. He hadn't trained them for a situation like this. He felt uneasy relying solely on the employees' discretion.

'...Should I just ignore the rules and kill him with a joint attack?'

Crunch!

As killing intent surged, a red aura spread through his body along his bulging veins. In any case, the bank manager was also a villain. Rather than racking his brains, it was much easier to just kill someone and be done with it.

And, he arrived.

Bang!

The bank manager, who arrived at the bank in an instant, kicked the door open and entered.

"B-Bank Manager..." An employee's eyes widened as he saw the bank manager, who was unusually disheveled. His face was pale.

𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

'What? What happened?!' The bank manager, catching his breath, quickly surveyed the office. A chaotic atmosphere. A desolate air lingered as if a storm had just passed. And at the center of it...

'Money!' The bank manager's eyes widened. A tremendous amount of money! A massive pile of coins was stacked before the employees, flaunting an overwhelming presence. The money they were discussing with the alliance executives just moments ago had been recovered to the bank on its own. But instead of rejoicing, the bank manager hurriedly passed by the pile and checked the most important fruit warehouse first. It... was wide open.

"...These fucking bastards." Confirming that the warehouse was empty, he gritted his teeth and looked back.

Whoosh—!

In an instant, his arm stretched forward and grabbed an employee's neck at terrifying speed. It was the staff member closest to the 'money.'

"...G-Gasp!" The deputy manager, whose neck was caught in the bank manager's hand, choked and desperately struggled with his feet. And the arm that was easily lifting him...

Surprisingly, instead of human muscles, numerous vines were intertwined and wriggling like tentacles. Like... the branches of Alfheim.

"Speak." The bank manager spoke in a chilling voice to the terrified employees,

"Tell me what happened here immediately." Madness flickered in his bloodshot eyes.

* * *

A little while ago.

At the sudden appearance of Suho, who walked into the bank, all the employees and the citizens who visited for requests and debts were greatly agitated.

"I-is that...?"

"Could it be?"

Murmurs sounded. Because Suho came with a huge bundle slung over his shoulder. Receiving all those gazes, he walked towards the bank counter. People unconsciously stepped back and cleared the way for him. Thanks to what happened at the market this morning, there was no one in this city who didn't know about Suho. Even those who weren't at the market knew the pseudonym 'Beru,' even if they didn't know his face. And there was no one here who couldn't recognize that the guy who appeared at the bank with such a huge bundle was the main character of that rumor. In this land, a clueless villain couldn't survive.

Rustle—

'...!'

As Suho opened the bundle he was carrying on his shoulder before the bank employee, Everyone's jaws dropped at the brilliant light of the coins inside.

'Crazy.'

'No way, no way...!'

'Is that all the money he earned in just one day?!'

It was truly overwhelming! For any citizen of this city, greed should have been the first thing that came to mind when they saw someone's money. But the amount Suho took out was so astonishing that it surpassed even greed.

"I'm here to buy fruits."

"Th-that..." The bank employee was flustered by Suho's straightforward request and the sudden dazzling light before his eyes. Then, the deputy manager, who was behind him, quickly pushed him aside and skillfully responded to Suho.

"Hello, customer! If it isn't Mr. Beru, who came to the city last night! You said you want to buy fruits?"

"Ah, yes. How many fruits of Alfheim can I buy with this much money?"

"Hmm. Are you sure? This much... It will be difficult to store the fruits if you buy them all..."

"It's fine."

"Is it really necessary to buy so many fruits at once? It will be inconvenient to store them, why don't you deposit this money in the bank and receive fruits only when you need them..."

"I need them now."

"..." The deputy manager couldn't say anything at Suho's firm will. He glanced down and estimated the amount of coins gleaming before his eyes.

'With this money...'

Gulp.

Actually... anyone could tell, not just the employee. No... everyone in the bank knew for sure.

'With that much, he can buy all the fruits in the bank and still have some left...'

'Did he come to rob the bank?'

...this-this was no different from a bank robbery. But this bank robber was trying to rob the bank's warehouse fair and square with a massive amount of money as his weapon instead of guns and knives.

"Ahem, ahem!" The bank employee, responding to Suho under everyone's gaze, coughed and desperately racked his brain.

'Damn it. For the bank manager to be away at a time like this.' And it had to be because he went to meet the alliance executives to solve the problem of this 'Beru' who appeared before them.

'For now... Let's stall. The bank manager will be back soon.' He desperately maintained a relaxed expression and continued the conversation.

"Haha, Mr. Beru! You're truly amazing! I heard rumors that you made a lot of money at the market today, and as the rumors say..."

"Fruits."

"Ah, yes! Of course, I'll give them to you! But..."

"Fruits."

"..."

This was bad. Nothing worked. No matter what he said, Suho just calmly pointed at the price list of the fruit on the wall and repeated his purpose for coming here.

"Bring them all. I have plenty of money."

"..."

"The bank needs this money too, doesn't it?" The deputy manager closed his eyes tightly at those last words.

'...He knows everything.' This guy wasn't just acting on a whim. He came here knowing their situation. And all the villains, no, the Hunters, who visited the bank were watching their conversation with interest. The bewildered look in their eyes gradually disappeared, and greed began to creep in.

'With that much money...'

'We can get a good share.'

Gulp.

Their mouths watered. Just like when they saw Beru Baguette at the market. Just as the use of force was prohibited in the free market, it was the same in the bank. But from the moment they stepped out of the bank's door, it was a lawless zone. No matter what kind of transaction that Beru guy made here, he would become their target the moment he stepped outside. Now that they had seen that money with their own eyes, There were no surprises.

'First, we'll all attack and kill him.'

'And then we'll split the money.'

A strong desire was burning in the eyes of the Hunters as they exchanged glances. And the deputy manager could clearly see their thoughts.

'If I refuse this money here, it will go to those guys the moment he steps outside.' And that could lead to the collapse of not just the bank, but 'Paradise' itself. But handing over all the fruits in the warehouse to this crazy guy named Beru would also lead to the same ending. It was truly a dilemma.

'There's no choice. I'll use my discretion.' He finally made up his mind.

Rip!

The deputy manager, who was dealing with Suho, suddenly stepped to the side and tore off the price list of the fruits that was attached to the wall.

"...?"

While everyone was puzzled, The deputy manager answered Suho with a firm expression,

"I'm very sorry, but the price of the fruit has just gone up."

"Suddenly?" Suho tilted his head and looked at him.

"Yes, it has, so please understand."

"So how much is it?"

"Ten times the market price."

"...?!" At his shocking declaration, the eyes of the other villains in the bank widened, even more so than when Suho appeared.

"What? Did you hear what that bastard just said?"

"What the hell is that crazy guy talking about?"

Their blatant killing intent poured out towards the deputy manager, but his expression didn't waver as he stared at Suho.

"...Mr. Beru, you may not know this yet, but in this city, we, the bank, manage the money and fruits. We have the authority to change the price of the fruit as we see fit for the safety of the citizens and the balance of the city."

Yes.

A rule was a rule. He wasn't wrong. The price of the fruit did change frequently. And it was the bank that set the price. But suddenly raising the price tenfold like this crossed the line. Everyone in the city needed the fruit.

'But what if I do this?' The deputy manager spoke with determination. His plan was to reverse what Suho did at the market today. In short, it was 'abuse of power.'

"In that sense, we have decided to sell the fruit at ten times the market price only to you, Mr. Beru, from now on."

"Hmm?" Suho's brow furrowed, and

"Of course, other citizens can still purchase at the original price."

"...Oh?"

Now things were different. The villains' lips curled up simultaneously. All their dissatisfaction disappeared in an instant. As public opinion changed, the deputy manager smiled triumphantly and drove the wedge further.

"I, the deputy manager, will take full responsibility for this. However, I'm only concerned for your safety, Mr. Beru. This is a city of villains. It's too dangerous to carry this much money without depositing it in the bank." He grinned. Good. Even the justification was perfect.

'Now, what are you going to do?' He waited for Suho's answer with a meaningful smile. The stage was perfectly set. There were now only two options left for this arrogant newbie.

'Buy the fruit at ten times the price and leave all this money at the bank.'

'Or try to save some money and take it outside, only to be killed by those hungry Hunters!'

Brilliant. His own genius in handling the situation impressed the deputy manager.

But why?

Why was that guy... smiling?

"Hmm. I see. Alright." Even after suffering such biased and absurd price manipulation, Suho remained calm. He nodded obediently without any sign of frustration or discomfort.

'What? Is he bluffing?' But they soon realized that it wasn't a bluff. Suho didn't argue with the bank employee's decision at all and just turned his gaze behind him. And he spoke to all the villains who were staring at him.

"You all heard, right? That the fruit is ten times more expensive only for me, and the price remains the same for you."

"Heh."

Sneers could be heard from everywhere. Was there anyone here who didn't hear that? However, the problem was what came next. Suho chuckled and announced to all the villains in the bank who were watching him,

"From now on, I'll buy any fruit you bring me at twice the market price."

"...What?" The bank employee's triumphant smile faltered. The villains who heard that also doubted their ears.

"Wh-what is that guy saying..."

Suho drove the wedge further, "Ah whatever, since I have a lot of money, let's make it five times."

"...?!"

'W-wait? What's this?' The deputy manager didn't even have time to panic.

"Now, begin."

"...Uwaaaaaaaaaaa!" As soon as Suho finished speaking, all the villains in the bank rushed towards the bank employees.

"Fruits!"

"I'll buy fruits!"

"Me first!"

All miscellaneous thoughts disappeared from their minds. If they could just buy fruits, the money they had would be multiplied by five; how could they resist?

"You know this is only until I run out of money, right?" As Suho added fuel to the fire, it became a first-come, first-served battle.

"Give it to me! Now! Give me the fruits!"

"W-wait! Just a moment, everyone!"

"Please calm down...!"

This was practically a revolt. The rioters with money began to grab the bank employees by the collar and pester them.

Only to resell the fruits to Suho!