Chapter 284: Chapter 282

An emergency alert was issued in the city.

Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

"Wh-what?!"

"Are those debtors crazy?"

"What's gotten into them?"

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud—!

In Just one day. The peaceful city of Paradise was suddenly thrown into chaos in a single day. The market guys were making a fuss this morning, And now the debtors, consumed by madness, were charging towards the bank all at once.

Flash—

Kaboom—!

The debtors' momentum was ferocious as they wielded their weapons and unleashed their magic power. They still had the Credit Chokers that had been binding them around their necks. And even now, the LED numbers on the neck bands were counting up, as the interest was gradually increasing.

"Don't they value their lives?"

"Knowing that the bomb on their necks could explode at any moment!"

The citizens of the city couldn't help but panic at the sight. But they also knew... The Credit Chokers didn't explode at any time. They only exploded when one couldn't repay their debts. As long as they paid the interest on time, even the bank, boasting its mighty power, couldn't explode the device at will. Those debtors knew that fact well, so they could attack the bank so recklessly. But why didn't they do this before, even though they knew that? It was because they were scared, of course. More precisely...

"Aren't they scared of the bankers' fruits?"

The bank, which possessed a lot of Alfheim's fruits in this land where Healers were scarce, was truly invincible. How could they fight those who could instantly recover from exhaustion and heal from injuries just by eating the fruits piled up in the warehouse? Especially when they were determined to defend the bank like this, those bankers became immortals. Of course, if they kept fighting, they might win somehow. They could push through with greater power and numbers. But what would be left then? If they were injured during the battle, it would be an issue. But there was a more fundamental problem...

"If the bank disappears, where will they repay their debts?"

That's right. Even if the bank disappeared, the debt wouldn't. Instead, with nowhere to repay the debt, the interest would only increase with time. And boom! ...In the end, their heads would explode, and they would all die. But...

"...That sounds fun." Someone muttered.

The citizens next to him also began to watch the battle between the rioting debtors and the bank employees with smirks on their faces. That's right. This was a city of villains. If they were good people who cared about the lives of debtors, they wouldn't have been chased by the Association and fled to North Korea.

"Hey! Put some more effort into it!"

"You're losing ground!"

"Hang in there like a bulldog!"

There were even citizens cheering for their rampage. But they didn't truly want them to win.

Kaboom!

"Puhaha! One of them died!"

"How stupid! He should have blocked the choker, not the leg!" Laughter erupted at someone's death.

The debtors had a fatal weakness. The choker, it exploded if they tried to forcibly remove it or if it received a certain amount of external impact. The bank employees, knowing this, were attacking the debtors' chokers whenever they saw an opening. It was a very wise decision to overcome their overwhelming numerical disadvantage. And then the citizens, who were watching, began to notice something strange.

"Huh?"

"Why are the bankers' wounds..."

The bankers were accumulating more and more injuries as time passed. But none of them retreated to eat the fruit.

"Wait, don't tell me...?"

"Was that rumor true?"

The citizens' eyes changed. The debtors, who had long been tormented by the bank and filled with resentment, turned into rioters as soon as they heard the 'rumor,' but the citizens without debt inevitably received the rumor later. There was no reason for the ordinary people to suddenly become bank robbers just because they heard the rumor that the bank's warehouse had run out of fruits. But what if that rumor was true...?

"...Oh my, now things are different."

Lick.

"You're right. Heh."

The citizens who were just watching with their arms crossed began to salivate one by one.

"If that rumor is true, should I join in?"

"It seems like those guys are getting tired..."

No one in this city hated money. Even those who weren't debtors wanted more of it. And if the bank collapsed? It would actually be a good thing for ordinary citizens who didn't have chokers.

"Even if this city falls, the Enforcers will build another one."

𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

"It's much more profitable to just take the money and move to another city."

To make matters worse, Even the citizens without debt turned into rioters. It was very unfortunate news for the bank employees who were increasingly exhausted from dealing with the debtors.

"A-are these guys all on drugs?!"

"Why are they like this today?!"

The bank employees gritted their teeth and mustered all their strength. Fortunately, they also had a last resort against the rioters. The ability to draw out the energy of the fruits they had eaten. They instinctively realized this the moment they witnessed the bank manager killing the deputy manager.

Crack—!

The bank employees' hands pierced through the chests of the dead debtors and grabbed their hearts.

Whoosh—!

And they sucked the power of the fruit accumulated in those hearts with their fingers. Like the roots of a tree absorbing nutrients from the surroundings.

Rustle—

"Ugh. Delicious. This really works?"

"Tsk. This bastard only ate five fruits." They could even tell the exact number of fruits that debtor had eaten.

And in proportion to that number, the injuries accumulated on the bank employees' bodies were healed. The remaining energy even amplified their strength. The bank employees grinned as they looked at their fingers, which had become hard and cracked like tree roots, wriggling grotesquely. Even if they looked like this, the effects were amazing.

"Wh-what is that?" The eyes of those attacking the bank widened at the sight of the grotesquely transformed bank employees.

But their surprise was short-lived. First of all, was there anyone in this city who hadn't eaten a single fruit? Now, not just the bank employees, but also other citizens instinctively realized the ability they possessed.

"Ah, that. I think I can do that too."

"Me too."

A strange light flickered in the eyes of the debtors who were attacking the bank employees. And without prompting, they scattered and tore open the chests of the nearby corpses, grabbing their hearts.

Whoosh—!

"Kyaa! It really works!"

"This is awesome! It's more efficient than the fruit!"

Those who joined the fray late trembled with an overwhelming sense of elation as they absorbed the power of the fruit, perhaps because they had no accumulated injuries on their bodies. They could feel the highly concentrated power within their bodies. And they realized a truth they should never have known.

"Kyahaha! What is this? I was a fool to pay money and buy fruits..."

Stab—!

"You're right."

"...?!"

The man who burst into laughter, intoxicated by the feeling of elation, suddenly widened his eyes and froze. A woman's hand, stealthily approaching from behind, suddenly pierced his back and grabbed his heart.

Whoosh—

The woman, sucking the power of the fruit from the man's heart, whispered in his ear like a devil,

"If you could have just killed anyone like this, why did you bother earning money all this time?"

"Y-you...!"

The man couldn't finish his sentence and withered away on the spot with his heart caught in the woman's hand. The bank employees who witnessed the whole scene sighed. This was truly a disaster.

"...We're all dead when the bank manager returns."

"The Enforcers might come by today."

"Should we run away now?"

Those who voiced these words were also those who lacked the ability to execute them.

Rustle—!

The quick-witted bank employees were already rushing inside the bank, scooping up money before running away. Even if a new city was built by the Enforcers, these coins would still be valuable there. There was also someone quietly watching the whole scene from afar. The Reaper, Hasul...

* * *

She didn't care what happened to the city. Because she had something very important to do now. Strawberry cake. There was only one piece left of the cake she bought at the market this morning. This was important. Should she eat the strawberry on top first? Or should she save the strawberry until the very end and eat it in one bite?

...Gulp.

Hasul, who had been staring intently at the last remaining strawberry cake with a serious expression, finally made up her mind. She would save it for tomorrow since it was so precious. And to turn her attention elsewhere, she decided to carry out her mission first.

Swish

Hasul jumped onto the roof of a building, holding the strawberry cake in one hand and the giant scythe in the other, still slung over her shoulder. No one noticed her presence due to the swift movements. She entered a deserted alley and took out the walkie-talkie she had hidden.

Static—

After a while, the walkie-talkie turned on, and she calmly reported the situation in the city.

"Reporting. This is the Shadow of Paradise. An anomaly has occurred. A riot broke out in the city. It's because of a villain named 'Beru' who first arrived in the city yesterday..."

Pfft—!

"...?"

Hasul tilted her head at the sudden noise from the other side of the walkie-talkie. But then she heard Association President Woo Jinchul's voice.

– You're saying 'Beru' appeared there?

Hasul's ears perked up. Was it her imagination? There was a faint hint of laughter in Association President Woo Jinchul's voice. She pondered the report she just gave and faithfully replied,

"Yes. Of course, it's probably just a random pseudonym, so it doesn't mean much..."

– No. It does have meaning. It's very meaningful information to me. Thank you very much for sharing.

"...?"

Hasul was even more bewildered by the reply. It wasn't a city riot, but just a villain's pseudonym. That was valuable? She couldn't even guess the reason... It was then.

[Was it you?]

Chill—!

A voice suddenly came from behind Hasul. She got goosebumps. Someone who could approach so closely without her noticing!

Whoosh—!

Despite her inner surprise, Hasul's body was already swinging her weapon, following her ingrained survival instincts.

Crash!

The giant scythe cut through the air in a large arc. It was a powerful attack that cleanly cut a nearby wall in half horizontally. But surprisingly, there was no one there. Like it was a ghost that had spoken.

"Who is it?!"

[Shadows are everywhere.]

"...!"

Surprisingly, the answer to Hasul's question came from under her feet. As she hurriedly looked down, a pitch-black shadow, its mouth split wide in a grin, was looking up at her from under her feet.

"Kuhk!"

Hasul swung her scythe without hesitation and cut at the shadow.

Flash!

The scythe of harvest. The scythe made of a starpiece cut through space and attacked the shadow. But...

[Insignificant.]

Thud!

"...!"

Hasul was shocked. Her attack was blocked! So... easily!

Whoosh—

Surprisingly, the shadow that was grinning at Hasul suddenly stretched out a black arm and grabbed her scythe with two fingers. And then, starting with that arm, it slowly began to rise from the ground. Hasul lost her fighting spirit at that sight.

'What is this monster...'

Immeasurable. Hasul felt a bottomless abyss for the first time. And the most terrifying thing was...

'There's no... presence.' She couldn't believe it. Even though she was clearly looking at it, it was difficult to read its presence and grasp its location. An absurd difference in level.

[I'll ask you.]

A black ant. A humanoid ant magical beast with wings, its entire body emitting black steam, narrowed its white eyes and stared at Hasul.bLifting the scythe of harvest it grabbed with two fingers from Hasul's hand.

[Where did you get this weapon?]

The scythe of harvest, which felt heavy even for Hasul... looked like a trivial toy to that ant magical beast with its enlarged body. It was then...

"...You're saying Beru went this way?"

[Kieek?]

Whoosh!

Suddenly, at someone's voice from afar, the presence of the creature that had completely dominated the area disappeared like a lie.

"...Huh?"

Her blocked airway cleared. And when Hasul looked ahead again...

[Kieek! My liege!]

An ant, shrunken to the size of a fist, was flying out of the alley. It had a ridiculously cute head.

[You couldn't wait and missed me?!]

The ant was dragging the scythe of harvest, which was relatively enormous, on the ground.