The walk to the makeshift prison we'd set up in the abandoned school building was a quiet one. Tiffany moved beside me, a silent, analytical presence, her green eyes scanning our surroundings with a practiced, military efficiency. My own mind was a chaotic landscape of plans and possibilities, but one thought, one fragile, powerful mystery, stood at the forefront.
"Tiffany," I began, my voice a low murmur that was just for the two of us. "About Sylvie. As you know, I'm going on that recruitment trip with Nari the day after tomorrow. It can't be changed."
She gave a curt nod, her gaze never wavering. "I'm aware."
"I want you to take Sylvie to your home," I continued. "Treat her nicely. When the time is right, introduce her to the other guild members. Just tell them she's a new member who was traumatized in the raid and needs our protection. It's a simple cover story."
Tiffany was quiet for a moment, processing the logistics. "I think you're right," she finally said, her voice a cool, rational assessment. "Hiding her is no longer a viable long-term strategy. Creating a cover story allows us to integrate her without revealing the… anomalous nature of her abilities. We can say the trauma has made her withdrawn. I can protect her at my home. We won't be questioned."
"Yes, that's what I'm saying," I said, a wave of relief washing over me.
"I'll tell her everything," she confirmed, a silent pact of secrecy passing between us.
We reached the section of the building Kenji had secured for our new prisoners. He stood guard outside a classroom door, an immovable mountain of loyalty.
"How many are there?" I asked.
"Leader," he rumbled, bowing his head slightly. "There are a total of eight. Six women and two men."
"Let's meet the men first," I said.
He led us inside. The room was sparse, just a few old desks and chairs. Two men were sitting at a table, their hands cuffed in front of them. One was a short man, maybe five feet tall, with thinning hair and round, wire-rimmed glasses that made his eyes look perpetually wide and nervous. The other was a bit taller, around five-foot-four, with a wiry build and a network of old, faded scars on his forearms. They looked up as we entered, their expressions a mixture of fear and a stubborn, street-hardened defiance.
Tiffany took her usual position in the corner, her arms crossed, a silent, analytical observer. Kenji stood guard by the door. I sat on the edge of a metal desk opposite them, the file Anna had prepared on them held loosely in my hand.
"So," I began, my voice calm and casual. "Let's talk. I'm a reasonable man. You have skills we might find useful. Cooperate, and things could go very well for you."
The man with the scars, Marcus, just spat on the floor. "Go to hell, kid. We're not telling you anything."
The man with the glasses, James, nodded in agreement, though he couldn't quite meet my gaze. "Yeah! What he said! You can't keep us here!"
I sighed, a theatrical display of disappointment. It was time to change the atmosphere. System, I thought, activate [Chanakya], [King's Aura], [Napoleon], and [President].
The very air in the room shifted. It wasn't a sound or a light, but a sudden, crushing weight. The casual confidence I had displayed was gone, replaced by a cold, absolute authority. The room grew colder, the shadows deeper. I could see the change in them instantly. Their arrogant smirks faltered. James started to sweat, and even Marcus's defiant gaze flickered with a newfound uncertainty.
"Let's try this again," I said, my voice no longer casual, but a low, resonant hum that seemed to vibrate in their very bones. "Tell me who you are."
They remained silent, their pride warring with the primal, instinctual fear that was now gripping them.
"Fine," I said, a flicker of disappointment in my voice. System, activate [King's Edict].
A wave of invisible energy, a whisper of pure command, pulsed from me. It wasn't a suggestion; it was a law of nature. Their resistance wasn't just broken; it ceased to exist. Their eyes went blank for a fraction of a second, their bodies slumping slightly in their chairs as their own will was completely, and terrifyingly, overridden.
"Tell me about yourselves," I commanded, my voice calm and even.
Marcus spoke first, his voice a dead, emotionless monotone, the words spilling from him as if from a script. "My name is Marcus Thorne. I am a chemical engineer, specializing in neurotoxins and psychoactive compounds." He paused, a flicker of a long-dead pain in his eyes. "My wife… she died while giving birth to our son. After that, I fell apart. I started drinking, gambling… everything. My son… he got sick. Cancer. I was too busy with my addictions to notice until it was too late. He died because of my irresponsibility." His voice cracked, the first hint of real emotion breaking through the superpower's control. "I didn't want to live anymore. But the Ruthless Animals found me. They knew what I could do. They forced me to create a poison for them… a toxin that excites the pleasure centers of the brain, making people more susceptible to addiction and suggestion. It's what they use to keep their high-rollers hooked."
James spoke next, his story simpler but no less pathetic. "I'm James Allen. I'm just a general accountant. I love to gamble. I got in too deep, took out too many loans with them. Now… now I have to serve them for free, cooking their books to hide their dirty money."
I let the effect of [King's Edict] fade. They both slumped in their chairs, a look of horrified confusion on their faces as they realized they had just spilled their darkest secrets.
"I'm offering you both a choice," I said, my voice returning to a calm, reasonable tone. I looked at James first. "James, you're a man trapped by debt. I will clear every Funo you owe. In return, you will work for me, for Phoenix Capital Group. A legitimate job, a high salary, and a chance to use your skills for something other than propping up a criminal enterprise."
Then, I turned to Marcus. "Marcus, you are a man without a purpose, haunted by your past. I'm offering you one. I will give you a state-of-the-art laboratory, unlimited resources, and a new directive. Instead of creating poisons that destroy lives, you will create cures. Antidotes. Medicines. You will work to save people, to atone for the son you couldn't. I'm offering you redemption."
They stared at me, their minds reeling. I had laid their souls bare and then offered them the one thing they each secretly craved: freedom and forgiveness. But the defiance, the pride of men who had survived in the gutter for so long, was still there.
"We don't accept," Marcus snarled, though his voice lacked its earlier conviction. "We don't work for children who play at being kings."
"Fine," I said with a shrug. To prove my worth, I pulled out my phone and dialed Melissa's number, putting it on speaker. She picked up on the first ring.
"Hello, Melissa," I said, my voice warm and familiar. "I'm thinking about what you said."
Her voice, a smooth, intimate melody that was a world away from her commander's bark, filled the small room. "Baby! Are you finally willing to become the Deputy Chief? Oh, I love you so much! I knew you'd come around."
I saw Marcus and James exchange a look of pure, dumbfounded shock. Tiffany just raised a single, elegant eyebrow.
"I'm still thinking about it," I said, a nervous edge to my voice that wasn't entirely faked. "Can you… can you explain the benefits again?"
"Of course, darling," she purred, and her voice took on a tone of someone casually listing the keys to a kingdom. "Well, for starters, you'd get full command of the entire Grand Metropolis Detective Bureau, with the authority to launch any special investigation you want without oversight. Naturally, that comes with Level 5 security clearance, so you'd have access to almost all state and national intelligence databases, not to mention the city's forensic labs. You'd have the power to reassign any officer up to the rank of Captain, command of the city's SWAT teams, and a direct line to the Commissioner of Public Safety. On the political side, you'd get a seat on the city's Public Safety Council, which gives you a significant platform to influence policy, and you'd have direct influence over the District Attorney's office, which means you can access and seal any criminal record you need to. Plus, you can deputize civilian assets—like your little guild—for official operations. And of course, there are the perks: a personal armored vehicle with a security detail, a penthouse apartment paid for by the city, an unlimited expense account for 'operational costs,' and diplomatic immunity for any minor infractions you might commit. And," her voice dropped to an intimate whisper, "the best benefit of all… you get to work closer with me, every single day."
The list finished, leaving a stunned, profound silence in its wake.
"Think about it, baby," she said. "I have to go. I love you." She hung up.
I put my phone away and looked at the two men in front of me. They weren't just scared anymore. They were in awe. They were looking at me not as a child, but as a creature of impossible, terrifying power, a man who had the city's entire power structure wrapped around his little finger.
"So," I said, my voice a casual, easygoing murmur. "As I was saying. I'm offering you a choice."
Marcus swallowed hard, his earlier defiance completely gone. "We accept," he said, his voice a hoarse whisper. "On one condition."
"I'm listening," I said.
He looked at me, his gaze full of a new, desperate hope. "The people you're fighting… the Ruthless Animals… I want to help you destroy them. Personally. The ones who used my pain to turn me into a monster… I want to be the one who brings them to justice. My justice."
I let a slow, dangerous smile spread across my face as I glanced at their new status panels, their Soul Ledgers now a testament to their newfound loyalty.
Status:
Name: Marcus Thorne
Strength: 45
Agility: 50
Endurance: 40
Mentality: 70
Intelligence: 380
Mana: 0
Potential: A+
Skills: [Mastery in Chemical Engineering], [Expert in Neurotoxins], [Pharmaceutical Synthesis (Novice)]
Passive Skills: [Haunted by Guilt], [Atonement's Resolve]
Superpower: [None]
Soul Ledger: [Awe of the Kingmaker] & [Path to Redemption]
Status:
Name: James Allen
Strength: 60
Agility: 65
Endurance: 70
Mentality: 110
Intelligence: 210
Mana: 0
Potential: B
Skills: [Expert in Accounting], [Financial Forensics (Novice)], [Data Obfuscation]
Passive Skills: [Compulsive Gambler], [Meticulous Nature]
Superpower: [None]
Soul Ledger: [Fearful Respect] & [Living Legend]
"Welcome to the Hunter's Guild," I said.