A tall figure emerged from the dark of the forest and into the small clearing. Leaves crunched softly underfoot as it slowly made its way forward.

  Only its bulbous green head was exposed, with the rest of its body clad in plated armor. In its hand was a large, spiked mace that rested carelessly on its shoulder.

  Both its armor and weapon appeared to have seen regular use; dried splotches of blood thickly coated the mace, and several large dents could be seen in its chest plate.

  With a carefree smile, the figure continued to approach the wooden stall where I sat. Despite being alone, it seemed to be completely relaxed and at ease.

  Did it think it had the upper hand?

  No hostility could be felt, at least on the surface, and even its question had been spoken in a playful tone. Yet I remained vigilant, with both power cores fully active and all systems fully charged.

  My second mind was working overtime and analyzing its every movement in preparation. With but a moment’s notice, it was ready to unleash a barrage of lightning quick attacks and shred it to pieces. The armor would prove a hindrance, especially with my decreased firepower compared to my usual form, but no more than that. A detailed scan performed by my cybernetic parts informed me that the durability it possessed was only slightly higher than an average Tier 4.

  Outwardly remaining calm, I replied to its initial question.

  “Yeah, I'm the crazy bastard you’re talking about. Though I prefer being described as financially savvy.”

  “Bahahaha! My bad, then. Have you got the goods?”

  I grabbed the Nemesis by the scruff of its neck and held it up. Other than the slight breathing that could be heard, it was virtually lifeless. With the 24/7 cocktail of drugs it’d been given, its mind might have already turned into mush.

  The otherworlder nodded approvingly and a satisfied smile spread on its face.

  “Yep, that’s the one alright. So how are we going to do this?”

  “60,000 points now, sent to the ID that initially contacted you. Once I confirm that they’ve been received, I’ll hand over your Nemesis.”

  The otherworlder raised an eyebrow at my words and asked in a slightly colder tone.

  “60,000 points? The sign over there clearly says 50,000 points. Also, you want me to pay everything upfront? How do I know you’re not going to just run the moment I pay you?”

  I maintained a mild smile and replied, “Just think of it as extra hazard pay, considering you’re from a Tier 4 world. I’m sure someone of your status doesn’t care about a measly 10,000 points. Regarding your second point.... I assure you we are a legitimate business. It would do us no benefit to defraud our customers for a potential short-term gain and an increased risk on our lives. Word would spread quickly and we’d be out of any business.”

  It remained quiet for a few moments before responding.

  “Alright fair enough. Let’s do it your way then. I have to say, you guys have quite the balls to be running an operation like this. Aren’t you afraid of the pact? Ah don’t worry by the way, I’m not the type of person to go around blabbing my mouth.”

  Not this again.

  With a heavy sigh I said, “There seems to be a misunderstanding here. I’m not from a Tier 4 world like you guys, so I’m not part of whatever agreement that’s been made. I tried telling this to some of your friends before, but they didn’t want to listen.”

  The otherworlder burst out in a fit of laughter as it said, “Friend, who are you trying to fool here? That aura and strength you possess... it’s certainly from someone of a Tier 4 race. Not to mention, it’d be incredibly easy for me to find out exactly which world you’re from if you give me just a little time.”

  “Really? Then go ahead and do so, then. You might find yourself a little surprised.”

  It continued to chuckle and shake its head at my words. It opened up its System and activated the Guide function, causing a Melchior-like orb of light to appear.

  “Find out the race and world of this guy standing here.”

  “Very well, Master.”

  A blue ray of light shot out and began to scan me from head to toe. Once it finished, the Guide remained quiet. Then, after a brief pause, it emitted another ray of light, much more intense than before.

  This process repeated many more times, until several minutes had passed.

  Brows furrowed, the otherworlder asked, “What’s going? It doesn’t usually take this long, does it?”

  The orb of light chirped as it replied, “My apologies, Master. The appearance and characteristics of this individual do not match any records of all currently extant Tier 4 races. Nor do they match.... any other Tier. I am unable to identify their origins.”

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Its face stiffened at the Guide’s words.

  No longer smiling, it said, “Who’s your backer? If you really aren’t from a Tier 4 world, you must be from some obscure Tier 5 race that the System lacks data on. There’s no way you guys could run something like this on your own.”

  Actually, I’m from a Tier 6 world, but I won’t even bother mentioning that.

  My pleasant smile grew wider as I replied, “Sorry, that’s confidential. Also, don’t try any funny business. I wouldn’t want to have to add you and your companions to my little farm.”

  The otherworlder put on a confused look as it pretended to not understand.

  “What do you mean? I’m completely alone here.”

  This time, I was the one who began to laugh as I said, “Let’s not play dumb here. Two people in the trees, about seven hundred meters north-west. Another one hiding in the river to the east. The last one, waiting right above with some sort of weapon aimed at me. Did I miss any?”

  Long before the otherworlder had stepped into the clearing, I’d detected the presence of all five of them.

  A detailed black and white 3D map had formed within my second mind, giving me complete knowledge of their every movement. They’d been inching their way closer since the very beginning, and I wanted to nip it in the bud.

  Perhaps they were there just as additional security, perhaps they weren’t. No sense in taking any chances.

  As for how I knew they were there.... the Scout v1 had been equipped with a larynx capable of emitting an incredibly high frequency. Both the ears and secondary brain had also been taken from the Tier 4 that had provided the larynx, allowing me to echolocate my surroundings within a large range. I essentially had my own personal sonar available as an early-warning system.

  I knew where all its allies were, but it had no idea where any of mine were.

  For the first time, a hint of unease appeared on the otherworlder’s face as its confident demeanor vanished. It visibly tensed up, and its mace slowly lowered into a combat ready stance.

  It hurriedly said, “Let’s just relax now. We didn’t come looking for any trouble. They’re just here to make sure everything goes smoothly.”

  I nodded as I said, “Fine. Send the points over, and we can both be on our ways.”

  The otherworlder fiddled with its System briefly, and I soon received a confirmation from Khaelen that he had received the points.

  Breathing a sigh of relief, I immediately tossed over the Nemesis to the otherworlder. Truth be told, fighting five Tier 4s in the Scout v1 would have been quite the messy prospect, especially without the passive ability of One Strike active.

  I could probably win once Khaelen’s group came to reinforce me, but there was a high chance of suffering casualties. I’d much rather just take the clean 40,000 point profit.

  Wasting no time at all, the otherworlder raised its mace as it prepared to crush its Nemesis’ skull. Before it could however, I quickly interjected.

  “Ah, if you could, please leave the body as intact as possible when you kill it. I have some uses for it later.”

  A strange and mildly disgusted look came across its face as it said, “Well uh.... you sure have some interesting tastes don’t you? I won’t judge, I understand.”

  I feel like there’s another big misunderstanding going on, but as long as all the parts stay pristine, I don’t care.

  The otherworlder withdrew a small blade instead and swiftly severed its throat. The incapacitated Nemesis quietly gurgled as its essence flowed away and it soon breathed its last.

  A glowing Law fragment emerged from its corpse and began to merge with the otherworlder. A bright light shone and it collapsed to its knees under the strain of the process.

  As the otherworlder absorbed the fragment, its companions quickly emerged from hiding. Coldly glaring at me, they assembled into a tight formation around the otherworlder as protection.

  I merely continued to stand there and watch, not making a single move. They seemed rather skittish for how many of them there were. The otherworlder had spoken of having a backer... maybe they thought there was a Tier 3 world orchestrating the process?

  Well, all the better for me then.

  The glow surrounding the otherworlder eventually vanished and it rose to its feet.

  Flexing its hand experimentally, it suddenly swung its fist.

  Boom!

  A huge chunk was blown out of a distant tree just from the air pressure generated. The surrounding branches swayed powerfully and a cascade of leaves swirled through the air.

  The otherworlder continued to swing repeatedly, this time with its mace. Tree after tree fell, until only the ancient Monolith trees remained.

  It had received quite the powerful ability; I should know, since I’d been on the receiving end of it before. Hopefully it doesn’t start getting any ideas now.

  Fortunately, it seemed to harbor no such thoughts.

  With a look of delight, the otherworlder turned back to me as it said, “This was indeed worth every point, and more. It’s been a pleasure doing business with you.”

  I nodded as I said, “No problem. By the way, is doing this allowed in your pact? I know Tier 4 Nemeses are allowed to hunt each other as an exception, but I thought no one else was allowed to interfere.”

  “Hahahaha! Don’t worry, I’m not breaking any rules with this. The pact only says that Tier 4 races can’t interfere, but that doesn’t mean other Tiers can’t. Now that we’ve confirmed you’re not from a Tier 4 world, everything is fine. Truth be told, we were planning on killing you on the way here once we confirmed your Tier. No hard feelings though, right?”

  I knew this little rat was lying earlier about not being a snitch. Everyone’s a scammer nowadays.

  As a vein thickly bulged in my temples, I said, “Sure, no hard feelings. But in return, you have to do me a favor.”

  “What is it?”

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