"Please, we were wrong, we promise we will…"
"Silence."
A young man curled into himself. Sweat drenched his face, every wrinkle pulling against the tattoos carved across his skin.
His eyes were filled with terror. His pupils shrank, fading in a blur of tears.
I reached out and touched his face, pressing my finger against a teardrop tattoo.
"You inked this?"
"Yes, yes. We have a tradition of tattooing a teardrop on the face to welcome new members, s sir."
I let out a scornful laugh. Then I gently placed my hand on his forehead, forming the shape of a gun.
"Bang."
The eyes that had shrunk in fear suddenly widened, then turned blank white. Drool slid from his mouth as his body went limp, soft as overcooked noodles.
I stood up, leaving behind dozens of corpses scattered throughout the narrow, filthy alley.
From my pocket, I took out a bracelet and slipped it onto my wrist. The emerald band, engraved with an exquisitely crafted hawk, emitted a pale blue white glow. In an instant, a three dimensional screen like something from a science fiction film appeared before me.
I used it as a mirror, checking myself for bloodstains. Spotting a smear on my collar, I snapped my fingers. My long coat fluttered lightly, then returned to its pristine state as if by magic.
I stepped out of the dark alley and looked up at the gray white radiance pressing against the thick clouds above.
"Finished already?"
A young man a few years younger than me, around nineteen or twenty, approached and handed me a few sheets of paper.
"You wiped out those hunting dogs fast. That Gift of yours is really convenient. You only need to touch them and they die."
Lunas, the red brown haired youth carrying several bags of snacks, walked beside me. I paid him little attention and continued forward.
"Touch and they die. But it's not that impressive. If it's just killing, a knife or a gun is still better than having to make direct skin contact."
I evaluated my own power while casually grabbing a potato bun from Lunas and stuffing it into my mouth, ignoring the white steam still rising from it.
"Why have the hunting dogs from other gangs been so active lately? Did something happen in the major cities? Even this remote village at the edge of the map like Jinlus is feeling the aftershocks."
Lunas pulled out a matchbox, struck it, and tossed dozens of lit matches into the pile of corpses in the alley.
In an instant, a pale blue flame appeared and erased the bodies within seconds. Strangely, the fire did not damage the alley at all.
"You rarely keep up with the news. Even the rank ones in the gang already know, and you're still pretending?"
We left the deserted area and returned to the main road. Though Jinlus was marked as a small northern village on the map, in reality it was still a quarter the size of New York.
I stopped by a bread stall, bought a few fresh soft loaves, and continued walking.
Suddenly I felt my pants being tugged. Someone was holding onto me.
"Brother Ron, you're really leaving?"
The boy was the baker's son. His face was innocent, emotional enough that anyone would want to hug him.
I was no exception.
"Come here, kid."
I lifted him into my arms. With my free hand, I shaped a finger gun and pressed it to his head.
"Bang."
From my sleeve, colorful slips of paper burst out and scattered everywhere. The small boy stared at my face as if expecting something else, or perhaps wondering what I was doing.
…
"You're really leaving?"
He repeated the same question. I could only nod at the slightly awkward situation. I rubbed his round head and added,
"Just for a while. Why are you looking at me like that? Want me to buy you a gift?"
He nodded vigorously and began listing everything he wanted.
Models, candy, cakes, even a brand new 3D bracelet.
"…That's too much, kid. Go home and keep dreaming. I'll consider whether it's worth buying all that for a poor student."
"I'm not bad at studying."
He shot back at my teasing glare. I took a few lollipops from my pocket and tossed them into his hands.
"Consider it a deposit on your dream."
Then I released him, letting him drop onto the thick snow before walking away. The winter cold made everyone sluggish and irritated.
Too sluggish even to say goodbye.
"Hey, are you really going to Jicto?"
Lunas hurried after me, his face full of confusion and alarm.
"Of course. Did you think I was joking?"
He studied me carefully before asking,
"The academy? Blue Light Academy? You said before you planned to study there. I thought it was a joke."
I scratched my unwashed hair, letting dandruff fall and mix with the snow. I laughed.
"Remember what I said about the gangs getting active? In one month, there's going to be an explosion at the academies."
Lunas fell into thought before recalling something important.
"One month… isn't that when the tournament between the ten academies nationwide takes place?"
I snapped my fingers and gave him a thumbs up.
"Exactly. During that time, there will be a major explosion and certain people will be targeted. I have my eye on them."
I paused, then continued,
"So I plan to enroll in one of the academies and join the festival. Don't worry. I have a detailed plan. It's not something you need to concern yourself with."
"No, that's not what I meant. I mean… who's going to take your title?"
I pointed at myself before remembering my nickname.
The Dark Night Lord of Jinlus.
In a previous noble assembly, a temporary solution had been proposed to control the underworld across various territories.
They would appoint a lord separate from the ruling territorial lord. A Dark Night Lord, responsible for governing the shadows.
However, by nature, anyone who became king of a region would soon be dethroned by rivals. The original objective shifted, but it remained within control because there was still a single head figure to negotiate with.
And for the past year, that figure had been me.
The good thing was that I had done the job well.
The bad thing was that I had done it too well.
"Brother Ron, come over here!"
"Ron, try this new ice cream!"
"Boss, want a drink?"
Only then did I realize Lunas and I were already on the village's main street. Though Jinlus was vast, everything centered around one location, so everyone knew who I was.
And they all knew I was leaving.
"Ha. Still asking? Little brother, want to try some authority? Just one month. You can be the boss of this village for a month."
I turned to Lunas, but he seemed to be glaring at something behind me.
"As if I'd want that. Who has time to fight ten times a day like some worthless lunatic?"