Barry and Jasper were both flabbergasted by the man asking how they had obtained the fish. Hadn't they just explained it moments ago? What were they expecting them to say? Something like, I bought it from some random person—you can go buy one too.
"I already told you, we captured it in Fessi Lake. Why are you asking the same question again?" Barry said irritably.
Scrape!
The man standing at the front of the group suddenly drew his sword and pointed it toward Barry and Jasper.
"Do you think I'm an idiot? You expect me to believe that you two little weaklings are capable of capturing the Golden Orange Snakehead? Even a couple of Grade 5 Awakeners' wouldn't be able to do that." The man's face twisted with anger.
"If you don't tell me where you really got that fish, I'll report to the [Hwing Pioneer] that you two tried to earn Achievement Points by submitting a third-party bounty," he added, issuing an ultimatum to the duo.
"If you want to make a complaint to the Hwing, be my guest. We did nothing wrong. If they investigate, we'll answer their questions. Now step aside—we have a lot of work to do," Barry replied nonchalantly.
Even he was somewhat in disbelief that they had successfully captured the Golden Orange Snakehead. But in the end, they had done it—whether others believed it or not.
So they had nothing to fear. They had earned the Achievement Points through their own effort, not through some third-party deal as these people were claiming.
However, Jasper, standing beside Barry, was completely confused—especially by the claim that even two Grade 5 Awakeners' couldn't capture the fish.
Did we capture some different fish and come here to claim the wrong bounty? Are they accusing us of fraud? His mind raced with confusion.
What exactly was this [Hwing Pioneer] they were threatening them with? And what did they mean by submitting a third-party bounty?
He couldn't understand any of these unfamiliar terms.
"Mr. Luis, have you forgotten where you are standing? How dare you threaten my clients?" the old man said sternly to the man who had drawn his sword. "You will face severe consequences for such behavior. If you intend to file a complaint, you may do so."
"But for now, I want you to leave my property," the old man declared firmly, ordering them to leave the underground chamber and the cook-house.
He had been surprised by their aggressive questioning earlier, but when the man drew his sword and pointed it at the boys, the old man was stunned. How dare they draw weapons in his presence—on his property—against his clients?
The thought alone made his blood boil as he gritted his teeth.
However, Luis didn't move an inch. Even after seeing the old man's seething rage, he remained where he stood with a smug smile on his face.
"Do you really think I'm going to give up my hard-earned money just because you showed us some fish? Hand over all the gold you collected—including that Nen Silver Card," Luis demanded.
"You must be joking. Do you really think you can rob me and leave this place alive?" the old man replied coldly.
He had finally realized their true intention. All their accusations earlier had merely been excuses to create trouble.
"Everyone, we hit the jackpot today," Luis declared to the three men standing behind him. "Not only will we get a huge amount of gold, but we also have the Golden Orange Snakehead. Don't let anyone leave this place alive. Kill them all!"
"If we sell that fish on the black market, it will fetch a fortune. We won't need to work for the rest of our lives," one of the men added with a menacing laugh.
At his command, the three men behind him immediately unsheathed their weapons.
Barry and Jasper instinctively prepared themselves when they saw the weapons drawn.
For Barry, robbery was nothing new. During the past six months of traveling, he had already lost a considerable amount of wealth to thieves and bandits.
But for Jasper, this was the first time someone had tried to rob him. The closest experience he had was the fat man from the Omma Auction House.
He clenched his fists and fixed his gaze on one of the men holding a spiked club, ready to smash someone's head at any moment.
Suddenly, however, Jasper felt something that made his knees weaken.
A crushing pressure filled the air.
Beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. Jasper felt the strength drain from his body as dread gripped his heart.
Slowly, he turned his head toward the direction from which the pressure was coming.
There he saw Mr. Marek.
His right hand rested on the handle of the massive broadsword strapped across his back.
In the next moment, Marek took a single step forward.
Another wave of pressure crashed down upon the entire area.
If Jasper had been the same weak boy he was two days ago, he would have collapsed unconscious instantly.
The pressure emanating from Marek made Jasper's mind go numb, yet he forced himself to remain standing.
Suddenly.
Thud.
Jasper heard something fall beside him.
Turning his head, he saw Barry drop to his knees.
Before Jasper could fully understand what was happening, Marek had already stepped in front of the hostile group.
The men facing him were in no better condition. Even before they could react, two of them dropped their weapons to the ground, while the remaining two could barely keep their grip on theirs.
With one smooth motion, Marek drew the massive sword from his back.
Then he swung it in a single horizontal slash.
The strike was so clean and effortless that Jasper barely saw the blade move.
But in the next instant—
All four men were cut in half.
Jasper's eyes widened in horror as their bodies separated cleanly at the waist.
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
Under the lingering pressure, Jasper watched the severed bodies collapse to the ground. Their eyes remained open, their faces frozen in disbelief.
A moment later, the oppressive pressure vanished.
Everything returned to normal.
Both Barry and Jasper began breathing heavily.
Barry coughed violently while still kneeling on the ground.
Jasper turned his head toward the old man. Seeing the man's pale face, Jasper guessed he had also suffered under Marek's overwhelming pressure, even though the old man appeared to be a Grade Awakener.
Jasper quickly helped Barry back to his feet.
Meanwhile, Marek calmly wiped his sword on one of the dead men's clothes. After cleaning the blade, he sheathed it across his back again.
"You guys alright?" he asked casually as he turned around.
"Oh yes, Mr. Marek, we're fine," the old man replied quickly. "Thank you for removing these pests from society. Things could have gone very wrong if you hadn't been here today."
"Let's go then," Marek said, giving a brief nod before heading toward the staircase.
"You feeling okay?" Jasper asked Barry, noticing his pale complexion.
"I'm fine… don't worry. It's just—"
Urgh!
Barry suddenly bent over and vomited onto the ground, his face turning even paler.
"I'm okay… I'm okay. Let's go upstairs. The underground feels suffocating," Barry said weakly as he tried to stand, his knees trembling.
Jasper immediately placed Barry's arm over his shoulder for support.
Together, the two of them slowly made their way out of the underground chamber.