"I was waiting for you to stop."

I stared at the person who was standing at the end of the alleyway. A simple black suit, a black tie, and neatly combed hair. He looked less like a gang member and more like an office worker.

He was similarly staring at me with curiosity.

Though I was inwardly wary of him as he was releasing the pressure of a mid-Iota rank, I kept a calm smile on my face.

From here, the level of bullshit I can spout will decide if this trip was a failure or a success.

"Isn't that bad? What if I had killed your brother?"

He flinched. I inwardly grinned as I saw his calm demeanor crumble for a moment. It was only a second, but it was more than enough for me to notice.

Acting as if I didn't notice it, I pointed at the unconscious Miller.

"He could use some healing. Let's talk at your base."

Following this, I stood up and wore a white mask.

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***

Jonathon stared at the person sitting in front of him.

Jonathon, the intruder who beat his younger brother and several Iota-rank guards were present inside the meeting room in their base.

His younger brother, Miller, was being treated along with the other members that the intruder had beaten.

He looked at the intruder, who was now wearing a mask, with a calm smile. As the heir to his gang, Jonathon had been trained to act calm in all situations, unlike his brother.

But although he was smiling calmly, internally he was anything but calm.

'Who the hell is he?!'

The moment the intruder had set foot on their turf, all of them had been alerted.

In the past few months, numerous heroes and adventurers had come to strike them down to claim the bounty.

The only thing special about this new intruder was that he appeared to be from some rich family.

After tailing him for a few days, they found that he had no security with him.

Jonathan cursed himself. At this point, he should have realized that something was wrong. But he foolishly let his hot-blooded brother go and capture the intruder.

"I am Jonathan Williamson, heir of the Black t-shirt Gang. What should I call young master?"

Jonathan asked while snapping his fingers. At his command, all the gang members left the room. Leaving him and the intruder alone.

The intruder was undoubtedly a member of a high-class family. It was better for Jonathan to appear friendly until he knew the objective of the opposing party.

Ignoring his question, the intruder leaned his cheek on his right fist and asked another question.

"How is your brother? His face was damaged pretty badly."

Jonathan flinched again.

Miller was his biological brother, but the only people who knew this were the leader of his gang, his father, and him.

Miller was special. Although he was only mid-Meta rank in 19's he had tremendous potential.

Jonathan did not doubt that his brother would become a feared awakener in the future.

Unlike himself, his brother was destined to reach the top and sit among truly powerful people.

But in these tough times, everyone wanted a strong awakener in their group.

Jonathan was sure other gangs or powerful organizations have poached or killed Miller because of his potential.

Thus, his father decided to hide the fact that he had another son and kept Miller in their gang as an ordinary member.

Miller was unaware of his true potential and the truth about his family. Jonathan was determined to keep it as such until the gang was strong enough to keep Miller safe after he showed his potential.

"How do you know about it?"

Did the families have such a big influence? How could they know about something that only two people knew?

"About what?"

Jonathan frowned at the intruder, who was feigning ignorance.

If Jonathan wasn't sure before, he was now. The intruder had been purposely roaming and splurging his money to lure them out. He wanted to meet with them.

The question was, why?

Jonathan decided to change his approach.

"Why is the young master here?"

Hearing himself being called young master twice, Nathan's face under the mask cringed.

"To get the bounty. Why else would I be here?"

Jonathan pondered over the answer and quickly calculated everything. Arriving at a conclusion, he probed.

"Is the young master's trial to subdue a gang?"

Many high-class families make their children go through trials or a quest to find candidates for the competition of heir. Maybe the intruder was here for a trial, contrary to getting fame for subduing a gang, as they had thought before.

"Oh, you are more knowledgeable than I thought. This makes it easier. Yes, I have to subdue a gang."

Of course, Nathan was lying. Forget about having a backing, he didn't even know what his elder sister did to have so much money. But Jonathan didn't need to know that.

Jonathan's frown deepened. If the young master wasn't going to back away, then it would become a problem.

From how high his intel was, he was definitely from one of the top families. Jonathan couldn't kill or confine him, or his gang would become a target.

"Is any gang fine?"

Praying in his mind, Jonathan asked further. If he refused, the matter would become a lot more troublesome.

"It doesn't matter which gang it is. Rather, I can help you guys with the Red-Wolf gang you are facing against."

Sighing internally, Jonathan interlocked his fingers. It seemed like the intruder had a deep purpose for this meeting.

"I don't want to sound rude, but without the support of your family, you can't do anything. The number of Iota rank awakeners both of our gangs have is roughly the same. As a Meta-rank, you won't be able to make any difference in our fights."

During trials, the candidates are not allowed to use their family names or support. It meant that Jonathan couldn't expect anything from the young master.

"I know I can't, but what if I tell you I can help you win with almost zero causalities?"

Nathan threw the bait. Now he had to see if Jonathan would bite it.

"...Is that possible?"

"Yes, it is. But it depends on your choice. Will you agree to my demands or not?"

Jonathan leaned forward. If it was possible to win the gang war with only a small price, then they would have already won. He wanted to know what kind of plan the intruder had.

"Can I know what these demands are?"

Nathan bumped his fist inwardly. Jonathan took the bait!

"A VIP membership for Underworld, a herb to rank up…"

Jonathan frowned. Was he trying to scam them? All the things he asked were clearly for himself.

"…and your brother Urgh."

***

"…and your brother Urgh"

Fwoosh-

I didn't even finish the sentence when an almost tangible pressure smashed into me. My hair on my back stood and breathing became laborious.

Lifting my head, I glanced around. This pressure wasn't something an Iota rank could produce.

There was another awakener here, and he was Enma rank.

"Is this how to treat your guests?"

Raising my chin, I spoke with a clear voice.

The art of conning was very profound. To deceive someone the thing I had to do was to appear assertive and confident. The moment you show even a hint of indecisiveness, you would immediately fail.

"What did you say about my son?"

A deep voice, of which I couldn't find the source, echoed in the room.

Slightly gulping, I was about to answer back when I stopped.

'Should I try it?'

This was the perfect time for me to test my new skill.

'[Domination Decree]'

Fwoosh-

A deep murky red hue escaped from my body and rampaged in the air. The air inside the room stirred and created gales as my pressure collided against the hostile pressure and countered it to a stalemate.

I countered an Enma rank's pressure!

I could feel Ether being depleted at a fearsome speed, but the surprise had still not ended.

Jonathan, who had been sitting calmly in front of me, was trembling slightly. He was breathing heavily and sweat covered his entire forehead.

Just as our eyes met, he quickly looked below and his trembling intensified.

This was a sweet surprise. I didn't know what Jonathan was feeling, but it was clear that my skill was able to affect a higher-ranked awakener than me.

"Stop."

The same deep voice echoed again.

"Isn't it a basic courtesy to show yourself and bow if you are asking something?"

"Y-You."

I raised my eyebrow when I saw Jonathan glaring at me. It seems that the skill couldn't stop him completely from going against me.

'Well, this is only Lvl1, so it's understandable."

Tap- Tap-

From the corner of the room, a man dressed similarly to Jonathan appeared.

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