The Next Day…
Bella and I were walking through the crowded streets, heading toward a large, imposing building. It stood out clearly in the heart of a busy marketplace. According to Nil, this building once served as the meeting point for the twelve underground gang leaders of the city—a sort of conference hall where they would hold their gatherings and plan their moves.
But all of them were dead now. I had taken care of that.
That meant this building now belonged to me.
As I approached, I could already spot a few knights dressed in the signature armor of the Greenwold noble family stationed around the premises. It looked like they were guarding the place.
Today's plan was simple: I would step into the heart of the city's underworld and publicly declare myself as the new ruler. The gangs, the businesses, the peoples—they all needed to understand one thing.
There's a new boss in City.
This area was bustling with shoppers and merchants in the daytime, but at night, it turned into a haven for gangsters, smugglers, and scum. That contrast was almost poetic in a twisted way.
As we walked through the crowd, a lot of people turned their heads to look at us. They stared openly, mostly because of the way we were dressed. Bella looked absolutely stunning—her golden one-piece dress hugged her figure in all the right places, making her look like she had stepped straight out of royalty. And me? I was still wearing the same clothes given to me by the Wolf God. They looked just as before and these cloths looked nobel at first glance, but I had recently learned they were anything but ordinary.
These clothes could clean and repair themselves automatically. I had done some testing last night—they even worked as armor. When I tried to damage them with my own claws, they barely got scratched, and the damage healed instantly. The Wolf God didn't just give me clothes; he gave me protection disguised as fashion.
We kept walking, ignoring the stares and whispers from people around us. Eventually, we arrived in front of the building. It was massive—at least three stories tall—with a grand gate at the front. The design reminded me of Roman architecture, with tall concrete pillars supporting the structure and white stone walls giving it a regal look.
Standing guard at the gate was a man in a sleek black suit.
As we stepped closer, he took notice of us, especially our attire, and moved forward with a respectful tone. He lowered his voice so others around wouldn't hear.
"Hello, sir and madam. What business do you have with the underworld today?" he asked, clearly assuming we were nobles from another city coming for some shady deal.
I gave him a curious look. "What's your name? Who are you?"
"Sir, my name is Hector. I'm the caretaker of this building," he said with a bow. "I also serve as the head butler for all twelve bosses of the city's underground."
I raised an eyebrow, smirking slightly. "Oh, so I get a butler for free now?"
I said it a little too loudly, and Bella gave me a strange, amused look, clearly caught off guard by this unexpected side of me.
I cleared my throat, trying to get back into character. "Ahem… I mean—Cough—Hmph… I'm Gray. Your new boss from today onward."
Without waiting for a reply, I pushed open the door and walked inside.
Hector panicked. "Hey! What are you doing?! You can't just walk in like that!"
He shouted after me, but when I turned to look at him, Then my eyes glowed red and gold. The moment he saw them, he went silent and frozen in place.
Inside the building was just as grand as the outside suggested. There was a large entrance hall, with staircases curling up to the second and third floors. A balcony lined the upper level, offering a clear view of the floor below. Two doors led into additional rooms upstairs, while the lower level had even more rooms on either side.
The entire place was decorated in luxurious furnishings—white and gold carpets, polished floors, ornate furniture. It just doesn't look like a palace for criminals.
In the center of the hall was a seating area with large sofas and a grand table. I made my way to one of the sofas and casually sat down, Bella joining me by my side.
I turned toward Hector, who had followed us in and was standing stiffly like a statue.
"Tell me, Hector… Is there a rule in the underworld?" I asked. "One that says if someone kills a gang leader, they automatically become the new leader?"
Hector replied quickly, "Yes, sir. That's correct. All twelve gang leaders, with the approval of the Greenwold noble family, established this rule. For the past two years, it has brought stability and prosperity to the underground economy. Each gang leader is ranked by number, and when someone kills one, they inherit that position. If I may ask… which gang leader did you kill, sir?"
Hector assumed that if I had come here asking these kinds of questions, it was very likely that I had killed one of the gang leaders and was now here to consolidate my position.
"Oh, you want to know who I killed?" I asked, leaning back with a grin.
"Yes, sir. Each one has different holdings and responsibilities, so once I know the number, I can begin the process of transferring all properties and businesses under your name."
My eyes widened. "Wait… you're telling me the gang leaders owned actual businesses? Land? Assets?"
Hector replied matter-of-factly, "Yes, sir. Each one generates hundreds of gold in monthly profit."
I suddenly burst out laughing. "Hahahahaha! I'm rich! I'm fucking rich!"
The head butler looked tense, unsure of how to respond to my sudden outburst.
I calmed down and looked at him again. "Hector, what would happen… hypothetically, if someone killed all twelve gang leaders?"
Hector blinked, confused. "That… that would be impossible, sir. Each one is over level 20, and they operate in groups. No one could take them all down alone."
"Oh, really?" I said with a smirk. "And what about you, Hector? You've worked here for a long time. I bet your status isn't far below theirs."
He froze. I knew I had hit a nerve.
I asked that question because I already knew what was going on before coming here. I had gathered some information about this building and how the people connected to it operate. In the process, I discovered that this Hector guy used to work for the Greenwold noble family. At some point, he changed jobs and became the caretaker of this place.
I'm pretty sure he's a mole—someone the Greenwold family planted here to keep an eye on the gang leaders. That's why I said,
"I know about your history with the Greenwold noble family. So why don't you contact them and ask if all the gang leaders are still alive?"
Panic flashed across his face. He didn't think anyone knew. But now that I'd exposed him, he hesitated only briefly before pulling out a triangular device from his suit pocket. It lit up red, then turned green.
A voice came from the other end. "What is it, Hector?"
He swallowed hard. "Ma'am… are all the gang leaders… dead?"
There was a long pause on the other end before an angry voice burst out.
"What?! How the fuck do you know that?! How did this information get out?! Tell me, Hector—who told you?!"
Before Hector could even speak, I stood up, walked over, and took the device from his hand.
"It's me," I said. "The killer."
Silence.
Then a cautious voice came through. "Who…?"
I sighed. "Man, I really didn't want to go through the whole explanation. Fine, listen up. I'm Gray Soliski. The new leader of the underground. Before you even think about sending people to kill me, hear this—if I see, smell, or even hear anyone from the Greenwold family near this building, I won't just kill them—I'll destroy everything around them. There are over 200 people in this marketplace right now. Not one of them will survive if you provoke me.
You've been warned. Just like I told the gang leaders, I'll say this to you too—meet me outside the city, seven days from now. Go west from the third gate, five kilometers out. I'll be waiting.
Whether you come to fight or make a deal, that's up to you."
With that, I crushed the device in my hand.
Hector had been listening silently and now gave a slow, respectful bow. "leader… how may I be of service?"
That was fast.
I was impressed. He adapted quickly—like a real professional. He understood the situation immediately. If someone had managed to kill all twelve gang leaders, they had to be at least level 30, maybe even higher. There was no point in resistance.
I nodded. "First of all, don't call me 'Leader.' From now on, call me Big Boss."
"Yes, Big Boss."
"Good. Now take me to the treasury. I want to see just how much wealth these gang leaders have gathered."
Hector gave a short bow and gestured ahead. "This way, Big Boss."