Hacking the Game Didn't Go as Intended

CHAPTER 30: The Path to Solitude

The man raised his hands in surrender. "Pity."

The connoisseur finally breathed.

Daisuke was still dumbfounded. "J-Just who—"

"Hey there, Zephyr," Reeza interjected in the gentle voice the pup would have remembered. "Why don't you come with me? There's a feast of delicious treats waiting just for you!"

"No. This... can't be happening."

Caught in a whirlwind of despair, Daisuke's heart and mind spiraled into helplessness. Devastated at the prospect of starting over from rock-bottom, his grip on the canine loosened, and Zephyr immediately charged in with a vengeance.

"...So that's your choice," Reeza uttered bitterly, a telling gleam lighting her eyes.

"AHWRU!"

Despite Zephyr's admirable burst of speed, which blurred his image momentarily, his feeble Stats weren't enough to compete with those of a seasoned hunter.

At the sound of the pup being mercilessly pinned underneath the boot of the ogre, Daisuke's eyes regained focus. As his gaze locked onto the heart-wrenching scene, memories of all those he had lost flashed through his mind with the intensity of a bolt of lightning.

Rational thought was cast aside, consumed by the flames of desperation. Without hesitation, acting on pure instinct, he hurled himself at the ugly boar who held the canine captive.

But before he could sink his teeth into the man's leg like a rabid dog, another assailant, moving with unnerving speed, intercepted him with a forceful kick to the face, sending him flying backwards.

Drunk on adrenaline, Daisuke brushed off the pain and glanced around. His trembling hand sought out a length of plywood nearby, hoping to wield it against his attackers.

Before he could grasp it firmly, the dreary-eyed man swooped in, mercilessly stomping on his outstretched fingers as if they were nothing more than brittle twigs beneath his heel.

"Guaaghh!!"

A guttural cry tore from Daisuke's throat, but it was abruptly cut short as the man's boot connected with his face, pressing mercilessly against his temple.

"Arrogant, sniveling little punks like yourself," he sneered, "always strut around as if they're untouchable, above everyone else. It's always been my greatest pleasure to shatter that illusion."

As the ominous words hung in the air, the other two men closed in, their imposing forms eclipsing the sun. A powerful blow to the stomach had the remnants of Daisuke's breakfast from Gretchen violently expelled onto the ground.

Writhing in agony, he instinctively curled into a defensive ball, but it provided little shelter as a relentless barrage of kicks and stomps descended upon him like a ferocious tempest.

"You cocky little shit!" one of the men spat venomously. "Did you honestly believe you could set up shop in this neighborhood without our permission?"

"Know your fucking place, you piece of trash!"

Laughter akin to the unsettling cackles of hyenas filled the air as the men savored the brutal scene. Daisuke, battered and broken on the ground, couldn't help but recall the similar cruelty he had endured from the loan sharks.

"Tsk," the weary-eyed man clicked his tongue in disdain. "It's no longer fun if you're not screaming," he remarked before casting a commanding glance at the ogre. "Kill the dog."

"W-Wait!" Daisuke pleaded, desperation evident in his wide eyes as he clung to the man's foot.

A fierce kick to the jaw sent his head spinning 180 degrees, but he stubbornly spat the blood from his mouth to speak. "P-Please spare him! I'll give you money!"

The man holding the Mana Crystal scowled as if regarding a lowly cockroach. "You mean the coin you earned by illicitly selling in our territory? That's ours now."

"T-Then I'll get you other funds," Daisuke insisted, his eyes wide with fear.

The weary-eyed man tilted his chin arrogantly. "Where is it?"

Daisuke glanced around frantically. "I-I don't have it right now, but I can work for it. I promise I'll—"

The man hissed through his teeth and promptly snapped his fingers, the command prompting the ogre to unsheathe the sword from his waist.

"Wait!" Daisuke roared. "Please NOOOOOOOO!"

SWISH!

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