The woman's name was Herna.
She burst into the special room, with the restaurant owner nervously following behind her, accompanied by her guards, who were armed with batons.
'What bad timing….'
It was the moment he was about to swindle a large sum of money from Jangp, planning to use it to escape the city.
The prison guards were often seen around, so he couldn't stay in this small city forever.
'I'm getting more and more annoyed with this woman.'
While he was thinking this, Herna was staring at him.
Fortunately, he had put on his colored lenses again because of the commotion outside.
"See you again?"
"You came to see me, didn't you?"
"Huhu. You're more impressive than I thought."
The woman smiled slyly.
Impressive? What about? Could she possibly know that he's Arahan?
When he looked at Jangp, the guy bowed his head and shook it from side to side.
Had he revealed his identity in that brief moment?
No, that was impossible.
Jangp must have been genuinely afraid, intending to take the secret to his grave.
Then, where did the information leak from?
There was only one place that came to mind.
The Kerion Prison.
"It seems you have a wide network of informants, being a major figure in the city."
"I'll take that as a compliment. At first, I didn't believe it, but now I do. No one can be rude to me unless they're of a certain status."
The woman seemed confident, knowing he was Arahan.
Since the information came from the prison, she must be well aware of his situation.
If Jangp finds out that he's just a shell, he'll lose his money.
He quickly spoke to prevent her from revealing more.
"Let's talk just among us."
"Alright."
At Herna's gesture, the guards took Jangp outside.
Only Herna, Zed, and Liu were left in the room.
A heavy silence flowed through the space.
He broke the silence first.
"Why are you here? Do you have business with me?"
"I think there's a misunderstanding. The reason I came here isn't because of you. However, I do have a request for you."
"A request?"
Who could it be?
The people in this room were Herna, him, and Liu.
When he looked at Liu, the boy was fidgeting nervously.
"Could it be you?"
"I-I'm sorry…. I didn't mean to hide it. I was going to tell you soon…."
Ah, this must be related to the money he had been stashing away.
He watched both of them calmly.
Herna looked at Liu, and her expression changed.
"I've looked into the matter you requested, but it seems more funds are needed."
"What?! That's not what we agreed on! How much did I give you…?"
"In your world, it might be a lot of money, but to me, it's not even enough for a day's meal. Finding someone whose whereabouts are unknown, and we don't even know if they're alive or dead, isn't easy."
"You promised! You said you'd find them if I just gave you the money!"
"Yes. If you give me more money."
The woman smiled slyly, and Liu clenched his fists, trembling.
When the topic of his sister came up, he became agitated.
There must be some story behind it.
"I, how could you do this to me…. This was the last time I trusted you!"
Liu lost his composure and couldn't even argue properly, just holding back tears.
He watched calmly and then spoke on Liu's behalf.
"So, to summarize, Liu asked you to find his sister, and you're demanding more money?"
"Huhu. Will you pay that money? You two seem very close."
Herna smiled cunningly.
Looking at her face, which was like a snake's, he felt angry.
Seeing Liu unable to speak, he felt even more so.
Liu was a smart kid.
He wouldn't fall for this kind of scam unless he was desperate.
Even smart people get scammed when they're desperate.
Herna was an adult who took advantage of a desperate young boy.
"I said I had business with you. Let's tie this problem to that."
"Ah, I see. You're saying if I help this boy, you'll do my bidding?"
"Let's hear it out."
He could use the money from Jangp to pay the costs.
But giving more money to a scammer would only lead to the same result.
He decided to approach cautiously. The best way to deal with a scammer is to scam them back.
"Actually, my request is quite simple. I want you to arrange a rematch with Icas."
"That day showed you that he's not my match."
"Icas wants it. He's still fuming from the last fight, saying he was caught off guard."
Caught off guard?
No, outsiders might think that, but the person involved wouldn't.
Icas was feeling frustrated and defeated, not just angry.
The fact that she's arranging a rematch means there's another trick involved.
Well, it doesn't matter.
"Alright, I accept the rematch. Will you proceed with Liu's request then?"
"Of course. I always keep my promises."
She's playing a fool's game.
She thinks she's getting what she wants, but just wait and see who will be backstabbed.
"Then, I'll send someone as soon as the date is set."
"I'll be waiting."
On the way back to their lodging, Liu didn't say a word. He just carried a box that Jangp had given him.
The box contained five gold bars.
One hundred silver coins equal one gold coin, and one hundred gold coins equal one gold bar.
So, the money he received from Jangp was worth 500 gold coins.
In both his previous life and this world.
Why do scammers live rich lives while honest people struggle?
Well, he had also scammed Jangp to get this much money.
Thanks to that, he didn't feel guilty or remorseful.
The most righteous money is the one you scam from a scammer.
"Why are you looking so down? We made a lot of money."
"…I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to deceive you from the start. It's true."
"I know."
"Actually…. I secretly asked that woman for help. I know it was stupid, but I had no other choice…."
"I knew about that too. I knew you were stashing money away. I just found out today that you went to see Herna."
"You knew, but why did you pretend not to?"
"It wasn't worth getting upset about."
"I see."
If it weren't for Liu, he might not have been able to escape.
The boy had fainted from the effects of Clark's aura but still managed to steal keys, colored lenses, and clothes for him.
Strictly speaking, it wasn't for his sake but for his own benefit.
However, he did receive help, and being grateful isn't petty.
"From now on, don't hide things. Tell me everything."
"...."
"Umm…. The worst thing is repaying kindness with betrayal. Even if you're from the streets, don't be trash."
"Okay…. I'll remember."
Liu seemed genuinely remorseful. This warning was enough.
He's a smart kid, so he must have understood his intentions.
"Zed, let's run away with this money. If we stay here, we'll get caught by the guards."
"What about Liu's request?"
"…You know she'll betray us again."
"I know. I was thinking of leaving too, but my mind changed."
"Why? Are you really going to have a rematch?"
"Because I want to clean up trash."
Liu once said that.
The arena is a major source of income for Herna.
Icas, who had been winning consistently, suffered a crushing defeat.
For Herna, it was a flaw in a product that had been making good money.
The rematch was requested to fix that flaw.
The problem is that Herna will prepare thoroughly.
If Icas loses again, he'll no longer be the champion of the arena but a discarded product that can't recover.
So, how fiercely will he prepare?
"I don't doubt your skills. I've seen you train like a knight every day. But this time will be different. Herna will be well-prepared."
"I know that, but I want to do it more because of that."
"What do you mean?"
"It's exhilarating to defeat an opponent who gives their all."
Plus, he can cut off Herna's revenue stream.
The rematch was three days later.
The arena was packed with spectators, as if it was his final defense.
The difference was that back then, most people cheered for him, but now they didn't.
"Icas! We believe in you this time!"
"Don't be careless and push from the start! I've bet everything on you!"
Although he had lost once, his previous winning streak was etched in the minds of the audience.
Moreover, his opponent was a fifteen-year-old boy.
They thought his previous loss was just a fluke or a mistake.
'But why is this guy so confident?'
As he stepped onto the ring, Icas's expression was visible.
He expected him to be nervous, but instead, he was full of confidence, warming up.
'Really, what makes him so confident?'
As he observed closely, he quickly realized what it was.
'Is that an Ogre's Belt?'
The belt Icas was wearing was definitely the rare 'Ogre's Belt'.
It was surprising to see such an item in this small arena.
The belt's option was to reduce physical damage by 90%.
Just by the wording, it seemed like a top-tier scam item, but there was a catch: it only worked against 'physical damage'.
In a world where mana was the main factor, physical damage reduction was useless.
Unless it was pure physical damage, any mix of mana or energy would make it 'composite damage'.
However, the material for the belt was an Ogre, making it very difficult to craft.
It was unnecessary for mages and knights who mainly used magical tools, so there was little demand, and blacksmiths didn't make it.
That's why the Ogre's Belt was a rare item, and Herna had managed to obtain it.
'Wow, this is a bit of a cheat.'
For knights and mages, such magical tools would be worth money, but not here.
The arena's absolute rule was no mana usage.
But he was a mage with zero magic power.
…Damn, it's an impossible-to-obtain first-tier item.
"Your face looks terrible. Are you going to bluff like last time?"
"...."
"This time will be different. I'll chew you up slowly, so look forward to it."
Bastard… saying that while wearing such a scam item.
One could argue that wearing the Ogre's Belt in the arena would make him invincible, but that's not the case.
If the opponent also wears an item that adds mana or energy to physical damage, the Ogre's Belt becomes useless.
Adding just 1% would render the Ogre's Belt useless.
So, it's an item full of weaknesses, easy to counter.
However, since they knew he had no mana from the prison information, it was clear that they had obtained the Ogre's Belt specifically to counter him.
"Huhu." He glanced away, and his eyes met Herna's in the shadows behind Icas.
Herna had a satisfied smile and licked her lips.
'That woman….'
Ding!
The bell rang, signaling the start of the match.