"Anyway, how much do I owe you for the five steaks? I'll pay up and help clean this mess. its the least I can do."
Bella was still staring at me, wide-eyed, her breath shallow. Her hands clutched her apron tightly, knuckles pale, and her chest rose and fell in nervous trembles. The blood-stained restaurant was dead silent except for the soft dripping of blood from the shattered skull splatter on the walls. The room smelled like iron, fear, and leftover steak grease.
I turned toward the two trembling thugs who were still kneeling on the floor. Their heads were bowed low like dogs waiting for punishment.
I narrowed my eyes and barked, "Hey! What the hell are you two staring at, huh? Clean this place up—NOW!"
The command struck them like a lightning bolt. Their eyes widened in relief when they realized I wasn't going to kill them. One of them nodded so hard he looked like his neck might snap.
"Y-yes sir!! Right away!" they squealed in unison.
Panic made them clumsy. They didn't even ask for brooms or cleaning rags. Instead, they ripped off pieces of their own shirts and began wiping the floor and tables with them like desperate servants trying to avoid execution. One of them scrambled into the kitchen, rummaging around like a rat in a pantry before returning with a dented old bucket of water and a greasy mop.
I looked back at Bella and spoke gently. "You don't have to worry about the blood. They'll clean everything. I'll stay here and make sure they do a perfect job."
She just nodded, still too stunned to speak.
"So… how much for the steaks?" I asked again, trying to bring some normalcy back.
She finally looked at me, her lips trembling. "S-sir… please don't pay," she said, voice low and shaken. "You've already done more than enough. Those bastards used to harass me every month, demanding money just to keep this place open. But now…"
She paused and looked at the half-smeared blood on the floor. "Now that you've killed one of the gang leaders, people from the underground will come looking for you. You shouldn't stay here. Please, get out while you still can. I'll run too… I can't stay here either."
Hearing her say that, I furrowed my brow.
"Wait. Hold up," I said, waving one of the thugs over.
The guy was mid-scrub when I gestured, and he scrambled over like an obedient mutt. "Y-yes sir! How can I help you?"
I narrowed my eyes. "She said people from the underground will come looking for me. What does that mean? What do you know about these gangs?"
He looked terrified just at the thought.
"S-sir… now that you've killed our gang leader, the Black Wolf Gang considers you the new leader."
"…What?"
"The moment you struck him down with one punch, you proved you're stronger than him. By our rules, you're now the leader of this gang. All the other gang leaders in the city… they'll come to find you soon. Either to get your submission… or to kill you."
My jaw clenched. "You're joking."
"I swear I'm not, sir! It's how the underground works. Every gang leader has a special device that links them to the others—it alerts them when a leader dies. They'll already know someone new took over this turf."
I stared at him for a long second.
"…You're telling me I became a gang leader by accident?"
He nodded vigorously. "Y-yes, sir! That's… how it works…"
I sighed and stared at the ceiling. "What the actual f*ck is this situation…?"
I looked at Bella, who had backed up a step in horror. She looked like she wanted to disappear.
This wasn't Earth. This was a magical world. That much had become obvious. And now here I was—accidentally crowned a gang leader because I punched a guy too hard.
I let out a tired, humorless laugh. "Maybe this isn't such a bad thing…"
An idea started forming in my mind. A dark, clever one.
If I was already seen as a gang leader, maybe I could turn this to my advantage. Form a pack—a real one. A werewolf gang. A true pack that ruled the night, hunted together, fought together, and took what it wanted.
This could be useful.
Very useful.
"I need more strength," I murmured. "Wolves don't hunt alone. We're stronger together. If I can turn these three into werewolves… my power will multiply."
My brain was spinning now. Plans formed, twisted, expanded. I could build something here—a group feared in the underground, respected in the city. A real wolf pack.
But first… information.
I turned to the thug again. "Who exactly are the people coming after me?"
He gulped. "There are 12 major gangs in the city, sir. Each has at least 4 to 8 members. We're not large in numbers, but…"
I raised a brow. "Only 4 to 8 members per gang? That's tiny."
"Well, sir," he continued nervously, "we've divided the city into territories. Each gang controls one. And all 12 gangs work under the Greenwold noble house. If we need backup, the noble house sends soldiers. So we don't need large numbers."
I folded my arms. "So you're telling me the noble house is the real force behind these gangs?"
"Yes sir."
I looked at Bella. Her face had turned pale. She'd clearly never known this. Most of the public probably didn't.
My eyes narrowed. "So the nobles monitor the gangs, and they'll know when a gang leader dies?"
"Yes sir. That's how they maintain order in the underground."
I stepped closer to Bella, my tone shifting. "Hey… I've got a proposition for you."
She flinched at my voice. "Y-yes, sir?"
"Relax. I'm not going to hurt you. From what I see… you're planning to run away, right?"
She gave a small nod. "There's nothing left for me in this city. I'll head to another town. Or live in the woods."
"What's your level?" I asked casually.
She blinked. "Level? Um… I last checked at the Temple of the Gods two months ago. I was level 7, sir."
"…Level 7?"
She nodded shyly.
"What the actual hell? That's way too low."
She looked down in shame. "I'm sorry, sir…"
I was shocked. I had expected the average city folk to be at least level 25 or even 50. This was not what I imagined. A level 7? Even a goblin could take her out.
Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind.
Lily. I called to the system. Is there a way to check people's levels?
[Yes, Host. Please check your system tab. There's an inbox message.]
Wait, what?
I have an inbox in the system? Since when?
[The inbox has been there since activation, Host. You just never looked. But after you killed the gang leader, the Wolf God sent a gift, predicting that you might want to check someone's level.]
A gift from the Wolf God?
[Yes. Please open your inbox.]
Curious and slightly excited, I opened the system menu. Sure enough, there was a message notification blinking in the top corner.
From the Wolf God himself.