Inside the hotel room.
The gang members were sprawled out all over the floor, weapons scattered carelessly to the side.
At some point, the door had been shut, and even the men guarding outside had been dragged in.
The room echoed with groans of pain, occasionally interrupted by curses and threats.
But Kevin wasn't fazed. He dragged over a chair, placed it in front of the group, and sat down leisurely.
"You. Tell me what you're here for." Kevin pointed at one of the gangsters.
"You're done for. Do you even know who you've messed wi—" the man started threatening, sobbing between words, but before he could finish, Kevin kicked him square in the face.
It was a brutal kick. The man's face instantly distorted, blood sprayed everywhere, and it was unclear whether he was even still alive.
"What, don't understand human language? Do I have an accent or something?" Kevin muttered, then pointed at another.
"You better—" this one tried to say.
BANG! Another kick.
He collapsed immediately, groaning in agony.
In the pile of bodies, Light was drenched in cold sweat. He knew they had seriously messed with the wrong person this time.
His thoughts were in chaos as he tried to calm himself and think clearly.
Just then, because of how he was lying, a folded piece of paper slipped out of his shirt pocket.
The moment he saw the paper, Light's eyes widened.
He remembered the prophecy poem.
The black letter—yes, the one they'd received at noon today—and it matched the verbal instructions perfectly.
"The jackal who cannot refuse heads east with his fangs in tow"—wasn't that exactly what their mission this morning had been?
He subconsciously looked at Kevin.
"The newborn beast detests disrespect—those who speak out of turn will suffer"—that perfectly described what was happening to him now.
Maybe it was because he had spoken earlier, so after being thrown in, he got hit harder than the others. But at least he wasn't dead.
Kevin, meanwhile, was starting to lose patience.
"You. I'm almost out of patience." He pointed directly at Light.
Light's mind raced, recalling the phrases from the prophecy.
He hesitated for a moment, then finally spoke.
"S-sorry. We didn't mean any harm. Honestly, we're just messengers. I don't even know the full content of what we were supposed to tell you."
He spoke honestly about everything he knew.
And at this point, no one was likely to blame him for doing so.
Kevin finally lowered his foot, giving a small nod. Then he looked down at one of the collapsed men.
"You. What was your name again?" Kevin asked.
The boss, who had just regained consciousness, groaned from the pain but answered with a trembling voice, "Bruto. My name is Bruto."
"Right. Bruto. Now tell me—what exactly are you all doing here?"
If Kevin hadn't sensed that none of them had any killing intent, this wouldn't have ended with just a few injuries.
Bruto nodded frantically, forcing himself to speak despite the pain. "I'm here under orders from the sixth son of the Tedorca family—Saro Tedorca."
Saro Tedorca? Kevin had no recollection of this name. But that wasn't too surprising. His memories were fractured—any unimportant details were long gone.
He was certain, though, that he had never dealt directly with a major crime family like this one.
"What did he want?" Kevin asked.
"Saro-sama said… said…" Bruto stammered.
"Spit it out," Kevin said impatiently.
"He said he wants you to come back. Asked if you've had enough fun out here. Those were his words, not mine—I'm just the messenger.
He also said not to think that a little power makes you untouchable. In his eyes, your power is nothing.
He asked if you really plan to betray him.
If you return now and continue working for him, he'll overlook your betrayal.
But if not…" Bruto trailed off again.
Kevin frowned. Bruto immediately continued, "But if not, he'll be forced to use stronger measures. And he said not to blame him—he's already given you a fair warning."
Kevin nodded slightly, then asked, "Tell me more. Who exactly is this Saro guy?"
He was beginning to piece things together. This Saro must have been someone the original Kevin had worked with.
Back then, the original Kevin had needed tons of materials for his research—running experiments, gathering samples, and more. It all required massive funding.
Even if he had graduated from a prestigious school as a pharmacist, there was no way he could have raised that much on his own. So it made sense he'd worked with the local mafia.
Most of the potions he created were sold to this family. In fact, they were the only ones who could afford them—and they didn't allow him to sell to anyone else.
Kevin had figured out these details from looking at ledgers and records of material transactions, though the original Kevin hadn't written down the names of his clients.
Clearly, he had been more focused on biotech and didn't care to document anything else.
Now, it seemed the other side had tracked him down. Trouble indeed.
But it made sense. If they knew about Nen, then they must also know just how rare and valuable Kevin's ability could be. To a crime family, that kind of power was priceless.
"The Tedorca family is one of the Ten Dons—who control the world's underground organizations. Their current head is one of the Ten Dons," Bruto explained.
"And Saro is his sixth son."
Sounds like a big deal.
Kevin brushed dust off himself and started walking toward the door.
As he left, he said, "Go tell your boss that our partnership is over. Let's part ways on good terms.
I'll let you go this time as a parting gift. But if there's a next time, he'd better be ready to pay the price."
Bruto didn't dare say a word—he just nodded furiously. None of them wanted to provoke this monster of a man again.
"Phew, he's finally gone."
"That guy… Who the hell is he?"
Just as the gangsters began whispering among themselves, Kevin's voice came from the door again. Instantly, they all froze like chickens with their necks wrung.
"Oh right—don't forget to pay for the damages. You wrecked the hotel room, so cough up compensation.
And cover my room bill too. Consider that your apology."
"Y-yes sir!" Bruto replied loudly, terrified that any hesitation would bring Kevin storming back in.
Only after Kevin was truly gone did the room fill with the sound of ragged breathing.
"What a nightmare. No one told us that guy was this powerful."
"If I'd known, I would've shown up with flowers and a bow."
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