NOVPUB
Chapter 67: Western Wastes
All three stepped out of the bar and followed Kayn.
"Where are we going?" Eva asked calmly.
"Western Wastes," Kayn replied without turning around.
"Western Wastes?" Daniel raised an eyebrow.
"The lowest part of this city. A place layered with filth and corruption... If you want to learn anything about those bandits you killed, there’s only one person who might help—and he’s there," Kayn nodded.
"So we’re going to see a gangster, huh?" Daniel smirked, crossing his arms.
"Sort of. He’s useless himself, but he’s one of the top subordinates of one of the city’s big mafia bosses. So, he usually has decent info—hopefully," Kayn said with a half-smile.
They continued in silence. The streets slowly changed—fancy buildings turned into cracked walls, shattered windows, and muddy roads.
Trash and cigarette butts piled in alley corners. The air reeked of rot, smoke, and despair.
"I want to see Black Scar," Kayn said as he stopped, his eyes locking onto a man with a large tattoo on his arm—twisted horns and a black star.
The man gave them a cold glance and nodded. Without a word, he led them to one of the few relatively intact and slightly luxurious buildings in the area—a small mansion with curtained windows and a black metal door.
"Wait here. I’ll let him know," the man said as he opened the door.
"Huh... Not bad. Didn’t expect something like this here," Eva muttered as the door closed. She glanced at the building’s exterior.
"The boss gave permission. Follow me," the man returned after a few minutes.
They entered the mansion. The main hall was dark, lit only by dim yellow lights. The air was thick with the smell of smoke and alcohol.
At the end of the hall, sitting on a large leather chair, was a man—tall, muscular, with a black scar stretching from his temple to his lips, splitting his face in two.
A cigarette burned at the corner of his mouth. Two women in tight outfits lounged beside him, fake smiles on their faces.
Behind him and around the hall stood over ten heavily armed men—some with axes, others with large swords.
"Heh. Kayn... Didn’t expect to see you again so soon," Black Scar said in a deep, gravelly voice.
"Honestly... me neither. Didn’t want to, didn’t plan to," Kayn shrugged. If he didn’t have to, he really wouldn’t come to this two-faced bastard.
Meanwhile, Daniel’s gaze locked on the man, and his eyes briefly glinted with surprise.
This Black Scar was a False B-rank Awakened. Those who failed right at the threshold of true B-rank were called False ranks—like False C-rank and so on.
People like Black Scar were stronger than all C-ranks but still weaker than true B-ranks.
"So... What do you want, Kayn?" Black Scar leaned forward, crushed his cigarette in the ashtray, and asked.
"Heard a group of bandits got massacred last night," Kayn said.
Black Scar laughed.
"Massacred? More than that. Their organs were ripped out like a hungry beast tried to eat them."
"What?" Kayn frowned.
"That’s it. If you’re done asking questions, you can go now." Black Scar raised a hand dismissively.
"We want to know why the city guard is making such a fuss about it. And... if you know who did it," Kayn began, but Daniel stepped forward and said:
Black Scar’s eyes narrowed slightly, and for the first time, he took a closer look at Daniel.
"And who the hell are you, kid?" Black Scar let out a dry, dragging laugh, his voice like stone scraping metal.
"Just a regular person," Daniel replied casually.
A brief silence... then amused chuckles echoed around them. Some of the gangsters began whispering:
"Who’s this guy?!"
"Idiot..."
"Think he’s at a party, not Black Scar’s den..."
"Let him talk a bit more, the boss will crush him himself."
"Wow... finally found someone worse than me," Kayn sighed loudly under his breath.
Eva gave Daniel a sideways glance and shrugged.
"Kid... I don’t know anything about what you want. Go look somewhere else," Black Scar dropped his smile and frowned. He flicked the cigarette away and said in a cold tone:
"Forget it. Let’s go. We’re not getting anything out of this trash," Daniel was about to speak, but Kayn put a hand on his shoulder and said:
"Why?" Daniel turned and whispered.
"This bastard loves money. Would sell his own grandma. But when he says he doesn’t know something, it means one of two things... either he really doesn’t know, or he’s scared," Kayn said tiredly.
Kayn turned to leave... but just then, the sound of something metallic hitting the ground broke the silence.
Clink.
"Take whatever it’s worth. Just talk." A shining gold bar slid into the center of the hall, gleaming under the dim ceiling lights. Daniel spoke nonchalantly.
"Oh?" Black Scar narrowed his eyes.
"What the hell are you doing?" Kayn turned back angrily, voice low but full of warning.
"Probably going to attack us now, right?" Daniel said blankly.
"You knew and still did it?" Kayn smirked. What kind of lunatic is this?
Daniel shrugged.
"I don’t know anything... but hey, I can sell you the right to walk out of here alive," Black Scar chuckled slowly.
"Hand over everything you’ve got," he said, pointing a finger.
"And if I don’t?" Daniel narrowed his eyes.
Black Scar suddenly shoved the women beside him away, stomped out his second cigarette, and stood up.
The sound of him rising echoed like a monster’s roar through the silence.
Two meters tall, built like an armored tank, black tattoos crawling from neck to wrist, and that thunder-shaped scar tearing across his face.
He took a step forward, and the ground seemed to tremble with it.
And then—
His aura burst out.
A dark, suffocating wave of power flooded the hall. The windows rattled, curtains fluttered, and even the old chandelier creaked.
Eva stepped back, pale-faced—her heart pounding hard. She felt like she might suffocate under this aura.
"Either you die here and that pretty lady becomes my new toy." Black Scar stood right in front of them, a sinister smile spreading across his face as he looked at Daniel and Kayn.
