Tsugi No Level-Chapter 80: The bounty goes live

Two men are standing in an office, one is directly behind his desk and the other is standing to his side. The one behind the desk lays down 7 cards and spreads them out. The cards have X's and O's on them at the top.

"Remember, only speak when spoken to and don't ask any questions."

"Yeah, I know. You've told me. I know he is ranked in the top 10 of the dark list, but at the end of the day, he is just a bounty hunter, so he should respect us agents, right?"

Footsteps can be heard in the hallway as Noir approaches. His physique was big and domineering, his clothing all black, and his eyes dark and deep like the abyss. He opens the door, walks into the office, and walks straight to the desk. He extends his hand to greet the first man, and they shake hands. His grip is strong, so much so that the man behind the desk is doing his best to hide the pain showing on his face. Noir, as a greeting, nods.

"Hope, all is well," Noir says in a deep voice.

The man behind the desk answers while subduing the agony that might reveal itself in his voice. "It is."

The handshake ends, and Noir turns and faces the other man. And once again in the exact same tone, says.

"Hope, all is well."

"It is, and how are you?"

The man behind the desk immediately reacts.

"Mr. Noir, he didn't mean anything by it. I'm training him, and he doesn't fully understand the rules yet."

Noir raises his hand, and the man behind the desk silences himself and puts his head down in misery. Noir now takes a step towards the other man. His presence seems to have increased tenfold. The other man is starting to shake in fear, unclear of what he has just done.

"Do you have a wife or kids?" Noir asks him.

"No, I don't," the other man nervously answers him.

"Are your parents still alive?" Noir follows up.

"No, my mother passed away 2 weeks ago, and my dad died when I was young." The other man replies while looking anxiously at the man behind the desk. But their eyes don't meet because the other party still has their head down.

"What is your interest in my personal well-being?" Noir inquires.

"Excuse me." The man stammers.

""How are you?" Is that not you asking about my personal life and current status?" Noir questions in a more threatening voice.

"No, it's just something you say." The man retorts.

In one fell swoop, the man's head is removed from his body. It was so fast and swift that the man was still able to process the fact that he was looking at his own body from a very unique perspective. His body falls to the ground. Noir kneels down and places the decapitated head right above the neck.

"May you be more polite and sincere in the next life," Noir whispers to the corpse in front of him.

Noir then stands back up and returns to stand in front of the desk. The man still has his head down to avoid eye contact. Noir looks at the man with no emotions as he starts talking.

"Anonymity is the key to survival for those who seek justice. Your friend didn't understand that. You should have taught him better." Noir explains to the man behind the desk.

"I will, I apologize for his rude behavior." The man says while still keeping his head down.

Noir looks at the pictures on the desk. His eyes pop open in surprise as he sees Braverte's picture amongst them.

"What did they do?" Noir asks.

"They killed innocent civilians. Injured students at a private university. Destroyed public property and upset the local economy. They are also a high-ranking professor at the school and threatened a governor." The man explains.

"They have fully stepped into the light," Noir says as he grabs all the cards.

"There is an extra reward if you are able to successfully kill Braverte. But that will only be given if you deliver the body to a specific place, which will be disclosed after you claim the bounty." The man adds on.

"Understood. Thank you for your time."

After that final exchange, Noir makes his way out of the room. And the man collapses into his chair and looks at the dead body on the floor. He thinks to himself that he is going to have to redo the carpeting again.

As Noir walks back to his ship, he reviews the cards once more because something is off. X means the price you will receive if the body is delivered dead, and O is what you'll receive if the body is delivered alive. When looking at Demo's card, he sees something weird. There are only O's on his card. This is usually reserved for high-ranking officials or royalty. But now it's attached to some random kid's card. And what's even more surprising is that the bounty for Cleus is almost as high as that of Braverte. What could this young man have done to warrant the same price as someone as notorious as Braverte, who used to be on the dark list's top 10?

Noir steps into his ship, spreads the cards out and takes a picture of the cards, and sends it to someone. He then sits down in the pilot's chair.

"Set a course for Hominidae," Noir instructs the ship.

"Affirmative." The onboard AI replies.

The ship then sets off, and Noir sits in silence as it does. Back on Hominidae, Braverte and Pulmo are walking back towards their mansion.

"Pulmo, I think we have a problem. I knew that the politicians were looking the other way while MYOS ravaged this planet. But I figured it was just apathy or, at worst, they would use it as an excuse to attack the less fortunate. But it seems they might have been in on it." Braverte states as they come closer to the mansion.

"Kill them all," Pulmo says without blinking.

"Was that a question? Or...?" Braverte asks, slightly surprised by her response.

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Pulmo doesn't answer, but the look on her face says enough.

"I know how you feel. Let's see what the young ones have decided."

Chapter 80 fin