REMEMBER WHEN I SAID I'D KILL YOU LAST? I LIED!

Everything was tranquil with just one more day until the contract's due date. Eli sat in with his now wife and guest tea party outside of his stores' backyard. Sifting through his memories with his Skill Second Mind; which created a photographic memory bank in his mind, that he used to methodically convert his known knowledge into saved data. Abruptly, a loud banging at the front door shattered the calm.

"Damn it! I thought this deal was too good to be true, that nothing would go wrong before the deadline,"

He muttered.

Eli sighed, rising to peer out at the storefront porch, overlooking the street.

Four thugs were pounding with their weapons on the building's defensive ward barrier, while two dazed wizards lay on the ground, victims of the offensive ward. Yet, they couldn't make a dent; all attacks were effortlessly absorbed.

Willow's protective ward was performing admirably, hardly a surprise given her ability to construct nightmares. With adequate time and resources, she could even erect wards impenetrable to an S Rank individual.

Eli observed their futile efforts for a while before deciding to intervene. He could have ignored them until they realized the futility of their attempts to breach the barrier.

Drawing his .44 revolver, he aimed at the intruders' knees and fired.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! 

The four thugs collapsed, clutching their wounds in confusion. One reached for a health potion and was going to drink it, intending to use it to flee.

Bang!

Before he could drink it, Eli put a bullet through his head.

"Now, now, boys! You're going to tell me who sent you."

Eli demanded, a grin spreading across his face as he loomed over the first man. The thug spat on Eli's suit, and instantly regretted it as he saw the revolver aimed at his head. With that act, he sealed his fate.

Bang!

Another shot rang out, claiming yet another life. He began advancing towards the remaining two thugs and two wizards, reloading his revolver. A luminous screen materialized before him as he activated his S Rank Appraisal.

The most formidable among them was a Wizard of C Rank, while the rest barely qualified as D Rank. Appraisal revealed their Stats, Job History, Affiliated Organizations, and background information of each individual.

Initially, he was astonished when he elevated that Skill to S Rank, which yielded extensive information on any targeted entity. However, it was uncommon for someone to expend 92 Skill Points to upgrade Appraisal to S Rank, as it would mean forfeiting a Job Title for a single non-combat Skill.

"Now, as I said before, you're going to tell me who sent you!"

Eli demanded once again.

"Go to hell!"

Bang!

Another life was snuffed out by the Sun Elf's 44 revolver.

"Now, now! Someone had better start talking, or my patience will run out. Here's the deal: the first one who confesses gets to live and you must tell me everything about your employer."

Eli watched as the remaining three hesitated.

Bang!

With the demise of the last thug, the two wizards were thrown into a panic, pleading for their lives.

"We'll talk!"

"We'll talk!"

They hurriedly confessed that they were hired by the same Blackheart Family contractor, who had placed a hefty order for potions worth five million Gems. 

"REMEMBER WHEN I SAID I'D SPARE YOUR LIVES?

"Yes, we remembered!"

"I LIED!"

Bang! Bang!

As the involvement of the Blackheart Family was disclosed, Tabitha emerged from the onlooking crowd and approached Eli.

"Eli, may I see the contract you signed with the Blackheart Family's contractor?"

The Sun Elf hesitated before retrieving the signed contract from his storage bag. He always kept it there as it occupied minimal space and was safeguarded from damage or loss.

Eli handed over the contract, knowing Tabitha likely had a greater understanding of business deals, given that the petite apprentice effectively managed Willow's shop on her own. He had no reservations about showing it to her for such matters.

"Dumb Ass!"

With a swift motion, Tabitha struck him on the back of the head with her broom.

"Why would you sign it without reading it thoroughly first?!"

"Well...Uhhh..."

Eli scratched his head, at a loss for words. He couldn't quite articulate that he had become accustomed to simply ticking the checkbox for Terms and Agreements, equating it to signing a contract.

"So, what's the issue with the contract, Tabitha?"

The Sun Elf brushed off his head, still reeling from the petite but fiery apprentice's outburst.

"Ahhh!"

Tabitha released an annoyed howl, but later calmed down, recognizing that Eli was a moronic genius like her master. She despised intellectual fools because they could achieve in less time what she had invested time and blood into. However, they were not entirely infallible, as they could be easily tricked.

"Well, what's done is done. Just make sure you learn from this, Eli."

"I will!"

Eli nodded, intimidated by her broom.

"If you can't deliver the potions they ordered, you'll have to refund them the full price and provide enough potions to compensate for their business loss. But who decides how much they've lost? I bet they do."

The shortstack apprentice sighed, aware of the corruption in her family business.

"So, given the severe penalty for breaching the contract, it's certain they orchestrated this to enslave you. Why else would they include such a clause?"

Tabitha shook her head in disgust at her family's practices.

Eli remained silent as the short girl reprimanded him.

"Can you complete it on time, Eli?"

The shortstack apprentice inquired, her voice tinged with worry.

"Yeah, I can."

He responded in a hushed tone. Without the potion replication tanks, he might have failed.

Now that they had hired thugs to vandalize and damage his store in broad daylight, he was determined to exact revenge.

After taking in his surroundings, he noticed a large crowd had assembled, watching with delight and even cheering him on. Eli could only stare at them, speechless, his mouth agape. He was incredulous that the public execution he had carried out had led to this spectacle.

Glancing at the adjacent buildings, he observed their owners dousing the flames from a wizard's spell that had rebounded off his building's protective barrier, yet they continued to cheer for him. The situation was beyond his comprehension.

Eli recognized that this was meant to be a fantasy realm, and that its inhabitants possessed mindsets distinct from those on Earth. Nevertheless, the fact that they were cheering for him during a public execution was utterly baffling to him.

Once the public execution's excitement waned, most of the crowd dispersed, though a few lingered, hoping for more action. Eli remained still, staring blankly, puzzled by the crowd's acceptance and even enthusiasm for his role in the execution. He couldn't fathom it.

"Hey."

A tall, muscular, middle-aged Therianthrope Bear approached him.

"What protected your building?"

He inquired, gesturing towards Eli's store.

"I invested in a protection ward to shield it from damage"

Eli responded, his mind elsewhere.

"Wow!"

The Therianthrope Bear was impressed.

"That must have been costly."

"It was, but it safeguards everything valuable to me. Had that foolish wizard succeeded in burning it down, I might have been forced to cease my business operations."

Eli explained, not entirely truthful. He had sufficient Gems to rebuild if necessary, but the wizards' actions threatened his recent profits, which irked him.

"It was meant to defend against those intending to harm my business, not against foolish wizards."

The Sun Elf muttered, clearly annoyed.

"So, you anticipate sabotage attempts, like arson?"

The Therianthrope Bear inquired, concern evident in his fidgeting.

"Given that there's already been one attempt, it's likely they might send thugs to try again at night,"

He replied nonchalantly.

"Are you completely positive?"

The Therianthrope Bear pressed, anxiety mounting.

"I'm fairly certain they might."

Eli affirmed, curious about the Therianthrope Bear's concern.

"Oh, that's troubling."

the Therianthrope Bear murmured, covering his mouth and staring at the ground.

"Why, what's the problem?"

Eli asked, interested in why the man was so concerned now.

"The insurance will compensate for any damage with a bonus for the inconvenience, just once."

Said the Therianthrope Bear, gesturing towards the neighboring two-story building.

"They'll give me enough Gems to repair and even upgrade the broken, burnt wall. However, if damages occur frequently, they won't compensate. Moreover, the Ottoman Kingdom's heir is fostering antisemitism against the Therianthrope population, accusing us of escalating the bandit problem, bringing drugs, committing crimes, stealing jobs, and worse."

"You fear your home might be targeted because of my shop or simply because you're a Therianthrope."

Eli observed, sensing an opportunity.

"Indeed, which Therianthrope wouldn't be concerned? Your store's fame is growing daily, and my wife and I worry about nationalist attacks. It's only been a month since you opened, and there's already been one incident. And now that you've married a Therianthrope, they might strike you again."

The Therianthrope Bear shared his worries.

Eli barely contained his glee.

"If you're that concerned, I'd consider buying your building for a fair price. How does 12 million Gems sound?"

"Oh, I'm not sure."

the Therianthrope Bear hesitated, yet seemed intrigued.

"You'd also retain the insurance payout and all belongings inside."

Eli added, sparking visible excitement in the man.

"MISHA! Get the kids, I sold the place. We're packing up! And we're moving, back to your family in The Union Kingdoms!"

The Therianthrope Bear shouted decisively.

"But Dimitri, we haven't received the damage payment yet! We can't leave before then!"

Protested the female Therianthrope from within.

"He's agreed to let us keep the insurance money and will pay for the house full, allowing us to take everything inside!"

Dimitri responded.

"I'm starting to pack, KIDS!!!"

The wife declared without hesitation.

RACE: Sun Elf

NAME: Eli Rivers

Level: D-

Job Level: 6

Health Points: 6,530

Mana Points: 6,465

Stamina Points: 8,570

Attunement: 13

Vitality: 13

Endurance: 17

Strength: 14

Dexterity: 19

Perception: 15

Skill: 16

Charisma: 16

Luck: 18

Skill Points: 5

Job History: Adventure, Alchemist