Chapter 9 : The Lost Kid II
Van then threw the package in his hand and said, "Eat this."
The child hesitated for a moment as he looked at the package Van threw.
However, the delicious smell emanating from it made the child unable to resist and immediately opened it.
Without hesitation, the child eats a piece of fried chicken until it was gone in just a few seconds.
"What's your name?" Van asked.
"I don't have one." the child replied.
"How old are you? What's your birthdate?" Van asked again.
"I don't know." the child answered while chewing on the chicken thigh in his hand.
- - - - -
P.O.V. Van.
A nameless child, with no age or birthdate. Sounds like someone going through an identity crisis.
Strange, but logical.
Because the child in front of me had been abandoned since birth. This child is the product of a prostitute's relationship with an unknown customer.
One day after he was born, the poor baby was abandoned in a slum to die and become food for rats, dogs, and various other wild animals.
But it seems that the goddess of luck was still on this poor baby's side. Somehow, this unfortunate baby managed to grow up until now in good health and without any major injuries.
However, the child grew up without an identity.
No name.
No age.
No parental love.
The only thing he knew was how to eat, drink, and sleep to survive.
"Do you want a better life?" Van asked him.
"A better life?" the child asked, confused.
"A better life. You can eat and drink as much as you want." Van told him.
"Does such a thing really exist?" the child asked, with a glimmer of hope in his rainbow-colored eyes.
"There is nothing impossible in this world." Van answered briefly.
"Tell me how." the child said.
"Come with me, and I will show you how." I replied, extending his hand.
"Alright." the child said and shook my hand.
"Nice to meet you, Arthur." I said, giving him a name.
"Arthur? What is that?" he asked, confused.
"Your name." I answered.
"I see. Nice name. What about you? What's your name?" Arthur asked.
"I'm Van. Van Black." I said, introducing myself.
"Nice to meet you, Van." Arthur said, smiling at him.
Finally, the most loyal person in the world was found. The reason this child is the most important part of my plan is because of his loyalty and strength.
His loyalty is unquestionable.
He is loyal to the one who first fed him, even until his death.
In the original novel, Arthur was found by the [Gehenna Cult] and trained by them until he became a terrifying monster.
Although Arthur doesn't have the elemental attributes for magic, his talent in swordsmanship is terrifying.
So terrifying that even Oliver, a [Hero] specialized in swords, had to take the fight seriously when facing Arthur.
Moreover, Arthur's intelligence is quite high, allowing him to think calmly in any situation.
Until the end of his life, Arthur never betrayed the [Gehenna Cult]. In fact, all his actions never harmed the [Gehenna Cult].
Fortunately, Arthur was found by Van and was still very young, only 5 years old, making it easy to build the foundation of swordsmanship in him from an early age.
Therefore, Arthur's path ahead is still long.
"Finally, I've found you, you little brat."
A voice startled me. I and Arthur turned toward the entrance of the alley.
I saw a group of thugs walking toward them.
"Do you know them?" I asked Arthur.
"The thugs from the market. They might be after you." Arthur said.
"Can you fight them?" I asked Arthur.
"No, they're too strong for kids like us. How about you?" Arthur asked.
"50% sure." I replied.
Just as Arthur said, even though we had talent, it was still too early for us to fight adults.
From my calculation, these thugs were at level 10-15.
"What do you want?" I asked, alert and ready to activate [101 Shadows] if anything happened.
"A Duke of Black's son. How much do you think your ransom is?" one of the thugs said, licking his lips and walking toward us.
Seeing the thugs' arrival, without hesitation, I activated [101 Shadows].
"[Frankenstein] and [Slime]." I muttered.
The shadows beneath his feet suddenly moved as if they had a mind of their own and formed a terrifying figure.
A 3-meter-tall humanoid creature with stitches all over its pale green skin. Its eyes were empty, but its body was full of perfectly sculpted muscles, showing incredible strength.
I nodded in satisfaction at the appearance of [Shadow] before him. This [Shadow] was [Frankenstein]. [Frankenstein] was the 5th [Shadow] of [101 Shadows].
Although one level lower than [Huginn & Muninn], its power was still impressive.
The appearance of [Frankenstein] caused the temperature in the alley to drop by several degrees. Even the thugs broke into a cold sweat upon seeing [Frankenstein]. After all, everyone is afraid of something they don't understand.
Then, my shadow writhed again and released hundreds of [Slime]. Summoning both [Frankenstein] and [Slime] drained 50% of his [Mana] instantly.
*Gulp
Seeing the appearance of hundreds of [Slime], the thugs hesitated for a moment to advance.
"What are you doing? Attack him! He's just a kid!"
I saw the thug at the back shouting in frustration as he saw his subordinates hesitate.
It seemed he was the leader.
The thugs, who were initially hesitant, swallowed their fear and ran toward them.
Unfortunately, our main strength isn't me or Arthur.
[Frankenstein] stood in front of the thugs and swung his fist.
The punch, which seemed ordinary, landed on one of the thug's heads and sent him flying to the side.
After crashing into the wall, the thug's head was visibly dented.
The thug's condition was uncertain, whether he was alive or dead.
Seeing the condition of their comrade, the other thugs became terrified and dared not move forward to attack [Frankenstein].
*WHOOSH
A fireball flew past the thugs and hit [Frankenstein]'s arm.
In an instant, [Frankenstein]'s arm caught fire, disrupting its mobility.
"What are you afraid of? He's just a strange creature! Not a God!" the thug leader yelled.
"Tch." I muttered, annoyed.
I hadn't expected the thug leader to be capable of using magic. I then directed the [Slime] to assist [Frankenstein].
From behind [Frankenstein], hundreds of [Slime] appeared and spread in all directions. The [Slime] around them disrupted the thugs' vision.
I and Arthur seized the opportunity and moved forward.
A dagger appeared in my hand, and they both attacked the thugs who were busy clearing the [Slime].
"Sh*t! These [Slime] are so annoying!"
*SWISH
*SWISH
Our strikes claimed the lives of the thugs whose vision was blocked by the [Slime].
[Frankenstein] wasn't left behind and killed the thugs with a single strike.
Seconds and minutes passed, and the alley, once filled with curses, became silent and still.
*WHOOSH
*WHOOSH
"Sh*t! There are so many of them, like flies." the thug leader cursed as he shot fireballs in all directions.