Solving the Problem of Money

'This should be about the time they get out of school.' I stood in the front yard of the Cultivation School just before the gates that led into the building.

It had been just a couple of hours after I finished my talk with the dean, and with those hours, I had a lot of thinking to do. It was a mess of thoughts, and with how much I had to consider, it was hard to sort through it all. But I did leave that talk with one obvious truth: I was on a hard time limit. Once the people from the Fortune Nine Sect arrived, my crimes would be exposed and I would be jailed at best, at worst... death would become a mercy. I was lucky to avoid persecution this time, but a little good luck wouldn't get me through this next leg. I needed something more definite than luck. I needed strength.

By the time the Pulchra case is solved, I'll need a high position of power within the sect. Being an elder might work... but that wasn't reassuring enough, there were enough elders to kill me off without much thought. I needed to be someone higher up, a grand elder maybe... But that would require me to create my own machine, and that would take me who knows how long. And that was also assuming I would be able to ascend to the Coal Class in this time frame.

I did have one ray of hope though, in all of its glory, the Firearm inheritance. This inheritance was the key to me being able to get where I needed to be in time. Coal Class was still a stretch, but Stone Class became a lot more attainable. If I used the Arrow Trepanation Fruit and the Talent Plunder Fruit in turn, adding in the idea that I do almost nothing besides cultivate in my free time, then I should be able to ascend to Stone Class before midterm exams.

"Oh... hey Quis..."

A skittish voice broke me out of my contemplation and I returned to the real world, taking in the view in front of me. Capcis was barely sticking out of the gate, with every other student, except for Spiravit, behind her. She seemed really nervous, though I understood why. She was directly involved in Pulchra's death, and I was the only person who knew. Maybe I would use this as blackmail in the future, maybe not.

"Hey Capcis, do you mind telling me what's going on?" There was something shady happening, I could tell. After classes ended, people left in their own groups of friends, never as one body like this. And why was Capcis leading them? I wouldn't know until I asked.

Capcis stood, stunned by my casual behavior. Was she expecting me to be depressed? I guess that I was acting like that just a little bit ago, but now I was myself, inside and outside, so I wouldn't be bothered by something as little as death. If that bothered me, then I would have stopped moving forward a long time ago.

She gathered her breath and said, unable to look me in the eye, "Um, so, you see, I got everyone here too, you know... cheer you up? But, strangely enough... you seem... alright? If anything is bothering you, or that you want, then... please tell me." She bowed a little to show her sincerity. How noble of her, to gather everyone for this even with her timid attitude. She must have cared a lot about my well-being.

I nodded and said as though nothing special happened recently, "Now that I think about it, I do need something. Today was allowance day, right? I would appreciate my cut." I put my hand out and opened it to show my palm. This and the words I just said shocked not only Capcis but everyone around her as well. I could hear people who I wasn't acquainted with talking, annoyed with my attitude while others who I had talked with before seemed genuinely worried.

I had quite a good reputation by now, an important boon no doubt. If I didn't have such a reputation, I would have probably been deemed a spy as soon as I awoke, not leaving a chance of consideration. That was one benefit of having friends, but I didn't need that benefit now that I was fully integrated into the sect. It would only get in my way.

Capcis was somehow able to calm herself and reached into her school uniform's pocket, pulling out a bag that held 20 Dschungels. She walked up to me, the nerves getting to her legs as they shook while walking toward me. When she got into range, she handed the bag over and said, "Also, Quis... I need to talk to you later..."

She went on talking, but I was tuning her out while thinking, 'This meager amount of money will never be enough for all of my Fruits. I could try to blackmail Capcis and take all of her money, but she wasn't any more well off than me, relying on the school's allowance to practice with her Fruit. Instead, I had a way easier way to make money, and lots of it too. I couldn't do this before because of the character I was playing, but now...'

"... So will you meet up with me-! UGH!" She held her stomach in pain as spit left her mouth. She looked up at me in shock, her expression asking, "Why did you just knee me?" But I didn't answer in words. I instead responded with a light punch to the kidney: enough force to hurt like hell, but not enough to knock her out. She fell to the floor in pain, covering her side.

I reached down and unlatched the bag attached to her side. I tossed the bag in the air a couple of times, confirming the contents with the jingling sound of coins before holding it in a tight grasp. I now placed my attention on the other people present, and under their bewildered gazes said, "I don't remember mentioning how much my cut was... how about... everyone's allowance, that seems fair."

After hearing my words a stunned silence spread throughout the group of 20, but was soon cut short by the shouts of two familiar faces.

"Guys, come on! This is Quis we're talking about! I admit his skill with his Fruit is great, but when it comes to close combat, well, he's shit."

"Yea, don't worry about this, Gallile, and I will reteach this brat his place."

It was both of Spiravit's closest goons, and they were more confident than ever. I would be too if I had already beaten the person in question multiple times over, but this time he was definitely on the wrong side.

The one called Gallile rushed at me and threw a clumsy punch my way. I simply moved to the side and grabbed his outstretched wrist, causing an end to both his momentum physically and mentally. In his trance at my efficient method of dodging his attack, I kicked him in the rib cage. He normally would have been kicked to the ground, but since I was still holding onto his wrist, his body only went up a little. I used this opportunity to kick him a couple more times before suddenly taking control of his limp body and rotating while using him as a shield.

His face went back a little as the punch aimed at me landed on his nose. I threw the mindless boy at the person who just tried to punch me, causing him to stumble back and fall to the ground. I took advantage of his prone position and carefully stomped on his stomach, it would do no good to kill another, so I made sure to pay that mind. He lay sprawled on the ground, out cold, with his friend on top of him still writhing in pain.

I reached down and took 20 Dschungels from them both. They had more on them, but it was good to know when to stop. Excessive greed would only cause me hardship in the future.

I turned to the students who were gawking at the strange situation that had befallen and said, my eyes duller than before, "To be honest, I would like to just take what I need and go without hurting you people. But if you refuse to hand the money over, then I'll have to force it out like those two." Capcis was also beaten, but she was just an example, not one needed for me to get her money.

Most were nervous and I even saw some backup, but then one man with enough courage you could call it foolishness spoke up, "Come on people! There are 18 of us and one of him, there is no way we can lose if we all attack him at once."

Once the others heard his words, the mass began to regain confidence, and similar speeches spread like a plague: "He-He's right! So what if Quis is a little good with his hands? We have numbers on our side!", "He can't use his Fruit either, so us winning is inevitable!", "Alright everyone, charge!"

They all charged at me, readying themselves to punch or kick me. I only shook my head at such foolish behavior. Yes, the man was right, I wouldn't be able to do anything if 18 experienced fighters attacked me all at once, the keyword there being "experienced". This group of ragtag green ears wouldn't do anything by adding more people besides hurting their chances of victory even more.

I used my hand to vault over the leading man, and using my increased speed, drop-kicked the person behind him. This caused the vaultie to fall over, the person I kicked to hit the floor in pain, and the people behind him to topple over. That was one out of commission and four others temporarily prone. I was also on the ground, but that wasn't as bad as one may think. After having to fight from the ground enough times, you get good at it.

I used my low position to sweep the legs of those near me, lest they try to dog-pile me. I used my momentum to get myself up in one jump before stomping on some prone bodies. I wasn't able to aim clearly due to there being many, but I was able to knock four out and put two others into submission with pain before the next wave caught up to me.

They were a bit more cautious, not attacking me immediately. A smart move when you haven't seen your opponent's power, but a foolish one when you already have. Since they gave up on the initiative, I naturally took it and leaped, head extended outward, into the face of an unsuspecting victim. By the time she and her broken nose hit the floor, I had already punched the solar plexus of another nearby girl.

This went on for a while, this one-sided rampage. Most had fallen without the chance to strike me back, and those that did only delayed their passing out for a little while longer. It was soon that every student that had originally come to cheer me up laid on the ground either passed out or filled with enough pain that they couldn't bring themselves to get back up. Under the watchful eyes of the guards who let this whole thing happen, I went up to every person on the ground and claimed my 360 Dschungels.

I flipped the full bag of coins with satisfaction. Like this, I was suddenly able to cultivate as much as I needed to. Though I still needed to find Spiravit later and make him pay his tax. Of course, he had another purpose as well. From now on I needed to make it a part of my schedule to seek him out every couple days and give him a good thrashing.

It wasn't like I was doing this out of revenge or something as silly as that. No, the only thing I needed was a good victim for my Talent Plunder Fruit.

I turned in the direction of the Fruit Hall and, not bothering to dodge the couple of bodies that lay in my path, walked forward, 'I'll do that later tonight, he'll be easier to find that way. For now, I need to make a trip the Fruit Hall. After all, it would be a shame if the only Fruits I had rotted away in my Duranian before I could grow more.'

A shame that would be.