Hidden thoughts

Pana asked following a brief pause. ''W-what are you saying, boss? It's a joke right? ''

She didn't believe Raydon could be an item holder given his frail appearance.

Everyone stared in astonishment at Raydon, all of them thinking the same thing. What on earth was an item holder doing in this shithole?

''It's not a joke. He was the one who saved Dan's life today. '' Karan said.

''Ash Skin Gang attacked us today. The boss was going to sacrifice his life to save us, but he easily killed that man and saved all of us. '' Phil jumped in excitedly.

''Yes, yes. You should have seen this. That enormous guy, hmm... I think he was about three meters tall, with a bazooka in his hand, as he was shooting at Dan, brother Raydon jumped in front of the missile, and guess what? BAM… With only using his head he blocghmmhm'' Fatty was ranting again when he was silenced by a piece of bread stuck in his mouth.

''Can't you at least keep quiet during such a serious conversation, '' Karan snapped.

The color of Pana's face started to dwindle as she listened to the others confirm the incident. Finally, she collapsed into her chair.

She reflected on what she had said previously. She did a little shouting and raising of her voice, but she didn't go too far, did she?

She was thinking about what she had done in her head as she caught a glimpse of Raydon out of the corner of her eye, but when she realized Raydon wasn't looking at her, she took a deep breath and made the decision to simply disappear by slouching into the chair.

Dan turned back to Raydon and spoke when there was once more silence. ''Thanks a lot for offering your help, I really am thankful.''

He looked down for a while and appeared to be deep in thought. He continued after taking another look into Raydon's eyes. ''Are you really going to help us? ''

He was unable to grasp the motivation behind Raydon's offer of assistance. They had just met today, which wasn't even a normal encounter. If Raydon were an ordinary person, they most likely would have just robbed him of his money.

Raydon was initially met with hostility, but somehow things progressed to the point where he offered to assist them. Not wanting to turn down his offer of help, Dan didn't ask why; instead, he simply questioned whether he was sincere.

''I am serious in my offer of help. If you accept, I will help you. '' Everyone abruptly rose to their feet, with Raydon's words.

''Really? It's not a dream, right? '' One of the old men said with wide eyes.

''It's unbelievable. We finally found a backer. We can now live without fear of losing our lives.'' With tears in her eyes, one of the little girls spoke.

''Eventually, our young people won't risk their lives in order to support us elderly people any longer. I am so happy. '' The aunts had already begun to cry, unable to hold back their tears.

Nobody questioned Raydon's status as an item holder after hearing what Dan and others had to say. They had complete faith in them. Raydon, on the other hand, was an item holder. Normal people regarded them as gods who sent down rain when they were sad and earthquakes when they were furious. If an item holder said he would help them, it meant their absolute salvation.

Even if their enemy had another item holder, they had already started to feel confident that everything would work out thanks to Raydon's presence.

After receiving heartfelt thanks from everyone, Raydon spoke once more. ''I said I would help you, but there are some conditions.''

Everyone fell silent once more and focused their attention entirely on what Raydon had to say. They were willing to accept whatever terms he offered.

Seeing that everyone was listening intently to him, Raydon continued.

''First and foremost, I will not engage in a direct fight with anyone other than Item Holder, who is standing behind your enemy. So, whatever your issue is with the other gang, you must resolve it among yourselves.''

Raydon's words caused everyone's faces to fall. True, their hands were tied because an item holder was hiding behind the enemy, but that was not their only problem. The enemy gang outnumbered them as well, and the majority of their own side consisted of children and the elderly who were unable to fight.

''Brother, really? So, don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to be ungrateful, but I don't think we have a chance in one-on-one combat with the enemy gang. After all, we're only a few people who can actually fight, and the other gang has weapons. '' Dan said hurriedly.

While the crowd was quietly discussing and assessing the situation, Raydon raised his hand, and everyone fell silent once more.

''I haven't mentioned my condition yet.'' Raydon said with a smile. Even though it wasn't exactly the same, the smile on his face resembled the menacing grin he always wore during fights.

''As I previously stated, I will only fight the enemy Item Holder; however, I will teach you how to fight the enemy gang. I'll give you the power to fend them off. If you accept my offer, I will put you through torturous training where you will frequently wish to die, but eventually, you will become very powerful.''

Raydon fell silent and watched the crowd. Everyone was gulping at his demonic words.

He continued once he was satisfied with everyone's reaction. ''So, if you obey my every command and finish this training, you will have a chance to defeat them.''

Everyone was once again lost in thought. It wasn't the assistance they had hoped for, but it had to be better than nothing, right?

''What are you still thinking for? No training can intimidate me. I accept. '' The old senile man said, jumping on the table. Spit was coming out of his gaping, toothless mouth as he yelled.

With the old man's encouragement, they all began shouting enthusiastically. Even if it meant dying in the process, they would still do it. They had to regain their peaceful lives.

''Good, then we can start. '' Once again, Raydon smiled evilly.