"Chapter 81: The Unscrupulous Landlord"

The three entered the bar, instantly catching the attention of Maine's group, who had been chatting and laughing animatedly. What drew their attention were the smiling faces of Alex and the girls, as if they'd just experienced something incredibly amusing.

Maine raised an eyebrow, surprised to see Rebecca hanging on Alex's back like a backpack, unable to figure out what had caused so much laughter.

"I see you're back," Dorio said, watching them walk in.

Alex glanced around, noticing that their cheerful expressions had clearly drawn everyone's attention. He shrugged slightly and smiled.

"Yeah, we got held up a bit, but everything's sorted," he replied, taking a seat at the bar.

His ease and nonchalance surprised everyone. They all looked at Alex, then at Rebecca, who was still clinging to him.

This caused some astonishment since she was usually tough and unapproachable. Pilar, her brother, sat with a satisfied grin and gave Alex a thumbs-up.

"What kind of situation held you up so long?" Maine asked, glancing between Alex and Lucy, who had already sat down and ordered a drink.

Alex hesitated, unsure of how to respond without sounding like a guy who solves all his problems with violence.

"Before I answer... what would you do if someone refused to pay for a delivery?" he asked, clearly wanting to gauge Maine's opinion before continuing.

Lucy and Rebecca exchanged glances, not understanding why he was asking but choosing not to interrupt. Maine smirked at Alex, as if he already knew the answer.

"If the customer refuses to pay, beat them so badly their own mother wouldn't recognize them. That usually works, and they find the money pretty quick," he said with a grin.

Alex realized that Rebecca had been right when she suggested beating the crap out of the guy who refused to pay. He still wasn't sure how hard he was allowed to go, but since Maine had suggested leaving the person on the brink of death, it was clear — he could hit hard.

"Well, that makes it simple," Alex said with a slight smile.

Gloria gave him a suspicious look, clearly trying to figure out why he'd asked such a question. When Maine answered, she guessed that Alex had probably beaten up Rizz — the guy they were delivering to.

Her gaze grew more attentive since she had always seen Alex as a caring and kind person, and now he had beaten a stranger just for refusing to pay.

"Did he really beat him up?" flashed through her mind as she waited for his explanation.

Alex looked at Maine and, with a satisfied smile, began explaining the reason for their delay.

"That's why I asked. When we got to Rizz's apartment, he refused to pay," Alex said, glancing at Lucy for backup.

Maine's group immediately shifted their attention to Lucy, who nodded in confirmation. Then they all looked at Rebecca, still hanging on Alex's back with a mischievous grin. It became clear that since she was smiling like that, Alex must have used force.

"And what did you do?" Maine asked, clearly interested in how Alex had handled it.

"First, I asked the girls what to do since this was my first time dealing with a situation like this," Alex replied, lighting a cigarette.

Rebecca wrinkled her nose in disapproval at the smoke, which didn't escape Alex's notice.

"And then?" Dorio asked, waiting for him to continue.

"Rebecca suggested I beat the crap out of him," Alex said with a smirk.

Rebecca nodded, her grin growing even wider, but she quickly scrunched her nose again at the smell of the cigarette and tried to snatch it from Alex.

He simply lifted his hand higher so she couldn't reach it. Frustrated, she slid off his back, not forgetting to give him a jab in the side. Alex just laughed, watching her antics.

Pilar gave Alex another thumbs-up, but Rebecca noticed and immediately punched her brother in the stomach, causing him to curl up like a shrimp once again.

"Enough dragging it out, everyone wants to know what happened next," Maine said, expressing the general sentiment.

Alex smiled sheepishly and decided to continue his story about how he dealt with Rizz, who refused to pay.

"Ahem... Well, once I got the green light for any actions, I just kicked in his apartment door and gave him a beating," Alex said with a grin.

Everyone around burst into laughter, except Gloria, who watched him intently as if she were seeing a completely different person. Lucy, who was part of the scene, didn't laugh but smiled slightly. Her gaze fell on the cigarette in Alex's hand, and deciding to try it, she pulled it from his fingers and took a drag.

"Ugh, a bit bitter... But there's something to that bitterness," Lucy thought, exhaling the smoke.

Alex calmly watched as Lucy took his cigarette, saying nothing. He simply pulled out a new one and lit it. Everyone continued to laugh, but he patiently waited for them to grasp the meaning of his words.

"Wait, seriously? You really kicked in Rizz's apartment door?" Maine finally asked, stopping his laughter and looking at Alex with surprise.

At these words, the whole group fell silent and stared at Alex as if he were some kind of monster. Gloria also looked at him, but a hint of concern flashed in her eyes—she was clearly worried that Alex might reveal his true power.

"I told you, I'm special," he replied with a slight smile, shrugging his shoulders.

"Well, if you say so," Maine said, clearly not wanting to delve deeper into the topic. However, he understood that Alex was clearly no ordinary person—kicking in a door just like that wasn't something everyone could do.

"And how did you make him pay?" Falco asked, now looking at Alex with more interest.

But before Alex could answer, Rebecca intervened, clearly eager to tell the story herself.

"When he kicked in the door, he immediately punched the bastard in the face and knocked him to the floor!" she said with a cheerful smile.

Everyone immediately turned their attention to Rebecca and waited for more.

"And then, while he was lying there, Alex calmly started explaining what he now had to pay for," she continued, smirking.

Everyone looked at Alex, who now put on an innocent face as if he were completely blameless.

"Well, it sort of happened by accident. And besides, he asked for it," Alex said, feigning innocence.

Lucy gave him a look, noting the stark contrast between his innocent expression now and the self-satisfied grin he had when he kicked in the door.

"Yeah, of course, it's his fault that you broke his door down and demanded money for 'moral damage,'" Lucy quipped.

Alex looked at her with a slight reproachful expression, as if she had betrayed him. But Lucy just smiled sweetly, not intending to justify his actions.

"And what compensation did you get from him?" Maine asked, now curiously eyeing Alex.

"Well, since he didn't want to pay right away, he now owes for the broken door... and for the knocked-out teeth that I, so to speak, knocked out as moral compensation," Alex said with that same childlike innocent smile, as if he'd just been caught in a prank.

Maine smiled, realizing that Alex had acted in a reasonable manner. If someone else had been in Alex's place, Rizz would likely have ended up in a far worse state. Many delivery people in Night City were reckless, and they certainly didn't hesitate to protect their cargo.

"You did the right thing, chum. If it had been someone else, Rizz would definitely be in a much worse state," Maine said, giving Alex a thumbs-up.

Alex tilted his head slightly, looking at Maine with a hint of confusion about what he was getting at.

"Being a runner involves risks. There will always be someone who wants to take your goods. That's why only experienced and skilled people become runners," Falco explained, noticing Alex's bewilderment.

Gloria watched Alex closely, waiting for his reaction. When she realized that Maine was offering him a courier job, she felt a flicker of concern. However, remembering his strength, she calmed down. What worried her more was the kind of trouble Alex might face if things went wrong.

"Oh, I see. Well, the job's easy, nothing complicated," Alex said nonchalantly, as if it were a trivial matter for him.

"You're not angry, are you, chum? I just wanted to test your skills and reaction in such a situation. Besides, it was just a simple delivery," Maine clarified, looking at Alex, who still maintained a calm smile.

Alex looked at Maine in surprise, not understanding why he would be angry. Courier work was a trivial matter compared to what he had dealt with before. It was better this way than fighting ancient gods wanting to consume him.

"Maine, why would I be angry? Compared to what I've done before, this is nothing," Alex replied with a smile, giving a thumbs-up.

Everyone in the room stared at him in surprise, not expecting such a casual attitude towards courier work.

"And what did you do before, if it's not a secret?" Maine asked, looking at him with interest.

Alex paused for a moment. He knew that if he told the truth, no one would believe him. They'd think he was just joking.

"Well, for example, I hunted a dragon and fought a terrifying god who tried to bring Chaos into the world," he said with a slight smirk, as if it were just another ordinary day.

The group couldn't hold back and laughed. It seemed to them that Alex was joking and spinning tall tales. Only Gloria remained serious and looked at him with suspicion. She was concerned about why Alex so easily shared such things.

"And what does 'hunting a dragon' and 'killing a god' even mean?" she wondered, staring at him intently.

Alex, understanding that no one would take the truth seriously, decided not to disrupt their fun. Let them not believe for now; it might even be for the best.

"If you were hunting dragons, then I'm a noble knight in shining armor," Maine joked, trying to stop laughing.

"And where's your princess then?" Alex raised an eyebrow, looking at Maine with a playful smile.

Maine laughed and hugged Dorio around the neck, pulling her closer. She only lightly elbowed him in the stomach, making him wince slightly, but he didn't remove his arm, continuing to smile.

Alex, smiling, gave a thumbs-up in approval.

"Did you run into any other problems on the way back?" Maine asked, still holding Dorio.

Lucy only gave a crooked smile, while Rebecca's face lit up with a wide grin, remembering their encounter with the "Tiger Claws" gang.

"Well, we ran into some gang members, and I had a pleasant chat with them," Alex said with a mysterious smile.

Maine clearly didn't believe him. He had seen Lucy's slight smirk and Rebecca's wide grin as if she was remembering something very amusing.

"Yeah, sure. You had a nice chat with the thugs, and they just left? Don't make me laugh. Spill the details," Maine said with a grin, understanding that something interesting must have happened.

Alex glanced at Lucy for support, but she turned away, unwilling to help. He then shifted his gaze to Rebecca, who was eagerly nodding like a child waiting for a new story.

"You were there," Alex thought to himself, realizing he would have to tell the truth, albeit without too many details.

"Well, I showed them a few tricks, and they decided to leave like obedient children," Alex said, trying to downplay the harsher details of what had happened.

Everyone looked at him with mild skepticism, but the mood in the room remained upbeat. Rebecca was already anticipating the next adventure, and Lucy, though not intervening, listened to his story with interest.

Maine, still smiling skeptically, shook his head.

Maine looked at Alex with suspicion, as if expecting him to be withholding something important. His gaze shifted to Lucy, who had awkwardly looked away, clearly not wanting to get involved in the conversation. Despite the amusement she had gained from watching the "magic show," she wasn't keen on revealing any details. Maine quickly realized that Lucy wouldn't provide any useful information and turned his gaze back to Rebecca, who was practically bouncing with impatience.

"So, Rebecca, maybe you could share the details?" Maine asked, squinting as he watched her barely contain herself from spilling everything at once.

Alex cast a warning look at Rebecca, trying to signal her not to give away too much. But Rebecca didn't seem to pick up on this cue—instead, she gave him a thumbs-up, confidently promising that everything would be fine.

Realizing that Rebecca hadn't understood his intentions, Alex sighed quietly and placed a hand on his forehead. He already envisioned being exposed and labeled as strange.

"Everyone's going to think I'm out of my mind again," Alex mentally sighed, watching the start of her story.

Rebecca enthusiastically began describing how gang members had harassed them, trying to flirt with her and Lucy, and then smoothly transitioned to the moment Alex intervened.

She recounted with genuine delight how Alex had performed a "magic show with coins" for the thugs, and when she reached the part where Alex started beating up the gang members, her face lit up with the same mischievous grin he had back then.

Gloria listened to the story carefully and looked at Alex with new thoughts. He had seemed kind and caring to her before, but now she realized that beneath this outward kindness lay something darker. However, she quickly shook her head, reminding herself that Alex was the person who had helped her and did so without asking for anything in return.

"Well, everyone has their quirks," she thought with a smile, listening to Rebecca's tale.

Alex, feeling embarrassed as he watched the group engrossed in Rebecca's story, turned his head to Lucy and rested his face on her shoulder. He didn't know how else to react to what was happening.

Lucy raised an eyebrow, feeling his closeness, but seeing his embarrassed face, she gently patted his head, trying to soothe him.

"He's so embarrassed now, completely different from how he was before," Lucy thought with a tender smile, watching him.

Rebecca finished her story, looking proudly at Alex, clearly confident that she had done everything right. But noticing him resting his head on Lucy's shoulder, she felt a pang of mild jealousy. She couldn't understand why she felt this way, but she didn't like it. Thoughts of interrupting their moment flickered through her mind.

The group, having heard Rebecca's story, exchanged cheerful glances and then burst into laughter.

"You're just a phenomenon, chum. Who would have thought you could show a magic trick and then knock out some teeth?" Maine said with a chuckle, clearly enjoying the approach.

Alex lifted his head from Lucy's shoulder and looked around at everyone laughing at his actions. He wasn't sure how to react. Falco stood there with a broad smile, Pilar was laughing so hard he bent over, holding his stomach. Dorio simply smiled, and Kiwi, though hiding her face behind a mask, also seemed pleased. Alex met Gloria's gaze, who was smiling at him.

"Chum, will you show one of the tricks you pulled off there?" Maine asked with curiosity, looking at Alex.

Alex raised an eyebrow, realizing that no one here was taking him seriously, and they didn't seem concerned that he might be "a few screws loose." It became clear that these people didn't care about what was going on in his head and accepted him as he was.

"Well, I don't mind," Alex said with a light smile, getting up from behind the bar.

He moved slightly aside so everyone could see him and clasped his hands together as if in prayer. Slowly spreading them apart, he revealed a pen that had appeared in his hands.

Everyone watched the trick in amazement, not understanding how he had done it. Gloria, already aware of his inventory skills, suspected that Alex was simply using his abilities.

"And now for the trick itself," Alex said with a smirk, holding the pen in one hand.

He waved the pen, and instead of it, a bouquet of flowers appeared in his hands. Everyone watching shifted their gaze from the flowers to Alex, trying to figure out how he had performed the trick.

"Ta-da!" Alex said with a smile, presenting the bouquet.

"How?" Pilar asked in astonishment, stepping closer to inspect the flowers.

"A magician never reveals his secrets," Alex replied with a sly grin.

Finishing his sentence, Alex shook the bouquet in his hands, and the flowers transformed back into the pen, which he carefully tucked into the inner pocket of his coat.

"Heh, chum, you have more secrets than I thought," Maine said, giving him a thumbs-up.

"These aren't secrets, just sleight of hand," Alex responded with a smile.

"As you say, chum," Maine grinned.

Everyone laughed, and the little show brought them even closer. Alex felt it was time to head back and turned to Gloria to get her opinion.

"Well, shall we head home?" he asked, looking at her.

Gloria glanced at Alex, then checked her HUD and realized it was late; it was time to go back.

"Yeah, I think it's time," she agreed.

Alex looked around at the group he had managed to bond with over the evening. As much as he wanted to stay longer, he knew he needed to get Gloria home safely.

"Alright, everyone, I think we'll be heading out. I need to take Gloria home," Alex said, drawing the group's attention.

"Leaving already, chum?" Maine asked with a hint of sadness, hoping Alex would stay longer.

"You have my number; we can get in touch anytime," Alex reassured him with a friendly smile.

"Alright, chum. I've got something for you tomorrow, so stay in touch," Maine said, also smiling.

Alex gave a thumbs-up, indicating he understood. At that moment, Rebecca approached him and stopped in front of him.

"What's up, Becca? Don't you want me to leave?" Alex raised an eyebrow, looking at her with a hint of amusement.

"I just want you to be free when I contact you," Rebecca said seriously, narrowing her eyes to make it clear she wasn't accepting any refusal.

"Wow, already asking me out? You're making me blush," Alex joked, theatrically placing his hands on his cheeks, which elicited laughter from the others.

Rebecca, not thinking too long, punched him in the stomach, forgetting that her previous attempt had failed. As expected, she felt the pain again.

"I said I'm calling you for target practice. You need to be available when I reach out," she said, not waiting for a reply, and went over to her brother.

Alex watched her leave and couldn't help but smile. Her behavior was new to him, and he found himself intrigued by Rebecca. He turned to Lucy, who was also looking at him, and decided to say goodbye.

"Lucy, if you need any help, call me. I'll come right away. Even though we just met today, we can already consider ourselves friends," he said with a smile.

"Sure, if I need the strength of your muscles," Lucy replied with a smirk.

Alex was about to add something else, glancing at Maine, but Maine beat him to it and said with a grin:

"Chum, the money is already in your account. You can check it."

Alex pulled out his phone and saw that about three thousand had been deposited into his virtual account. It was his first earned money in this world, but he felt the amount seemed a bit high for a simple delivery.

"Seems like a lot," Alex said, looking at Maine.

"No, chum, it's exactly what you earned. Don't worry about it," Maine replied with a wide smile.

"Not every day you get to knock the crap out of someone who doesn't want to pay," Pilar chimed in, giving two big thumbs up with a cheerful grin.

Alex laughed at Maine's words and didn't dispute them. He said goodbye to everyone, left the bar, and led Gloria, who seemed much more relaxed now.

She took a deep breath of the cool evening air as they stepped outside and glanced at Alex.

"Let's take the subway, or we'll miss it and have to wait," Gloria suggested, noticing that Alex had already lit a cigarette. She noted that he smoked quite a bit—he had managed to roll several cigarettes during their time in the bar.

Blowing smoke out through his nose, Alex looked at her, but instead of agreeing, he had another plan in mind.

"I think I know a faster way to get home than the subway," he said with a sly smile.

Gloria looked at him in surprise, not understanding how that could be possible.

"And what way is that?" she asked, slightly squinting in disbelief.

Without answering, Alex turned his back to her and crouched, signaling that she should climb onto his back. Gloria just raised an eyebrow, not fully understanding what he had in mind.

"Well, come on, get on," Alex urged her.

"Are you serious? Planning to run?" she asked with skepticism, looking at him.

"Yeah, come on, hurry up," Alex encouraged, nodding toward her.

Gloria glanced at his back again and, deciding to trust him, cautiously climbed onto his back, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, trying to hold on as tightly as possible to avoid falling. Alex felt her grip, straightened up, and stretched slightly, preparing for the sprint.

"You'll see why I said we'll be faster than the subway," he said with a smile, giving his legs a slight shake. "And by the way, it's better if you don't talk on the way, or you might bite your tongue."

Gloria opened her mouth to respond, but Alex had already taken off. The sudden speed startled her, and she instinctively tightened her grip on Alex, fearing she might fall.

For the first time in her life, she felt what it was like to move at such speed—like being in a car, but with the agility of a motorcycle. Alex deftly avoided obstacles, leaping over them at the last moment with surprising ease.

"This is too much," Gloria thought, closing her eyes against the gusts of wind hitting her face. However, she could still catch glimpses of Alex racing skillfully, avoiding all obstacles.

When they arrived safely at their destination, Alex stopped. The wind had made Gloria look as if she had a nest of birds on her head.

"Here we are," Alex said with a satisfied smile, lightly patting her leg that was clinging to his waist like a vise.

Gloria finally opened her eyes and saw the entrance to the megabuilding. She sighed in relief—during the trip, she had feared they might crash into something or get hit by a car.

"Never again," she said wearily, sliding off Alex's back.

Alex, suppressing his laughter at her reaction, decided not to add fuel to the fire—Gloria was clearly on the edge.

"Don't worry, when my mana recovers, I'll think of something," he added, giving her a thumbs-up.

But Gloria just ignored him and walked ahead. She didn't want to know what Alex planned to do when his mana recovered, and honestly, she'd had enough adventure for one day. After all, she had just crossed the entire city on the back of a magician.

Alex quietly chuckled at Gloria's reaction but remained silent, following her. In the elevator, they both kept quiet—Alex didn't want to worsen her irritation after she had experienced what it was like to run at car speed.

Arriving at the apartment door, they saw a notice: "Overdue Rent." Alex raised an eyebrow and glanced at Gloria, who frowned.

"Did you pay the rent?" Alex asked calmly, looking at her.

"Yes, right after I got the money from Maine," Gloria replied, her eyes fixed on the notice on the door.

"Then we need to talk to the landlord to find out why this happened," Alex suggested, patting her on the shoulder as if outlining the plan.

Gloria nodded and headed to the landlord's office, while Alex followed her silently. Inside, they saw a fat man at a desk, counting money and chuckling lewdly.

When he looked up, he immediately focused on Gloria, ignoring Alex, who stood beside her.

"What brings you here?" the landlord asked, eyeing Gloria with a lecherous expression.

Gloria grimaced at his look but held her ground—she needed to find out why her apartment was locked due to overdue rent, despite having recently paid everything, including previous debts.

"Why was my apartment locked for non-payment when I just paid all the money?" she asked coldly, furrowing her brows.

The landlord continued to stare at her like a piece of meat, his face lit up with a disgusting smirk.

"Change of management. You paid the old owner, and I'm the new one," he declared with a feigned air of righteousness.

"What does that mean?" Her gaze grew even more severe.

"Just what it means. But if you want to make a deal, I'm open to it," he said, lecherously licking his lips.

Gloria felt her anger boiling, on the verge of exploding, but suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder. Alex, who had been observing the situation from the beginning, understood what was happening: this fat guy was just a greedy, lecherous scoundrel. Sensing that Gloria was on the edge, he decided to intervene, placing a hand on her shoulder to calm her down.

"Gloria, step outside for a moment," Alex said softly, smiling. "I'll have a word with this 'charming' gentleman and, I think, I can convince him that he's mistaken."

Gloria glanced at the smiling Alex and decided to trust him, reluctantly standing up and leaving the office. Alex continued to watch her with a smile until the door closed behind her.

As soon as Gloria was gone, his expression changed dramatically—his smile vanished, replaced by a stern look. He turned his head to the landlord, already determined that the man deserved punishment.

"You're making a frown, kid, but that won't help you," the landlord said with sarcasm, noticing the change in Alex's face.

"Just the opposite," Alex said calmly, a mocking smile returning to his lips.

The fat landlord didn't realize what was happening until Alex took action. In the blink of an eye, Alex kicked over the table the man was sitting at. The landlord fell along with his chair, confusion evident in his eyes. Without wasting any time, Alex quickly approached him, grabbed him by the neck, and lifted him into the air.

"You know, back in the old world there was an extreme sport called base jumping," Alex said with a smirk, not releasing his grip on the landlord's neck. "Oh, sorry, you probably don't know what that is. It's when people jump from a height with a parachute. Like from this building."

With that, Alex pulled out a revolver from his pocket with his free hand, keeping a steady gaze on the landlord.

He pulled out the "Blue Rose" and fired at the window, shattering it into pieces. Through the broken glass, a strong gust of wind burst into the room, blowing directly at Alex and the landlord, whom he continued to hold by the neck.

"The most important thing in this sport is the parachute, which, unfortunately, we don't have. But don't worry, you won't need one," Alex added with irony, sticking the landlord out the window while still holding him by the neck.

The fat landlord felt the wind buffeting his body and realized his life was literally hanging by a thread. As he was pushed out the window, panic overtook him, knowing that the slightest slackening of this young man's grip would turn him into a bloody smear on the pavement.

"W-Wait! We can work something out!" the landlord screamed, feeling the icy wind sliding over his body.

"And how do you propose we work something out?" Alex smiled, but his eyes remained cold and severe.

"I'll return everything! I'll open the apartment!" the landlord squeaked plaintively, catching Alex's merciless gaze.

Alex yanked him back into the room and dropped him on the floor. The landlord, gasping for air and wiping sweat from his brow, looked up at Alex, who stood over him, looking down.

"And don't forget to compensate me for the moral damage you've caused," Alex added, glaring at the trembling landlord.

"Y-yes, of course... right away," the landlord stammered, afraid of wasting any time, and hurriedly began typing something on his computer.

A few seconds later, Alex heard a notification sound on his phone and saw an alert about 5,000 euros being deposited into his account. He smirked, glanced at the landlord, and decided to add one important condition.

"Gloria won't have to pay rent for the next three months. If you happen to forget, I'll come back and remind you how much fun we had," Alex said, crouching down and giving the landlord a light pat on the cheek.

"I won't forget! Everything will be paid!" the landlord stammered, struggling to control his trembling voice.

"Good," Alex said with a mocking smile, giving him one more pat on the cheek before standing up.

Turning toward the door, Alex grabbed the handle and, glancing back, threw the landlord a final warning:

"And remember my words. I don't like coming back to repeat them."

Without waiting for a reply, Alex left the office, where a worried Gloria was already waiting for him. Hearing the shot, she wanted to know what had happened inside.

"Everything's sorted. He suddenly became a good person and said you won't have to pay rent for the next three months," Alex said with a slight smile.

"What did you do in there?" she asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Who knows," Alex smirked, not giving her a clear answer, and headed for the elevator.

Gloria watched his retreating back and shook her head. She understood that he had helped her, even if he might have gone a bit overboard. However, she couldn't blame him—she remembered too well how that scoundrel had looked at her in the office.

Shaking off unnecessary thoughts, Gloria followed Alex, who waited for her by the elevator with a friendly smile. A smile involuntarily appeared on her face as well.

To be continued...