A problematic deal.

"Good morning." Axel smiled gently.

"Hello." Pida walked forward. "Here's your cup."

Pida threw the jade cup to Axel.

"Great." Axel smiled happily. "Thank you. I really was waiting for you to smuggle this artifact."

"Smuggle?" Phina asked.

"Yeah, you're criminals now. Welcome to the world of crime." Axel chuckled. "I'll need you to do something else for me."

"Excuse me?" Pida furrowed his brows.

"It's quite simple actually." Axel said as he helped Tala up, then signaled for everyone in the bar to leave. "I just need you to join th-"

"Wait, wait, wait." Phina interrupted. "I thought this was just a single job."

"That we would get paid for." Pida growled.

"Yes. I will, of course, pay you." Axel smiled awkwardly. "It's just that I need you to do something first."

"No. You will pay us, then we'll leave." Pida said with no room for negotiation.

"..." Axel simply stared Pida with a neutral expression, then sighed. "Okay, okay. I think we've gone off on the wrong foot."

"Perhaps we did." Pida glared back at him.

"What do you want? I'm sure we can help you with it. The Crossers have connections everywhere in the Killers' Arena." Axel explained. "I simply need to use your fame."

"..." Pida and Phina exchanged a glance. Pida then asked, "Can you find someone?"

"Most certainly." Axel smiled with delight.

"What do you need us to do?" Pida asked with a sigh.

Phina quickly tapped his side and gave him a look. 'Don't we know where your grandpa is? Why are you involving yourself in this?'

"He's probably moved by now." Pida said normally.

"What?" Axel raised an eyebrow.

"Don't mind me. Explain what you need us to do?" Pida dismissively waved his hand.

"As you might know, there is a group called the True Killers going around and recruiting people in the Human-Elf-Angel faction's territories. There is also a group called the Arena's Champions in the Orc-Demibeast-Demon faction. Both these groups' heads are my students." Axel explained. "What I need you to do is publicly announce that you've joined the True Killers as one of its leaders. Currently, we're using the guise of the mysterious Law-rankers showing up to build up our organization."

"Mysterious Law-rankers?" Pida tilted his head in confusion.

"Yes. A few weeks ago, there was a giant battle sighted by one of our scouts. This battle contained all 6 Monarchs and 8 other Law-rankers. Many people believe that they were just Apex-rankers, but many still have doubts." Axel clarified. "As much as we say we have them, people still doubt us. The highest ranked person we can show publicly is a High stage Advanced-ranker. If we could use the reputation of a Founder-ranker publicly, we could rope in unaffiliated Advanced-rankers, maybe even Expert-rankers."

"Why don't you just use your name?" Pida asked.

"There are people that hold grudges against gangs, people that don't want to be associated with criminals and people who just outright hate me. It's better if everyone from the Crossers gang stays out of it." Axel sighed. "That's why we need you two. Your fame is widespread. We can use this to our advantage. What do you say?"

"It's your call." Pida didn't mind, so he looked to Phina.

"Why not?" Phina smiled. "I have this feeling that I've always wanted to join a gang."

Axel simply smiled. "Welcome to the Crossers gang, Spear and Shira. From today onwards, you are going to be secret Captains within the Crossers gang!"

"It's to be expected...a Founder-ranker and a Peak stage Advanced-ranker." Nevin sighed.

"W-What about me?!" Tala said with a wronged tone.

"You can follow them and teach them how to run an organization. No one really knew the Sharks and even if they knew of them, the Sharks weren't even close to being as dangerous as the Crossers gang, so you're gonna be alright." Axel quickly dismissed her. "I'll call the Leaders and Captains for a meeting to introduce Spear and Shira."

"I already called everyone." a deep voice called out as another man came out from the back. He was a tall, well built man with slicked back blonde hair.

"Glad I could always count on you, Dane." Axel laughed as his assistant walked out.

"Alright, I'm a busy man. I'll see you again at the meeting, it should be around a day or two before they arrive. Get to know each other during this time." Axel smiled as walked out himself, leaving Phina and Pida with Nevin and Tala.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

The group awkwardly looked at each other. Nevin cleared his throat and chuckled. "L-Let's start from the top! I'm Nevin, a Captain under the Third Leader Orville. My rank is at the Advanced-rank, pleasure to meet you."

"My name is Spear, a wondering Gold-star Hunter. I'm at the Advanced-rank, pleasure to be here." Pida introduced himself.

"I'm Shira, a simple Founder-ranker from the middle of nowhere." Phina smiled.

"I'm Tala. Expert-ranker." Tala introduced with a frown.

"How about we hit our city's biggest tourist spot?" Nevin smiled.

"What would that be?" Pida asked with no interest.

"Hot springs!" Nevin's answer hit the duo hard. It had been at least 3 weeks since either of them has showered, let alone bathed.

"Let's go!" Phina quickly rushed Nevin to guide them.

After being rushed, Nevin guided the group to a building labelled "Crossers' Bathhouse".

"Hey, Laruen! Clear the bathhouse, we have important guests!" Nevin yelled as he entered. "Alright, you ladies can go to your section and take a quick shower as they clear the bath. Spear and I will do the same."

"W-Wait...what?" Pida asked nervously. "It's a public bath?"

"What's wrong?" Phina asked. She then smirked. "Are you embarrassed? Are you? Oh my god, you are!!"

"Shut the fuck up!!" Pida yelled in embarrassment.

"What's with all the noise?" a lazy voice popped up as a tall and skinny man walked out of the men section with a towel on his shoulder. His tired eyes had dark bags underneath them. His impressive height along with his leanly muscular body were enough to scream powerful.

"Uhhhh...." Phina covered her eyes as she saw his nude body.

She quickly felt a cold sensation on her neck that sent chills throughout her body. It was a blade!!

Peng!

She quickly kicked it out of the way as she stared at the nude man.

"See? One moment of carelessness is all it takes to die." the nude man said to Nevin.

"I get it, now can you please put on some pants, Marten?" Nevin said as he threw a clean underwear at Marten.

Marten quickly put on his underwear and smiled. His curly shoulder-length hair dripping with water, he introduced himself. "I am Marten, the Second Leader of the Crossers gang."

Phina was still in her fight or flight mode as she stared daggers into the man.

"Pleasure meeting you." Marten smirked. "Enjoy your bath...Shira."

Phina grit her teeth as Marten simply walked out to the street wearing nothing but underwear.

"Okay. Now I'm DEFINITELY not going in that bath!" Pida said nervously.

"..." Phina sighed. "Whatever. You do whatever you want. I really need that bath now."

Tala looked at Phina with a weird expression. She sighed as she sobered up from Marten's little demonstration.

"Wait for me." Tala followed after Phina as she massaged her shoulder.

The two went into the changing rooms while Nevin and Pida awkwardly looked at each other.

"..." Nevin suddenly had an epiphany. "It's because of the mask isn't it?!"

Pida took off his mask and glared at Nevin with frustration. "No it isn't because of the damn mask!"

"Wait?! How old are you?! I refuse to accept a child beat me!!" Nevin grit his teeth in embarrassment and frustration.

"I AM 24!" Pida sighed. "...can we just wear our underwear in the bath?"

"S-Sure..." Nevin agreed as he gave Pida a side eye. Pida looked around 14 or 15 years of age, there was no way he was 24. 'He must be trying to console me.'

The two then entered the bath in their underwear after taking a shower.

Meanwhile, Phina and Tala had just finished their showers and wanted to enter the bath. The two women took off their towels right before entering the water.

Phina moaned in satisfaction as her fatigue faded away.

"You really need to work on your fighting instincts." Tala said to Phina.

"What?" Phina could barely open her eyes to look at Tala.

"Marten could've killed you. I could kill you right now." Tala explained.

"If I die now, then at least I've died in comfort." Phina said with a smile.

"You remind me of someone. The only thing that amuses me is how different yet similar you are." Tala chuckled.

"How...so?" Phina's smile faded as she felt her entire body almost shutting down.

"I don't actually know her name. As you heard from Axel, I was the leader of a gang. They were called the Sharks." Tala had a solemn look on her face. "One of my underlings pissed her off and got his ass handed to him. I, naturally, thought it was a local Advanced-ranker who beat them up. While I was questioning my underlings, she simply and coldly entered."

Phina, in her relaxation, didn't notice the change in Tala's attitude. It went from her casually telling Phina a story, to her recalling a horrific monster.

"She wore a long cloak, her bald head was covered by the hood of her cloak. She had a single dagger in her left hand. Her face was covered by a mask, but her cold and terrifying eyes looked like they were going to devour my soul." Tala recalled with a shiver. "She didn't use Life Energy, nor World Energy, nor any physical Skills. She simply dodged my attack and tripped me to the floor then stabbed through my palm."

Tala looked at the scar on her right palm. "From that day, I promised myself to work on my combat skills. I could tell that she wasn't quite on my rank, but her skills made her terrifying."

She then turned to Phina, who was sleeping like a little angel. Her soft breathing capable of softening even the harshest of hearts. Tala sighed and looked at Phina with a trace of caution. "How can someone be so careless and clueless, yet feel so terrifying?"

Tala slowly helped Phina out of the water. She slowly cleaned her body then her hair. If anyone saw this scene, they'd think it was a mother taking care of her daughter even though their apparent ages were around the same.

Tala dried the sleeping Phina off and covered her in a bathrobe before she quickly cleaned herself and got a bathrobe of her own. She took Phina into the changing rooms and put on the clothes she wore before the bath, which were now clean and folded. The worker in the bathhouse, Lauren, takes whatever clothes are in the baskets and cleans them for the customers. Tala put on her own clothes and zipped up her jacket for once, covering her previously open front with a single strand of cloth over her chest that barely kept it together.

Phina, through all this, slept like a baby. Tala sat on the bench to wait for Nevin and Pida. She laid Phina on the bench and put her head in her lap as she slowly stroked Phina's hair. Tala's face was as gentle as a mother's and as peaceful as a sage's.

"I haven't seen you this gentle since Master was a child." a deep voice said to Tala.

"Oh...Dave. To me, Axel is still a child. He'll always be my baby brother." Tala looked up at Dave, Axel's assistant. She then sighed with melancholy. "He's just been a little bit colder ever since he took over the Crossers."

"..." Dave looked at Tala for a solid few seconds as she kept stroking Phina's hair. "Master has summoned you."

"Tell him that I'll be there in a few hours." Tala said as she stared at Phina's peaceful face.

"The Master has summoned you." Dave glared.

"I'm sorry, when did you become my boss?" Tala glared back. She quickly turned back to Phina as she heard her mumble in her sleep.

"Daddy, get Ryan to do it. Since when did the emperor have to prove himself to his people?" Phina mumbled. It wasn't actually Phina who said that, it was Sera.

Realization hit the two of them at that moment. Tala's eyes widened. "...Dave?"

"Yes?" Dave said as he glared at the sleeping Phina.

"Does the Killers' Arena have any empires?" Tala asked with a stifled breath.

"No." Dave said with a serious tone.

"Is she...?" Tala asked hesitantly.

"Most likely...who would've thought?" Dave said with a slight sigh. "Forget about the summon. You keep an eye on her. I'm reporting this to the Master."

"...Alright. We'll discuss what to do with her later. Go inform Axel for now." Tala took a deep breath.

As Dave ran out of the bathhouse, Pida and Nevin got out of their baths. Pida immediately saw the sleeping Phina. "Sorry. Looks like Shira burdened you."

Tala kept looking at Pida with a troubled expression. 'Does he know?'

'Hm? What does she mean?' Pida thought to himself as read Tala's thoughts. "Sorry, I'll take her off your hands."

Pida picked up Phina and carried her on his back. "Is there anywhere we can go to rest?"

"Y-Yeah. We can go back to HQ and rest there." Tala said with a weak voice.

"I want to get her to bed." Pida said as he glanced at Phina. "Looks like she was quite tired from our journey. We did travel all the way from the Dull Desert to Sanctuary."

"Well, you can rest in the headquarters for now. I'm gonna go meet Axel." Tala said as she quickly walked out of the bathhouse.

"Hmm..." Nevin raised an eyebrow in confusion. "I wonder why she's in such a rush."

"..." Pida silently stared at the doorway that Tala left from.

"Alright, let's head back I guess." Nevin said as he led the way out of the bathhouse.

-Crossers Gang HQ-

"So...what are we going to do?" Dave asked in a worried tone. Afterall, if Phina was hiding her rank and was actually an Apex-ranker or even a Law-ranker, they're all screwed.

"..." Axel simply covered his mouth with his hand as he thought to himself. "We'll kill her in her sleep. Send out an emergency signal to all Leaders and Captains. We need as much firepower as possible. Call out to the other gangs' heads as well. If they're close by, send an emergency meeting letter. We can stall for at most a week. I forbid both you and Tala from interacting with her, we don't want her to notice anything."

Click.

A door opened as Tala walked in.

Axel sighed. "Tala. Perfect timing. Stay away from Seraphina Ender. We'll attack her in around a week. We'll have the other gangs' heads here as well, if possible that is."

"You're just going to attack her?" Tala was shocked. "Whatever happened to we'll try to get her on our side?!"

"..." Axel seemed at a loss for words as he grit his teeth in frustration. He was currently a Peak stage Founder-rank. He thought that by the time they found her, he'd also be an Apex-ranker. He had high confidence in the matter. Afterall, he's the perfect blend of genius and mediocre to the point that he reached Founder-rank at the age of 19, then reached the Peak stage at the age of 21.

He took a deep breath and made up his mind. "That's that and this is this. It's a completely different situation right now. We simply can't afford to relax with such a person in our city."

"..." Tala stared at the ground for a while. "How about I talk to her?"

"What?" Axel was honestly astonished. Usually, his sister would grumble about how unfair he was and just follow the order. "Tala, this is no joke. Our lives are in danger here. We don't even have the other gangs' heads here yet."

"I managed to get her to sleep in my lap. She trusts me. I can drop subtle hints that would give her an opening to talk to us and confess." Tala said. "Don't you trust me, Axel?"

That last question tore at his heart. The only reason he's even alive is because of his sister. He couldn't have become a simple guard in a simple town, let alone a giant gang's head. "...Are you confident?"

"MASTER?!" Dave interjected loudly.

"Shut it." Axel glared at him and immediately shut him up. He then turned to Tala and coldly glared at his elder sister. "How confident are you? Give me a number."

"I can do it." Tala said resolutely.

"..." Axel simply glared. His cold glare sending chills down Tala's back. "Give. Me. A. Number."

"..." Tala grit her teeth. "F-Fif...no...sixty percent."

"You're staking your life at 60%?" Axel asked.

"Yes." Tala said naturally.

"Let me rephrase that." Axel said with a sigh. "You're staking MY life at 60%?"

"..." Axel knew Tala's weakness. She's irrationally protective of him. If there was a 5% chance he'd get hurt, she wouldn't go through, yet now, there was 40% chance he'd get killed.

"Answer me." Axel ordered. His cold tone wasn't that of a sibling, it was that of a leader...a king.

Tala simply remembered Phina's peaceful face and breathing, she remembered how even Axel, the cold and calculating criminal had a face like that, so...what if Phina was also as kind as her brother.

"..." Tala kept thinking. Phina looked so much like a younger Axel, even though she's older. Maybe if she saved Phina, she'd save that young and innocent version of her brother. She then looked up at Axel. "Yes."

His beautiful blue eyes opened wide. He simply just chuckled. "Fine. You have a week. If she doesn't come out with anything before the meeting, we kill her in her sleep."

"Deal." Tala smiled.