"Your fame +1, current task progress: 1/10,000."
"Your fame +1, current task progress: 2/10,000…"
"Your fame +1, current task progress: 3/10,000."
The system's prompt tone kept ringing in Fenric's mind.
Just like that, Fenric had easily become the Second Master of the Axe Gang.
In truth, if Fenric wanted to complete his mission more efficiently and achieve a higher evaluation, the best approach would be to establish his own gang.
With his current power, building a dominant organization in this world would be child's play.
He could flatten all opposition and, in less than a month, control all of SH City.
That alone would likely earn him another SSS-level Super God evaluation.
But Fenric's motives this time weren't about mission rewards.
If rewards were his goal, he would have already gone to the second dungeon to "farm" the ghostly Sadako.
He understood her story, the reason behind her grudge, and how to resolve it. Maximizing Sadako's "favorability" for rewards wouldn't be difficult for him at all.
No—this time, his priority wasn't the mission's evaluation.
It was something else.
Now that Fenric was officially the Second Master of the Axe Gang, his first order of business was straightforward:
He had a portrait made—a rough sketch of a man who looked like a beggar. Then, he hired numerous painters to copy it by hand, since photocopiers didn't exist in this era.
Once hundreds of copies were ready, he instructed every member of the Axe Gang to search the city for the beggar depicted in the portrait.
To ensure success, he issued a generous bounty:
10,000 Jade Coins for anyone who found the beggar!
(Note: equivalent to $5-6k at that time. Or $100k of today's money.)
And where did the money come from?
Please—he was Shura, after all. Ten thousand Jade Coins was nothing for him.
That night…
In a dimly lit room of the Axe Gang headquarters:
"Brother Sum, look! This is the man the Second Master is looking for," a subordinate said, holding up one of the portraits.
Brother Sum took the sketch, frowned, and muttered, "A beggar?"
"Brother Sum really has sharp eyes! I also think he looks like a beggar," the subordinate said with a sycophantic smile.
The man in the portrait was filthy, his face smudged with dirt—only a fool wouldn't recognize him as a beggar.
"Why is he looking for a beggar?" Brother Sum wondered aloud.
"Maybe he's a lost relative?" the subordinate offered, uncertain.
Brother Sum thought about it and found that possibility believable.
Otherwise, why would Shura use the entire Axe Gang to hunt for someone right after becoming the Second Master?
In fact, Sum began to suspect that Shura's real reason for joining the gang was to find this mysterious beggar.
The Axe Gang controlled most of SH City. It had eyes and ears everywhere, which made it the perfect network for a search like this.
"I asked you to check into the Second Master's background. What did you find?" Brother Sum asked, his tone serious.
"We've sent people to investigate," the subordinate replied, "but we found nothing. It's like he came from another world."
Brother Sum's brow furrowed.
"Then investigate those captains who joined recently as well," he said coldly.
Those "captains" were none other than the Samsaras who had infiltrated the gang.
"Understood, Brother Sum. I've already sent someone to look into it," the subordinate said quickly.
Brother Sum nodded, then asked, "Any news on the assassins I asked you to find?"
"Yes!" The subordinate's eyes lit up. "I've heard there's a ranking list of killers in the martial world. Everyone on that list is a true master. The first on the list is the Ultimate Killer, Fire Cloud Evil God. We don't know where he is yet, but we're already sending people to track him down."
"Good!" Brother Sum's expression turned sinister. "Hire as many top killers as possible. Tell them this: Whoever can kill the Second Master will be rewarded beyond measure!"
Fenric's overwhelming display of power that day had terrified Brother Sum to his core.
As long as Shura lived, Sum knew he wouldn't get a good night's sleep!
"Don't worry, Brother Sum," the subordinate said, bowing slightly. "I'll make all the arrangements. We'll definitely find some masters."
"And don't let the Second Master find out about this," Brother Sum warned, his eyes narrowing. "He must not suspect it's us pulling the strings."
"Understood!"
Finally, Sum leaned back on the sofa, exhaling. "What about the Third Master?"
The Third Master was none other than the former Second Master—the fat man who had lost his position after Fenric's arrival.
Knowing what Sum was really asking—whether the fat man was harboring resentment—the subordinate smiled and replied, "The Third Master is doing well. He's been busy reclaiming turf all day long."
Brother Sum nodded, satisfied. "Good. And remember, I want all of SH City under our control. Not one street should remain outside our influence!"
"Understood, Brother Sum!"
Ten days passed in a flash.
During this time, Fenric had almost mobilized the entire Axe Gang to scour SH City, but they still hadn't found the mysterious beggar.
Every day, Fenric inspected dozens of beggars, but none of them matched the person in the portrait.
Some opportunists even tried to cheat, disguising themselves as the beggar to claim the bounty.
Those who attempted such scams didn't live to regret it—Fenric snapped their necks without hesitation, using his mind power to kill them on the spot.
After a few such incidents, no one dared to try tricking him again.
Still, Fenric was frustrated. The deadline for his mission was just 20 days away.
He didn't want to waste more time searching aimlessly, so he prepared to move to Plan B:
Find Sing!
Just as he was about to issue orders to locate Sing, a gang member rushed in, panting.
"Second Master!"
"What is it?" Fenric asked.
"Someone claims they've seen the beggar you're looking for!"
"Oh?" Fenric raised a brow, though his tone remained calm. "Where?"
Lately, he had heard similar claims too often to get his hopes up. Most of them were false leads.
"They say they saw him in a beggar's den in the north of the city," the man reported.
"Who saw him?" Fenric asked.
"It was an old woman. We brought her here—she's waiting outside."
Fenric nodded. "Bring her in and have her lead the way. I'll go check for myself."
No matter how many false alarms there had been, he wouldn't miss a chance to confirm it.
What if this time, it really was the beggar he was looking for?
—--