Chapter 218 - 218

Words : 1118 Updated : Oct 5th, 2025

"Their ability to hide is outstanding." "Once they conceal themselves, even Gyo and En can't detect them. It's as if they're completely imperceptible." Dominica furrowed his brows deeply. "If that's the case, finding those monsters will be incredibly difficult." At that moment, a commotion erupted outside. "I'll go take a look," Ron said as he made his way to the door. He saw a scene unfolding at a nearby house. A middle-aged man was glaring angrily as he chased four children out. He threw items out of the house while shouting profanities. "You little liars! You said there'd only be two of you, yet you hid so many others!" "And you didn't even pay rent! Get out!" "Scram! All of you!" "What rotten luck!" "If I see you again, I'll beat you to death!" "Bang!" The man slammed the door shut forcefully. Belongings were scattered all over the ground. A boy silently bent down, picking up the scattered items. A little girl helped him. One younger boy sobbed loudly. The other younger boy silently cursed at the closed door with angry gestures. Ron narrowed his eyes. He had noticed something peculiar earlier. When the middle-aged man had shoved the little girl roughly, the boy's body had momentarily changed in an unusual way—just for an instant. It disappeared almost immediately. But Ron caught it. The boy's arm had altered its shape. Such a transformation was impossible for an ordinary person. Not unless they were a Nen user. "On the surface, he seems like a normal person." "But when his body changed, I felt the absorption progress of Observer's Intent accelerate slightly." "A very minor increase, but it was real." "This boy likely has some connection to the mutated monsters." The boy led his younger siblings away. They walked until they reached a desolate area. This was the poorest part of the slums—there weren't even sheet-metal or prefab homes here. Instead, there were only crude and tattered tents. As the boy and his siblings approached, unfriendly gazes turned toward them. The boy glared back fiercely, intimidating the onlookers. Before long, the boy found a corner for his siblings. Using about a dozen wooden sticks and some torn scraps of fabric, they set up a rudimentary tent. --- As night fell, shadowy figures crept toward their tent. But before they could get close, the boy sensed them. Gripping a wooden stick, he swung it fiercely at the intruders. "Bang!" A loud sound rang out. "You damned brat!" one of the intruders cursed angrily. The commotion woke the entire area. A bald man shoved the boy to the ground and began kicking him mercilessly. Though the boy's eyes glinted with fury, he ultimately did nothing. A few nearby residents intervened, pulling the bald man away. The boy dragged his battered body back into the tent. "Brother..." the little girl said worriedly. "I'm fine. Go to sleep. I'll be better by tomorrow," the boy reassured his younger siblings. --- The next day, Ron overheard a group of middle-aged women gossiping. It turned out that the four children had originally been brought here by their mother—a single parent with no father in sight. When their mother rented the house, she had only shown the landlord the eldest boy. She had pretended there were only two people staying to secure the rental. The remaining three children had hidden themselves in bundles of luggage. After their mother moved into the house, she released them. In the slums, rent was determined not only by the size of the house but also by the number of people living in it. This meant the landlord had been deceived. Later, it seemed the children's mother couldn't bear the pressure and ran away. She left alone. The rent owed to the landlord had been accumulating for a long time, with no sign of her return. This was why the landlord had been so furious. --- Ron carried a basin of pancakes to the courtyard entrance. The aroma wafted through the air, attracting a little girl—the younger sister of the boy Ron suspected of being unusual. The girl stood quietly nearby, her eyes fixed on the pancakes. She swallowed repeatedly, her frail body swaying slightly, a clear sign that she hadn't eaten for a long time. Ron hesitated briefly before tearing off a small piece from a sample pancake. "Want to eat?" The little girl froze for a moment. She looked around cautiously, then pointed to herself. Ron nodded. Her eyes lit up. She rushed forward. "Thank you, big brother!" The little girl stuffed the flatbread into her mouth, chewing vigorously. "Tasty?" "It's delicious!" She nodded enthusiastically. "What's your name?" Ron asked. "Lilith." "Alright, Lilith. Would you like to make a deal with me?" "A deal?" Lilith's face showed confusion; she didn't understand what a deal meant. Ron handed her another sample of pancakes and said, "You can take these pancakes and offer samples to people on other streets. If they like it, bring them here to buy pancakes from me." "For every ten pancakes I sell to the people you bring, I'll give you one pancake as a reward. How does that sound?" Lilith tilted her head, trying to process Ron's words. After a long moment, she finally understood. "If I bring ten people, you'll give me one pancake?" "Not ten people—ten pancakes purchased by the people you bring. And they can't be from this street; they must be from other streets." "I get it!" Lilith's face lit up with excitement. "I'll start right now!" For Ron, this wasn't much—not even close to charity. The reward he offered Lilith was very low. All he gave her was an opportunity. An opportunity that wouldn't arouse suspicion. But for Lilith, even this small chance was precious. A single pancake was enough to feed her for an entire day. --- An hour later, Lilith returned with her first customer. It was a young woman. "How much for one?" "70 Jenny." "I'll take three." "Alright." Ron handed over three pancakes and received 210 Jenny in return. With that experience, Lilith's confidence grew, and she became more efficient. By evening, Lilith had brought six or seven more people. The total number of pancakes purchased by her referrals reached thirteen. Ron handed Lilith a pancake, then tore off a third of another. "Lilith, this is your reward." "Thank you, big brother." Lilith bowed deeply to Ron. "You're welcome. You earned it." ----------------------- You can read up to 120 Advanced chapters! Patreon(.)com/IDKjust

Chapter 218 - 218

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