Vest Vegetarian Faction instinctively reached for his chest—only to find his arm rigidly bound by a cast. Immobile.
"Your bond with the vest is still far from enough!" Vest Sage shook his head. A flicker of disappointment crossed his eyes. "The true power of the vest does not shatter so easily."
His voice deepened.
"Set aside the vest for now. Tell me—who did this to you?"
Memory returned. The previously hazy eyes sharpened. Vest Vegetarian Faction recounted everything.
"A special S-Class wanted criminal… joined a mysterious organization?"
Vest Sage's gaze hardened. Intelligence gathering was not his strength. A headache began forming behind his eyes.
"This mysterious person who sent you flying—did you see their face clearly? Any distinguishing features?"
"Ah, this…"
Blank confusion. "That person was sitting in the shadows at first. Then—when I was about to be killed—they suddenly rushed out… Next thing I knew, I woke up in the hospital. Fractures everywhere."
A pause.
"Too fast. I couldn't see their face at all. The opponent was extremely strong—I lost consciousness instantly."
Vest Sage: …
Vest Gang: …
Alright. The clue is completely gone.
"Lord Sage." Vest Girl rested her chin on her hand, thoughtful. "According to Brother Vegetarian Faction's account—if the opponent hadn't intervened, he would have been directly hacked to death by that special S-Class wanted criminal, right?" She tilted her head. "So why bother with the extra effort?"
Vest Vegetarian Faction: …
Hey, hey, hey! Is it really okay to curse me like that to my face? Don't think I won't punch you just because you're a girl!
"Yeah, that is strange…"
"Hah! Maybe that person just didn't check carefully. Thought Brother Vegetarian Faction was already dead."
"With injuries like that? It's a miracle he didn't die."
"Hmph. I think—" A confident voice rose. "—the other party was intimidated by Lord Sage's reputation. Didn't dare go too far!"
A chorus of opinions. Agreement. Disagreement. Speculation.
Vest Vegetarian Faction: …
My heart is so tired. My brothers are all hoping I die.
Vest Sage: …
My mind is so messy.
"Enough."
He raised a hand. Silence fell.
"Instead of guessing—" His eyes swept the room. "—if we capture that wanted criminal—Flame of Impure Ardor—we should be able to find the mysterious organization behind him. Yes?"
The Vest Gang: "OUR BOSS IS BRILLIANT!!" × N
Vest Sage waved a hand toward the bed. "Rest well. Recover."
His tone shifted. Resolute.
"I'll speak with the Association. Launch an investigation."
He looked at each of his subordinates.
"Until then—training doubles. Deepen your bond with your vests. Become stronger."
A pause.
"Get justice for our brother!"
"GET JUSTICE FOR OUR BROTHER!!" × N
Powerful roars filled the ward. Several seriously injured car accident victims in the next room were startled unconscious. Immediate chaos ensued.
Deep Underground Passage
Jack moved like a ghost through the Monster Association's labyrinthine lower passages. Finally—the prickling sensation of being watched faded completely.
Must have run several kilometers. He exhaled. Great Eyes' perception range is absurdly wide.
A series of messages came through the clone network.
Oh? Vest Sage has already brought his people to M City?
A curve appeared beneath his dark face mask.
My assist worked.
In the original timeline, the Hero Association's incompetent investigators hadn't discovered the Monster Association's existence until just before war broke out. Even that had been Psykos' doing—allowing her subordinates to proactively reveal themselves. Provoke.
Now? Jack was happy to stir the pot for both sides. Make the waters as murky as possible.
After all—murky waters are easier to fish in.
His powerful perception spread outward.
Though unfamiliar with this area, he quickly identified a suitable lone aura. He pushed off. Flickered. Disappeared into a secluded side passage.
A stone room. Door ajar. Heavy snoring within.
The dark figure slipped inside.
Red-skinned Ogre Monster. Nearly three meters tall. Bulging muscles. Thunderous snores. Completely unaware.
Jack didn't bother with pleasantries.
His hand moved. Sharp fingertips precisely cut across the thick neck.
The snoring stopped.
A large head rolled to the ground. Sleeping expression still on its face. Clearly never understood—even in death—what had happened.
[Killed Tiger-level Monster 'Red Ogre General' | Gained Origin Points × 98!]
Jack's eyebrow lifted slightly. This Tiger-level Monster's strength was surprisingly good—almost equivalent to a Monster Cell.
"Not bad. Good start. Small profit."
He casually closed the door—cutting off the smell of blood—and eagerly opened the heavy cloth bag.
What he'd just done was merely a free appetizer. The pulsating, deformed lumps of flesh before him now? The real main haul of today's harvest.
His arms—covered by Shadow Armor—plunged into the bag like lightning. Over a thousand Monster Cells rapidly turned to dust. Refined in an instant.
[Conversion successful! Gained Origin Points × 100,000!]
The system panel surged. A full hundred thousand points.
The corners of Jack's mouth—beneath his dark face mask—curved upward uncontrollably.
Psykos. YYDS.
Today was the seventh day of the Senluo Project's execution.
After a week, Jack's clone army had already spread to major human cities under his instructions. With the diligent labor of these workers, Origin Points had been steadily increasing.
The outside world was not like the Monster Association. Monsters emerged endlessly, yes—but distribution wasn't so dense. Coupled with the Hero Association's hundreds of heroes. The bald Caped Baldy, not yet debuted. The righteous cyborg Genos, embarked on his solo revenge journey. Various other kill-stealing presences.
Even though the clone army hadn't slacked off much, daily Origin Point income hovered around a few thousand.
But now? With the S-Class Rich Woman's super rocket reward—recouping a massive chunk—the Origin Point balance had become full again.
[Origin Points: 135,680]
It even exceeded the 128,000 points required for Overgrowth to upgrade to Lv9.
In a great mood, Jack casually discarded the useless bag. Pushed the door open to leave.
Upgrade not urgent.
He decided instead to find the first noble person he'd met in this world—no, the noble dog—Pochi. Bond properly.
I wonder—after a week—does the Dragon-level big dog still remember its temporary feeder?