"It seems a thief stole my money, leaving me unable to pay for the food.”

  The red-haired adventurer's voice carried across the bar, drawing the attention of everyone nearby. His expression twisted into one of feigned helplessness, but his attempt at garnering sympathy was met with silence.

  Sis Sasa, standing before him, furrowed her brows before responding with a composed tone.

  "How unfortunate," she said. "But if customers can't settle their bill, they'll need to work here for a while."

  "For how long?"

  Sis Sasa took a moment to assess the table in front of him, her eyes scanning the sheer number of empty plates stacked on top of each other.

  I knew this man had an absurd appetite, but seeing the amount he had consumed made me realize just how much food he had devoured.

  Finally, she spoke, "Umm... Considering the cost of your meal, you'll need to work here for five days, and you'll receive three meals each day."

  "And what if I opt for no meals?"

  "Uh... T-That's..."

  Sis Sasa hesitated.

  I understood why—she had calculated five days with meals because she knew this bastard would force his slaves to do the work instead of him.

  But he opted out of food, to demand an even shorter sentence.

  "Hey, you could get free meals, why reject it?”

  I turned my gaze toward the tanned fire mage, a regular customer. She was the same woman who often teased me for a discount in exchange for magic lessons, which I always declined.

  At first, I thought she just wanted to annoy him, but then I realized—she must have noticed Sis Sasa’s intent and was helping to put pressure on him… or was she simply irritated by someone refusing free food?

  Either way, it worked.

  Other adventurers joined in.

  “That’s right!”

  "If you don’t want free food, you can give it to me! Haha!”

  "Hey, who's the thief that stole your money? I want to recruit him! Haha!”

  "The thief must be skilled to steal from a C-Rank! Hahaha!”

  "Rather than that, why didn't the C-Rank notice when the thief stole the money?”

  "Come to think of it, a C-Rank should be able to handle a mere thief, right?”

  "Is he truly a C-Rank?"

  "Maybe fake?"

  "Maybe his daddy gave him hush money to raise his rank?”

  ““Hahahaha!””

  The man’s face darkened with anger, his body stiffening as the laughter echoed around him.

  "Shut up! It's none of your business!"

  "Huh? What did you say!?"

  "I said shut up! Do you guys want to pick a fight with me!?”

  His hand slammed against the table, reaching for the massive greatsword beside him.

  The moment his fingers gripped the handle, a crushing pressure exploded from his body.

  A heavy red aura surged outward, flooding the bar with oppressive energy. The wooden furniture trembled under its weight, and a chilling silence swept across the room.

  Strong.

  Despite his arrogance and cruelty, there was no denying his power.

  I instinctively clenched my fists as my body trembled slightly. His aura was overwhelming—nothing like the light, unstable energy I had just begun to control.

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  It would be bad if this continues.

  I turned my gaze toward my fellow workers. Gill, Kenya, and Cheri were pale, their small bodies trembling behind the counter, where Brother Tian and Sister Morin tried to calm them down.

  If he turned his aura toward us, the younger kids might even faint from the pressure alone.

  It is the first time there is a fight since I started working here.

  Wait… perhaps this could be an opportunity?

  Sis Sasa was about to intervene before it escalated, desperation in her voice.

  "W-Wait! Don’t fight! I-It is three-"

  "WAIT!"

  I stepped forward, cutting her off before she could lower the punishment to 'three days without meals.’

  Silence.

  Everyone’s attention shifted to me.

  The red-haired man turned his glaring eyes toward me, his aura still raging like fire.

  The slaves, Esta and Hazel, both looked at me in shock—worried, confused.

  But I smiled.

  A calm, reassuring smile, as if telling them, it’s okay. Trust me.

  The adventurer narrowed his eyes.

  “Huh? What do you want, brat?”

  The closer the distance between me and him, the harder it was for me to breathe.

  I forced my breathing to steady.

  Every step closer to him felt like I was wading through mud, the crushing weight of his aura making it harder to move.

  I tried hard not to tremble, stopping a few steps in front of him. I couldn’t get closer than this.

  I had to be smart about this.

  So, I put on my most innocent expression.

  “Big brother looks so strong and cool! They must be wrong about you, right? Your skill is the real deal!”

  His expression faltered by the sudden praise.

  “H-Huh? Y-Yes, of course! I’m a real C-Rank adventurer!”

  Got him.

  I ignored the bewildered glances from everyone else, especially Sis Sasa, who probably thought I had lost my mind.

  But still, Aza said that his slaves are much stronger than him.

  I couldn’t help but wonder how strong they are?

  I continued. “Wow! Does that mean big brother can hunt monsters alone? The monsters must be scared to fight big brother, so it should be easy for big brother to win, right?”

  He puffed out his chest.

  “Of course! I can fight and win against multiple monsters at once.”

  “Amazing!”

  I made sure my admiration sounded genuine.

  Reading moods from fake expressions was a specialty of mine from my previous life, making it easy for me to gauge his mood.

  His anger hadn’t vanished, but the praise was working—his expression wavered, struggling to hold back a smile.

  I had him hooked.

  Now for the real trap.

  “Umm... Then, I have a suggestion for big brother. A way not just to pay for the food, but also to earn more money than usual every day!”

  His interest spiked the moment I mentioned money.

  “Hoo? You think you’re smart?”

  I shook my head quickly. “Ah, no way! Is there even someone smarter than big brother here? No, right?”

  “Haha! You're good at talking, brat! Okay, I’ll hear you out first. But if you dare to lie to me…”

  He dared to threaten me, a kid. Truly a rotten man.

  I forced a nervous chuckle. “Ah no way! I wouldn’t dare!”

  “Okay, so, what is it?”

  “Umm.. First, could you stop your aura? It’s hard for me to breathe…”

  “Ah… You seem to have good talent too to be able to stand near my aura.”

  He stopped maintaining his aura, and finally, I was able to breathe normally again.

  “Haa.. Thanks!”

  “Enough. So, what is it?”

  “Umm.. Does big brother know that adventurers can earn money by helping the kids, including me, to train here?”

  “Huh? Ah.. Yes, I heard something like that before… Wait, do you mean you want me to teach you, brat?”

  “Ahh No! Well, it would be better for me if big brother, who is so strong, trained me, but it wouldn’t benefit big brother! Didn’t I say that my suggestion will make big brother earn more money? If big brother trained me, then who's gonna hunt outside?”

  “So, what are you trying to say, brat?”

  I pointed toward his slaves.

  “Them.”

  He raised an eyebrow as I continued.

  “They look so weak. If big brother trained me, I don’t think they can hunt monsters by themselves. I’m sure they’re even burdens when big brother hunts, right?”

  I let my words sink in before adding,

  “Today was an example—both of them messed up, didn’t they?”

  His expression darkened, but he didn’t argue.

  “So,” I continued, “why not let them train me and the other kids instead, while big brother hunts alone outside?”

  His frown deepened.

  “Big brother said he could hunt alone easily, right? That way, big brother can hunt freely without carrying burdens. Big brother also still gets his normal hunting money, plus extra money from them working here.”

  I grinned, “How is it?”

  A tense silence followed.

  The entire bar was watching.

  Waiting for his answer.