The people inside the tavern watched this turn of events with interest.
Most were waiting to see how Osian would react to Jake's behavior.
Jake was deliberately provoking Osian now…perhaps because he wasn't sure if he could really cut bullets with his sword as the rumors said.
In fact, it wasn't as if there weren't others who felt the same way.
Most of the people who had come here out of curiosity were skeptical of Osian's skills.
He's strong, yes, and he can wield a sword, yes.
Being strong and cutting down bullets are completely different things.
The rumor that he had single-handedly dispatched 40 gangsters was probably an exaggeration.
To be able to confirm it here and now was not a bad thing for the onlookers.
"Well, since you want proof, I'll have to be a little generous and show you.""Wow. I was just throwing it out there, but are you really going to show it to me? I can't do it, but you're not actually trying too hard because of the attention, right?"
-Hahaha.
Jake's joke elicited a small burst of laughter from the surroundings.
Some wondered if it was appropriate to treat someone who came to recruit like this, but it was Jake's own calculation.
‘Looking at him, he looks young, and looking at his appearance, he seems to have grown up in a good place, but judging from the fact that he entered this industry, that may not necessarily be the case.’
Jake's eyes analyzed Osian sharply, despite his smirk.
‘From the armor to the sword, are you planning to make a name for yourself by doing something that stands out on purpose? You used your head, but it shows too much. This isn’t such an easy place.’
Jake's assessment of Osian is that he's just a kid who dresses like that to get attention.
'But judging by the way he fought the gang and the way he reacted, he must have some skill.’
It wouldn't be a bad idea to recruit him to the team after fully understanding his abilities.
'If it bounces, it bounces. Give him some money and a girl and he'll bow down and come in.’
Most of the young people Jake saw on this floor were like that.
They wanted fame, and they wanted to make a lot of money.
People who cannot overcome their hot blood and think they are special.
Jake could read their desires, and he used them to keep them beneath him.
Osian, Jake realized, was probably no different.
"So you're going to check it out?"
Jake flinched when Osian asked with a sinking gaze.
Jake's smile cracked slightly as he realized he'd let his fear get the better of him.
‘Asshole.’
Jake straightened up and shook his head.
"No, of course I won't, because I'm just a broker, and brokers don't get into fights, they do what brokers do best."
"What?"
"Well, I brought a guy, just in case. Hey, why don't you come inside instead of waiting outside?"
At Jake's call, a figure stepped through the broken door into the tavern.
It was a tall man, a head taller than the average adult.
He had a shaved head, thick lips, and dark skin.
His face was covered in black paint, and he had a distinctive tattoo, giving him a very intimidating appearance.
"Hey, isn't that Taiwo Hondura?"
"I think so. If Jake called him, I'm pretty sure. Is Taiwo here to test his skills, the 'outlaw'?"
The assembled mercenaries murmured, then fell silent as Taiwo's gaze fell upon them.
Taiwo sneered at them. The mercenaries were unable to resist and averted their gaze.
Even the rowdy mercenaries were silent, which showed how infamous Taiwo was among the mercenaries.
"Is this the man?"
Taiwo asked as he stood behind Jake and looked at Osian.
His low, deep voice was enough to put the other man under pressure.
Taiwo's gaze was not kind.
From the looks of it, Osian was a young master who looked like he had never been in a fight.
"You don't look like much."
Taiwo's pride was slightly wounded that he had traveled all this way just to check out this guy.
"Hey, kid. You're dressed like a weirdo trying to get attention, and if you're trying to get away, I suggest you get the hell out of here."
Taiwo growled in an intimidating manner, blatantly ignoring Osian.
Jake didn't stop him, he wanted Ossian to be terrified of Taiwo.
This was how Jake attracted people in the industry.
Using the whip of overwhelming power to crush egos and cajole them with the carrot of money and women.
That was Jake's way of getting people to sign contracts.
Some people didn't fall for it, but it didn't end well.
It's a famous anecdote that a fixer who once refused Jake's offer outright ended up floating down the river the next day.
"That's enough," Ronan said, "any more disrespect than that is not good."
Ronan protested and started to walk away, but Taiwo shoved his face into Ronan's.
"What? Maybe I'm hard of hearing, but can you say that again?"
"......."
Ronan's normally smiling face wiped the smile off his face.
Ronan was about to open his mouth again when Taiwo's half-threatening words seemed to indicate that this was no ordinary bet.
"I'll leave it at that, I've got my own business to attend to."
It was then that Osian struck first.
Taiwo's gaze snapped back to Osian and this time, he looked surprised.
"You're going to take over for me? You've got some pride."
"So, you want to test my skills, how do you propose to do it?"
Ossian said and stood up.
Druk. The sound of a chair being pushed back was unusually loud.
Ossian slowly walked over and stood in front of Taiwo.
In terms of size, there was only a head difference.
No matter how you looked at it, Osian didn't look like he could win in a fight.
"Cocky bastard. Are you really going to come at me?"
"I wasn't really planning on it, but it seems like that's what you want, and if that's the case, I'm willing to oblige."
"What?"
"Or maybe you've gotten scared by now."
Osian's face remained expressionless as he spoke those words of provocation.
The words made Taiwo's brow rise.
Taiwo reached out and grasped the collar of Osian's armor.
He planned to slam Osian to the ground but no matter how much force he exerted on his arm, Osian didn't budge.
Just as Taiwo sensed something was wrong, Osian's hand suddenly reached out to him.
He grabbed Taiwo's throat with one hand and yanked him downward, slamming his head into the table.
With a snap, Taiwo's head collided with the table, snapping it exactly in half.
The mercenaries' eyes widened at the sight and Jake's eyes widened as well.
‘Did Taiwo get hit?’
Despite his appearance, Taiwo is a mutant with enhanced physical abilities.
It was rumored that Osian was also a body-enhancing mutant, so he had summoned Taiwo with similar abilities to break the momentum.
However, Taiwo was unable to move under Osian's grip. In fact, he even punched him in the face.
The two headhunters, including Ronan, were stunned.
"Ow!"
Taiwo jerked up from the shattered debris.
Red blood trickled down his torn forehead. Taiwo swiped at his forehead with his hand and his eyes rolled back in his head.
"I'll kill you!"
He had originally intended to show the difference in strength and intimidate Osian, but the moment he saw the blood, he changed his mind.
Taiwo truly meant to kill Osian.
He stretched out his arm toward Osian, maximizing his power as a mutant.
The distance was close enough that he didn't need to draw his gun.
Taiwo was confident enough to tear the other man apart with his bare hands.
His hands were about to grab Ossian's head but Osian's fist moved and caught Taiwo under the chin.
Taiwo saw it, but he willfully ignored it and continued on his way.
His body was harder than a rock now that he had strengthened his body and Osian would only crush his bones if he punched.
-Pfft!
Taiwo was dazed by a huge impact that shook his brain and his outstretched hands went limp.
Osian recovered his outstretched right hand and balled his left into a fist.
Then, with all his strength, he threw it at Taiwo's head.
Paang─!
A loud and enormous sound resounded, hard to believe that a fist had struck a human body.
Taiwo's body jerked violently as his bulging eyes protruded as if his eyeballs were about to pop out.
Hovering slightly in the air, Taiwo's body bounced off into the distance as Osian pushed him back with force.
After smashing through three tables in quick succession, Taiwo flew into a wall and only came to a stop when he was slammed against it.
The mercenaries' mouths dropped open in disbelief.
It was a natural reaction to the fact that the mutant Taiwo, with his enhanced physical abilities, had been defeated by Osian with his bare hands.
'Oh, what power.’
‘Are they the same mutant?’
Those who had seen Ossian's power last night nodded in agreement, while those who had come to check it out were stunned by the sight.
Osian looked at the fallen Taiwo and lightly brushed his hand over him.
He looked back at Jake, who was staring at him in disbelief.
“I think the proof is over. In fact, it’s more unremarkable than I thought.”
Jake didn't answer. Instead, he glared at Osian with an intense, enemy-like gaze.
Osian laughed out loud at the absurdity of it all.
What kind of mentality is that, to first try to argue and then get angry when you don't get your way.
'Didn't he just say that Taiwo is weaker than he thought?’
I thought he looked pretty fierce, but when I actually fought him, it was nothing.
The momentary grip wasn't bad, and I felt a strange resistance when I punched him in the jaw, but that was it.
It was just a matter of applying 'a little' more force than I was used to.
Osian gave Jake a cold stare.
Jake tried to control his expression, but there was nothing he could do about the cold sweat running down his cheeks.
Now that all his plans had been thrown out the window, he had to do something else.
"......Yes. You're definitely good."
Jake said in a jovial tone, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth once again. But unlike his tone, his eyes weren't smiling at all.
"Do you mind if I take that fallen fellow with me, I think he's broken something, and I'd like to get him tended to as soon as possible."
“Is there anything there?”
"Me? What?"
"You asked for proof, and I gave it to you, so of course you should show me something in return."
Jake's face crumpled as he realized the implications of Osian's words.
"Or you're not just going to smile and talk your way out of it?"
Jake rolled his eyes and tried to think of a way to get out of this.
Osian was not to be outdone, and he stood casually in the way, blocking Jake's path.
"Hmm?"
Osian spun around at the intense sensation of life behind him as a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
"I see you haven't fainted yet. You're stronger than I thought."
"Hmph. Huh."
Taiwo gasped as he rose to his feet and glared at Osian.
His eyes belonged to someone who had already made up his mind.
Taiwo drew a pistol from his waistband but it was too large to be called a pistol.
It was a personal pistol, a modified version of the Elephant Gun, a hunting rifle.
The bullets were large in caliber, causing a massive recoil when fired, but it was the perfect weapon for Taiwo, a physical enhancer.
However, it's not a weapon you'd want to take out just anywhere, as it's too powerful for human use, especially not in a tavern where the rules apply.
Even for an 'outlaw', it was out of line but Taiwo didn't care about that now, nor did he want to.
"Jiu Jiu!"
Taiwo stuttered through his broken jaw and pulled the trigger.
A huge bullet that could shatter an elephant's bones burst into flames and shot toward Osian.
The subsonic bullet was about to reach Osian, but his hand moved like lightning, clutching the sword at his waist.
-Skak!
A split-second flash of silver light sliced the bullet in half.
The sword was so fast and sharp that the bullet didn't even lose its momentum.
The bullet, split in two, slammed into the wall of the tavern.
A stunned silence descended on the tavern.
Even Taiwo, who had pulled the trigger, couldn't believe what he was seeing.
"That's it?"