Through my perception, I saw Kim slip away. She didn’t look tired at all—only irritated. Even her expression was concerned as she walked away into her chamber and soon went straight into her bath.
It looked like she really hated going outside. I turned my eyes back to Rocks.
I stepped out from the shadows and clapped my hands slowly. The sound echoed in the chamber. Rocks spun around, his face twisting in shock as I walked toward him with a calm smile.
"Well, Mr. Rocks, your acting is really out of place," I said. "You don’t seem to like your wife. Tell me, which part do you hate? Is it that she’s climbing close to your level? Or maybe... it’s something else?"
His body stiffened. Surprise flared in his eyes. "Who are you?" he barked.
But then his gaze flicked to my status. His pupils dilated, and his eyes went wide like saucers. His mouth went dry, words stumbling out of him. "Y-you... your level... w-who are you?"
I shrugged. "You’ll never know. But I do want some answers. I already searched your library, and some information just isn’t there."
I raised my hand slightly. "Knight, come out."
A crimson mist surged from my chest, twisting into the air like smoke before bursting outward.
From within it, the sleek, black shape of a panther emerged, eyes burning with killing intent. But the instant he appeared, he vanished.
In the next breath, Knight was behind Rocks, his huge claw clamped tight around the man’s throat. His long, sinuous tail pointed at the back of Rocks’s head like a blade waiting to strike.
I walked closer, the sound of my steps slow and steady. "So, Mr. Rocks, now your life rests in the hands of me and my companion. Let’s be civil. No deaths today, if you behave."
Rocks’s throat bobbed against Knight’s grip. He stayed perfectly still, sweat beading across his forehead. "W-what do you want?" he asked, his voice cracking.
"As I said, I want answers." I folded my arms. "First question: how many grandmasters does your world have?"
Rocks blinked rapidly, then his expression twisted. His lips parted, and he blurted out, "You’re not from Peanu."
I tilted my head, my smile fading. "Wrong answer."
Knight’s tail flickered in a blur of motion. A spray of blood filled the air as Rocks’s right arm was sliced clean off at the shoulder. The severed limb hit the ground with a wet thud, blood pouring from the stump.
Before Rocks could scream, I raised my finger and pressed it in the air toward him. An invisible force snapped around his mouth, locking it shut. The sound died in his throat, leaving only muffled groans and a stream of tears forming at the corners of his eyes.
I stared at him in silence, letting the pain work into his bones. When I saw his trembling slow and his eyes flick toward me in a desperate plea, I lowered my finger. The force around his mouth broke, and a ragged breath spilled out of him.
"We... we have forty grandmasters," he gasped. "Including the emperor."
I nodded, calm again. "Good answer. But I’ll still ask your wife the same thing. If your numbers don’t match, I’ll kill you first, then ask her again."
Panic crossed his face instantly. His voice came out hurried, almost cracking.
"N-no, wait please. We have 56 grandmasters including the Emperor."
I clicked my tongue and shook my head slowly.
"Now you see, you’ve made it very difficult for me to trust you, Mr. Rocks."
His whole body stiffened, and he tried to speak faster, as if throwing words out would save him.
"No, no, I’m telling the truth this time. Fifty-six grandmasters is all we have. 15 in each faction, and 11 in the Max family."
I narrowed my eyes at him, watching his lips tremble and his throat bob as he swallowed. I hummed softly, letting the sound hang in the air.
"So, tell me then... where can I find most of them at once?"
He blinked at me, clearly confused. "Wh-what do you mean?"
"I mean," I said, stepping a little closer, "I don’t want to go wandering all over your world hunting them one by one. That would be such a waste of my time. I’m asking where they gather in groups."
His brow furrowed. He hesitated, but my companion’s claws against his throat reminded him he couldn’t afford silence.
"In the capital," he finally said, his voice low but shaking. "We have the leaders of each faction, so that makes three of them, and three from the Max family are also there. Including the Emperor... that makes seven. And the various heads are also stationed there. Close to twenty grandmasters in the capital itself."
He licked his lips and added quickly, "You can also find four of them outside the Lamp Zone. The rest... the rest are spread all over the world."
I rubbed my chin, thinking. "So, twenty in the capital, huh?"
That number placed me in a difficult bind. I had two clear goals. One was to kill as many grandmasters as possible. The other was to complete my quest, and the only person who knew the location I needed was the Emperor himself.
If I went all out in the capital and I knew I could, I was confident I could wipe them out. But the question wasn’t about killing them. The question was about keeping them from escaping.
What if the Emperor had a portal hidden away? What if he had some ancient treasure, some escape method that could carry him straight into another realm before I could land the final blow?
I tapped my foot against the floor, thinking about the paths in front of me.
Then I looked back at Rocks, his face pale, sweat dripping down his temples.
"Well, Mr. Rocks," I said quietly, "let’s suppose I kill you right here. Do you think anyone would notice?"
His lips twitched, and the panic in his eyes spread across his face like wildfire. "Y-yes, of course. The Max family keeps a strict watch on all the grandmasters. If I fail to report for a long time, they’ll notice immediately."
I tilted my head. "A long time, you say. How long exactly?"
His eyes darted left and right, as if searching for an answer in the air. I could almost hear the gears turning inside his head, desperate, scrambling. Finally, he swallowed hard.
"One day," he said. "They will notice if I don’t report back in one day."
I nodded slowly, rolling his words over in my head.
"Knight," I spoke calmly.
The air cracked with sound. Knight’s claws tightened, crushing Rocks’ throat in an instant. His tail swiped once, clean and merciless, and Rocks’ head was sliced from his shoulders. It dropped to the floor with a heavy thud, blood spilling and spreading across the stone.
I watched the corpse slump lifelessly to the ground while Knight stood tall behind it, his black fur shimmering faintly in the dim light.
Another grandmaster erased. Another piece of the board cleared.
Knight stepped over the headless body and spoke with a dry tone.
’Poor guy... never saw that de-tail coming.’