Seriously.
That had to be the most ridiculous thing anyone had ever said to him.
Besides, he was not interested in sitting in some classroom pretending the alphabet mattered when he could barely afford a meal.
What was he gonna do?
Learn A-B-C with a bunch of toddlers packed together like a giant nursery?
And more importantly—
Zen paused in his steps.
"Why are you following me, Mister?"
The scammer from earlier waved enthusiastically and walked up to him.
He grinned.
"I'm not asking you to study, kid. Though it's unavoidable to some extent. Why don't you consider it?"
Zen stopped and stared at him flatly.
"Mister, I don't have any money to offer, nor do I have any food. And honestly, you look way richer than me."
The man chuckled at that.
But then just like a switched, Zen could see in a blink of an eye, his demeanor shifted incredibly.
The man called out solemnly.
"Zen Ekindrel."
…What?
How the hell did this man know his name?
The man stepped forward with an unpredictable stare on his face.
"Don't you want to earn enough money to treat your sister and take care of your weak mother?"
Zen immediately tensed up at the information.
So many questions popped up in his mind, but the man continued calmly.
"I'm offering you an opportunity. It's up to you whether you take it."
He walked over to a creaky wooden bench by the street and set down a silver suitcase.
"500,000 Rei."
Zen mind stopped working, dumbfounded.
"What?"
"That's your value right now."
The man spoke with eerie calmness.
"You've got potential, exactly what I'm looking for. SINKE welcomes you to prove yourself."
He then placed a black envelope on top of the metallic suitcase.
"Now… do I still look like a scammer?"
The man adjusted his lapel smoothly and casually reminded.
"School starts in a month."
"You can die here a nobody... or you can come find out what it's like to be worth something."
Then just like that, the man disappeared as weirdly as he had arrived, leaving behind his words, a suitcase with an envelope, and a choice.
.
.
.
Zen barely processed what happened by the time he got home.
He opened the old wooden door to their cramped two-bedroom apartment.
It sounds nice but in reality, each room were just enough to place a bed and a tiny desk.
As of now, his mother slept in one room. The other was his.
His sister, Emmy, stayed in the hospital.
Heh.
Why did he even bring this thing back?
Zen glanced at the heavy suitcase and the shiny black envelope, which was surprisingly waterproof.
500,000 Rei...
That man was funny.
If he had that kind of money, school would be the least of it.
He'd gladly become a slave if he were allowed to.
It was enough to cover Emmy's hospital bills for four years and their daily living expenses if they used it sparingly.
Zen unlatched the lock and opened the suitcase.
To be honest, he was half expecting a layer of brick inside.
But—
Sha la la la~
Money.
Stacks of it.
Bundles of money were placed neatly inside the suitcase.
His first instinct was to panic.
Is this some gangster's laundry money? A trap?
Or maybe it's just printed money. It's fake.
Maybe.
But then a thought lingered.
What if it's real?
He could literally smell the thick scent of money and its beautiful texture.
Zen looked around vigilantly, then shut the suitcase and shoved it under his old bed.
Only then did he shift his attention to the ordinary envelope.
Or so he thinks...
He opened the envelope and cleared his throat, ready to read.
Next, Zen choked on his saliva.
Help!
What can he do if he can't read? Urgent!
Thankfully, he could still recognise some words.
SINKE high.
Welcome, in bold, golden cursive.
'INVITATION CARD'
Then, Zen's eyes constricted at the last word, a well-known location.
Heichil.
If the area where he is living is in the vicinity of hell. Then, Heichil was the very core of hell.
All the news was stuck in five years ago.
A place locked in the past, cut off from most modern life.
A land overrun by gangs and lawless individuals.
Even he knew it was dangerous.
That place had only one rule: Survival of the Fittest.
Zen swallowed hard.
This has got to be some messed-up joke.
To think that a school exists in a place like that? It's unbelievable.
He recalled the man's words.
To prove myself?
But how was he supposed to do that?
And who the hell just throws half a million Rei at a complete stranger and walks away without explaining anything?
Zen refused to admit that it was because he was illiterate that he couldn't fully figure this out.
And above all reason, was he supposed to seriously believe in this nonsensical situation?
"School starts in a month…"
Yeah, that man did say that.
So.
He had one month to figure it all out.
It's okay if he couldn't because in a month, the truth will present itself.
Zen narrowed his eyes and lifted the suitcase.
Now, this money...
…It's okay to use just a little, right?
He was a man of action.
The first thing Zen did the next morning was to transfer Emmy to a better hospital.
Although the process was quite hellish and the price was more expensive than he expected.
But it's okay.
All that mattered was that Emmy was finally settled in a clean room with proper care.
Then the next thing he put on the agenda was convincing his mother to move out of this hellhole.
Zen had been sleeping with one eye open lately. Ever since he beat up those bastards in the alley, he knew they'd be looking for payback.
Oh, he was definitely not planning to run away with the money.
No, he just wanted his family safe before he left.
Convincing his mother, though, was a battle in itself.
Zen's mother didn't want to leave her job of 50 Rei a day.
It wasn't even close to minimum wage, but weak and injured people didn't have options.
Then, after three exhausting days with Zen's persistent effort, he finally got her to agree.
They moved into a modest one-bedroom apartment.
It was small, but compared to their last place, it felt like a mansion.
A separate bedroom. A real kitchen. A living room that didn't double as a hallway.
Zen settled in the living room temporarily.
Just until he had to leave.
But now came the hard part.
How was he going to tell his mother that he, her precious son, was heading straight into the mouth of madness?
That he was leaving for Heichil — a place known for crime, chaos, and death?