Chapter 106: Humane?

"Hey what the hell are you doing in our turf ," Aku was more hot headed than I thought as he rushed towards the chaos , and even the other 2 members went with him.

"Do they think they're the protagonists of some manhwa or something?" I shook my head in disbelief as I watched them rush into danger.

From a quick assessment, I could tell that there were at most a dozen thugs inside the store, and most of them were around level 8 to 13. While those three newcomers might have slightly higher levels, a mere 5-level gap wasn't a substantial advantage in this scenario.

"Stop!" I scolded them, raising my voice to get their attention.

"Do you really want to get yourselves beaten up?" I shook my head, attempting to knock some sense into them.

"But, boss, they're making problems at one of our stores," Aku objected.

"Don't worry," I reassured them. "I'll handle this situation on my own for now. Just watch my back." I spoke with confidence, like a capable leader.

Of course, the reality was that I couldn't allow them to steal my potential sources of experience points .

These thugs were my ticket to earning more skill points.

As I approached the store, I attempted to play the peacemaker, though deep down, I was practically itching to teach these thugs a lesson.

I raised my hand, palm out, and called out in an amiable tone, "Hey, let's try to resolve this peacefully, okay? No need for any bloodsheed." But beneath my veneer of diplomacy, I was secretly gearing up for a brawl.

One of the thugs, a burly guy with a grin that seemed permanently etched onto his face, began walking toward me at a snail's pace.

"Talk? Why don't you just get the fuck out of here before I beat you to death?" he sneered with a dismissive wave of his hand.

*BAM!

In that split second, my patience reached its breaking point. Unable to contain myself any longer, I throw a sucker punch directly on his face. The thug's eyes widened in surprise as he flew backward, crash-landing into a stack of crates with a resounding crash.

Now armed with 10 strength points, my punches were no longer something these thugs could easily withstand.

And as for holding back? Well, My plan is to beat them half-dead so holding back is no longer a in my dictionary.

"Well, I guess that's one way to start a conversation."

'Time to be good little sheep and let me farm you,' I grinned menacingly.

In my eyes, they had transformed into nothing more than experience point mobs, stripped of their humanity.

The other thugs, stunned by the sudden turn of events, paused for a moment, unsure of how to react. It was as if they couldn't believe what had just happened.

With a mischievous grin, I cracked my knuckles, looking at them with confidence.

"Now, who else wants to chat peacefully?" I taunted, my tone dripping with sarcasm.

"Get him!" The remaining thugs charged at me. Normally, I should have been intimidated by their numbers, but I had a secret weapon to keep my nerves in check. I activated 'Faker,' and my entire demeanor transformed.

*PUNCH!

I keep beating them up until almost of them are bloodied in the ground.

"I think you should stop what you're doing, or you might actually end up killing him," Changmin advised, placing a firm hand on my shoulder.

I hesitated for a moment, taking a good look at the person I was currently pummeling. His face was already bloodied beyond recognition, to the point where even his own parents wouldn't be able to identify him.

"What have I become?" I muttered to myself, a brief moment of self reflection hitting me.

But then, without warning, the temptation of skill points was too much to handle, and I continued to rain down punches on him, unable to stop myself. The line between humanity and brutality had blurred, and I had crossed it without even breaking a sweat.

*PUNCH!

*PUNCH!

[Mission Success + 1 skill point]

"Are you out of your mind?!" Changnim yelled in frustration.

But I paid no heed to his words and proceeded to the next thug.

*PUNCH!

*PUNCH!

*PUNCH!

*PUNCH!

*PUNCH!

[Mission Success + 1 skill point]

"Hey, what's going on over there?" I suddenly heard a familiar voice from a distance.

I turned around and my heart sank when I saw the female police officer approaching.

"Not good," I muttered under my breath. I wasn't finished farming experience points yet, and dealing with the police was a big red flag.

"RUN!" I urgently ordered, but before making my escape, I landed a swift kick to the face of one of the remaining thugs.

BAM!

[Mission Success + 1 skill point]

With that, I turned and bolted, leaving the chaos behind me and hoping to make a clean getaway before the police officer could catch up.