Bastard NPC Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Undoubtedly, the most powerful gang in this crime-ridden city is the law itself, and the most vicious and evil among them is this man. I let out a long sigh, once while looking at the floor, and again while staring out the window. Reluctantly, I opened my mouth.

“I’ll do it.”

From the moment this crazy man showed up at my house last night, the outcome was already decided. I tried to stall, looking for an escape route, but there was no way out. 

I had no way of dealing with someone who was blackmailing me while openly revealing my own weaknesses.

“Instead, please write a contract. Have it notarized.”

“You always do great until you say something stupid.”

You always manage to make my blood run cold with your words.

I held back the words I wanted to say and shot him a glare with my eyes. He burst into a soft laugh, then pressed on the bruise on his forehead, telling me to make sure to open my eyes prettily.

“Alright. Let’s do it. I’ll get it notarized for you.”

“……”

“But would that even matter? I don’t think it would.”

He was implying that a contract or whatever meant nothing to him—he’d do whatever he wanted. How did I end up with a character like this? At this point, the developers must be psychopaths.

No, whoever brought me here, that’s where everything went wrong. If I was going to be transmigrated anyway, they could’ve taken me somewhere peaceful. Like farming and healing. I play those kinds of games too, so why the hell here out of all places? It had only been a day since the world flipped upside down.

I miss my mom’s nagging so much. Mom, save me. I think I’m doomed.

***

D-8.

Time passes without me even realizing how quickly it’s burning away. Whether it’s an assassination or a kill, all I can say is that I agreed to do it, but a plan? Of course, there’s none.

Maybe if I were the character Riley, it’d be a different story. But with me, just the shell of Riley, I’d be dead before I even took a step. It was like trying to avoid stepping in shit and ending up stepping right in it.

On top of that, that thug of a man never fully lifted the bounty on me. Well, he only removed the “wanted” status, but still labeled me as a dangerous individual. 

Every now and then, NPCs would recognize me and scream at me, and unknowingly, I’d face restrictions in my daily life. At first, I didn’t even know I was designated as a dangerous individual. There wasn’t the usual noisy reaction like when a bounty was placed on me.

While repairing the living room that had become a mess thanks to someone, I moved to a different house. That night, I heard a strange sound. The floor seemed to be vibrating slightly.

Had they come again?

It was a reasonable suspicion. Everything went as planned, and I even signed a contract. Who knew what kind of nonsense they were up to now? 

I was already irritated, so I flung open the bedroom door. But the living room was dark and quiet. Then, thud-thud-thud. The vibrations felt a bit stronger, like loud music was playing through a subwoofer.

The sound was even coming from the backyard of my house. I grabbed a frying pan for self-defense and my phone, then stepped outside. Sure enough, music that sounded like it was coming from a club was blasting, accompanied by the voices of multiple people.

Oh my god.

What was happening in the backyard was even more absurd than I had imagined. A group of unknown NPCs had gathered and were throwing a party in my pool. 

No, who the hell are you to throw a party at my house without me?

What was even funnier was their reaction.

‘Isn’t that person the pizza delivery guy?’

‘Ahhh!’

‘Run!’

The man who was lounging happily on a sunbed, which I had never even laid on, noticed me standing at a distance and started panicking. In an instant, the backyard turned into chaos. 

Some were jumping over the backyard fence to escape, others were flailing around after falling into the pool. One person even tripped and collapsed, losing consciousness. Watching the whole scene unfold, I called the police, and for some reason, they arrested me. That was when I found out I had been designated as a dangerous individual. 

Before getting into the police car, I called Colin for help, and as usual, things were neatly resolved, with an apology from the police. But my mood was still foul. The next day, I immediately filed a complaint, but Theo responded as if there was no issue at all.

“I said I’d lift the bounty. You signed a contract, so why are you complaining?”

“You lifted the bounty. The ‘wanted’ status, that is.”

“No, what kind of wordplay is this? What’s the point of lifting the bounty if nothing changes with the ‘dangerous person’ status still hanging over me?!”

“Because there’s no trust between us.”

“……”

“You didn’t trust me, which is why you ran to your little buddies and told them everything, right?”

He even went so far as to criticize me for not reporting the situation with the police. Trust my ass. I was so stunned by his absurdity that I just turned away with a sour look. He, ever the charmer, pressed his hand against my forehead again with that irritating smile.

“Don’t do that next time. It hurts my feelings.”

I had no feelings left to hurt. Just looking at the contract proved that. I had to endure being mocked just to secure my own interests, and even had to get it notarized. 

This wasn’t a contract—it was practically a slave agreement. The main clause was that we’d go our separate ways once the job was done, but there were a ridiculous number of additional clauses listed one after another.

When I imagined what a lawyer would think after seeing this kind of content, it was so embarrassing.

Why does he make so many calls? His nagging is worse than my mom’s, his tone more annoying than my older sister’s. Just like my dad, he constantly bothers people with pointless things. 

Hearing the phone ring was enough to make me feel like I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

And on top of that, he kept adding more clauses depending on his mood.

“Hey.”

“Hey? Is my name ‘Hey’ now?”

“No. I mean, then, boss.”

“You’re hopeless.”

She decided not to call him at all.

“….Hey, you should walk whenever possible. What’s with this car?”

Today, Ren shook his head after examining the state of my car, which was scratched and crumpled all over again. After being defeated, lying on the floor for two days, I finally went out. However, the NPCs were still lawless drivers who only knew how to go straight.

“I drive well. I pay attention to the signals and stay in my lane.”

“Why look at the signals?”

“Then what should I look at?”

“You have to watch the mood, you punk. You need to be sensible. Don’t you know?”

I have no idea. What are you talking about?

When I gave a slightly reluctant response, Ren clicked his tongue, saying I was far off. He then proceeded to explain various tips for driving. While I listened, I couldn’t help but glance at the office, which had been neatly repaired.

“Got it. I’ll try doing it your way from now on. And this.”

Before stopping by the repair shop, I had gone to the bank to withdraw a lot of cash. Some of the cash in the sports bag was Ren’s share. Although we had roughly settled the payment over the phone, I still hadn’t given him the repair fee.

“What is this?”

“Yeah, the repair fee.”

“What repair fee?”

“The office was a mess. I’m sorry about that day.”

“Oh, forget it.”

Ren repeatedly refused, saying he hadn’t fixed anything, but I shoved the envelope into his pocket, insisting he keep it. Then, without giving him a chance to react, I quickly turned and waved my hand.

“Hey!”

“I’m leaving, bye!”

“Then let’s have dinner together.”

Just as I was about to leave the repair shop, Ren, holding the envelope in one hand, asked with a displeased look if I liked hamburgers. 

It seemed like he was asking for a meal just to make himself feel better after I’d forced the envelope on him. I nodded in agreement, thinking that having a meal might ease his mind.

“Hamburgers are good. Should I come back around five?”

Ren nodded. After roughly setting the time, I moved the money bag from the backseat of the car to another vehicle. It was heavier than I expected, and Ren asked if I was carrying rocks in it. I just smiled and avoided answering.

Unlike on the way here, on the way back, I followed Ren’s advice and ignored the signals. I focused on the unspoken rules of the road. 

If I noticed someone suspicious in the rearview mirror, I immediately pulled over to the side. And if there seemed to be no other option, I ignored the signals and sped ahead.

Thanks to that, I didn’t get scratched once, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was becoming an NPC myself, which left a slightly bitter taste.

“It’s been a while.”

The second destination today was the house of the three brothers. When we arrived near the house, Adam, who had been waiting outside, got into the passenger seat.

“Ah, yes. You look radiant as always, sir.”

“It’s a stealth mode outfit. Didn’t you tell me to come out secretly?”