— — — — — —
"…So it really is the brat from [No Name]…"
The shark-head beastman, Taigo, grabbed Jin Russell's chin, gave it a quick squeeze, then let go. Walking over to the lion-head beastman, he gave him a pat on the shoulder.
"Nice work."
The lion-head beastman beamed with pride, grinning ear to ear.
"Taigo-nii, this is the perfect opportunity! The Moon Rabbit race got wiped out two hundred years ago. A live one's gotta be worth a fortune!"
Seeing a chance, the leopard-head beastman, Ag, quickly chimed in.
"Exactly, big bro Taigo! If word gets out that the Moon Rabbit's badly hurt, everyone's gonna come sniffing around. If we don't move fast, someone else might snatch her up!"
"Yeah, exactly. If someone beats us to her, everything we've done would be for nothing."
"For real. If it were me and I was injured, I'd escape the second I had the chance. No one wants to be caught while they're down."
"Run away? That won't do. What about our money?"
The beastmen around started buzzing with nervous chatter.
But Taigo raised a hand, frowning to silence them.
"Not yet."
Before anyone could argue, he continued:
"Just in case, go buy some intel from a reputable information guild. Focus on that human, Ryo. We need to move quick."
Taigo had already thought this through—if the rabbit was out of commission, then once the two sides clash, the gift game opponent would almost certainly be Ryo. And if he had accurate intel on the guy, it would give him a massive advantage.
That edge could easily become the key to victory.
So, information came first—no question about it.
But his underlings didn't seem to get it. They all looked puzzled.
Only the lion-head beastman caught on fast, jumping in to flatter his boss:
"No wonder you're the big boss, Taigo-nii! You think of everything. I'm honestly in awe."
"Yeah, if we really end up in a gift game, Ryo's the only one they've got who can show up. And once we've got his info? It's 100% win."
"Totally! Big bro's a genius! You're seeing things the rest of us can't!"
Taigo smirked, clearly enjoying the praise. After a moment, he pulled the upside-down cross pendant from around his neck and looked around.
"Who here's the fastest runner? Take this token and head to the Gambling Street. Buy some intel—use this at a trustworthy information guild."
The moment he finished, "Ag" bolted forward.
"I'm fast, big bro. Let me go!"
"You?"
Taigo gave him a quick glance. After a moment, he remembered this guy was one of the lion-head's lackeys and nodded, handing over the necklace.
"Alright, go. Don't waste time."
"Yes, sir!"
With the others eyeing him with envy, "Ag" snatched the pendant and dashed out of the warehouse.
— — —
Ten minutes later – Gambling Street, in front of a beastman-run casino
Still wearing "Ag's" face, Ryo looked up at the neon-lit sign above the entrance and snorted.
"Tch… amateurs."
He strode inside confidently.
Thanks to Taigo's token, Ryo easily made it to the casino's finance office, where he met the third-in-command in charge of the money.
"Taigo's orders. I'm here to withdraw 800 gold coins."
"Eight hundred?!" The shark-head beastman doing the books practically choked.
If Ryo hadn't been holding Taigo's token, he'd have assumed this was some kind of prank.
"Taigo is buying info from [Thousand Eyes]. Said to make it quick—he's in a hurry."
"…Thousand Eyes?"
Even this guy had to pause. Thousand Eyes was one of the most powerful and well-known intelligence communities in Little Garden—everyone knew who they were.
For Taigo to send someone to them meant something big was about to go down.
"Wait here. I need time to gather that much."
Grabbing a few subordinates, he rushed off to the vault. A short while later, they returned with a massive sack of gold.
"Here, 800 coins."
"About time."
Ryo grabbed the heavy bag like it was nothing—barely more than a puff of air. No one questioned it, of course. He was pretending to be a beastman, after all—strength came with the look.
With the money in hand, Ryo head for the door.
But as soon as he left, the shark-head manager jerked his head toward his men.
"Follow him. If he's not heading to Thousand Eyes, take him out and bring the money back."
That kind of cash nearly emptied their vault. He wasn't about to let it walk out without backup.
"Got it!" A few beastmen melted into the shadows and followed.
---
"Try to pull one over on me, huh? Idiots…"
Ryo quickly made his way to the Thousand Eyes branch in the outer gate [2105380].
Inside, he was soon greeted by the local manager—a beautiful young cat-girl, and the same shopkeeper who'd welcomed him earlier that morning.
"Fancy seeing you again, Miss Julie," Ryo said, grinning.
"…Do I know you?"
Julie tilted her head, puzzled by the leopard-head beastman in front of her. As the manager of a Thousand Eyes store, she had no reason to interact with someone this… beastly.
Frankly, if he hadn't been dragging a massive sack of gold and personally asked for her by name, he wouldn't have even gotten through the door.
After all, Thousand Eyes didn't serve just anyone.
Before she could say more, sparks burst across Ryo's body, revealing his true form.
"Ah—Mr. Ryo."
Recognition flashed across Julie's face, and she let out a graceful laugh.
"Did Lady Shiroyasha put you up to this? Dressing like that?"
"You could say that."
He shrugged, then got to the point.
"I want to buy intel. On myself."
"…Pardon?"
She blinked, surprised, but kept her composure.
"I see. Well, I don't know why you'd want that, but as a divinity with a five-digit rank—and Lady Shiroyasha's subordinate—your information is practically on par with a four-digit."
Then Ryo raised a finger. "From a month ago."
"…Free, then," Julie replied with a prim smile.
"Old intel like that isn't worth much. And back then, you were just a normal guy."
Ryo's grin widened. "Free, huh? I like that word."
Moments later, he left the shop holding a sealed parchment marked with Thousand Eyes' insignia.
— — —
Back at the warehouse, still disguised as "Ag," Ryo returned.
Taigo, still lounging on his wooden chair, asked without looking up:
"You get the intel?"
"Sure did, boss." Ryo gave a bootlicker's smile and handed him the document.
The moment Taigo saw the Thousand Eyes seal, his eyebrow twitched—and a wave of dread hit him like a ton of bricks.
"You got it… from Thousand Eyes? How much did you spend?"
If "Ag" didn't have a good answer, Taigo was ready to flatten him on the spot.
Who the hell sends someone to Thousand Eyes? You trying to bankrupt me?!
"Oh, not much. I've got a little… connection with one of the clerks. Just cost a single gold coin."
Ryo shot him a sly smile.
"Oooh~" Taigo got the hint instantly and burst out laughing, slapping him on the back.
"Well done!"
Then he glanced at the intel and asked casually: "What was your name again?"
"Ag, boss. Just Ag."
"Good. I'll remember that. Stick around and keep an eye on the No Name brat. When the time comes, I'll let you eat him."
Still flipping through the intel, Taigo didn't even glance at Jin Russell, who sat nearby, bound and gagged.
But Jin was staring back with an unreadable look in his eyes.
Like someone watching a man sell all his belongings and happily hand over the cash—completely unaware he'd just been scammed.
He looked at Ag, thinking, "Ryo-nii said it's not scamming if they smile while handing you the money."
---
"Thanks, boss."
Ryo gave a grateful nod, though he suddenly noticed someone staring daggers into his back.
He turned—and met the lion-head beastman's glare. Clearly suspicious. Clearly pissed.
Ryo let out a whistle and gave him a mocking grin.
The lion-head clenched his jaw.
Just then, Taigo stood up, tore the parchment in half, and let out a bark of laughter.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I thought Ryo might be something special, but he's just a lucky nobody. Damn near laughed my teeth out!"
He kicked his chair into splinters, laughing like a man possessed.
"Alright boys, time to get rich! We're taking everything from [No Name]!"
"YEAHHHHHHHH!!"
His lackeys howled in excitement.
And the loudest, most enthusiastic one of all?
Was Ryo.
.
.
.