"Looking sharp, Otto!"
Quinn's eyes lit up as he looked at Otto in his tailored suit.
Otto's appearance was so deceptive that Quinn subconsciously thought of him as frail and thin.
But in reality, he stood close to six feet tall.
Despite his struggles in business, Otto had maintained a fit physique. While not as bulky as a bodybuilder, he had a tall, straight build—like a natural clothes hanger.
When he changed into Quinn's high-end suit, his entire demeanor transformed from someone who'd been beaten down by life into a powerful social elite.
"First time wearing something like this. I'm not used to it." Otto turned in front of the mirror, his tone awkward, shattering the cool executive image in seconds.
Quinn was speechless.
The guy looked good for maybe three seconds!
"Let's head downstairs first. I'll buy you some proper clothes later."
"Okay!"
"Then let's go!"
Quinn called out and headed downstairs first.
This was a two-story building with a storefront. Downstairs served as the shop warehouse and dining area, while upstairs housed the bedroom, study, and bathroom.
The front faced the street, and the back opened to a narrow alley.
When Quinn had nothing to do during the day and didn't feel like wandering around, he'd open the front door to run the convenience store. At night, he'd open the back window to accept commissions.
Of course, he ran things casually.
When to open for business depended entirely on his mood.
Right now, he was heading to Manhattan to buy supplies for Otto, so he planned to leave through the back door.
However, when he unlocked it and turned the doorknob, opening just a crack, a wild cat's meow drifted in.
"Mr. Quinn, watch out!"
Otto's expression suddenly changed. He shoved Quinn aside and leapt back using the recoil force.
The next second, a grenade flew through the door crack.
Pop!
Blinding light exploded, and the entire house filled with brilliant white.
Quinn and Otto's vision was consumed by light—they could only see a vast expanse of white.
Flashbang!
Quinn immediately realized they were under attack, his mind racing through possible enemy identities.
Kingpin?
S.H.I.E.L.D.?
Or Hydra?
Boom!
The sound of the door being kicked in cut off Quinn's train of thought.
He was about to act when Otto's voice came from beside him.
"Eight people, fully equipped!"
"Close your eyes!"
Without doubt or hesitation, Quinn pulled a grenade from thin air.
Pulled the pin, primed it, threw it out.
The motion was executed in one smooth flow.
The enemy who'd just kicked in the door was about to raise his weapon when he spotted a grenade rolling under his feet. He immediately shouted and dove back through the doorway.
BOOM!
A massive explosion erupted with flames and shockwaves. The three closest people were blasted off their feet on the spot, and those following couldn't aim properly due to the blast wave.
Quinn pulled the Nichirin blade from his system space, ready to rush out and cut them down.
His vision hadn't fully recovered—he could only see doubled outlines—but he knew the alley behind his house intimately. Through sound and vague silhouettes, it was enough to identify enemy locations.
"Fire!"
Rata-tat-tat...
These were clearly elites with rigorous training. Even without proper aim, they knew this was the perfect moment for a counterattack, so they fired indiscriminately at the doorway.
Their decision was smart and successfully prevented Quinn from rushing out to slaughter them.
But they'd ignored one thing.
Otto hid behind the wall, both hands on the ground, channeling his mana. "El Dona!"
Dona was an earth magic spell from "Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World," while El indicated the magic tier. There were four levels total, from lowest to highest: the base level, El-level, Ul-level, and Al-level.
Otto had just used second-tier earth magic.
Suddenly, the ground trembled slightly.
The attackers lost their footing and eventually lost balance, falling to the ground.
Quinn seized the opportunity and rushed out.
Slash slash slash!!!
With the sound of sharp blade piercing flesh, blood splattered everywhere, painting the walls and ground red.
But Quinn didn't kill them—he just severed the tendons in their hamstrings and wrists to prevent any tricks.
As for why there was so much blood—of course he'd cut their arteries for bloodletting!
Thunk!
The Nichirin blade stabbed into the ground beside an attacker's head. Quinn looked down at him and sneered. "At the rate you're bleeding, you'll be dead in less than three minutes. So, answer my questions, and I'll stop the bleeding afterward!"
"I won't say anything!"
"What about you?"
Quinn turned to look at the others.
No answer—the enemy responded with silence.
But sometimes, silence was also an answer.
Quinn already knew what he wanted, and a smile appeared on his face. "Then I'll send you on your way!"
Hand raised, blade down.
Without hesitation, without the slightest tremor, he accurately struck vital points and ended each life with a single cut.
Quinn flicked the blood off his sword and turned to Otto, who'd come to the doorway. "Looks like we can't go out today. I'll leave the cleanup to you."
"I understand, Mr. Quinn!"
Otto's voice had become cold, his expression equally detached, no longer showing any weakness.
Quinn frowned slightly but ultimately said nothing.
A puppet was an existence that restored everything except self-awareness. This wasn't just reflected in behavioral patterns, but also in talent, growth potential, and even psychological changes after major events.
And Otto was fundamentally kind-hearted.
While he wasn't so kind that he'd refuse to fight back when attacked, continuing to kill opponents after already subduing them, first severing tendons and arteries before finishing them off... this was unacceptable for Otto.
But he was Quinn's puppet, and his loyalty to Quinn superseded everything else.
Therefore, he could only abandon the kindness in his heart.
Just like in the Pride Route from the original story where he never met the protagonist—after his business failed, he became Russell's slave and engaged in soul-crushing work daily.
Through his own abilities, he eventually became Russell's right-hand man and earned the title "Death Merchant."
The current Otto showed the prototype of that death merchant.
But...
"This might actually be a good thing for me!"
After brief consideration, Quinn reached a conclusion.
He wasn't a good person. Although his targets were all people who deserved it, he wasn't acting with the idea of eliminating evil and promoting good—he did it because it brought benefits. There was no guarantee he wouldn't target innocent people in the future.
So he never claimed to represent justice.
With such a self, the people and situations he'd encounter in the future would be extremely dangerous. If Otto always maintained his original kindness, that would be inappropriate!
Thinking this through, Quinn smiled slightly. "Drop the 'mister' stuff. It sounds weird. Just call me boss."
"Okay, Boss Quinn!"
Otto's voice became even colder, as did his entire demeanor.
"Then I'll leave this to you!"
Leaving those words behind, Quinn went back inside the house to clean up, then left through the front door.