The Blooming Gloom

As I continued to explain to him what I knew, of course I left out the part where I regressed. The sadness and pity are visible on his face; it’s as if he knew that the pain and agony he suffered weren’t truly comparable to mine.

After my fight with Barry, I realized that I still lacked experience. I need to be strong enough so I won’t lose my rationality again.

Strong enough to defeat my enemies one-sidedly without losing my rationality. Not just my rationality but also to conserve my stamina and reduce unnecessary stress and injuries.

I need to become someone who is feared by my enemies and respected by my companions and subordinates.

Others wouldn’t dare approach me and my friends out of fear. I need to be more brutal while preventing my rage from consuming me.

I must pull out all the rotten fruits to become a beautiful and sturdy tree.

I should leave my tragic past behind, prioritize my revenge, and protect my friends. I must do it; I must become strong.

Hours have passed since Barry woke up. His face has swollen, and his mother explained to him why I wanted to make him my subordinate.

"I see."

Barry’s face turned apologetic and uncomfortable. Barry walked towards me and sat down next to me.

"Gareth, I do have a reason to become your subordinate and help you, but I hope you won’t include all these teenagers and old men."

"I understand; I just need you."

Barry crackled and said,

"That’s kind of romantic. Thank you; I’ll be sure to help you. " In our fight, it seems like you lack experience."

"All I have done is train in the montane forest, but experience can be learned while we take our time consuming the small gangs."

"That’s true, but you don’t have time. When that bastard Nilo starts to take notice of you, he will start planning against you; well, the worst that could happen is either he commissions a professional killer or makes an all-out war."

"Don’t worry about small things; I can handle them."

"Small thing? That sounds trouble."

I stood up and drank a cup of water. I told him that it wouldn’t be easy, but I could guarantee it. Me and Jaymar left the area and told Barry that we would be back after a day and that he should rest.

What I need the most now is battle experience. Battle experience is important to grow stronger. Of course, you can earn battle experience if you train, but battle experience that has been gained in an actual battle is the most important.

If you accumulate enough to use it to your advantage by combining your attacks based on your knowledge and experience,

Knowledge and experience balance each other, but if you have experience, even if you don’t have enough knowledge, then you can survive.

I must do anything and grasp everything to become stronger. Sloppy mistakes and unnecessary moves would ruin not just me but the people around me too.

I started to seize and obliterate street gangs. Some joined mine after seeing my skills and leadership without any issues after beating them; some ran, and some hid with hatred and defiance in their eyes as they gazed at me.

My group continued to grow. I continue to gain experience and accumulate more knowledge.

As each day passes, more and more people are in awe after seeing my skills, and some harbor ill intentions.

I told the people who joined me to go to the abandoned building to the west where BP is located, and I told the people who harbor hatred towards me that I always welcome their challenges.

I left Jaymar with Barry to train and gain experience, and I ordered them to take the south gangster to either recruit or seize it by force.

I was drinking my black coffee when a group of teenagers approached me.

"Hello— are you perhaps the beast?"

As I glared at them, I saw their discomfort and anxious faces. Beast, you say?

"I’m not the one called Beast."

"B—but they told us that the beast had many scars on his face and hands and always wore a hoodie."

Someone’s spying on me.

"Who told you that?"

"It’s him!"

"How did you know about me, kid?"

"I—I saw you beat the thugs in 4th Street! You were beating them like a beast, and some people call you the beast too."

"I see. What do you want?"

"C—can we join your group? We can do house chores and errands, but please give us food and a place to sleep."

"So, you guys are runaways?"

"N—no, we aren’t."

"Then, why are you looking for a place to sleep?"

"Because of our circumstances."

"What kind of circumstances?"

As his gloomy face deepened, he introduced himself and his siblings. The one I’m talking to is named Ramon Yuo, 12 years old; he’s the oldest; the second one is Jason Yuo, 11 years old; and the youngest is Kyle Yuo, 8 years old.

They told me about their story. He said it started when their dad borrowed some money from the thugs to pay for their rent; however, their father couldn’t keep up with the interest.

Weeks have passed since the thugs killed their parents. Fortunately, they were able to hide. The deaths of their parents were soon released in the media as suicides.

Right now, they are being chased by the thugs, and those thugs are the "North Kind". Well, they’re rotten people who will do anything for money.

I told them to stay at Barry’s residence and tell him that I gave them permission to do so.

It’s still too early for me to make a move against North Kind; my forces are incomparable to theirs, and if ever they hired some killers, it would be difficult for me to protect everyone.

I should now focus on making connections to back me up. As long as I can remember, the ambassador of England would visit every month and soon be killed by North Korean and Chinese agents.

I should make preparations and look for a gun. In a week, someone from the north would sell illegal weapons on the outskirts of the city. Cocopah Street, XX block, XX lot

As I wandered the streets of Phoenix, I suddenly felt chills down my spine. Reluctant to do anything, a soft, loud voice called me from afar.