Zain entered his home and smelled something delicious, making his stomach grumbled.
Zelia poked her head out from the kitchen, smiling upon seeing Zain.
"Zain, you're back. So you're safe."
She walked over with a towel in her hands, wiping them as she spoke.
"I heard no one was disturbed today… Guess they're gone now."
Zain dropped his coat on the hook and smirked.
"Of course. I told you, I'm better than you think."
Zelia laughed softly.
"Yeah, yeah. Mr. Confident. Come eat. I made something special today."
She turned back toward the table and lifted the lid off a plate.
Golden, crispy fried chicken gleamed in the light.
Zain raised his eyebrow as he took a seat.
"Fried chicken, huh? Looks delicious."
He took a bite, crunching into the skin.
"Damn… this is really good."
Zelia smirked proudly, crossing her arms.
"Of course it is. I told you it was special."
As they ate, Zain pulled something from his coat—a thick stack of bills, wrapped with a simple band.
He placed it quietly beside her plate.
Zelia blinked in confusion.
"What's this?"
"Some of the reward money."
Zain said casually, sipping from his glass.
"I got it for taking down those villains."
Zelia frowned slightly.
"Then why are you putting it here?"
Zain met her eyes, calm and sure.
"Use it. For the house, for food, for yourself. I don't need it right now."
She opened her mouth to protest, but he cut in before she could.
"Also… you don't need to work tomorrow. Or the day after. Just stay home. Rest. I feel better knowing you're safe here."
Zelia stared at him for a moment, then smiled gently.
She nodded.
"I see… Okay then. Thank you, Zain."
Zain just smiled back.
"You're welcome, sis."
---
The next morning, Zain made his way toward the border leading into Zone CB.
Zain approached calmly, pulling out his Hero ID and offering it with a slight smirk.
One of the guards took it, scanning it with a portable device.
His eyes narrowed as the name came up.
"Zain… Heavenly Demon? You're a C-Rank Hero?"
"That's right," Zain replied, arms crossed.
The second guard glanced up from his seat and gave Zain a questioning look.
"You sure you want to head into CB-2, kid?"
He leaned forward slightly.
"That's Rust Rat territory. They've got a lot of C-Rank villains crawling around."
"Even some unranked ones who've stayed off the system grid."
Zain chuckled, that familiar confident grin tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"Don't worry about me. I'm not going sightseeing. I'm here to clean the place up."
The first guard sighed, handing back the ID with a wary nod.
"Alright then. Don't say we didn't warn you. Just try not to get stabbed in the first alley."
Zain slid the card back into his coat.
"Noted. But I'm usually the one doing the stabbing."
With that, he stepped through the gate, entering CB-2.
---
Zain walked deeper into CB-2 and realized that it had the same appearance as his area CC-1.
The only difference was that, it was too quiet here.
"Tch. Guess the rats like to stay in the dark."
Zain muttered to himself, keeping his senses sharp.
Then, from the side of a narrow alley, two men stepped out, their arms crossed and faces full of smugness.
Both wore beat-up jackets with spray-painted logos—Rust Rats tags—scribbled across the backs.
One had a chain wrapped around his arm. The other held a thick, rusted steel pipe.
"Oi! Who the hell are you, kid?" the first one barked.
Zain didn't even stop.
He kept walking until he stood right in front of them.
He stopped, tilting his head.
"Name's Zain. I'm a hero."
He flashed them a sharp grin.
"And I'm here to clean you up."
Both thugs paused—then burst into loud, mocking laughter.
"You?! A hero?!" the chain guy sneered, pointing.
"You look like a damn schoolboy who got lost on the wrong street!"
The one with the pipe shook his head.
"Man, you really don't get it. This ain't some 'be a hero' playground."
He raised the pipe, resting it on his shoulder.
"Don't stick your nose where it doesn't belong, punk. You might not walk out with it."
Zain just smirked wider.
"Didn't your boss ever tell you not to judge a book by its cover?"
The thug snarled.
"Whatever. Time to fold this brat—"
With a yell, he swung the steel pipe directly at Zain's head.
CLANG—
But the pipe stopped mid-swing.
Zain had caught it—barehanded.
The thug's eyes widened.
"What the—?"
Zain's grip tightened, and with a slow creak of twisting metal—
CRUNCH.
He crushed the pipe like it was made of cardboard, bits of it falling to the ground.
He looked the thug dead in the eyes.
"You said not to stick my nose where it doesn't belong?"
He stepped forward, smirking.
"I'd say you two are the ones who don't belong in this city."
---
The two thugs staggered back.
Their eyes widen as they stare at the crushed remains of the steel pipe.
"D-Damn it…"
"He really is a hero. And not just a loudmouth—he's got a power too!"
The second one gritted his teeth, panicking.
"We're just grunts! We don't even have superpowers! What the hell were we thinking?!"
Zain took a slow step forward, cracking his knuckles.
"Smartest thing you've said all day."
The one with the chain didn't wait—he turned around and bolted.
"Screw this, I'm out!"
The second thug followed right after him, scrambling over a stack of crates.
"Let's run! We'll tell the others!"
Zain's smirk sharpened.
"Oh no..."
He muttered, bending his knees.
"I never let trash like you run."
He blurred forward with a sudden burst—Quick Step activating.
Zain was in front of the first thug before he even reached the corner.
"Going somewhere?" he asked coldly.
Before the thug could react, Zain's hand shot out.
He grabbed him by the neck and lifted him off the ground with one arm.
The thug struggled, kicking wildly.
"W-WAIT! DON'T—"
CRACK.
Zain's Hard Grip activated.
His grip tightened, and the thug neck was snapped just like that.
He released his hand, letting the dead thug fall to the ground.
"One down."
He turned without hesitation, ignoring the first thug's corpse.
His eyes locked onto the second thug, trying to crawl away.
"One to go."