"Next, I'm going to perform a magic trick. I hope everyone cooperates."
"Watch carefully, this is a wild boar mask. No matter what happens next, you must keep your eyes fixed on it."
"In about five minutes, you will witness a miracle!"
Under the gaze of the crowd, Jay slowly put on the prepared wild boar mask.
To ensure everyone's full attention, he even fabricated a lie about performing magic.
And thanks to his earlier buildup, he successfully piqued everyone's curiosity.
"A magic trick? Did he really pay us just to watch him perform a trick?"
"There must be about a hundred people here, right? At 10,000 Berries per person, that's a million Berries!"
"Yeah, this guy must be loaded!"
"Hey, your focus is all wrong. Am I the only one curious about what trick he's actually going to do? Is he going to pull a dove out when he takes off the mask?"
"I bet a wild boar will pop out instead."
"Pfft! Are you serious? A whole wild boar? No way!"
"It's magic, how do you know it's impossible?"
"Alright, if he pulls out a pig, I'll eat this rock right here! But if he doesn't, you'll wash my socks for a year!"
"Deal!"
...
Amidst the chatter, three minutes quickly passed.
Underneath the mask, Jay was getting anxious.
The system hadn't given him any notification that he had fulfilled the activation condition.
That meant someone among the hundred people must have looked away, failing to meet the "one minute of concentrated attention" requirement.
With no other choice, he suddenly shouted, "Look at me!"
Everyone turned their gaze back to him, but nothing happened.
After ten seconds, someone seemed to lose patience and was about to look away again.
Jay quickly shouted, "Pay close attention! I've hidden a secret on this mask. Whoever finds it will get an extra 100,000 Berries, paid on the spot!"
100,000 Berries?!
That immediately reignited everyone's enthusiasm as they eagerly searched for the so-called "secret" on the mask.
Another thirty seconds passed.
Jay then played his final trick, suddenly striking strange yet eye-catching poses while loudly declaring, "The moment of magic is almost here! Let's all count down together, 10, 9, 8, 7..."
At that moment, everyone was fully focused, wanting to see what Jay's trick would reveal.
They all joined in the countdown.
When the count reached "1," Jay finally received the system notification he had been waiting for!
[Zenhitsu Inosuke] (Young Version)
Activation Condition Met: Wear the wild boar mask and endure one minute of concentrated attention from a hundred people.
Ability Unlocked: Tactile Perception!
[Tactile Perception] allows the user to sense the movement of air and detect killing intent or hostility within a certain range through their skin.
"Finally!"
Jay let out a deep breath and yanked off the wild boar mask, throwing it into the air.
As it soared, a flurry of banknotes spilled out, fluttering down like confetti.
Even though they were all small 10-Berry bills, the crowd still scrambled to grab them.
Seeing that no one was questioning his "magic trick" and instead just focused on picking up money, Jay knew his dignity was safe, for now.
Then, something strange happened.
His body hair stood on end.
The air brushed against his skin, sending a tingling sensation across his body.
Jay immediately realized, this was the effect of Tactile Perception.
Trusting his instincts, he subtly glanced in a certain direction.
At the corner of the area, someone was lurking in the shadows.
Jay knew he had only detected them because of the intense hostility emanating from that person.
"Why do people insist on dying early?"
He muttered under his breath.
~That Night, In the Medical Bay~
"What's 1000 minus 7?"
Mosley suddenly woke up from a nightmare!
In his dream, that demonic smile was once again asking him that terrifying question.
"Thank god, it was just a dream..."
"Nova Jay, I swear I will have my revenge a thousand times over!"
"Oh? Too bad... you won't get the chance."
"Who's there?!"
Mosley's heart pounded as he whipped his head around.
At that exact moment, a bolt of lightning illuminated the night sky.
In that brief flash
A monstrous figure with a pig's head and a human body stared directly at him.
Mosley was petrified.
He opened his mouth to scream, but a hand covered it.
"Don't be scared. It'll be over soon."
Hearing that voice, Mosley's eyes widened in horror.
Three days passed in eerie silence.
Before Jay boarded the ship, it was as if nothing had happened.
Mosley's death was completely covered up.
No one mentioned it.
No one searched for the killer.
Just before departure, Colonel Hammond finally appeared to say a few words to Jay.
"I've had Mosley's body dumped into the sea. His death report states that he died heroically fighting pirates."
Jay looked puzzled. "Who's Mosley?"
Colonel Hammond studied him. "I know you won't admit to killing him. But frankly, I don't care who did it."
"Because here, if I say someone is guilty, then they are guilty."
"I don't need proof. I don't need a reason. Do you understand?"
Jay fell silent. He understood exactly what Hammond meant.
"Do your job well. Don't mess up."
"That way, I can trust you with even bigger tasks in the future."
For Hammond to say something like this meant he believed he now completely controlled Jay.
But what he didn't know was that all those so-called 'weaknesses' and 'leverage' over Jay were just bait, deliberately given to him.
As the act came to an end, Jay's lips curled into a cold smirk.
From now on, he could use Hammond's authority to his advantage.
Jay stepped into the cargo hold, curious about what kind of deal Hammond was involved in.
Then he froze.
"Toys? No... something's wrong."
It turned out that Hammond was bolder than Jay had imagined.
On the surface, the cargo consisted of harmless toys.
But hidden inside... were guns and ammunition.
And not just any weapons, Marine-issued firearms.
Jay's expression darkened as he recalled Hammond's words.
"So this isn't some outside shipment..."
"These weapons are being smuggled directly from the base itself!"
All the rumors were true.
Colonel Hammond was secretly selling off military supplies.
And if that was the case… who was buying?