"Are you alright, sir?" Samson's concerned voice snapped him back to his senses.

"Yeah, I'm alright." Nodding, Max took out a slice of [Nutritious Bread] from his pocket, "Here, eat this before continuing."

Samson's eyes lit up when he saw the slice of bread. Hurriedly dropping the shovel and wiping his hand on his shirt, he took it with both hands, looking incredibly moved, "Thank you, sir! Thank you so much!"

Saying this, he tore the slice in two, carefully put one in his chest pocket and began eating the other.

Meanwhile, Max was looking at Samson's [Loyalty] section, his gaze bright.

[Loyalty: 10→20]

The simple act giving him a slice made his loyalty jump from ten to twenty, a very significant leap.

After concentrating on the [Loyalty], he had received some information about it and therefore knew once someone's loyalty toward him reached more than 20, as long as he treated them well or something that affected their psychology happened, the chances of them betraying him were very less.

With Samson's loyalty reaching 20, as long as he didn't abuse him and someone didn't try to tempt him, with enough benefits, to betray him, he will be loyal.

Max, however, wasn't willing to take risks. So he wanted to increase his loyalty to fifty at least. Once it reached fifty, the chances of Samson betraying him would drastically decrease.

Of course, he knew increasing loyalty wasn't easy as it all depended on the person's personality and mindset.

Fortunately for him, Samson was currently in a very susceptible state. Anything he did could affect him deeply.

So, he looked at him and curiously asked, "You are saving the half, why?"

Samson finished half slice, chewed it a few times with an ecstatic expression on his face before gulping it down. He then looked at him and cautiously said, "I-It's for my younger b-brother."

'Indeed. 20 isn't enough.' Max sighed inwardly, but his expression remained the same as he asked, "What about your other family members? Are they… alright?"

Samson's eyes turned red and mist began pooling within them when he heard this. Gritting his jaws to control his emotions, he shook his head, "...No. They all died."

Max briefly looked at the [Status] section of his information and saw there were only two words there—Anger and Hatred.

Seeing this, Max knew what might have happened to his family and couldn't help but sigh in pity.

However…

He realized he could take advantage of his current vulnerability to increase his loyalty and that was exactly what he did.

Taking a small step forward, he placed a hand on Samson's shoulder, squeezing it comfortingly, "I'm very sorry for your loss."

"Mm." Samson nodded, taking deep breaths.

"I can help you take your revenge if you want."

Shua!

As soon as Max said this, Samson raised his head and looked into his eyes with such intensity that Max almost took a step back.

"Can you…" He asked, his voice low and deep, "...Really help me?"

"Yes." Max calmly nodded.

Samson stared at him for a few moments and then suddenly…

Thud!

He kneeled on one knee, his head lowered, "If you accept, I'm willing to serve you, sir. I'll do whatever you want me to do. Just promise me two things."

Max didn't answer because the moment Samson took the knee, his mind went blank and a strange, unfamiliar yet also familiar and… pleasant sensation permeated his entire being.

After a few moments, he came back to his senses, and asked, "What two things?"

'Hm?' He raised his brows in confusion because his voice, without him trying, was deeper and… authoritative?

Before he could ponder over this change, Samson began speaking.

"Firstly, I want you to promise me that you'll indeed help me take revenge, and secondly, I want you to do your best to make sure my younger sister lives a safe life if I were to die someday and… please don't do anything to her against her will."

Max's eyelids twitched when he heard his second request.

Did he think he was some disgusting pervert?

As this thought crossed his mind, his face turned a shade redder. Maybe he was?

Coughing lightly, he nodded and solemnly promised, "I promise you both. But you need to find and identify the people you want to kill yourself because I might not have the time."

Hearing this, Samson raised his head and nodded, "I understand, and please forgive me for saying the bread was for my brother when it was for my sister."

"Don't worry about it. I understand. Now, stand up." Max said while glancing at his loyalty.

[Loyalty: 20→40]

Seeing the jump, he nodded in satisfaction. Though it was still 10 points less than the ideal 50, it was enough for him to trust him with some small matters.

Then, with a thought, he took out another slice of bread and a handful of [Corpse Decomposing Powder].

"Here, this one is for your sister." He said, giving him the slice, then he handed him the powder, "And sprinkle this on the bodies. It'll save you time."

Samson's eyes lit up and he hurriedly took the bread, stored it in his pocket before taking the powder with a puzzled look on his face.

Max didn't explain and instead said, "When I'm back, bring a water bottle. Also, make sure no one is around when you use the powder."

Finished saying this, he turned around and walked away.

Samson watched him disappear from his sight with a slightly dazed look on his face. He was finding it hard to believe that Max had just given him—however little—food and promised to protect his sister, help him take the revenge and pretty much told he would give him water too.

While it was true he was helping him take care of the bodies and had just agreed to become his servant, he knew these two things were nowhere enough, especially in the current time, for the things he just got.

He, of course, knew the promises were worth nothing until they were fulfilled, but he got the feeling that he would really keep them.

Shaking his head, he stopped thinking and looked around. Seeing no one was in vicinity, he slowly sprinkled the powder on the corpses all the while thinking how it would save him time.

A few moments later, he got his answer when, to his astonishment, the corpses began sizzling as if they were being fried, and then rapidly disintegrated into piles of dust.

"..."

With a blank look on his face, he stared at the piles of dust, disbelief clear in his eyes. Then, he blinked a few times to see if he was hallucinating—he was not.

Pat! Pat! Pat!

Suddenly, he looked at his palms and hurriedly slapped them against each other, removing every last bit of the powder off them.

Only after he was done and relaxed a little did he realize that he had overreacted. He had it in his hands for quite some time, but it didn't react at all, meaning it wasn't harmful to living beings.

"How could he have something like this?" He wondered before shaking his head. It was not advisable to think too deeply about some things.

Quickly moving the piles of dust and unharmed clothes into the pit, he covered it with some mud though it wasn't necessary.

Then he picked his shovel and headed toward his home with a smile on his face. Today, his sister wouldn't sleep with an empty stomach.

…

After over half an hour, Max arrived before the Governor's Mansion, his brows furrowed.

Although everything seemed calm and quiet, he could feel the tension in the air.

'Let's just find Mom and take her away.' He thought and looked toward the mansion's gate. Immediately, he noticed two men looking at him from the other side and his pupils constricted.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.