Inch Force

“Don’t be scared! He’s not even holding a weapon! What are you afraid of—he’s just a weaponless mortal!”

The man roared, trying to rally his increasingly shaken comrades.

“Y-yeah! He doesn’t even have a weapon! Come on, guys—let’s get him!”

Amid the rising tension, Uncle Ai stood calmly at the doorway, wearing his ever-professional butler expression. He showed no intention of intervening.

Sui Ming had changed—so drastically that even Ai found it eerie.
Today, he’d take a good look.
He wanted to see what exactly had turned this once-emotionless boy into the figure standing before them.

“Things are getting interesting,” Ai murmured.

“L-little brother, listen… if you just hand over the money, we won’t lay a finger on you, alright?”

“Y-yeah! We’re just poor guys trying to make a living, you know?”

“…Wait. Did you just say… you want me to pay up?”

Sui Ming rolled his wrists and cracked his knuckles, his tone growing icy.
“I haven’t even saved enough for retirement, and you want me to pay off a whole debt? Upfront?”

“…Then don’t blame us for what happens next!”

With a howl, the man swung his wooden bat straight at Sui Ming’s face.

A full-powered swing from an adult male—even one aimed at a regular person—was nothing to scoff at.
Let alone someone like Sui Ming, all skinny limbs and matchstick bones.

It wouldn’t kill him, maybe.
But it’d definitely land him in the hospital.

Sui Ming twisted his body, narrowly dodging the strike. The gust of wind from the swing brushed past his cheek.

He muttered to himself,
“Looks like I really do have to go back to my old trade.”

The attacker, still caught in the momentum of his missed swing, had no time to defend himself.

Sui Ming’s fingers came together like a blade, his fingertips hovering just below the man’s sternum—between chest and gut.

[Inch Force: Heartbreaker!]

A dull boom burst out, followed by a sharp, glass-like shattering sound.

Foam sprayed from the man’s lips, flecked with blood, and his body crumpled to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.

Just one blow.

And a man nearly twice Sui Ming’s size was unconscious on the floor, life signs gone.

“G-get him! He’s just one guy!”

The rest of the thugs swarmed in, surrounding him.

But Sui Ming didn’t move.
He didn’t even look nervous.

He’d faced worse.
Many times over.
Back in his old life, brawling while outnumbered was basically a daily warm-up.

Dodging another swing, he locked eyes with the group’s leader.

[Inch Step: Ground Fold.]

“What—?! When did he—?!”

Sui Ming understood the battlefield rule well: cut the head, the body crumbles.

Unless he took out their leader, the rest would never back down.

And so—

Before the man could react, Sui Ming’s elbow drove into his chest with a thunderous crack.

That blow, enhanced by Inch Force, tore through the air like a tidal wave.

The man stumbled back, clutching his chest, face twisted in agony.

His body was trained—like stone.
Even a blade would only leave a shallow cut on him.

But now…
Now it felt like something had erupted inside him.
Like fire and blades were tearing through his insides.

“…That’s enough, young master. Please don’t go picking fights at our front gate.”

Before anyone noticed, Ai had appeared behind the man.

Snap.

The butler calmly patted his hands, wiping away nonexistent dust.

The body crumpled at his feet—head twisted a full 180 degrees.

“Anyone else?” Ai asked coldly.
“If you’re still here to collect a debt, come forward.
I don’t mind entertaining you.”

A chill swept over the group.

They scattered in terror, bolting into the distance.
Not a single one dared retrieve their fallen leader’s body.

“Well, well, Uncle Ai—got some moves after all, huh?”
Sui Ming grinned, slapping him on the shoulder.

“You flatter me, young master,” Ai replied with a small smile.
“In my youth, I dabbled in a little self-defense. Nothing much.”

“…But you, young master. Your skills… they’re not ordinary.”

“Just a few tricks I came up with on the fly. Heh… hah…”

“Come on, Ai. It’s freezing out here. Let’s head back inside.”

“Of course.”

As they passed the two corpses, Sui Ming’s gaze darkened for a brief second.

He still hadn’t told Ai the full truth.

Yes, Uncle Ai had been the kindest person to him since arriving in this world.
But he was still afraid.

Afraid that if Ai learned he wasn’t the original Sui Ming…
That he’d possessed this body…
He might lash out. Or worse.

So yes—he was lying.
But only because he had to.

Because he still wanted a future here.

A better one.

Inside the estate, seated at the long dining table, Sui Ming tore into the simple bread like it was a feast.

“…Hey, Ai. Who were those guys?”

The butler hesitated briefly, then answered,
“They were likely thugs under the Aorah Family.”

“The Aorah Family?”
“There are still things like… noble families here?”

Ai didn’t seem surprised at the question. Instead, he calmly explained:

“In this small town of Noah City, there were once two great families.
One was the Xi Family—yours.
The other, the Aorah Family.”

“Before the master left, he borrowed money from the current head of the Aorahs—Neil Aorah.
He only agreed to the loan after demanding an outrageous interest rate.”

“…My brilliant old man, huh.”

Sui Ming clenched his fist with a bitter smile. A giant ‘囧’ practically appeared on his forehead.

He could literally feel his knuckles tightening.

“Since the Xi Family’s decline, the Aorahs now control nearly 40% of Noah City’s businesses.
It seems they have plans to seize control of the entire city.”

“Really now? So ambitious?”

“That’s only what I know.
If the young master wishes to dig deeper…
you’ll have to investigate yourself.”

“Considering their next target is probably us…”

“…Yeah,” Sui Ming muttered, falling deep into thought.

The Xi Family still held 20% of the city’s economy.
A wounded tiger, maybe—but not a stray dog to be kicked around.

Today’s attack was clearly a probe.

They wanted to see if this once-mighty beast still had fangs.

“If I want to live a peaceful life in this world… hiding in a corner won’t be enough.”

He smiled, confidence blazing in his eyes.

“If they came to test me…
then they’d better be ready to pay the price.”

The light of the setting sun poured through the window, illuminating the boy’s face like a halo.

No shadow could survive it.

And watching him quietly, Uncle Ai allowed himself a rare, faint smile—
half wistful, half proud.