"Nice to meet you. My name is Rondi. You've probably heard of Rondi of the Five Black Stars."

"Never heard of him."

Ryu answered abruptly.

"Right, I didn't know you either. (laughs)"

"So, what do you want from me, Andy? If it's a scout, I'm declining."

"Oh, you're not giving me a chance at all. I really wanted to get to know you. And it's Rondi, not Andy."

"I'm not interested in being friends with a criminal organization."

"Oh my, dangerous words. So, you're hostile towards the underworld?"

"Look, as long as you stay out of my business, I don't care about you."

"I see. So you're not interested in getting involved in the underworld's power struggles? You know, there are rumors circulating about a skilled adventurer who suddenly appeared and is taking down criminal organizations with a strange sense of justice."

"I don't have any childish sense of justice. Justice changes with the world. I'm not trying to change the world."

"Is that so? I'm relieved to hear that. At least from my perspective, I'd prefer not to be enemies with a powerhouse capable of taking down a martial arts crime organization single-handedly."

"The Four Night Butterflies started it. If they hadn't bothered me, I wouldn't have gotten involved in the slums."

"But I like that you don't have a sense of justice. How about it? Would you like to work with me?"

"It's not that I don't have a sense of justice..."

"Wait, brother!"

Another man appeared and interrupted them.

"Shin-chan, I told you to stay out of it! Don't you dare interrupt our conversation!"

"Brother, I don't agree! What kind of big guy is he? This scrawny guy! He single-handedly destroyed the Four Night Butterflies? It's definitely a lie!"

Shin-chan was indignant, believing the rumors were baseless.

"Hey you! You were lying, weren't you? Tell the truth!"

"I haven't said anything, have I? ...Oh, it's a lie. I'm not that strong, you know? So, I'm declining the offer. Can I go now?"

"Well, there's no helping it. Let's talk properly another time when there are no interruptions."

"I'll pass."

Ryu waved his hand dismissively and left.

...

"He ran away after his lie was exposed!"

"You idiot. That guy is probably genuinely skilled. I didn't believe it at first either. Or maybe my information network is wrong?"

"I, no, I don't mean that... but! You haven't actually confirmed his strength yourself, have you, brother?"

"I can tell without seeing. People who can't discern the truth of information and only believe what they see with their own eyes are called brawn."

"Well, I'm not as smart as you, brother!"

"Don't mess with him, you'll die if you do. It doesn't bother me if you die, though. It would be great if he joined our side instead. "

"That's harsh, brother..."

...

Rondi and Shin parted ways, and Shin returned to the hideout to gather his comrades.

"We're going to take down Ryujeen."

"Are you sure? I heard Rondi wanted to recruit him if possible."

"My brother made a decision after personally contacting him!"

"Are we really dealing with someone who can summon the Five Swords?"

"My brother told me to be careful. He's rumored to have single-handedly destroyed the Four Night Butterflies. Better safe than sorry."

"He destroyed them all alone, in one night? I don't believe it."

"I don't believe it either. That skinny kid can't be strong, right? We'll just rough him up a bit, and his facade will quickly crumble and he'll start crying."

"Something seems off. If he's so weak, you should just kill him yourself!"

"He must be trying to get us involved because he can't do it alone. Who knows if the brother's orders are even real."

"Right. We have no reason to take orders from Shin, the brother's hanger-on... But we'll lend a hand. But shouldn't you be more polite when asking for help?"

"Polite?"

"Yeah, you should bow when asking someone to do something for you, right? Put your hands on the ground."

"Are you telling me to kowtow, of all things?"

"No, no, there's no need for that. We'll obey Rondi's orders. Now, let's go confirm with the brother and get going!"

"Wait... dammit!"

Shin's lies were apparently obvious to everyone. Shin jumped with lightning speed...

Knelt down, propping himself on both hands and lowering his head.

"I'm so sorry! Please, I beg you, lend me your strength to defeat Ryujeen!!"

"Hmph, fine. We're curious to see if this rumored Ryujeen is the real deal."

"Damn, I made him kowtow, and he's probably going to win! If he loses, I'm in trouble!"

"Who do you think we are?"

"Don't worry, no matter how skilled he is, he's no match for us, the Five Swords."

With such an exchange, the Five Black Stars, consisting of Rondi's subordinate Shin, the "Five Swords" - Fugu, Rai, Boe, Beri, and Gou - and 25 other unnamed subordinates, set off towards Ryu's apartment.

...

Rondi: "Looks like Shin went after him. I didn't expect him to take the Five Swords with him.

If the Five Swords are against him, Ryujeen might lose, right? Well, as long as he doesn't die, I'll heal him, he'll be grateful and join our side.

I doubt the Five Swords would lose... but I'd like to see the rumored strength of this Ryujeen in action."

...

To be continued...

The fate of the fools who challenged Ryu?!

Don't miss it!