Extra's POV: My Obsessive Villainous Fiancee Is The Game's Final Boss-Chapter 172: You Want Coin? You’ll Get It

Silence filled the air.

"Wait, what?" Thorn frowned. "You're a smuggler. Why would you want to know about the relationship between the King and the Pope?"

The smugglers blinked, murmurs of agreement filling the air. Even the scarred man tilted his head, thinking about it. "Well—"

There was a blue, and a throwing knife whistled through the air, embedding itself in the scarred leader's throat with a wet thunk.

His eyes went wide in shock, unable to believe what just happened as blood bubbled at his lips. He tried to speak but only gurgled, stumbling backward before crumpling to the ground, the knife's hilt still jutted from his neck.

Gasps erupted from the smugglers, some of them stepping back, weapons half-raised, eyes darting wildly as they tried to find where the throwing knife had come from.

Ren turned to stare at Lilith, who stood beside him, looking calm as a cucumber. On her face was a smirk filled with amusement, as if she'd just done something as simple as flicking a pebble into a pond. She gave Ren a little shrug, as if to say, He was boring.

Ren sighed internally, before glancing around at the others. The smugglers had already come to the conclusion that the attack had come from the group in front of them, some of them already panicking.

He could see the wheels turning in their heads, leading to an attack on them, so he decided to stop it before it even began. He stepped forward slowly, raising his hands in a calming gesture.

"Hey! Hey! Hey! We didn't do this. Maybe he triggered an old trap in the tunnels. Besides, there's no need for all of you to throw your lives away for someone you probably didn't even like."

The smugglers hesitated. A few exchanged glances. There were murmurs.

"He was always a bastard..."

"Didn't share half the last cut..."

"Got Jord killed in the Shroud Tunnel..."

Ren smiled to himself. He'd guessed right.

However, they still raised their weapons, eyeing Ren's group suspiciously. Their loyalty had died with the man, but their fear was still very much alive.

Ren scanned them quickly and pointed at the youngest among them—a boy, no older than fourteen, with dirt-smudged cheeks and wide, anxious eyes.

"You. Step forward."

The boy looked left and right as if he was looking for who Ren was calling, then his eyes widened as he realized it was him. He hesitated for a few seconds before slowly stepping forward. "What do you want?" He asked, trying and failing to sound tough.

Ren dipped his hand into his coin pouch, and the smugglers stiffened.

"Easy." He said, pulling out two gold coins.

He handed one to the boy. "Deliver this to your leader. Tell him that this is proof that I'm ready to pay in gold for guidance and safe passage into Rainhold."

The boy stared at the coin, then at the other coin before glancing up at Ren. "And the other?"

Ren handed it over. "Your pay for delivering the message."

A greedy smile flickered on the boy's face before disappearing. He snatched the other coin, nodding to Ren, before disappearing down the tunnel at a sprint.

Lilith smirked as Ren stepped back to them. She leaned toward him, whispering, "You're getting predictable."

"You say that like it's a bad thing." Ren murmured back. She already knew what he had in mind, so he turned to her, eyes narrowing. "You'll behave while I'm gone?"

She laughed softly, then kissed his cheek. "I'll behave. Promise."

The smugglers remained tense, watching their every move, and Thorn, with a big smile on his face, took it upon himself to lighten the atmosphere.

"So," he said, lounging against the tunnel wall, "this tunnel system. Impressive work. How deep does it run? How many exits? What do you guys do when it rains?"

One smuggler, older and proud-looking, puffed his chest. "We got ten exits on either side, some high ground in case of—"

Another elbowed him in the ribs. "Shut up, Ril. Don't give intel to the enemy."

"Enemy?" Thorn repeated, mock-offended. "Come on, guys. We haven't even robbed you yet."

The smugglers didn't laugh. Thorn did, anyway.

As Thorn focused on annoying them, Ren focused, tracking the light that was the coin he'd given the boy. The coin for the leader of the smugglers had been a teleportation beacon.

He focused on the coin, feeling it moving. It moved swiftly, before slowing a few minutes later. Then it stopped.

A few seconds later, he felt the coin change hands.

Ren grinned.

"Wish me luck." He grinned at Lilith.

She raised an eyebrow. "Luck? Or violence?"

"Both."

And with that, he disappeared.

Ren appeared in a dim room that smelled of pipe smoke and damp wood. A single lantern hung overhead, swinging slightly.

Across from him, the boy stood with head bowed slightly, the gold coin now in the hand of a broad-shouldered man seated at a makeshift desk.

The man looked up, startled. His fingers tightened around the coin as his eyes widened, but before he could move, Freedom was already at his throat.

Ren smiled. "Let's not play games here. I know who you are, and I know you're already planning some greedy scheme to fleece us of every coin we have.

The man's eyes darted to the boy, who looked terrified.

"Don't blame the messenger." Ren said, still grinning. "I didn't come here to kill you. I came here to make a deal. You want coin? You'll get it. But you'll be our guide. Now."

"You're a smart man. You already know I can kill you before you can blink. Don't test me." He stepped back, lowering Freedom just slightly.

The smuggler grunted. "You got nerve."

"I have more than that." Ren replied. "I have your life in my hands."

The man grumbled, before finally accepting. Minutes later, the man led Ren back down the twisting paths of the tunnels to where the rest of Ren's group stood with the horses.

The smugglers parted nervously as Ren and their leader arrived. Lilith gave the smuggler a slow, approving smile that made him flinch. Thorn gave a theatrical bow, while both Valen and Elias remained silent.

"I'll be back." The smuggler said to his subordinates and without another word, turned and began leading the way through the tunnels.

After almost an hour of leading men and horses through the tunnels, the path sloped upwards, revealing walls covered by moss and mold. Eventually, they reached a wooden trapdoor. He pushed it open and climbed up into a cellar lit with lanterns and lined with barrels.

One by one, the group climbed up behind him. Ren pushed a coin into the cellar, teleporting the horses to it.

"Rainhold." The smuggler said flatly.

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Ren dipped his hand into his pouch, grabbed a fistful of gold coins and thrusted it towards the smuggler. The man took the coins, transferring them to the pouch at his side.

Ren clapped him on the shoulder with a grin. "Pleasure doing business with you."

The man glared. "You'll regret this." And then he turned and disappeared into the tunnels.

Ren chuckled. "Probably."

Then, the air rippled, magic flowing through it.

Something, or someone powerful, had sensed their arrival.