Chapter 230: Don’t Worry, I Rob for Money, Not for Love
Note: Character Illustration is in this Google Drive:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1iuyfwNVFHzIi9H4rWNT_lAm7jTSiah_M
Chapter 230: Don’t Worry, I Rob for Money, Not for Love
The upper floors of the Roar Knightclub headquarters were reduced to nothing but smoldering ruin.
To be honest, Steven hadn’t expected that guy to have such tenacity—to the point of hiding explosives in his own office.
No wonder he was so calm when they last met. From the very beginning, he must have been prepared to perish along with the assassins from the Armorless Union.
Steven’s sudden arrival had clearly been an unexpected variable, but in the end, it hadn’t changed the outcome.
A simple explosion wasn’t going to do much to someone like Steven. But just because he could withstand it didn’t mean the girl beside him—who looked like an exhausted corporate slave just moments ago—could do the same.
After all, she was an archer. A ranged class. Low defense, low HP—it was almost like a built-in weakness.
Fortunately, her reflexes were sharp. The very instant the explosion went off, she reacted—transformed into a streak of white light. Though she couldn’t escape the blast zone completely, her instincts led her to Steven’s side.
She didn’t even know why she did it.
It was a decision born from something deeper—something in her blood screamed that this was the only way to survive.
And reality proved her right.
Just as the explosion’s inferno swept toward them, threatening to consume everything, she felt that primal despair—the kind that convinced her everything was over. She was a rookie platinum just starting her first real mission, and now it was going to end like this?
But then the boy—mysterious and unreadable, someone she couldn’t quite figure out—simply yawned.
Yes, he yawned.
A moment later, the deadly flames and roaring shockwave that should’ve vaporized them were suddenly… stopped. As if the world had hit pause. A giant shield—broad like a steel door—was in his hand, effortlessly blocking it all.
Unfortunately, that didn’t mean they were completely safe.
The upper walls and ceiling, already unstable from the blast, collapsed inwards. The two of them were buried under layers of stone and steel.
Darkness consumed everything.
She lost consciousness for a while. When she came to, there was nothing but pitch black.
Her body screamed in pain the moment she tried to move. Especially her left leg—an intense, stabbing agony radiated through it. Squinting toward the faint light seeping in from ahead, she saw it.
Her left leg was pinned under debris. Blood had soaked through her white stockings, now caked with dust and grime. Normally, she’d have been mortified just from the mess alone.
But right now, she felt nothing but overwhelming relief.
To survive a blast at that range… even a Lazurite ranker might not make it out alive.
A broken leg? That was practically a blessing.
“You’re awake, huh?”
A voice echoed from the darkness—a boy’s voice. Calm, casual.
Her heart skipped a beat. The sense of relief instantly vanished. Her expression hardened, and in one smooth motion, she grabbed her bow and pointed it toward the source of the voice.
“I suggest you don’t do that,” the boy said flatly. “It won’t end well for either of us. I don’t like having weapons pointed at me—even if you are a pretty girl.”
As her eyes adjusted to the dim light, she finally got a clear look at the speaker.
Honestly, she didn’t even need to look to know—aside from Steven, no one else could’ve survived that explosion alongside her.
But compared to her rather tragic state, Steven looked practically untouched. He’d somehow conjured up two wooden poles—who knew from where—and propped them against the unstable ceiling above, stabilizing the ruins with the casual ease of someone pitching a tent.
Then he walked over to her.
Without hesitation, he reached out and pinched the arrowhead of the bolt she still had nocked on her bow. His gesture wasn’t aggressive, though. In fact, he gave her what might’ve been considered a friendly smile… if not for the fact that his hood and mask obscured most of his face. She could only barely guess at the curve of his eyes—suggesting he really was smiling.
After a moment of hesitation, she lowered her weapon.
There really wasn’t any point in threatening him. Not only had he kind of saved her life—albeit unintentionally—but they weren’t actually enemies to begin with. More importantly… even if she wanted to fight, she was in no shape to do it.
She’d seen it with her own eyes—Steven had taken that explosion head-on and barely flinched. His physical endurance was beyond anything she understood.
Meanwhile, she was half-buried in rubble, her leg pinned and injured. There was no room to move in this cramped little tomb, let alone draw a bow properly.
Thankfully, Steven didn’t seem hostile. If anything, he seemed amused.
“Well, see? That’s what I like to see—someone who knows how to cooperate. Makes things so much easier,” he said with a grin, now even more relaxed since she had lowered her guard. “If we can talk things out like civilized people, maybe we can actually get somewhere.”
He didn’t hold it against her that she’d used him as a human shield. Wanting to survive was a natural instinct. As far as Steven was concerned, it wasn’t like she’d shoved him in front of the blast on purpose.
She’d just made a snap decision in a life-or-death moment—and as luck would have it, she chose correctly.
Since he didn’t really mind, he figured he might as well extend his protection while he was at it.
“…Who are you, really?”
Her voice was quieter now, softer. Gone was the lazy, unbothered girl from before. In her place was something closer to a fallen princess—dust-covered, pained, and just a little bit pitiful.
Her once-snow-white outfit and flowing hair were streaked with ash and debris. Even her adorable horse-like ears drooped, betraying her sullen mood.
“Hmm? Me?” Steven tilted his head. “Let’s just say… I’m a burglar. A good old-fashioned home invader. Best if you don’t ask for my name—it’s safer that way.”
He reached into his backpack and pulled out a flashlight. With a click, the narrow, broken space around them was bathed in light.
“But don’t worry,” he added, crouching down beside her with an almost teasing smile, “I only rob for money, not for murder. And—just so we’re clear—I rob for money, not for chastity, either.”
With that, his hand moved toward her slender, dust-smudged leg.
He said he wasn’t interested in taking advantage of her…
But with how his hand reached out toward her smooth, shapely legs, his words were starting to sound just a little unconvincing.
Her body flinched on instinct, legs curling defensively—but the sharp pain that shot up from her injured limb made her wince. All she could do now was stare at Steven, eyes filled with doubt, hoping he wouldn’t take another step forward.
She was, of course, disappointed.
Without the slightest hesitation, Steven reached out and placed his palm on her slender, straight calf. Even through the torn, dirtied white stockings, the touch made her skin crawl—her every hair standing on end.
‘He's not… really planning to do something, right? Not now. Please, no…’
But then, just when her thoughts were spiraling, Steven’s next move brought her a small breath of relief.
He didn’t trail his hand upward toward her thigh or do anything remotely indecent. Instead, his fingers shifted to the debris that had pinned her leg. With a gentle but firm push, he lifted the chunk of fallen concrete—just enough for her to pull her nearly numb leg free.
“…Th-thank you.”
She looked at him, flustered and unsure. It was hard to reconcile this version of Steven with the self-proclaimed “home invader” from before. Right now, he looked more like a polite and oddly considerate gentleman. None of it made sense.
In fact, his very presence here didn’t make sense.
The Armorless Union always prepared thoroughly before any operation. All unrelated parties would’ve been cleared long before the hit. So how did this boy even get into the building?
Still, for now, she couldn’t bring herself to dwell on it.
At this moment, what filled her heart wasn’t suspicion—it was gratitude.
“Just lending a hand,” Steven said casually, brushing dust off his gloves. “But hey, I told you about myself. Don’t you think you should at least return the favor?”
He turned his gaze toward her with a curious smile. Even covered in ash, even bruised and wounded, she still held a beauty that could make people forget to breathe.
Of course, Steven’s "lending a hand" had been far more than just a simple favor. If he hadn’t done what he did, that explosion would’ve turned the entire floor into nothingness. This little cramped pocket of safety? It only existed because he’d made it so.
But none of that really mattered now.
What mattered more was the girl—what she knew, who she was, and what information she might offer about the Armorless Union.
“…Platinum. I’m a Platinum-ranked agent of the Armorless Union,” she said softly. But then, as if something stirred inside her, she added, “Though… you can call me by my real name—Centaurea. That’s my true name.”
For someone in her line of work, revealing personal information was almost taboo. Yet something about the boy in front of her—his calm, his sincerity—made her drop her guard just a little.
“Platinum, huh?” Steven mused, tilting his head. “Yeah, I guess Centaurea sounds way nicer than some ranking title. More like… the kind of name a pretty girl should have.”
He chuckled to himself. Honestly, the word “Platinum” just reminded him of competitive ranks in video games—several of them, in fact. But names held power. And a name given willingly was a step toward trust.
The fact that she had told him without hesitation?
That meant their conversation was off to a very good start.
And for Steven… that was exactly what he needed.
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