Filed to story: A Bullied Boy Died: A Mafia King Woke Up In His Body
Even kids were out and about, begging on the streets or doing menial jobs for stall owners in return for a pitiful wage. Other, far more adventurous, kids slunk through the crowds, snatching wallets and purses.
Drunkards sang and danced their stress and worries away, mingling with the bustling district’s ever-growing crowd. Some stumbled home, shoving their way through the crowd. But not everyone made it out of the throng of people unscathed-some disappearing forever.
Street food was not the only thing on the menu for customers. The reputable restaurant beneath the brothel was booming as well, serving dishes to well-off families who did administrative work or ran farms, fishing trawlers, and forestry companies. Even the enforcers of the Sanctum were having a break, simply enjoying their meals and laughing heartily with one another.
At the side of the restaurant in the dark alleyway, two men were squabbling right outside an inconspicuous entrance leading to a dodgy stairwell from which a clear cloud of Euria smoke and overpowering perfume wafted.
“Come on, man. Just follow me! It’s going to be okay!” An older man slapped a younger one on the back.
“I don’t know… I haven’t done it before, and I don’t know what to do! To be honest, I’m pretty tired after today…”
“That’s exactly why you gotta get it done today, Niko! Let out all that frustration from the job and have at it. Listen, I know the owner of this place, so just trust me, okay?”
Niko hesitated before nodding. The older man immediately led him up the stairs, entering the brothel.
“Oh my… Weren’t you just here three days ago?” Slavin smiled at the older man. “Already back for more? Won’t your wife miss you?”
“Ah, fuck her. She’s probably out screwing around as well. But, err… she’s still in, right?” The older man leaned on the counter, a knowing look plastered on his face.
“Madison? Of course. In fact, we’ve recently received some additional products, so her schedule will be changed from every three days to every two days now.”
“Really? That’s fucking amazing!” The older man was extremely excited, but his mood was suddenly dampened. “Don’t think my aging body can keep up with it. I don’t have enough grit or stamina to do it that often…”
“Ah, for that, we have a special gift for you-and for your newcomer friend as well.” Slavin retrieved two potions from behind the counter.
“What’s this?” Niko asked curiously, looking at the honey-colored potion. He had never ingested a potion before in his life, the cost always being far above his pay and his family’s means. What kind of factory worker could afford potions on the regular? Even buying one would require approximately a month’s salary for him.
“Stamina Potions, on the house.”
“On the house?!” The older man nearly choked on his own tongue when he heard that. “Slavin, you must be rolling in the money now to be able to afford such expensive potions. The price of this would be almost the same as two weeks of my pay at the factory!”
Slavin laughed it off. “Haha! You are all our dear customers! Why can’t I treat you guys?”
Niko’s eyes bulged. A potion of this cost for free? It sounded too good to be true, but before he could question it any further, the older man grabbed the potion, popping the cork and immediately downing it.
Niko could visibly see the strength and vitality return to the old man, a far cry from his usual slack posture on the assembly lines. “Ohhh, that hit the spot! Niko, come on and try it!” the older man urged.
“Uhh… I don’t know. Maybe I should save it for-“
“Don’t worry, boy. I’ll give you one more after you’re…
satisfied here.” Slavin winked at Niko, who steeled his body. He gave one more hesitant glance at the older man, who nodded vigorously in response.
“You can trust him. Slavin’s been here for ages! Come on, boy! When have I ever been wrong? Hmm?”
Niko closed his eyes tightly with trust and drank the potion straight. He could feel the cold liquid rush into his stomach before a hot, surging force raged through his muscles, relieving the aches and pains caused by factory work. Within a short period, it felt as though he had just woken up after a restful sleep, ready to start the day anew. “This is awesome!”
“Ready to go?” Slavin motioned to a book filled with portraits of their female workers. Niko gave a cursory glance at the book before shirking away sheepishly. His reaction did not go unnoticed. “No worries then; I can get you a starter girl that will go easy. Follow me.”
Slavin led the two to their separate rooms, with girls already waiting inside. Niko was still hesitant, worried about what was about to happen. “Sorry, I’ve never done anything like this before… It’s my first time,” Niko confessed.
Slavin patted his shoulder with a grin on his face. “Don’t worry, dear boy. You’ll be a regular with us in no time.”
Scaling
A week later…
Slavin was gushing over how much money had been made since the introduction of the Stamina Potions. “It’s working like a charm. How are you getting all of these potions?”
“A new trade secret of the Seven Snakes,” Kyle replied nonchalantly as he tallied the earnings.
A tidy sum of eight thousand rakels over seven days was a significant boost to their revenue stream. Assuming nothing wrong happened, they were set to make more than forty thousand rakels from this brothel alone every month.