What Nakamori didn't know was that while he was basking in his newfound victory, Jack had already vanished—teleporting away with Haunter.
Of course, it wasn't real teleportation.
The figure Nakamori had seen was one of Jack's humanoid robots, stored and deployed via his system. With his current system authority, these robotic stand-ins were indistinguishable from real people.
Since Jack had held the initiative from the start—and with Haunter hiding in the shadows—he hadn't been worried about any ambushes or tricks.
By all accounts, his plan had gone perfectly.
He had eliminated Nakamori's rival agent, as well as the five elite mercenaries surrounding him, earning 30,000 experience points and hire tokens.
And on top of that, he had left a deep impression on Nakamori.
As long as Jack maintained the persona of a mysterious, high-level mercenary, Nakamori would never dare cross him.
In this so-called "partnership," Jack would always remain in control.
Meanwhile, Nakamori had no idea he'd been played.
Eager to capitalize on his mysterious ally's gift, he mobilized every mercenary under his control, aiming to wipe out his rival's remaining assets before sunrise. He wanted to leave nothing behind for any lurking vultures.
The mercenaries were puzzled by the sudden all-out order, but since Nakamori had paid handsomely, they went along with it. In their minds, Nakamori was probably under pressure and ready for a last-ditch showdown.
They figured they'd fight for now—but if the tide turned against them, they'd flee immediately. No one wanted to die for someone else's grudge.
But to their surprise, the enemy forces collapsed almost instantly.
The truth? Jack had already eliminated all of the enemy's command structure. Without leaders, the rival mercenaries scattered like headless insects, and Nakamori's forces swept in with ease.
Nakamori didn't waste the opportunity.
He accepted the surrender of useful personnel, and immediately began hunting down the old man's pending assignments—intent on stabilizing client relations and claiming the rest of the spoils.
He was well aware that this entire turnaround was thanks to his mysterious visitor.
And in his mind, that man's strength now bordered on legendary.
But Nakamori wasn't about to tell anyone the truth. To the outside world, he now seemed like someone with a terrifying hidden trump card—and no one wanted to test it.
This deterrent effect allowed him to smoothly take over his rival's territory without opposition.
When the dust settled, Nakamori followed Jack's instructions and filtered through dozens of assignments—selecting a set that met Jack's requirements and sending them all at once.
Jack accepted every single one without hesitation.
Nakamori had expected this. To someone of Jack's caliber, these missions must've looked like child's play.
What he didn't know was that Jack had no intention of rushing in blindly.
He carefully reviewed each assignment and planned their execution order—all to maintain his image as an elite assassin.
If Nakamori knew that Jack's biggest concern was theatrical flair, he'd probably cough blood in disbelief.
With everything prepared, Jack officially began his first mission in the Hoenn region.
To make a strong impression, he decided to take the assignments based on geographical proximity, starting with the closest target.
But this one was no pushover.
The first target was a wealthy entrepreneur.
The man himself wasn't strong—just an ordinary civilian. But money, too, was a form of power. And with wealth came protection.
This businessman had hired three elite trainers and over twenty competent bodyguards to guard him around the clock.
He wanted stronger protection—but that would require far more money than even he could afford.
Still, his current entourage was enough to shield someone of his level.
And the higher the risk, the greater the reward.
This entrepreneur had increased his own bounty by putting up more money on the black market, making the job officially rank as a D-level mission in Jack's system.
On top of that, all the trainers and guards the man had hired were also worth separate bounties.
The man's net worth alone was enough to make Jack's mouth water.
The only question now was: Could he pull it off?
Back at the hotel, Jack sat calmly, reviewing footage pulled from hacked surveillance feeds.
His target: Naruki Nakajo, a once-impoverished man who had clawed his way to wealth through sheer determination and a few underhanded deals.
Now the head of a massive family enterprise, Naruki was rich—but his children were spoiled beyond belief.
Jack figured that once Naruki died, the whole empire would burn itself to the ground in record time.
Not that he'd live to see that day anyway.
After all, in his climb to the top, Naruki had stepped on more than a few toes—and now his name sat on several bounty lists.
Which is why he surrounded himself with such heavy protection.
After monitoring the footage, Jack decided the best place to strike was the villa where Naruki lived.
Big houses meant lots of space—and blind spots.
With Haunter's help, Jack had already infiltrated the villa's security and planted multiple hidden cameras. But he wasn't ready to strike yet.
Instead, he wanted to observe Naruki's daily patterns, learn the exact location of the family's stored wealth, and maximize his profits.
That night, Naruki sat alone in his study, exhausted from another long day.
Jack observed as the man pulled out a photograph from between two books.
It showed a bright-eyed young man, maybe in his early twenties, smiling with the confidence of someone still untouched by life's cruelty.
That was Ikki Nakajo—Naruki's illegitimate son.
Naruki hadn't even known Ikki existed until shortly before the boy's mother died, when she begged him to take care of their five-year-old son.
At first, Naruki kept the boy hidden to protect him.
But when he realized his legitimate children were hopeless wastrels, he made a decision:
Ikki would become the heir to the Nakajo empire.