Chapter 10: 10 THUG

For a charitable organization, Feast is quite a generous place. It offers food, emergency aid, shelter, and training. The ‘training’ especially is very helpful to Stray.

With the training that Feast offers, Stray can grind his skills without the cumbersome and wasteful use of SP. An example of this is the rise of his Piano (F) skill to (D). While at it, he will also have plenty of opportunities to learn lots of new things such as the skills: of Mechanic (F), and Gadgetry (F).

Devoting some of his time to this training, Stray also makes sure that he finds a job.

In fact, within the short month he has been staying at the Feast shelter, Stray spends lots of his time on several jobs back and forth like assisting in an auto shop on weekends, playing the piano in a bar at night, and also standing as a clerk for a computer shop Monday to Friday.

Stray is already doing a lot of things in his limited time, then what is it that he does in his spare time?

That would be stealing stuff.

Stray has a clear conscience though as he only steals from people who have too much money like the Stark industries, Hammer industries, Rand enterprises, Pym tech, Roxxon Corp, Wilson Fisk, Anvil Corp, Salvage Company, Bishop Security, and the list goes on…

Though his Gadgetry (F) is not really on par with the task, Stray makes up with his assimilated skill Thievery (D) which after consecutive stealing has risen to (C).

For now, Stray is only stealing pocket change. The money is so insignificant the big bosses of MCU’s financial world wouldn’t even see his stealing. It was masterful.

Doing this serious shit, Stray’s Thievery skill is already at (B).

There is a reason why Stray has been persisting at staying in the Feast shelter for a long time even though he already has enough money to rent an apartment the first week since he started working part-time. Stray really just has to abuse himself by working for the next whole month without rest.

One month isn’t really that long considering the bigger picture.

After one month of enduring hard work, Stray have finally enough money to buy a whole building.

Now that Stray has enough money to buy the whole building where the Parkers’ apartment is, Stray didn’t even need to think twice as he blackmails the owner of the building into selling his real estate.

“You really have good real estate, sir… I wonder, why were you pocketing their community tax? Do you know? This people has to pay double for their community tax for the crap you are pulling…”

“Are you trying to blackmail me!?”

“Oh, not yet… That was a warning… Now, this is a blackmail…”

Stray reveals a bunch of photos of the landlord having an affair with a bunch of old ladies... The landlord has quite a peculiar taste… Security in 2010 isn’t so secure that Stray’s measly Gadgetry (F) cannot hack it.

“You see, when it comes to intimidation, blackmailing is not the last of things I am capable of doing… You see…” Stray lifts his polo shirt revealing the MR Desert Eagle in his waist. “Do you see that? This is what you’d call a death threat.”

You are reading story Marvel: Stray at novel35.com

Stray is becoming what he fears the most… a gangster… But it is all fine in the end, he convinces himself. This ‘gangster’ persona after all is just a tool that Stray finds convenient. For a 15-year-old gangster, Stray is doing quite an incredible job.

+Intimidation (F)

Just right in time, Stray’s system informs him that he was able to learn a new skill.

After that, it all becomes smooth sailing.

Stray doesn’t plan on buying the entire building wholesale, which would be too idiotic. People would suspect the nature of the transaction if he does buy the building like that.

So, Stray makes a contract with the poor landowner. Of course, such a contract is obviously written to Stray’s advantage. Buying the building on an installment agreement with zero interest is certainly overkill, but this contract is proof enough that Stray isn’t doing anything ‘obviously’ shady.

Stray recalls the many gangsters in his past life… Their methods revolve around the signing of contracts most often.

“Mr. Landlord, you are rich enough to not starve in losing this apartment, so I suggest you don’t try doing anything funny. I am a generous man… While it should be paid in installments, I’ll just skip to it and give you the full amount already… What do you say?”

“Y-yes…” The landlord meekly nods at my offer.

“You only have to do one thing, make sure you’d write those payables in your account book as per according to the installment agreement. If the cops do see the books, I want it so that what they would see is a clean book of accounts saying that I paid on time… Okay?”

The landlord just nods at my words, still with a frightened gaze. What the landlord doesn’t know is that by following my arrangement, he’ll instantly become my accomplice. The very transaction between the two of us reeks of suspiciousness after all. It wasn’t just so obvious that people would immediately see its suspicious nature.

Moreover, as it was an installment, it means that the landlord would remain liable for this place for some time. Or at least, that is what the 'former' landowner would think. Stray’s criminal activities will only escalate with time, so having an assistant like the landlord would be a great help to him.

“Also I want to hire you as this building’s caretaker, I want you to continue collecting rent on my behalf. As I said, I am a generous man, so how about for your salary… 18 dollars an hour? Good?”

Just like that, Stray leaves the stunned man on his own.

That is how Mr. Ditkovich loses one of his real estate, and then becomes Stray’s property caretaker.

Poor guy.

[SKILL SYSTEM— SKILL POINTS— (1)

SKILLS: Thievery (C), Fleetfoot (D), Appraisal (C), Sleepless (C), Fighting (S), Strike (A), Pianist (D), Memorization (D), Socialization (E), Marvel Wiki (S), Mechanic (F), Gadgetry (F)]