After receiving the "gift" from Mrs. Ratna, Cruel helped Baskara unpack the groceries. Even after the warehouse incident earlier that morning, Cruel acted as if nothing had happened.
He gave a thin smile, obeyed every command, and even volunteered to do the dishes.
'Wow, so after last night's heart-to-heart, he actually repented? My charm really is unmatched,' Baskara thought proudly.
(Little did he know, danger was lurking just around the corner).
"Bro, let me handle the rest of the dishes. You should rest—you worked so hard helping Mrs. Ratna earlier," Cruel said in a soft voice—so soft that Baskara almost forgot that this kid nearly put a hole in his neck last night.
Baskara could only gape. Is this kid possessed or what? Last night he was an executioner, now he's Cinderella?
"O-okay then, I'll take a quick nap. I'm exhausted from listening to that woman's household drama."
Cruel nodded, the smile never leaving his face. For some reason, that smile looked… off to Baskara.
If you're wondering where he's doing the dishes—well, behind the shack, by the well, of course. As soon as Kara went into his room and fell asleep, Cruel immediately put down the plate he was washing. His gentle face vanished, replaced by a cold, flat expression that could make the North Pole feel like a sauna.
He grabbed a glass bottle from under the table and left the shack. He had only one destination: the sacred river at the edge of the village.
By the pitch-black river, Cruel crouched down. With a casual flick of his wrist, he caught a toad the size of an adult's fist—definitely the leader of the pack. Instead of being disgusted, he stared intently into the toad's eyes.
"I need something bigger than those low-level demons in the warehouse," Cruel whispered.
The toad in his hand trembled violently, as if it knew its life was about to become the 'toll' for a call to the ruler of hell.
Cruel didn't care. He only wanted one thing: the System wouldn't take Baskara back. Even if he had to turn this house into a demon's den, he'd do it. To him, the soul inside his brother's body now belonged to him. Period.
In the dark riverside, Cruel crouched calmly. In his hand was the small kitchen knife he had brought along.
With precise movements, he began to dissect the toad he had caught.
No expression of disgust, only a cold, focused gaze.
Strangely, the other frogs around the river didn't flee. They all froze like statues on rocks and lily pads. The usually noisy river suddenly went silent.
If you listened closely, there was a faint murmur... like thousands of frogs weeping for the fate of their leader who had just become a ritual sacrifice.
"Croak! Croak! Croak croak!!"
(Chief! You promised to avenge us for what that human did to the leader!)
"Croak croak croak!! Croak!"
(We won't let another frog suffer again!!)
"Relax," Cruel whispered, wiping the remaining blood from his fingers.
"Your leader will be useful for my brother's life," he said before standing up and leaving—but not before summoning a demon far more powerful than the frog he had sacrificed.
Cruel walked away, unaware that the frogs were following him from a distance.
"Croak!! Croak croak! Croak!"
(Let's protest for the chief's sacrifice!!)
Cruel returned to the shack and immediately put on his "soft boy" face again.
Five minutes passed... Baskara was still exploring his dreamland. In his dream, he was on an island made of money, surrounded by beautiful girls. Ah, it felt like heaven. But who would have thought his beautiful dream would be shattered by an incredible racket outside the shack.
Baskara walked out and was shocked to see his shack surrounded by hundreds of frogs—and their size was insane.
CROAK! CROAK! CROAK!
"What the—?! Is there a frog concert going on or what?!" Baskara shouted in a panic.
The small yard of his shack was completely covered by a sea of frogs. Some were perched on the fence, some on the roof, all staring at the door with a look of... demanding justice?
"Dammit! System!! Is this karma for scamming Mrs. Ratna?!" Baskara continued hysterically.
[Warning! A mass demonstration by an amphibian organization is taking place in front of the Loser's headquarters!]
Suddenly, Cruel appeared from behind Baskara's back. He glanced at the thousands of frogs for a moment with a sharp gaze.
"Quiet," he said curtly.
Miraculously, the thousands of frogs instantly went silent. They bowed their heads in unison, like prisoners resigned to their execution.
Baskara could only stare in disbelief.
'Do I have a little brother or a frog charmer?!'
[Hmph. The Little Demon is a future Demon King. A frog charmer? As if he has nothing better to do.]
Baskara looked at the thousands of frogs now bowing obediently at Cruel's feet. Instead of being scared like a normal person, Baskara's criminal brain immediately had an epiphany.
'Wait... these are premium frogs. They're plump, eyes are crystal clear. If I sell these to a frog meat supplier or bird feed seller, the money would be enough to buy Cruel's milk!'
Baskara thought with his "business" face on.
"Hey, kid," Baskara called out, poking Cruel's shoulder while the boy still had his fierce look.
Cruel turned, his eyes still tinged red from the ritual.
"What now, Bro? Want me to tell them to eat the person who knocked on the door earlier?"
"No, no!" Baskara shook his head quickly. "This... army of yours... if you're not using them, can I 'utilize' them? It's a waste if they're just shadows; they should be generating cash."
Cruel knitted his brows in confusion. "What do you mean, Bro?"
Twenty minutes later, Baskara was sitting in front of the shack with a scrap cardboard sign that read: "DIGNIFIED FROGS FOR SALE - ANTI-STRESS RITUAL FROGS."
"Step right up, ladies and gentlemen! Sacred frogs from the mystical river! Good for guarding the house, animal feed, or just someone to talk to when you're lonely!" Kara shouted at the top of his lungs.
[Warning! System Authority detects a drop in demon dignity from 'Guardian of Souls' to 'Market Commodity'.]
'Shut it, System! I'm hungry, and dignity isn't edible!' Kara snapped back.
Amazingly, the villagers—who were naturally suckers for anything mystical—began to gather. They thought these frogs were the result of a ritual by a powerful shaman, "Grandmaster Kara Google."
"Grandmaster, I want one with bulging eyes! To scare away the rats in the rice field!" shouted Mr. Taryo, handing over a five-thousand rupiah bill.
"Coming right up, Sir! This one here is called the 'VVIP Class Anti-Pest Frog'!" Kara replied while bagging one of the shadow frogs in a plastic popsicle bag.
As the frog was handed over to Mr. Taryo, it looked at Baskara with a gaze that said, 'Help... I'm a soldier of darkness, why am I a rat catcher?!'
Baskara just grinned. Sorry, pal. This is what happens when your fate is in the hands of a fake shaman