They Called Me Trash? Now I'll Hack Their World-Chapter 162: They’re Here For Me!

But Zen didn’t need to know that.

He smiled warmly and reached over to pat my shoulder.

"You’re very talented, grandson-in-law. Keep training like this and I might even pass you my style. The Warden’s Edge isn’t for everyone, but you’ve got the foundation for it."

I didn’t correct the ’grandson-in-law’ comment.

Honestly, I was getting tired of fighting that particular battle every single time.

And how did I get here?

I’d been walking through the village earlier, just trying to clear my head.

Then Zen had appeared seemingly from nowhere and intercepted me with that grandfatherly smile that I was learning to be deeply suspicious of.

"Jin, my boy! Perfect timing!" He’d said it like we’d planned this meeting. "I’ve been wanting to see the hero’s skills myself. Show an old soldier what the younger generation is capable of!"

Before I could object or make an excuse, he’d already steered me toward the training ground and produced practice swords from gods knew where.

And then... well, he’d actually been helpful.

I’d run through my forms expecting polite commentary or general praise, but instead Zen had watched with the sharp attention of someone who’d spent decades analyzing combat, and then started pointing out flaws I hadn’t even realized existed.

Each correction had been precise, practical, and immediately applicable.

I adjusted, run the forms again, and felt the difference.

Having him around isn’t that bad, I admitted reluctantly to myself.

And pulled up my status window while I caught my breath, curious to see if the training had any measurable effect.

[STATUS]

Name: Jin Raith

Age: 17

Class: Debugger

Level: 22

EXP: 2,340/5,400

Rank: C

MC (Mana Capacity): 263/450

HP: 925/1,025

MP: 605/625 (+150%)

Stats:

STR: 33 (+2)

VIT: 32 (+1)

AGI: 37 (+3)

INT: 77

WIS: 45

LUK: 19

Allocation Points: 40

Skills: - Poison Resistance (69%) - Social Engineering - Alchemy (Intermediate) - Debug Vision - Iron Will (Passive) - Light Orb - Mana Reservoir (Passive) - Combat Analysis (Passive)

Combat: - Unorthodox Fang (Proficiency: 99%)

I stared at that last line.

Ninety-nine percent proficiency.

One percentage point away from mastery.

And the physical stats had increased too.

Good.

"Jin!"

I looked up from the status window to see Tessa walking toward us, a wicker basket slung over her arm. She wore practical work clothes, and her hair was tied back in its usual high tail.

She smiled at her grandfather first.

"I brought lunch."

Zen’s face lit up.

"Perfect timing! I was just getting hungry. Your grandmother always said you had the best sense of timing in the family."

Tessa giggled and sat down on the bench beside him, setting the basket between them and starting to unpack its contents.

Zen turned to me and gestured.

"Come here and eat. You need strength... you’re still too skinny. Can’t have my grandson-in-law looking like he’d blow away in a strong wind."

I sighed, stood up despite my protesting muscles, and walked over to sit on the other side of Zen.

Tessa handed me something wrapped in cloth. I unwrapped it to find a thick sandwich, bread, meat, cheese, some kind of vegetable spread.

It smelled incredible.

"Thanks," I said, and took a bite.

Zen launched immediately into conversation, talking about mundane village matters, crop yields, repair schedules, upcoming festivals, but somehow always circling back to stories from his time in the army.

"And that’s when Commander Veras realized the ’enemy camp’ we’d been planning to raid was actually just a merchant caravan that had gotten lost. You should have seen his face! Absolutely mortified—"

I ate and listened, occasionally making noncommittal sounds of acknowledgment. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

After maybe twenty minutes, Zen stood up with a groan and a stretch.

"Well, I should get back. Elder meeting this afternoon... those old bastards will start without me if I’m late, and then I’ll never hear the end of it." He patted my shoulder again. "Good training session. We’ll do it again tomorrow."

He limped off, leaving me and Tessa sitting on the bench in comfortable silence.

I continued eating, the sandwich somehow getting better with each bite.

"Did you think about the engagement?"

I paused mid-chew, considering how to respond.

Before I could swallow and speak, she continued.

"If you’re not sure about it, we could just fake it."

I blinked at her.

She shrugged, her expression practical.

"You act like you’ve accepted. Give the village reassurance that they have your backing. That gives everyone the protection and political cover they need."

She picked at the edge of the basket.

"And you can just delay the actual marriage. Keep pushing the date back. Eventually Grandfather will lose interest or find something else to scheme about, and then we can quietly break it off."

I considered that.

It was... actually not a bad plan.

Gave everyone what they needed without the permanent commitment.

"Not bad," I said finally.

Tessa puffed her chest out, grinning with unmistakable pride.

"I know! I’m the best at scheming. It’s genetic... runs in the family."

Despite myself, I smiled slightly.

She stood up, brushing crumbs off her pants.

"I have work to do, so I’ll excuse myself. Enjoy the rest of lunch!"

"Busy life, huh?" I said, leaning back against the bench.

She smirked over her shoulder.

"Yeah. Unlike some young masters who have all day to sit around eating."

I clicked my tongue in annoyance.

"I’m recovering from nearly dying, thanks for noticing—"

But she was already walking away, laughing, her hand raised in a casual wave.

I watched her go, shook my head, and finished my sandwich in peace.

When I finally made it back to my room, the sun was starting its descent toward evening.

I pushed open the door, already thinking about a bath and maybe an actual nap.

And immediately noticed Scarlet.

She was sitting in the corner, pressed against the wall with her knees drawn up, her tail wrapped around herself protectively.

She flinched violently when the door opened.

Then she saw it was me and exhaled.

"It’s just you..."

Her voice was strained.

I closed the door behind me and locked it, raising an eyebrow.

"What happened?"

Scarlet’s ears were flat against her head, her usual confidence completely absent.

"I saw them," she said quietly. "The hunters."

My stomach dropped.

She stood up, her movements jerky with barely controlled panic. "I went outside the village to hunt this morning, went too far west. And saw them on the road from Greyford, maybe two hours away at their pace."

She looked at me directly, and I saw genuine fear in her eyes.

"They’re coming here. They’re coming for me."