Top Ranker's Second Chance: I Am the Lord of Passive Skills
Chapter 10: Paladin

Chapter 10: Paladin

Ace was on a quick trip to the countryside. Outside the bus window the city thinned out, replaced by open fields and scattered farmhouses. He planned to stay only a day, so he packed light: spare clothes and two bottles of water.

He’d come to meet one person. Thinking back to his first life, Ace’s chest tightened; his friend’s childhood had been nothing but pain.

The bus hissed to a stop and the riders filed off. Ace stepped down, drew a long breath of clean air, and started walking.

He ducked into a tiny roadside store for snacks, then headed toward the place he was sure he’d find his old friend. He didn’t remember the kid’s address, but he knew the spot where young Mercer always spent his free time.

When Ace reached a narrow river wedged between two steep banks, he spotted a black‑haired boy of about fourteen stretched out on the grass. Eyes closed, the kid looked perfectly at peace. No one would guess he’d already thought about ending his life.

Mercer... on your deathbed you told me you just needed one person to prove the world isn’t all darkness. If someone had helped you believe in people, you’d never have fallen into such pain.

Mercer’s parents had been rich until their company crashed. They blew what was left of their money, moved to the country, and drowned their loss in booze, cigarettes, and cheap drugs. Mercer was only three, so he never tasted wealth—or even normal life. The house reeked of smoke, and the stench clung to him, turning him into a target for bullying from both kids and their parents.

Neglected, he studied as hard as he could, hoping for a way out, but life kept piling on. By fourteen the boy was toying with suicide.

Ace sat a few feet away and held out a can. "Want a Coke?"

Mercer’s eyes snapped open. A stranger was handing him his favorite drink. After a stunned blink he took it. "Thank you, sir."

Ace made a face. "Just call me Ace. You are?"

"I’m Mercer," the boy said, sipping the Coke like it might vanish.

Ace stared at the sun dancing on the river. "Nice day. Hard to believe anyone’s hurting right now. I’m an orphan, figured I had it worst, but someone out there’s got it tougher. Pain hides chances—push through it and life throws you something good. Doesn’t mean the bad stuff stops, though."

Mercer’s lips trembled. Tears slid down his cheeks. "I... I can’t push forward." He hugged the Coke to his chest, the first gift he’d ever received.

Ace forced a smile. "You can. You will. One day—"

"Here you are, Mercer! How dare you wander around and make me haul my own ass to the store!" a slurred shout rolled across the water.

A man in his late forties staggered toward them—Mercer’s father, drunk before noon. Mercer shrank, ready to take the hit, but he didn’t want Ace to see it.

The man cocked his fist, ready to swing at Mercer.

Ace caught his wrist. "What do you think you’re doing?"

"Fuck off!" the drunk spat. "Don’t tell me how to raise my kid. He’s a waste of air and deserves worse beatings than I give him. Can’t even buy me smokes or a bottle, and he won’t steal lunch money from the brats at school. Such a fucking waste, you hear me?!"

Mercer’s shoulders shook. Tears fell faster.

Ace’s grip tightened until the man yelped.

Mercer’s holiness saved many, including my life. He should’ve been the one to storm Heaven’s Gate, yet he sacrificed everything for me. His kindness and warmth outshine the angels that guard the gate.

Fury coiled in Ace’s chest. "After everything your trash parenting has done, Mercer’s still a good kid with endless potential. Don’t you ever fucking call him a waste!" He drilled a punch into the man’s solar plexus.

The drunk crumpled and vomited everything he’d put down all week.

Ace turned back. "Not ’sir’ or Ace—call me big bro, like you used to."

"B‑Big bro..." Mercer whispered.

The man laughed through bile. "Haha! Big bro! That brat’ll use you and toss you away. There’s no blood ties between you!"

"Sometimes strangers forge bonds stronger and more precious than blood," Ace shot back. "It kills me to see Mercer like this. He deserves more, and I’ll help him excel at what he does best."

In my first life Mercer became a paladin—the irregular who held both queen and bishop powers. He broke the balance of the Chessboard Apocalypse.

Ace stood and offered his hand. "Come with me."

Mercer wiped his face and nodded.