James merely held out a finger."Ten million?" Dahlia took a deep breath and tried to suppress her anger. "It's quite a lot, but at least we can still pay it back. Treat it as the price of a lesson learned.""You've got it wrong, Sis. It's not just ten million dollars; it's a hundred million." James mumbled weakly. "A hundred million?!" Dahlia paled. "Are you serious? Where did you get so much money in the first place?""We had a few million in savings. Then, we used our two villas to take out loans. Mom stole the remaining tens of thousands from you." James shrank back and confessed softly. "What?" Dahlia's blood boiled. "A—are you guys crazy? Taking loans and stealing? Who said you could do that?"Who in their right mind would sell their house to invest in a business? What a fool!"It's all my fault, Dahlia. I'm so sorry. I should die instead!" Florence moaned and began banging her head on the wall again, acting so well that she deserved an Oscar. "Enough!" Dahlia yelled. "Rather
"What?" Dustin frowned when Florence's gaze swept toward him. "Why are you looking at me? Are you telling me to be the scapegoat? What the fuck?" he thought. "Dustin …" Florence forced a smile. She took an apple out of her fruit basket and handed it to Dustin. "Aren't you hungry? Here, have an apple.""What are you trying to do?" Dustin looked at her warily. It only raised suspicions more with Florence going out of her way to be kind to him."Well, you heard what we said, didn't you?" Florence forced out a sweet, kind smile. "You've always been a kind person. I'm sure you can't bear to see us lose our money like this, so I hope you can do us a favor.""What favor?" Dustin had his guard up. "Don't you know a few rich women? Why don't you help us sell off those abandoned buildings?""You're asking me to scam people for you?" Dustin raised an eyebrow. "How could you say that?" Florence feigned innocence. "We're not deceiving anyone; we're simply repurposing waste. Those wealthy people
Florence was sure that Dustin was merely refusing to help them.Just then, Julie thought of an idea and said, "Dustin, didn't you say that those buildings are worth a lot? We'll sell them to you right now so that you can make a lot of money. What do you think?""That's right!" Florence echoed. "You should buy them since you seem so interested. That'll benefit both of us.""This is your opportunity. How could I take it away from you?" Dustin refused politely. "It's alright. We're a family. We'll be happy if you make money too." Florence coaxed enthusiastically, gleeful to have found a scapegoat."She's right, Dustin. Don't worry about it. You shouldn't miss such a great opportunity.""Exactly. Just remember to treat us to a meal when you get rich." Everyone smiled so sweetly and acted extremely enthusiastically after finding such a dumb scapegoat. "Are you sure you want to sell them to me?" Dustin pressed."Of course! We won't take a single penny from you. We just want you to return
"Oh, Dustin. You sure are stupid. How can you treasure such worthless buildings?" Florence grinned smugly. At first, she thought she had wasted all her money, but God blessed them by sending them a scapegoat. "Thanks, Dustin, or else we'd be doomed." Florence grinned. "You're such a saint, Dustin. I must say, I'm impressed!" James exclaimed delightedly and gave the other man a thumbs-up."Remember to treat us to a meal once you've made your fortune." Victoria mocked. They had been unfortunate to be swindled by Terrence, but they found someone to take the fall. It was their stroke of luck, or they would have lost all their money."I hope you don't come to regret your decision." Dustin wore a meaningful smile."Regret?" They exchanged amused glances and laughed even louder. How could Dustin still not know that something was wrong? An idiot like him deserved to be scammed."Dustin, what on earth are you thinking? You shouldn't be so reckless even if you have some money, right?" Dahli
"I heard that Mr. Robinson was hurt. Of course, I had to visit." Ruby placed her gifts by Mr. Robinson's bedside and explained. "These are supplements for you. I wish you a speedy recovery.""Thank you." Abigail nodded her head in gratitude."I forgot to introduce you to my mom." Ruby gestured to the woman next to her."Nice to meet you, Mrs. Xenos." Abigail nodded in greeting."Hello." Mrs. Xenos nodded with a smile."You're here too?" Ruby was surprised to see Dustin. "The Doyle family didn't bother you, did they?""No." Dustin shook his head. He couldn't care less about them anyway."Mom, this is the guy who helped me in the bar last time." Ruby smiled."Really? Well, thank you very much." Mrs. Xenos smiled politely."It was nothing." Dustin's gaze suddenly turned serious. "Mrs. Xenos, may I know if you've been feeling dizzy lately?""How did you know?" Mrs. Xenos was astonished."I could tell since I know a bit of medicine," Dustin explained. "I see …" Mrs. Xenos nodded. "You're r
"Mom!" Ruby was shocked when Mrs. Xenos suddenly fainted. She quickly helped her up and tried to wake her up while crying for help. However, her mother remained completely unresponsive. "Where's the doctor?" Ruby carried Mrs. Xenos on her back and ran back into the hospital. A bunch of doctors and nurses heard her pleas and quickly came over to perform first aid. An hour later, at the entrance of the emergency room. "Ruby!" A suited man ran over, accompanied by several bodyguards."Dad! You're finally here!" Ruby was so relieved to see him. "Mom suddenly fainted just now, and they're still trying to resuscitate her, but the doctor said that things weren't looking good and even asked me to sign a do-not-resuscitate order.""Why did she suddenly faint?" George Xenos frowned. "I don't know either. She was completely fine earlier." Ruby looked nervous as well. "Hurry! Go to Garrison Hospital and bring Dr. Alden immediately!" George ordered the bodyguard closest to him."Yes, Sir!" Hi
"Okay!" Without wasting any more time, Ruby took her phone out to give Dustin a call, and she briefly told him what had happened. "I'll be there right away." Dustin ended the call and rushed over to the hospital.By the time he reached, Ruby's mother had already been transferred to the VIP ward. Although she was no longer in critical danger, she remained unconscious. When Dustin entered the ward, he noticed that there was quite a small crowd gathered there. Most of them were doctors, and some were bodyguards."Dustin! You're here!" Ruby's face lit up with hope when she saw him."Is this the miracle doctor that you mentioned, Ruby?" As George looked Dustin up and down, he unconsciously frowned. This man was much younger than he'd thought. How medically skilled could a man in his twenties be?"Don't judge a book by its cover, Dad! Dustin might be young, but he's really good at what he does! It only took him a glance and he knew what was wrong with Mom." Ruby assured."Forgive me for bei
"S—she's awake?" Everyone was amazed to see that Mrs. Xenos had come around, and they stared at her wide-eyed with disbelief. Nobody had ever thought that this young man would be able to cure Mrs. Xenos of something that even Dr. Alden found impossible. And he managed to do so with just several needles! The entire process had been nothing special and was just plain old needling techniques, but it was exactly because of how simple everything had been that they found it shocking."H—how is this possible?" Dr. Alden was completely blown away by what he just witnessed. That was cerebral congestion, and she had been diagnosed as a vegetative patient, for goodness sake! It was such a complicated condition, and he managed to cure her with just several needles? He must be joking!"She's awake! She's awake! Mom's awake!" It took Ruby a while to register that her mother was finally awake, but when she snapped back to her senses, she jumped with joy. She had been utterly devastated when she got t
Poseidon scoffed. "You're so full of yourself." The surrounding seawater surged violently. It transformed into countless razor-sharp water spikes and whistled toward Dustin. The deadly edges glinted under the sunlight. Like a silver rainstorm, the barrage swallowed every inch of space around him.Dustin's sharp gaze locked onto the incoming strikes. With a light swing of the Celestial Blade, a streak of black sword aura shot out. Every water spike in its path shattered into mist and rained down in a cascade of droplets.However, Poseidon refused to relent. His attacks came in endless waves, an unbroken torrent.He gripped his trident with both hands and spun it, creating several blue energy rings. Each one expanded rapidly and surged toward Dustin like crashing waves.Dustin's figure flickered and vanished from his spot. The next second, he reappeared just outside the energy rings.Hovering in midair, he spun at incredible speed. The Celestial Blade in his hand turned into a b
"Logan, I have to admit that you're stronger than I thought. I never expected you'd push me this far," Poseidon said.His arms slowly spread wide, and his blue eyes glowed with murderous intent. "As a mark of respect, I will give it everything I've got. You'll witness the true extent of my power."With a flick of his hand, he made a grabbing gesture. His trident, which had fallen to the bottom of the sea, shot back up through the water and landed firmly in his grasp.Compared to his earlier arrogance, Poseidon now stood with a newfound seriousness. It wasn't just Dustin's strength that had him on edge but his terrifying potential.At only 20, Dustin already possessed this level of strength. If he continued to grow, he would become a serious threat to the Hall of Gods. Hence, Poseidon resolved to eliminate him today."Watch closely," he said.Poseidon slowly raised his trident and gripped it like a javelin. While channeling his energy into the weapon, it pulsed with an intense blu
Dustin was Dragonmarsh's elite prodigy, while Poseidon was the famous royal god of the Hall of Gods.Every move they exchanged unleashed destructive power. Within moments, the area within a 300-foot radius was reduced to wreckage.Dustin wielded his true energy-infused longsword. Each swing unleashed a blinding flare of light as if it could split the sky apart with the Celestial Blade.On the contrary, Poseidon's trident commanded the winds and rains. Each strike could summon huge rolling waves as if he were a god reigning over the forces of nature.Sword aura clashed against walls of water and plunged the entire area into chaos.Warrick and the others watched with rapt attention. Their eyes were locked on the battle ahead as they tried to make sense of the chaos.But Dustin and Poseidon were moving so fast that their actions were almost impossible to follow. Their movements blurred together, and they could only catch flashes of two figures constantly clashing. Their strikes ca
"Let me correct you," Dustin said.As his hand slowly tightened into a fist, a white longsword formed from his true energy. "In Dragonmarsh, there is no 'God. ' We only have the Lord of the Dead."The moment the words left his mouth, a tempest of sword aura exploded outward. Within a radius of several dozen yards, the winds howled, sand and stones were sent flying, and the waves along the shore grew even more violent."Such overwhelming pressure. That sword aura is insane. Is this Logan's actual strength?"Feeling the surge of energy, Warrick and the others couldn't help but turn pale. It was then they realized that Dustin hadn't been fighting seriously before. Or perhaps, with their strength, they hadn't even earned the right to make him fight for real. They figured only someone of Poseidon's caliber could force Dustin to go all out."Interesting… truly fascinating." Poseidon suddenly laughed. "I thought you were just a pup, but it turns out you're a hungry wolf. Now, this is s
Poseidon hovered in the air with his trident in one hand and radiated a commanding presence. He stood like a god, and his figure was so intimidating that it struck fear into those who beheld him.With a wave of his hand, an invisible energy struck Warrick and expelled the three silver needles from his body. Feeling sensation returned to his limbs, Warrick's face lit up. He quickly rose to his feet and clenched his fist to his chest in salute."Thank you, Lord Poseidon, for saving me. I will never forget this kindness!" he said."No need for formalities, Sir Prescott. Now that you've pledged yourself to the Hall of Gods, it's only natural that I ensure your safety," Poseidon replied with a faint smile as he descended gracefully."Your timely arrival was a blessing," Warrick said as he bowed his head slightly in deference. "Otherwise, we would have perished tonight."The Hall of Gods' royal gods were figures he could only look up to. Everything about Poseidon, from his power to hi
Mulder knew Warrick had been on the battlefield for years, and his physical strength was unmatched. On top of that, he was already halfway to becoming an ultimate grandmaster. Even if Warrick couldn't defeat the prodigious Logan, Mulder figured the difference wouldn't be too big. But he never expected Logan to take down Warrick with a single finger, leaving him severely injured and unable to stand. The difference in their strength was far beyond anything Mulder could have imagined.In other words, Logan had been toying with them from the start and didn't take the fight seriously. If he had, they would've all been dead.Warrick clutched his chest and coughed up blood as he staggered to his feet. His chest was a charred ruin, the flesh torn open and slick with blood. It was an awful, gory mess."I didn't expect you to be this strong. I underestimated you," he growled.He slowly raised his head, and his face twisted with a menacing look. "Guess I was just unlucky to fall into your
"Oh? You guessed it?" Dustin smirked. "Now that you know who I am, it's up to you to decide what to do."If Warrick chose to surrender, Dustin would simply seal his pressure points and leave him to Austin's judgment. But if he resisted, Dustin wouldn't hesitate to cripple him."Haven't you given up your title as the prince? Why did you return? Are you going to compete with Austin for the throne?" Warrick asked.Uncertainty flickered across his face before he continued, "If that's your intention, I can help you. Spare me today, and I guarantee you'll become the next Prince of West Lucozia."Power was a tempting beast. History was filled with stories of brothers turning against each other and fathers murdering their sons for it.In Warrick's mind, Logan's quiet return to West Lucozia meant one thing—he was after the throne."Guarantee?" Dustin scoffed. "What guarantee are you offering?" His voice was dripping with disdain. "You're a cornered rat now. You're barely holding on to you
"Warrick's blade technique is terrifying," Mulder mumbled. "This should be the finishing blow, right?"Watching from a distance, he was awestruck by the dazzling blade aura. Only now did he truly grasp the sheer gulf between Warrick and Dustin.Warrick's strike descended with such overwhelming force that it seemed to split the earth and obliterate everything in its path. Even from 300 feet away, the pressure rolling off it sent a chill down Mulder's spine.Under Mulder's stunned gaze, Warrick brought his full weight down, with blade and body merging into a single force that swallowed Dustin whole.The instant they clashed, an incandescent explosion of light erupted. It was so blinding that Mulder couldn't even open his eyes.A split second later, a deafening blast erupted, and a shockwave shot outward like a tidal surge. The force flattened the waves and overturned several fishing boats docked at the pier.Even Mulder, more than 300 feet away, was caught in the blast and tumbled
"So what if I am? And what if I push even further?" Dustin's smile slowly faded. "If you don't like it, do something about it."There was no reasoning with tyrants like Warrick."Punk, are you really willing to risk your life against me? Have you ever considered what happens if you lose?" Warrick's face turned grim as a wave of killing intent spread from him.He had already taken a step back to avoid unnecessary trouble. If Dustin refused to back down, there was no choice but to fight."Cut the crap. You wanna fight, fight." Dustin didn't bother with more words. With a flick of his wrist, a silver needle shot out and aimed toward Warrick's forehead—silent, unassuming, but deadly."Hmm?" Warrick's brow furrowed as he instinctively raised his arm. Sparks flew as the needle deflected off his arm and buried into the ground."Oh? You've mastered the Adamantine Body Technique?" Dustin narrowed his eyes. At that instant, he saw through Warrick's technique. Not only was he halfway