Frank was weary when he left the cafe and decided that he would absolutely refuse Helen if he had any other similar requests in the future.Still, he stared at the black Maserati convertible parked outside, while Juno's words echoed in his mind:"Being my enemy does you no good. Accept me like a good boy, and I will provide you with Draconian information that you desire. Take this piece of information as a show of sincerity—there's an unfinished construction project sitting in the outskirts of Zamri. However, you could ask Ms. Lane to pick it up, since the government would take it back for demotion in a few days. By then, the value would multiply tenfold!""Where did you get that information from?" Frank asked right then.Juno simply flashed him a mysterious smile. "That's a secret, unless you say yes…"As such, once he left the cafe, Frank whipped out his phone to call Trevor Zurich."Yes, Mr. Lawrence?" Trevor answered right away, respectful as ever."Help me look into this wo
Frank barked, "Where's your sister, Peter Lane?!"Flinching and almost dropping his phone, Peter scowled when he saw that it was Frank."I don't know! Don't ask me!" Peter snapped impatiently and returned to his game.Frank was left annoyed as he watched, especially since Peter had his feet on Helen's desk, his shoes leaving prints on the documents above it."Mr. Lawrence?" Lily strode in just then and noticed Frank.She was Helen's secretary who transferred from Riverton's Lane Holdings, and she pulled Frank aside as she whispered, "Ms. Lane lost her phone last night, and we couldn't find it at all last night. She just left for the hospital to visit her mother, and she told me to pass the message if you come back while she isn't around."Frank listened, but noticed Peter peeking at him.When he turned toward Peter, Peter turned back to his phone, yapping away as if he had been engrossed."And what is he doing here?" Frank pointed at Peter."Oh… He came in yesterday, and Ms.
Peter jumped out of the car right then, yelling even as he ran into one of the abandoned factories. "Mr. Jameson! Mr. Jameson! I've lured Frank Lawrence here—tell your boys to kill him!""Hehe…"A man around sixty strode out of the factory, holding a cigar between his lips and wearing a pinstripe suit.Frank quickly recognized him—it was Larry Jameson.He was chatting with Helen back at the Zamri lease bid, and Juno was with him back then. Frank also remembered Helen saying that he was one of Zamri's Three Bears.And now, Larry breathed a puff of his cigar as he watched Frank alighted, chuckling. "So you're Frank Lawrence, Helen Lane's husband?""That's right." Frank strode up and stood before Larry, while shaking his head at Peter, who had quickly hidden himself behind Larry. "I thought you'd improve yourself after leaving Riverton for a while, but it turns out you remain ever despicable.""Despicable? That still depends on who it is!" Peter sneered. "There's no reason to pla
The Hansen brothers' question left Larry frowning in doubt too, and he turned to Peter. "Are you sure he's Frank Lawrence, Helen Lane's husband?""Yes!"Peter's eyes were glued to Frank as he sneered. "Don't worry, Mr. Jameson. I'd recognize him anywhere.""You'd better, or you know what's going to happen." Larry chuckled coolly.Peter flinched right then but quickly flashed a fawning smile. "What are you saying, Mr. Jameson? Why would I lie to you? I mean, I still owe you ninety million dollars! I'd never lie to you even if it means giving up Lanecorp as collateral, right?"Frank could hear them despite being encircled—it seemed that Peter had betrayed him and Helen because of his debt to Larry."Scumbag…" He glowered.It was as if Helen's family was less than human, and they were intent on squeezing her dry."Where's Helen?" Frank demanded, turning toward Larry when he saw that the goons were closing in."Oh, you're still worried about your wife? How loving!" Larry laughed s
"Well, you asked for it!"Frank's eyes flashed coldly as he retaliated with an outstretched palm, pulverizing Vin's knuckle instantly."Huh?!"Frank could clearly feel his bones shattering and stood staring blankly at his palm even as Vin screamed.He did not use that much strength, did he? He had intended to use his palm to deflect Vin's oncoming fist, before he punched and pulverized Vin's head with a punch, killing him.Naturally, he did not expect his palm to pulverize Vin's knuckles anyway, just like mincemeat!In fact, he was so shocked he stood, dumbstruck, forgetting to press his attack and unable to regain his senses. "My pure vigor is the same, so it's only my body's fortitude that has changed. What's going on here?!"That was when Mos bellowed, "What the hell did you just do?!" His face fell when he saw Frank crushed his brother's knuckle so easily and charged at him, ready for payback."Heh…" Frank finally came to his senses at Vin's outburst, and he felt the ne
At that very moment, everyone was convinced that Frank was defeated and bleeding like a pig, until a frail cough could be heard amid the settling dust. "Guh… Run, Vin…""What?!" Vin's eyes widened even as he crouched on one knee, clutching the stump that was his wrist.Did he just hear his own brother telling him to run?What was going on there?!In just a couple of seconds, the dust completely settled and Vin finally saw what had happened: Frank was still quietly holding out his arm, with which he punched Mos through the chest!In fact, Mos' corpse simply dangled over Frank's wrist, his hands and head hanging limply as he breathed his last."What?!" Vin paled—his brother was killed by such a simple punch?!"Huh?!" Peter was stunned too.He knew Frank was a martial artist, and he had been told by others that he was strong despite having left Riverton for a while.That was why he warned Larry, who heeded his warning and spent a fortune hiring the Hansen brothers of Zamri, who w
Splat!Once again, Frank did not charge his pure vigor.He merely launched a kick, which tore Vin's body in two.Larry, Peter, and everyone else turned pale as they stared at the chunks of flesh and blood splattering everywhere."Is he… human?!" Larry murmured, before turning to glare at Peter.He could slap Peter twice right then—what reaper did Peter bring on his doorstep?No… Did Peter deliberately bring Frank over to kill him?!"I… That's impossible…" Peter was on the verge of tears, and he dropped to the floor, trembling as if someone had drained him of all strength.If Frank chased him down, he would kill him right then!Considering what he did and all the insults he threw at Frank, he could slap himself right then."W-What should I do?" he murmured, desperately searching for ideas to survive despite his shock.That was when he found Larry glaring at him furiously.Peter's initial panic was suddenly gone, and like a cornered beast, he was glowering savagely at Larry
Frank's body was basically divine, but his pure vigor remained at Birthright rank. He mused to himself, his mind far away. "If I learned to ride a cloud and cast magic, would I really become divine? Or perhaps… Ascendant rank?"Could his physicality have surpassed Ascendant rank and reached Transcendent rank? And there were barely a handful Ascendant ranks across Draconia!Still, Frank soon came to his senses, cast a sweeping glance over the goons kowtowing to him, and sniffed. "Get out.""Yes, yes, yes… We will be gone right now…""Come on, let's go…"Frank stood, not chasing after the goons as they all fled.He was not that bloodthirsty. Even if those men more than deserved death, they had lost the will to fight and were no nuisance to Frank, so he was not bothered."That's enough." Frank grabbed Peter by the collar just then, pulling him off Larry as if he was a housecat.Larry was a bloody mess and half-dead—Peter really did not hold back for the sake of his survival.
Frank's tone was calm, as if he was merely stating a fact. "What's there to deny? Even if I spilled my guts, do you stand a chance against me? See, no one does!"The man was furious—he had met plenty of conceited individuals, but Frank definitely took the crown!And seeing that Frank was not even in his thirties and was definitely small fry, he did not hesitate to slam his palm on the ground, which promptly started to move! "Interesting!"Frank stood his ground instead of leaping away, staring cooly at the molehills that streaked toward him. Even as the molehills were reaching Frank's feet, the man was left wondering why Frank did not dodge when the unexpected happened.The molehills struck the brat, but he remained unscathed!Earthbending was their cabal's signature technique, capable of causing seismic tremors—even if it was no match for real earthquakes, most people would still have trouble dealing with it.They were either torn into pieces by the shockwave, though the mor
Frank waited for a taxi and headed to his destination. Soon, the taxi stopped outside a dilapidated apartment.As Frank alighted and stared at the cracks on every block or the shaky foundations, even he could tell that it was in such a bad state it must be demolished. Shaking his head, he sighed in exasperation and entered the fifth unit on the sixth floor of Block D.He knocked on the door, and a smiling geezer opened it as he studied him. "What can I do for you, sir?"Able to tell right away that he was special, Frank asked, "Let's just call it a visit. I heard you could craft mystic items?"The geezer laughed right then. "I knew it. The nail that sticks out really gets hammered! I just want to keep my head down and live out my days, but you found me anyway.""Please don't misunderstand, sir," Frank quickly said. "I'm no robber, and I'm not going to steal from you. As long as you assist me, I can do anything for you.""Let's talk inside." The geezer stepped aside to let Fr
The motel owner thought Frank was trustworthy and told him everything he knew."Good. Thanks for cooperation—now do it yourself."Frank snapped his fingers again, and the mystic gun returned, lying quietly beside the motel owner as if it never disappeared."What? You're a martial elite! Don't you think people would talk behind your back about our deceit?!"The motel owner thought Frank was joking, but his expression was not.As such he pinned his hopes on emotional blackmail, but Frank was impervious to that too, even chuckling. "What's there to worry about? It'd just be hearsay, and they would be gone a couple of centuries later."Also, everyone would only find out if I spared you instead of avenging your victims. Now that's proper evil. You're naive if you think that I'm not the scourge of injustice. You won't be getting any chances from me."Even as reality sank in for the motel owner, he cried, "Y-You can't do this! We had an agreement!"Frank shrugged. "First of all, I onl
The motel owner snorted. "You're all so ignorant! It's true that most guns are pointless against Ascendant ranks, but this is no ordinary gun—it's a mystical item refined by a master craftsman."Not only are the bullets much faster, the gun's penetration power is even more formidable. I used it to bury many while I was young—even martial elites like you!"Everyone became restless at those.However, while Drunken Moon and the others were worried, Frank was actually excited.Mystic items were a quintessential part of high fantasy, and he might reach a treasure trove through the master craftsman whom the motel owner spoke of."Aren't you scared?" the motel owner asked just then, puzzled seeing that Frank was fearless, even smiling.Frank chuckled. "Why should I worry about a mere toy? Start shooting if you want—I'm sure everyone's busy and has better things to do."The middle-aged man snapped, "You're getting too full of yourself, brat! That thing has clearly seen plenty of action
Drunken Moon was definitely not going to tolerate that, and she snapped, "What are you going to do if I don't apologize?"The motel owner growled coolly, "I've already shown you what I can do, and I don't mind showing it again. Don't take me for some angel—push me too far, and I'll even make you my slave."Drunken Moon was simply amused. "Then show me what you've got to grow as conceited as you are!"The middle-aged man was snapping at Drunken Moon even before the motel owner could. "Bitch, you can't even win against my friends! What, do you think you can challenge me just because you have your boy toy?"He's quick, but so what?! Speed is pointless against absolute power!"The motel owner certainly felt buoyed by the flattery. After all, one would never look a gift horse in the mouth, and there was no one who despised being praised.Spreading his arms, he laughed. "Come on—seeing those pretty cheeks of yours, let me give you a nice hug.""Go fuck yourself!" Drunken Moon snapped,
Frank gestured at the door with his chin, and everyone turned to see a diminutive man.Despite his small frame, his eyes made it clear he was no average Joe. There was also a spring in his step—clearly having treated himself physically."Hello, everyone. I'm the owner of this premises!"The owner was clearly not inclined for matters to escalate, which was why he never intervened.That was until the manager accidentally touched the pendant!It was a family heirloom that, according to the owner's forebears, had the power to eat through everything—it just had yet to be proven.Horrified, the manager told the owner everything, and he came over to check out the situation. He would deal with Frank and the rest of the troublemakers, only to run into the troublemakers first."You're no slouch yourself!"Cyclops was delighted and lunged straight at the owner without hesitation, his hands outstretched like talons.The owner did not even seem to move, but Cyclops somehow missed."Fall."
Drunken Moon laughed coolly. "You're the one who kept bragging so much at first, saying that the strong decide on justice. And now that I've beaten you, it makes everything I said right, no?"The middle-aged man smirked. "Really? You're good, but not that good—if you're that brave, let me go, and I will call in my boys so we can have a rematch!"Drunken Moon laughed. "Why would I be afraid of that? Though I'm sure you're just going to bail and never come back."The middle-aged man snapped, "Do you think everyone's like you?! If you're afraid, just say it out loud!""Fine, then go. Why are you still here?"Drunken Moon shrugged, even moving aside for him.The middle-aged man smirked as he pushed himself to his feet and fled—the bitch chose this, and she would only have herself to blame for it!The bellgirl was concerned and came over to Drunken Moon. "Priestess, are you sure this is going to be alright?"Drunken Moon laughed. "Don't worry—even if you doubt me, know that the boy
Her skin and fingers were rotting where the motel manager touched the pendant, as if being corroded by acid at a visible rate. Worst of all, she could not even feel any pain from it!"W-What's going on here?!"Horrified, the motel manager turned and ran.Drunken Moon was ready to give chase, but Frank stopped her. "She's not going to have it easy without her fingers. Let her go."Drunken Moon nodded and pointed at the pendant on the floor. "What the heck is that?"Frank then told her about Reverend Quietus, to which Drunken Room exclaimed, "You meant to say that there are bodies of energy that are basically identical to the paranormal that people speak of?"Frank nodded. "I'm sure it's not just rumors, with the way it remained over a thousand years—things like that do exist. But in the end, it's no different from a spell, and you can handle it if you're strong enough."Drunken Moon smiled. "That only applies to you. I don't know about anyone else, but I really can't deal with th
After she calmed down, the bellgirl took an interest in Frank. "Is he the one who could beat you?"It was the new age—ladies were not shy, and the bellgirl actually liked lookers like him."Hello." Frank greeted her, and she smiled in turn. "Sorry for having to bother you, handsome."She would really have asked for his number if circumstances allowed.That was when footsteps could be heard, and Frank glanced sideways outside as he told Drunken Moon, "Now's your chance for revenge. Don't hold back now.""You don't need to worry about that!" Drunken Moon exclaimed as she flexed her muscles—she was waiting for this moment.The motel manager led several burly men inside, standing at the center proudly like she owned the place. "That's for insulting me, bitch! Go! Show her who she was messing with!"Though the motel manager did not hesitate to send her men after Drunken Moon, Drunken Moon smirked, waiting until the bouncers were about to reach before punching them.Soon, they wer