Frank glanced at the battered boxing machine, as well as the other martial artists who were busy talking among themselves, and shook his head. "There would be a terrible loss. And since I'd rather avoid that, I hope we could all just let it rest."However, forget everyone present—even Scarface, Mona, and Kat thought Frank was being full of himself."Master Lawrence, don't you think you're… Ahem?"Kat was going to say that Frank was really pushing his luck but could not say it out loud since she was on his side.At the same time, Scarface, who had been standing in the crowd and watching all this while, turned toward Mona. "Hey, has Brother Lawrence always been like that?""Well… Yeah."Mona was left pursing her lips as she stared at Frank in exasperation. "He's slow on the uptake when it comes to certain things, so he doesn't know that he wasn't making peace—if anything, what he said was a provocation."Naturally, from his point of view, he might be making peace. And I think what
Mona was actually confused, as she really had no idea if her mentor was pretending or otherwise.Still, Scarface shrugged just then. "Well, that aside, other martial elites must have straightened him out before, no?""Uh…"Mona was left stumped, blinking. "I don't think so…""What?!" Scarface was left gaping. "You mean that he's always been like this and has never lost?"However, Mona really had no memory of Frank losing and turned to Kat. "So? Has he ever lost to anyone before?""Of course."Kat nodded confidently. "Whenever he's up against Vicky and Helen, he'd always lose and get smacked around."Both Scarface and Mona were left speechless by Kat's answer.Still, they were no longer concerned for Frank and were instead staring at Tijil sympathetically.They also could more or less imagine Frank's sly smile beneath his innocent expression."Ahem…"Frank certainly could not care about what they were thinking.One thing was for sure—the members of Thousand Isles Guild had
"Tch."Frank withdrew his fist, clicking his tongue with a look of dissatisfaction.In fact, everyone around him could see that he was dissatisfied because he did not go all out.Frank then turned, staring at the martial artists who were standing around, frozen stiff, their jaws almost dropping. "What's so surprising?" he asked. "Oh, and I don't have to pay for any of that, right?"Mr. Zoran nodded blankly at Frank's question.Frank then looked up at the giant plasma screen overhead. His face was on the screen along, with a seemingly endless line of question marks where his punching strength should be shown.Frank stared at it, frowning, before turning toward the petrified Tijil. "So? Does that mean I win?"Tijil was staring blankly at Frank, unable to say a word as he nodded stiffly like a robot."Well, that works for me."Frank clapped him on the shoulder before beckoning at Scarface, Mona, and Kat. "Oh, and by the way, sorry for breaking that boxing machine, Mr. Zoran. My
"And that's the gist of it."Two days after Frank had that run-in with Thousand Isles Guild, Silverbell, the chief of the Martial Alliance, personally came to Zamri.Frank then told her the entire story of what happened, and after some thought, she concluded, "Well, they got their just deserts.""Now, that's a little unfair since I'm at fault too."Frank sighed, shaking his head in regret as he sipped the tear Silverbell brought. "That martial artist wouldn't have been killed if I had intervened earlier.""About that…"Silverbell sighed. "Although Thousand Isles Guild is one of our close partners, their reputation has suffered a blow as one of their members has committed murder in public."Naturally, Thousand Isles Guild would compensate the victim's family, so you don't have to blame it on yourself because it wasn't your fault.""But aren't I the fiance of the chief of the Martial Alliance?" Frank shrugged and smiled. "As such, the Martial Alliance could be considered half m
"Don't point fingers at me. That majordomo from Thousand Isles Guild said he'd pay for it, so it's not my fault."Frank quickly shirked responsibility, while Silverbell giggled as he threw his hands up. "Anyway, the joint qualifiers will be held in three days. Every participant will be shuffled for the free-for-all held at the venue."And after informing Frank of the date, Silverbell left right away.The Martial Tournament was a national competition after all, and as the chief of the Martial Alliance, she would naturally be the busiest person involved.-Soon after Silverbell left, Madfist approached Frank, telling him mysteriously, "Come with me. We're going to meet a certain someone."Frank was naturally not worried that the old man was trying to set a trap, and got into the car, spurred by curiosity.They did not inform anyone else either and journeyed through the winding mountain roads outside Zamri before finally arriving at a temple.Frank was scowling when he saw it, how
Stanley seemed to expect the shock on Frank's face. He flashed a pained smile as he explained, "I won't lie to you—I've actually been kept under house arrest all this time. My authority as mayor of Zamri is virtually nonexistent, as I don't have any military authority."That was how Geon Kramer, the commissioner, took my wife and daughter hostage."Pausing, Stanley took out a masterfully crafted dagger and passed it to Frank. "I sought you out not merely for the sake of self-preservation, but I also intend to forge an alliance with you and pacify the political unrest in Zamri."This dagger will serve as a token of my trust in turn—many of my confidants have been compelled into submission by Geon's authority, but they will understand if they are shown the dagger. Take it if you believe me, or throw it away if you don't."Despite Stanley's elaborate speech, Frank's skepticism remained, though he could not say it out loud.Instead, Frank asked, "So, you're asking me to eliminate the
Although Frank never had any dealings with the officials of Zamri, he decided that there was nothing wrong with keeping a careful eye on it—he would keep the token and watch how things developed from there.To be specific, he would be watching out for the Zamri commissioner and see if the latter would move against Lanecorp as the mayor had claimed.However, he was no child either, as he would not make any judgment lightly and right after he was given a single-sided account.If anything, he would have to be even more careful if he ended up embroiled in a political drama.-Nonetheless, three days after meeting the Zamri mayor, Frank put that issue aside for the time being as the joint qualifiers between Riverton and Zamri had begun.He brought his apprentices to a man-made lake sitting on the Riverton-Zamri border, which citizens had since dubbed Central Riverlake.The place was always crowded with tourists, since it was already a tourist spot with its picturesque landscapes.An
"What?"The geezer frowned at Frank in displeasure. "What would you know about us martial artists? The way I see it, the boy isn't exhausted—he's merely confident that he can keep going. "Also, wasting pure vigor for vanity… Don't make me laugh!"In reality, the geezer could see that the airwalker was sweating all over his brow, and his cheeks were flushed. He was clearly exhausted, but the geezer remained stubborn."Exactly! What would you know?!"A youth behind the geezer leered at Frank in contempt just then. "Average Joes like you would never understand martial arts, so shut up already and stop making a scene!"The girl behind the geezer was leering at Frank too. "That's right! My senior apprentice has already mastered the art of airwalk. You're the one who doesn't get it!""Pfft…"Frank snickered, realizing just then that the airwalker was the geezer's apprentice.It was now not surprising that the geezer was so upset after hearing Frank's comment.Still, Frank shook hi