Squint was left utterly bewildered.He had messed up—big time!While Frank was good, he was also sadistic!Logically speaking, both qualities should not exist in a man at the same time.But it did, so what could he do?"S-Stay away!"It went without saying that Squint was horrified as he watched Frank slowly walk toward him.Now, he was a wicked man fearing a man more wicked than himself!It was just that Frank was eccentric enough to kill the wicked but spare innocents.At that point, Squint realized why Frank was strong.It was no coincidence, but destiny!There are elements in this world that keep each other in check. But once the balance is lost, the world becomes just a little darker.At that point, the only logic was survival of the fittest and a merciless destruction of the weak!And in Squint's eyes, Frank had no emotion to speak of. His sadism was at most respect—and returning the favor for what they did to Crewcut.An eye for an eye, as they say!Still, when he
Laughing, Squint seemed to have forgotten his place, and he gloated. "I shall just wait and witness the moment you get yourselves killed! And I heard that you keep plenty of babes around, so I'll take good care of them for you. Keep both eyes on me in the afterlife!"Frank simply smiled in wry amusement. "Could you not get ahead of yourself so soon? Your mentor has yet to show up, so your situation is quite precarious… what are you going to do if I suddenly change my mind?"Frank's words certainly yanked Squint back to the present—indeed, Frank still had him restrained!Still, while he was worried that Frank would just kill him now, he had the feeling that Frank would like someone to watch."Either way, I'm looking forward to seeing it when it happens." He grinned. "I'm sure you're not going to kill me before that."Frank smirked. "You're right. I won't kill you until I make you watch the moment I defeat your mentor, but that doesn't mean you're getting off unscathed."Seeing the
The manager was annoyed, but there was no helping it since this was a nightclub. They still had to open for business and receive customers, even if he considered the beggar beneath him.If a fight started, he might as well just shut down his own business!"Please, Your Worship. Could we stop messing about? What's wrong with being happy with everyone else?"As the manager spoke, he picked up the money on the floor and returned it to the security guard. One always earned tips working at a nightclub, and the manager could afford to lose some spare change.However, that only upset that beggar further. Instead of taking the money, he kicked the manager to the floor!The manager had been as tolerant as he could, but since the beggar was still being unreasonable, he promptly called for assistance through his walkie-talkie.Soon, a dozen bouncers emerged from the nightclub.The manager was on his feet too, pointing at the beggar and persuading, "Last chance, old man. Leave, or we'll mak
"There's always a bigger fish, as they say. Obviously, the geezer is no pushover and is one of those fighter monks."I'm surprised that someone that horrific exists in a quiet place like this. Guess he's what they call a sage of the land."While the nightclub guests were chatting nonchalantly, the manager was hardly as relaxed as them.Seeing that the bar's best fighters were defeated so easily, he turned to run.The beggar smirked and suddenly stomped his foot on the floor tiles, launching the shards at the manager.Bang!For some reason, the tiles exploded into dust just before they reached the manager!The crowd was stunned. Were there more martial elites around here?While they were stunned, a man strode in through the entrance, and it was none other than Frank himself!Beside him floated another man, Squint, who was absolutely thrilled to see his mentor!"Master!" he promptly cried out. "He killed four of us! You must avenge them!"Then, wheeling on Frank, he gloated, "
As such, the beggar said, "Don't you want to transcend beyond your human bonds and become the most powerful being in the world?"Just look at those ignorant mortals around you. How are they different from livestock?"Frank smiled, shaking his head. "Sorry, but I'm one of those mortals too, if only a little stronger than the rest."At those words, the beggar understood what Frank's deal was. "Vigilante, huh? I was like you when I was younger, filled with vigor and justice. It's only when I'm older that I realized how naive I was. There's no justice in the world of adults, only self-gain!"Frank laughed. "I don't think so. That's the priority of the weak. If the strong are willing, self-gain would come endlessly, along with reputation!""Really?"The beggar was utterly incensed by Frank's words. "I gave you a chance, but you didn't take it. I'm not holding back now!"He balled his knuckles, and two lightning bolts appeared in his grasp like swords, which he launched at Frank. Fr
Slowly walking up to the beggar, Frank smirked. "Do you see the truth now? See, strength comes from knowing thyself. Empowerment gained from prayers would never last, and there are no divine beings in this world!"Unable to talk, the beggar could only repeatedly shake his head.However, both he and his apprentice finally came to recognize the reality that Frank was right.They appeared superior, but only relative to the normal person.When compared to Frank, they were just monkeys in a ballpark, or perhaps even less!After all, some monkeys got fed, while they snatched food!"Time to die."With a wave of his hand, blood ejected out of the beggar's orifices, and he died on the spot.Everyone was stunned, not expecting the beggar who had postured himself with superiority to be crushed to this extent.Just like how the beggar destroyed the Fab Five, Frank was just doing the same thing.Still, Frank gestured for calm and called out, "Calm down. This man was responsible for variou
Frank's eyes lit up on the mention of graveyards. "Prospecting? Is your owner a burial plot owner too?"The nightclub manager nodded. "Everyone has a side business these days, don't they?"And I don't mean to brag, but the owner is the biggest burial plot owner in town, though that's mainly because most people here stick to ground burial but are also poor at prospecting, which is how the owner got his business booming.""Good." Frank nodded. "Now take me to him."-By the next morning, Frank was standing in front of a gravestone that was swiftly carved overnight.There were only the letters RIP inscribed on it and nothing else, and Frank stated at it as he somberly apologized, "Sorry, I didn't even know your name so I could only leave it blank. Still, my friend would eventually find out and make up for it."He heard a faint breeze and suddenly spun to catch a throwing knife launched at him while staring at a nearby woods.A lofty man standing around six foot seven emerged, havi
Lofty smiled wryly. "Sure, but I'm not as strong as you are! To reach where others can't, I'd have to lose what must never be lost—like my life." Frank nodded.At the very least, Crewcut and Lofty here both shared a trait that made them likeable: They shone with humanity, so much so that it covered their insufficiency in abilities.Frank passed him his business card. "Just come to me if you're ever in trouble."Still, considering that Crewcut just died and worried that Lofty would remember him in death too, he said, "I'm not much, but I more or less have some connections."On one hand, I lead an outfit with sufficient crew, while on the other, I have connections to the government, so just ask if you need people investigated."Lofty quickly shook his head. "This is my own issue. You don't have to get involved."Frank smiled in wry amusement, as he certainly knew what Lofty was getting at.As a vigilante, he did not want others to die for his cause or owe anyone anything.But
Yancy was absolutely perplexed. "How did you do that?"Frank chuckled. "Do you believe in the paranormal?"Yancy shook her head confidently.The paranormal and science were two completely contradictory subjects.Strictly speaking, anything that could be seen with the naked eye or directly affected the physical plane was not paranormal. Still, while science was fundamentally a counter-thesis to mysticism, anything that worked within a system of logic fell within its jurisdiction.Frank shrugged. "It's good if you don't believe it. I don't myself—but I am using a paranormal technique to conjure that fingerprint, which was supposed to be erased."Yancy was utterly confused. "What does that mean?"Frank explained, "I'm not sure if you've seen bodies of energy resembling spirits, but they linger within a body, retaining the deceased's last thoughts to a certain extent!"Yancy nodded in understanding.There was some form of energy that lingered within the deceased.But with Frank's
Frank was unsure if she should laugh or cry. "Not mentioning something doesn't mean that I didn't notice it. And I could've saved you even without leaving the white-clad priest."If anyone else said that, Yancy would be convinced that they were lying.But since it was Frank, the strongest lifeform she had ever encountered yet, saying that was almost humble of him!Still, her protective glasses flashed as she checked the yellow talisman, scanning it. "There's nothing special about it! Both the scanner in my glasses and my eyes say so.""Now, back to my question." Frank chuckled. "Is science failing, or is the person?"Yancy's face fell—curse this man and all his teasing!Soon, they landed.There just happened to be a cleaner sweeping the curb, and his knees buckled and fell when he saw Frank and Yancy descending from the skies.Frank quickly put Yancy on her feet while rushing up to him, chuckling. "It's alright. We're not evil—don't worry."It took a while of assurance for the
Yancy has always been bright.With the help of all the advanced equipment, she created a monster soon enough.Interestingly, it could be controlled with the remote that Jouri had given her earlier.Still, the thought of being a step behind Jouri frustrated Yancy. "If I'm right, that scamp knew there was something strange about this place… She one-upped me again! Curses!"Frank chuckled. "Don't say that. You have the marbles that can be used for energies, no? You'd definitely be able to replicate it, and you'd beat her with numbers."Yancy could not agree. "Nope. It just goes to show she didn't even care… but now that I think about it, she must have something better."Frustrated, she stamped her feet, which looked adorable as she looked less mature."Alright, don't fuss over the details." Frank chuckled. "Let's go eat.""Yeah." Yancy sighed and had her lab float up in the air while they headed to Cronde.She also put on a pair of rocket boots and leapt off. "You don't have to p
The rascal took the skies, tearing through the clouds.But no matter how he flew, he just could not reach the eyes overhead!That was not all either—a mysterious force seemed to stop him just then before yanking him back to the physical plane!"Your turn!"Yancy heard Frank's voice all around her and nodded, pressing a button that fired a missile straight at the rascal.Boom!The rascal was blown away, split in two pieces from the waist and screaming in agony.It was only then that he realized his fellow apprentices were not playing a prank. They had simply died before he did!They were each so strong, but they were wiped out nonetheless. He certainly did not stand a chance!"Please don't kill me… I can be useful, I…"The rascal soon trailed off in fear.After all, they had all heard about Frank before they came.It was universally acknowledged that he was crazy—that he loved to torture people like them.And if he ever got you, suicide was the best option!However, th
Laughing, Yancy asked, "Now, do you understand that where there's smoke, there's fire?"It's not just bombs and artillery—I have plenty of other high-tech gadgets. You can die now, kiddo!"The rascal laughed instead of getting upset. "Did you think that science is all-powerful? The energy field is good, but it's nothing new—watch!"He waved his hand, and the energy field disappeared!Yancy was shocked—her data suggested that only Frank could dispel that energy field, so how was that brat able to do the same?Taking to the skies, the rascal then beckoned provokingly. "Are we stopping already? Come on, let's keep this up!" However, Yancy smiled, shaking her head. "I'm not stupid. Since I can't hurt you, I should just save my ammunition instead."The youth laughed. "So you're giving up? Good, spare me the trouble!"He turned, grinning. "Hear that? She gave up! Can I be the first—"He froze before he could finish, as his entire group was already gone.In fact, the only person al
"I don't believe you!" the woman shrieked almost crazily.She tried to vanish again, but Frank was no longer interested in playing with her.With just a snap of his fingers, her brain seemed to be subdued by a special type of energy, keeping her from using any techniques!One of the members of her entourage quickly realized that something had gone awry and hurried forward to encircle Frank, snapping coolly, "What the hell did you do?!"Frank chuckled. "Why not experience it yourself?"Even as the entourage heard that, they realized they had been shut out of their own abilities, just like the woman!"H-How did you take away our powers?!"Frank shrugged. "Easy. It's nothing to brag about—it has a major, exploitable flaw!""What?!"The entourage traded glances—Frank was basically saying that he was the Goliath to their David!"You're getting it, brat!"Even if their soul projection was taken from them, they still had other techniques!As they did not hesitate to charge at Fran
The rascal seemed to rank at the bottom of the hierarchy. Clearly afraid to disobey the woman, she charged at Yancy's android right then.Yancy wasted no breath pressing the fire button and launching a missile at the brat, only for him to disappear where he stood!Bang!The missile blew up as it touched ground, leaving a crater.Soon, the rascal reverted to his physical form and glanced at the crater, laughing. "I'm surprised that your android is that fun. I really couldn't have known!Patting his chest, he chuckled. "Come on, shoot me right here. Let's see if you can pierce my defenses!"Yancy's eyes lit up—that was certainly agreeable! She really could not do anything to the rascal if he dematerialized, but she would have a much better chance if he stayed put! With that in mind, she shot every type of artillery she had, even emptying the stockpile she kept around her lab!The woman was really not used to the ruckus and walked up to Frank, reaching out to touch his face. "Why
Still, Yancy did not seem to mourn her equipment. "That's amazing, huh?""Don't worry about it. Just study the marbles."Yancy nodded and was about to return into the lab with him when they heard a strange noise around them.Glaring at Frank, she pouted. "You definitely heard that earlier, with your super hearing. You could've told me earlier instead of letting me get a scare."Frank chuckled. "Is there anything that you really fear? And your equipment should detect it anyway.""That's true!"Yancy realized with a start.With her equipment turned on, it should have detected anyone's presence.However, she was getting nothing—not even thermal work despite the voice being so close!She soon had a thought. "Maybe like that woman in the cave, they are capable of soul projection?""And they're better at it!" Frank chuckled before calling out loudly, "That's enough. Spare us the theatrics and show yourself!"There was a sinister gust of wind as over a dozen black-robed individuals
The geezer laughed. "I didn't think I'd see you so soon, my friend. You really impress me.""How so, sir?" Frank quickly asked.The geezer sighed and pointed at Yancy, who was planning to scan him with her equipment. "I'm sure you'll soon understand what type of existence I am."Frank smiled, shaking his head. "I would know even without her help. You're no spirit—just a form of energy given form."The geezer's eyes lit up. "You really think so?"Frank nodded. "I'm sure it has something to do with programming."Seeing that the geezer had trouble understanding, Frank thought about it and explained, "It's like parrots. You can teach them to imitate you!"The geezer smiled in turn. "That's more or less it! And as the owner of the spiritron vein, you're the only one in this world with the right to claim everything kept here, and I'm sure I'll be seeing you again before long."With those words, the geezer disappeared from sight, leaving Frank with a ton of questions.What? Did he ju