Even as Bravo panted heavily, Hal told him over the phone, "Someone beat me up at school.""Beat you up?" Bravo actually stopped moving his hips, frowning. "Didn't I tell you to behave and not to cause trouble?""No! This brat is so full of himself that he shows no respect to anyone, not even you. He even said…" Hal paused, lowering his voice in fear of provoking his bad-tempered brother. "He even said that he'd beat you up even if you came.""What?!" Bravo was furious—someone dared to disrespect even him? Still, his anger notwithstanding, he had been ruling the streets of East City with Kurt long enough to be better than just some brute. Pausing for a moment, he withheld his rage and asked, "Did he give a name?""F-Frank Lawrence…""Frank Lawrence?!" Bravo did a double take at the name. "Did he mention anything else?""He's supposed to be the head of Grande Pharma pharmaceutical research or something…"There were plenty of Frank Lawrences in Riverton. However, only one fa
Every student was gaping in astonishment as Hal, coerced by his own brother, apologized to Frank.Turning toward the impassive Frank, they were all suddenly left wondering who on earth their lecturer really was.The ladies especially had a twinkle in their eyes.Meanwhile, Jean was relieved to see that Bravo held so much respect for Frank, just as she became further curious about Winter's brother.Winter was herself proud for some reason, even puffing up her modest chest."Winter, weren't you saying he's your brother? Come on, introduce him to us.""That's right… and upon a closer look, isn't he drop dead gorgeous?""Go on, Winter. Ask him for us, okay?"The other girls' curiosity and interest left Winter flustered, and she snapped, "Stop it. My brother isn't the type who messes around.""Hoho… Judging from that reaction, don't tell me that there's no blood relation?""Heh. She's just guarding her prey."The teasing left Winter flushed. "S-Stop it! That's not true!""Not th
Bravo nodded. "Oh, of course. I'll wait for you,"He was in no hurry, crouching as he waited in the hallway, even lighting himself a cigarette.Frank did not chase him off and returned to the podium in the lecture hall.He had certainly earned the respect of every student, and not just the girls—even the boys were at once grateful and worshipful.Still, the silent lecture hall was soon interrupted by a shrill, sarcastic voice. "Hmph. Just look at him, getting all smug because he has some powerful friends. Who knows if he really knows medicine?"Frank turned to find that it was the girl with dyed blonde hair from earlier who had rushed to Hal's side after Frank floored him.It seemed that she was upset with Frank because of Hal."So, you are skeptical about my medical knowledge?" Frank remained unaffected, standing on the podium with his hands clasped behind his back as he smiled. "I can already see the swelling bags under your eyes and the yellow specks at the corner of your eye
On the other hand, Winter was unusually protective despite her usual delicate mannerisms, shielding Frank as she snapped, "F-Frank is a very busy man."Her classmates were certainly dissatisfied."That's sly, Winter!" "Yeah, aren't you just keeping him to yourself?""It's alright, Winter." Frank patted her head and smiled—he never received formal education himself and was therefore not averse to the students' eagerness to learn. "If you're all interested, I'll try to make time for a lecture every month.""Once a month…?"The students were all disappointed, though something was better than nothing.Winter blushed even as she braced herself against the other girls' pointed looks. "That's plenty! Frank is very busy!" Frank made a solemn face just then. "Alright, class dismissed."As the students all thanked him earnestly for his lesson, he was once again reminded of his junior apprentices who always fooled around.The thought left him clenching his fist.As he strode out th
However, why would the Salazars of Sunny City have a problem with Kurt, whose operations were based in Riverton?Seeing the confused look on Frank's face, Bravo sighed. "You might not know this, but the Salazars had an agreement with us. We would secure a piece of land and pull strings across Riverton, while the Salazars would build a pharmaceutical factory, which they claimed would help them win a monopoly over Riverton's pharmacy business."Frank frowned. "If I recall, Kurt was poisoned even before the Salazars' Beauty Pill hit the market."Bravo nodded solemnly. "Yes. They did not like our asking price, and things went sour. Mr. Stinson must have been poisoned right then… But they returned after a while, very agreeable this time. They even had no problems with Mr. Stinson raising the price by twenty percent, though you saw the outcome for yourself—their Beauty Pill lost to the Turnbulls' Rejuvenation Pill, and that was when they refused to pay us the outstanding cost."Watching
Then, as Bravo and everyone else looked on in shock, Frank's tone changed sharply as he declared, "Not your last breath—I'll save you even if you've stopped breathing.""Shit!""Amazing!" "That's pompous!"Everyone including Bravo was shocked that Frank would humble himself, only for him to declare his overwhelming confidence.It in turn encouraged the goons, and suddenly none of them were afraid of the Salazars' poison.They were even shouting battlecries, ready to teach the Salazars a lesson!"No more dirty tricks! We have nothing to fear!""Let's go! Down with the Salazars!""Come on!"They all got into their MPVs rowdily, then drove along the road, forming a grand convoy and drawing plenty of attention.-In reality, Bravo's concerns proved to be true.Although the Salazars' factory was long since defunct, Jaud White was there, smugly calling Donald Salazar in Sunny City."I'm sure Kurt Stinson found out who poisoned him a while ago," he said confidently. "Just leave
"The Salazars have set a trap!" Bravo bellowed furiously. "We would've fallen for it if we didn't have Mr. Lawrence with us!"Then, turning toward Frank, he asked, "Are those threads…?"Frank was chuckling coolly upon a closer look. "They make up the outermost layer, and it's been laced with the sap of the Araneus Floret. Once you touch it, you'll lose consciousness before you know it, but it won't kill you.""It's child's play," he added. "Just keep your blades in front of you and flail around. Make sure not to get the sap on your skin. You'll be safe that way.""You heard him, boys!" Bravo turned toward his men and barked, "Don't let the threads reach your skin!"With that, he led the way, swinging his machete endlessly before him to cut off the threads.-"Hmmm…?"In the factory, Jaud White had just gotten off the phone with Donald Salazar, and he frowned.He could sense the perimeter threads being touched and sneered—Kurt Stinson's men had really come to reclaim this patch
"Fall back!" Bravo bellowed, knowing that now was not the time to act tough after Frank had spoken.Their land lot was right there and not running anyway, and so he fled, with his men helping him as they ran outside the factory.It was only then that they saw the thin blue smoke in the air, almost invisible to the naked eye."Mr. Lawrence saw that before we all did." One of the goons sighed, feeling lucky to have survived that. "He's simply amazing!""Ya think? The man had some moves too—he took down Mr. Lambert with just a couple of moves, and it was so clean!""Alright, shut it!" Bravo snapped.He was blushing while also a little spooked that Frank had subdued him.As Kurt's best fighter, he had been carving a reputation for his exploits over the years. Naturally, it was a little unacceptable for him to be subdued so easily.Still, he felt fortunate that he never made an enemy of Frank, or he would now be suffering for it."Nobody breathes a word about this, ever," he quickl
Frank snorted. "Alright, I'm hanging up. I'm getting started over here soon.""Yeah. Good luck," Jouri replied.Hanging up, Frank looked up at the waterfall overhead, and then at Skyler, who was standing beside him. "So? Is it time yet?""Almost… Now!" Skyler's eyes were glowing even as she stared at her watch."Alright."Frank looked up just as the skies abruptly darkened. "Ah, there it is—the eclipse."The sun seemed to disappear, and the world was suddenly shrouded in darknesses.And beside him, a stone door imbued with the power of the spiritron vein also rumbled as it parted."Got it!" Frank rushed inside without another word as soon as he saw it."Hmph. I'm surprised that you could reach this place." A cold, wrathful voice resounded inside even before Frank got a hold of his surroundings.Looking up, Frank found a youth in a black cossack and sporting grey-white hair, standing upon a cliff as he looked down on him.Frank chuckled. "Hehe. Like I said, I've come to kill
Frank narrowed his eyes. "Is that so?'Crane shrugged. "I don't mind giving it to you straight—members of Torrent are actually… Ahem. A part of Torrent himself."Frank paused. "What's that supposed to mean?""You don't get it, do you?" Crane grinned. "Then let me put it to you this way—every member is a clone of Torrent.""A clone?" Frank gasped in realization."Yes," Crane nodded. "That's why I believe that challenging Crane is just suicide. You have no idea how powerful he is—only death awaits you down that path."Frank smirked. "Oh, but I don't think so."Crane rolled his eyes. "Fine, whatever—now listen closely. You will find Torrent in the Mystic Trail, but you would only find that place when the sun and moon coincide, and the entrance is beneath the waterfall south of Horton."As he finished, he snorted coldly. "I have no idea if you can actually do it, but I'm hoping you do kill him… Heh. I'm getting tired of being stuck under his control for so long."Then, waving off
Frank abruptly turned, immediately noticing one of the Cranes crouching, ready to spring forward and blindside him."Got you!" He laughed."Hah! You fell for it!"Just as Frank swung a punch to pulverize that Crane, he suddenly burst into pus that splashed at Frank's face."Damn it!" Frank took a step back, surprised that the clone's presence was identical to the real Crane, and a trap on top of that!"Die!"The Cranes around him each whipped out a dagger, all of them stabbing at Frank at the same time."Get off!" Frank bellowed, unleashing a shockwave that sent all the Cranes flying across all directions."Frank! Above you!" Skyler suddenly shrieked."Yes! I'm right here!" A strange laughter sounded above Frank just as he wiped the pus off his face.Crane was suddenly directly above him, launching an aerial kick straight at Frank's head, and Frank had no time to dodge!"Die!" Crane's smile curled into a twisted angle as he saw that too.He was very confident with this kick
"Disgusting…" Skyler murmured through her hand.Despite being skinned and scalped, the women were all still alive and singing to the music that was playing despite their anguish."Talk about a terrible fetish."Frank was scowling too—why were all the members of Torrent such sick deviants? It seemed like his plan to wipe them out was absolutely correct!"So, you killed my clone?"The lanky man on the couch slowly turned to level his bloodshot eyes at Frank.His lips were wet with bed as they curled upward into an eerie smile."Clone?" Frank narrowed his eyes."Hehe. It's a sage art."Crane shrugged as he stood up and wiped the blood off his lips. "It's only natural that you don't understand… Still, you deserve praise. If you can kill my clone, that means you're not just slightly stronger than Ghost."Naturally, the man was none other than the real Crane.Still, as Skyler studied him from a corner, even she could notice the strange twitch of his fingers, and his veins were pro
Even as Crane ran, he was looking over his shoulder, his heart pounding. "No… I won't win in a one-on-one!"No, as long as I get back to my real body… we can do this together!" He frowned, having seen how Frank sliced off the pinkies of those hood rats. It hence quickly dawned on him that Frank was not just slightly stronger than Ghost, as Torrent had put it!"Almost there!" He gasped when he saw the signboard of Pegasus Showtown in the distance. "As long as I get there and rendezvous with my real body, that brat will lose—"That was when he turned and saw that a shadow had caught up with impossible speed."What?!" Crane's eyes almost popped out in bewilderment. "What speed is that?! Are you kidding—"Even as he spotted the shadow, the shadow turned into a youth with an impassive visage.His fist outstretched, he was clearly punching toward Crane's forehead!"Argh…"Even as Crane looked on, the youth's punch slowed down by tenfold, but his fist kept closing in.Then, whe
Seeing Skyler sigh, the tattooed thug presumed that his extortion worked.He strode up, grabbing Frank's shoulder. "No one's gonna help you, boy. Pay up, or you're not leaving.""Exactly! You're not getting away!" the crowd of hood rats hollered. "Last chance."Frank's eyes were cold and fixed on Dani, however. "Are you going to intervene? If you do, you can keep that check. If you don't…""Ugh. Fuck off! I don't care!" Dani spat, her expression smug as she folded her arms before her chest. "Who do you think you are to threaten me?!""Exactly! Pay up, and you can leave!""Yeah! Ten grand, at least!""You probably don't know my boss Wyvern, but when he's here, you won't get away with just ten grand!"Even as the crowd closed in, Frank shook his head. "Well, you had your chance. Don't blame me for what happens next.""You're giving us a chance?! Hah! Who—argh!"Even before Dani could finish gloating, Frank was suddenly in front of her, grabbing her viciously by the wrist."Arg
"Five grand?! Did you hear that?! He just threw five grand!""Must be a rich kid coming here for a secret rendezvous, out of prying eyes? Those types are the easiest mark!""Fuck! And Dani got one of us… It hurts me more than losing at the races!"Frank could hear the buzz around him but ignored it as he strode past the men flanking him and headed toward the street that stank of blood."Stop!" A big tattooed man grinned sinisterly as he intercepted Frank.As his buddies encircled Frank as well, Frank snorted—it seemed that they took his reaction for a sign of weakness and thought that he could be cowed.The tattooed man rubbed his chin as he leered at Skyler's voluptuous figure, chuckling. "Look, boy. I'm short on cash, so let me take a loan. I'll pay you back some other day, how about that?"His friend laughed. "Exactly! You just gave Dani five grand, and we won't ask for more… just four, how about that?"Skyler scowled in turn and glanced worriedly at Frank beside her—was he
Frank himself had just stepped out of the nightclub when his eyes narrowed."Blood," he murmured, his nostrils twitching."Blood?"Skyler sniffed the air, puzzled. "I can't smell it.""It's from the opposite street… I smell the blood of over a dozen people.""A dozen?!" Skyler did a double take.He could identify the number of people who were killed?! That was just ridiculous!"Come on, let's take a look."Just as Frank led the way toward the source of the stench, a woman suddenly came up, catching Frank off guard and throwing herself into his arms."Hmmm?" He looked down to see that she had thick makeup, average looks, and a rather pudgy belly."Argh! He touched me!" she pointed at Frank and shrieked even before he realized what was happening."What?!" Skyler was staring at the woman too, mystified."Oh, sister! You just didn't see it!"The woman kept hollering, pointing at Frank's face. "Your boyfriend grabbed my ass! Is that how you teach him manners?!""Teach him ma
Wyvern screamed even as he clutched the stump that was his hand, screaming so shrilly one might mistake his voice as inhuman."Oh, just shut up." The lanky man glowered and launched a kick, reducing Wyvern into puddles of blood and pieces of innards, splattering all around the lobby. "Argh!!!" the devilish lady screamed as she watched the carnage unfolded."Another sound, and you'd end up just like him." The lanky man turned and frowned at her impatiently."Hngh…" The devilish lady promptly clasped a hand over her mouth, tears welling up in her eyes as she trembled."What the hell?!"Outside, Wyvern's lackeys heard the screams and ran inside, looking for him. "Hey, where's Wyvern?!"However, the lobby was too dimly lit for them to notice the blood and guts scattered around the walls, and they only sensed that terrible stench."Hngh…" The devilish lady was too scared to speak, and tears trickled out of her eyes."Fuck!"One of the lackeys strode up and seized the lanky man