Nash was certainly a treat, not retaliating after his own daughter flipped out on him.Even as Soren smiled, his contempt for Kat was flaring inside."Alright. I'm counting on you." Nash forced a smile and nodded at Frank."That's them! Surround those brats right now!" Someone suddenly bellowed from the hallway just as they were about to leave. Cid had returned, with over thirty men following them inside.They were certainly a menacing sight as they charged in, machetes in hand.The students' faces fell and panic took over—they would never win against these bloodthirsty goons!"Wait!" Soren strode up imposingly nonetheless. "I'm warning you—this is Mr. Darman's turf, and my dad is friends with him. Lay a finger on us, and you'll get yourself killed!""Shit, did you just threaten me?" Cid slapped Soren across the face right then. "So what?! I'm his brother, y'know!"The room turned silent right then, everyone save for Frank left shocked by the sudden revelation.Soren especiall
"Oh, you're mistaken here." Frank shrugged and smiled. "I'm just here to watch. I don't even know these brats."His remark certainly drew the students' contempt—Frank was a coward just as they thought.Cid turned toward Frank as well but ignored him since he never challenged him.He was not bothered to deal with a bystander—if anything, he was hoping for someone to spread word about his terrifying deeds.Turning back to Soren, Cid grabbed him by the hair and lifted him, sneering. "You were threatening to break my legs, was it? Come on, I'll even let you do it."One of Cid's goons threw a metal bat beside Soren with perfect timing."Oh, it's all just a misunderstanding…" Soren smiled apologetically, not daring to breathe a word about his grievance. "I was just too ignorant to recognize you… Why don't you let me hold a banquet in your honor as a way of apology?""Fuck off!" Cid bellowed and slapped him again. "What do you take me for? Serve me food and apologize, and it's done and
"Hah! You again?!" Cid spat, really sick of Nash right then. "I won't wait—I really need an outlet to vent right now, and I've decided on your girl! I'll have her right now, and no one gets to say otherwise!"He waved his hand, and two goons promptly strode up to restrain Kat.Nash tried to stop them, only to get knocked to the floor."Let me go!" Kat screamed, terrified because the goons and Cid were serious.Even as she flailed and struggled violently, she turned and leveled a pleading look at Soren—her prince on the white horse, her only salvation.Soren finally cleared his throat right then, rearing his head and bracing himself as he said, "Please, let's talk about this. She's a friend—just let her go! I'll get you someone better—"Cid slapped him again and snapped, "You're talking when I'm not done with you?! Get the fuck out of here, or I'm gutting you like a pig!"Soren was left deflated right then, hanging his head in silence.The rest of his friends reacted the same as
"Dad!"Kat's face fell, but she was restrained again before she could jump toward Cid."Fucking geezer! Are you threatening me?!"Cid was still traumatized as he touched his neck and felt blood, though his fear soon turned to rage. "You should be honored I'm fucking your daughter, but you had to threaten me, huh?! Cut him!"A goon strode up, aiming his machete at Nash's arm even as he lay prone on the floor, completely helpless."Dad!" Kat screamed.Clang!Just as everyone thought Nash's arm was going to be cut off, the goon doing it was left staring at hand holding his machete in place.He was certainly stunned—the machete was not budging no matter how he moved, and why was the hand holding the blade not bleeding?!Everyone was left staring in disbelief at Frank—naturally, he was the one holding the machete."That's enough," he growled.Having completed Birthright, even bullets would not pierce his projected pure vigor, let alone a machete."H-How dare you!" Cid bellowed,
"Huh…"Everyone was left staring blankly as Cid lay limply on the floor—his goons especially were trading glances in disbelief.Forget how strong Frank was—the fact that he dared to attack Cid at all felt like a dream!Cid had both numbers and power, and being Hux's brother meant he had never suffered like this!It was no exaggeration to say that no one would dare challenge Cid in Hux's turf—even someone from the Lionheart family like Soren could only bend themselves backward.On the other hand, Frank was not only being tongue-in-cheek with Cid, but he would even get violent!"Is he crazy? He just attacked Hux Darman's brother!""Messing with Mr. Darman is just messing with the Sunblazers… Well, he's screwed.""Is this what we call a nutcase? He has no idea who he just messed with.""You can tell right away he's from out of town…" It was not just Cid's goons—even the students were looking at Frank sympathetically, as if he was going to die."Cough, cough…"Cid finally came
"W-Who are you?!" Cid was cringing in fear at a corner once he saw Frank wiping the floor with his goons in no time at all.His goons were all bloodthirsty savages who would never hold back, and it was incomprehensible that Frank could just take them down.He was utterly terrified that Frank would come and end him… but he was clearly being paranoid.Frank was not bloodthirsty, and Cid's goons were just your stereotypical goons—he had no interest in ending them.Moreover, Frank remembered Titus Lionheart's threat—if Titus realized he was in town, he would be coming for him.That was why Frank had to keep his head down. In fact, he would not have gotten involved at all if not for Nash being in trouble."You have two choices." Frank smiled at Cid just then, pausing before continuing, "Either I kill you, or you apologize to Nash here. How about that?""I-I know you're a martial artist!" Cid snapped, not about to appear weak despite his fear toward Frank as he negotiated. "My brother
"Who the fuck…"Cid was ready to snap at whoever it was even as he caught his balance—he was already deeply upset. How could his luck be so bad that everyone seemed to be able to mess with him?!"What? What's going on here?" Cid paused mid-sentence when he heard the cold voice and looked up to see that it was Hux, his own brother and the one everyone called Mr. Darman.He was immediately delighted and promptly complained, "Brother, help! Someone was causing trouble here in your turf, and he even beat me up!""What?! Who the hell messed around on my turf and hurt my brother?!"A thunderous bellow resounded over the hallway.Everyone stepped out to see the burly man wearing a tank top, shades, and gold chains striding inside, with several towering bodyguards behind him."Mr. Darman?!" The students were all dumbstruck—what was he doing here?They promptly huddled at a corner of the room, standing in attention as they feared that they would become Hux's target.He was the underb
However, Frank remained fearless, even asking in return, "Really? That's impressive… but don't you know what would happen to me if you mess with me?""Oh, and what is that?" Hux smiled in amusement."I'll kill you right here if you behave, but you'd wish you were dead if you don't.""Hahaha!" Hux roared with laughter, shaking his head. "I guess they're right about kids… They really don't know anything! It seems that you don't realize how deep a mess you're in now—if only you'd still strut like that while my men dismember you!"His expression soon turned savage, however, and he waved his hand. "Go! Clean up this mess!" The students' faces fell—when Hux said clean up, he obviously meant no witnesses.It was the mob's rule. Blood would be spilled, and lives would be taken.And given how much influence Hux has, vanishing a few people was no big deal.Naturally, Nash was shaking in his boots—this was bad!He had to get Vicky Turnbull's guest involved. What was he going to say now?
The hag shook her head repeatedly. "No, this is impossible! Even if you're gifted, you wouldn't be this accomplished without giving blood and sweat!"Frank sighed. "Don't you know that Einstein revolutionized physics in his twenties? Prodigies don't simply possess extraordinary gifts—they can gain twice the success even with less effort than the average person, staying well beyond any of your reach."The hag smirked. "To be honest, I would have been willing to let you join us if not for your arrogance."At her words, the lotus she sat on turned pellucid like Frank's and started flashing in red light too.The crowd who was feeling just disappointed a second ago were once again thrilled, and the middle-aged man even dissed Frank. "And you call yourself a prodigy? You're just a bitch the way I see it—your red light only lasted that long!"The hag sighed. "Such a shame indeed!"The red light shot toward Frank as she finished but faded in an instant, and soon, the hag's lotus faded as
Frank ignored the hag and asked, "How many people do you have?""It doesn't matter," the hag growled coldly. "They're plenty enough to deal with you."Frank nodded and sat cross-legged, closing and resting his eyes while saying, "Go on. Call for them."The hag was curious. "You're only in your twenties—wherever did you get that confidence?"Frank chuckled. "You can identify a horse from a donkey by making it run, as they say."The hag would like to end him right there. But considering that this was an opportunity to train, and they were all safe with her around, she decided to play along and called for everyone.Soon, over a hundred people dressed like the hag arrived. All of them were ugly or had birth defects, which paints quite the amusing picture.A middle-aged man in shades strode up, studying Frank in interest. "Oh, quite the overachiever, aren't you? Reaching the Ascendant rank in your twenties…"Frank shot him a look and asked coolly, "How many people have you killed be
Frank yelled, "Tell me who your boss is, and I might spare your life! Otherwise, the glass shards on the door will be your doom."That certainly showed the woman that Frank was being honest, and that she misjudged men!Chuckling bitterly, she said, "I actually quite liked you, so I'd rather not speed you to your death. Know when to stop if you're really smart, kid."Frank laughed coolly. "If I was going to stop, would I have come after you or Horace at all?"Fear comes from the unknown, which is why people fear the dark and the paranormal. But when they emerge from it, they fear nothing!"The woman gaped at Frank in disbelief, surprised that someone like him existed in such a quiet corner in this world.Terrifying, yet not patient—his existence was way beyond her reach.But when it came to men like him, she was still all too happy to help him die for on reason!"Fine, I'll take you to her—just don't be disappointed in the gap of power. Try to keep your pride as you do now."Fr
"What the fuck do you want?!"It was the first time Horace had ever seen anyone do something like this.Frank was helping out of sheer conscience and clearly would not tolerate anyone who committed evils, even going all out to wipe them out.At the same time, he was also different from the rest. Cunning ploys and fancy tricks were pointless against him, and he did not care about his reputation as long as he achieved his goal.And when it came to personal ability, wit, and influence, Horace simply did not compare in any element. He was also experienced enough to see that compliance was his only chance against a character like Frank. But chance did not even mean surviving but a polite death, because Frank would not let someone like him live!Throwing up his hands, Horace exclaimed, "I-I'll tell you everything! Just kill me—don't throw me in jail, okay?!"Frank said nothing and waited until Horace confessed everything, and once he gathered sufficient information, he snapped his fi
"How did you get in here?"Before this, Horace had arranged a security detail of over a dozen men in case Frank came after him.Even if they were no match for Frank, they could at least buy time, while he would hear the commotion and flee!However, Frank simply appeared without a sound behind him, making it all the more horrific!"Simple, really."Frank smirked. "I knocked them all out quietly! But to be honest, it's your own fault for not hiring martial artists despite being so rich. It's what you deserve.""You can kill me, but what's going to happen to the girl's parents?"Horace smirked, still confident in his own advantage as he waved his phone at Frank.It was a simple gesture to tell him that he was ready to take Aisling's parents down with him.Frank simply ignored him. "The assassin you sent was quite something, to be honest. Pretty face, and that mole under her eye… She's really special."Horace lost all composure right then—that could only mean that Frank had met h
"Got it!"The woman hung up and used her other phone to call Aisling again. "Lady, you will do everything we say. To put it harshly, you're now a slave—you don't get to refuse us!""Is that so?"Just as the woman finished, the window suddenly crashed open, and someone zoomed inside!Even before she could react, she was held firmly in place by the shoulder.Seeing the handsome face and knowing it was the martial elite who took down the dozenish goons sent by the cottage, she exclaimed in shock, "H-How did you find me?""Did you think I can't find you just because you're on the move?"Frank smirked as he pointed outside. "First and foremost, finding your name is simple since I have the means to find your number and therefore personal details. Also, this vehicle is registered under your name—and with the support of the most advanced GPS systems, it'd be shocking if I couldn't find you."In fact, Frank already knew the woman would not hang around in Aisling's home and called Jouri
Other factors aside, pride matters more than anything else when a person gets rich, and Horace absolutely refused to be mocked as a coward."Don't worry about it. I have other arrangements in place," he said. He then told the middle-aged man to leave and called a mysterious number.-An hour later, Frank was speaking with the intern at his homestay cottage when her phone rang.Taking it out and seeing an unfamiliar number, she knew right away that it was from the Mount Statera's management and turned on the speakers despite her curiosity as she answered."Aisling Walls, was it? Your name has a nice ring to it!" A playful, feminine voice giggled eerily from the other end."What's it to you?" Aisling snorted in annoyance. "Mess around, and I'll call the cops on you!"The woman was not intimidated at all, even laughing icily. "Go on, but your parents will die if you do."Aisling was stunned, shaking her head as she cried, "No, that's impossible… How could you know where I live?"
The middle-aged man frowned.He knew that the intern and the chief ranger would take convincing, but they did not even care to listen. "Actually, neither of you have any control over your lives now."And with that, he turned to leave.This was a homestay, after all—a fight would only further complicate the situation, which was why he did not want to do it here.However, just because he could bear with it did not mean that Frank could. "Hold it. Don't you think you're disrespecting me by leaving so quickly?"The middle-aged man stopped and turned, seemingly interested. "And where did you get the confidence to threaten me?"Frank simply smiled.At the very next instant, the middle-aged man and his dozen goons were sent flying.Then, even before they could get up, Frank had already cut up and stamped his foot on the middle-aged man's face."W-Who the hell are you?"He had worked for Horace for a while, but someone as bothersome as Frank was the first.Even if he was stupid, he
The chief ranger sighed. "I can understand being altruistic, kid, but strength doesn't solve all problems."Frank laughed. "Are you sure I'm just good in a fight? The behavior of upper management is definitely terrible—if someone like me would simply let it slide, what would happen to the ordinary folk?"The chief ranger no longer hesitated and told the intern everything he knew.Soon, her article blew up on the internet, with netizens everywhere outraged.Management naturally could not just let it slide.Horace Gagne, the person in charge, promptly sent his people after the intern and the chief ranger, only to find that they were both in Frank's homestay cottage.As both groups convened, they reported to Horace right away despite their surprise.Horace was certainly no fool—he knew that someone was setting this scene.But so what about it? He had plenty of ways to bury his opponent.And with that, his thugs all stormed into the first floor living room to find Frank seated on