Austin was still palpably flustered when he returned to his rented place.What happened at Legacy Hospital kept getting on his nerves. He simply couldn't shrug it off. Taylor's appearance definitely wasn't a coincidence. Little did Austin expect that what he was worried about the most would happen this quickly. However, he wouldn't allow such things to even occur."Sir, what's wrong?" Aldus stared at him, visibly confused. Austin glanced over at his watch and said, "Aldus, let's head out now. You'll have to train me."With a crease between his brows, Aldus replied, "Sir, it's getting late now. And you've been busy for the whole day. Are you sure your body can take it?"He had no idea what resulted in Austin's current state, but he was positive that something must have happened. "Aldus, say, if I train every morning, how long will it take for me to be able to take down Taylor?" Austin asked. After pondering on his question for a while, Aldus answered, "At least a year."
In the following week, work had been progressing smoothly at Dominion. To Austin's surprise, Yandell Corp, which had initially boycotted them, suddenly agreed to supply materials to them again. They signed a new contract. It wasn't any different from the previous one, however, the liability for a breach of contract was more severe.Though Austin was confused, he wasn't against it. After all, there wouldn't be any eternal foes in the business industry because profit was what mattered most. Since Yandell Corp reached out to them again, he would just gladly accept their offer. Nevertheless, he never stopped working with the suppliers that Jacob introduced him to. He had learned his lesson.Although the company he picked among the three companies had higher quotations compared to the market rate, he thought it would be safer for him to secure two choices. He would have a slimmer chance of failing. Given the rate of return of the west city slum redevelopment project, he wouldn't
"I'm up next?"Austin suddenly went out of breath for a brief second. He stared solemnly at the vile scene in the ring. Although he was eager to beat Taylor, he'd only intended to have Aldus make the training tougher. He would be bluffing if he said he wasn't afraid of participating in an underground fight.Aldus' voice rang from behind him. "Sir, you can only polish your skills through actual battles. Otherwise, you wouldn't even be close to Taylor despite a month of arduous training."The frown on Austin's face disappeared, and determination flared in his eyes. Indeed, Taylor had been groomed by the elites since he was young. Though he hated to admit it, it was a fact that Taylor was stronger than him due to the elite education he had received. He doubted the Campbells would send Taylor to participate in actual battles. After all, elite training was all he'd had since childhood. If Austin merely relied on strenuous training, it would be impossible for him to be capable
Shortly after, the referee invited Wolf on stage. The crowd erupted in an escalated roar of cheers. Austin saw a fit man slowly emerge into the ring. His torso was naked, and he was tanned. Although his looks were plain, and he even looked quite scrawny, he had a fierce look in his eyes. It resembled a wolf's eyes. On the corner of his right eye, there was a scar that extended toward his temple. When Austin stared at him, a shiver ran up his spine. He couldn't stop his heart from pounding frantically. The crowd's yells, the blinding lights, and Wolf's aura somewhat addled Austin. At this exact moment, he was entirely swallowed by an intense wave of anxiety. This was the first time he'd actually faced off against someone in a battle. Moreover, he had just witnessed the gruesome fight that took place earlier in the ring. When the whistle went off, Wolf suddenly crouched slightly and lunged at Austin with lightning speed. There was no taunting from him, nor were there any ex
Wolf's pupils contracted, and the centipede-like scar at the corner of his eye twitched along with it. Was Autin really just a newbie? The sudden change in Austin's behavior made Wolf falter. He wondered if the one standing before him was a totally different person now. Somewhere in the dark, Aldus' eyes widened in fear as he yelped, "T-That was quick!" He brought Austin to the underground boxing ring saying that it was for Austin to experience getting into a real fight. In fact, he did it just to drill into Austin's temperament. Battle experience was the combination of wrestling techniques and the strength of one's mentality. A person could perform well during a fight if they could combine both of these factors perfectly.Austin just so happened to have the habit of working out. Coupled with the physique he was born with, he had an advantage over others. It was the reason he passed the physical fitness test after completing rigorous training under Aldus' guidance for some t
Wrestling was the art of finishing people off. This was what Austin learned when he was on the verge of death. No one took life and death seriously when it came to the fights in the metal cage. From his experience in battle, Aldus knew that there were more than ten techniques needed to execute the punch that Austin made just now which could fatally injure Wolf. However, Austin chose to strike at Wolf's armpit. It could only make Wolf lose the ability to fight for a brief moment. There wouldn't be any lasting injury.In the cage, Austin slowly approached Wolf, who had already gotten back up.His face was pale from the pain, and his right arm still hung limply on his side. He probably wouldn't be able to raise that arm for quite some time. The final results of this battle were evident. In a battle for life, the person who'd lost his arm lost his ability to fight. It meant defeat. "You lost," said Austin, staring at Wolf calmly. "Aren't you going to carry on with it?" aske
Austin didn't rest even after returning home. Instead, he brought Aldus to a small park nearby to continue his training. He gained quite a lot from this first battle of his. It made him realize his weaknesses at the same time.Austin wasn't one to be content and lackadaisical with his current progress. After all, he shouldered the weight of being cursed at and called a bastard when he was young. It happened throughout his childhood and he bore with it even until today. He understood the concept of reaping what one sowed. So, if he wanted to defeat Taylor, he'd have to work a thousand times harder. He could even lose his life doing so. The best results were reserved for only the ones who worked hardest, after all. A person's origins and background didn't matter. … At the presidential suite in Dominion Suites, Taylor glowered silently at Dave.The room was thrown into complete silence, making everyone else feel awkward because of it. Standing stock still, Dave lost the co
"You will make her see me no matter what," said Taylor, his tone firm. He picked up the card on the table and tossed it to Dave. "I never take back the money that I've given out," added Taylor.He then dismissed Dave with a wave of his hand. Only after leaving the hotel did Dave snap out of his daze. Initially, he wanted to start a relationship with Cecily by getting to know her first in the company. But now, Taylor made it impossible. After so many years of experience, Dave knew all too well what Taylor had in mind.Taking a deep breath, Dave mumbled to himself, "I'm not a man if I'm not ruthless enough. You can't blame me for this, Cecily!" Early the next morning, when Cecily arrived at the company, Dave hurried into the office. "Ms. Graham," Dave greeted her. Cecily frowned. "Is something the matter?"She didn't like him in the least, especially after he broke his promise by going against Dominion Properties. The only feeling she had toward him was hatred. "Um … A