11:46 AM

BANG!

Another gunshot echoed throughout the whole hospital.

The bullet shot past the guy in front of Liam, it didn't do serious damage to him but his cheek got scratched as it was done intentionally and slowly began to bleed.

He stood up and turned around. Because he was focused on killing the kid who aggravated him, he didn't know there was already not one but two individuals behind him.

"No 'Put you're hands down' order?"

He asked in a calm manner as he stood up from his kneeling posture.

Two formal-attire-wearing men were standing at the entrance.

He then examined them with his questioning-eyes.

The guy at the left was the one who shot him earlier. He was wearing a white uniform that suits the cold and focused aura that was surrounding him with a handgun on his resting right hand.

While the other man who looked slightly older than him because of his thin beard, have a slightly buffed body compared to the other guy.

He also have a completely different aura enveloping him than the guy beside him.

The atmosphere around him was heavy that didn't befit his formal wear. It seemed to him that the guy in the right was experienced and encounter all kinds of worst situations.

Realizing that he, himself, can't take on these two unknown guys, he withdrew his murderous intent and suppressed his ominous aura.

"You're not those police officers who would capture me by doing all these things. Who are y–"

"I see."

"?"

The man in the right cut him off like he wasn't talking in the first place.

He noticed that the bearded guy was looking behind him.

"So my son isn't dead. haha. that's good. I probably should train him tomorrow."

Rynn's master was perplexed after hearing the sentence the man remarked.

'His son? This kid behind me? Or...'

At that exact moment, he realized something.

The Nobus Corporation.

"Elon Hanes."

He spoke in a low voice that only the barely-conscious kid behind him can hear.

'So he's the chairman of the big companies in the continent... One of our organization's targets... but,'

He narrowed his eyes while having his thought.

"He doesn't look the same compared to the image given for the mission of the 'Lowers' including Rynn."

He can still tell that he was the same Elon Hanes in the image he recalled because of his body traits.

With his amber eye color and his silver hair, the enemy was sure it was him. The body traits that were also contained by his own son, Ian Hanes.

Tap. The other guy stepped forward.

"Young sire is badly hurt, sir. What should we do?"

The young man in the left asked the man beside him in a formal manner, while his gaze was still fixed on the guy with a great stature in the middle of the hall.

"Oh, no. I don't want to kill someone this year due to some maybe not cool reasons..."

The man in the right glanced upwards as if he was thinking about something crucial.

"So what are you doing here... Ember?"

Liam, who was silent since the two men came, gasped and widened his eyes as his heart sank.

His body was trembling greatly behind the guy who was about to kill him.

Because the guy's killing intent suddenly and immediately shot up from him and it was far greater and worse than what he had displayed when he was trying to kill Liam.

Liam saw an image foreboding his enemy's body.

With the guy's killing intent and sinister aura overlapping each other, a silhouette of a demon formed while its presence was fermenting like a thunder from time to time.

"He could have killed me. He could have torn me into pieces..."

If he was this serious. He could have killed Liam in a blink of an eye if he was this serious earlier.

Just by looking at the evil shadow surrounding him, the terror and corruption from it could shatter the spirit of a normal human.

Elon Hanes. Ian's father.

'What was the meaning behind his words... That could possibly trigger this man's true self.'

He looked down as if to think that he was unlucky to encounter this kind of enemy but was lucky enough to be alive. He was a fool to even provoke him.

Then suddenly...

He felt a sharp gaze piercing him and as he tried to discern the stare by looking up, he saw his before-enemy taking a side-glance at him.

As he gasped in surprise, within a mere second, the guy's body fazed like a stroked cloud, then Liam suddenly heard the wind rippled from his side.

Crack!

Liam's head turned into a 90-degree angle by a timely kick with the sound of his bone getting cracked or dislocated.

His vision darkened.

'I didn't see it happen.'

His body slowly fell sidewards.

'How?'

He can't move anymore. He was paralyzed by the kick.

A broken neck only means danger. It could be just a simple break that heals in a weak, a snap that could make the victim into a coma for a few months, or a near-death situation with the nerves of the spinal cord getting damaged then be completely dead in a few minutes after not being able to breathe.

Either Liam was unfortunate or it simply was his enemy's intent, he could perish at any moment.

He soon started to lose consciousness.

As he felt like it was the last time he could do it, he cursed.

"Fuck."

Tap.

"Now, tell me. How did you know my name? What do you know about our organization."

"kek! KEHAHAHAHAHA! This guy is funny. You think anyone can answer your questions..."

He heard an incomplete conversation between the two men before he finally fainted.

A few moments later, his lungs stopped taking in air of the normal speed, his heart also slowed its beating, his muscles started to get limp.

Sooner or later, without the blood pumping and the working lungs to breathe oxygen, he could die in the minimum time of three minutes.

A minute passed, some of his brain cells began to die and all of his bodily functions worked poorly.

Two minutes passed, his skin went blue and his body started to forcefully take in air.

Approximately, two minutes and fifty-five seconds have passed, his entire body, external or internal, were almost 'dead'.

Then exactly three minutes came, his breathing halted and his blood stopped moving.

But suddenly...

『 Three minutes have passed with the host sleeping or unconscious. The Regeneration skill activated and will immediately commence its usage to the host. 』

Half a second later, after the window appeared in his mind, his body suddenly regained a slight vigor and light.

The skill started from the smallest wound. The millisecond-dead cells have been healed and 'revived' just like the process called Anastasis.

Then a second later, it started to heal the broken nerves that stops the heart and lungs from working properly.

Then after the skill finished all the important parts, it began was hold back its incredible healing speed. But slowly but surely, he was getting healed.

It was clearly an understatement to just call it amazing, it should be heaven-defying.

It first heals the most important thing, which can kill a person in a mere second if not fixed, with unimaginable speed and astonishing effect, then it will go and heal the next most threatening injury.

But it became slower as it goes, until the healing reaches the external injuries that it really becomes so slow, but still super fast for a normal human's perspective.

A few minutes later of his regeneration state, another window popped up while he was still unconscious.

『 The system's host slept or fainted while his Stamina is below 20%. The host will be unconscious for a longer time than the normal.』

Present Time.

Liam.

Liam...

"Liam, hey! Wake up already!"

"Huh? Ah. Ian...?"

Liam glanced at his friend, Ian, with his half-opened eyes after just waking up from his deep slumber.

"It's good that you woke up now. Anyways, what happened to you and the officers yesterday."

'What the– I just woke up. Isn't he as straightforward as Officer Dole, yesterday?'

And he cared for the officers' safety...

"Uh. I don't know. I passed out when a big man hit me in the elevator. Then I just woke up in this room." Liam told a half-lie situation of what happened to him without losing his straight face.

"Hm. It's good that you didn't wake up at that time."

Ian sighed and Liam was in thought for a second like he knew something about it before asking why.

"Huh. Why?"

"They'll hurt you badly."

"They di- Ah, I mean, anyways, why are you here with those injuries?" Liam immediately asked after seeing Ian with bandages like him then tilted his head when he took a short glimpse at the window. "Is it still midnight? I really slept for a short while."

"Hah. Short while...!? You're in the bed for almost an entire day, Liam!"

"Huh. Oh, really? But I was unconscious for several hours before I slept again..."

Liam scratched his cheek.

'I guess even the system can't handle the mental exhaustion, huh.'

"Ah, you ask me why I'm here with my injuries but you're also here with your injuries."

A moment of silence pass before Liam made a what-the-fuck-are-you-talking-about face

"I'm in my patient's bed... This is my room, You're room is on another..."

He glanced at Ian again before he continued.

"Ian... How is your answer called an 'answer'!?"

﹏﹏ ﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏ ﹏﹏

In an underground base below a mountain near an abandoned town of a no-name city.

A man wearing a white suit jacket which was paired with his white trousers was lumbering inside a fairly lit, wide tunnel which was a few dozens of meters long.

He soon ended his walking when he encountered a solid metal wall with a mechanical door in the middle, and a passcode device near it.

The door was unlocked after the man put the needed 10 digit keycode.

It opened slowly and upwardly before releasing a thick mist which obviously blocks a human's sight from seeing what was inside.

The man continued walking forward without caring about the mist at all, then quantities of green lasers suddenly appeared, pointing at him, when he placed his body on top of a rather circular platform.

The platform moved slightly upwards and began spinning as well as the man's body.

White light completely enveloped the room after he stopped spinning and after the laser disappeared.

Then a voice of a monotonic yet woman-woman like voice echoed as it said something that clearly was directed to the only man in the room.

A holographic window that has the size of a 75-inch tv appeared near the wall in front of him.

[Welcome, Mister Dylan Lewis, Age 31, 179 cm tall, 51 kg, Brown Eyes and Black Hair]

[Main Weapons: Dagger, Pistol, Sniper Rifle.]

[Specialism: Melee Combat, Hand-to-Hand Combat, Assassination.]

[Position: 3rd Medium, Main Group: Slashers]

[Disciple: Rynn Gale]

[Codename: Ember]

[You may proceed to move forwards to the underground base of the Dark Society's Intelligence Agency of this country, A-22.]

The steady and solid white wall in front of him suddenly shook before it was opened like a normal elevator.

He strode inside an extremely large white room and saw dozens of uniformed-suited men sitting individually in front of their own holographic computer monitors not minding anyone's business including the people coming from the entrance, like Ember.

He also didn't mind them as he still kept up walking towards the last room.

At last, he stopped behind a guy with blue hair and casual clothes sitting comfortably while his eyes were never moving away from the large holographic monitor.

"Brain Guy, I got a request."

After his long travel without opening his mouth he finally spoke.

The blue-haired guy swiveled around with his office chair while fixing his glasses then also spoke.

"What exactly does a medium like you want in the agency, uh? Tell me, Embe-"

The blue-haired guy widened his eyes in surprise as he saw the face of the man in front of him.

"Kaah-! Ember... The quick and the cold, Ember has been..."

He trailed off his words with his mouth agape.

"Ember has been wounded...!? PFFFFTT! Oh no, no, no, that's fake, right? kek- I don't want to laugh..."

Ember who was watching the blue-haired guy make a senseless fun of him, released a cold glare.

"Stop or I'll kill you. Just do what I want so I can get off this cave."

"hehe. You don't want to be inside this?"

Ember clenched his fist.

"Alright, alright. I bet you want to search for the guy who wounded you... I'm curious too. What's the name."

"Hm. Right... I didn't get the name..."

"F**cking damn it!"

They went off with a moment of casual chatter before Ember suddenly recalled something.

He told the blue-haired guy to find the same man who killed one of the man on his group.

Artyom Sorlov.

"Hm. So Ian Hanes' friend... Wait, that kid's friend? Don't tell me he's the one who put a small injury on your face. They're just some younglings, how?"

The blue-haired guy tilted his head in confusion while Ember took another office chair in the blink of an eye.

"I let my guard down."

"Like an attack like that can hurt you. You're wound isn't caused by a dagger or other sharp things it's from a blow."

"I know... I'm trying to uncover things about him not from revenge like you're probably thinking of, but because..."

"He knows a strike skill from a certain Ancient Martial Arts Technique."

"No... No way."

"The skill he used. I definitely saw it before..."

They both paused for a second.

"...It was the same skill that has been used by the highest monarch of the DS branch in the country, A-3."

The blue-haired guy didn't move for a short while and a cold sweat materialized from his forehead before quickly turning around to his computer and typed incredibly fast with his semi-holographic keyboard.

The face of Liam appeared in the hologram, then tons of details followed with it.

"Twenty years old... That's simply impossible! Ancient Techniques can't be learned within two decades! He's also just a random and normal kid...!"

"Then that makes him abnormal. Either it's an unimaginable talent or an unbelievably planted-knowledge, he's going to be the biggest threat to us in the future if this continues."

Ember stood up from his seat and turned around. He put his hands in his pocket and took a side glance to the blue-haired guy.

"Report all of it to our highest monarch after the meeting of high monarchs in the North American Continent."

He soon stepped out of the room and went for the base's exit.

"In three weeks..." Ember mumbled as he walked.

He opened the exit door and pace forward to the end of the corridor while he was still in his thought.

'In three weeks, I'll train my disciple and let him kill that kid...'

...That mysterious kid...

﹏﹏ ﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏ ﹏﹏

In a certain police station.

A police officer held his phone and dialed someone.

The other side picked up and spoke first.

[What's the problem.]

The officer revealed a faint smile and gently put the phone near his right ear.

"There's no problem, sir, but there's good news."

He said with a slightly proud tone.

[Hm. Speak, what is it?]

"heh. Sir, we found an individual from a group, which the main headquarters mostly needed to capture."

[Group...? What group exactly?]

"Uh, I'll tell the details, sir. A guy who has a faint light glowing from his chest and a random numbers tattooed on their wrist."

On the other side of the call.

The commissioned officer who was on a break slightly trembled after hearing the description that the officer on the call gave.

"Ne-Neowights..." He muttered as the phone slightly went far from his mouth because he was troubled for some reason.

[What, sir? Ah, sorry. I didn't hear you earlier, sir.]

"You... You should have called a backup up before capturing the guy!"

[Ah, but sir, we were successful. He's currently in the temporary holding cell.]

"No! They should be in the headquarter's prison...!"

At that moment, the other side of the call suddenly had another voice.

[Ah, partner, the guy suddenly started shouting weird things. Maybe we should–]

"Fuck!"

[BOOOOOOM!]

°

A man with ripped clothes and torn pants was standing in a ruin.

The place where he was covered with fire that seemed to be caused by an explosion.

He looked around his surroundings randomly as he smiled like a freak.

"Kuwa... KUWAHAHAHA–! This is my power!"

He immediately stopped when his head hurt once again.

"Hng. I... I'll kill the guy... I'll kill this guy with my power... And stop him from appearing in my head...! I'll kill him!"

Cough.

"Ge-Get down on the ground! This is the police! Don't move or I'll shoot you."

Behind the crazy guy was a police officer with his slightly burnt uniform.

The guy turned around to look. His eyes widened and he smiled to the point that his teeth were revealed.

"You... You're the one who captured me! Ka–!"

He crouched on the ground before he leaped towards the police officer.

The officer was taken aback and forgot to remove his handgun's safety.

He soon removed it and tried to shoot his target but the guy was already in front of him.

The police officer's vision was enveloped by a faint light that was coming from the nearing palm of the crazy guy.

Then the hand soon landed on his face and the guy clenched it tightly.

The faint yellow light earlier glowed brightly...

And suddenly...

BOOOM!