ã€ŠHow Did You Get Here?ã€‹


 Chapter 1

    It was a clear blue sky with not a single cloud around, making it seem like everything was peaceful. However, down below on the ground, a massive battle was going on between two warriors. They were fighting each other with great intensity, so much so that each impact sent shockwaves in every direction.

    They began rapidly firing energy blasts at one another, which explode on impact and caused massive explosions. The smoke from the explosions continued to cover the area and quickly get dispelled by the next explosion.

    Suddenly, after unleashed yet another punches at each other, the two warriors leaped away from each other to stand several meters away. There was a moment of silence as the smoke spread around and made it difficult to make out each of their appearances.

    ¡°Let¡¯s end this!¡± Shouted one of them.

    He brought his hands together and began to gather energy in between the palms of his hands. A red glow appeared in the palms of his hands before he aimed his hands in the direction of his opponent while shouting a technique out loud.

    ¡°Dragon Burst Cannon!¡±

    A massive red wave of destruction got released and it flew away at an incredible speed towards its intended target. At the same time, the opponent brought his hands together and began to gather energy into the palms of his hands while he began to chant with power.

    ¡°Po-nik-ala-chala-RA!¡±

    With the last scream, the man brought his hands forward and unleashed a massive blue wave of destruction. The attack flew off into the distance and soon smashed into the red wave of destruction. The two waves kept fighting hard, trying to push forward to try and overpower the other, with their respective user powering their wave with everything they got.

    ¡°This doesn¡¯t look good,¡± said a voice inside the man firing the blue wave of destruction.

    ¡°Damn! He got so strong after awakening his dragon power!¡± The warrior replied in a strained voice.

    ¡°Maybe you shouldn¡¯t have done that?¡±

    ¡°That would¡¯ve been wrong to do considering how long he had wanted to fight me.¡±

    ¡°Right, but is it worth losing over?¡±

    The warrior was unable to give a reply and remained silent as the beam struggle continued. Then the voice in his head decided to break the silence.

    ¡°You got this strong after inheriting all the past powers of your previous incarnations¡­ all except mine.¡± The voice paused before saying, ¡°Guess it¡¯s my time to give you my power.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± The warrior exclaimed with concern. ¡°What¡¯re you saying?!¡±

    ¡°Think about it. He acquired all that power from just awakening his dragon power after multiple live times of not awakening it. Think of the power you would get from inheriting my power?¡±

    ¡°I get that, but¡­ if you do that, you¡¯ll disappear!¡±

    There was a pause before the voice said in melancholy, ¡°A small price to pay for your victory. Besides, if it wasn¡¯t today, then it would¡¯ve happened in the future.¡±

    ¡°B-But¡ª!¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no time! You will lose at this rate, and I hate losing the most!¡±

    In an instant, the warrior began to feel different and power an incredible amount of power began to surge from within. He released that the owner of the voice was releasing their power and passing it onto him.

    ¡°Stop! No!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯m quite pleased with your progress, and perhaps¡­ with this small amount¡­ I can find peace,¡± said the tired voice in his head as it gradually got weaker and weaker as he spoke.

    ¡°No! A¡ª!¡± The warrior shouted as he tried to call out to him.

    Suddenly, it felt like something had be cut and everything went silent and blank. The owner of the voice smiled while being surrounded by the darkness, with neither a hint of fear or doubt. Instead, he was feeling contented with himself after everything he¡¯s been through.

    He recounted everything that transpired through his life and they flashed through his mind at a very rapid pace, everything from his birth, to the death of his parents, to his revenge on the killers, waging a war to conquer the entire world, and eventually dying to a creature of wickedness.

    ¡°After killing millions of people, maybe now I can finally find¡­ peace¡­¡± he whispered into the darkness, and his mouth formed a satisfied smile.

    He continued to float through the darkness with no aim nor goal, just a whisp of light that drifted away, but after what felt like an eternity, he felt something change. A voice was calling out, but it was very muffled and he could barely hear it, but the voice grew louder and louder until it became a massive yell.

    ¡°WAKE UP!¡±

    ¡°Argh!¡± The man exclaimed, opened his eyes with a start and becoming panicked.

    ¡°Oh, good! He¡¯s awake!¡± Shouted a voice nearby in relief.

    ¡°Good but don¡¯t let up! He¡¯s still not fully recovered!¡± Another voice said before demanding, ¡°Get the stretcher!¡±

    In the meantime, the man blinked in confusion and looked left and right at the people surrounding him. He was quite confused at who the people around him where, where he was and what was happening to him.

    As he tried to get up, he winced at a sharp pain that occurred at the back of his head and he yelled, ¡°Argh!¡±

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t move!¡± The voice from before yelled, and the man turned to look at the owner of the voice.

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    He was a large built man wearing some strange clothes that several others around him were also wearing that looked like their uniform. Behind them, he saw many onlookers watching, speaking and, most of all, flashing lights at him that thoroughly baffled him.

    ¡°W-What happened to me¡­?¡± He asked the man weakly.

    ¡°Rest easy, bud!¡± The man said reassuringly. ¡°You got a pretty nasty wound on your head, but it¡¯ll be fine. Everything will be fine, so stay with us, okay? We¡¯re going to take you to the hospital!¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ okay,¡± the man replied feebly, feeling completely baffled by what was happening.

    At that moment, two men carrying something came and laid it down next to him. They began speaking to one another before coming to an agreement and the bulky man spoke to him once more.

    ¡°Hang on, bud. We¡¯re moving you onto the stretcher, so your head might hurt.¡±

    Before the man could reply, they began working fast and several men gathered and lifted him off the ground. The sudden movement caused the man intense pain in his head and he winced before they laid him back down on something that was not completely ground. Then they lifted him once more and began carrying him away while the onlookers continued to murmur and flash lights at him.

    While all of this was happening, the man was trying to figure out about his circumstances.

    ¡°What¡¯s with this place? Wasn¡¯t I giving up my life force to him? How come I¡¯m here and what¡¯s with this place? Everything looks way too advanced and organised, and what¡¯s with those people flashing lights at me? Is that some kind of technique?¡±

    Just then, the men carried his stretched onto the back of a large white vehicle and placed him down something that was softer than the rough surface of the ground. Then a few of them got inside and closed the shut before the whole thing that they were in began shaking as if they were moving at a high speed.

    ¡°We¡¯ll reach the hospital soon, so hang in there, bud,¡± said the bulky man from before reassuringly.

    ¡°Y-Yeah¡­¡± the man replied weakly, but his mind was thinking rapidly.

    ¡°This is strange. The clothes these people are wearing, the lights the people were flashing at me, this unknown vehicle that we¡¯re currently in, and the fact that I¡¯m in control of a body instead of being a spiritual being, everything is strange. It¡¯s almost like I got transported to another world.¡±

    With that thought in mind, he glanced around and saw a see-through window that showed him the outside. It did appear that they were going at a high speed as things were flashing by. However, he saw everything outside covered in lights with tall buildings decorated with lights in the background.

    At that moment, he felt a heavy fatigue wash over him, and he found himself unable to keep his eyes open for much longer. As he slowly closed his eyes from the heavy fatigue, the bulky man noticed his movement and shouted at him with worry.

    ¡°Hey! Bud! Hang in there! We¡¯re almost there!¡±

    However, contrary to his wishes, the man closed his eyes as he was unable to stop the flood of sleep that hit him with a heavy wave. In an instant, he felt himself drifting away into a deep sleep, and only felt like waking up when he felt a warm light shown down on him.

    He murmured from the fatigue he was under and slowly opened his eyes to see something blurred and white. It took him a few more seconds before his eyes focused and showed him a white ceiling. He felt he was lying down on a comfortable bed and glanced around at the room he was in, which was not too big and quite average looking that had a window, with the sunlight shining through.

    ¡°Where am I¡­?¡± He muttered to himself groggily.

    He tried to move his hands, but winced when he felt something on his left arm. Turning to the point where the pain came from, he saw something stabbed into his arm and some wire coming out of it. Following the line, he saw it was attached to some cylinder with water slowly dripping through it.

    ¡°W-What the heck is that?¡± The man asked in confusion.

    Just then, he heard something and turned towards the door as a metallic sound came before the door swung open. Then a young lady wearing white uniform and a white hat with a ¡°+¡± symbol on it entered.

    She was not looking at him but at the pile of papers she was carrying in her arms as she walked over to him. The first thing she did was check the cylindrical object and squinted at it before taking out a slim object writing something on the papers, which were held by a very slim wooden board.

    ¡°Um¡­?¡± The man asked her to try to get her attention.

    It was then that she glanced at him and her eyes widened in surprise.

    ¡°Oh, my goodness! You¡¯re awake!¡± She remarked in a surprised voice.

    ¡°Y-Yes, I am,¡± the man replied weakly. ¡°So, if you don¡¯t mind me asking¡ª!¡±

    He was suddenly cut off with her shout of, ¡°Oh no! You shouldn¡¯t be speaking so much! You are badly wounded!¡± Then she patted him on the head and said, ¡°You¡¯ve been through a big ordeal, but it¡¯s okay. You¡¯re safe now,¡± before straightening up and saying, ¡°Stay still while I go get the doctor, okay?¡±

    Without a second glance at him, she rushed out of the room and closed the door with a thud. The man remained on his bed, staring at the closed door with a bewildered look.

    ¡°Um¡­? Okay,¡± he said uncertainly.

    A few minutes later, the door swung open and this time a man entered the room first before he was followed behind by her, who closed the door behind them. The man was tall, slim, wearing a buttoned white coat with a strange object draped over his shoulders.

    ¡°Hello! How¡¯re you doing?¡± The man wearing the white coat greeted the man on the bed with a wide smile.

    ¡°Good, I guess?¡± Was the reply the man on the bed could reply with a tired look.

    ¡°That¡¯s better than being worse,¡± the white coat man replied delightedly.

    He began speaking to the woman next to him, asking for his reports apparently, and after examining them thoroughly, he looked back at the man on the bed with a questioning look.

    ¡°You¡¯ve had quite an injury, but you¡¯ve woken up a lot faster than I thought you would.¡±

    ¡°Did I?¡±

    ¡°Yes. You¡¯ve been asleep for well over a week!¡± The white coat man said with a nod of his head.

    ¡°A week?!¡± The man on the bed exclaimed in alarm. ¡°Was I injured that badly?¡±

    The white coat man nodded and replied, ¡°You were bleeding quite heavily from a serious head injury.¡±

    ¡°Oh. Did I fall down or something?¡± The man on the bed asked curiously.

    ¡°The white coat man shook his head and stated with a serious look, ¡°No. It looked more like you were beaten numerous times by a heavy object.¡±

    His statement caused the eyes of the man on the bed to widen in shock.

    ¡°I was attacked? Who could¡¯ve done that to me?!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± the white coat man shrugged solemnly, when his expression suddenly became happy as he continued by saying, ¡°but I¡¯m glad you¡¯re alright! I was very worried for you, you know? When you arrived, I thought you wouldn¡¯t make it, so I¡¯m very relieved you were able to get up.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± said the man on the bad with a tired smile on his face. Then, wanting to feel his head, he lifted his free hand up and touched his head, which made him wince with slight pain.

    ¡°Hey now, don¡¯t go hurting yourself when I¡¯ve done so much to wrap up that head of yours,¡± the man in white coat joked with a grin. Then he told the nurse, ¡°Nurse, why don¡¯t you show him what his head looks like with a mirror?¡±

    ¡°Sure, doctor,¡± said the woman called a nurse with a nod of her head.

    She walked over to a corner that had handle on them and pulled them open. For a few seconds, she rummaged through the inside of that place before pulled out what appeared to be an object with a strange material embedded in-between it.

    ¡°Right. Here¡¯s what your head looks like after the doctor¡¯s hard work to save you,¡± she said as she walked over to the other side of his bed and showed him his head.

    In an instant, his eyes widened in alarm by what he saw, and the doctor and the nurse both nodded in understanding.

    ¡°Yeah, I know it¡¯s a little big and ugly, but after a couple of days, I¡¯ll check and remove it completely, so your head should be all fine and mended!¡± The doctor said cheerfully.

    Contrary to their expectations, however, the man on the bed asked, ¡°Can I see my face?¡±

    ¡°Your face?¡± The man wearing the white coat asked with a baffled look and turned to the nurse, who also looked confusedly at him. ¡°Sure. Show him his face, nurse.¡±

    ¡°Yes, doctor,¡± the nurse replied, doing as she was instructed and showed the man on the bed his face.

    The man on the bed stared at the face that reflected on the surface of the object she was holding, and his eyes widened in shock. He saw something unbelievable, a face that he thought he would never see again in his lifetime.

    ¡°My face¡­¡± he muttered to himself, and he began touching his face reflexively. ¡°It¡¯s my face.¡±

    It was the face of what he looked like when he used to be alive so long ago.

 Chapter 2

    ¡°It¡¯s my face,¡± the man on the bed murmured as he stared at the reflection of his face on the mirror.

    The man wearing the white coat looked puzzled and asked, ¡°Yes. That¡¯s your face. Is something wrong with it?¡±

    The man on the bed suddenly broke out of his trance and looked around at the nurse and then at the doctor.

    ¡°Oh no. I¡¯m fine,¡± he stammered hurriedly.

    The doctor smiled and replied, ¡°Of course. I understand your pain, having something that ugly wrapped over your head, but trust me. You¡¯ll be fine after staying here for a couple of days. Alright?¡±

    ¡°Yes, mister doctor,¡± the man replied with a nod of his head.

    This remark surprised the doctor, and he laughed before asking, ¡°Mister doctor? Did you think that¡¯s my name?¡± When the man on the bed nodded, the doctor chuckled and stated, ¡°That¡¯s funny.¡± Then he introduced himself as, ¡°My name is Andrew Williams. I¡¯m a specialised doctor here at the hospital. Oh, and her name isn¡¯t nurse, it¡¯s Lina Morris.¡±

    ¡°Hi,¡± the nurse named Lina Morris waved cheerily at him.

    ¡°H-Hello,¡± the man on the bed replied with an embarrassed look.

    The doctor let out a laugh and said, ¡°Isn¡¯t it common sense to know that the names ¡®doctor¡¯ and ¡®nurse¡¯ are actually titles?¡±

    ¡°Sorry. It seems like my head injury rattled me a little,¡± the man on the bed replied with a wry smile.

    ¡°I can understand that,¡± the doctor replied with a smile, ¡°but you¡¯ll be fine, so don¡¯t worry and get plenty of rest.¡± Then he looked at the nurse and told her, ¡°Keep checking up on him.¡±

    ¡°Yes, doctor,¡± she replied courteously.

    With a nod of satisfaction, the doctor and the nurse bid the man on the bed farewell and they departed from the room, closing the door with a shut as they left. The man on the bed was smiling at them as they left, but the moment they left, the smiled vanished, and he began to contemplate about the things he just found out.

    ¡°So, this face is alike to my own from the time when I was alive so long ago, but that¡¯s impossible. I destroyed myself in trying to kill that twisted thing, but how can this be my body then? On top of that, there is this unmistakable familiarity I have with this body.¡±

    Every time he had possessed a body, he always felt very foreign with the possession and how the body did not belong to him. However, he felt this body that he currently inhabits belonged to him, like it was the body he had be born with from the very beginning.

    ¡°This is quite confusing, this familiarity, that familiar face, but in a completely different world,¡± he thought to himself as he looked at the window and saw a vastly different scenery to the one, he had been used to.

    Outside, he could hear the sound of horns of vehicles moving back and forth somewhere far below. He understood that to mean his room was located somewhere high up off the ground level. It made sense considering he was able to get a wider view of the world and it just baffled him even more.

    ¡°Could this be a coincidence?¡± He thought to himself for a brief moment before shaking his head. ¡°No. That¡¯s impossible. I don¡¯t believe in chance, luck or something as convenient as coincidence. This must be planned and no doubt by the Gods.¡±

    With that, he looked up at the ceiling, but not really looking at the ceiling. He imagined himself being watched over by the Gods that dwelled in their dimensional plane of existence. The plane that he currently was in was the mortal plane, also known as the Physical Plane, and there were several more planes above his before the eventual God Plane could be reached.

    He let out a sigh of weariness and muttered, ¡°No point thinking about something that¡¯s out of my control.¡± Then he tried flexing his free hand and thought, ¡°I¡¯m certainly sore and weak.¡±

    At that moment, he was reminded of what the doctor had said to him about his brutal injury.

    ¡°Someone was trying to kill me,¡± he thought, ¡°or at least the previous owner of this body. I don¡¯t know anything related to this world or even to the previous owner despite feeling so familiar to this body.¡±

    He understood the dilemma that he would be facing soon, like the common sense of this world as had very little knowledge of the world he was currently in, as demonstrated how he mistook the titles for the doctor and the nurse as their actual names.

    ¡°If only I could gain the memories of the previous owner, even if I could speak to him, perhaps I can better understand my situation or what lead things to the current situation,¡± he thought dully. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ll first focus on resting and recovering like the doctor said. I¡¯ll revisit these things once I¡¯m able to sit upright.¡±

    With that, he closed his eyes and quickly dozed off into a deep dreamless sleep. For the next few days, he spent the time resting and recovering while getting occasional visits from the nurse, who often spoke cheerily with him.

    Speaking to her, he was able to grasp a bit more about the current world. For starters, the flashing lights he saw the time he was being carried to the hospital was not a technique but a device that took still pictures of those it was pointed at while flashing a light to brighten them up.

    This puzzled him as he asked her, ¡°Why were they taking photos of me being carried away? Was that something interesting?¡±

    ¡°Youth these days are quite messed up,¡± she replied with a sigh. ¡°They¡¯d do anything to get some traction all for views.¡±

    She pulled out the small device from her phone and used it for a bit before turning it around and showing it to him. The man squinted his eyes to get a better look and looked surprised by what he saw.

    There was the image of him being clearly carried away on a stretcher with a caption below that read, ¡°Homeless man getting taken by the meds!¡±

    Below it, there appeared more text that were separated by some kind of border for each of them.

    ¡°What kind of homeless man gets carried away like that lol?¡±

    ¡°I wonder if he¡¯s on drugs or something for them to come in like that.¡±

    ¡°Looks like the guy forgot to pay his taxes, haha!¡±

    The man reacted in surprise and exclaimed, ¡°What the heck?¡±

    ¡°I know right?¡± The nurse said, shaking her head with disapproval. ¡°These people have nothing better to do and no empathy as well to put down comments such as these.¡± After a pause, she added, ¡°At least, not everyone falls in that category,¡± and she showed him the device once more.

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    The man looked at the device and was startled by seeing a moving picture of him being carried away into the white vehicle.

    ¡°What the?! The picture moves!¡± He exclaimed in alarm, to which she was taken aback.

    ¡°That¡¯s called a video, silly,¡± she said with a chuckle.

    ¡°Oh yeah. I forgot,¡± he stammered, but quickly looked at the device to read what it said.

    The so-called video of him was captioned as, ¡°Badly injured man gets hurried away by the medics!¡±

    Below the video were some of the so-called comments from people saying things like, ¡°I hope he¡¯s alright,¡± or ¡°Oh my god! Look at all that blood! I hope he gets well soon!¡± or ¡°Damn, I¡¯m glad they got to him soon and hope he gets the help he needs!¡±

    Unlike the previous negative comments, these positive comments surprised him and made him feel a little happy. Despite him having conflicting feelings about the body he currently inhabits, it was still his body nevertheless, so he was happy some people showed concern for his wellbeing.

    ¡°These people are nice,¡± he remarked with a smile.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± she said, withdrawing her device and pocketing it. ¡°There¡¯s all kinds of people all around, so don¡¯t mind them and you get well soon, okay?¡±

    ¡°I will, he replied with a smile.

    A few days after that exchange, the doctor, whose name was Andrew Williams, came to a visit him, where the man on the bed was able to sit upright. The doctor proceeded to unravel the wrappings over his head and got him to check himself in a mirror to see that no scratches or the likes remained.

    ¡°You¡¯re nearly recovered and give or take a few more days and you¡¯d be good to go,¡± the doctor said with satisfaction.

    ¡°Thank you, doctor,¡± the man replied with a smile.

    ¡°It¡¯s my pleasure,¡± Andrew replied with a pleasant smile.

    One the check-up was done; they bed him farewell and departed from the room only for a different group of people to enter the room. The man felt something different about these people as they were wearing completely different clothes to the doctor and the nurse and had an air of authority about them.

    ¡°Hello. We¡¯re the police,¡± he informed the man with a brisk tone. ¡°We¡¯re here to ask some questions regarding your incident.¡±

    ¡°Oh, okay,¡± the man replied, but he thought to himself, ¡°Police? Is that some sort of group of people that enforce the law on the general people?¡±

    ¡°We asked the doctor, and he informed us you were badly injured to the point of being in a life-threatening situation. We wanted to know if you were aware of the situation?¡±

    ¡°Kind of? I mean, the doctor told me that I was hit multiple times with a heavy object or some kind?¡±

    ¡°Yes, and he elaborated that it could¡¯ve been some kind of bat or something like a metallic rod since there were apparently tiny metal pieces stuck at the point of injury.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    ¡°Yes, so I¡¯m wondering if you knew of anyone in particular that you know that could¡¯ve been aiming for your life?¡±

    ¡°Um¡­¡± the man on the bed hesitated to answer as he appeared uncertain.

    ¡°I know it might hurt for you to remember this horrible event, but it would help us put the people responsible for such an atrocity behind bars,¡± the man asked earnestly. ¡°So, please try to remember any small details.¡±

    The man on the bed continued to look hesitant to give a reply. He could not simply come out and tell the police officer that he was the person that was attacked and that he had taken over the body after the incident. The man was sure the man asking the questions would think he had gone crazy from the injury and not take him seriously.

    So, he instead said with an uncertain look, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, sir, but I don¡¯t really know who would do that to me.¡±

    The man continued to look earnestly at him before giving a sigh and looked dejected.

    ¡°If you say that, then we¡¯d have to mark the case as a random assault on the street and close it. Is that okay with you?¡±

    ¡°I guess,¡± the man said with a shrug. ¡°I¡¯m unsure myself of why I was attacked, sir, so do what you must.¡± Then he said apologetically, ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I wasn¡¯t of much help.¡±

    ¡°Oh. Don¡¯t be like that,¡± the office said with a reassuring smile. Then he closed his folder and said, ¡°Well, we¡¯ll keep searching around for any information of your attackers before we make any final decisions.¡±

    ¡°Sure, sir,¡± the man replied with a smile.

    With that, the officers were about to leave when the man suddenly remembered something. He turned around and pulled out something like a wallet from his pocket and handed it over to the man on the bed.

    ¡°I believe this is yours. We recovered it from the site of the incident.¡±

    ¡°Oh. Thank you, sir,¡± the man said and opened what looked like a folding object made out of leather.

    He opened the leather object and found a card in a sleave. He took out the card and his eyes widened in alarm by the details he found on it. This card had a smaller image of his picture as well his name, age, date of birth and his residential address.

    ¡°The name is Zayden Kardos, age is 25, date of birth so and so, and the address¡­¡± the man muttered to himself as he thoroughly checked the card. After a moment, he finally said, ¡°This must be the identification card belonging to the original owner of this body.¡±

    As he was lost in thought and the officer looked on with a hint of worry on his face, the door sudden opened and a woman rushed in with a concerned expression on her face.

    ¡°Zayden!¡± The woman exclaimed as she rushed forward and hugged him.

    ¡°H-Huh?¡± The man reacted with surprise as she rushed forward and hugged him.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re safe!¡± She exclaimed, tears pouring down her concerned face.

    ¡°Um¡­?¡± The man asked hesitantly, and looked worriedly at the police officers.

    ¡°Who are you, miss?¡± The police asked her shrewdly.

    She wiped away her tears and turned to tell the officer, ¡°I¡¯m his girlfriend, officer.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re his girlfriend?¡± He asked her with an eyebrow raised.

    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± she said adamantly.

    ¡°And your name is¡­?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Serena Bolloward.¡±

    ¡°Serena¡­ Bolloward¡­¡± he muttered as he noted down her name and further asked, ¡°and do you have any proof of your relationship with the victim? Like photos of you two spending time together?¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± she said with a nod of her head.

    Then she opened the small bag she was carrying and pulled out a similar looking device to the one that nurse was using. She began to look through it before showing it to the police officers. This made them look at the device, then at her and then at the man sitting on the bed.

    ¡°There¡¯s more proof of our relationship, sir,¡± she said and began swipe at the phone to show the officers while the man looked quizzically at them.

    After a moment, the officer straightened up and said, ¡°I think I¡¯ve seen plenty to verify you really are his girlfriend,¡± and his expression became serious as he asked, ¡°Then, would you perhaps know of anyone that might have anything against your boyfriend?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, officer,¡± she said while putting her device away. ¡°He¡¯s a very good man, always hardworking, nice to everyone and is just a friendly person to be around, so I can¡¯t imagine anyone would do such harm to him!¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± the office said with a thoughtful look. ¡°This is a difficult situation.¡± A moment later, he smiled at them and said, ¡°Alright. I guess we¡¯ll keep searching. Well, then take care of yourselves,¡± he told them before departing.

    As they left, the woman named Serena Bolloward, turned to him and asked with concern, ¡°Are you alright? How¡¯s your head?¡±

    ¡°I-I¡¯m getting better,¡± he replied, but in his mind, he thought, ¡°My girlfriend? Must be the girlfriend of the original owner of this body. If so, how come she came so many days after I got admitted?¡±

    ¡°By the way, where were you all these days while I was admitted here?¡± He asked her curiously.

    To that, she hesitated before saying, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t know what happened until today when I saw news of you getting admitted here from the online feeds.¡±

    ¡°Oh. I guess that makes sense,¡± he said, but inwardly, he thought, ¡°But I¡¯ve seen feeds of me being carried away in the medical vehicle a few days ago when the nurse showed it to me, so how come you didn¡¯t see it till today?¡±

    He was filled with suspicion about his so-called girlfriend when the door opened and this time, a burly man entered the room. He was quite tall, built like a man that works out rigorously, but the air about him gave off a sense of arrogance.

    ¡°Yo! You¡¯re actually still alive. How remarkable?¡± He asked as he looked arrogantly at the man on the bed with a dangerous glint in his brown eyes.

    The man on the bed stared at him for a moment and as the tall man gradually walked closer, the man¡¯s eyes widened as he began to say, ¡°You¡­?¡±

    Suddenly, the man on the bed experienced a sharp pain in his head and instantly felt something happening to him. In the next second, he began to see flashes of memories, the ones that had been disconnected from him, re-attach themselves, and he was filled with everything, from the moment his childhood, his school days, his university, the time he spent with his girlfriend and the conflict that lead him to becoming hospitalised.

    As the flash ended and the memories reconnected, the man felt like he was about to pass out from the overwhelming number of memories he had just experienced in that instant. However, he received a vital information from the reattached memories.

    His final memory before being cut off was seeing this same tall man standing before him, out in the middle of a street, smashing his head repeatedly with his hands that seemed to be made out of metal. Finally, the memory ended with the tall man sneering and putting his hands together and slamming them down hard on the man on the ground, knocking him out cold in the process with blood from his wounds surrounding him.

 Chapter 3

    The memories he regained were so overwhelming that he felt like he was about to pass out. He clutched his head and made a pained expression on his face as he looked angrily at the tall muscular mar.

    ¡°Oh? Look at you looking angrily at me. I take it you regained your memories?¡± He asked the man on the bed with a twisted smile. ¡°Yeah~! Imagine my surprise seeing that you were rushed to the hospital and were apparently recovering,¡± and as he got closed, he made a menacing look and said, ¡°you must¡¯ve been one hell of a lucky guy to survive that amount of beating.¡±

    The man on the bed gritted his teeth and wore an extremely angry expression. He wanted to retorted, but the woman, named Serena Bollward, who was calling herself his girlfriend, spoke first.

    ¡°Stop that. How far are you going to go to satisfy yourself?¡± She asked irritably.

    ¡°Oh, come now, woman!¡± The muscly man said, and he put his arms around the woman, who looked annoyed. ¡°It¡¯s not my fault this man of yours picked a fight with me. Like, is he stupid or something to understand that he got dumped?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± she said sharply. ¡°Are you trying to anger me?¡±

    ¡°Hey, hey,¡± he said with a chuckle and acted timidly. ¡°I don¡¯t mean any harm. I¡¯m a super hero, ranked A-Class with my skills. I¡¯m not the kind that would stoop so low as to hit a man when he¡¯s down,¡± and then he suddenly sneered, ¡°but your acting skills were superb earlier. Acting so lovey dovey in front of those officers. Even I almost fell for it if I hadn¡¯t known any better.¡±

    He burst into a cold mirthless laughter as he found the whole really funny. Then he pointed at the man on the bed and continued speaking mockingly.

    ¡°To top it off, that guy acted so surprised and began conversing normally with you. I was so shocked that I thought his brains got scrambled a little from all that hitting. I guess seeing me regained fixed his brain because look at him. He¡¯s looking at me so angrily!¡±

    At the muskily man¡¯s tantalising words, the man on the bed¡¯s expression became extremely serious as his rage boiled hotter and hotter. He had clenched his fists and glared at the two of them with the utmost fury.

    ¡°What¡¯s with that look? You want to hit me? Huh?!¡± The muscly man exclaimed, suddenly wearing a deadly look as he prepared for a fight. ¡°I¡¯m up for it if you are, punk, but remember that¡¯s how you ended up in this hospital in the first place!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough, Markus!¡± Serena exclaimed, looking sharply at him so much that he shrugged and relaxed. Then she turned to the man on the bed and said, ¡°Zayden, listen to me for the last time. Markus is loads better than you, stronger than you and has a better status than what you could achieve in your lifetime. So, stop chasing after me. You¡¯re putting me in a difficult position.¡±

    The man on the bed¡¯s anger slight subsided as he stared at her with a bewildered look. Just then, he felt a twinge of pain in his head and the feeling of getting dizzy began to make him sway slightly. He was on the verge of collapsing from the exhaustion and the rush of regaining his memories, but he pushed through the pain as he did not trust them one bit.

    ¡°For the time that we spent together, I don¡¯t want to see you getting hurt again by Marcus,¡± she said and looked towards Markus, who gleamed at him with delight.

    ¡°You hear that, stupid? She¡¯s no longer your woman, but mine! Curse yourself for being weak and not having a status because that¡¯s what women want in a strong man, and I am happy exactly the ideal of such women unlike you!¡±

    Then he glared at him and said sharply, ¡°Take this chance to get on with your own life, stupid, otherwise I¡¯d happily deal with you and this time, there won¡¯t be anything remaining for the docs to repair!¡±

    With that, he burst out laughing and forcefully steered Serena away from the man on the bed and towards the room exit. As they departed, she glanced at him one more time before turning away without exchanging another word. Like that, the two departed the room and shut door with a loud thud, leaving behind a tense silence in the room.

    The man on the bed was looking mightily angry, so much so that he had closed his eyes trying to calm down. However, his feelings that he had managed to contain till their departure, suddenly erupted.

    ¡°DAAAAMMMNNN YYYYOOOUUUUU!!!!¡±

    He yelled so loudly that an immense gust of wind formed inside the room and buffeted everything, from shaking his bed and the liquid cylindrical object beside his bed to making the window rattle. In the next second, all the energy he had mustered was used up and the fatigue finally caught up with him, causing his eyes to roll backwards and falling down unconscious on the bed.

    It was only several hours later that he regained his consciousness and groggily sat up on the bed. It took him a moment before he remembered the events that had occurred before he was forced into sleep.

    ¡°Damn!¡± He cursed and slammed his fist down on the bed with great anger. ¡°That bastard! He dares to act so arrogantly before me?!¡±

    He was a being that had killing millions of people and conquering an entire world. During his reign, no one dared to oppose him, and everyone meekly bowed down with obedience. Yet, in this world, in this new body of his, he had to face humiliation like no other against such a man.

    It took him a moment to calm down as he muttered, ¡°At least, I should be grateful that I met that guy because I got my memories.¡± Then he looked at his hands and muttered, ¡°But what is this? Why are these memories so familiar? In fact, why does the name Zayden Kardos, feel more familiar than my own name?¡±

    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    He was feeling a strange feeling from experiencing the memories from before. Those were the memories of the original owner of this body and should feel foreign, but they feel just as familiar as the memories he has of his own entire life. This did not make sense because, for all he knew, he was never from this world and had lived his life as part of something beyond his control.

    ¡°Damn. I don¡¯t understand how his memories feel like they¡¯re my memories but that¡¯s impossible,¡± he muttered to himself with frustration. Then he sighed and said, ¡°Whatever, I¡¯ll figure it out eventually. I should instead focus on my current situation¡­ and that bastard.¡±

    He looked towards the closed door with a truly menacing look and thought, ¡°That bastard dared to act so arrogant in front of me and almost kill me over something as petty as a girlfriend?¡±

    As he gained the memories of the body¡¯s owner, he also acquired his feelings as well, including the tremendous amount of love the owner had towards the woman called Serena. However, those feelings were very foreign to the current inhabitant of the body, who could not understand how a boy could have such infatuation towards a woman like that.

    ¡°How sad,¡± he muttered with a bitter smile, ¡°you had this much love for her and yet she had only disdain for you. Truly pitiful.¡±

    There was a moment of silence before he glanced at the door once more and said, ¡°I don¡¯t let go of grudges, and I never allow those who bring harm to be to simply walk away.¡± With that, he raised his clenched fist and made a sharp menacing look before saying, ¡°Blood for blood, tooth for tooth, head for¡­ head!¡±

    He was clenching his hands quite tightly and glaring menacingly at the door for a few seconds before he let out a sigh and relaxed.

    ¡°First of, I need to get my bearings. How strong am I? Can I use the Force? What about magic? Can I utilise the internal and external energy? What about my techniques? Will this body be able to handle the full extent of my powers?¡±

    He was listing one by one the things that concerned him the most in that moment as he sat on the bed. After finishing listing them, he remained still and silent as he gazed out at the window at the clear blue sky with the day appearing to be bright and warm.

    ¡°Let¡¯s check if I can even sense energy in the first place,¡± he muttered to himself.

    The man closed his eyes to begin trying to feel any kind of energy around him. It did not take him long, and his mouth formed into a wide smile with happiness.

    ¡°Woah! This is amazing! Such an abundant amount of energy!¡± He expressed his happiness while opening his eyes. ¡°Looks like this world has a lot of Elemental Energy and the Elemental Spirits, they¡¯re all around. Good.¡±

    He nodded with satisfaction and held his hand out while muttering, ¡°I can sense the energy, but what about gathering it?¡±

    His face became nervous from the anxiousness of wondering whether he would be able to gather the energy around him. He was actually concerned about his energy going out of control in the event that he succeeded rather than worrying about the chances of him failing.

    Thus, he began to focus on the outstretched palm of his hand and, in an instant, a small golden ball of energy gathered in the palm of his hand. It grew larger and larger as beads of sweat began forming on his body until it stopped growing as he focused on stopping its growth.

    ¡°Good. Gathering the energy was a success,¡± he said with a smile.

    He held up the ball of energy in his hand and began to moving his arm around, which also kept the ball of energy in the palm of his hand. Then he began experimenting with it, starting by moving his hand around, passing the ball of energy from one hand to another, making the ball hover on his finger tip and tossing it up and down to catch it back in his hand.

    ¡°Good. I have fully control over the Energy Force,¡± he said with a satisfied smile and closed his hand. As the energy dissipated, he breathed a sigh from the sudden weariness and muttered, ¡°What the heck? I¡¯m feeling tired just from conjuring such a small energy ball?¡±

    That was when he realised his body was very weak, and he cursed to himself.

    ¡°Damn. What was the original owner of this body thinking by not training his body? Doesn¡¯t he know one must be strong and powerful in order to deal with oppositions that come across him?¡± He asked irritably before clicking his tongue and saying, ¡°This is what happens when you live too peacefully that you forget the dangers of the real world.¡±

    From there, he began to experiment more by utilising his stamina by conjuring a magical fire out of thin air in the palm of his hand by saying, ¡°Fire.¡± With that fire, he did the same experiment like he did with the energy ball before closing his hand and making the fire vanish.

    ¡°Great. I can use Magic Force. As for testing the Weapon Force¡­?¡±

    He began glancing around to see if there was a suitable object that he could test with, however he found nothing. So, he sighed to himself while sighing dejectedly.

    ¡°Oh well. If Energy Force and Magic Force worked, then Weapon Force would obviously work,¡± he assured himself with a smile. ¡°That¡¯s good. I was actually worried what I might have to do if I couldn¡¯t utilise my knowledge from my own world in this vastly different world.¡±

    He continued to smile for a few more seconds before his expression suddenly became grim as he wondered, ¡°But what about the original owner of this body? Could he be¡­?¡±

    With that, he closed his eyes and began to focus his energy onto himself. In an instant, he felt like he was diving deeper into something until he felt his feet touch the ground. When he opened his eyes, he was taken aback by the scenery he found himself in.

    The land was barrel, the sky was red, and everything looked like it had been destroyed. There were craters littered all over the place, and this continued on into the far distance, where there were mountains with lava slowly seeping out of the top of some of them.

    ¡°W-What the?!¡± He exclaimed in alarm at witnessing such a chaotic land. ¡°Is this the Unconscious World of the owner of this body?¡±

    He continued to glance around before shouting, ¡°Hey! Is anyone here?¡±

    His words echoed into the silence, but there was no response. So, he closed his eyes and began to sense out the place and he kept doing that until he got no result before he opened his eyes once more.

    ¡°Damn. I don¡¯t sense anyone or anything in this place,¡± he muttered in frustration.

    He remained there for a few more seconds before breathing a sigh and closing his eyes. In an instant, he felt his consciousness leave that place and surface, causing him to widen his eyes and find himself sitting on his hospital bed.

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t sense the whereabouts of the owner of this body. What does that mean¡­?¡± He asked himself out loud with a look of frustration.

    There was a moment of silence before he breathed a sigh and said, ¡°Whatever.¡±

    He picked up the mirror lying on his bedside and held it in front of him, which reflected his face.

    ¡°Zayden Kardos,¡± he began by seemingly addressing the owner of the body, ¡°I don¡¯t know where you are, what happened to you, or how I ended up in your body, but I am here right now, so there¡¯s nothing I can do to leave your body. So, until your return, I promise you that I, Asura Rangavardan, will consider your body as my own and will live your life and do my best to not bring shame to your name!¡±

    As he spoke, he wore a determined smile on his face as he stared at himself in the mirror with the bright sunlight shining brightly through the window and into the room he was in.

 Chapter 4

    A day later, the Andrew the doctor, arrived in his room with the nurse, Lina, and began checking up on him once more. Then he began to take out the connection between the man on the bed and the tube connecting the cylindrical object hanging beside his bed and smiled at him.

    ¡°With this, you¡¯re pretty much ready to start eating normal foods again, though I expect you¡¯ll be fully recovered to get back into society,¡± said Andrew with a smile.

    ¡°Thanks, doctor,¡± said the man said with a smile.

    The doctor nodded with satisfaction and departed the room while Lina remained behind to ask him a few questions.

    ¡°Up until now, your details had been left blank except for the room you were being treated in,¡± she exclaimed and showed him the paper that were asking for his details. ¡°For our record, do you have your any identification on you?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± he replied and took out the wallet that the officers had given him the previous day. Opening it, he pulled out the identity card and handed it to her while saying, ¡°Here.¡±

    She took it and after checking it briefly, she muttered, ¡°Zayden.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡± He asked, reacting to her saying his name out loud.

    ¡°Oh. Nothing. I was just intrigued by your name,¡± she said with a smile before beginning to fill out the details on the paper with what was shown on the identify card.

    The man on the bed, whose actual name was Asura Rangavardan, decided to take on the name of the original owner of this body after making the promise of not bringing shame to his name. As such, he had become familiar with the name and so would react to anyone that called him out using the name of that world.

    ¡°Alright, Zayden. Sit tight while I bring you some food. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re starving for some delicacy,¡± she said with a smile.

    ¡°Yes, please!¡± Zayden replied happily, his eyes sparkling with hope.

    Lina chuckled after finding his reaction to be funny and departed from the room. As soon as she left, his smile faded, and he raised both of his freed hands before beginning to experiment with them. First, he flexed the fingers and after finding nothing wrong with the fingers, he got off the bed and stood upright.

    He walked a little unsteadily, but them more he walked, the more he got used to walking until he was able to walk more freely with slight issues. Then he spun around, doing a complete three-sixty on the spot and faced the same direction that he was previously in.

    ¡°Good. This is good enough to begin,¡± he said with a satisfised look.

    Without another word, he laid himself down on the flood and began to do push-ups. After figuring out how weak his stamina was, he decided on training this body to become stronger in order to fully utilise the abilities, techniques and skills he had mastery over. So, training the body was a priority for him, but he ran into a problem as soon as he began the training.

    ¡°9¡­. 10¡­!¡± he wheezed, both of his hands and legs shaking as they struggled to keep him off the ground.

    Suddenly, they both gave way and he fell to the floor, the side of his face smacking the hard floor and causing him to wince with pain.

    ¡°Damn!¡± He snapped, clutching his head in pain. ¡°How pathetic is this?! I, who once was able to go thousand push-ups without a sweat, am struggling to do barely ten!¡± He complained, looking very frustrated. ¡°Weak! Too weak! This is far harder than I thought it would be! Damn!¡±

    Forced to accept the fact that he would not be able to do thousand push-ups from the very beginning, he decided to slowly ease into it. With that in mind, he began doing ten push-ups and 10 stomach-crunches every half-an-hour. He actually wanted to reduce the cooldown period to fifteen minutes instead, but his body was screaming in pain. So, he had to listen to his body and do body training every half-an-hour.

    Thus, his body training began with a half-an-hour of break between each training session. However, Lina did not agree to this as the first time she witnessed him struggling to do push-ups, she scolded him profusely while helping him get back to his bed.

    ¡°You had just recovered from a terrible accident! Stop pushing your body already when you¡¯re still recovering!¡± She exclaimed with a sharp look.

    ¡°I can¡¯t!¡± He replied firmly. ¡°I was clearly attacked with the intention of taking my life. I can¡¯t just sit back and stay weak like this. I need to become stronger, strong enough to protect myself if I was attacked next time.¡±

    She saw his determination and made a pitiful expression on her face as she consoled him with, ¡°I understand why you¡¯re doing this, but you¡¯re going to hurt your body before it fully recovers. That¡¯ll only delay your recovery time and also delay the time you can spend training your body.¡±

    He looked at her face filled with concern and said with a sad smile, ¡°Unfortunately, I don¡¯t have the time or the luxury to wait.¡±

    Lina could tell he was determined to go through with it regardless of her attempts to divert his mind. Without a choice, she breathed a weary sigh and spoke firmly to him.

    ¡°Alright. Fine. You are free to do whatever you want with your body, but as long as you¡¯re in this hospital, you¡¯re under our care. So, don¡¯t do something that¡¯ll strain your body. Do you understand, Zayden?¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± he replied with a confident smile, to which she returned the smile. Then he asked her, ¡°Do you have any large area for running and the like?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. We do have a walking track,¡± she replied without thinking before looking shrewdly at him. ¡°Hey. I just told you not to strain yourself.¡±

    He laughed and assured her by saying, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Lina. My body is terribly weak. I can barely do ten push-ups before my body gave up on me.¡±

    His statement made her laugh and say, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. With that determination, you¡¯ll definitely become strong.¡±

    He nodded and began making his plans on how to go about his body training. First thing in the morning, he would go to the walking track and jog around the track a few times before he would get tired. He wanted to run, but he had already guessed his body was not fit enough to run just yet and getting accustomed to going around the track was the best way to start things off.

    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    Then he returned to his room to begin the repetitive muscle training with breaks lasting for half-an-hour before breakfast. After having breakfast, he would continue to repetitive muscle training till it was lunch time. Once it was lunch time, he would return to the walking track to continue jogging around the field several more times before returning to his room for lunch. After having lunch, he would continue the muscle training and during the evening, just before the sun set, he would jog around the field several more times before returning and resting for the rest of the night.

    Zayden continued to this training regime for one week while he remained in the hospital. During this time, he had increased his push-ups from ten to fifteen, but he did not let up as he continued the intense training. Luckily, the meals and the bath made him feel refreshed after each workout and so it never dampened his motivation.

    Finally, a week later, during lunch time, he was running around the walking track at high speed. With the increase in his stamina, he was able to exert even more and so he stopped jogging and bad begun to run hard. As for push-ups, he was finally able to push the fifteen counts to just thirty.

    While having a meal, Lina inquired about his progression and was mightily impressed by his quick development. However, he was not pleased with the slow progress as the goal in his mind was to do one-thousand in a single go.

    One day, a week after seeing him, Andrew the doctor arrived in his room and checked up on him. He was very impressed with how Zayden¡¯s body had developed and remarked his amazement.

    ¡°Oh wow. You¡¯ve gotten so strong and your body¡¯s gotten quite firmer. Look. Even your fatigue is gone, and your injuries are pretty much non-existent. This is the most impressed I am apart from dealing with the Super Heroes that get admitted due to injuries from fighting.¡±

    ¡°Super Heroes?¡± Zayden asked, looking baffled.

    From the memories he had gained from the original owner of the body, he had also received much of this world¡¯s common sense as well as the terminology for many of the things that were very foreign to him. One of those was the term called ¡°Super Heroes¡± that was given to those individuals that had awakened special abilities, superhuman strengths, and could perform inhumane feats that far surpass any human capabilities, who were referred to as Super Humans.

    In this world, the Super Humans must register themselves under the body of the government of each country to become a registered Super Hero to perform heroic acts and get paid for their actions in helping the society. However, there were also those with bad intentions and would use their Super Human capabilities for their own selfish goals.

    ¡°So, the Super Heroes get admitted here?¡± He asked the doctor questioningly.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± said Andrew in confirmation. ¡°That¡¯s why you don¡¯t need to pay your hospital bill.¡±

    Zayden looked at him blankly for a moment before the realisation dawned on him, and he exclaimed, ¡°Wait! The bill!¡±

    Andrew burst into a ruckus laughter as he found Zayden¡¯s reaction be quite funny. On the other hand, Zayden was panicking as he was suddenly concerned about how much the hospital bill had racked up. Even Lina found his reaction to be funny, but she covered he mouth with her hand while looking away.

    ¡°Calm down, Zayden,¡± the doctor said with a smile. ¡°You don¡¯t need to pay the bill.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t?¡± Zayden asked, looking surprised.

    Andrew nodded and Lina took this chance to explain, ¡°You see, if you got admitted to a regular hospital, then they would¡¯ve charged you for all the expenses occurred in making you get better. However, since this is a government hospital that handles everything related to serious cases to all the injuries for the Super Heroes, all the facilities are free of charge.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­!¡± Zayden said in amazement. ¡°I¡¯m glad I got admitted here.¡±

    ¡°Yes, you should be. As I said, if the ambulance was any later in admitting you, your life would¡¯ve been at risk,¡± the doctor told him with concern before smiling, ¡°but I¡¯m glad things worked out for the best.¡±

    Zayden saw the sincerely in the doctor and smiled before bowing and saying, ¡°Thank you very much, doctor, for saving my life. I really don¡¯t know how to repay this favour.¡±

    ¡°Hey now, don¡¯t say that,¡± Andrew said with a smile. ¡°I just did my duty as what a doctor should by saving lives. Your life was saved, and you got better and stronger as well, so I¡¯m very happy for you.¡± As the two of them exchanged smiles, Andrew went on to say, ¡°Anyway, you¡¯re all better now, so you¡¯re free to go whenever you¡¯re ready.¡±

    ¡°Alright, doctor. I¡¯ll leave tomorrow morning,¡± said Zayden with a nod of understanding.

    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± said Andrew and he held his hand out. ¡°It was a pleasure meeting you, Zayden.¡±

    ¡°Same here, doctor!¡± Zayden replied, and the two men shook hands firmly before letting go.

    As Andrew bid him farewell, Lina came closer to explain some details to him.

    ¡°Zayden, your clothes that you got admitted in have been washed and hanged in that cabinet,¡± she said and pointed at the small opening located in the corner of the room.

    ¡°Oh, thanks for that!¡± He told her happily.

    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. It¡¯s our duty.¡± she told him with a smile. Then she said, ¡°Also,¡± and pulled out a phone out of her pocket before asking him, ¡°would you mind if we add each other¡¯s contacts?¡±

    ¡°Oh. That¡¯s fine by me,¡± he replied with a surprised look. Then he realised something and wondered aloud, ¡°I wonder where my phone is¡­?¡±

    Reacting to his words, Lina walked over to the cabinet and opened it. There, she rummaged through clothes that were his and pulled out something with an exclamation of, ¡°Got it!¡±

    She walked back to him and handed his phone over to him much to his surprise.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad it¡¯s not damaged or anything,¡± he muttered in relief.

    ¡°Why¡¯re you worried?¡± She asked him curiously. ¡°Don¡¯t you have warranty on it?¡±

    ¡°Um¡­?¡± He hesitated and looking nervously at her.

    She understood that look and looked dumbfoundedly at him.

    ¡°Why¡¯re you using a phone that¡¯s out of warranty?¡± She asked incredulously. Then she took a closer look at the phone and realised something before saying, ¡°Wait! That¡¯s a very old model that was released five years ago! How come you¡¯re using something that old?¡±

    ¡°Well, I mean, it works fine and all,¡± he stated simply with a feeble smile.

    Asura was doing his best to act the role of the person that he had seen in the memories, but was struggling at that moment. He found Lina¡¯s words annoying and thought, ¡°Damn, what¡¯s with this woman? She¡¯s unnecessarily poking her nose into my business so much!¡±

    ¡°Hmm, really?¡± She asked as she scrutinised him. Then she straightened up and said firmly, ¡°That¡¯s it. I¡¯m buying you a new phone.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± He reacted in surprise and was taken aback.

    ¡°You heard me. I¡¯ll buy you a new phone. I can¡¯t stand seeing you using an outdated phone!¡± She said firmly with a determined look.

    He was baffled by her firm statement and said, ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. Really. You don¡¯t need to buy me anything.¡±

    ¡°No. I feel I should after seeing your situation,¡± she told him much to his surprise. ¡°I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re poor, working one or two jobs daily and possibly have no one to depend on.¡±

    Zayden was amazed by her sharp thinking and said, ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m an orphan, so I don¡¯t really have anyone to rely on. As for my current finances, I¡¯m doing odd jobs everyday just to make ends meet.¡± Then he told her, ¡°So, please don¡¯t worry about my phone or me in particular. I don¡¯t want to feel like I owe someone anything.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Is that how you¡¯re feeling?¡± She asked and appeared to be in deep thought. Then she smiled and said, ¡°How about this? I¡¯ll buy you a phone, and you¡¯ll treat me to a meal. How¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°Huh? Just a meal?¡± He asked in surprise.

    She nodded and said, ¡°Yeah.¡± Then she became somewhat nervous and said, ¡°Actually, I wanted us to have each other¡¯s contacts so that we could meet each other every once in a while, in the future. You know?¡± Then, as if finding what she said embarrassing, she quickly added, ¡°As friends of course.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± he reacted in surprise while looking baffled.

    They continued to talk back and forth until, finally, he gave in and so the two of them exchange their contact details.

    ¡°Finally!¡± She said with a satisfied smile. ¡°So, when you leave the hospital tomorrow morning, give me a call, and I¡¯ll come to you. Alright?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­ Sure,¡± he told her, still feeling surprised by what had happened.

    ¡°Great! See you then~!¡± She said with a bright smile and waved in farewell before departing from the room, leaving behind a very baffled Zayden.

 Chapter 5

    The next morning, he woke up quite early and performed the daily exercise in the walking track before returning to have his breakfast that another nurse delivered. After having his meal, he pressed a button to his bedside and the same nurse returned.

    They exchanged small greetings, and he explained to her that he would be leaving after getting dressed. To that, she smiled and instructed him to leave his hospital clothes on the bed and lock the door from the front as he left.

    As soon as she left, he leapt out of bed and headed to the cabinet that contained his clothes, which were hanging by a pair of clothes hangers. He quickly changed into them and checked the time on his phone, which read as ten-past-nine in the morning.

    ¡°I hope I¡¯m not going to make her wait too long,¡± he muttered as he packed his things hurriedly.

    He thoroughly checked the room for anything of his that he might have placed and forgotten. Once he was confident that he had gotten all of his things, he walked out of the room and closed the door before turning the knob to lock inside of the room lock the door.

    Walking at a brisk pace, he hurried to the elevator and pressed the button to make it come up. A few seconds later, it arrived, and he stepped into it and pressed the letter ¡°G¡± on the panel inside the elevator. Once the elevator doors closed, he felt himself descending rapidly to ground level.

    Asura was amazed by the level of technology and thought, ¡°If I had not gained the memories and the common sense of this world, I might¡¯ve jumped off the roof to fly down.¡±

    That thought made him suddenly realise something and made him ponder, ¡°Wait. Fly? Can I actually fly with this feeble body?¡±

    It was a thought that concerned him as it was one of the means of transport he had always relied upon. He felt like he was in a dilemma if he could not fly because he remembered Zayden¡¯s bank balance to be quite lot and this meant he would not be able to casually afford a public transportation.

    ¡°That¡¯s another thing I need to work on,¡± he muttered to himself with a serious look, setting his next goal to financially stabilise himself while training his body to become stronger.

    ¡°You¡¯ve arrived at ground floor,¡± announced a voice, and the doors opened.

    As the doors opened, he was startled to see a lot of people waiting on the other side. They began shuffling themselves into the elevator, and he was almost pushed back by the oncoming tide. Luckily, he forcefully pushed himself past them and got out of the elevator before the doors closed.

    ¡°What a rush?¡± He remarked in amazement as he watched the number on the panel to the side of the elevator incrementing rapidly. ¡°Anyway¡­¡±

    Taking his mind off of the elevator, he turned around and was flabbergasted by the massive rush he was witnessing at the hospital. People were rushing back and forth, some were shouting, some were arguing, some were talking wildly into their phones while others sat in chairs with glum looks on their faces.

    ¡°Wow¡­!¡± He remarked in amazement at the heavy rush the hospital was at ground level.

    He remained like that for a few seconds before someone bumped into him and scornfully told him, ¡°Get out of the way, man! Stop blocking the way!¡±

    ¡°S-Sorry!¡± Zayden reacted in surprise and apologised automatically. Then he muttered, ¡°No point standing around and staring at this mess. I¡¯ve got to head out and make that call to Lina.¡±

    So, he made his way towards the counter to inform them of his departure. He was shocked to find a long que with several people waiting to go to the counter. Asura was appalled by this, but with no other choice, he got in line and moved ever so slowly as the que slowly shuffled forward.

    It took him nearly half-an-hour before he was able to finally reach the counter. In that time, he had witnessed multiple things; people breaking down and crying about their loved ones passing away, people rushing in through the entrance while pushing along a wheeled stretcher with a badly injured man on it, and several people trying to skip the que before it resulted in a verbal bout between them and the people queuing.

    He did not have anything to say but be silently appalled by the mess he was witnessing before it was his time to reach the counter. Once at the front, he informed the attendant about his discharge and suppling his name to the receptionist.

    ¡°Alright. You¡¯re all good now. Take care!¡± The lady at the front told him with a smile before her smile faded, and she called, ¡°Next!¡±

    Zayden made to move away to the entrance, but he suddenly got shoved away as the person waiting behind him approached the counter quickly. He glanced at the lady that shoved him aside, but she took no notice of him and began speaking rapidly to the lady behind the counter.

    Sighing wearily, he made his way out of the hospital and felt the rush completely diminish as things were more peaceful outside than inside. He wanted to look up at the sky to check what the weather was like, but the sun was bright and made it difficult to see, even when he tried to shake the sun¡¯s light with a hand.

    ¡°Right. Let¡¯s find a good spot first and then make the call,¡± he muttered to himself and nodded in agreement.

    He began glancing around at the place he was in, which looked like any other ordinary street and was not sure where to get his bearings. Just then, he saw a large size that read, ¡°Mango Parklands,¡± and decided to use that as his location to inform Lina.

    As he arrived at the large sign, he saw that the entrance to the parklands was just a few meters away. Ignoring that, he pulled out his phone and opened the contacts app on it. There were only a few contacts that had been stored on his phone, and one of them was Lina. As he was about to click on her profile, he suddenly saw the name beneath her on the list and scowled.

    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°Serena¡­!¡± He muttered with a dark look.

    He still remembered their previous encounter vividly like it only happened yesterday, her shameless behaviour in announcing their breakup and the arrogance in which her new boyfriend by the name Markus, spoke to him.

    ¡°Stupid dirtbag!¡± Asura muttered and went into her profile, fuming with anger.

    He clicked the edit button, where the option to edit her details had appeared and, as he scrolled down, the delete button appeared. In that moment, Zayden¡¯s memories of all the time that they spent together, the happy memories and the promises that they made together appeared in his mind. They were suddenly overshadowed by her betrayal and the near-death situation he was put under by that Markus brute of a person.

    Asura raised his finger and brought his finger down, ready to delete the contact. However, he paused and as his anger boiled, so did his feelings of frustration and humiliation from their previous encounter.

    ¡°Blood for blood, tooth for tooth, head for head¡­¡± he muttered, remembering the promise he made after their departure in his hospital room.

    With a heavy breath, he withdrew is hand and looked irritably at her name. At that moment, he suddenly got a bright idea when he saw that he could edit the name that her contact was saved under in his phone. With a sinister smile, he began editing her name and changed it something he felt was appropriate.

    ¡°There. Much better,¡± he remarked with a satisfied and clicked save.

    A small pop-up appeared that read, ¡°Contact ¡®Deceiving Cow¡¯ has successfully saved!¡±

    Grinning, he scrolled back up and went into Lina¡¯s profile before hitting the call button. Then he held it up to his ear and heard the ringing tone for a few seconds before it got answered.

    ¡°Hello. Zayden? Is that you?¡± Asked Lina¡¯s voice from the device.

    ¡°Yeah., Lina. I just came out of the hospital,¡± he informed her.

    ¡°That¡¯s great. So, where are you right now?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m standing under the Mango Parklands sign.¡±

    ¡°Ah. I know where that is. That¡¯s fine. I¡¯m in traffic, but I think I¡¯ll be there in ten minutes.¡±

    ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll wait right here.¡±

    ¡°Great. See you then!¡±

    With that, she hung up the phone, and he heard the beeping sound as the call got disengaged. He withdrew the phone from his ear and marvelled at the amazing technology that was held in that small piece of object in his hand.

    ¡°This is quite convenient,¡± he muttered to himself as he turned the phone all around to examine it. ¡°Could this be why I don¡¯t sense much of an energy use from anyone around me? It makes sense when you advance the things around you instead of advancing yourself to new heights.¡±

    He sighed dejectedly and began glancing around to see where Lina would be coming from. Soon, ten minutes went by and there were no signs of her appearing, but he did see a lot of cars coming in and out of the Mango Parklands.

    ¡°Seems like that place is pretty popular,¡± he thought to himself with amazement.

    Just then, he heard the sound of horn of a car from behind, and he turned around to see a very luxurious car slowly driving up to him. It was one of those super fancy super cars that cost well over a million dollars.

    Normally, anyone would be gawking at the sign of it, maybe even taking photos of it, but for Asura, it was just another vehicle on the road. Its value had no real impact on him as he thought it was just a fancier looking car compared to the regular cars he had seen up until then.

    As the car pulled up to him and came to a stop, the driver¡¯s side of the door opened, and Lina stopped out to his amazement.

    ¡°Lina?!¡± Zayden exclaimed with a look of shock on his face. ¡°What¡¯re you doing in that car?!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s my car,¡± she told him nonchalantly, and her smile widened seeing the bewildered look on his face. ¡°What? Did you think I stole it?¡±

    ¡°No! That¡¯s not what I meant!¡± He stammered back, looking very worried.

    She continued to give stare at him shrewdly before bursting into a hearty laughter much to his surprise.

    ¡°Calm down, Zayden. Take it easy,¡± she said after calming down and wiping the tears of laughter away. ¡°I¡¯m only joking with you.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I see,¡± he stammered nervously, looking at her, then at the car and back. Then he hesitantly asked for confirmation, ¡°This is your car, right?¡±

    ¡°It is,¡± she replied with a confident smile. ¡°It even has my name in the license plate number.¡±

    ¡°It does?¡± Zayden asked, looking confused.

    He walked to the front of the car to check the license plate and was surprised to find the license registration number starting with her name ¡°LINA¡± followed by the car¡¯s registration code.

    ¡°A customised license plate¡­!¡± He muttered in awe.

    She watched his reaction and seemed to be enjoying every bit of it. At that moment, he looked at her and realised she was wearing quite a fancy dress as if she was going out for a party. Even the handbag she was carrying looked like a costly item.

    ¡°You look really beautiful!¡± He complemented her on her attractive looks the dress gave off.

    This made her raise an eyebrow sceptically and asked, ¡°Is that complement because of the car, or do you genuinely mean it?¡±

    ¡°No, no, no!¡± He rejected her notion firmly three times while shaking his head. ¡°I really mean it! Really! I¡¯m not the kind who sucks up to people with money! Please believe me!¡±

    ¡°Well, thank you,¡± she said and smiled with an appreciative look on her face. Then she eyed him up and down before saying, ¡°But I don¡¯t like your attire.¡±

    ¡°Huh? You don¡¯t?¡± He asked her, looking at himself up and down to check that he had properly dressed himself.

    ¡°They¡¯re shabby, worn out and look like they could tear away at any second,¡± she explained, detailing the imperfections she saw with his clothes.

    He chuckled at her explanation and replied with a sad smile, ¡°Well, this is the kind of clothes I can afford to buy with my financial situation.¡±

    She saw him make that sad smile on his face before shaking her head to reject it.

    ¡°Alright. I guess it¡¯s full of shopping then,¡± she announced suddenly.

    ¡°What?¡± He asked her, looking confused.

    ¡°Here I thought you only needed a new phone, but your entire wardrobe needs to be overhauled,¡± she stated and waved her hand up and down at him. ¡°Hurry now. We got a long day ahead.¡±

    ¡°Huh? What?!¡± He exclaimed, looking shocked. ¡°You¡¯re going to buy me new clothes as well?¡±

    ¡°Yes, not get in!¡± She told him with a grin and walked around the car to the driver side.

    ¡°W-Wait, Lina!¡± He called after her, which made her pause in opening the driver¡¯s door and look at him. ¡°You¡¯re already doing a lot by buying me a phone in exchange for me treating you to a meal, but buying clothes is just¡ª!¡±

    Suddenly, he was cut off by her raised her forefinger and placing it on her lips in a shushing motion.

    ¡°Think of it as my treat in helping a good man that¡¯s in dire financial need,¡± she told him with a smile. ¡°Now, get in, otherwise I¡¯ll go buy whatever clothes I find for you!¡±

    With such an alarming threat and imagining himself having to wear random clothes that he would hate to wear, he obediently opened the passenger door to get in. Just then, he realised he was about to get into a luxury car for the first time in his life and became quite nervous.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Lina asked him with concern after seeing him frozen in getting into the car.

    ¡°Um¡­ Is it alright for me to get in?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it is, silly,¡± she said cheerily and leaned forward to tug at his shirt sleeve.

    Zayden was startled by her action and fell forward before sitting softly in the passenger seat of the luxury car. He remained frozen for a second before realising he was finally sitting in the luxury car, and so began to relax his tense muscles before closing the door shut and strapping the safety belt into its slot.

    ¡°Alright. Here we go!¡± Lina remarked, and she turned the car on, which revved quite loudly, making her passenger wear a nervous look.

    She checked that he had his seatbelt on and made sure there was no traffic coming from behind using her rear-view mirror. Then, with a grin on her face, she switched the car into gear and pressed down on the accelerator, causing the car to launch forward at a remarkable speed. Within seconds, the car went from standstill to full speed before turning a bend and disappearing while the onlookers watched it go with perplexed looks on their faces.

 Chapter 6

    The car sped away through the street, sometimes overtaking other cars moving at a slower pace compared to the luxury car. The one driving it, Lina, who was wearing sunglasses with a cool expression, steered the wheel quite causally while her passenger, Zayden, observed the surroundings with curiosity.

    ¡°We¡¯re really moving fast,¡± he commented in amazement. Then he turned to her and asked, ¡°Should you really be speeding? Won¡¯t the police come after you?¡±

    ¡°The police will come after me?¡± She asked and let out a chuckle. ¡°I¡¯d like to see them chase me after searching up my license plate number.¡±

    Zayden was surprised and asked, ¡°Is your license plate that fancy?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s more than just fancy,¡± she replied and gave him a sidelong glance with a cool smile. As he looked at her with quizzical look, she said, ¡°I see you¡¯re filled with questions. Fire them away.¡±

    ¡°Um,¡± he hesitated for a moment, but when she urged him again, he nodded and asked, ¡°I was just very confused about this luxury car, that fancy dress, and just how you¡¯re connected to all this. I mean, aren¡¯t you a¡­?¡±

    He paused before completing his sentence, somewhat apprehensive to complete it thinking it might sound rude of him to say so. However, she smiled and spoke quite casually.

    ¡°How can I afford all this with my salary of a nurse?¡± She asked, and he looked momentarily surprised before nodding in agreement. ¡°Yes. I¡¯m sure anyone would be confused since no matter how highly paid a nurse is, affording this kind of luxury car and such is a little much.¡±

    Then she looked at him and simply asked him, ¡°You do know my family name, right?¡±

    ¡°Ah, yeah,¡± he said and thought about her name. ¡°Morris. What about¡­?¡±

    As he was about to finish his question, his voice faded as he suddenly had a realisation. His eyes widened in shock before looking at her with a wide-eyed expression.

    ¡°Wait! Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re the daughter of Tyrone Morris, the chairman of the top hunger guild of our Country A, Berserkers?!¡± He exclaimed in a shocked voice.

    Each country¡¯s government requires the Superhumans to be officially registered in their database for legal requirements, but they still need to join a guild in order to become a Superhero. A guild is an organisation that focuses on facilitating the Superheroes with missions and activities that result in the Superhero earning fame and fortune.

    From the small details he received from the memories of the original owner, he recognised the name ¡°Morris¡± as the chairman of one of the top leading guilds in that country known as Berserkers. Rumour has it that the chairman had one child, but they stayed away from limelight for unknown reasons.

    ¡°Right on!¡± She replied firmly with a cheerful smile, and she gave him a thumbs up while holding the wheel with her other hand. ¡°I am Tyrone Morris¡¯s only daughter and as his only child, my dad dotes on me quite a bit and gives me all sorts of things; from luxury items, to endless supply of money and just letting me do whatever I want really.¡±

    She was speaking in a cool manner, but he was flabbergasted by her words. That was a luxury he could only dream off according to the belief of the original owner of the body. He was even more baffled to see such a rich person living a mediocre life working at a hospital.

    ¡°W-What are you doing here when you have such a rich and famous family?¡± He asked her with a confused look on his face. ¡°Couldn¡¯t your dad like get you to do something else, like give you a spot at his guild or something?¡±

    She nodded with a smile and said, ¡°Yes. He did offer, but I kindly refused,¡± which surprised him as she went on saying, ¡°because you see, I am my father¡¯s daughter, but I¡¯m not one of his peoples. I want to do something that is meaningful and has a lot of significance, and I found that in the form of helping others.¡±

    ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have started something like a charity?¡±

    ¡°Why? So that the people under me could do money cuttings to take away the previous funds that people donate to help those in need around the world?¡± She asked back coldly. ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯m not like the other stupids that engage in such degrading activities. I want to help and receive thanks as a result, and that¡¯s how I realised being a nurse is a really rewarding job.¡±

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    ¡°Is that so?¡± He asked her, looking amazed. ¡°That¡¯s amazing, but how did your father take it?¡±

    ¡°My dad didn¡¯t like it,¡± she said with a laugh. ¡°He was so angry, he told me he won¡¯t talk to me if I did that. But I¡¯m not a softie, so I told him if he doesn¡¯t let me do what I want, then I really won¡¯t talk to him. So, we began ignoring each other and a few days later, he came to me begging me not to ignore him anymore and agreed to my demands.¡±

    ¡°W-What?!¡± He exclaimed, looking at her in shock.

    There were public talks of how Tyrone Morris was a ruthless and brutal to anyone that dares to oppose him, even going out of his way to make their lives living hell for upsetting him. So, imagining such a man grovelling before his only daughter somehow made it very unimaginably strange to think about.

    ¡°So, you got into the hospital after he pulled some strings for you.¡±

    Suddenly, Lina hit the brakes and the car came to a skidding halt while the cars behind her also skidded to a halt and many began sounding horns in anger and annoyance. He was alarmed and looked panicked by the sudden braking of the car and looked at her with fear.

    ¡°I feel offended!¡± She said, pulling her glasses off and giving him an irritable look. ¡°Why did you just assume that happened?!¡±

    ¡°Um¡­!¡± He began uncertainly, now sure what to say. Then he stammered, ¡°Don¡¯t the rich kids usually do that?¡±

    She scowled at him and asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t I just say earlier that I don¡¯t involve myself in stupid actions like the others?¡±

    There was a moment of pause in which her words sunk into his mind before he realised and exclaimed, ¡°Hold on! You¡¯re telling me you actually studied nursing, passed with high grades and got into the hospital that treats heroes and emergencies like mine all on your own?!¡±

    ¡°You betcha!¡± She replied with a grin, and she put the car into gear and sped away, leaving behind a trail of traffic that began to slowly get going again.

    ¡°Wow¡­!¡± He responded, with a look of awe on his face. ¡°You¡¯re really amazing.¡±

    ¡°Thank you very much!¡± Lina replied with a smile.

    Once again, silence fell in the car for a few seconds before he thought of something and asked by turning to her, ¡°Hey, I just realised something.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°How come you told me so much about yourself.¡±

    ¡°Are you wondering why I did?¡± She asked, and he nodded his head. This caused her to smile and state, ¡°It¡¯s because I can see you¡¯re a good person.¡±

    ¡°Pardon? You can see that I¡¯m a good person? How can you be sure of that?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure because I can see it,¡± she said and gave him a side long glance with a smile.

    He stared at her vague statement with a look of confusion on his face. However, his thoughts were racing as he came up with different theories about why she spoke like that about him.

    ¡°Could it be she can use the Magic Force? Perhaps Elemental Sense? That can¡¯t be since it only reveals whether the person spoke truth or lies. Then could it be Elemental Sight? That can usually tell you whether the person you¡¯re looking at is an ally, neutral or enemy. That makes more sense, but I didn¡¯t sense her use any kind of spell, or is her casting different to what I know?¡±

    Like that, he remained deep in his thoughts while they sped away on the road at high speed. It did not take long before the car began to slow down and turned into a driveway. She drove the car along the drive way, which brought them towards the entrance to a large building where a few men were waiting.

    ¡°Alright, we¡¯re here,¡± she told him with a smile, leaving the keys in the ignition and setting the car into park mode before getting off.

    Zayden¡¯s side of the door got opened from the outside by what looked like a fancily dressed man. He greeted him with a smile and allowed the young man to step out of the car and out into the open. Then the man gently closed the door behind and stepped away respectfully.

    He did not know what to say as he found himself standing outside what was one of the most expensive clothes shops in the city. This was a place only the rich and famous would come to do their shopping because of the brands sold here.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s head in,¡± Lina said to him after arriving to stand by his side. He did not hear her as he was transfixed on the building, and she waved her hand in front of his face while saying, ¡°Hello? Earth to Zayden?¡±

    ¡°H-Huh?!¡± He exclaimed, looking quite shocked.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go in,¡± she told him calmly and began walking towards the door, where two fancily dressed men opened the double doors made of glass for her.

    ¡°W-Wait?!¡± He stammered and rushed, and he glanced back to see their car being driven away by someone. After reaching her side, he asked, ¡°Is it okay to let them drive your car?¡±

    ¡°I highly doubt they want to mess with anyone that can afford and drive a car like that,¡± she replied with a grin on her face, which made him become flabbergasted. ¡°Now, let¡¯s head to the men¡¯s section to choose your clothing.¡±

    ¡°H-Hold on a minute!¡± He stammered, finally getting her to stop and turn to face him.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± She asked curiously.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?!¡± He exclaimed in shock and began pointing at everything inside the building. ¡°Why did you bring me here to this fancy place?! I can¡¯t afford anything here!¡±

    ¡°Who said you¡¯re paying for anything here?¡± She asked back much to his dismay. ¡°Didn¡¯t I say I¡¯m gifting these things to you because you deserve them.¡±

    ¡°B-But¡ª!¡± He began, but she cut him off by placing a single finger over his mouth to stop him.

    ¡°If you keep refusing any more than this, then I will be really hurt. Do you really want to hurt my feelings?¡± She asked him and looked at him with a puppy eyed expression.

    ¡°Um¡­?¡± He hesitated and looked quite uncomfortable to try and stop her.

    Seeing his reaction, her expression changed to that of a grin as she said, ¡°Alright then! Let¡¯s head in!¡±

    Lina turned and headed away, leaving him looking quite staggered. However, he understood his situation and shrugged his shoulders in resignation before following after her.

 Chapter 7

    As the two walked into the large building, the doors automatically slid to either side to allow them entry. At the entrance, there were two guards stationed there who bowed the moment they saw who was entering.

    ¡°Greetings, my lady,¡± they greeted Lina simultaneously with a respectful bow.

    ¡°Hello,¡± she greeted them shortly.

    With that, they gestured for her to walk towards the reception desk at the entrance. As they walked forward, four people consisting of both men and women, arrived expectantly with an eager grin.

    ¡°Welcome back, my lady!¡± They greeted her enthusiastically with a respectful bow. ¡°I hope you¡¯re faring well.¡±

    ¡°Naturally,¡± replied Lina with a smile as they straightened up to meet her eyes.

    ¡°So, are you here for the usual, miss?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± she shook her head in denial and gestured at Zayden. ¡°I¡¯ve come today to do shopping on his behalf.¡±

    ¡°For him?¡± The one at the front, who was acting as the leader, reacted in surprise and look towards Zayden.

    ¡°Yes,¡± she nodded. ¡°Now, where might the men¡¯s section be?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll take you there!¡± The man said with a grin with enthusiasm.

    He raised his hand up and clicked his fingers, which made two of the people behind him to hurriedly approach him.

    ¡°Lead the madam and sir upstairs to the men¡¯s section,¡± he ordered them.

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± They replied firmly. Then they turned to Lina and said, ¡°This way miss.¡±

    Nodding in assent, she turned to Zayden and said, ¡°Come along.¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes!¡± He reacted with a surprised look on his face.

    Since entering the building, he had been very amazed by the amount of respect the staff were showing towards Lina. He also judged, just from the previous conversation that they had, Lina frequents this place and often buys big seeing the staff brimming with joy by her presence.

    Lina led the way alongside the staff while Zayden following behind. They stopped at a side glass door and when the staff pressed a button on the wall, the glass doors slid open to reveal an interior on the inside. Zayden was amazed by this as they got into the lift before the doors closed behind them. Then they pressed a button among the numerous buttons on the side panel and there was a slight jerk before they were moving upward.

    ¡°So, this is an elevator?¡± He thought to himself in wonder, glancing around at the interior.

    He knew very well what this was, but as it was his first time seeing this physically rather than knowing from memories of the original owner of the body, he was quite amazed. As such, he began glancing around with curiosity as they passed floor after floor before coming to a stop.

    When the glass doors slid open, they exited the elevator and Zayden was amazed by what he found. It was a large space filled with clothes of different kinds with different colours made from different materials.

    ¡°W-Woah¡­!¡± He muttered in awe.

    Hearing him, Lina turned to him and smiled as she asked, ¡°Well? What do you think?¡±

    ¡°These are¡­ too extravagant,¡± he replied with a bewildered look on his face while glancing around at the clothes.

    ¡°Of course, miss!¡± The woman said respectfully with a smile and turned to him. ¡°I take it this is your first time coming here, sir, so let me give you an explanation of the men¡¯s clothes that we sell. Right this way please.¡±

    From there, the woman led the way while followed by Zayden and Lina as she began explaining the different kinds of clothes, what they were made of and the finer details that makes them premium. Zayden became more and more baffled by what he heard about the clothes and was dumbfounded by the cost that she presented to him for each type of clothes.

    ¡°Even the underwear is premium?¡± He asked, staring down at the underwear lined neatly in rows.

    ¡°Yes,¡± she said.

    ¡°Why?!¡± He demanded, looking at her with a flabbergasted look.

    ¡°For the comfortable feeling.¡±

    Zayden remained silent for a moment before asking, ¡°For the comfortable feeling?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re being serious?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    He stared at her with a dumbfounded expression on his face as she beamed at him with excitement.

    Just then, a hand was placed on his shoulder, and he turned to see it was Lina giving him a sympathetic look while holding back her laughter.

    ¡°Get used to it,¡± she finally said after containing her laughter.

    ¡°This is expensive! Like, super expensive!¡± Zayden exclaimed with a distraught look.

    ¡°I told you the bill is on me,¡± she told him reassuringly.

    He shook his head and said, ¡°You don¡¯t understand, Lina. One premium underwear is worth five months of my income. There is no way I can accept something like this.¡±

    For a moment, she was saddened by the reality of his life, but then she cheered up and said, ¡°Don¡¯t choose the underwear then. Just choose any regular wear,¡± and she waved her hand at the wide area. ¡°You can even buy some party wear in case you need to attend one in the future.¡±

    ¡°But¡ª!¡± He began hesitantly.

    ¡°Nothing!¡± She finished for him firmly. Then she turned to the staff and said, ¡°Please choose and fit his clothes that are suitable for him.¡±

    ¡°Of course, miss!¡± They told her confidently while he looked at her with a resigned look.

    Zayden was then dragged away to get his measurements done so that they could choose the right fit of clothes for him. Then the procession began of trying on clothes, coming out to be verified by both the staff and Lina that they suited him, and then he went back to change into the new clothes they gave him to try out.

    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    This lasted for more than half-an-hour before he finally came out wearing his original clothes with an exhausted look.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to try anymore, please!¡± He pleaded with Lina, who chuckled at him.

    ¡°Are you tired already?¡± She asked with a chuckle. ¡°I thought it will last another two hours with all the clothes you could try out.¡±

    ¡°Another¡­ two hours?!¡± He winced at the suggestion and stared at her with a horrified look.

    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s how long I spend shopping anything really,¡± she said casually.

    ¡°Unbelievable¡­!¡± He muttered with an amazed look.

    With that, the procession of trying out clothes had come to an end. Then Lina walked over to the staff and told them to pack all the clothes that she felt were suitable for him. He was shocked by her statement while they expressed their happiness and willingness to follow her orders.

    Zayden tried to convince her to stop, but she refused and told him to just accept it.

    ¡°When you¡¯re being gifted honestly, just accept it,¡± she told him with a smooth smile, making him look surprised. ¡°I know there are those out there that will ask you want what you want, or gift you something while expecting something in return. I¡¯m not that kind. If I want to give, I will give. That¡¯s me.¡±

    She had spoken with such a cool manner that he somehow got mesmerised.

    ¡°What a woman¡­?¡± He wondered to himself in awe. ¡°Not afraid to speak her mind, firm in her resolve, and a bit bossy. It almost feels like¡­ I¡¯m with them again¡­¡±

    The familiar feeling of her company suddenly made him feel very emotional as he was reminded of something from a distant past. This caused tears to form in his eyes, which she noticed and was startled by.

    ¡°W-What¡¯s wrong?!¡± She exclaimed, looking worriedly at him and getting closer. ¡°What happened? Is it something that I said?¡±

    ¡°Oh no. It¡¯s not that,¡± he said and quickly wiped the tears away before smiling at her. ¡°I was just deeply moved by your words. That¡¯s all.¡±

    ¡°Is that so¡­?¡± She asked with a worried look.

    Nodding in assent, he turned away while thinking to himself, ¡°I can¡¯t believe I actually cried. Am I still capable of being this that emotional after all this time? But¡­ what¡¯s the point? The past is the past. I will¡­ never get to see them, talk to them, and be with them again¡­!¡±

    With that, the smile on his face faded and was replaced by a sombre expression. Lina got even more worried and probed him, but he continuously assured her she was not the cause while putting on a smile.

    ¡°It¡¯s fake,¡± she said.

    ¡°What sorry?¡± He asked in confusion.

    ¡°Your smile. It¡¯s fake.¡±

    He blinked in surprise and asked, ¡°Huh? Fake? What do you mean?¡± and he smiled once more.

    Lina shook her head and said, ¡°From the moment I met you at the hospital, not once have I ever seen you smile from the heart. It¡¯s almost like you¡¯re unwilling to smile and smiling for the sake of smiling.¡±

    Zayden was shocked by her words as he had never expected someone to say that to him. It was as if she had seen right through him, but he was unsure how that was possible. This caused him to lose his smile entirely and an unsmiling expression formed on his face, which startled her.

    At that moment, a staff woman appeared arrived before them and said to Lina, ¡°Miss, the order is ready for payment.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± she told her, then told Zayden, ¡°I won¡¯t be long,¡± before following the women away while he watched her go with an unsmiling expression on his face.

    After a while, Lina returned and told him the payment was made, to which he responded lightly. Then they moved towards the elevator since the shopping was complete. Only when they reached the ground level and were walking out of the elevator did they begin speaking to each other again.

    ¡°Did I perhaps¡­ say something I shouldn¡¯t have¡­?¡± She asked him hesitantly.

    He shook his head and replied, ¡°No. I just realised I don¡¯t need to smile when I don¡¯t want to.¡±

    Asura, who was in control of Zayden¡¯s body, did not even remember when was the last time he had truly smiled from the heart. The whole reason he had been putting up a pretence in Zayden¡¯s body was him trying to mimic the behaviour of the original owner.

    The memories he acquired told him that Zayden was never truly happy, but despite that he always put on a smile to never worry about anyone. However, Lina¡¯s words made him realise he did not need to pretend just to please somebody else. As such, he came to a decision.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t truly smiled in a really long time, so why do it now?¡± he wondered aloud to which Lina turned to look at him with a worried expression.

    As she was about to speak to him about it, the staff suddenly came over to her with each carrying boxes full of clothes and her attention got diverted.

    ¡°Good,¡± she said and held her handbag out before saying, ¡°Intake.¡±

    In an instant, there was a strong suction like wind began forming around them and the boxes of clothes flew out of their hands and got absorbed into her handbag. It only took a few seconds for all the boxes to get absorbed into her handbag before she issued the command, ¡°Close,¡± which caused the suction power to vanish and returned the wind to normal.

    ¡°Is that a magic bag?¡± Zayden asked curiously.

    ¡°It is,¡± she told him with a smile.

    ¡°A very expensive one at that it stored so many of those boxes,¡± he commented in amazement.

    She glanced at him for a moment before saying, ¡°I can gift you this if you like.¡±

    ¡°Huh?!¡± He exclaimed and looked flabbergasted. ¡°What man would want a magic bag in the form of a handbag?!¡±

    His remark surprised her and made her burst into laughter while he looked indignantly at her.

    With the shopping over, they bid the staff farewell and made their way out of the shopping centre. As they came out, the guards saluted to them respectfully once again but just as Lina was about to speak to one of the valet staff when a loud explosion occurred somewhere outside followed by screams of terror.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?!¡± Zayden exclaimed in worry.

    Without a word, Lina rushed towards the entrance to the drive way and Zayden, who was initially startled by her rushing out, soon followed after her. They arrived outside to see clouds of smoke bellowing out from a jewellery shop.

    Several people were rushing out from the jewellery shop while one was yelling, ¡°Help! Web Raider is robbing us!¡±

    ¡°Web Raider!¡± Lina exclaimed with a serious look. ¡°That fiend is up to no good again!¡± She turned to Zayden and said, ¡°Zay, please call the security guilds to dispatch someone to handle him!¡±

    ¡°H-Huh?!¡± Zayden exclaimed, shocked at her suddenly shortening his name. As she rushed off, he tried to call after her, ¡°Lina! Wait! I don¡¯t have a phone!!¡± but she was too far to hear him. Frustrated, he turned around and rushed back to the shopping centre to get help.

    Meanwhile, at the jewellery store that was being robbed, a man in strange clothing walked out of the smoke with a gleeful smile appearing on his mostly covered face.

    ¡°Today¡¯s a good haul. I like it!¡± He said, thumping the sack he was carrying over his shoulder.

    ¡°Web Raider!¡± Shouted a female voice, and he turned to see Lina standing there with an angry look. She seemingly pulled out a gun out of handbag and pointed it at him while shouting, ¡°Stop right there!¡±

    ¡°Oh? What¡¯s this?¡± He asked with a shrill laugh while eying her up and down. ¡°I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re some rich lady out for shopping? Sorry, miss, but this store¡¯s closed for today. Kakakakaka!¡±

    His laugh was strange, but Lina ignored it as she firmly said, ¡°You are breaking the law, so surrender immediately!¡±

    ¡°Or else? What? You¡¯re gonna'' shoot me?¡±  He asked with a sneer. Then he formed his hand in the shape of a gun and pointed it at her while saying, ¡°Two can play at that game. Web Pistol!¡±

    In an instant, webs like spider shaped like a bullet were fired from the tip of his finger straight at her. Lina reacted instantly by aiming her gun at each of the incoming attacks and pulling the trigger. The bullet that exited from her gun flew off at immense speed and collided against the incoming web attack, which caused both attacks to get shattered into pieces with a loud bang sound.

    ¡°Oh? A markswoman?¡± The criminal asked with a laugh. ¡°How funny, but I¡¯d like to see you try this!¡± Then he changed the shape of his hand by opening his hand and pointing all five fingers at her before shouting, ¡°Web Finger Barrage!¡±

    In an instant, rapid web blasts erupted from the tips of his fingers and flew rapidly towards her. Once again, Lina aimed her gun at the incoming web attacks and fired as quicky as he could. However, she realised there were too many of them and dived out of the way of the attack, which flew past her and pierced straight through a vacant car parked on the street.

    ¡°Damn!¡± She cursed as she began to dodge the attacks by using things like poles, cars, dustbins, or any solid object that gave her some hiding space.

    ¡°Faster than your gun, aren¡¯t I?!¡± The criminal named Web Raider proclaimed gleefully and stopped his barrage. ¡°Now then, adios little miss in fancy clothes!¡±

    He turned around and was about to charge away when something flew from above and crash landed heavily a few meters away from him. The crash was so heavy that the ground shook from the impact that seemed like an earthquake. Smoke erupted from the impact but it soon cleared to reveal a tall and muscly man standing at the centre of the crash.

    The man had short but spiky white hair matched by the white clothes he wore that had a cape which bellowed in the wind. He was stretching his muscles before smiling when he noticed the criminal begin to look worried at seeing who the man was.

    ¡°Wait!¡±

    ¡°No way!¡±

    ¡°Hold on!¡±

    ¡°Is that¡­?¡±

    ¡°Could it be?!¡±

    Amidist the excited whispering of the people, who were clearly awed by his appearance, the man proclaimed confidently with a confident smile, ¡°Fear not, my people for I, Wonder Man, am here!¡±

 Chapter 8

    ¡°Wonder Man!¡± The crowd yelled triumphantly while he waved at them with a big smile.

    ¡°Why did it have to be you?¡± Lina asked with an astonished look on her face.

    ¡°Oh my?¡± Wonder Man asked and turned to look at her with a serene smile. ¡°That¡¯s very rude of you, princess.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t call me that!¡± She exclaimed and suddenly looked annoyed.

    ¡°But you are though in our guild,¡± he replied in his defence before winking cheekily at her.

    She placed a hand on her face and shook her head in exasperation before muttering, ¡°Why did it have to be you and no other hero?¡±

    ¡°Well, we received a call that you had rushed out to face a villain on your own and I happened to be in the office at that time, so¡­ here I am!¡± He explained brightly.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask for an explanation.¡±

    ¡°I felt I should give you one since you seemed to be wondering about it.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t wondering about it.¡±

    ¡°Sure, you weren¡¯t.¡±

    As she looked at him with annoyance, and he looked at her with a smile, they were suddenly interrupted when spider web came flying towards them. Wonder Man raised his hand in the air and caught the web, which wrapped itself around his hand and made it difficult for him to unfold his hand from the fist form.

    ¡°Fancy seeing you here, Wonder Man,¡± said Web Raider with a sinister smile on his face.

    ¡°Looks like you¡¯re up to no good once more, Web Raider,¡± said Wonder Man as he turned to face him. ¡°You should take responsibility and use such power for a great cause.¡±

    For a moment, the smile on Web Raider¡¯s smile flickered before he replied, ¡°A privileged man wouldn¡¯t understand the sufferings of the less privileged.¡±

    ¡°I wonder about the logic behind those words,¡± said Wonder Man curiously. Then he smiled and said, ¡°Only way to find out is by apprehending you.¡±

    ¡°Like I will let you!¡± Web Raider exclaimed and fired multiple spider webs at him while shouting, ¡°Web Finger Barrage!¡±

    Multiple spider webs were shot from his fingers and flew straight towards Wonder Man, who stood there with a smile on his face. Then, as the attacked reached him, he instantly moved his hand that was encased in a spider web and began destroying each and every one of them in a fluid movement.

    Web Raider continued to fire the barrage of spider webs until he suddenly stopped, which Wonder Man took advantage and charge straight towards him. He brought his fist back and unleashed it forward, which Web Raider caught in the palm of his hand much to the surprise of everyone there.

    ¡°Oh, you caught my punch,¡± said Wonder Man in amazement. ¡°Not bad.¡±

    Web Raider smirked and with his free hand, he aimed it at the feet of Wonder Man and said, ¡°Sticky Web!¡±

    In an instant, two balls of webs were fired form his hand and they smacked against the feet of Wonder Man. Then they transformed and encased around his feet and glued themselves to the ground around him.

    ¡°Now I have you where I want you!¡± Web Raider shouted and began unleashing a barrage of punches straight at Wonder Man.

    Each hit carried a lot of strength and sent small shock waves in all directions. The watching crowd watched on in stunned silence with a horrified expressions on their faces at the sight of their beloved hero being punched black and blue without any shred of mercy.

    ¡°Oh no¡­!¡±

    ¡°Wonder Man!¡±

    ¡°Is he¡­ going to lose?!¡±

    ¡°No way¡­!¡±

    Lina watched on in silence with a serious expression on her face as the beating proceeded. After almost a minute of the punching, Web Raider stepped back while breathing heavily with a satisfied look on his face.

    ¡°That¡¯s for all the annoyance you have caused me for all these years!¡± He said triumphantly.

    Wonder Man stood still and silent as blood dripped from the places that he was beaten badly. He unlike Web Raider, was not breathing heavily and in fact seemed very calm despite being beaten into a pulp.

    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    Then Lina shouted, ¡°Enough games, Wonder Man! It¡¯s not funny anymore.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Web Raider exclaimed, looking stunned as Wonder Man raised his hand and cracked a smile.

    ¡°I wonder indeed,¡± he said with a wide smile. Then he said, ¡°Wonder Heal.¡±

    In an instant, he was surrounded by a green glow that very quickly healed all of his wounds and returned to him he was before the beating began. Then he stared at the villain with a smile before the ground began to shake slightly and the pressure in the air thickened, causing the hairs on end of the people around them to stand up in alarm.

    Wonder Man suddenly kicked off the ground and caused it to break apart as he flew forward before shouting, ¡°Wonder¡­ Punch!¡±

    He pulled his fist back and unleashed it straight in the gut of the villain, causing Web Raider to widen his eyes in horror. Upon impact, a powerful shock wave got released and this caused the Web Raider to fly backwards after letting out a strong groan of pain.

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Cheered the watching crowd.

    ¡°Here it is!¡±

    ¡°The Wonder Attack is here!¡±

    Lina covered her face with her hand with a flabbergasted look on her face from the whole scene.

    Without relenting, Wonder Man chased after him and shouted yet another technique of his.

    ¡°Wonder¡­ Kick!¡±

    With that, he unleashed a strong kick to the Web Raider¡¯s side, causing him even more pain as he was sent flying straight into a building. The people scattered in every direction as pieces of the building crumbled down from impact as Wonder Man landed back down.

    ¡°Oops, I didn¡¯t mean to do that,¡± he lamented with a sheepish smile.

    He suddenly received a punch from the back and turned to see Lina standing there as she said in annoyance, ¡°This isn¡¯t the first time you said that!¡±

    As he continued to smile sheepishly, they heard running footsteps from behind and turned to see Zayden running towards them.

    ¡°Lina!¡± He called to her as he reached her and breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    ¡°Yes, no thanks to this guy,¡± she said and glanced at Wonder Man.

    ¡°Princess¡ª!¡± He began with a wry smile.

    ¡°Stop calling me that!¡±

    He chuckled and asked, ¡°I wonder who this man is,¡± and eyed Zayden with curiosity.

    ¡°This is Zayden,¡± she introduced him. ¡°I met him at the hospital that I work after he came there heavily injured.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± said Wonder Man with a curious smile.

    ¡°Hello there. My name is Zayden, how do you do?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s another good day, so I¡¯m doing good,¡± Wonder Man said with a bright smile. Then he noticed something and asked, ¡°How come you aren¡¯t smiling?¡±

    Zayden blinked in surprise and asked, ¡°Is there a reason to smile?¡±

    To that, Wonder Man grinned and replied with a question of, ¡°Do you need a reason to smile?¡±

    This surprised Zayden as he never expected someone to ask him that.

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not sure,¡± said Zayden uncertainly.

    ¡°You should wonder about that,¡± advised Wonder Man with a smile.

    There was a moment of silence between them when before Lina said, ¡°Go check on the people over there from the mess you created.¡±

    ¡°I will,¡± he told her and walked away towards the people neared the collapsed building.

    As he walked away, Lina turned to Zayden and said, ¡°Don¡¯t think over his words too much. He can be stupid at times and downright annoying at other times.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Zayden asked and turned to look at Wonder Man helping people with a bright smile. ¡°Despite what you said, he is a well-liked person and he is the strongest member of the Berserks Guild.¡±

    ¡°He is but he¡¯s very childish in his mannerism!¡± She complained with a shake of her head.

    ¡°Childish?¡± Zayden asked and pondered about it.

    He recalled earlier as he was hurrying towards them when he saw Wonder Man¡¯s attacks.

    ¡°Wonder Punch.¡±

    ¡°Wonder Kick.¡±

    Each of the techniques began with the word ¡®Wonder¡¯ and it reminded him of a certain someone from his past as Asura. This made him reflexively chuckle much to Lina¡¯s surprise.

    ¡°So, you do know how to laugh,¡± she commented with a shrewd smile.

    ¡°Um¡­¡± He reacted in surprise at her remark before returning to his normal expression and said, ¡°I just remembered someone behaving like that in the past.¡±

    Asura, in control of Zayden¡¯s body, remembered some fond memories he had with his only blood brother from his previous world. He remembered the silliness that his younger brother would get up to and Wonder Man¡¯s behaviour was somewhat similar. However, his expression darkened when the memories ended with him holding the limp body of his brother while the rain poured down on them on that destroyed battlefield.

    Lina noticed the change in his expression and wondered, ¡°Why does he look like he did something wrong?¡± Then she looked back at Wonder Man and wondered aloud, ¡°Anyway, I think we should apprehend Web Raider now.¡±

    ¡°Not a chance!¡± Shouted a voice from close by.

    There was a sudden bust of dust from which Web Raider dashed out from at an incredible speed. Lina reacted with surprise and Wonder Man also was alarmed to see that he was conscious.

    ¡°Stop!¡± Wonder Man shouted, dropping the people he was helping and immediately rushing towards him.

    ¡°No!¡± Web Raider shouted back, with his hand forming a web form in the shape of a sword. ¡°The privileged people always take from the less privileged, so consider this as payback!¡±

    As he reached Lina, who widened her eyes in horror and winced by raising her hands up in defence as he said in a surprisingly remorseful voice, ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± and lunged the blade of web at her.

    She braced herself, expecting the dreadful weapon to pierce her, however, nothing happened. Then she slowly unwrapped her hands and saw the blade of web just centimetres away from her. Looking at what had caused it to stop in its place, she saw a hand holding the blade in place and she turned to see it was Zayden holding it.

    Web Raider tried his best to budge his blade of web but it did not budge and he shouted, ¡°Let go!¡±

    Zayden, with a serious expression on his face, simply replied with a strong, ¡°No.¡±

    Then he took a step to the side and pulled the Web Raider towards him much to the villain¡¯s surprise. As he stumbled forward, he let go of the blade of web and grabbed his face firmly. In the same flowing movement, he gripped firmly and raised him high into the air before slamming him down heavily onto the ground, causing it to crash and a lot of dust to explode into the air while the ground shook from the impact.

    Zayden let go of the Web Raider¡¯s face, whose eyes were rolling in dizziness and he straightened up before telling to the villain, ¡°Apology not accepted.¡±

 Chapter 9

    Zayden looked down at the Web Raider with a serious expression on his face while Lina watched from the side with a look of amazement on her face. Previously, her expression was in shock and she had put her arms up in front of herself in defence as the Web Raider had attempted at her life, but she was saved at the last second by Zayden.

    This amazed her since she could not believe him to be strong enough to defend himself against such a strong attack, let alone catch it and grab the enemy¡¯s face and slam him heavily onto the ground. The reason for this was due to his recent admission to the hospital where she worked at, with his life teetering on the verge of death. So, it was a far cry to see such a person suddenly be able to do this for her.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± He asked her with concern.

    ¡°Y-Yes. I¡¯m okay,¡± she replied timidly, continuing to look at him in amazement. ¡°Thank you for saving my life.¡±

    ¡°Naturally since you saved mine,¡± he replied and faintly smiled at her, much to her surprise. ¡°It¡¯s only natural that I should save you now that I got the chance.¡±

    She looked at him in surprise and then noticed something strange about his, widening her eyes in alarm upon seeing the blood streaming down from his hand.

    ¡°Oh no! Your hand!¡± She exclaimed with worry and hurried to check up on his hand.

    Lina was alarmed to find deep cuts on the palm of his hand as well as the fingers, which made her realise this was the hand he had used to catch he attack from before.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s just a small scratch,¡± he reassured her confidently.

    She looked up at him with a stunned disbelief expression before exclaiming, ¡°This isn¡¯t a small scratch! This is bad!¡± Then she covered his hand with both of hers and closed her eyes before chanting a spell, ¡°Heal.¡±

    In an instant, his hand began to glow with a bright green colour, and he winced as he experienced pain. A few seconds later, the glow dimmed and disappeared and only then did she take her hands away from his hand to reveal the injury to no longer to be there except for the stained blood.

    ¡°Wow. This is amazing,¡± he reacted in amazement and, once again, smiled faintly at her as she said, ¡°Thank you, Lina.¡±

    She was taken aback by seeing the faintest smile and smiled warmly at her before saying, ¡°You¡¯re most welcome!¡±

    Just then, Wonder Man asked, ¡°I wonder what¡¯s gotten you to smile like that, princess?¡±

    ¡°Nothing!¡± She exclaimed, turning to look at him with great annoyance. ¡°And stop calling me princess!¡±

    ¡°I wonder about that,¡± he said with a shrewd look.

    She shook her head disapprovingly and looked down at the grounded Web Raider and asked, ¡°Well, we should apprehend him.¡±

    ¡°Certainly,¡± agreed Wonder Man.

    He bent down to pick him up, but to his surprise, the enemy¡¯s body suddenly sagged and gave way as if it was made of threads.

    ¡°What is this?!¡± Lina exclaimed, looking alarmed.

    ¡°I wonder¡­¡± said Wonder Man thoughtfully. ¡°Seems like he¡¯s done it again.¡±

    ¡°Again?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Wonder Man began and turned towards her with a disappointed smile before saying, ¡°he transformed.¡±

    Lina reacted to his statement in alarm and exclaimed, ¡°What?! He can transform?! I had no idea!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that widely known even though we made a special note of it, but I had completely forgotten about it,¡± he lamented and sighed wearily with a small smile. ¡°There¡¯s no helping it.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean, there¡¯s no helping out?¡± She exclaimed with an incredulous look. ¡°Quickly figure out where he went and, also, find out what he transformed into!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s an easy guess; a spider.¡±

    ¡°A spider? You¡¯re kidding.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the only logical explanation considering his web-based powers.¡±

    Lina looked frustrated and said, ¡°This is frustrating! A spider of all creatures to transform into. Not only that, but he could transform in the place. How is it possible?¡±

    Wonder Man shrugged his shoulders and said, ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but it¡¯s a pity he¡¯s a villain. Such powers could do so much good towards society.¡±

    ¡°Wonder Man, stop being so hopeful about people that turned their backs on the society and commit villain deeds. They need to be brought before justice and punished accordingly.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with having faith in the humanity in each of us, right, princess?¡±

    She sighed and said, ¡°You¡¯ve got a point, but it¡¯s risky to treat every villain that way.¡±

    Just then, Zayden interjected by saying, ¡°I support Wonder Man¡¯s statement.¡±

    They turned to look at him, with Lina looked surprised and Wonder Man smiling with curiosity.

    ¡°Why is that, Zayden?¡± She asked curiously.

    ¡°It¡¯s because¡­¡± he began and hesitated.

    The truth was that Asura, who was in control of Zayden¡¯s body, had previously been able to sense the inner nature of the Web Raider upon grabbing his face with the help of his constantly active technique called Elemental Sense. He was startled when he sensed various emotions from him that were sadness, grief, anger, pain and, unexpectedly, regret.

    Assessing such feelings and having listened to his claims of the difference between an underprivileged and a privileged person, he hastened to guess that Web Raider was a good man committing deeds for an unknown strong reason.

    Not wishing to divulge his abilities as he felt he was not ready, he instead thought of something and replied, ¡°I feel it¡¯s too unreasonable to simply identify a person based on their actions at surface level when there could be a great reason hidden behind their deeds. After all, no human is born evil.¡±

    Lina looked surprised by his statement while Wonder Man nodded approvingly.

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    ¡°Nice one!¡± Wonder Man said approvingly with a grin. ¡°I like the way you worded that so nicely. I wish there were more people that think like the way that you do, Zayden.¡± Then he added, ¡°And also, you should smile more like you did towards the princess.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Zayden asked, looking surprised.

    ¡°I can understand why you would smile towards the princess. She is quite cute, rich, able to use magic spells skilfully and is very clever despite what others say.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Lina exclaimed, widening her eyes in shock while Zayden blinked in surprise. ¡°Stop calling me cute, but more than that, who is it that¡¯s saying I¡¯m an incompetent behind my back?!¡±

    She demanded with a piercing glare at Wonder Man, who seemed unperturbed by her expression and merely smiled at her before saying, ¡°I wonder who myself.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t play games with me, Wonder Man!¡±

    ¡°I wonder about that.¡±

    ¡°Damnit! I¡¯ll complain to dad!¡±

    ¡°I wonder what good that would do.¡±

    ¡°What does that mean?¡±

    Wonder Man glanced around at all the civilians that were present around them before saying, ¡°This isn¡¯t the place to be discussing this.¡± Then he straightened up and said, ¡°Anyway, while it¡¯s a pity that the villain escaped, we were able to stop him from causing major damage like the last time.¡±

    He then turned to Zayden and said, ¡°Thank you for making the call for assistance in dealing with the situation as well as saving the princess¡¯s life.¡±

    ¡°For the last time, stop calling me ¡®princess¡¯ for crying out loud!¡± Lina exclaimed with great annoyance.

    ¡°I wonder if it¡¯s possible.¡±

    ¡°Ugh!¡± Lina exclaimed with great anger.

    She looked like she was going to pull out her gun and shoot him. In the next moment, she breathed a heavy sigh and turned away while fuming angrily. Wonder Man smiled playfully at her and Zayden looked at her with another faint smile before his expression retuned to looking serious as he turned to Wonder Man.

    ¡°I¡¯m only glad to be of assistance to her as she took care me of during my stay at the hospital for heroes.¡±

    ¡°Oh my?¡± Wonder Man asked, looking surprised. ¡°She took care of you? In what way?¡±

    ¡°Wonder Man!¡± Lina exclaimed sharply, and turned back to look irritably at him. ¡°Stop messing with me!¡±

    He laughed at her cheerily and said, ¡°I wonder why you aren¡¯t used to it by now already, princess.¡±

    She looked like she wanted to do something bad to him, but once again, she breathed a heavy sigh and turned away. Grinning at her behaviour, he turned back to address Zayden once more.

    ¡°Well, I hope you have gotten better and will take better care of yourself while fighting crime.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Zayden asked, looking confused. ¡°Why do you say that?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because you¡¯re a super hero,¡± said Wonder Man with a smile much to Zayden¡¯s surprise. ¡°As a fellow super hero, I understand the desire to fight crime is glorious, but you need to take better care of yourself as well. By the way, I wonder what guild you belong to if I may ask?¡±

    Zayden looking at him with a perplexed look before realising what he was talking about. It seemed like Wonder Man had misunderstood Zayden to be a super hero since he stated he was taken care of by Lina at the hero¡¯s hospital.

    ¡°He¡¯s not a super hero,¡± Lina connected him after having calmed down and walking back to join them.

    Wonder Man blinked twice in surprise before looking amazed as he asked, ¡°Wait, really?¡± When she nodded, he turned to Zayden and asked, ¡°You¡¯re really not a super hero?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not,¡± said Zayden and he shook his head in denial. ¡°I¡¯m a student studying at the local university.¡±

    ¡°You are? Then, how did you block that attack earlier from Web Raider when we didn¡¯t awaken as a super hero?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡± began Zayden hesitantly and looked down at the ground before saying, ¡°I didn¡¯t want to lose.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°The reason I was admitted to the hero hospital was due to an incident that involved me personally. After having experienced that, I didn¡¯t want to become another statistic. I wanted to help, and I never want to lose again like that.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s been exercising and training by himself every since his recovery began at the hospital,¡± explained Lina by giving detailed explanation of his daily routine.

    ¡°Wow¡­!¡± Wonder Man said in amazement. ¡°That¡¯s quite the strong drive you got though unfortunate you felt like doing it due to experiencing something really terrible.¡± At that moment, the big super hero suddenly had a thought and said, ¡°Wait, will you let me examine you?¡±

    Zayden blinked twice and asked, ¡°Pardon?¡±

    ¡°Wonder Man¡­?¡± Lina asked with a serious look.

    ¡°Relax, relax,¡± said Wonder Man to them by raising both of his hand in the air in front of him in a calming gesture. ¡°Please don¡¯t misunderstand. What I meant was, I would like to check if Zayden possessed any super power.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Lina asked in surprise.

    ¡°You can tell if I possess super power?¡± Asked Zayden, also in surprise.

    ¡°Yes,¡± admitted Wonder Man with a nod of his head. ¡°My powers allow me to see through anything that I wonder about, and I was able to detect even the slightest bit of super power in someone. Since you were able to handle that attack earlier, I felt that perhaps you had unknowingly awakened your super power.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± said Zayden shortly, looking curiously, but inwardly he was worried.

    Asura felt like a foreign entity in the body that belonged to somebody else, and if he allowed himself to be examined, he feared that it would be discovered that a foreign soul was dwelling inside the body. If that were to happen, he was unsure what everyone in that world would do and that got him worried.

    ¡°Can you please hold out your hand like this?¡± Wonder Man asked, and he extended his hand out to him.

    Zayden hesitated and turned to look at Lina, looking curiously at her. She, somewhat understood his concern, nodded her head and smiled reassuringly at him.

    ¡°He will only detect about your super power, nothing more and nothing else,¡± she reassured him.

    ¡°It¡¯s like what the princess said,¡± Wonder Man also added to further reassure him. Then he grinned and said, ¡°Believe me, I¡¯m not a scummy person. I value honour above all else, including my very life.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ see¡­¡± said Zayden slowly in amazement. There was yet another few seconds of pause before he sighed and extended his hand out to him.

    ¡°Alright. This won¡¯t take long,¡± said Wonder Man to the two of them. Then he closed his eyes and muttered, ¡°I wonder what you are.¡±

    In an instant, his mind felt as though it got sucked through something and kept on diving deeper and deeper into something. A moment later, he felt the touch of solid surface and opened his eyes to find himself in a completely dark surrounding with a glowing light shining down on him from somewhere high above.

    ¡°Um¡­ okay?¡± He wondered to himself while glancing around. ¡°This feels strange. What is this?¡±

    For a few seconds, only silence and darkness lingered around him as he continued glancing around. As he walked forward, the light from above continued to follow him to ensure he does not come close to the darkness that surrounded him on all sides.

    After walking for a while and glancing on all sides, he came to a stop and wondered aloud, ¡°This can¡¯t be. Does he really not have a super power?¡±

    Yet again, only silence followed his question, but he shook his head to not accept it.

    ¡°I refuse to accept it. He was able to grab and hold onto that attack used by a super villain. He must have a super power, otherwise that simply cannot be possible by a regular human no matter how much strength they gain.¡±

    His smile faded and he grew serious as he said, ¡°I wonder what¡¯s hidden here.¡±

    In an instant, a strong wind began to blow when up until that point there was no wind at all. It blew in all direction and, as if in response, something of small scale appeared somewhere in front of him. Wonder Man noticed it and turned in that direction to see a small glowing light somewhere in the distance.

    This surprised him and as he took a step forward, suddenly there was a rushing force and the white glow enveloped him from the front and completely extinguished all the darkness that surrounded him.

    He widened his eyes in alarm at this unnatural response as all the darkness was taken over by the light and an intense wind began blowing towards him, trying to force him backwards. Despite the strong attempts, he fought against it and kept his eyes open to see what it was that pushed against him.

    At that moment, a silhouette of a person appeared, although the precise description would be that only a pair of eyes appeared to hover magically in the light that looked directly at him. The eyes were golden in colour and there was a strange shape in the form of red crown with wings while the pupil was located in the centre of the eye.

    ¡°W-What¡­?¡± Wonder Man reacted in awe, as a strange chill ran throughout his body as he gazed at eyes that looked back at him unblinkingly.

    Suddenly, there was a strange shift in power and a larger pair of eyes appeared above the red crown shaped eyes and Wonder Man looked at them in alarm. These pair of eyes looked to be that belonged to a woman and they were completely red in colour with a lack pf pupil.

    Wonder Man was not sure, but he felt something strange wash over him as he looked at these new eyes. Almost reflexively, he brought his hands in front of him and formed them in the shape of a prayer. He did not intend to do it, but his instincts made him do it almost as if it was a requirement.

    Then a woman¡¯s commanding voice said, ¡°You are not welcome here. Leave.¡±

    In an instant, a violent wind whooshed towards him and lifted him off his feet.

    ¡°W-Wait!¡± He called out to the owner of the red women eyes, but the wind carried him away quickly and the white power diminished, returning everything back to darkness.

 Chapter 10

    ¡°Ah!¡± Exclaimed Woman Man the moment he opened his eyes.

    ¡°Wonder Man!¡± Lina exclaimed in surprise. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    He remained silent as took several deep breaths to steady himself before looking at them. Lina was looking at him with a concerned expression on her face whereas Zayden eyed him with a neutral expression.

    ¡°What did I see¡­?¡± He wondered aloud.

    This made Lina raise an eyebrow incredulously and ask, ¡°Huh? Why¡¯re you asking yourself that?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what I just saw.¡±

    ¡°What? You don¡¯t know what you saw?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°How can that be? Surely, it would¡¯ve been something, but why are you unsure?¡±

    ¡°I wonder about that¡­¡± he mumbled hesitantly, trying to recollect what he had witnessed.

    Zayden observed their conversation before asking Lina, ¡°Why¡¯re you so worried by his confusion?¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± she began by glancing at Wonder Man before turning back to Zayden as she explained, ¡°You know how I told you Wonder Man could see someone¡¯s super power simply by wondering about it?¡±

    ¡°Yes, you did.¡±

    ¡°Well, from all the cases he had taken, he has a track record of ninety percent accuracy.¡±

    This surprised Zayden as he reacted with, ¡°What? Really? Then, this is a big deal.¡±

    ¡°It is,¡± she agreed gravely and turned back to Wonder Man. ¡°At least, try to remember what you saw.¡±

    ¡°I wonder if that¡¯s possible,¡± he replied flatly. ¡°I can¡¯t recall¡­ anything. It¡¯s almost like what I witnessed was wiped from my memory.¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t make sense. How can what you witnessed suddenly vanish?¡±

    Wonder Man shook his head and stated, ¡°I¡¯m unsure, but,¡± and he turned towards Zayden, ¡°I can be certain that he possesses a super power. I just don¡¯t know what kind it is.¡±

    ¡°He does?¡± Lina asked in surprise.

    ¡°I do?¡± Zayden asked, equally as surprised as Lina.

    ¡°Yes,¡± said Wonder Man and smiled at him. ¡°I believe it to be extremely powerful one at that too.¡±

    Lina and Zayden look at him in amazement before Lina asked sceptically, ¡°Are you sure? You just said you don¡¯t even remember clearly what you saw, so how can you be certain his super power is incredible?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m positive, princess,¡± he said confidently with a grin on his face, to which she whacked him on the head in annoyance. Rubbing his head, he continued to say, ¡°We can prove my words by visiting the super human testing centre.¡±

    Asura recalled from Zayden¡¯s memories that this was the facility that tests and assess the people that visit it on whether they are super human or not. It is a government run organisation with facilities spread across the entire world to ensure super humans are logged correctly.

    ¡°You¡¯re bring a bit too pushy, Wonder Man,¡± said Lina doubtfully.

    ¡°Princess, I¡¯m positive he¡¯s a super human!¡± Wonder Man said firmly while looking at her with great confidence. ¡°It¡¯ll be proven if he simply takes the test. That¡¯s all there is to it.¡±

    Lina continued to look perplexed and doubtful over his words, as if unsure what to decide. She knew from previously of how disappointing people felt about themselves after not being able to awaken as a super human.

    It was at that moment that Zayden stepped forward and said, ¡°I will take the test.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Lina asked in surprise while Wonder Man nodded his head in ascent with a bright smile.

    ¡°Are you sure about this?¡± She asked with concern.

    ¡°I am,¡± he replied positively. ¡°I¡¯d like to see for myself to be honest.¡± Then he thought to himself, ¡°I don¡¯t know what he saw, but he will be very suspicious of me if I simply walk away from this. I don¡¯t want that. I have to keep a low profile until I manage to regain some of my prime state. Besides, I¡¯m curious what this testing facility will be like.¡±

    As such, the three came to an agreement to get Zayden tested at the super human testing facility to ascertain about his super human status. Just as they were about to depart, the security force of the area arrived and Wonder Man decided he would stay behind to explain what had happened to them while Lina and Zayden departed for the facility.

    With that, Lina and Zayden got back into the luxury car, and she drove them both at high speed towards the testing facility. It did not take them long, about a few minutes from the shopping mall, when she turned into a drive way and finally parked the car in what looked like a parking lot.

    ¡°We got here fast,¡± commented Zayden in amazement.

    ¡°I¡¯m a fast driver with a fast car and fast skills to top it all off,¡± said Lina confidently.

    He turned his head to look at her with an exasperated look and asked, ¡°Were you even driving under the speed limit?¡±

    ¡°Course¡¯ I was. That was the maid road and the speed limit was at 110,¡± she said confidently.

    He stared at her for a moment in silence before asking, ¡°Are you sure about that?¡±

    ¡°I am. Why?¡±

    He slowly tilted his head to the side to look towards the road and pointed to a road sign some distance away from them.

    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    ¡°Do you see what it says in that red circle?¡±

    She turned to look in the direction he was pointing and saw the number in the circle, which read ¡°70.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± she said simply and remained silent while continuing to stare at it. ¡°I don¡¯t know why it says that.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know why it says that?¡± He asked her curiously with an eyebrow raised in exasperation.

    ¡°Yes, I swear!¡± She said and turned back to look at him with an incredulous look. ¡°They must¡¯ve changed the speed zone, but up until here the speed zone was 110. I swear!¡±

    She kept insisting what she believed in with a flustered look made him internally find it very funny.

    ¡°Alright, I believe you,¡± he told her, and she sighed a deep breath. Then he advised her, ¡°You¡¯re a driver with an amazing car with high-speed skills, but I hope you remember your family that are waiting for you to come home safe and sound. So, please¡­ drive safely.¡±

    For a moment, she was surprised by his statement before nodding and saying, ¡°Yes. I understand. I¡¯ll be careful in the future.¡± There was a momentary pause in which he nodded with a faint smile before she realised something and defended herself with, ¡°Wait! Why am I reacting like I did something wrong? I swear I was driving safely and not recklessly like so many others!¡±

    ¡°I believe you,¡± he told her with yet another faint smile. Then he pointed at the building before them and asked, ¡°Can we go in now?¡±

    ¡°Um¡­ Yes. Sure, we can,¡± she said in agreement with a defeated look on her face.

    The two of them headed towards the large building, where people were coming in and out holding papers. Much of the people going inside had an apprehensive expression on their faces while those coming out had the most dejected looks on their faces.

    ¡°I think you can tell what all that is about,¡± said Lina, nodding at the nervous people going in and the people with great depression coming out.

    ¡°They¡¯re here to take the test,¡± he replied, and she nodded in ascent.

    After entering the building, Lina lead the way and Zayden followed her as he had been her for the first time, including in the memories that Zayden experienced. Then she told him to hang back while she handles the testing measures, and so he stood there silently while glancing around at the people walking by.

    There were people wearing black suits like uniform that spoke to people holding some kind of paperwork before leading them away towards the innards of the building. Then there were others following the people wearing the black suit from the innards of the building with depressed expressions.

    Asura was appalled that several of them were crying, especially grown men from the extreme disappointment. He could not comprehend the reason for them to possess such devastated feelings considering everything that he had experienced.

    ¡°To think I¡¯ve ever cried only two times in my life compared to these people,¡± he muttered to himself.

    There were indeed only two times, two different situations that destroyed his very being and made him cry his heart out. However, before he could reminiscence about it, Lina returned followed by a woman wearing yet another black suit that seemed like a uniform in here.

    ¡°Come along. We¡¯ll get you tested now,¡± she told him with a smile, and he nodded in understanding.

    The woman in black suit bowed to him and greeted him with, ¡°Greetings, sir. My name is Pina Mahart, and I will be in charge of your testing today.¡±

    ¡°Thank you very much,¡± he replied and nodded his head at her. ¡°I¡¯ll be in your care.¡±

    ¡°Please, this way,¡± she said and began leading both Lina and Zayden into the building.

    ¡°Is this your first time being here, sir?¡± Pina asked him curiously.

    ¡°Yes, it is,¡± he replied with a neutral expression while looking around.

    ¡°I see,¡± she said, then stopped and turned around before giving him an encouraging look before saying, ¡°I wish you all the best!¡±

    He was startled by her behaviour before nodding and saying, ¡°Yeah. Thanks.¡±

    Then she turned around and began leading the way again before saying, ¡°Please don¡¯t let the expressions and expectations of others burden you. Remember, today is a special day for you, and whatever the result may be, be positive and stay positive.¡±

    ¡°T-Thank you for that,¡± said Zayden with a surprised expression.

    ¡°And remember, if you become a super hero, make sure to celebrate with the funds you receive for the first time. It marks the beginning of a grand adventure in your life on this marvellous day. So, it is only right to celebrate it. Okay?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯ll consider it,¡± he told her with a baffled look on his face.

    Walking beside him, Lina chuckled at his reaction and told him, ¡°Take it easy. There¡¯s nothing to fear, and everything will be fine. She¡¯s just trying to reassure you in her way.¡±

    ¡°I understand that, but¡­ isn¡¯t it excessive?¡±

    ¡°Oh no!¡± Pina said while glancing at him. ¡°You have no idea how many people threat to harm themselves if they were to fail the test. There were even incidents of people committing suicide because of failing the test and seemingly loosing hope in life.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­!¡±

    ¡°Yes. That is excessive, but we can¡¯t be sure of one¡¯s feelings unless we experience it ourselves,¡± she said sadly.

    He looked at her and felt the sadness emanating from her, so he reassured her by saying, ¡°Rest assured, I¡¯m not a person that gives up for an illusion.¡±

    Pina was clearly surprised by his words as she came to a stop and turned to look at him. Lina was also surprised by his statement and turned to look at him.

    ¡°Illusion?¡± Pina and Lina reacted in surprise.

    He nodded at them and said, ¡°Yes. Depression is an illusion. It only affects you if you allow it to. I mean, if giving up is such a simple thing, then there wouldn¡¯t be healers dedicating their energies into healing people, protecting people and making them feel better.¡±

    Then he paused for a brief second before adding, ¡°Besides, you¡¯re simply passing on the pain to somebody else by giving up, so I refuse to give up no matter what.¡±

    As soon as she finished speaking, silence fell on them as they came to a stop and the two women look at him in awe. He came to stop and looked at them with the same neutral look on his face.

    ¡°Am I wrong?¡± He asked finally to break the tense silence.

    ¡°Oh no. You¡¯re not,¡± said Pina and smiled at him. ¡°That¡¯s a very positive outlook you have, and I¡¯m actually glad about it.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, Zayden. You¡¯re perfectly spot on!¡± Lina said firmly and smiled at him while giving him a thumbs up gesture with her hand.

    As they turned and began walking again, Pina sighed and said, ¡°I wish everyone possess even a small amount of positivity that you possess, sir.¡±

    Zayden shifted his eyes slightly downward while muttering, ¡°True.¡±

    A few minutes later, they stopped outside a door, which Pina unlocked with a key by placing it on some kind of scanner. The door unlocked, and she turned the knob and swung the door open to a large room with strange equipment situated everywhere and people wearing white lab coats.

    ¡°Here we are,¡± said Pina happily. ¡°This is the place you¡¯ll be tested whether you are super human or not.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± he replied with the same neutral expression that did not give away how he was feeling.

    Pina told them to wait, and she hurried over to speak with the people wearing the white coats.

    While waiting, Lina asked him, ¡°Are you nervous?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± he replied simply.

    ¡°Really?¡± She asked in surprise. ¡°I was terribly worried.¡±

    ¡°Wait. You were also a super human?¡± He asked, turning to look at her in surprise.

    She nodded and replied, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m a super human except my super power isn¡¯t combat related.¡±

    ¡°Not combat related? Is that why you became a nurse at the hero hospital?¡±

    His question surprised her, and she turned to him and said, ¡°You¡¯re sharp.¡±

    ¡°Sorry if I guessed without your permission.¡±

    ¡°Not at all. I can see why you¡¯d come to that conclusion considering my dad is the guild leader of the strongest guild in our country, the Berserker¡¯s,¡± she said and sighed deeply. ¡°To be honest, I don¡¯t want to be here.¡±

    ¡°Oh no. I¡¯m sorry for putting you in this place for my sake,¡± he apologised quickly, realising she must have bad memories from that occasion from her time.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± she reassured him. Then she sighed and said, ¡°I was hoping I¡¯d get something useful, but in the end, I got something useless.¡±

    ¡°Is it? If you don¡¯t mind me asking, what was your super power?¡±

    She hesitated for a moment, but she was spared to think about it further when Pina returned to them and said cheerfully, ¡°Zayden, everything¡¯s ready! You can take your test now!¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± he said and straightened up. Then he turned to say to Lina, ¡°I¡¯ll be back.¡±

    ¡°Good luck!¡± She wished him with a bright smile.

    Nodding in acceptance, Zayden turned and stepped forward with a determined expression on his face.

 Chapter 11

    Upon being called, Zayden stepped forward and followed Pina towards the testing area, which appeared to be a large spherical structure located on the other end of the room. This made him feel puzzled as he was unsure how he was supposed to be tested there since there did not appear to be any kind of object or space for someone of his size.

    Just then, a pair of doors opened from the middle of the structure and swung wide open to reveal something that made him react with surprise.

    ¡°Huh? Is that a¡­ bed?¡± He asked while blinking in surprise.

    His reaction made Pina chuckle with laughter before replying, ¡°That is no ordinary bed. It¡¯s the bed that¡¯ll assess your status of being a super human and what rank your power fit in if you are one.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Surprised?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I was expecting some sort of orb for me to put my hand on.¡±

    ¡°Oh! Those!¡± She said knowingly and nodded in understanding. ¡°Those are old gen. These are the new gen.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± he replied while staring at the bed quizzically.

    As the preparations were underway, she indicated for him to head into the capsule and lie down on the bed. Following her instructions, he did so and was remarkably amazed by the feeling of the bed he lay on.

    ¡°Wow. This is comfortable.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± she said appreciatively. ¡°Our team had worked hard to make the most the testing process comfortable.¡±

    This perked his interest and made him ask, ¡°How come? Is the testing process that horrible?¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± she began and looked wryly at him, ¡°some individuals experienced many great things, including things like vomiting uncontrollably, losing consciousness and sometimes having to be rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment.¡±

    He raised himself off the bed slightly to look at her in shock.

    ¡°Rest easy. Such things only happened with the previous models and that happened like over a year ago, so you have nothing to worry about,¡± she assured him with a beaming smile on her face.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ not exactly reassuring,¡± he told her with concern.

    ¡°Relax and lie down. It¡¯ll be over before you know it!¡± She told him with a determined smile on her face.

    Just then, one of the people wearing a white coat called out to her by saying, ¡°Madam Pina, we¡¯re ready.¡±

    ¡°Alright!¡± She told him firmly. Then she turned back to Zayden and gave him a thumbs-up gesture and a wink of reassurance.

    Still feeling doubtful, he laid back down on the comfortable bed and relaxed as much as he can. Despite trying his best to relax, he was somewhat concerned by the short explanation she gave for the introduction of this bed for the assessment.

    ¡°I wonder what kind of test this involves for them to become like that?¡± He wondered to himself. ¡°Was the Force withdrawn from them by chance to the extend that put immense pressure on the people? Or did they somehow sapped the life force of the person taking the test without knowing it?¡±

    With his knowledge from his world, he knew Force was the substance that keeps the existence together and through that force was the Magic Force, Weapon Force and the Energy Force. This was what defined how users would use the Force within them to utilise their magic, weapons or raw energy.

    Comparing what he knew from his world and the knowledge of this world, he saw quite a lot of difference. For starters, the magic in this world seemed to be part of the nature and there was no concept for a Weapon Force other than the utilisation of imbuing energy into tools and weapons using things like engraving ruins and special characters.

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand why, but this world feels so foreign and familiar at the same time,¡± he thought to himself with a disgruntled expression.

    Just then, the doors to the outside closed shut and he heard Pina¡¯s voice say, ¡°Zayden, can you hear me?¡±

    ¡°Oh, this thing had a microphone on the inside?¡± He responded in surprise.

    He heard her laugh and say, ¡°I¡¯m glad you can still joke. Now, we¡¯ll be beginning the test. I want you to close your eyes and relax as best as you can. Like I said, those incidents were in the past and haven¡¯t occurred again in the last one year. So, relax. It¡¯ll be over before you know it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s reassuring,¡± he said with a sigh. ¡°Then, please wake me up once the testing is done.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re going to sleep?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Might as well take a nap since the bed is so comfortable. Far better than what I could every afford in my life,¡± he told her with in a joking manner.

    To that, she smiled understandingly and said, ¡°That¡¯s alright. Get a good rest.¡±

    As the preparations were underway to begin his assessment, Lina walked into the monitoring room. There were people moving around restlessly and people sitting on chairs in front of monitors typing rapidly onto the keyboards with their fingers.

    Lina glanced around at the people and as she arrived at the front end of the room, she glanced up at the multiple large screens hung on the front. They were depicting data that made no sense to her, but there was screen that showed Zayden lying in the bed eyes closed and looking completely relaxed.

    ¡°Is it¡­?¡± She began to ask Pina hesitantly.

    ¡°Asleep? Yes,¡± finished the other girl without turning to her while looking down a set of papers quickly. Then she handed over to the waiting person and gave quick instruction to them before turning to face her, ¡°He said to wake him up once the assessment is done.¡±

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    Lina laughed drily upon hearing what he had told her and said, ¡°I wish I had that kind of relaxed mood.¡±

    ¡°I wish everyone had that kind of relaxed mood,¡± said Pina while smiling up at the monitor showing him sleeping on the bed. ¡°It would make our job so much easier.¡±

    ¡°True,¡± said Lina shortly, and she glanced around at the enormous effort being undertaken to conduct the assessment. ¡°I can imagine how stressful for everyone because of the after effects.¡± Then she suddenly got a doubt and asked her, ¡°Did you tell him about them?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Pina began and hesitated to continue while looking nervous.

    Lina¡¯s eyes widened in alarm and asked, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell him?!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a very low chance of such a thing happening, so I just hold him that they¡¯d be rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment.¡±

    ¡°Even so, he has the right to know,¡± said Lina, shaking her head disapprovingly.

    Some of the after effects that she was concerned about were going into a coma, loosing memories, getting their internal organs badly damaged and loosing memories of themselves completely. Much of those symptoms appeared on those who had no a single trace of a super human state in their existence. As such, there was no way for them to survive against the assessment used by the government to check for their super human status.

    Pina looked at the worried look on Lina¡¯s face and asked, ¡°Why did you even bring him here if you¡¯re so worried?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to,¡± said Lina irritably. ¡°Wonder Man forced me.¡±

    ¡°Wonder Man?!¡± Pina exclaimed, making everyone stop what they were doing and turn towards her in shock. Noticing this, she clapped her hands and told them firmly, ¡°Get back to your work, everyone. Wonder Man is not here, so get back to your duties.¡±

    With an audible disappointment, everyone turned back to resume what they were doing.

    ¡°Stupids,¡± muttered Pina while Lina chuckled with a small smile. ¡°Anyway, why did he want this man tested?¡±

    ¡°Apparently, he saw something tremendous about him.¡±

    ¡°Tremendous?¡±

    ¡°Well, not exactly that word, but he did ascertain that he saw something incredible.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? That¡¯s certainly interesting.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    Pina also knew from first hand experience that Wonder Man had a keen sense of figuring out who had super human status and who did not. She thought back to the first time she witnessed him making such an assessment and the final result from the proper testing came out to prove his claims to be valid.

    ¡°If he said so, then I¡¯d believe them.¡±

    ¡°Yes, but the thing was he wasn¡¯t sure what he saw when he checked Zayden out.¡±

    ¡°What? He doesn¡¯t remember?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but he was quite confused himself and that had me worried.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t think he saw wrong, do you?¡± Pina asked worriedly.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Pina,¡± replied Lina worriedly, ¡°and that¡¯s what¡¯s got me worried.¡±

    There was a momentary silence between them before Pina asked, ¡°You don¡¯t think he saw wrong and now we¡¯re putting an ordinary civilian to go through this test?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know,¡± said Lina in a defeated tone. ¡°If he had been more confident, then I would¡¯ve been more confident, but with his uncertainty on what he saw, I don¡¯t know what to do.¡±

    Pina looked at her distraught expression and said, ¡°In that case, let¡¯s stop this test.¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Lina said firmly.

    ¡°But you said¡ª!¡±

    ¡°I know what I said, but he swore Zayden was a super human.¡±

    ¡°He¡­ swore?¡±

    ¡°Yes. He swore in his name and assured me to take him to the test.¡±

    Pina looked at her in astonishment and said, ¡°T-That¡¯s¡­!¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± said Lina in understanding with a grim look. ¡°It would look really bad for him if I were to ignore him since he has a consistent record of assessing people¡¯s super human status.¡±

    ¡°But if he¡¯s wrong due to his uncertainty and we¡¯re putting an ordinary person through this test, then the consequences would be bad for Zayden.¡±

    They both remained silent while the people around them continued to go about preparing the equipment for testing Zayden¡¯s super human status. Both of them were in a dilemma on what to do in the tricky situation they were put under. They could follow through with Wonder Man¡¯s strong desire to have him tested, or they could stop the test completely under the pretext that it was too risky to test an ordinary person through this.

    At that moment, Pina moved towards the mic and asked, ¡°Zayden. Can you hear me? Zayden?¡±

    The both of them looked up at the large screen only to see him lying motionless like before. He had his eyes closed and seemed to be sleeping peacefully with how slowly his body moved from breathing in and out.

    ¡°That¡¯s amazing,¡± remarked Pina in amazement.

    Lina chuckled and said, ¡°He actually fell asleep. That¡¯s truly amazing indeed.¡±

    There was yet another moment of silence between them before Lina broke it by saying, ¡°Carry on with the test, Pina.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Pina asked her seriously.

    Lina did not immediately reply and looked up at the monitor, at the sleeping figure of Zayden. Then she said, ¡°Yes. I am,¡± and turned to Pina before saying, ¡°Something about him just makes me believe he will be fine. Besides, I still have faith in Wonder Man¡¯s ability to ascertain someone¡¯s super human status.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s a valid point,¡± said Pina, nodding in understanding before looking perplexed and saying, ¡°although I don¡¯t understand about your faith in Zayden himself.¡±

    Lina then began explaining about her experience from having taken care of him throughout his stay at the hero hospital and having spent shopping with him. Pina was amazed to hear how badly injured he was when he was admitted, and then remarkable recover as well as how he began to perform body strengthening exercises daily without break.

    ¡°His attitude and behaviour just screamed someone that possessed a willpower that could not be broken under any circumstances,¡± said Lina with a look of admiration on her face.

    This surprised Pina by her statement and she asked with an incredulous look, ¡°You figured all that out by taking care of him and shopping with him?¡±

    To this, Lina looked at her and said, ¡°You know what my super power is, right?¡±

    ¡°Oh. That¡¯s right,¡± Pina said in realisation and nodded in understanding. ¡°In that case, I understand why you seem quite positive about him.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. So, I think it¡¯s fine to perform the test,¡± Lina said confidently.

    Pina nodded but still wore an apprehensive look as she said, ¡°Let¡¯s pray everything will work out for the best.¡±

    Lina did not say outwardly anything, but inwardly she thought while looking up at the monitor showing Zayden sleeping peacefully, ¡°It¡¯s all up to him now.¡±

    At that moment, one of the men hurried to Pina and said, ¡°Madam, everything is ready and waiting on your command.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± said Pina in satisfaction. She glanced up at the sleeping form of Zayden on the monitor and hesitated for a brief second before letting out a sigh and saying firmly, ¡°Proceed.¡±

    At that time, Wonder Man had just completed explaining the situation and giving further details to the security force of that area before departing by flying into the air. He flew incredibly fast through the air and reached the super human testing area very quickly and gently touched down.

    Many people were amazed to see him there and began crowding around him with faces full of joy and eagerness to meet him. He began greeting everyone with his signature wide smile, making sure not to miss a single person and even stopping to sign autographs upon request from several individuals.

    The people kept crowding around him, so he finally decided to gently go on his way by saying, ¡°Okay, everyone. I¡¯m very honoured that you¡¯re so happy to see me and want to meet me, but I have to be somewhere else. It¡¯s very important, so please allow me to go in. Thank you.¡±

    As such, the crowd of people slowly parted ways but continued to cheer for him and call his name. Thanking them and waving at them in farewell with a wide smile, he entered the building and headed to the reception. The lady behind the counter was stunned to see him there, but he got her to focus by stating for what business he was there for.

    After being informed of the location that he had intended to go, he smiled at her warmly and said, ¡°Thank you very much, lady. You¡¯re doing an amazing job. I am so proud of you.¡±

    With that, he departed and left the lady reeling from his unexpected praise that had her almost faint. Her colleagues caught her fainting body with concern, but they could not hide their happiness and envy as they watched his retreating back.

    He was here to ensure that Zayden was undergoing the super hero status assessment, and after learning about where the testing was taking place, he quickly headed there. It took him several minutes and finally he reached the place that he was informed about.

    ¡°Alright,¡± he said happily and pushed open the doors.

    The moment the lights swung open, he was met with a sight that shocked him so much that he exclaimed, ¡°What is this?!¡±

 Chapter 12

    The moment Wonder Man opened the door, he was met with something that made him react with, ¡°What is this?!¡±

    In front of him, there was a room filled with silence as people stared up at the large screens with various information changing constantly. He was quite confused, so he walked in, closed the door shut and headed towards where he someone familiar.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± He asked them.

    ¡°Oh!¡± Pina exclaimed upon laying her eyes on him. ¡°Wonder Man! What did we do to deserve this honour?¡±

    This made him raise an eyebrow while letting out a light chuckle before asking, ¡°What does that mean?¡±

    Pina stared at him in surprise before letting out a disgruntled sigh and saying, ¡°Why did you come here?¡±

    ¡°I came here to check up on that young man¡¯s super human assessment.¡±

    ¡°Young man?¡± Pina asked curiously.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t he.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not it. Why call him that when he has a perfectly decent name?¡±

    ¡°I wonder what it is¡­¡± he muttered with a sheepish smile.

    ¡°You¡¯re always like this,¡± she said with a sigh. ¡°It¡¯s Zayden.¡±

    ¡°Ah. Zayden,¡± said Wonder Man, and he nodded his head in understanding. Then he repeated by saying, ¡°I came to check upon Zayden¡¯s super human assessment, but¡­ what¡¯s this?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Why are you all just standing around?¡± He asked with a confused look. ¡°Also, why is he sleeping?¡±

    He pointed at one of the monitors, which showed him sleeping peacefully for reasons he could not think of.

    ¡°He said he¡¯ll take a light nap while we conduct the assessment,¡± said Pina with a wry smile. ¡°He even joked how the bed was too comfortable to stay awake for too long.¡±

    ¡°I can understand that sentiment,¡± smiled Wonder Man as he knew about the absolute comfort of those assessment beds, ¡°but I don¡¯t get why there¡¯s nothing happening here.¡±

    ¡°You think so?¡± Pina asked him with a raised eyebrow.

    ¡°Well¡­¡± he began and gestured with his hand all around. ¡°Everyone is inactive. Did you even begin the assessment yet?¡±

    ¡°We already concluded the assessment, Wonder Man,¡± replied Pina in a matter-of-fact tone much to his surprise.

    ¡°Wait? Already?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°And¡­ you didn¡¯t see anything¡­ strange?¡±

    Pina was momentarily taken aback by surprise from his unexpected words. Then she responded somewhat hesitantly, ¡°Well, when we started the program to begin the assessment, there was blinding light.¡±

    ¡°A blinding light?¡± He asked with a confused look. ¡°That¡¯s vague. What¡¯s the strength of the light since that usually defines the super human status of the person undergoing the assessment.¡±

    He knew how the super human assessment was conducted, which was to depict by exhibiting a brilliant light based on the level of the capabilities of the super human they were testing. The brighter the glow, the more powerful that person is and they could evaluate what kind of super power that person possessed.

    ¡°It was¡­ very bright¡­¡± said Pina with a nervous look.

    As he stared at her in confusion, Pina elaborated by saying, ¡°The light was so bright that the equipment began to go out of control.¡±

    This made him blink twice in surprise and ask to their surprise, ¡°Really?¡±

    His smile even widened as if he was expecting something like this to occur, which baffled them.

    ¡°Yeah, it was wild. We were even worried that the dome might explode from the intensity.¡±

    This took Wonder Man aback as he was not expecting such a level of comment from her.

    ¡°Really? It was that powerful?¡±

    ¡°Yes but¡­¡± she began and hesitated with a puzzled look on her face.

    He waited for a moment for her to continue and when they remained continuing to look lost in her own thoughts, he asked, ¡°But what?¡±

    Pina looked back at him and replied, ¡°The light dimmed rapidly until only a fraction of what appeared was shown.¡±

    This startled him so much that he exclaimed loudly, ¡°What?! The light decreased?!¡±

    ¡°Yes. Yes, it did,¡± said Pina with a nod of her head with a puzzled look.

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t make sense,¡± he remarked with a bewildered look.

    ¡°Of course!¡± Pina chimed in indignantly. ¡°Generally, the light was supposed to last for a while until we depower the assessment and return things to normal. However, after just blinding us for five seconds, five whole seconds, it dimmed rapidly and became very dim. It was like everything we witnessed was never true but it certainly left its marks.¡±

    ¡°Marks?¡±

    ¡°Just look out there,¡± she said and began to point out the damage done inside the assessment room.

    He shifted his eyes to follow in the direction she pointed and was startled to find several equipment damaged outside. Things like cameras and other odd items that he did not know the purpose for, but they certainly looked like they had seen better days.

    ¡°It must¡¯ve been incredible,¡± he said his thoughts out loud.

    ¡°It was, but what was more incredible was that it nearly exerted the limits of the assessment unit,¡± said Pina with a deep sigh. ¡°Like, you know the reason why we built something like this, right?¡±

    He nodded as he knew very well the entire reason why they created this thing was for him. During the time that he had took his super human assessment, his power was so strong that the entire equipment exploded and he appeared out of it covered from head to toe in smoke and sooth.

    ¡°Ha,¡± he said and tried containing his laughter from remembering what had happened to him back then.

    ¡°It¡¯s not funny! Do you know how dangerous it is?!¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t laughing about this,¡± he reassured her. ¡°I was just laughing at myself at how wild my assessment was back then.¡±

    She linked at him in surprise before she too smiled and stated, ¡°You¡¯re right. It was pretty funny. I remember you walking out of the whole mess coughing and covered entirely in blackened sooth. Do you remember what the first thing you said?¡±

    ¡°I do,¡± he replied with a chuckle. ¡°Do I need to pay for the damages?¡±

    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    Suddenly, the two of them burst out laughing that caught everyone around them off guard. They stopped what they were doing and looked towards them with curious looks on their faces. Realising they were just laughing, they returned to the tasks assigned to them.

    ¡°Ah¡­! Those were the days,¡± he said with a grin. ¡°I want to repeat that again.¡±

    ¡°Hell no!¡± Pina slammed him expectations. ¡°Do you understand how expensive this equipment is?¡±

    ¡°I was only joking,¡± he told her while continuing to grin. ¡°Relax and besides, I don¡¯t need assessment anymore anyway.¡±

    ¡°True that,¡± she agreed with a smile. ¡°Anyway, I think you should head down to begin waking him up while we assess his power rating.¡±

    ¡°Yes. Thank you for that,¡± he told her courteously and respectfully.

    She let him one of her persons wearing a white coat and instructed them to lead him towards where Zayden was. With that, they set off in silence and during their journey down a flight of stairs, Wonder Man was thinking to himself.

    ¡°A powerful light strong enough to give the new equipment a run for its money and then it suddenly dimmed and became weak. I¡¯ve never heard of anything like that before.¡±

    He thought back to almost an hour ago when he first assessed Zayden on his own to check for his super human status. Despite not being sure what he saw, there was one thing he could vividly remember; a pair of yellow eyes with red crown shapes etched around the pupil staring back at him unflinchingly and without a lack of fear or discomfort.

    ¡°It was like I was looking at something that cannot be touched no matter what,¡± he thought to himself.

    Wonder Man did not know why he came to such a conclusion, but from that brief experience, he guessed there was definitely something different about Zayden.

    At that time, when Web Raider had charged forward to deliver a clearly devastating attack on Lina, he rushed forward as fast as he could. Even so, he knew he would arrive too late since the villain had a head start, but she was saved by Zayden.

    He watched as Zayden grabbed that weapon and held it firmly back, a feat that no ordinary man could perform. In fact, just by coming close to such an attack would result in a terribly injury to a non-super human due to the aura of the super human¡¯s power.

    Yet, Zayden was unfazed as he held it back, pulled him away and grabbed his face before slamming him down. There was simply one word that summed up such a choreographic fight.

    ¡°Incredible,¡± he muttered to himself.

    ¡°Pardon?¡± The lady leading forward turned and asked in surprise.

    ¡°Oh. It¡¯s nothing,¡± he reassured her with a smile, and she smiled back before continuing to walk down the stairs.

    ¡°Anyhow, I should keep an eye out for him since all of this is quite suspicious,¡± he thought to himself with determination.

    While thinking that, they soon reached the bottom floor and walked towards the assessment equipment where Zayden was. As they grew closer, he could hear voices speaking in a very friendly manner with one another. He arrived to find Zayden and Lina talking to each other while sitting on the comfortable bed.

    Zayden was yawning at that time while Lina was saying, ¡°You certainly slept blissfully.¡±

    ¡°Can you blame me?¡± He asked back with a faint smile. ¡°This bed is just incredible. No. That word isn¡¯t enough to credit this bed truly deserves.¡±

    ¡°You exaggerate.¡±

    ¡°No way. It felt like I actually slept properly after a really long time.¡±

    With that, he let out another huge yawn and rubbed his groggy eyes tiredly.

    Lina watched him for a moment before asking, ¡°Why do you say that?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡± he began and hesitated to explain.

    Asura was not sure how he would be able to explain to her that throughout his previous life, he ever only slept for three to four hours a day and even those were fitful due to the constant fear of an attack. This was because his clan were in the middle of a warring time and they were surrounded by enemies all around, so he had been the one that was constantly active and on look out. So, he truly felt like he had a good sleep after going through such a stressful time.

    For some reason, Lina looked at him sympathetically and said, ¡°It must¡¯ve been hard.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Zayden asked her in surprise. ¡°Why do you say that?¡±

    He was very worried as he thought that she probably read his thoughts or something. There was something about her that just made him feel perplexed, like she was seeing right through him. He felt this from the moment she had guessed he never truly smiled and was putting on a fake smile for the sake of smiling when I did not really want to smile.

    ¡°It¡¯s because even after receiving such a life-threatening injury and hospitalised, no one that looked like your parents or siblings ever came to visit you,¡± she explained with a sad look. ¡°In fact, the only two people that came to check up on you were those nasty looking people.¡±

    ¡°W-What?¡± He asked her, looking startled, feeling both relief and amazement at the conclusion she came to all on her own.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to pretend the pain you feel about the betrayal,¡± she said with an understanding look. ¡°That woman that used to date you and the guy now she is dating came to visit you. Even though you tried to hide it, I guessed you were in severe pain when you collapsed no sooner had they left.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­¡± he said slowly and looked down at the bed.

    Inwardly, he was thankful that she misunderstood that entire encounter with those two. He had collapsed because of the overwhelming feeling when Zayden¡¯s memories rushed into his head all at once. It certainly was not because he felt any kind of lingering attachment to a woman without principles.

    Still, seeing the sad look on her face made him say reassuringly, ¡°Please, don¡¯t worry about it. I don¡¯t have a single feeling attached to her. In fact, I feel like this is a chance.¡±

    ¡°A chance?¡± She asked in wonder.

    ¡°Yes,¡± he said, nodding his head. ¡°That new boyfriend of hers is an A-Ranked super hero. So, if I indeed am a super human, then I¡¯d like to show her what she missed out on.¡±

    ¡°You are a super human,¡± said Wonder Man, and they turned to look at him in surprise.

    ¡°Wonder Man!¡± Lina said in surprise. ¡°What¡¯re you doing here?¡±

    ¡°I said I would come after you a while back, didn¡¯t I, princess?¡±

    ¡°Oh. Yes, you did,¡± she said at the sudden realisation. Then she scowled at him and asked, ¡°When will you stop calling me a ¡®princess¡¯ like I¡¯m some damsel?¡±

    ¡°I do wonder when such a thing is possible,¡± he said slowly with a cheeky smile much to her annoyance.

    ¡°Why you¡­?!¡± She exclaimed with a glare full of daggers ready to strike him down.

    He chuckled at her reaction and turned to speak with Zayden by saying, ¡°I¡¯m glad you have such a positive mindset to not allow yourself to wallow in self-pity and rise above and go beyond the pain. I¡¯m very happy for you and would like to see you reach great heights.¡±

    Zayden was taken aback at such a praise coming from Woman Man, whom he barely got to know. Even so, the small exchange they had explained to him completely what kind of a person Wonder Man was. Once again, he was reminded of his cheerful brother that he once had in his past life and for whom he went to war with the entire world.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Zayden?¡± Lina asked curiously.

    ¡°Oh. It¡¯s nothing,¡± he said in surprise, breaking out of the reverie he was in and looked confidently at them. ¡°Thank you for the kind words, Wonder Man. A lot of people have done their best to keep me down no matter what, but I¡¯m not the others. I¡¯m different. I¡¯m not going to give up.¡±

    He resolute words made them look at him with looks of amazement and awe on their faces. Even Asura found himself momentarily wondering about the words he uttered because they were indeed true.

    No matter how much he had to struggle, how painful things got, how much he lost and how much suffering he endured, he ultimately kept on going no matter what. He never felt like giving up, he just felt he must keep on moving forward regardless of all that were thrown at him.

    Wonder Man smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯ve got a strong head on those shoulders filled with burden.¡± When Zayden looked surprised, he smiled knowingly and said, ¡°Call it a gut feeling, but I feel as though you have a lot of burden that you¡¯re carrying, so I am happy that you¡¯re not giving up.¡±

    Lina nodded in agreement and said, ¡°Yes. I second that.¡±

    He looked at the two of them and nodded in agreement. Just then, a lady wearing a white coat came to them and said, ¡°If you are done, can you please follow me back? Madam Pina requested it.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± said Lina in agreement.

    With that, the three of them followed her upstairs and arrived at the monitoring room, where Pina was waiting for them holding an envelope in her hand. Seeing them coming, she smiled and greeted them cordially.

    ¡°How¡¯s your sleep? Was it comfortable?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± he said with a nod of his head. ¡°So much so that I wish I could take that bed home with me.¡±

    She smiled back and replied, ¡°You can buy it on your own if you work hard enough as a super human.¡±

    ¡°This means I indeed awoke as a super human?¡±

    ¡°You certainly did, although it¡¯s quite peculiar.¡±

    ¡°How so?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ hard to explain,¡± she said vaguely while he continued to look curiously at her. ¡°Anyway, that paper holds your super human rating.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s pretty much what category of the super human group you fall into based on the assessment done on you,¡± said Wonder Man from behind.

    ¡°I see,¡± said Zayden, nodding his head in understanding. ¡°In that case, what is my rating?¡±

    He was about to open the envelop when she grabbed his hand and asked, ¡°Are you sure about this?¡±

    Puzzled, he looked around at them staring at him, which made him ask, ¡°Should I not open it?¡±

    ¡°You can if you like to here but¡­¡± said Pina nervously.

    ¡°Most tend to open it privately to avoid expressing their feelings if it turned out bad,¡± explained Lina to him.

    ¡°Princess speaks from experience,¡± added Wonder Man casually.

    At that moment, Lina slowly turned her head to look menacingly up at him before claiming, ¡°One more word about me, and I swear I¡¯ll tell my dad to handle you better.¡±

    This made him smile wryly before saying, ¡°My apologies¡­ princess.¡±

    ¡°Wonder Man!¡± She yelled but before she could do anything, he vanished into thin air. Frustrated, Lina stated, ¡°Dammit! He escaped! No matter, I¡¯ll talk to dad about him.¡±

    Zayden found her reaction to be rather humorous, but he did not say it out loud and instead began to open the envelope. Pina began to protect, but he reassured her he didn¡¯t really mind what rating he was given.

    Thus, he opened the envelope and pulled out the piece of certificate and looked at it with a faint smile. The certificate had his name written on it along with small words explaining the purpose of this certificate along with the date of when it was procured and signature of the authorised one. However, the thing that he could not miss was the big large number embossed on the centre of certificate that no one could easily miss.

    The thing embossed on the centre of the certificate was the number ¡°5.¡±

 Chapter 13

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± He began with a look of confusion on his face. ¡°It says the number 5 on here,¡± he finished and turned it around to show it to them.

    After looking at the paper once, Pina nodded once in understanding whereas Lina immediately scowled incredulously.

    ¡°What? 5? But that¡¯s¡­!¡± She began in protest, but Pina gestured with her hand in a up and down motion to stop her.

    While she looked perplexed, Pina turned to him and said, ¡°Yes. That¡¯s your super human rating.¡±

    ¡°I see, but what does it mean?¡±

    Realising that he did not understand the significance of that number, she smiled wryly and said, ¡°Sorry. I didn¡¯t realise you didn¡¯t understand it. Then, let¡¯s start from the beginning,¡± and she momentarily paused before beginning her explanation.

    ¡°A super human rating is the level of power they possess, which is basically their internal energy. Based on the amount of energy that they can output during the super human assessment, they will be ranked based on it.¡±

    ¡°So, the reason I received 5 super human rating is because¡­¡±

    ¡°Your power was weak.¡±

    Her words did not immediately register in his mind, but the moment that they did, he blinked in surprise and thought, ¡°Huh? What? My power was¡­ weak?¡±

    ¡°That can¡¯t be though, Pina,¡± said Lina in protest. ¡°You saw how powerful that burst of energy was from the amount of light that got displayed?¡±

    ¡°I did and that made it so difficult to properly assess his power,¡± said Pina with a difficult look. ¡°After all, that light quickly diminished and remained stable at a low state. You saw that too before you rushed down in concern. You did, right?¡±

    ¡°I did, but¡­!¡± Lina began and trailed off, unable to reply back with a stronger counter to her argument.

    ¡°Since his power state remained stable at such a low output, I and the others decided to conduct the assessment based on it instead of that short burst of power. That¡¯s why, we gave him a rating of 5.¡±

    Zayden followed their conversation up until that point before asking, ¡°I have a question.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t 5 the highest?¡±

    ¡°Normally, that would be the case. You might think it¡¯s the same in comparison to the ratings given to different electronics, but for super human rating, it¡¯s the opposite.¡±

    ¡°Opposite?¡± He asked in surprise. ¡°As in, the lower the rating the greater value it possesses?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± said Pina in agreement.

    ¡°I see¡­¡± he said slowly while pondering about it.

    ¡°So, instead of the usual ranking from E being the lowest and S being the highest, in this world, E is the highest and S is the lowest. Wow. It¡¯s so unnatural just from thinking about it.¡±

    ¡°Do you get it now?¡± Pina asked him with a concerned look. ¡°Do you want me to give an even simpler explanation?¡±

    ¡°Ah, no. I understood the first time around,¡± he replied with wave of his head. ¡°So, based on this, I¡¯m a 5<sup>th</sup> class super human.¡±

    ¡°Well, yes,¡± she said, surprised by his words. Then she spoke her thoughts aloud as she muttered, ¡°That sounded so good just now. Class. Igneous. Honestly, class sounds a lot better than rating.¡±

    He nodded in understanding and asked, ¡°If I¡¯m 5<sup>th</sup> class super human, what¡¯s Wonder Man¡¯s rating? May I know it?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Pina began with a troubled look on her face. ¡°It¡¯s classified information, so¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay if it¡¯s classified information,¡± he replied in reassurance to her trailing away with a troubled look on her face. ¡°It was my mistake to ask considering such information isn¡¯t normally shared publicly.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± replied Pina with a smile. ¡°The only information about a super human is publicly disclosed is their super hero¡¯s name and rank among the guild they belong or the rank among the other ranked super heroes from around the world.¡±

    ¡°Yes. That makes sense,¡± he replied in understanding. ¡°Thank you for the explanation.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± she replied and turned to Lina. ¡°I think we¡¯re done here for today.¡±

    ¡°I guess,¡± replied back Lina with a gloomy expression.

    They bid each other farewell, and Zayden thanked everyone in the room for helping in assessing him before departing from there. He and Lina walked in total silence from exiting the room, walking along the corridor and remained so until they got back into her car.

    ¡°Why are you upset?¡± He finally asked her by her continued appearance of gloominess.

    She looked at him, then turned away and let out a deep sigh before saying, ¡°I don¡¯t approve of your rating.¡±

    He was surprised by the firmness in which she spoke about not being happy with the rating he received.

    ¡°You think I should be rated higher?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± She said firmly, and turned to look at him with a serious look. ¡°You weren¡¯t there so you wouldn¡¯t understand, but that light¡­ it was so dazzling and bright! Plus, the energy that got released when the assessment was taking place. It was almost like one of those higher rated super humans that I witnessed when I was a kid.¡±

    This startled him, and he asked, ¡°Wait. You witnessed another super human do something like this when you were a kid? Do you know who that was.¡±

    ¡°Why, of course!¡± She said as if it was obvious. ¡°It was Wonder Man!¡±

    ¡°Wonder Man?¡±

    ¡°Yes! My dad brought me over to show me how the assessments were done, and at that time, we bore witness to the appearance of a new legendary figure in history,¡± she said and looked as if she was remembering the events that took place so long ago. ¡°His assessment was so powerful that the equipment actually blew up and we had to evacuate.¡±

    ¡°What¡­? The assessment equipment got blown up?¡± Zayden asked in surprise. ¡°Were you okay?¡±

    ¡°I was, but that was the day that made our government begin researching on creating an equipment that could withstand such massive powers if someone of that calibre were to appear in the future.¡±

    ¡°Is that what the new equipment is for?¡±

    ¡°Somewhat. Due to the overwhelming accidents and such, the government had to order the creation of assessment devices that do not put such immense strain on the examinees. That¡¯s why, the two separate projects converged together and that large assessment structure was created in the underground areas at this place.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± he said with a nod of his head. ¡°Seems like the government will only act if something bad happens.¡±

    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    ¡°It¡¯s typical of them honestly, what were we supposed to expect from them?¡± Lina asked, and he faintly smiled. ¡°It¡¯s not like there¡¯s some greater force in the world that could make the government listen to all the necessary things and begin implementing that the people need instead of always giving useless things.¡±

    ¡°The government don¡¯t fear the people?¡± He asked in surprise. ¡°Aren¡¯t they worried that during the elections time the votes will shift and new leadership will take over?¡±

    ¡°Any government would be concerned about that,¡± she said with a light chuckle. ¡°If there did exist a government that didn¡¯t care one bit about their people, they would be absolutely tyrannical.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± he said solemnly.

    Asura thought about her words and thought back to the warring period that existed in that world. During that period of time, he had encountered many clans that never treated their clansmen with respect of dignity, but instead treated them like livestock to be used and thrown away.

    He clenched his fists and wore a serious expression on his face at the thought of such inhumane actions that he had borne witness to.

    Just then, he heard Lina saying, ¡°Zayden? Zayden?¡±

    He broke out of his trance and turned to look at her in surprise.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You looked so serious,¡± she asked with a hint of worry on her face.

    ¡°Oh. It¡¯s nothing,¡± he said, smiling faintly at her.

    She continued to stare at him before saying with a small smile, ¡°I see that you¡¯re smiling more.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± He asked, being caught off guard by such a statement.

    ¡°You¡¯re smiling more although it¡¯s not much but definitely an improvement.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± He asked and when she nodded, he said thoughtfully, ¡°Well, I was just told a while ago that a person didn¡¯t need a reason to smile. I liked those words, so¡­¡±

    As he trailed away, her smiled widened and said, ¡°Yes. He has that kind of effect on the people that he gets near,¡± which she said while referring to Wonder Man. Then she scowled and said, ¡°I just wish he stops pestering me about being a princess.¡±

    ¡°I am curious about that,¡± asked Zayden as Lina started up the car and they put their seatbelts on. ¡°Why does he keep on calling you that?¡±

    ¡°You want to know the reason?¡± She asked, and when she noticed him nodding his head questioningly, she smirked and replied, ¡®It¡¯s because I¡¯m rich,¡± and she put the car into gear.

    ¡°You¡¯re rich?¡± He asked while looking puzzled.

    ¡°Well, technically it¡¯s my family, but everything they own will be mine eventually anyway, so I might as well call it mine,¡± she said cheerfully.

    ¡°Is he calling you because you¡¯re like a princess since you¡¯re rich and your father is the guild master of the top ranked guild, Berserkers?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not just that. My dad has influence within the government and sometimes even gets them TO act on his requests that only a few other individuals have access to.¡±

    This amazed Zayden, who asked in surprise, ¡°Really? Your dad has that kind of influence? That¡¯s incredible.¡±

    ¡°The reason to that is because my dad and the guild had conducted various tasks assigned to them by the government. A lot of which were ¡®dirty business¡¯ according to my dad, so this is their way of repaying his faithfulness.¡±

    ¡°What kind of dirty business are you referring to?¡± He asked curiously.

    To that, however, she shook her head and said, ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but our guild¡¯s members are always dispatched to handle extremely serious situations and some of those includes missions with no return.¡±

    ¡°Suicidal missions?!¡± Zayden exclaimed in alarm.

    ¡°Yes,¡± she said with her face contorted into that of bitterness. ¡°Many left for such missions and never returned and those that did were so badly wounded that they were rendered permanently handicapped for the rest of their lives.¡±

    He was startled that the such a famous guild was being put to such dangerous tasks. It made him wonder for what reason the guild master was willingly allowing that to happen in the first place.

    ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking,¡± she said, noticing his expression and smiling bitterly. ¡°My dad isn¡¯t so cruel or cunning, but even he has to make some tough decisions. Like, I had asked him why he keeps sending our people off to such dangerous missions, but he told me it was necessary to protect the country and the people.¡±

    ¡°Is it because they¡¯re dealing with villains?¡±

    ¡°Yes, especially since the assessment to become a super human is completely dependent on the individual. So, this gives the villainous organisations to get their hands on members and either through force, manipulation or through bribery, commit to them into committing atrocities. It¡¯s sickening.¡±

    He did not say anything, but he looked at how tightly she was gripping the steering wheel and could only imagine how angry she must inwardly feel.

    Asura remembered how in each war that was held, he kept losing men that he got to know, he spoke to, and even reassured they would make it out alive. It frustrated him to no end and nearly made him feel despair to the never-ending war, but he knew deep within he had to keep going regardless of the sacrifices made. After all, if he did not act, then there would be no future for his people or the world itself.

    As such, he felt her emotions and extended his hand out to place it gently on her shoulder to reassure her. She was surprised and glanced sideways at him only to find him smiling softly at her. This further surprised her since this was the first time she saw such an expression from him, and felt inwardly that he was sincerely wishing to reassure her.

    Noticing his intentions, she took a deep breath and breathed out slowly before smiling again.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m fine now. Thank you,¡± she thanked him gratefully.

    He simply nodded her, satisfied from seeing her finally relax from the stress she had put herself under.

    ¡°So, where are we going next?¡± He asked her curiously.

    ¡°I thought we¡¯d do more shopping for you.¡±

    ¡°What? More shopping?¡± He reacted in alarm and thought nervously about the amount he spent changing into different clothes for her to pick and choose the ones that suited him. ¡°Um¡­! I¡¯m tired today, so can you please drop me off at my place?¡±

    ¡°Are you sure? We got a lot of time ahead of us,¡± she said and glanced towards the wrist watch she was wearing on her arm.

    ¡°There¡¯s no immediate need. Really. You already bought a lot for me as it is and I don¡¯t know if I have enough room to put them up,¡± he said defensively, hoping to convince her to not take him on another gruelling shopping experience.

    ¡°If storage is the issue, you can take the storage boxes they gave us. I¡¯m not in particular need of them anyway.¡±

    ¡°I like the idea, but I¡¯m still tired today. Plus, I feel drained from the assessment, so I¡¯d like to rest at my place.¡±

    ¡°Oh. That¡¯s right,¡± she said in realisation. ¡°Sorry. I had completely forgotten about your assessment seeing as you¡¯re full of energy right now. You shouldn¡¯t put on a front. Don¡¯t ever do it in front of me. Okay?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I won¡¯t,¡± he assured her with a smile while inwardly sighing in relief.

    After that, she asked him where to take him, and he gave he the address but she did not know where the location was. So, he pointed in the direction in which his residency was at based on the memories that Asura possessed that which belonged to Zayden.

    Nearly an hour later, they arrived at an area full of large buildings that seemed to be not well maintained. Even the roads here were not well maintained as there were pot holes at almost every few meters.

    ¡°I think you should stop here since the road seems bad,¡± advised Zayden with concern.

    Lina momentarily hesitated as she wanted to see where he lived, but at the same time saw the logic behind his request. Besides, she was worried that one of those pot holes might be bigger than her wheel and her car might get stuck, which then would put her in a difficult situation.

    ¡°Okay,¡± she said apologetically.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. You brought me this far. I¡¯m actually grateful,¡± he told her appreciatively.

    Finally, the car was brought to a stop and she rummaged through her handbag before pulling out tiny boxes out of them before handing over to him.

    As she thanked her, she explained, ¡°Remember to put down first before activating them with the command,¡± and further explained what commands to use on them.

    ¡°Thank you very much, Lina. I am so grateful for what you¡¯ve done for me today,¡± he thanked her once again, smiling faintly once more.

    ¡°Anytime, Zayden,¡± she told her cheerfully. ¡°I had a great time as well. Oh yeah, before I forget,¡± and she rummaged through her hand bag once more before pulling out a small box with the image of a phone on it. ¡°Think of this as a gift for succeeding in passing the super human.¡±

    ¡°Um¡­ Thank you, but what is this?¡± He asked while taking it from her.

    ¡°It¡¯s your new phone.¡±

    ¡°W-What?!¡± He exclaimed, looking stunned. ¡°How much did this cost?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to know the cost when it¡¯s a gift,¡± she told him firmly with a smile.

    ¡°But¡­ But I¡ª!¡± He began in protest, but she silenced him with a sad look.

    ¡°Are you going to refuse a gift given by me?¡±

    He blinked in surprise at such a cute behaviour from her and was stunned for a moment. Then he shook his head and assured her he would take good care of the phone, to which she nodded approvingly.

    With that, the he got off the, bid each other farewell and then he closed the door gently shut. He saw her chuckle inside at how gently he closed the car door before she put the car into gear and reversed out of there. He stood there and watched her depart completely before breathing a heavy sigh.

    ¡°Today was eventful¡­¡± he muttered to himself.

    He looked down at the small boxes full of items he was carrying and decided to stuff them into his pockets, which ended up bulging and making him look odd. Even so, he quickly headed towards one of the run-down apartments that he remembered Zayden lived in due to the cheap apartment.

    ¡°I need to relax the moment I enter my room and process everything that¡¯s happened today,¡± he thought to himself thoughtfully.

    Just as he reached the walkway towards the entrance way to the apartment he was staying at, he suddenly heard a familiar voice from ahead that made him reflexively wince.

    ¡°Hey, Zay. Fancy seeing you here.¡±

    He raised his head and looked in the direction the voice came from and saw someone familiar. He was not familiar to Asura, but from Zayden¡¯s memories, he recognised him. Not just him as, at that moment, several men appeared to stand behind the speaker and gave him menacing looks.

    ¡°We missed you so much that we got worried and wondered what had happened to you. We¡¯re so glad you came back,¡± he told him with a sinister smile spreading across his face.

    Asura looked at the men in front of him with a very serious expression on his face, recognising them as the people that often bullied Zayden at this residence.

 Chapter 14

    Zayden lived in a rundown apartment in a neighbourhood full of similar looking buildings, where the least expensive living was located at. He did not have anyone to depend on financially and as he worked part time as a night shift clerk at a nearby convenient store, he chose this apartment for its cheap price, but he could never imagine the struggle he was about to face.

    The tenants living here were just like him, making ends meet while living in a financially poor environment. The owner of the apartment was an old man was the first person he met when he approached to look for a place to stay and decided on the terms of his stay and the weekly rent, which Zayden was happy. That one week went by without fuss but that weekend was when things took a turn for the worse.

    The real problems began when the first week came around when, instead of the old man, a young man appeared demanding for their rent money. He looked around his mid-thirties with unkept beard and dishevelled appearance that seemed to give of the vibe that he was a man with bad nature.

    He did not come alone as six other musclier men arrived followed him from behind with menacing looks on their faces. Zayden had watched as he and his men terrorised the apartment¡¯s tenants to hand over their rent to him, punching those that were slow in giving it or outright beat up people that said they needed a little bit of time.

    Not liking this one bit, Zayden walked towards them confidently and said, ¡°Excuse me.¡±

    ¡°What? You came here with the rent?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but I will give it to the old man,¡± said Zayden firmly.

    For a moment, the man eyed him with a raised eyebrow before saying, ¡°No need for that. Hand it to me.¡±

    Denying his demand, Zayden stood his ground and replied firmly, ¡°I can¡¯t. I talked over with the old man and he¡¯s the owner of this building, so I¡¯ll hand it to him.¡±

    Once again, there was silence in the air as everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to look in their direction. Several of the tenants were holding their breath as they looked on with horrified expressions on their faces.

    This time, the man fully turned to face him as he gave him his undivided attention and asked, ¡°So, you will give it to the old man and not me?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± replied Zayden firmly, ¡°and besides, I don¡¯t know who you are.¡±

    The man scoffed at that and asked, ¡°Oh! So, you don¡¯t know who I am?¡± He let out a loud mirthless laughter before calming down and looking sinisterly at him as he said, ¡°Why don¡¯t we introduce ourselves then?¡±

    As the man completed saying those words, Zayden suddenly felt a heavy impact to his side and he flew towards the side before crashing heavily in the wall. Then he limply rolled over and fell flat on the ground while crying out in pain.

    The person that had launched that surprise attack was one of the large goons that followed the man. Just then, the man pulled out a cigar and lightened it and began puffing as the burly man went after Zayden.

    The beating that Zayden received could be described as being beaten black and blue while making him bleed heavily. He was a slim figure while the burly man seemed to be quite strong as he dished out beating after beating against the poor young man that could not put any kind of defence against such savagery.

    ¡°Alright. That¡¯s enough,¡± said the man, and the burly dropped Zayden heavily on the ground.

    Zayden lay on the ground, groaning and moaning in pain from how badly his body was hurt when the man walked over and knelt beside him.

    ¡°I think that¡¯s enough of an introduction, don¡¯t you think?¡± He asked before letting out a chuckle. ¡°Now, pay the rent, you stupid pig!¡±

    With that insult, he got up and walked away, leaving behind a barely conscious Zayden. After a few seconds later, the man came back and snarled at him whether he wanted to get a reintroduction. Unwilling to go through that again, Zayden obediently handed over the rent money to him before the man went away.

    The tenants of the apartment remained there for a while after the man and his goons left when they they too departed from there. No one among them felt the need to check up on him, wonder how he was, or even go to check up on him to see if he was alright.

    Zayden finally came to and got off his feet and while managing to contain the immense pain, he decided to go about his daily business. He had hoped inwardly that this would be the last time he would deal with them, but that was when the nightmarish ordeal began.

    The man and his goons appeared every weekend on the last day of the weekend and demanded rent. The only small addition to this was that he had his goons bully, insult, and even beat Zayden up whenever he would show up in front of them regardless of whether he was there to give them the rent money or just going about his daily business.

    As such, he constantly went to the university in bruises and cuts that made him look like a thug. People began whispering negatively about him and began distance themselves from him as they did not want to associate with an unruly person.

    It was during that time when Zayden first met a girl, who had stumbled and fell while carrying lots of books in the library.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± He asked with concern and lent her hand his hand.

    ¡°Ah. Thank you. I¡¯m fine,¡± she replied cheerfully and taking his extended hand. ¡°By the way, my name is Serena. What¡¯s yours?¡±

    He momentarily hesitated, thinking about the bad rumours about him, but he disregarded it and introduced himself as, ¡°My name is Zayden.¡±

    ¡°Hi, Zayden. Thank you for your help,¡± she thanked him happily.

    That was how the two began conversing with one another before both grew towards one another and decided to confess their love for each other. She disregarded the rumours surrounding him as she saw, up close, that he was nice person and allowed herself to get closer to him. It was also his very first time being in love, and he really enjoyed the feeling of there being a person that was worried for him.

    During their time off from the university, they would go to places and took many photos of the nearby places they would visit together. They had a lovely time and they cared for each other greatly.

    Serena had proved him about his bruises, and he confessed about the constant issues he faces at his current residency. Despite her urging him to relocate to another apartment and even report them, Zayden denied her as he explained how he met with the apartment owner and received no help from him.

    ¡°Apparently, they are like part of a big gang that own that entire are and the officials do their favours all the time for their services, so there¡¯s no help I could get. On top of that, it¡¯s the only cheap apartment with a single bedroom that suits my needs, Serena. There¡¯s not much I can do.¡±

    ¡°Okay, but I want you to know that I care about you deeply and I¡¯m worried for you, alright?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Thank you, Serena.¡±This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    With that, they hugged each other warmly, and he felt happy in warmth of that love. However, that was the beginning of the distance that gradually grew between them until, one day, she began to give different excuses to avoid being in his contact. Then, one day, feeling worried for her, he silently followed her and watched her wait at a bus stop for some time for unknown reasons.

    Just then, a luxury car pulled up and the window rolled down to reveal a man around his age, and he grinned at her as he said, ¡°Yo! Did I keep you waiting?¡±

    ¡°I just got here,¡± she lied, which shocked Zayden and that expression of love she showed him further shocked him.

    ¡°Great,¡± he said and the two leaned forward and kissed openly.

    Zayden, watching this from afar, was horrified as the girl he thought he knew, the girl that he thought he understood, and the girl he believed was fully in love with him, was kissing another man. Then they pulled back and she blushed shyly before walked around and entering his car.

    As they departed in the luxury car, Zayden felt to his knees just as the rain began pouring down from above. It was already murky all day and that was when it decided to rain down on them. Everyone quickly pulled out their umbrellas or used something to cover their heads, all except for Zayden.

    He just knelt there with the same horrified expression as before, as he felt his world collapsing all around him. After an unknown amount of time, he got up and somehow managed to get to his apartment, reach his room, lock his door and fell on his bed. That was when the emotions that he had been trying to contain suddenly burnt forth, and he began crying his heart out all alone in that room.

    Due to that, he fell asleep and missed his night shift from work, and the ancient looking phone that he had did failed to wake him up to the calls he was receiving from work. As such, the next morning when he checked the call log and was shocked, he called them immediately and heard the sobering words he dreaded to hear.

    ¡°You¡¯re fired!¡±

    It felt helpless and completely hopeless by everything that was happening to him. He could not even remember how he dressed himself and reached the university let alone pay any attention during the lectures that he attended. It was only after the university was over and he was on his way home when he saw Serena walking off with a happy smile.

    Seeing her smile and her wetting her lips with her tongue made him remember the events from the previous day. Anger surged from within and he decided to confront her and that unknown man about it as he felt cheated in this whole affair.

    That was how Zayden met up with her before they began arguing with one another as he confronted her about cheating on him. Soon after, the man showed up along with several of his men and scoffed at Zayden to leave them alone.

    The deeply hurt youth grew angry at them and began calling them out on their ridiculous and disgusting behaviour. This caught the attention of the locals, who stopped and witnessed him unleash his emotions out in the public.

    ¡°You scumbags! How could you play with the feelings of an innocent man!¡± Zayden shouted tears forming in his eyes as he glared angrily at them.

    The next second, he received a punch straight to the face that made him flying straight into a building.

    ¡°What a pain you are?¡± Markus complained irritably while rubbing his ears. Then he blew at the stuff he pulled out of his ear and told menacingly to his men, ¡°Make sure to shut his mouth¡­ permanently.¡±

    On command, the men following Markus charged forward and began unleashing a barrage of beatings down on the cowering young man. However, the beatings he received from them was so powerful that he began to cry out in pain at every blow he received from them. This was nothing like the pain he had experienced from the constant beating he received from the goons that terrorised the apartment block on a weekly basis.

    Despite the pain and feeling a sense of dread that he was about to die, he still looked towards Serena. Even though he felt betrayed and cheated on, he still had a slight hope that maybe, just maybe she has lingering feelings for him and would stop them.

    She watched this beating unfold with a look of shock on her face unable to decide on what to do. At that moment, their eyes met and, for a second, things seemed to stay still as they locked eyes on one another. Then she looked away with a disturbed expression on her face and even closed her eyes as if to want to distance herself from this awful situation.

    That was the moment Zayden felt his life was over. All the struggles he had been through, the double time he had put into his job to earn more money to take her to places and treat her to things and the love he had been reluctant to share with others. He felt everything had come to an end as despair had taken hold over him.

    With such devastating thoughts, Zayden closed his eyes and lost consciousness just as everything turned dark.

    Asura, who had suddenly recalled all the events that had happened in chronological order and felt very sorrow for such a strong-willed man. He finally understood the despair Zayden had felt before ultimately giving up everything.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± The man with the sinister smile called after him. ¡°Cat got your tongue?¡±

    Asura did not reply, but gave him a cold look as he thought to himself, ¡°He¡¯s the reason all of this happened.¡±

    ¡°Hey. What¡¯s with that look?¡± The man asked, his smile fading and was replaced with a frown. ¡°Actually, don¡¯t answer that. I came to collect your rent¡¯s money, which you missed yesterday. Give it to us now.¡±

    Asura walked towards them silently and seemingly walked past them while saying, ¡°I¡¯ll pay later.¡±

    At that moment, a hand was placed on his shoulder and stopped him from moving any further.

    ¡°What the hell, punk?¡± The man snarled menacingly. ¡°I thought I¡¯d be nice to you after hearing you broke up with your girly, but what¡¯s this?¡±

    Asura, without turning to face him, spoke in a menacing voice by saying, ¡°Let go.¡±

    There was a stunned silence within the entrance as the tenants, the goons and the man were taken aback by his words. The tenants were especially shocked and scared as they did not understand where he got his bravado from and fearfully looked at the rent collector.

    The man began to let out a sinister chuckle before looking menacingly at him while saying, ¡°I see. I guess being hospitalised and recovering made you forget the rules around here. I think we need a reintroduction.¡±

    The moment he said those words, Asura¡¯s blood boiled with rage and the memories of Zayden¡¯s suffering resurfaced.

    ¡°Blood for blood, tooth for tooth, head for head,¡± he muttered, a reminder of the promise he made to Zayden¡¯s memories as the people around him reacted in confusion.

    In that instant, he decided to act like he always does; to make a point.

    Asura grabbed the man¡¯s hand with his left hand and, with a little bit of exerting his strength, he lifted the man off his feet. Everything seemed to flow in a slow motion as the man sored through the air while everyone watched with alarmed looks on their faces.

    Then he was pulled down, which resulted in him slamming down hard on the floor, causing him to cry out in pain. There, he opened his eyes and looked up to see the once victim looking down on him with a deadly look on his face as he continued to hold his hand.

    ¡°Hey!¡± Shouted one of the goons and rushed at him.

    The man gave his presence away from the shout and the rush, but Asura did not need any of these to be aware of his surroundings. Sensing him coming from behind and taking a large swing at him, Asura stepped to the side and allowed the man to swing his arms across where he was standing moments before.

    As the goon reacted in surprise that he missed, Asura reacted by pulled his hand back and delivered a powerful slap across the goon¡¯s face. The strong impact sent the largely built man flying off his feet and slamming heavily against the wall. A moment later, he slid down and sat limply on the ground, clearly knocked out from the blow.

    ¡°Ugh!¡± Shouted another goon and took a swing at Asura from behind once more.

    Sensing the approaching attack, Asura swivelled and leaned back to let the attack fly harmlessly through the air. Then he set a foot down on the back to push himself forward and he swung his own hand forward to slap the attacker forcefully across the face.

    Just like the first goon, this bulky man was lifted off his feet as he flew across the room and smashed into the wall. Then, all hell broke loose as the rest of the goons charged at him to perform an all-out attack on a single man.

    Asura, for his part, reacted like he always does and began dodging each of their attack by swerving, or moving out of the way, side stepping, and sometimes stepping on the sprawled man, who cried out in pain as the youth continued to hold onto his hand. After dodging the attacks, Asura replied back with a might slap to each of the goon¡¯s face, sending them flying and smashing into the wall in different areas.

    Soon, the only one remaining standing was Asura while all goons were either sitting limply against the walls or lying down flat on their face, all knocked out from his slaps. The tenants of the apartment had these mouths agape, not believing what they were seeing.

    ¡°You bastard!¡± The man, lying at his feet, shouted furiously. ¡°Once my men find out¡ª!¡±

    Before he could continue, Asura raised a leg and landed it heavily down on the man¡¯s chest. The impact was so great that the ground cracked around them and it appeared like they sat a little into the ground. As for the man, he yelled out in immense pain and coughed blood out of his mouth.

    ¡°Shut up and listen!¡± Asura shouted fiercely with a deadly look on his face. ¡°I¡¯m not some pebble for you to play around! You understand? I¡¯m not some road side pebble to play with!¡±

    With that, he raised his leg and delivered yet another impact so hard that the ground sank even deeper around them. Once again, the man yelled out from the severe pain of the impact while coughing up blood from his mouth.

    In the next moment, the atmosphere in the room thickened as Asura began to exert his energy threateningly. Everyone watched fearfully at such an aggressive demeanour as the tables were turned when the bully became the bullied.

 Chapter 15

    After the intense intimidation that Asura demonstrated against them, the goons picked themselves up and slowly departed from the building. On their way out, they helped the man get up before two of them hoisted him over their shoulders. Due to the height difference, his feet barely touched the floor as they slowly trudged away.

    ¡°Stop!¡± The man¡¯s commanding voice made them stop. ¡°Turn to face him.¡±

    They slowly turned around so that the man faced Asura with a deadly look on his face.

    ¡°We won¡¯t forget today! When I come back with my men, we¡¯ll rip you apart! You hear me? We¡¯ll tear you limb from limb!¡±

    Asura did not reply but glared back at him with an equally matching menacing expression on his face. The man seemed to wait for a bit, waiting for some kind of reaction from him, but soon decided to leave since his opposition showed no sign of reacting to his provocation.

    Once they left, Asura turned around and noticed the many eyes staring at him apprehensively. They must have been very frightened by the immense pressure he exuded as well as the menacing display of strength he exerted in defeating the people that had been terrorising them for a long time.

    He momentarily wondered what he should do about them, but he decided there was nothing to be done. So, he firmly walked past them without a single glance and began climbing up the stairs while they continued to watch him leave.

    Remembering the direction in which Zayden¡¯s room was located, Asura followed along and soon arrived to stand behind a flimsy looking door. There was a knob on it with a number digit pad to enter the passcode to enter the room.

    ¡°A fancy number lock for this kind of door?¡± He muttered to himself with a raised eyebrow.

    Disregarding the strangeness of it all, he entered the six-digit passcode and soon heard a click sound. He turned the knob and the door swung open easily, allowing him entry into the room. Stepping in, he shut the door and flicked the lights on that were located right next to the entrance and the entrance of the room turned on.

    He momentarily narrowed his eyes to shield himself against the sudden brightness in such a dark room, but he soon saw that it was a small shabby room. There was a bed right next to the entrance and towards the back was located what looked like a kitchen and right next to the kitchen was a door, which he opened to find an attached bathroom and toilet.

    ¡°Not exactly healthy to have this right next to the kitchen but it¡¯ll do,¡± he muttered to himself with a sigh.

    It was a not a hospitable place but he accepted that there was nothing to be done about it as the choice to live here was not made by him. Zayden made that choice out of necessity due to the severe financial situation he was under. However, he felt the feelings that Zayden had felt while living there, feeling of being grateful of having a roof over his head compared to having no roof at all. This further made Asura feel sorrow for the young man that was no longer there.

    ¡°Anyway, I better get things in order,¡± he muttered to himself and shook his head to get rid of the unnecessary feelings.

    He walked back to the entrance and took off his shoes and stored them under the bed located right next to the entrance. Then he emptied the contents of his pockets onto the bed and looked incredulously at them.

    ¡°She really bought too much for me,¡± he muttered, referring to the wild shopping spree Lina had taken him on.

    Despite grumbling about the clutter of boxes he would have to unpack, a faint smile appeared on his face. Sighed deeply, he began stretching his body and sniffed himself before making a disgruntled expression.

    ¡°A bath is a must¡­¡± he muttered with a disgruntled look.

    As such, he checked at the curtains and noticed that they were quite transparent, so he decided to switch the lights off, returning the room to semi-darkness with the only light coming through the curtains of the end of the day sunlight.

    He took his clothes off and headed into the bathroom to have a comfortable bath. Once inside, he struggled to figure out what each of them did and Zayden¡¯s memories did not give him any hint on how to operate these things. As such, he accidentally got splashed in the face by the hand shower when he turned it on and immediately doused himself with water from the head shower when he turned the knob in the middle completely to the other side.

    It took him a while to finally get things in order and begin having a bath. He sniffed at the soap out of curiosity and liking the smell, he began to use it earnestly to rub himself all around. Then he watched himself off completely with the hand shower and then proceeded to have a shower with the shampoo located to the side.

    All of this took place in the span of half-an-hour before he finally stepped out with a sigh of relief with a towel wrapped around his waist. He had forgotten to take spare clothes into the bathroom, she had to dry himself inside and then wrap the towel around himself as he did not want to walk around his room naked.

    Once outside, he headed to the side shelves with clothes folded neatly on there. Asura looked sympathetically at the nearly folded clothes as he remembered how carefully Zayden had taken care of them. Then he took a pair of shirt, pant and underwear and quickly got dressed before walking over to the bed and sitting down comfortably on it.

    ¡°This is hard¡­¡± he muttered in slight annoyance.

    The bed was hard and did not feel that comfortable as he felt like he was singing into the frame of the bed and the flat board hitting his buttocks. This experience was terrible in comparison to the bed he slept on in the super human assessment area and worse than the bed he slept on during his recovery at the hospital.

    He let out another sigh before muttering, ¡°I¡¯m sighing too much. I need to get used to this.¡±

    Asura thought back to the times he had to sleep on the ground while on an expedition for war back in his during his time. Thinking about the hard times from then made him feeling his current situation was slightly better.

    ¡°Anyway, what do I do now¡­?¡±

    His question was not about his purpose for being there, which he deemed for now to exact revenge against all those that put Zayden in his current predicament, but he was concerned about what had happened earlier.

    ¡°Sensing his hostility, I can tell he is someone that holds a grudge and will see to it through to the end,¡± he muttered to himself in a quiet voice, voicing his thoughts out loud, ¡°but what will he do? Who will he bring? How many will he bring? When will they come? How long will it take for him to gather what he needs to come? Where will they strike from? What kind of men would they be? Will there be super humans among them? Could he have ties to villains? Could be have ties to guilds that do dirty work for money?¡±

    Asura had bombarded himself with question after question with a very serious expression on his face while rocking back and forth on the bed.

    ¡°Can I beat them? Do I stand a chance with my current pathetic self?¡± He asked himself and looked down at his two hands.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

    He clenched his hands and unclenched them, wondering how strong he truly was. He does not possess a single prideful bone in his body, or at least in his spirit since he believed the current body did not belong to him. So, he was always been able to assess himself properly and accurately before any kind of battle in order to make preparations for him to get stronger to meet the challenge.

    ¡°I know in time I can become stronger if I train harder but¡­ time¡­ Do I have time?¡±

    The one fact he knew vividly was that there was no one in this building that would be willing to help him, stand up for him, or even bother to call the authorities in case of danger. The number of weeks that Zayden and the occupants spent in terror made that painfully clear.

    ¡°There¡¯s also a high possibility that the local authorities around here were tipped off by that gang to not get in between their business,¡± he muttered and furrowed his eyebrows with an intense look.

    From everything he could think off, he realised he was at a dead end with not a single way out. Normally, this would make anyone give up, but he was not an ordinary person.

    ¡°The odds are stacked against me,¡± he admitted to himself coolly as if it was obviously, ¡°but even so, I¡¯m not giving up.¡±

    It was never in his nature to surrender or give up no matter the crisis he had faced. Even when he was in the middle of an intense life or death battle, he continued to fight on with high spirit and valiantly to the very end until his eventual victory. Compared to those times, he almost smiled at how simple the current situation is.

    ¡°I can get stronger if I train regularly, but how long would I have to get stronger before him and his men come back with a larger force,¡± he began muttering again his thoughts as he imagined a possible scenario that might occur. ¡°I should expect no less than a week before they return. That¡¯s not enough time to get this really weak body to the level of strengthening that I need it to be.¡±

    ¡°In that case, should I look for help?¡± He asked himself unashamedly. ¡°There¡¯s no shame in accepting help where necessary. I accepted Lagron¡¯s help during that time when my army was about to be wiped out due to an ambush.¡±

    This made him think of that time back in his original world, he had been waging war against the high elves, who were notorious for wanting to horde knowledge and claim all land as their own. They did not heed his creed to surrender themselves under his rule and put up a fight, so he and his army charged towards their homeland to conquer them.

    At first, both forces had put up equally fierce fight to stop the other with everything they got. However, the high elves began losing as Asura entered the fray himself like he always does to quicken the battle and not shed any more blood.

    The magic attacks that the elves launched at him were completely ineffective as he was a fierce warrior that did not know any defeat and would not simply allow himself to take a beating. After their volley of attacks, he and his men return fired and had dealt a severe damage to their magic unit.

    ¡°Sir, we¡¯re soon approaching their barrier!¡± One of his men reported as his men charged forward.

    ¡°Don¡¯t let up! Keep on pushing!¡± Asura ordered them, and his men let out a battle cry and continued to push on.

    It was that time that time that several explosions occurred from their rear, and he turned around in shock to find the infantry unit of the high elves charging from behind. That was when he realised that the other race had let the infantry unit to leave the safety of their barrier far earlier before Asura¡¯s army arrived so that they could ambush them at the right time.

    As such, the battle quickly turned in the favour of the high elves as Asura¡¯s army began to take heavy casualties from the sudden attack from behind. Asura attempted to leave the front to return to the rear to support his men, however he was stopped by the commander of his army.

    ¡°Sir, you need to leave!¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Asura yelled angrily. ¡°I will not abandon my men!¡±

    ¡°Sir,¡± the man said seriously, through blood and sweat, ¡°this war is lost. You must retreat.¡±

    Asura¡¯s expression turned white from the shock of hearing the finality in the man¡¯s voice and understood quickly that he was right. The infantry unit had taken them by great surprise and were quickly wiping them out before the men could recognise and return fire.

    ¡°Even so, I¡¯m not giving up!¡± Asura shouted at his man and turned as he readied to join them.

    ¡°No, sir!¡± The man shouted and grabbed his hand to stop him. ¡°You are running low on energy. If you push yourself too far, you will seriously hurt yourself.¡±

    ¡°But I cannot simply abandon you all! We can still win this!¡±

    ¡°Sir!¡± The man drew closer to him and said pleadingly, ¡°if you fall here, all of our sacrifices will be wasted. You must return alive and prepare once again to face off against this cowardly scum. We are fighting for the future, correct?¡±

    ¡°Even so¡ª!¡± Asura began, but his underling shook his head in denial.

    He ordered for one of the cavalry men to take Asura back to the base camp immediately. Just as Asura continued to resit while his men forcefully got him onto the horse, they heard a loud familiar voice calling out a technique name.

    ¡°Dragon Slam!¡±

    At that moment, a silhouette appeared from high above and it shot down incredibly fast before landing firmly on the ground. At the same time, he had brought his fist towards the ground with it surrounded by an unknown energy.

    A moment later, there was a massive explosion of power as the ground erupted on all sides, causing both armies to stumble and become off balanced. As the dust spread in all directions, the attacker straightened up to face the infantry unit of the high elves, who had quickly recovered.

    ¡°Strike!¡± They shouted, and once again they charged forward towards the man.

    It looked like the man was grinning at the sight of this army charging towards him before he held his hand out. In the palm of his hand, he began to gather energy in it before a small red ball of energy had formed in it. Then, with a wicked grin, he swung the charged energy back with his hand and shouted the technique while glaring menacingly at the charging army.

    ¡°Dragon Burst Cannon!¡±

    With that, he swung his hand forward and aimed at them while exerting the energy in the palm of his hand. It got unleashed as a massive red wave of destruction that soared straight towards the charging infantry unit.

    Seeing this incoming attack, they quickly brought their shields up and shouted a technique name that could not be heard from the bellowing noise of the attack. A barrier like magic formed around each of them after casting the spell, but to their horror, the attack soared forward, smashed into their barrier and effortlessly broke through and completely evaporating them from existence.

    As the devastation completely rattled the enemy army, the man turned around and looked towards Asura with a grinning.

    ¡°I thought you needed a hand, Asura!¡± He called with a wide grin on his face.

    Asura stared at the man in disbelief before muttering his name being, ¡°Lagron.¡±

    As the memory of that incident finished, Asura remembered how the Lagron¡¯s army arrived and quickly encircled the disoriented infantry unit, allowing him to focus on the war effort and soon breach the barrier protecting the high elves home land, resulting in his victory.

    ¡°I took help from him in that critical time, so why can¡¯t I do it now?¡± He muttered with a faint smile. ¡°But¡­ who would be willing to help me that I know of?¡±

    The only people he knew personally that he felt he could speak to with his hand. They were Pina, the super human assessment staff member, Wonder Man being a member of one of the top guilds in the country, Berserkers, and finally Lina, the daughter of the guild master of the very same guild.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know about Pina, and I don¡¯t know how to contact Wonder Man. That only leaves¡­¡± he muttered and looked towards the phone he put aside on the bed.

    He remembered her parting words from earlier when she dropped him near the apartment.

    ¡°If you ever need my help, make sure to call me. Don¡¯t hesitate,¡± she told him confidently.

    ¡°But I already took so much help from you. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s right,¡± he replied in a concerned voice.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid,¡± she scolded him, much to his surprise. ¡°Don¡¯t try to be so honourable in a day and age where the meaning of honour is disappearing.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Asura reacted in surprise as he was not expecting to hear something like that.

    ¡°I sincerely offered you my help, and you should just take it. You¡¯re a good man and that¡¯s why I¡¯m offering you my help, okay? Besides, you never know when you might need my help, right? So don¡¯t put yourself in unnecessary stress because of useless feelings. It will get you killed.¡±

    Asura was quite taken by surprise from hearing her words, but he could understand the emotion behind it.

    ¡°You may be right, Lina, and you might be right. Even so, I won¡¯t give up,¡± he muttered with a faint smile.

    Taking a deep breath, he breathed a sigh before making up his mind and picking up the phone. He searched the contacts list in the phone and began to ring her number. For a few seconds, he heard the sound of something ringing inside the phone before he heard it get picked up and her voice saying his name.

    ¡°Zayden! You called. How are you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m alright. How are you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m at home relaxing. Did you get to your apartment safely?¡±

    He momentarily paused at her question as he remembered the incident that occurred almost an hour ago.

    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m home safe and sound,¡± he finally replied.

    ¡°That¡¯s good. So, what did you need to call me so soon?¡±

    ¡°You know how you said I should call you if I need anything?¡±

    ¡°Yes? Do you need help with something?¡±

    ¡°Yes, and I¡¯d like to talk it over with you tomorrow if that¡¯s okay?¡±

    ¡°Sure. I got tomorrow off, so I¡¯m down for that. Where should we meet?¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Lina,¡± he replied in an appreciative voice and smiled as a plan began forming in his mind.

 Chapter 16

    ¡°You want a job?¡± Lina asked in surprise.

    ¡°Yes,¡± he replied firmly. ¡°I recently lost a job due to¡­ personal issues, so now I don¡¯t have a job and since I¡¯m a super human, I¡¯d like to join a guild and earn an income.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± she said with a thoughtful look on her face.

    Just then, a waiter came over carrying two trays full of the things they had previously ordered.

    ¡°Here we are, sir and madam,¡± she told them cheerfully.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± said Zayden as she placed them down in front of them gently.

    ¡°Enjoy your meal,¡± she wished them happily and left

    At that moment, the two of them were sitting inside a fancy restaurant that looked like it was built to welcome rich customers

    The previous night, Zayden had requested to meet up with her personally to discuss something and she designated a restaurant that of her choice. Satisfied with the time of which the meeting was to be held, he ended the call with a determined expression.

    The next day, he got ready and while leaving the apartment, he ran into the other inhabitants and noticed the fearful looks they threw his way. From Zayden¡¯s memories, Asura knew they never once glanced his way or even looked at him like he was some sort of cockroach. However, ever since he displayed his superiority against their bullies, they developed a fear towards him.

    ¡°Works for me,¡± he thought as he did not change anything as he departed from the apartment.

    Getting to the designated place took him several minutes by walking as he did not have much money to spend. At first, he did not recognise the place and had to look it up using the phone device¡¯s navigation program and turned out it was about an-hour walking distance from the apartment. This would mean, he would arrive fifteen minutes late to the set meeting time.

    ¡°I better hurry,¡± he muttered with a serious face.

    As such, he set the directions on the phone and began jogging towards the destination by following the indications shown on the phone. This way, he arrived just over thirty-minutes later with a few minutes to spare before the meeting time.

    ¡°This is¡­ so¡­ annoying¡­¡± he said while gasping for a breath.

    As he bent down while holding his knees to catch his breath, he heard a familiar voice say, ¡°What happened to you, Zayden?¡±

    He looked up while breathing heavily to see Lina standing there wearing a beautiful outfit and looking glamorous. She was looking at him with a surprised expression on her face as she did not quite understand why he was breathing so heavily.

    ¡°Did you run all the way here or something?¡± She asked, guessing it right.

    ¡°I¡­¡± he began wheezing.

    ¡°Oh no. I should¡¯ve come and picked you up,¡± she said, realising in an instant what had happened. ¡°I feel silly. Sorry, Zayden.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. There¡¯s no need to¡­ apologise,¡± he said as he finally caught his breath and straightened up.

    ¡°But you clearly ran all the way because you didn¡¯t have funds to spend,¡± she said with a saddened look.

    He shrugged his shoulders with a faint smile and indicated at the door while saying, ¡°Let¡¯s go in.¡±

    Together, they entered the premises and were warmly welcomed by two ladies wearing cute outfits. Asura was amazed that the ladies in this world would be willing to wear this kind of clothing, which were maid outfits with animal ears and tails to make it look like they were beast-men.

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t imagine that prideful and brutish clan ever wearing these kinds of clothing and greeting people so warmly,¡± he thought to himself wryly.

    They led them towards a spot to sit and handed out a menu each for them to peruse through. Asura was momentarily amazed to see the kinds of food items they apparent serve in this restaurant, but that emotion instantly switched to horror the moment his eyes laid upon their individual prices.

    ¡°So expensive!¡± He exclaimed to himself. ¡°Do people actually spend so much to eat this stuff?!¡±

    He looked up from his menu to look at Lina, who was silently going through the menu and flipped through the pages. Then she put it down and began to order the food that she wanted from the menu.

    With each order she gave, he immediately went through the menu and was astounded by their prices. Once she finished giving out her order, he summed the total cost and he realised he had just enough to pay for the order, which was the amount Zayden had worked for an entire month to save.

    ¡°Zayden, place an order,¡± she said and indicated at him.

    As the waiter readied the device in her hand to input his order, he hesitated. The previous night, Asura had gone through his belongings and found the money Zayden had stashed away for safe keeping. The reason he did was because he wanted to treat her, however now having only the amount enough to pay for the bill, he decided to forgo ordering anything from there.

    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m okay,¡± he said and put the menu down pleasantly. ¡°I had a bit too much breakfast and a full.¡±

    This surprised her momentarily before a knowing look appeared on her face and she made an order in his behalf. He was stunned and tried to stop her, but she waved her hand at him to stop and continued giving out the order.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

    ¡°We¡¯ll bring them out to you soon, sir and madam,¡± the waiter said happily and walked away.

    ¡°Ah. No. Wait,¡± Zayden began and stretched out his arm to stop her.

    ¡°Calm down, Zayden,¡± said Lina with a smile.

    ¡°Why did you order for me? I told you I had a bit too much breakfast,¡± he told her indignantly.

    For a moment, she looked at him with a smile and asked, ¡°Do you see a flower on my ear?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m stupid to not realise your intentions?¡±

    He blinked in surprise, not realising she had fully understood his thought process.

    ¡°Zayden, do you think I called you to this restaurant to make you pay for the food?¡± He looked up at her in surprise as she continued to say, ¡°I¡¯m not like those other women that make men pay for my food. In fact, I don¡¯t know what self-respecting woman would want any man to pay for her meal unless it¡¯s her partner or she was invited. So, relax and let me pay for the meal.¡±

    ¡°What? Even mine?¡± He asked in surprise. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I can pay for it.¡±

    ¡°No, I will pay since I invited you here,¡± she told him much to his surprise. Then she began scolding him with, ¡°Also, didn¡¯t I tell you to accept my generosity without questions?¡±

    ¡°But¡­ this isn¡¯t right,¡± he said defensively. ¡°I wanted to speak with you¡ª¡±

    ¡°¡ªand I set the designated location for our meeting,¡± she finished while cutting him off. ¡°In the end, I invited you here so that we can talk together. As such, it¡¯s my invitation and I will pay. Very simple, right?¡±

    She smiled happily at him while he looked at her with a baffled expression on his face. Asura was not sure how the real Zayden would feel about this because he himself was never usually at the forefront of someone else¡¯s generosity.

    In fact, each step of the way in his life, he fought for it as his enemies never went easy on him and even went so far as to try and wipe them out. That was the entire reason why Asura and his clansmen waged a global war against all the clansmen around the world to unite it once and for all. So, he was unfamiliar to this giving nature of somebody else when he was the one usually giving.

    ¡°Why are you thinking about it so hard?¡± Lina asked him with a serene smile. ¡°I have no bad intentions from doing this. I just felt you deserve it, so just accept it. Please.¡±

    He looked at her and his magic detected the sincerity in her voice and finally gave in.

    ¡°Alright,¡± he said and smiled faintly at her, and she beamed joyfully at him.

    That was how they arrived at the conversation where Zayden was asking for a job request.

    ¡°I can try getting you a job at our guild,¡± she began thoughtfully.

    ¡°Oh no, I didn¡¯t mean your guild specifically,¡± he said quickly. ¡°I just needed to be pointed in the right direction to which guilds I should apply for a job. I don¡¯t want to get a job through back door deals.¡±

    She reacted by blinking in surprise before smiling and saying, ¡°I understand, but what I¡¯m saying is I¡¯ll try to get you a job at our guild but there are no promises. If that doesn¡¯t work out, we can look elsewhere.¡±

    ¡°Is there any reason you¡¯re pointing me towards your guild?¡± He asked curiously.

    ¡°Well¡­¡± she began and smiled sheepishly. ¡°Admittedly, we are understaffed at the moment.¡±

    He was surprised by this and asked, ¡°Understaffed? How could Beserkers be understaffed?¡±

    Beserkers guild was one of the top guilds in their country and for them to be understaffed is a shocking fact.

    ¡°It¡¯s true because most of our members are super heroes and that¡¯s why we¡¯re understaffed. Actually, we even put up a recruitment ad for people looking for a desk job.¡±

    As she said, she opened her hand bag and rummaged through it before pulling out a piece of paper. She handed it to him, where he saw a brilliant and colourful advertisement requesting for anyone in the general public possessing the required skills to have a desk job and the salary was highly paid.

    ¡°I¡¯m guessing a lot of people have applied for it?¡± He asked after looking through.

    ¡°About that¡­¡± she began hesitantly, and he looked up to see her with a disgruntled expression. ¡°Most of the job applications we received were requesting to become a super hero.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± He reacted while blinking in surprise.

    ¡°It¡¯s true since it¡¯s one of the highest paid jobs right now,¡± she said gloomily.

    ¡°Oh. I can see why people are applying for it then,¡± he admitted with a nod.

    There was a moment of silence between them before she looked at him and asked, ¡°Do you want to become a super hero as well?¡±

    ¡°A super hero? Me?¡± He asked in surprise, and she nodded in assent. ¡°I don¡¯t know. To be honest, I don¡¯t believe all that ¡®fighting for justice¡¯ thing suits me that well.¡±

    He was not Zayden, he was Asura and his past weighs heavily on his shoulders as a rule that had waged wars across the world that resulted in so many deaths he had lost count. By the end of it all, he had achieved what he had set out to do, but the loss of so many lives by his hands weighs heavily on his conscience.

    Lina noticed the gloomy expression on his face and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re worried about, but I think it suits you well. You did save me from Web Raider yesterday, remember?¡±

    ¡°That was just one instance where the circumstances went my way, but I don¡¯t know about the future,¡± he said while lowering his head. Then he looked down at his hands and said, ¡°First and fore most, I am weak. Terribly weak. I wouldn¡¯t be able to save anyone, not like this.¡±

    ¡°You saved me,¡± she said, and he looked at her in surprise. She smiled and said, ¡°You saved me with that strength of yours. Besides, I¡¯ve seen how diligent you are from the amount of hard work you are willing to put to get stronger.¡±

    She was referring to the time at the hospital, where he had delinquently trained his body without rest. At first, she was worried he was overexerting himself, but when she saw the sheer desperation at which he pushed himself so hard, she did not stop him but watched over him just in case he hurts himself.

    He smiled feebly and said, ¡°Thanks for having faith in me, but I¡¯m just not sure.¡±

    ¡°Well, we wouldn¡¯t know until you try it out,¡± she said with a smile, ¡°but before that, I think you should gain experience working for the super heroes, see what kind of work they do, what their day to day lives look like and then decide for yourself whether you want to do it or not.¡±

    Asura was surprised by her suggestion as it sounded good, so he asked, ¡°I guess this would mean I should apply for a desk job at your guild.¡±

    She nodded in assent and asked, ¡°So, what¡¯s your education qualification?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m currently on my final term studying for my bachelors in business and economics.¡±

    This caught her off guard as she asked, ¡°Wow. Business and economics? Were you wanting to become an accountant or something?¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure,¡± he said, which was the truth.

    His memories of Zayden showed Zayden being unsure what to do with his life as he had no one to depend on. The only thing he liked was doing mathematics and seeing that maths was heavily involved in things like business and economics, he felt he would be good at it. That was how he managed to get himself a scholarship to study business and economy.

    ¡°Well, you can work part time at our guild and gain experience for your degree. As a bonus, you¡¯d get to put down that you worked for one of the top guilds in our country. That¡¯ll surely help your future prospectives if you don¡¯t want to become a super hero.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ true,¡± he began in amazement, ¡°but you told me just earlier you can¡¯t make promises about giving me a job at your guild.¡±

    She chuckled and said, ¡°I did, but we are understaffed so I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll get hired relatively easy.¡±

    He smiled faintly at her and said, ¡°You¡¯re quite optimistic.¡±

    ¡°In world diving head first into chaos, things like optimism become a virtue,¡± she said with a small smile. Then she shook her head and said, ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s finish our meal and I¡¯ll take you to our guild.¡±

    ¡°Wait? Now?¡± He reacted in surprise. ¡°Don¡¯t we need a prior appointment?¡±

    ¡°Usually, that¡¯d be the case but you¡¯re with me, so it¡¯s fine,¡± she said and grinned brightly.

    He blinked in surprise and asked, ¡°Is that okay¡­?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. Now, let¡¯s quickly finish eating and head on our way,¡± she said cheerfully, and the two of them began eating the food in earnest.

 Chapter 17

    They got into her car, although Zayden hesitated to get in and only after Lina urged him that he got into her car. After putting on their seat belts, she brought the car into a roaring life and drove off at high speed towards their destination.

    As they rode along the road at high speed, Zayden grew concerned and asked, ¡°I had forgotten to ask but don¡¯t you think you¡¯re speeding too much?¡±

    ¡°You think so?¡± She asked in surprise. ¡°I¡¯m simply following the speed limits.¡±

    This surprised him and he asked, ¡°Huh? You¡¯re doing the speed limit? Then why does it feel like you¡¯re driving off fast?¡±

    To that, she chuckled and replied, ¡°It¡¯s probably because I accelerate at such a high speed that you got that initial impression that I drive fast but trust me. I¡¯m not breaking the rules.¡± Then she glanced at him sideways and asked with a shrewd look, ¡°Were you thinking I¡¯m a rule breaker?¡±

    ¡°No, no! That wasn¡¯t it,¡± he replied quickly while raising his hands in a defence gesture. ¡°I never rode in this kind of car before so it felt like you¡¯re driving fast.¡±

    ¡°That makes sense,¡± she said with a smile and continued driving at the same speed as before.

    It did not take them long before they began arrived outside a tall building that had a large logo built into the front of the building. The logo had the head of a lion with its mouth open with a fearsome expression and underneath it was the name ¡®Beserkers¡¯ to indicate that as their guild headquarters.

    She drove the car through the entrance way and rolled down the window to speak to the guards, who saluted to her in surprise. Then they lifted up the gate and she drove inside and parked in one of the empty parking spots.

    ¡°Here we are,¡± she said after switching the engine off cheerfully.

    Zayden got out of the car and looked up at how tall the building was before commenting, ¡°It¡¯s quite tall.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s my dad¡¯s idea to build a tall skyscraper,¡± she said with a grin before saying, ¡°Let¡¯s go in,¡± and led the way with him following after her.

    As they arrived outside the entrance doors, there were two security guards that were stationed there. They immediately stood at attention and saluted to her upon recognising who she was. She nodded at them with a smile before they opened the doors for her to allow them entry into the guild building.

    Once they entered the building, Zayden marvelled at the construction of the incredible interior design of the building. The moment they entered was when he saw a large chandelier hanging high off the ground at what seemed like the centre of the inside. Then he saw what seemed like statues of knights wearing fear inspiring armours situated at almost every section of the inside.

    On the floor, he noticed an orange carpet leading straight from the entrance towards a desk with the insignia of the guild. There was another insignia of the guild symbol embedded into the wall behind the desk where several smartly dressed people were speaking to those on the other side of the large desk. He looked up and saw what looked like walk ways connecting between floors while the same walkways were used to connect the same floors separated by the space made for the chandelier.

    Lina took a few steps in and then turned to face him before saying with a cheerfully smile, ¡°Welcome to Beserkers guild!¡±

    He was taken aback by the bright smile she showed him and felt a strange sensation in his chest. This startled him because this was a foreign feeling for him as he, Asura, had in all his years ever felt a throbbing sensation in his chest.

    ¡°What is this strange feeling¡­?¡± He thought to himself silently as he followed her towards the desk.

    On their approach, one of the women noticed them and instantly recognised who Lina was. The lady immediately jumped to her feet and greeted her with a bright smile.

    ¡°Hello, young miss! What brings you here?¡±

    At her words, several of the people that overheard her stopped what they were doing and turned to look at her. There was an audible muttering with them muttering amongst themselves about the sudden appearance of the guild owner¡¯s daughter at their headquarters. Then their eyes shifted to focus on Zayden, who felt their penetrating stares and felt quite uncomfortable.

    ¡°Hey,¡± said Lina with a wave at the lady. ¡°I came here to speak with uncle.¡±

    ¡°Your uncle? Okay, young miss. I¡¯ll call him right now.¡±

    ¡°Ah, there¡¯s no need,¡± said Lina quickly. ¡°If he¡¯s in office, I¡¯ll head there myself.¡±

    ¡°Contrary to her wishes, the lady behind the counter shook her head negatively and replied, ¡°Sorry, young miss, but the guild master will have our heads if he finds out you were made to walk there.¡±This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± Lina groaned and lowered her shoulders in defeat. ¡°Fine.¡±

    Smiling again, the lady lifted her arm and began clicking on the watch she was wearing on her wrist. It immediately caused a holographic display to appear, and she began navigating through the menus. Soon, she pressed on a certain option and that caused a round circle thing to appear that continued to spin in circle.

    While that was happening, Zayden asked, ¡°Your uncle? What do you need him for?¡±

    ¡°Recruiting you, of course,¡± said Lina with a smile. ¡°He¡¯s the head of all the recruitments that are done in the guild. No one gets accepted into the guild without his approval.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± he said with a look of amazement on his face.

    A moment later, the spinning wheel disappeared and the hologram face of a man appeared hovering above the watch.

    ¡°Yes?¡± Asked a tired voice of the man in the hologram which appeared to look quite grumpy.

    ¡°Sir, young miss Lina is here to see you.¡±

    ¡°What? Lina?¡± The man said in surprise and the holographic face spun around to look at them. His grumpy expression quickly vanished and was replaced with a look of pure delight as he said, ¡°Lina! You should¡¯ve called when you¡¯re coming here. Wait there. I¡¯ll be there shortly.¡±

    With that, the holographic head vanished and the light disappeared from her wrist watch. Not too long after, they saw the door somewhere on the side open and the same man appeared out from it.

    Zayden¡¯s first impression of the man was that of someone that constantly kept themselves busy. He wore glasses over his face and his head hair looked dishevelled like he never cared for it. Not only his hair but his entire attire looked like the man never cared about his appearance of the clothes he was wearing.

    ¡°Lina!¡± He said happily on seeing her. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you.¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s good to see you too, uncle,¡± she cheerfully.

    ¡°So, what brings you here today and specifically for it to do with me?¡±

    ¡°Well, I came here to talk to you about him,¡± she said and indicated Zayden, who was standing behind her. Then she introduced him to her uncle by saying, ¡°Uncle, this is Zayden.¡±

    ¡°Hello, Zayden. I¡¯m Martin Morris,¡± the older man said and extended his hand out in greeting.

    Zayden shook it with his own and greeted him with, ¡°Hello, sir. I¡¯m Zayden Kardos.¡±

    ¡°Kardos¡­¡± Martin muttered to himself, trying to remember if he knew the family name from somewhere.

    ¡°Uncle, don¡¯t bother with his family name,¡± snapped Lina in annoyance.

    ¡°Alright, alright,¡± he said with a smile. ¡°So, what does my cute little girl bring this gentleman here for?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s discuss in your office,¡± she suggested, and he accepted readily.

    ¡°Alright. Follow me,¡± he said, and he led them towards the sliding door he came out from.

    As they reached it and the older man slid open the door for them, Zayden was confused to find the inside of the room to be small. It was so small that he felt it could fit about ten people at a time while only standing.

    He was feeling doubtful when he saw Lina step into the small cubicle and decided to follow after her before the older man walked in and slid the door shut. Then the man clicked his fingers, causing a magic circle to suddenly appear beneath their feet much to Zayden¡¯s surprise.

    ¡°Floor 29,¡± said Martin casually.

    In an instant, Zayden felt his surrounding shaking and the colours began to distort out of control. Then he felt a heavy motion like movement that made him feel sick but the sensation lasted for only a moment because it vanished within a second and the door was slid open by Martin.

    ¡°Here we are,¡± he said and walked out first.

    Lina stepped out next and then finally Zayden, who breathed a deep sigh and clutched his head with a pained look.

    ¡°Are you okay, Zayden?¡± Lina asked, suddenly realising he was not okay.

    ¡°Um¡­ Kind of,¡± he said simply while still keeping his hand over his forehead with his eyes closed.

    ¡°Did you feel a strange sensation when the teleportation activated?¡±

    ¡°So, that was teleportation¡­¡± Zayden said slowly with a sigh. Then he removed his hand from his forehead and looked at them before saying, ¡°Yes, I did.¡±

    ¡°Ah, you must have magic sickness,¡± said Martin coolly.

    For a moment, Zayden stared at him with a dumbfounded look before asking, ¡°Magic¡­ sickness¡­?¡±

    ¡°Yes. A lot of people experience it and it¡¯s quite common actually,¡± the older man explained in a matter-of-fact tone. ¡°In fact, I experienced it all the time until I got used to it. I mean, you would have to since my office is located on Floor 29.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ see¡­¡± said the young man in amazement.

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s head on to my office to discuss, shall we?¡± He asked them and after receiving their nods, he turned and led the way.

    As he followed after them, Asura thought to himself, ¡°Me? Having magic sickness? That¡¯s ridiculous! There¡¯s no way I could be sick of magic when I had tested some of the basic spells when I found myself in this world at that hospital and I was perfectly fine. That could only mean one thing,¡± and he turned to look back at the door.

    ¡°That teleportation magic circle has some flaws in it.¡±

    He remembered from the past witnessing many accidents conducted by his clansmen trying to master the magic circles of the High Elves. The slightest mistake and the intended purpose changes and ultimately many accidents happened, some permanent. As such, he never bothered himself with using it and chose to rely on Voiceless Incantation to use the Magic Force.

    ¡°So, the reason everyone feels sick was because that Magic Circle has flaws in it that no one is aware of,¡± he thought to himself and inwardly sighed. ¡°Does that mean the people of this world have limited knowledge of how to properly use Magic Circles? If that¡¯s the case, it¡¯s a miracle that circle even functions at all and doesn¡¯t do something terrible to the user.¡±

    Just then, Lina asked him, ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Zayden?¡±

    ¡°Oh. Nothing,¡± he reacted in surprise and looked to the front.

    ¡°Are you still thinking about the Magic Circle, Zayden?¡±

    Asura thought for a moment whether to bring up his doubts and decided might as well share his thoughts with them.

    ¡°I just thought that there might be some kind of flaw or something for everyone to feel so sick from just teleporting.¡±

    ¡°A fair point,¡± said Martin in agreement, ¡°but not everything in life can go smoothly, right, youngster?¡±

    ¡°Um¡­ I suppose so, sir¡­¡±

    ¡°And besides, with the knowledge and experiments we were able to conduct in the past 200 years, we should appreciate the Magic Engineering Workshop were able to come up with a method to teleport. Don¡¯t you agree?¡± The older man asked with a serene smile.

    ¡°Yes, sir. You¡¯re right,¡± said Zayden with a nod of ascent, but inwardly he was taken aback.

    ¡°Wait? It took them 200 years to get this far? Huh? No way!¡± He thought to himself in alarm.

    That was when Asura began to realise that he perhaps has a better knowledge of how magic works compared to the people of this world.

 Chapter 18

    The three of them walked for a while before arriving at the end of the corridor, where they saw two guards stationed outside a door. They were very serious looking and focused, but upon hearing their footsteps, the guards turned to look at their direction before reacting.

    They nodded at Martin respectfully before greeting Lina with, ¡°Good morning, young miss.¡±

    ¡°Good morning you two,¡± she greeted them back with a smile.

    After exchanging small pleasantries, their attention turned to focus on Zayden with an alert expression on their faces.

    ¡°And this is¡­?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s with me,¡± she reassured them.

    ¡°Oh,¡± one of them said and turned towards Martin for confirmation. When the older man nodded, they nodded back in acceptance.

    Without another word, one of them opened the door and allow them to walk in without any obstructions. As such, Martin entered first, followed by Lina and bringing the rear was Zayden before the door was closed curtly behind them.

    Upon walking into the door, Zayden was amazed that the room was quite spacious with a large wide windowed arrow on the other side of the room. In front of the window space was a large desk littered with papers that he was working on before coming to them.

    ¡°Sorry about that,¡± said Lina to Zayden apologetically.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± he assured her with a small smile. ¡°I can understand you¡¯d want to safeguard the Head of the Recruits as best as you can.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re quick to realise that,¡± remarked Martin, and he looked impressed. ¡°Most simply assume they are there simply because we feel very important about ourselves and have money to spend on such luxuries.¡±

    ¡°Wait? Really?¡± The young man asked in amazement.

    ¡°You have no idea,¡± said Martin, walking around his desk and taking a seat while indicating for them to sit down at the sofas laid before the desk in comfortable positions. ¡°People believe whatever the mainstream media wishes to put out by choosing whatever narrative they¡¯d like to use that best benefits them.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ see¡­¡± Zayden said with a nod of understanding.

    Asura clearly understood what the older man was implying, as he had been the subject of many different topics that ultimately led to the meaning of his original name changing to something terrible.

    Shaking his head to get rid of such useless thoughts, he focused on the conversation at hand as Martin turned to Lina and asked, ¡°So, what brings you here today that needed my presence, Lina?¡±

    Lina first glanced towards Zayden before turning to face her uncle as she said, ¡°I¡¯m here to ask for a recruitment for Zayden here.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Zayden reacted in surprise while Martin¡¯s eyes shot up in surprise.

    ¡°You want me to recruit this young man here into our guild?¡± He asked her for confirmation.

    ¡°Yes, uncle,¡± she said with a nod of her head.

    There was a momentary pause in which the both of them stared at one another. Zayden, for his part, looked troubled as this was a complete surprise to him from her unexpected intentions.

    ¡°Lina, I think you know I don¡¯t do backdoor dealings,¡± he told her flat out without hiding a hint of annoyance in his voice.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t a backdoor dealing, uncle,¡± she replied with a wry smile. ¡°I simply came here to have you recruit him because I feel as though he would do great if he joined us.¡±

    This narrowed his eyebrows to look sharply at her as he asked, ¡°You believe he will benefit our guild by joining us?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°On what grounds?¡±

    ¡°On my belief,¡± she said confidently. Then she added, ¡°As well as with my super power.¡±

    This surprised him as he asked, ¡°With your super power?¡±

    ¡°With her super power?¡± Asura thought to himself surprise and turned to look at her. ¡°What does she mean by believing in me based on her super power? What is it? Is it like Elemental Sense or maybe a bit different? Still, I haven¡¯t noticed any kind of power being used on me since coming this world.¡±

    Feeling perplexed, he remained silent and observed as the older man and the younger girl continued speaking regarding his recruitment.

    ¡°I know your super power is really powerful and useful but I simply cannot go off of it for just anyone, Lina,¡± he told her.

    ¡°Mmm, you¡¯re being stingy, uncle!¡± She remarked with a look of annoyance. Then she smiled once more before saying, ¡°Then, recruit him based on his merit.¡±

    ¡°His merit? Which is¡­?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s studying business at the down time university.¡±

    ¡°Um,¡± said Zayden suddenly as he raised his hand up, making the both of them to turn to him. ¡°It¡¯s mostly accounting.¡±

    ¡°Which is part of the business degree, right?¡± Lina asked with a smile, to which he meekly nodded. With a satisfied smile, she turned back to her uncle and said, ¡°He¡¯s currently in his last year studying to earn his bachelors in business degree. So, I feel he can be recruited into our guild, not as a super hero but as one of the staff.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t thinking about super hero,¡± he began before realising what she told him and asked, ¡°Wait? Super hero? Did he awaken as a super human?¡±

    ¡°Yes. He got tested yesterday and received his super human assessment,¡± she replied with a smile much to his surprise.

    ¡°I see,¡± he said slowly and looked towards Zayden with a sharp look that made the young man feel like he was under inspection. ¡°What was his super power?¡±

    ¡°That,¡± began Line and hesitated as she realised, she had no idea what it was. She turned to Zayden and asked, ¡°Zayden, have you any idea what your super power is?¡±Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    He was perplexed by her question and asked back for clarification with, ¡°Do you mean what¡¯s written in that envelope that Pina gave me?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡± he began hesitantly and looked at her, then at Martin and then back at her. ¡°It said [blank].¡±

    There was a moment of silence before both Martin and Lina reacted simultaneously in surprise.

    ¡°[blank]?¡± Lina asked with a look of uncertainty on her face. ¡°Are you sure?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± he replied and pulled out the backpack he had been carrying since morning.

    He rummaged through it and pulled out an envelop that she had seen only a day before. Holding it carefully, he took out the certificate inside of it and passed it onto her.

    Taking it, she quickly read through the entirety of the certificate with a baffled expression on her face. When she reached the end, she made sure to double check before lifting her head off the certificate with an astonished expression on her face.

    ¡°It really says [blank] on here,¡± she said quietly.

    ¡°Let me see,¡± said Martin, and he held his hand out. She got up and handed the certificate to him, which he quickly analysed more quickly than her before saying, ¡°Yup. It definitely says [blank] right here.¡±

    ¡°But¡­ That¡¯s¡­¡± she began hesitantly, taking the certificate back from him and looked confusedly at Zayden.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know what it meant so I thought to ask Pina today after finishing things up,¡± said Zayden with a shrug of his shoulders. Then he looked at her and asked with curiosity, ¡°So, what does it mean?¡±

    ¡°Um¡­¡± she began hesitantly with a troubled look on her face.

    It seemed like she was unsure how to tell him what it truly meant, but that was no problem for Martin as the older man decided to part that knowledge onto the young man.

    ¡°It means that they couldn¡¯t assess what your true super power is.¡±

    ¡°They couldn¡¯t figure out what my super power is?¡±

    ¡°Correct. This has happened to most people that had awoken as super humans but were unable to obtain a super power and were reduced to being either staff officers or supporters of other super heroes. It is a 50-50 chance of awakening as a super human but only 30 percentage chance to possessing an actual super power. So, without possessing a super power, you cannot acquire the title of super hero by joining any guild, not just ours.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ see¡­¡± said Zayden with a slight nod of his head in understanding but inwardly he was thinking hard about what he just heard.

    ¡°So, Zayden is awakened as a super human but does not possess a super power? Why is that? By that, was he already a super human before he got into that accident or after I took over his body? Then there¡¯s the fact that the assessment device failed to detect any super power from me as I am right now. Did it simply fail to detect my ability to ability to manipulate the Force or perhaps it doesn¡¯t fall under super power? Then what counts as a super power?¡±

    This has raised more questions than that left him feeling quite troubled. Lina noticed the internal struggle that he was undergoing and felt sorrow for him. This made her become more determined than ever to employ him in their guild and so turned to address her uncle.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether he possess a super power or not, but he has become a super human and with his background in business accounting and being a good man, I feel he will be very helpful to be around in our guild, Uncle,¡± she proposed her idea to him with a determined look.

    Martin looked at her without showing any sigh of what he was thinking or feeling on the inside. Then he breathed a sigh and took off his spectacles to look sternly at her.

    ¡°Lina, I understand your feelings in wanting to help this gentleman but I still stand by my statement of on what grounds I should employ him. How long have you known him for?¡±

    ¡°Um¡­¡± she began hesitated, realising the answer she must give would not support her case.

    ¡°Come on. I¡¯m waiting for an answer,¡± he told her disapprovingly.

    ¡°Fine. For two weeks,¡± she finally conceded grudgingly.

    ¡°You¡¯ve known this man for two weeks. Just two weeks and you already feel like you know all about him to come here directly to recommend to me to employ him,¡± he asked her severely.

    ¡°Uncle, I know it sounds childish, but I¡¯ve seen what he¡¯s like in the past two weeks and my super power further confirmed my beliefs in his genuine goodness. That¡¯s why I feel having him employed under us is beneficial to us over all. You¡¯ve got to understand.¡±

    There was a pause in which the two of them looked at one another before he said, ¡°Yes. I understand.¡±

    ¡°You do?¡± She asked, looking hopeful.

    ¡°Yes,¡± he said and looked very sternly at her. ¡°You¡¯ve become infatuated with him.¡±

    There was a moment of pause as his words rang within the room before she blushed bright red and exclaimed, ¡°H-Huh?! W-W-What?! I-I-Infatuated? Who? M-M-Me?¡±

    ¡°Quite and it¡¯s clouded your judgement quite clearly,¡± he told her disapprovingly. ¡°Brother will be most upset when he discovers that you got infatuated with a random man from observing with for two weeks along with the support of your super power and are asking favours that you never did before.¡±

    ¡°Wait, hold on!¡± She snapped firmly, quickly recovering her wits. ¡°I¡¯m being serious, uncle. I¡¯m not infatuated or anything. Honest! You know what my super power is, right? It never lies, and I¡¯m not one to be deceived.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what all girls say when they unknowingly become infatuated with a man they¡¯ve come to really like,¡± he remarked sardonically. ¡°Lina, you should cool your head off and think more carefully and logically.¡±

    ¡°But uncle, I¡¯m being really serious here,¡± she implored him with a hurt expression on her face.

    ¡°Lina, if you go on like this, you¡¯ll make this gentleman uncomfortable,¡± he told her and gestured towards Zayden.

    Suddenly remembering his presence, she turned and looked worriedly at him. He, however, was not looking at but was eying Martin with a cold gaze. Then he raised his hand in the air to get their attention.

    ¡°Yes?¡± Martin asked and gestured for him to speak.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to say something,¡± said Zayden with a serious look. When he received a nod of allowance from the older man, he said, ¡°Sir, I did not come here with the intention of being employed by the guild and I never had such thoughts.¡±

    This surprised Martin while Zayden was thinking about everything that had happened till now. He believed in the fact that Lina does not have an infection on him because his magic spell, Elemental Sense, did not detect her to be lying. However, he disliked how her uncle was not taking her seriously and making serious assumptions with no proofs, so he decided to make his stance perfectly clear.

    ¡°I had sought out help from Lina to help me find any job offers now that I¡¯ve awakened as a super human since I didn¡¯t know where to begin. So, I had no idea she brought me to recommend me to you for employment in the Beserkers guild. If I had known it beforehand, I would¡¯ve told her to not trouble herself but here we are.¡±

    He shrugged his shoulders while she watched on with a saddened look on her face. However, her expression suddenly changed when he said, ¡°But, I am displeased.¡±

    ¡°Displeased?¡± Martin asked with a puzzled look. ¡°About what?¡±

    ¡°About the way you¡¯re treating her,¡± Zayden said coldly with a very serious look. ¡°I was admitted into the hero hospital with one foot in the grave when she worked tirelessly to nurse me back to full health for two solid weeks. She is my saviour, and as such, I do not like how she is being treated by you not taking her seriously and instead making wild and baseless assumptions based on your imagination.¡±

    This remarked startled Martin as he stammered, ¡°M-My imagination?¡±

    Lina, on the other hand, was looked amazed by how he was defending her honour.

    ¡°As such, I¡¯d like to propose to you an idea.¡±

    ¡°What might that be?¡± Martin asked, recovering from the earlier remark.

    Zayden then looked confidently and said, ¡°Test me.¡±

    ¡°Test you?¡±

    ¡°Yes. If I pass, you will apologise to Lina and restore her honour.¡±

    ¡°H-Huh?¡± Lina reacted in surprise by such an unexpected statement.

    There was a pause in which Martin looked at him as he thought about it. Then he nodded in agreement, but it was not going to be easy.

    ¡°I agree to it, but I have a condition of my own. If you lose, I want you to apologise to me in front of all of our staff and leave Lina never to meet her again.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Lina reacted this time in shock to her uncle¡¯s words. ¡°Uncle, that¡¯s too much!¡±

    Zayden did not hesitate in his reply as he said, ¡°I accept those conditions.¡±

    ¡°No, Zayden!¡± Lina said but she saw the fierce look on his face and realised he was set on doing this no matter what.

    Martin nodded approvingly and said, ¡°Very well then. I¡¯ll prepare your test shortly.¡±

    ¡°I look forward to it,¡± Zayden said in acceptance as he mentally steeled himself by thinking, ¡°I wonder what kind of challenge he¡¯s going to give me? Will it be tough or easy? Can I even do it considering my general knowledge of this world is only based off of what Zayden¡¯s memories. Even so, anything¡­ is better than taking lives.¡±

    With that, the clash between the Head of the Recruits and the newly awakened super human was initiated.