Monitz was shocked.
Monitz was stunned.
Did he see right? The weak young Master he had just seen was now a 1-stage warrior—one that even Aldor couldn't handle.
He thought Bruno was only sixteen, right?
Was it really necessary to fight two people at once?
"Boss, I'm here," Sheridan, the chain-wielding thug, was already ready. He moved the moment he heard the voice.
He flexed his arms, and two chains shot out from his sleeves, like a poisonous snake. The worst part was that the chains had sharp spikes. Once they pierced into the body, they would dig deeper and deeper. Trying to pull free would cost a lot of skin, if not your life.
The chains made a loud whistling sound as they wrapped around Bruno's neck and locked his legs. This was his signature move. Many strong fighters had fallen to this deadly chain.
Bruno was caught in a pincer attack!
Bruno was new to battle. Facing this well-coordinated attack, he was a bit out of his depth at first.
He used the super sharp sense from The Ten Thousand Hells and the speed from the Thunderclap Breathing Method to keep dodging again and again.
This wasn't a good way to go on.
He needed to find a chance to strike back. Offense was the best defense.
"Kid, that thunder sound was fake, right? You don't have what it takes to come out and embarrass yourself like that," Aldor saw Bruno dodging and felt more confident. He was just a newbie. He didn't even know how to fight.
Thinking that, he grinned and attacked again, his claws flying out in a quick, blue flash, covering all of Bruno's vital points.
Sheridan's chains also acted like a disease in the body, cutting off Bruno's escape at every turn.
Bruno moved quickly in the small space. His movements went from clumsy to smooth and precise in no time.
He acted like a genius who learned fast. Every dodge, every block, he was taking in the lessons of real combat.
The "King of Ghosts" view from The Ten Thousand Hells kept his mind clear and calm, allowing him to make cold, logical decisions every time he moved or dodged.
Of course, the Thunderclap Breathing Method helped too. His punches were powerful, reaching about 500KG of force. If he used the Thunderclap Breathing Method, one punch could be as strong as 1000KG.
"Enough," after dozens of rounds, the last bit of awkwardness left Bruno's eyes. In its place was a cold and emotionless look.
Instead of dodging Sheridan's chain aimed at his leg, he suddenly stomped down hard!
Crack!
The chain, full of Sheridan's power, was crushed deep into the ground, sparks flying everywhere!
That kick was perfect.
It stopped the attack right in its path. To outsiders, it looked like Sheridan had just handed himself over to Bruno for a stomping.
"How is that even possible?!" Sheridan was shocked. He pulled hard, but the chain didn't budge. Instead, it made his hands hurt.
Sheridan's eyes, like dead fish, opened wide, as big as an ox's.
Was this really a 1-stage warrior?
At the same time, Bruno used both hands at once, pumping his blood and energy all over his body. Every bone glowed faintly, and his body filled with the sounds of thunder. The power was building up inside him, mixing and pressing, growing stronger and stronger, until finally, he let it all out in one punch.
Aldor was sent flying, blood spewing out of his mouth in a beautiful arc.
One punch. Just one punch. Bruno had crushed Aldor's chest so badly, there was no way he could survive.
Bruno didn't stop. He used his lightning steps, moving like a ghost, and drove his shoulder into Aldor's chest like a war hammer.
Boom!
The sound was like a thunderclap.
Aldor tried to move faster, but his body was already broken. Blood and pieces of his internal organs sprayed out as he flew backward, crashing into the wall. The thick stone wall cracked like a spiderweb, and then he fell to the ground, motionless. Whether he was alive or not, no one knew.
All of this happened in a blink of an eye!
Sheridan was still shocked from his chain being crushed when he saw his boss already lying there, barely breathing.
He lost all his courage and let go of his chain to run away.
"Too late," Bruno's cold voice said in his ear.
Sheridan's eyes widened. Before he could move, Bruno was already next to him. One hand grabbed his neck like a steel clamp, lifting him off the ground.
Swish!
The Ten Thousand Hells was released.
An endless sea of blood, a mountain of knives, a forest of iron trees and silver hooks...
Sheridan's blood turned cold. He felt the pain of being torn apart by ten thousand ghosts!
His whole body froze. He didn't even have the courage to struggle.
Bruno looked at the twisted face of fear and lack of air, but his eyes showed no emotion.
"Go back and tell the people in the slums. The Hornes family is not someone you can mess with. If you dare come here again, this is what will happen to you." He threw Sheridan like trash toward the shocked gang members nearby.
Sheridan hit the ground, coughing violently. His eyes were full of fear as he looked at Bruno.
Bruno didn't care about these lowlifes anymore. He turned and helped up the shaken Fabian.
"Master... You..." Fabian looked at his master, feeling both familiar and strange.
The way Bruno had fought-fast as lightning, cold as hell-had shocked him deeply.
Bruno patted the old butler's shoulder and said in a calm voice, "It's all right, Fabian. Get someone to clean this up and replace the glass."
He had more important things to deal with now.
Johnson Oncology Hospital.
This was the only hospital in the commoner class that could treat cancer. It might not cure it, but with current medical technology, it could keep people alive longer.
Besides nobles and warriors, most people had a hard life. The residents were a high-risk group for tumors. So the hospital was always full.
Even the hospital had a scary place called the "near morgue."
The hospital said it was because the area was poor. People couldn't pay the medical bills, and their families didn't want them. So, those who were dying and couldn't afford treatment were put in the near morgue to wait for their death.
A masked boy stood there, silent. He said, "You're worse than pigs and dogs."
"Sir, we don't have a choice. We can't run a business at a loss," the hospital director, Carl, laughed nervously and said.
Just a moment ago, he had been taken hostage by this masked boy with a short knife.
Bruno's mouth twitched, but he seemed helpless.
He shouted, "Show me the patient records."
Director Carl took out a golden ball, pressed it, and a screen in front of him showed the patient files.
The ball was called a Resonance Device. It was a alchemy tool, similar to a computer from his old world, but way more convenient and fancy. It was a high-end item. Anyway, Bruno, as the heir to the barony, had never owned one before, but he had seen one before.
There were more than thirty patients in the near morgue. The oldest was 98 years old, in the final stage of liver cancer.
"Wait," Bruno stopped the hospital director, Carl, "this one is 142 years old? Are you serious?"
He pointed at the screen.
Director Carl looked closely, then confidently nodded. "No mistake. This patient is strong."
"Strong?" Bruno was curious. "Bring up all the information."
[Virstel Tersis, male, born January 4, 2000.]
Today was July 4, 2142.
[Primary liver cancer, late stage. Primary lung cancer, late stage. Primary bone...]
A long list of primary cancers.
Bruno's head went numb. The patient's file was full of notes. Every part of the body that could get cancer, Virstel had it. All of them were "primary."
Was this even human?
Remember, to live long, a person had to become an Arcane Power user or take alchemy potions. But alchemy longevity potions were super expensive, only sold in elite circles. Would a patient at Johnson Hospital even be allowed to use them?
That could only mean Virstel was different.
Bruno asked, "Is this man still alive?"
"Yeah, he just got out of the hospital and is moving around," Director Carl nodded rapidly.
Bruno was shocked.
Holy cow.
That's impressive.
Just his mindset alone was enough for Bruno to learn from for a lifetime.
What he cared most about was what Virstel could trade. Just one life extension deal would be enough for Bruno to use.
But he wasn't there. So he had to pick someone else.
Bruno looked through the file, page by page, and suddenly his eyes lit up.
"Bolantie Dean, 87 years old, martial arts instructor."
This target looked pretty good.
"Do you know this person?" Bruno asked Director Carl.