Suddenly, Ethan Cole's ears twitched slightly.
Footsteps.
Outside the training room, Monkey Ape was barely containing his fury. It looked like it could erupt from his eyes at any moment.
Beside him was Lily, the youngest member of the Blizzard Group. She grabbed his sleeve anxiously.
"Monkey Ape, don't act rashly!" Lily lowered her voice and tugged hard on him. "He was personally appointed by Boss Blizzard as deputy leader. You can't just start trouble!"
Monkey Ape clenched his fists so hard they creaked. He exhaled heavily through his nose.
"The deputy leader should be Eyelash! How much has Eyelash done for the Blizzard Group? Why should some newcomer just take that position? I have to make him understand he's not qualified to be deputy leader!"
Lily looked helpless. She did not want internal conflict in the group.
She stamped her foot anxiously. "Hey! Why won't you listen!"
At that moment.
Bang!
The training room door suddenly opened.
Ethan Cole stood inside, calm and composed, looking at them.
"What's going on? Something wrong?"
He had already heard everything outside. With his current physical senses, even through the door he could clearly hear every word.
Seeing Ethan Cole's indifferent attitude, Monkey Ape's anger flared instantly.
"If you're smart, get out of the training room. Get out of the Blizzard Group!"
Ethan Cole frowned.
He had never intended to truly join the Blizzard Group, but that did not mean he would tolerate being ordered around.
More importantly, he had been given permission by Boss Blizzard to train here.
"If I don't?" he asked calmly.
"Then I'll beat you until you submit!"
Monkey Ape stepped forward heavily. His towering body was packed with muscles, a full head taller than Ethan Cole. He looked like a human mountain, his presence alone creating a suffocating pressure. An ordinary person would probably freeze in fear just standing before him.
Monkey Ape glared down at him.
"I've disliked you from the moment I saw you! That look in your eyes shows zero respect! A mere B-Class Rank 45, and you even took all the credit from the Blizzard Group! If you're a man, fight me! The loser gets out of the Blizzard Group!"
The fact that Boss Blizzard had given Ethan Cole the credit had already caused dissatisfaction among some members, but they did not dare confront him directly.
Monkey Ape did not care at all. He said whatever he thought and had a violent temper.
Ethan Cole looked at him for a few seconds and slightly raised the corner of his mouth.
"Alright. Let's fight."
Monkey Ape grinned, a cruel light flashing in his eyes.
He was going to teach this guy a lesson.
Lily panicked. "Stop it! Both of you! The Boss will be furious if she finds out you're fighting!"
But neither of them listened.
They both took fighting stances.
Lily shouted at Monkey Ape, "Go easy on him! Don't go too far!"
She knew Monkey Ape's strength well. Aside from Boss Blizzard, he was the strongest in the group.
Monkey Ape did not waste words. He stepped forward, and his fist, as large as a clay pot, tore through the air toward Ethan Cole's face.
Despite his massive build, his speed was not slow at all. In an instant, the fist was right in front of him.
Ethan Cole did not dodge. He raised his right palm and gently pushed forward, perfectly intercepting the punch.
Pa!
A sharp crack echoed as fist met palm.
Monkey Ape's expression stiffened. His fist felt like it had slammed into an invisible wall. It could not advance even a millimeter.
Ethan Cole stood completely still. Not even his body swayed.
"Huh?!" Lily's eyes widened in shock.
Monkey Ape's strength was famous in the Blizzard Group. Few could block his punch head-on in training.
Monkey Ape's face changed. He gritted his teeth and tried to push forward, but Ethan Cole's palm did not move at all.
"Is that all you've got?" Ethan Cole said calmly.
Then his waist tightened slightly. Inner force exploded outward.
Crack!
Monkey Ape's fist was suddenly rebounded by a massive force. His entire body staggered backward two steps before barely stabilizing.
"My turn."
Ethan Cole's gaze sharpened. His right hand formed a fist, energy gathering at the tip.
A sudden burst.
A straight punch.
Bang!
The strike was so fast Monkey Ape could not react. He instinctively crossed both arms to block.
But the moment the punch landed, his feet lifted off the ground. His massive body was sent flying three to four meters before crashing heavily onto the floor.
Boom!
The ground shook as he landed on his back.
His vision spun. His arms went completely numb, as if struck by iron rods. He could not even lift them.
The training room fell into silence.
Lily was stunned as well.
Ethan Cole withdrew his fist and looked at Monkey Ape on the ground.
"Convinced yet?"
Monkey Ape struggled to get up, teeth clenched, face full of disbelief.
He could not accept it. His proud strength had been so easily overwhelmed.
"Again!" he growled, trying to stand.
"Enough!"
A cold voice cut through the room.
Everyone turned.
Boss Blizzard stood at the end of the corridor, expression cold. Eyelash stood beside her.
"Boss!" Monkey Ape immediately deflated and lowered his head, no longer daring to speak.
Blizzard swept her gaze across them.
"Who allowed you to fight here?"
Monkey Ape forced himself to speak. "I just wanted to see if he's qualified to be deputy leader!"
Blizzard snorted.
"Whether he is qualified or not is my decision."
Eyelash stepped in. "Monkey Ape, stop this. Listen to Boss."
Blizzard continued, "Didn't that punch just now make it clear? You are not his match."
Monkey Ape's face went pale. The memory of being blasted away returned to him, and his pride collapsed.
"I… was wrong."
Ethan Cole shook his head.
"You weren't wrong. If I saw someone unqualified trying to take credit, I would also be angry."
He added calmly, "The acid monster incident was solved by everyone together. I should not have taken all the credit."
Eyelash quickly stepped in to smooth things over. "Alright, it's settled then. We're all comrades. We should support each other."
Blizzard said, "If you're in the same group, you're family."
Ethan Cole reached out his hand.
Monkey Ape hesitated for a moment, then firmly shook it.
Clap clap clap.
Lily clapped happily, her eyes curved like crescents.
"Great!"
Blizzard also smiled slightly. "That's enough for today. I need to talk to Ethan Cole."
Eyelash left with Monkey Ape and Lily.
The training room became quiet, leaving only Blizzard and Ethan Cole.
Blizzard's gaze drifted briefly to Ethan Cole's back. Sweat glistened on his well-defined muscles, rising and falling with his breathing.
"Ahem." She forced herself to look away and pretended to check some documents. "Looks like you've improved."
"Thanks to your training facilities," Ethan Cole replied as he drank water.
Blizzard placed a folder on the table.
"These are reports on recent monster incidents. You might be interested."
Ethan Cole flipped through them.
"Shadow at Midnight, Water Monster, Faceless Man?"
"All recent cases. None have been solved yet. We suspect monsters are involved."
"I'll take all three," Ethan Cole said, closing the file.
"Good. I look forward to your results. Bring the Blizzard Group members with you. They may not be as strong as you, but they can handle support tasks."
"Alright."
Blizzard left with a faint smile.