The Paragon stared at Tarquin without saying anything. From the look in his eyes, it was evident that he disliked the Baron's son's condescending words. "What? Why are you looking at me like that? Don't tell me you're also afraid to face that young man?" Tarquin spoke again. Initially, he wanted to torture Jack as cruelly as possible to vent his hatred and anger towards the young man. However, upon seeing the immense power of the young man, Tarquin could only take a deep breath and leave. "Why are you just silent? Answer me quickly!" Tarquin attempted to grab the Paragon's collar. But before he could do so, the Paragon's body had been thrown dozens of meters away. Thud! The body stopped after hitting a large tree and didn't move anymore. "Didn't you say that I must die today?" A young man suddenly stood in front of Tarquin. He was none other than Jack. "Y-you..." Tarquin's mouth seemed to be locked. He struggled to find words. His heartbeat quickened, and cold sweat flowed hea
Lucien stared sharply at Jack. "What exactly do you want to say?" "Mr. Galway, it was you who asked Ester to send so many troops to the villa! But you weren't there yourself! Isn't that very clear? It doesn't take a genius to figure out that you're the mastermind behind this dirty plan!" Lucien now grinned cunningly. "You're quite smart, it seems! Well, since it appears you already know everything, I won't hide anything anymore!" He released his grip on Jack's hand and stared intensely at the young man. "Yes, I was the one who planned it all!" A week ago, when Maartje was still in Rivertown, Lucien went to the Moon Palace with the intention of kidnapping the girl. Not only that. To create chaos there, he killed anyone he encountered, regardless of whether they were loyal to Duke Dujardin or not. He killed them all using a sword he stole from the Killer God Sect. Lucien did this with two goals in mind. First, he wanted to tarnish the reputation of the Killer God Sect. Because unt
Earlier, in the midst of the battle between Lucien and three elders of the Killer God Sect, Jack had observed that Lucien's strength was only at level four. Now he knew that his earlier assumption was wrong. The bodyguard was at a higher level. If Jack appeared slightly surprised, it was different for Lucien, who instead smirked slyly. "Not bad! Truly not bad!" The bodyguard looked at Jack with an eager gaze for the fight. "It's been a long time since I faced such an exciting battle like this! It seems I don't have to regret you refusing to join me, because that way I don't have to hold back from killing you!" After saying that, Lucien disappeared from his standing position. "Will he attack me first again?" Jack thought, channeling all his energy into both palms to prepare for Lucien's attack. However, what Lucien would do next was truly beyond his expectations. The bodyguard didn't appear in front of him. "Feel this!" A voice sounded behind Jack along with a very powerful aura
This time Lucien knew his foot landed squarely on Jack's head. Taking a deep breath, he murmured, "No matter how strong you are, in front of me you're just a child from yesterday! Your experience is not even a fraction of mine! Hahaha!" The senior bodyguard was about to leave when a voice came from behind him. "Mr. Galway, where do you think you're going? Isn't the fight far from over?" Lucien immediately froze in place. He knew whose voice it was. Soon, a big question mark appeared in his mind. "Didn't I crush his head earlier?" Lucien hoped it was just his hallucination. However, not long after, a familiar figure appeared before him. "You..." Lucien couldn't continue his sentence. "Do you want to leave?" The figure, none other than Jack, stopped him. "Unfortunately, I won't let you until one of us dies!" After saying that, Jack swiftly directed his fist towards Lucien's chest with all his might. Bang! Unprepared for the attack, Lucien could only watch as his body was thrown
Like Wim, Jack also observed his friend's hands closely. "He has experienced a tremendous surge in strength, Jack!" Quantara whispered in his ear. "His power has now even reached the Paragon phase at level two!" What? The AI's words certainly startled Jack. He knew that previously Wim was just a Warrior at level six. "Even if he trained for the next ten years, he might only be able to increase his strength to level eight, right?" Jack thought to himself again. Jack's thoughts were based on the fact that a cultivator would typically advance one level every five years. Moreover, Wim didn't have any system in his body that could help him achieve such an extraordinary cultivation leap like Jack did. "You're right!" Quantara exclaimed again. "And he not only didn't need years to ascend to the peak level of a Warrior! He only needed a week to surpass that level and reach the Paragon level!" Five days ago, when Jack and Wim shared the task of searching for Maartje's whereabouts, Wim
"He's like murmuring a mantra!" "A mantra?" Jack thought. "What do you mean?" Jack seemed unaware of Quantara's meaning when he heard a growling sound from behind him, not too far away. "Rrrgh!" It was Wim's voice! However, it also reminded him of a sound not too unfamiliar, a sound once emitted by a humanoid creature with a bear's head that he had fought in the old warehouse. "Why does it seem like I'm hearing that creature's voice again?" Jack murmured, then turned his head back. At that moment, he saw Lucien placing his palm on Wim's head, while the young man closed his eyes and growled from his mouth. Jack almost thought Lucien was treating his disciple when Quantara whispered in his ear again. "Lucien seems to be trying to influence Wim! You have to stop him now!" "You scoundrel!" Jack exclaimed. Without further thought or waiting any longer, he immediately approached Lucien and grabbed his collar, pulling him away from Wim. "What are you trying to do to him? Come on, te
As Lucien mentioned the fifth material, Jack had to reluctantly release his grip on the senior bodyguard's ribs. "So what did you do with the fifth material?" Jack knew it was an incredibly strong substance. Even an ordinary person could immediately benefit from it, let alone a cultivator. "Your father thought that Duke Sardou couldn't be stopped unless those two ninja brothers were defeated. So..." Without Lucien needing to explain further, Jack now understood. "Gunnar wants to use that material for himself," he thought. "Does he want to enhance his power? But that's impossible, isn't it?" "Then who used it?" Jack asked again. Lucien just smirked slyly. "Why do you still have to ask? The answer is right behind you!" What? Before Jack could turn his head, a powerful blow struck the left side of his face. Bang! The blow was so strong that Jack was thrown tens of meters to the side. "You want to know who used the material, don't you?" Lucien, who was standing shakily, now grin
"Go, Jack! The issue between us is settled!" Lucien looked at Jack as if there was no more resentment or anything between them. "May there be no grudge left in your heart towards me!" Jack didn't say anything else, just turned his body around. There were no farewells or anything he said to the senior bodyguard. Just as he took his first step, a strong gust of wind was felt from behind. Woosh! Jack was about to turn around when a hard punch hit his back. Bang! Jack was thrown forward more than ten meters. "Damn!" he muttered. He quickly got up and saw Wim standing there, looking at him with a fierce gaze. "Hahaha! Fool! Such a fool! After I told you everything, you thought I would let you go, Jack?" Lucien, standing not far behind Wim, laughed with great satisfaction. "That's impossible! Of course, I will kill you first!" All this time Lucien had kept his allegiance to Leon hidden. He wouldn't let anyone know unless they were willing to join him in siding with Leon. And becau
Maartje stayed in a different room from the one she usually used before.This time, she was assigned one of the rooms on the third floor whose decoration and furniture had been completely changed. Not only wider than the room she used to occupy on the first floor, this room also looked more luxurious.The girl was sitting on the edge of the bed typing a message on a highly secure phone."I haven't seen my parents yet. Can you do something?"Shortly after, a reply landed on her phone."We're working on it, Lady! We'll check all satellite images and CCTV cameras."Maartje was almost certain that her parents had been moved from the palace. "I've checked every corner of this palace, but they're nowhere to be found!" she muttered.Earlier, before the female soldiers escorted Maartje to her room, the girl asked them to accompany her to explore the palace, which they said was being renovated.Those who had no suspicions about Maartje finally complied with the girl's wishes.However, there wa
In Cornelia's mind, by marrying Maartje, Leon would not only gain a very beautiful girl."Haven't you remained unmarried all this time because you were searching for the most beautiful girl in Crystalbrook?" said the secretary. "That girl is now before you! So what else are you waiting for?""Furthermore, consider one more thing!" Cornelia continued. "Maartje is a symbol of resistance and at the same time a symbol of hope for the people of Crystalbrook. By marrying her, you will not only be able to force those who have opposed you all this time to support you! On the contrary, the possibility of people rebelling will diminish even more!"Upon hearing such considerations, Leon's eyes widened. So did his mouth. How could he miss such a great opportunity?Back to the present."I will not only make you my deputy governor, but you will also be my wife!" Leon said again, walking slowly towards Maartje proudly while holding a glass in one of his hands."Both of us will produce successors who
Feeling disgusted by Leon's gaze towards her, Maartje quickly opened her mouth. "You shouldn't waste my time! I came here to sign the reconciliation letter!"Leon smiled widely. "My dear, why rush? We haven't met in a long time. Wouldn't it be appropriate for us to exchange a word or two first?"The man then ordered the female soldiers to leave."Alright, Duke!" they said and immediately left the room, closing the door behind them.As the female soldiers left, Maartje felt very uncomfortable being alone with Leon. However, she tried to control her feelings."Come, sit here!" Leon gestured for Maartje to sit on the sofa where he had been drinking earlier.Maartje quickly moved to the spot Leon indicated because she didn't want the man to try to touch her again."Here, take this!" Leon handed Maartje a glass of wine."I am good!" Maartje simply said without touching the glass offered to her."Do you know what I dislike most about someone?" Leon asked as he sipped the wine in his hand.M
Thirty minutes later, the long sedan carrying Maartje arrived near the palace. Behind the sedan, a large jeep followed."This is truly terrifying!" One of the female soldiers inside the jeep couldn't contain her feelings upon seeing the sea of people surrounding the palace. "This is far more than what we faced before!" she murmured again.The female soldier used to be one of the Warriors who fought alongside Duke Dujardin to overthrow Leon.Back when they attacked this palace, Leon's forces weren't as numerous. But now, the situation was completely reversed."I really don't understand how Duke Sardou could gather such a massive army!" muttered the other female soldier, still focusing on her driving.The horror they both felt was also felt by Maartje inside the long sedan. "So many soldiers," she murmured. "There's no way I could fight them!"Anyone who saw the large group of blue-uniformed soldiers would shiver immediately.The sedan continued along the straight asphalt road that woul
Since that day, Duke Dujardin secretly helped those who were struggling financially to pay their taxes. "My father secretly doubled the employees' salaries! The aim was for this bonus not to be counted for deduction from their wages! He also provided financial assistance to those in great need, also secretly!" thought Maartje, recalling her father's struggle at that time. As time passed, the number of people receiving assistance from Duke Dujardin grew steadily. And it didn't take long for the duke to gain recognition from the wider community. "Hundreds of Paragons fought on my father's side! They sacrificed their lives so that Leon could be acquitted!" she thought again. The result was ten years ago when the very fierce civil war was finally won by Duke Dujardin. As Maartje reminisced about her father's struggle at that time, a voice inside her seemed to echo in her ears. A voice urging her to keep fighting, no matter how strong the enemy and how impossible victory may seem. T
It's been a common knowledge that although Leon and Duke Dujardin came from the same ancestors, their lines of luck differed. Duke Dujardin inherited thousands of hectares of land from his great-grandfather, a family wealth passed down through generations. It was all productive land cultivated with various vegetables, fruits, and even rare medicinal plants capable of generating billions of RG annually. That was just one aspect of the Dujardin family's wealth. Besides that, they also controlled several mining locations and significant real estate businesses. It could be said that the Dujardin family's hotels were almost scattered throughout the Eldoria kingdom. This was in stark contrast to Leon, or "The Unlucky Duke" as people called him. His grandfather was nearly bankrupt due to debts he couldn't bear. Meanwhile, his father became a fugitive after being found guilty of embezzling state funds. Leon, who was raised in a military education since childhood, lacked sufficient knowl
How dark Duke Dujardin felt hearing their explanations. Especially when they said that hospitals and social houses no longer provided social services. If you're sick or hungry, but you have no money, then the government can't do anything for you. In other words, you have to endure your suffering on your own, and there's no one you can ask for help. "The government argues that it's the people's obligation to pay taxes to them. While they have no obligations to the people!" the supervisor said again. When the tax rules were first implemented, along with the elimination of social security rules, chaos erupted almost throughout the province of Crystalbrook. It could even be said that this province experienced turmoil like never before in its history. "However, the protests we've made never succeeded because anyone who opposes will immediately be shot! If not, they will be arrested and tortured or sent to the mines for forced labor!" Duke Dujardin clenched his mouth tightly while clen
A month after Duke Dujardin lived in his luxurious manor in Emberfield, he was approached by a group of people who worked on his estate. "Duke Dujardin, forgive us!" The group of no more than ten people then immediately fell to their knees before the duke. "The police threatened to take our wages! We beg you, do not give them that money! It's all we have to feed our children and wives! We are even willing to work longer hours every day if you want us to, as long as you don't give that money to them!" They continued to prostrate themselves at Duke Dujardin's feet while pleading with him not to give their wages to the Crystalbrook police officers. Duke Dujardin didn't quite understand what they were saying. Of course, he wouldn't give their money to anyone. "Get up! There's no need to grovel like this!" he said, holding the shoulders of each worker one by one. "Please tell me, what's really going on?" They glanced at each other for a moment before the man at the forefront explaine
"What?" Jack exclaimed. "It seems Leon has been thinking about this for a long time! He realizes that Duke Dujardin has become some sort of symbol of rebellion for the people to oppose him! Therefore, he is convinced that as long as Duke Dujardin is still alive or residing in Crystalbrook, people will still have hope to rebel against him!" "In other words," Jack continued. "If Leon succeeds in marrying Maartje, then it's like destroying the last hope of the people of Crystalbrook to oppose him?" "Exactly! But, of course, that won't solve the problem in Crystalbrook! Mass oppression and exploitation will occur! In the end, it's the people who will suffer!" "You're right!" That's all Jack could say. Now he understood that letting Leon marry Maartje would only make the people even more miserable in the end. He also understood that the most important thing now was to save Maartje and her family first. "Quantara, do you have any ideas?" "Of course! I've been thinking of the most pos