The man gasped, wide-eyed, and screamed as he focused on Max's face directly above him. He tried to sit up, but stumbled back onto the bed, looking as if he had just woken from a nightmare.Cris raised an eyebrow, chuckling. "Looks like he mistook you for a ghost, Master," he teased, grinning at Max.Bianca smirked, glancing at Cris. "With that face? Can't blame him. Great Grandmaster looks like he's seen a few ghosts himself," she joked, earning a playful look from Max.The man's companion, who had been treated by Cris, finally gathered his wits and reached out, placing a reassuring hand on the shoulder of his terrified friend. "Relax, you're safe," he said in a shaky but relieved voice. "We're in the Hands of Angel clinic now." At the mention of the clinic's name, the man took a few deep breaths, grounding himself and realizing he was indeed out of danger.Max, sensing the initial panic subsiding, leaned forward. "You're safe now. Can you tell us what happened? And where were you co
Before entering the villa, Max turned to Cris and Bianca, giving them a firm instruction. "Stay in the car, and don't come near the villa gate," he said.Bianca started to ask why, but Max simply turned away. In the next moment, they watched in surprise as Max disappeared from where he stood and reappeared instantly at the villa's entrance. Cris and Bianca exchanged stunned glances, trying to process what they had just seen.Max casually stepped inside the villa, slipping past the guards without being noticed—they must have assumed he was just another guest. Inside, he saw a luxurious, spacious hall lit by golden lights from chandeliers, setting a warm tone over the gathering. "So, there's a party happening in this dark villa," Max thought, though he quickly noticed something disturbing.As Max observed the guests, he noted the dark energy subtly radiating from each of them. "These people… despite their smiles, they're burdened by something deep," he thought, sensing the heavy negativ
Outside the villa, Bianca couldn't sit still, constantly checking the time. "Master Cris, it's been half an hour since Grand Master Max went inside. Are you sure he's okay in there by himself?" she asked, obviously worried.Cris shook his head calmly. "Relax, Bianca. You know he told us not to get involved. He knows what he's doing in there.""It's just so frustrating to wait here," Bianca muttered, tapping her foot. "Why did he have to insist that we stay back?"Cris kept his stern gaze. "He made it very clear. Master Max said not to go near the villa—it could be dangerous."Bianca sighed, leaning her head on the steering wheel. Ten more minutes passed, and she couldn't take it anymore. "I can't do this," she finally said, standing up and jumping out of the car."Wait! Bianca, what are you doing?" Cris rushed out to try to stop her, but she seemed determined, barely paying attention to his protests. "Bianca, get back here!""I'm just going to check for a minute," she whispered as the
Max folded his arms, chuckling as he glanced between Nathan and the woman at his side. "Nathan, don't go scaring off young ladies," he said with mock seriousness. "Besides, you've already got your own clown. Why bother anyone else?" Nathan's date looked outraged, her face twisting as she pointed at herself, practically stomping her heel into the ground. "Clown? Are you calling me a clown?" Her voice rose in pitch as she glared at Max, indignant and clearly insulted. Max just smirked, unfazed. "I mean, with the way you're dressed, it's an honest mistake. Maybe you two took a wrong turn somewhere. The circus is back down the road."Bianca let out a small, amused laugh, a soft giggle that only made Nathan and his date bristle even more. Nathan's face twisted in annoyance, but he tried to play it cool. He forced a smug grin, his eyes narrowing at Max. "Laugh it up, Max. But I can show a lady a real time—something you couldn't dream of." He turned to Bianca, attempting to turn on the cha
As Nathan approached, he asked Cris, "Do you actually know this guy, Max?" But before Cris could respond, Bianca interjected with a grin. "Oh, we're just that 'cult' you keep mentioning," she quipped, only to be gently nudged by Max. Max calmly said, "Don't mind the clown who's still perfecting his act." Then he handed invitation cards to Cris and Bianca, urging, "Let's head inside."Without sparing another glance at the dumbfounded Nathan, they walked toward the entrance. Nathan noticed the unique gold-black color of their invitation cards and immediately grew suspicious. He turned to his date with a smirk, "Let's follow them. I'm sure this is about to turn into a show."At the entrance, Max presented his ticket to the guard. But before the guard could accept it, Nathan stepped in, snickering. "Those tickets are fakes," he declared loudly, hoping to cause a scene. Pointing at Max's gold-black ticket, he sneered, "See that? My ticket is red—that's the standard color for a genuine inv
As the crowd turned, they noticed a man sitting in the SVIP section with his paddle raised high. A ripple of reactions moved through the audience—some looked impressed, thinking he must know something about the dagger's value, while others scoffed, assuming he was simply wasting his money.Then, a mocking voice cut through the whispers. "He's clueless, just a kept man living off wealthy women." The speaker was none other than Nathan, who couldn't bear that Max was drawing attention with such a bold bid. He stood with an arrogant smirk, glaring at Max.Max turned casually, meeting Nathan's glare with a calm expression. "If you're broke and clueless, just stay quiet," he replied dryly. "And even if I were wasting my money, what's it to you? It's not like I'm spending yours."Nathan's smirk faltered, his face momentarily flushing as he felt the sting of humiliation. But he quickly recovered, his voice full of spite. "It's not even your money, Max. We all know it's those rich women bankro
A man was the first to raise his paddle and bid six million, followed by others incrementally raising the bid by a million at a time. The room buzzed with hushed conversations, with many wondering what hidden value this glowing stone might have to drive up the price so quickly.After a few moments, a clear voice called from the back, "Five million!" effectively doubling the current bid in one go. This bold bid caught the attention of everyone, who turned to look at the bidder—a young, wealthy-looking man, dressed sharply, standing tall with a confident expression. He stood up and addressed the crowd in a respectful tone, "This stone is important to me. I need it, and I intend to give it to someone in need."As the young man spoke, Max noticed a tattoo on his neck, a symbol associated with an underground group he recognized. He smirked slightly, brushing back his hair, and without hesitation raised the bid. "Ten million," he announced.The crowd gasped, their murmurs growing louder, an
The first man lunged toward Max with a fierce jab aimed at his face, but Max sidestepped smoothly, his movement calm and calculated. The man's punch hit nothing but air, and before he could recover, Max had already shifted back, watching him with an amused expression.Frustrated, another man joined in, rushing from Max's right with a powerful hook. Max leaned backward just enough to avoid it, letting the punch sail mere inches from his nose. In a flash, the first attacker threw another punch at Max's torso, but Max twisted, slipping to the side and letting both attackers collide briefly.The third man, seeing his companions struggle, attempted a sneak attack from behind, raising his fists for a downward strike aimed at Max's head. Without even looking, Max casually stepped to his left, evading the blow effortlessly. The man stumbled forward, his momentum carrying him past Max, who simply watched with a smirk.Now, all three men regrouped, determined to overwhelm him. They closed in fr
Max felt the strange energy disappear almost as quickly as it had appeared. Yet he was sure of one thing—it wasn't just one or two students emitting it. Whoever or whatever it was, they were inside the university. He kept these thoughts to himself as the rest of the class went by uneventfully.When lunch finally arrived, Max began to gather his things when Lily approached him, smiling brightly."Max! Come eat with me and Rose," she said cheerfully.Max paused for a moment, considering her offer. Then his eyes darted toward Sean, who was quietly packing his things. Max spoke up, his voice calm but firm. "Sean, tell Zoren to meet me in the cafeteria."Sean froze for a moment, then nodded respectfully. "Yes," he replied, before hurrying out of the classroom.Lily and Rose stared at Max, their faces a mix of surprise and confusion."Wait a second," Lily began, raising an eyebrow. "You know Zoren? The martial artist?"Max smiled faintly and shrugged."How did you get Sean to listen to you
"Zoren!" Sean yelled as he watched Zoren suddenly collapse and vomit blood. Fear and confusion swept over Zoren's men, their faces pale and their bodies trembling as they took cautious steps back.Max walked forward with a calm expression, his footsteps echoing in the silence. He crouched slightly and delivered two sharp slaps to Zoren's face.Slap! Slap!The force was just enough to jolt Zoren awake. He groaned softly, blinking in disorientation as he held his reddened cheeks. When his vision cleared, he saw Max standing over him, a faint smile playing on his lips.Zoren's eyes widened in realization. His expression shifted rapidly from confusion to fear. Without hesitation, he dropped to his knees, bowing his head low."B-Boss! Master!" Zoren stammered, his voice shaking with genuine fear and submission."What?" Sean blurted out, utterly dumbfounded by the sight. He took a step closer, his expression filled with disbelief. "Zoren, what are you doing? Why are you kneeling?"The rest
Zoren's glare could have burned a hole through Max, but it only seemed to amuse him further. Max let out a relaxed sigh, pointing the branch at Zoren like a teacher scolding a stubborn child."So, are we done here, or do you want me to embarrass you even more?"Zoren clenched his fists, but there was hesitation in his eyes now. His men groaned on the ground behind him, holding their bruises and glaring at Max with disbelief and fear.Sean, watching from the sidelines, swallowed hard, his earlier excitement replaced by unease."Y-You're a freak…" Sean muttered under his breath.Max grinned, resting the branch on his shoulder. "No, Sean. I'm just someone you shouldn't have messed with."Sean's face twisted in anger as he laughed maniacally, trying to muster his courage. He took a step forward as if to charge, but his confidence faltered when his eyes darted to Zoren's men writhing in pain on the ground. His movements stilled, his earlier bravado replaced with uncertainty.Zoren let out
Max stood still, a faint smirk on his face as the first thug rushed at him, throwing a wild punch aimed directly at his jaw. With a slight tilt of his head, Max avoided the blow entirely, his feet never leaving their spot.The thug blinked, confused at how effortlessly his attack was dodged. Another man immediately charged in, this time aiming a kick at Max's side. Max merely shifted his torso, letting the kick slice through empty air."Is this all you've got?" Max asked, his tone light and mocking.Frustrated grunts came from the group as another thug swung a metal rod, aiming to hit Max's shoulder. Without breaking a sweat, Max leaned backward, the rod missing him by mere inches. The attacker stumbled forward, thrown off balance, and Max didn't even glance at him."Hey, careful with that thing," Max teased, his voice laced with sarcasm. "You might hurt someone. Maybe even yourself."The thugs exchanged nervous glances but steeled themselves. Two came at him simultaneously—one aiming
After resolving the commotion, several students approached Max, expressing their admiration and gratitude."Thank you for standing up for us," one said earnestly."That was amazing! You were so cool back there!" added another, their voice filled with awe.Max simply nodded, offering them a small smile before turning to check on Rose and Lily, who had just come down to meet him.Rose and Lily hurried over, concern and curiosity etched on their faces."How did you get there so fast?" Rose asked, still puzzled by Max's sudden appearance earlier.Max shrugged nonchalantly. "I came down earlier and waited for the right moment. You just didn't notice because everyone's attention was on Oscar," he explained casually.Lily nodded, impressed. "Oh, so that's how it was. You're amazing, though," she said, her admiration clear as a slight blush crept onto her cheeks.In truth, Max couldn't reveal that his movements were faster than an ordinary human's, making it seem like he had teleported. He si
The thugs regrouped, their expressions a mix of frustration and embarrassment. Oscar barked at them angrily, "What are you waiting for? Get him!"One of the thugs muttered under his breath, "Easier said than done…" but they all hesitated before reluctantly charging at Max again.This time, Max tilted his head slightly, as if deciding on something. Then, with a swift movement, he sidestepped the first thug, delivered a light tap to the back of his head, and followed up with a playful smack on the thug's behind using the thug's own bat.The thug froze mid-motion, his eyes wide in shock. "What the—did he just…?"Before he could finish, Max spun around to face the second thug, dodged his clumsy attack, and gave him the same treatment—a loud smack to the rear.The sound echoed across the courtyard, followed by stunned silence and then an eruption of laughter from the students watching from the buildings above."H-he's spanking them!" one student burst out, clutching their stomach.Even Ros
Before Rose's tears could fall and before Lily's anger could fully erupt, they both froze at the sight in front of them. Their expressions shifted to one of shock and disbelief.Oscar noticed the change on their faces and assumed they were overcome with fear. With a smug grin, he turned to look at the teacher, expecting a lifeless body. But as he turned, he froze in place.Standing in front of the teacher was a man, holding the baseball bat with his hand. It hadn't landed on the teacher. Instead, it had been stopped effortlessly, as if it weighed nothing.Oscar's eyes widened in shock. "Who the hell are you?!" he barked, his voice laced with confusion and anger.The thug who had swung the bat staggered back, fear plastered on his face. He knew how sturdy that bat was—yet the man holding it didn't seem fazed at all. Before anyone could react further, the man clenched his fist and crushed the bat into splinters."W-what?! How is that possible?!" one student whispered in disbelief."Wait
From the front doors of the campus, a large figure emerged, stepping purposefully into the chaos. It was one of the PE teachers, a man with a stout build and a noticeable belly, but his stern expression and commanding presence made it clear he wasn't someone to be trifled with. "What's going on here?!" he bellowed, his voice echoing across the courtyard. Oscar glanced at the teacher with mild disinterest, a smug grin plastered on his face. "And who's this?" he mocked. "The campus babysitter?" Ignoring the jab, the teacher stopped a few feet away from Oscar's group, crossing his arms. "You're on private property, causing a disturbance, and endangering students. Leave now, or I'll call security and the police." Oscar chuckled, leaning lazily against his bike. "You think I'm scared of you or your little threats? Nah. We're here for Rose, and we're not leaving until she comes down." The teacher's eyes hardened, his patience wearing thin. "Violence has no place here. You're tresp
Max, Rose, and Lily returned to their classroom for their next lecture. The students filed in, taking their seats, while Max casually walked to his desk, drawing subtle glances from almost everyone.As the professor prepared to start the lesson, a few of their classmates approached Max, their curiosity evident."Hey, Max," one girl began, shyly tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Where did you transfer from?"Max looked up, his expression calm yet inviting. "A small town in the province," he replied with an easy smile.Another girl chimed in, her cheeks slightly pink. "Is it true you're on a scholarship? That must mean you're really smart!"Max chuckled softly, shaking his head. "I just try my best, that's all."The casual humility in his voice only seemed to endear him further to the girls, who exchanged excited whispers as they walked back to their seats, their faces flushed and hearts racing.Meanwhile, Lily slumped in her seat, her chin resting on her hand. She glanced at Ma