Richard quickly turned around and looked in the direction the ring had come from. However, just as he did, the ringing phone suddenly went silent.“Was this really just a coincidence?” Richard murmured.The man glanced over to where Zofia and the others were, but he still couldn’t spot Aurora. Yet, something was very odd.The president of the Skyler Group, who had been standing in the middle just a few seconds ago, was no longer there.Suddenly, a strange thought crossed Richard’s mind, but he quickly pushed it aside.“Richard.” A soft, familiar voice came from the other end of the phone.Richard snapped out of his thoughts and walked outside while on the call. “Aurora, listen to me. I just got some news from the border area, so I need to go to Ligos city for a while. While I’m not in Almolia City, remember to take good care of yourself.”He didn’t give Aurora a chance to speak. Again and again, he gave her careful instructions with a heavy heart.“If anyone bothers you at Diamond Gro
The wicked plan of the grandmother immediately made everyone’s eyes sparkle. Was it so hard to ask someone to disguise themselves as a boy from 15 years ago?Fifteen years had passed. It was no surprise that a person’s face would change significantly over that time. Even if Aurora still remembered the boy’s face, it wouldn’t be an issue.They just needed to find a man with a good appearance. Then, they would arrange for the two to meet as if it were just a coincidence. That seemed sufficient to satisfy Aurora, who had been waiting for 15 years. “Okay. Very good. Let’s do it that way.”“Right. We need to act quickly. While that poor Richard is away from Almolia City, let’s quickly resolve the issue with Aurora before he returns. To avoid that lunatic doing things like killing and burning houses or even crazier things.”“Aurora, Aurora. Don’t blame us for being cruel to you. You’re just an illegitimate child. You shouldn’t dream too big, wanting the Nelsons Group. Besides, if you choos
“Are you looking for death? Hurry—”The guard felt his heart drop. He yelled in panic at the man blocking his path. But in the next moment, the guard was completely stunned.Richard, standing in front of him, didn’t say a word. Suddenly, the man pulled out a dagger from who knows where.And just as the bullet came flying toward him.ClangThe dagger in Richard’s hand met the sharp end of the bullet. He immediately flicked his wrist, and the bullet was deflected away by the impact. Richard’s dagger broke in the process.The scene was utterly horrifying. It all happened in just three seconds. By the time the guard regained his composure from the shock, Richard had already dragged him to hide behind a wall.“You... how did you do that? Why are you saving me?” the guard asked, astonished. The shock and confusion were clearly visible in his eyes.But Richard ignored him completely. He turned his back on the guard, his eyes focused on the bloodshed outside.“I will never let the people of t
“It turns out you... you really are the war god D-111!”“But how can you be here?”“How is it possible you're here...”The voice of the enemy leader trembled. His wide-open eyes stared at Richard, fixated on the true face of the war god that had never been shown to anyone before.That familiar shooting skill was something the man could never forget, even in death. Three years ago, this same person eliminated his enemies with a single shot. He also deflected bullets with just a knife.Though he wasn't wearing the mask that once concealed his true face. Though he wasn't wearing his war uniform. The enemy commander could still clearly remember him. The man, still engulfed in fear, began to realize a horrifying fact. He had returned. And once again, he stood right in front of him!“Are you surprised?” Richard asked, his finger playing with the weapon. He slowly stepped toward the enemy commander. Several people around him still pointed their guns at his head.Richard took slow but steady
Thump! Thump!The heart of the person hiding in the darkness was pounding. He, startled, instinctively swallowed several times.‘Don’t stop. Quickly get down there. Hurry into the basement.’Richard, who was stared at sharply by a pair of eyes, suddenly turned around. He swept his gaze into the darkness.In Richard’s assessment, he felt 100 percent certain. There must be an ambush in the basement. Because of that, with a heavy feeling, he pulled back his foot and intended to retreat.“Captain! Run quickly. It’s a trap. There’s an ambush down here. Don’t worry about me. Just leave me behind!”“Arrghhhhh!”Suddenly, a familiar voice rang in Richard’s ears. If he wasn’t mistaken, the person screaming in the basement was....“Bastard!” Richard swore angrily. He couldn’t think any further. Thus, without hesitation, the man rushed straight into the basement.He clearly knew that there was danger in that basement. Yet he still went in without a shred of doubt. He was well aware that there we
Reginald Dwayne.Aurora mouthed this name silently to herself. For some reason, she felt like she had heard this name before, but she couldn’t recall when.Moreover, only a handful of residents in Almolia City could afford clothing from the Monolith Group.Additionally, Aurora had never heard of a conglomerate family in Almolia City with the last name Dwayne. How did this man appear in Almolia City? Especially in this run-down warehouse district? “Aurora, I noticed you seemed shocked earlier. It wouldn’t be good for you to go home alone. Where are you headed? Should I give you a ride?” Reginald asked as he deliberately approached Aurora. The girl instinctively took a step back, shaking her head in refusal. “No need. We might not be on the same path. I’m going to the Nelsons’ house. I can go there by myself. I still have business to attend to today—”Aurora hadn’t even finished her refusal before the man suddenly cut in, saying, “I’m going to the Nelsons’ house too.”What? He was a
“You’re really him... For real...” Tears streamed down Aurora’s face instantly. “It’s been 15 years. Finally, you came to see me.”Her feelings were a whirlwind, compounded by everything she had been through over those 15 years. All of it overflowed at once, causing Aurora to lose control. Her entire body trembled from the surge of emotion.Reginald concealed his resentment and wicked plans in his eyes. The man walked slowly until he stood in front of Aurora. Then he pulled her into his embrace. A strange, cold smile spread across his face. “It’s me. I really came to marry you. Let’s get married, Aurora. I can’t wait any longer,” Reginald said.In truth, Aurora wanted to say that she needed to know the man better first. However, the Nelsons Family was impatient and quickly expressed their agreement.That day, Aurora didn’t return to the villa because her grandmother found an excuse for her to stay at the Nelsons Family home.That night, her grandmother knocked on Reginald’s room door
Reginald stared at Aurora with a piercing gaze that made her suppress the urge to contact Richard.“I’m sorry, I got carried away,” Reginald said with a guilty expression, taking a step back.“I just missed you too much. I really, really missed you, which is why I did what I did. You’ll forgive me, right?” he continued, causing Aurora to exhale a sigh of relief.She opened her bedroom door and said, her emotions barely contained, “Get out!”“Okay, okay. I’m leaving now, but please don’t be mad again? I’m sorry for scaring you,” Reginald said, looking deeply into her eyes. His gaze flickered to the phone in her hand before he turned to leave Aurora’s room.After the door closed. Feeling defeated, she threw herself onto the bed, recalling Reginald’s earlier behavior that still made her shiver with fear.At that moment, she remembered Richard. That man would always prioritize her safety first. He would prepare everything meticulously to make her feel secure. Richard would definitely tell
The Man shouted, “Damn!”“Boss, who are these two people? How did they find our place?” asked Zena, then quickly pulled out a pistol and aimed it at the two individuals.The Man who was Zena’s Boss, was standing beside her, panicked and said, “Zena, put down your gun!”Everyone was shocked by this warning. But it didn’t end there, as they were even more surprised when they saw The man quickly approach Richard.“Mr. Richard, what brings you here?” The Man asked with a smile on his face. Mr. Richard?Hearing and witnessing how his boss was being polite to the young man, Zena froze for a moment. She then looked closely at Richard’s face. Who is he? Could he be the new head trainer? Or perhaps he’s the one who has been searching for Aurora all this time. This is bad!Richard smiled and replied, “Oh, so this place belongs to you?”“I heard that the daughter of a friend of mine was taken by your people. Since you’re the one responsible here, this should be easy to resolve. Now, hand her ove
Fenrick’s mouth suddenly felt stiff. He wanted to tell Richard the truth, but he just couldn’t. He had made a promise to someone that this secret would follow him to the grave.“No! I’m not afraid to die. I’m really not afraid to die,” Fenrick said, his eyes red with emotion. “At that time, I was completely powerless. I had no other choice, and I couldn’t escape.”“Mr. Richard, I beg for your help. I only have one daughter, just one. It’s impossible for me not to care about her.”Vaguely, Richard recalled the moment when enemies stormed the place. Fenrick had shielded Roderick, his grandfather, with his body, standing firm in front of him. And now, he was kneeling before Roderick’s grandson, humbling himself and lowering his pride to plead for help.Realizing this, Richard was moved and didn’t want to stand idly by.“Get up!” Richard said, helping Fenrick to his feet. “Tell me what’s really going on. How are you sure your daughter has been taken by someone?”Fenrick looked into Richar
Richard gazed deeply into Elena’s eyes and asked, “If I’m not looking for someone like Aurora, then what kind of person should I be looking for?”“Mr. Richard! Your future wife should be a woman who can match you. At the very least, she needs to be strong and have good self-defense skills. That way, you can feel at ease even if you leave her alone. You won’t need to worry or keep looking over your shoulder.” “And most importantly, she must be trustworthy and capable of being your right hand.”Hearing this, Richard smiled and asked curtly, “For example?”“Like...” Elena smiled shyly, twirling her hair. But as soon as she lifted her eyes and saw Richard’s gaze, she couldn’t finish her sentence. Startled, she quickly turned her face away, guilt washing over her. She no longer dared to meet Richard’s eyes directly.“If you’re truly concerned about me, just tell me where she is, rather than listing her inability to defend herself and other shortcomings. I know her better than you do.”Thi
Aurora, still not fully recovered from the shock of the earlier events, lay on her wooden bed. She stared coldly at Zena, who met her gaze with the same intensity of hatred in her eyes.“The snake in that dark room was definitely venomous. How could you survive without being poisoned?! Tell me! Who are you really? What is your purpose in infiltrating this secret base?!” Zena demanded, her eyes narrowing.Aurora’s respect for the woman in front of her vanished entirely. She answered Zena’s questions with a frigid tone, “Are you upset because I didn’t die?”Smack!Zena slapped Aurora hard across the face, shouting, “Rora! Watch your attitude with me! I am your trainer!”“You don’t deserve to be called my trainer!” Aurora retorted, laughing sarcastically at Zena. At first, she had obeyed all of Zena’s commands, never daring to challenge her authority.But who would have thought that Zena’s behavior toward her would grow increasingly cruel? She berated and beat her mercilessly, culminatin
“Impossible! No! It can’t be true! It must be a lie! This can’t be real!”Zena was so shocked that her knees buckled, and she collapsed into the chair behind her. Her eyes widened as she stared intently at the computer screen in front of her.The face displayed on the monitor was breathtakingly beautiful—so captivating that it filled Zena with guilt, making her wish she could possess such a presence. Yet, that very face was what left her utterly dumbfounded, rendering her mind completely blank.That face was identical to Aurora’s—the very Aurora she had locked away in the dark room, the one she tortured without mercy!But could it be that they only shared a resemblance? Could it just be a coincidence? After all, the person she imprisoned was Rora Skyler, not Aurora Nelsons.Was It because they Knew her as Rora Skyler?Bang!The door to her office abruptly swung open. One of her students appeared, looking panicked and ready to say something, but the person words stopped short upon noti
“Finish him off until he’s—”“That person’s name is Richard!” the student interrupted.Torvik closed his mouth, unable to finish his sentence as he was cut off by the man’s remark.That short sentence struck him like a bolt of lightning. Torvik, who had always been good at hiding his emotions, rarely showing surprise or fear in front of his subordinates and students, now stood up from his seat.His eyes fixed on the student in front of him, sharp and intense. “What did you say!? Richard?! Which Richard are you talking about?!”The student thought Torvik’s exaggerated reaction was due to the fact that the man’s life had once been saved by Richard.Quickly, he explained, “Sir, the Richard I mean is Richard Dwayne from Ligos city. I once heard that he’s the one who managed to cure your illness. Since he believes you owe him your life, he dared to kill Mr. Valen.”“Sir, I think we should repay what happened to Mr. Valen!” the student added.Deep in the student’s heart, he thought that it
“Sir, you need to think carefully! We can’t offend the people from Onyx Kings!”Velric and the others assumed the official leader’s change in attitude was due to their numerical disadvantage. Or perhaps it was because Richard had threatened him, causing the man to back down out of fear. Velric wanted to make the team leader reconsider that Onyx Kings was not to be trifled with. He wouldn’t be able to challenge those people. “Tch!” the team leader scoffed, then turned to Velric and coldly said, “I may not be able to challenge Onyx Kings or Martial Ally. Not even you. I don’t have the power to disturb any of you. But you won’t be able to touch the people at headquarters!” “Whoever dares to stop us will be shot dead on the spot!” the man shouted, prompting his subordinates to capture the people who had slandered Richard. “Don’t worry, I’ll report today’s incident to my superiors,” the man said politely to Richard.“No need. I think you already know what to report and what not to,” Ri
The shout echoed, filling the entire room that was wrapped in silence. Those present, including Andri, Anastas, and Velric, who were on the second floor, stared in shock. It wasn’t just one person defending Richard, but more than a hundred! They were all respected figures in the city of Ligos and incredibly powerful! How could Richard have received such treatment?“Boss! From this moment on, let us be your backup!”“Boss, don’t worry! We’re here, and no one will threaten you!” Eno said, turning his back to face Richard. His demeanor was completely different from when he was facing Andri.Richard didn’t expect so many people to show up, just like what happened at the Ligos city detention center some time ago.“Okay,” Richard replied with a laugh, patting Eno’s shoulder.“From now on, I’ll depend on you all,” Richard added.Andri’s heart was filled with unease when he heard those words. He glanced from Richard to the people behind him. He didn’t dare act recklessly here, as it wasn’t hi
The sound of screeching car brakes echoed from the street, coming all at once. From the noise alone, it was clear that hundreds of cars were stopping outside.“Stop! Who dares to fire their pistol?!” a cold voice shouted from the entrance. The hearts of the people there almost jumped out when they heard the shout.They all turned in unison towards the entrance, where the voice had come from. Richard also turned his gaze towards the entrance, his eyebrows raised as he recognized the familiar voice.The first thing he saw was Eno stepping out of his expensive car, looking furious, with long strides heading toward him. “Who are you?! Move aside!” barked the leader of the group, aiming his pistol at Eno, as he didn’t recognize the man. Eno let out a cold laugh, then extended his hand, grabbing the leader’s wrist and sarcastically asking, “Who am I?! You don’t even know who I am, and you dare point a gun at me?!”“Wasn’t it you who wanted to shoot me?! Just shoot!” Eno challenged, causing