The Void!

A-tier Void Keeper

The old man turned back, his face stern: “Raymond, what have you been telling them?"

"I'm sorry, I just thought it would be better if you shared your story."

The old man ignored me and walked towards Corbin's car door.

Although we had only worked together for a short time, manager Corbin was a person worth respecting, not only for his friendly and kind nature but also for his considerate way of working, even to the extent of personally picking up the old man. Therefore, I decided not to let the old man threaten our manager.

At this point, I didn't care whether he was a supervisor or a Void Keeper anymore. I grabbed him firmly by the shoulders and told him,

"Don't you threaten our manager!"

His shoulders trembled with anger. He turned towards me, and I shuddered at the commanding aura he exuded, nearly matching Annabella's.

"I'm over forty years old and I've never seen a case as pathetic as this! Others might let it slide, but if they cross me, I'll punch them several times!"

With just a swing of his arm, I was thrown back, dazed from the impact.

It was then I truly realized how tough the old man was, with his solid muscle mass.

At Emerald, aside from an S-tier like Annabella, there were also five well-known A-tier Void Keepers. Among them, each worked for one of four major corporations, and the remaining one, who worked for the government, was known as the strongest ordinary person in the world.

The rumors about him weren’t because he was a Void Keeper with powerful superpowers or owned a vast arsenal. He was simply an ordinary person who couldn’t resist the invasion from the Void but could fight on par with other S-tiers, and people said that if he had superpowers, he could have been the second S-tier of Emerald.

That’s also why the government made an exception for him, an ordinary person becoming a Void Keeper.

"Ricardo Payne, a famous A-tier Void Keeper in the underworld, I suddenly remember seeing you on TV many years ago."

I stood up, spat out a clot of blood in my mouth, blew out the remaining blood from my nose, and took off my vest, rolling up my sleeves after untying my tie.

"Come at me, you punk!"

Back when I was bullied by the neighborhood kids or the school thugs, I never dared to stand up to them. Perhaps it was because I had never had a reason strong enough to rise up. But this was the first time I raised my fist, not knowing why, but I couldn’t stand seeing him acting arrogantly towards our kind manager.

However, the difference in strength was too great, for a gamer like me who spent his days glued to gaming and watching anime, facing a battle-hardened warrior experienced in the brutal battlefields against monsters from the Void. I was sure to be outmatched.

He caught my fist effortlessly, as if it were a mere balloon, and for me, it felt like punching an immovable wall.

"Is that all you've got?"

A punch from him, not as strong as Woodrow’s, but because it was a direct hit to the face, left me sprawling on the ground, dazed with pain coursing through my face.

"Ricardo, stop!"

Manager Corbin fumbled with his seatbelt to get out of the car and tried to intervene, but the old man just silently pointed at him, his arm thick like a house beam, making the manager cower.

Seeing him oppress my manager, I couldn’t just stand by. I stood up and picked up a nearby crowbar, ready to stand up once again.

"Is that all you've got?"

"Stop it Beckham, he'll kill you right now!" Manager Corbin yelled out to me, trying to dissuade.

I ignored what he was saying; if Corbin couldn't stand up for himself, then I would do it for him.

"Sorry, Manager Corbin, coming through!"

I charged like a mad dog, oblivious to my surroundings, and then took a massive punch that staggered me.

I could smell metal in my nose, taste iron in my mouth. Blood streamed from my nose and mouth, making me wobble on the brink of falling, but unlike before, I was getting used to it. I steadied myself and pointed a crowbar at the old man.

"I just came back from death not long ago; your punch is nothing to me!"

It was insane to provoke him in such a condition, but as I saw him lose his cool and charge, I felt a perverse satisfaction despite knowing I was about to take a severe beating.

The old man swung his arm, his fist like a massive hammer about to crash into my face.

At that moment, I thought I was done for. But what appeared before me was not Ricardo's crude fist, but the pretty face of my colleague.

"You are too weak!"

Her slender arm completely halted the old A-rank Void Keeper's attack. But strength alone wasn't enough; the difference in weight class was still a problem.

He lifted Woodrow with one arm, slamming her hard onto the ground, causing her to cough up blood and fly towards me. I quickly caught her, and because we were so close, we both fell like bowling pins.

"I'll smash everyone, men and women!"

"Hello hello, requesting Association backup at the construction site in District 7. There's an A-rank Void Keeper..."

"Manager Corbin...", I shouted over to him, cutting off his call: “I can do it!"

Our manager then turned off his phone, trusting me loudly.

"You must win this!"

"Don't worry, if there's no Yasuo in the team, I'll definitely win!"

"Yasuo?", the manager looked puzzled.

I helped Woodrow up, checking on her.

"Woodrow, can you continue fighting?"

"Yes!"

Woodrow perked up, seemingly unharmed as if she hadn't been hit at all. Normally, she should have been paralyzed by that blow, but I guess Woodrow wasn't just an ordinary girl to be messed with.

Both of us stood up, facing Ricardo, ready to give him a fight.

[ You have received a mission: Confront A-rank Void Keeper - Ricardo Payne ]

[ Objective: Defeat or survive against Ricardo Payne within the specified time (01:12:30) ]

[ Reward 1: +1000 experience points (50% bonus for level difference) ]

[ Reward 2: Title (King of Persistence) ]

[ Reward 3: +$2,000,000 ]

The notification popped up unexpectedly, making me pause for a moment.

[ System: Do you agree to analyze the target's movements? (Admin access required) ]

[ Yes ] [ No ]

With no time to hesitate, I immediately selected "Yes."

[ Ricardo Payne is executing a straight punch at your face. ]

Receiving that notification, I swiftly dodged the punch, surprising everyone.

[ Ricardo Payne is executing a right knee strike at your chest. ]

I immediately arched back to dodge, but lacking the flexibility to maintain my stance, I fell backwards. To prevent me from being attacked, Woodrow instantly charged at the old man to cover for me.

[Ricardo Payne is attempting to grab Woodrow Finn.]

"Woodrow, duck low and press close!"

I shouted to her, and fortunately, Woodrow heard me in time, quickly ducking to avoid the old man’s grasp and pressing close to him.

[Ricardo Payne is trying to knee Woodrow Finn on the left.]

"Woodrow, jump high and knock him out!"

Woodrow leaped up as soon as he pressed close to the old man, avoiding the knee strike, and delivered a punch straight to the old man’s temple, sending him flying off his feet towards the Maybach, skidding across the ground to Corbin’s astonishment.

"Beckham, you can read his movements like that?"

"Sort of..."

The old man struggled to his feet, charging at us to retaliate, but I could read every move he made. Woodrow and I dodged all of Ricardo's attacks and didn't forget to counter, turning the fight overwhelmingly in our favor as the old man seemed thoroughly beaten.

I have to admit, it’s like using a cheat system in a video game, where you can foresee every move, skill, and motion of your opponent, making things incredibly easy. As a gamer, I utterly despise cheaters, but in this situation, I couldn’t help feeling like one of them.

Nevertheless, a game is a game, and real life is real life, each person has their own unique talents, and I intended to use mine to the fullest.

"Woodrow, finish him!"

It felt strange, as if I were a trainer controlling my own Pokémon. But I was genuinely enjoying the feeling of being in a real game.

Woodrow delivered the finishing blow straight to Ricardo's face. At that moment, as her fist swung and the feeling of victory overwhelmed me, a notification appeared.

[Ricardo Payne is using a back kick to Woodrow Finn’s chest.]

"Woodrow..."

Before I could finish, the old man spun around and delivered a straight kick to Woodrow's chest. It was so fast that my words couldn’t keep up. Woodrow flew straight towards me, and we both crashed into a pile of wood at the construction site.

"What the heck... Taekwondo??"

I was in pain and couldn’t get up, while Woodrow stood up as if she had never been hit before. The blow should have shattered her ribs, maybe even killed her outright, but Woodrow was still able to move and charged towards Ricardo.

[Ricardo Payne is using his right elbow on Woodrow Finn’s face.]

"Nim..."