Bewilderment! There was only unprecedented bewilderment!When Thunderstrike first saw Fred, he thought the man an illusion-type ability user with poor close-combat abilities. When he approached him, however, he was slapped away. When Thunderstrike unleashed his electric-based abilities, he believed Fred would not be able to keep up with his speed and that his strength was only average. Yet, Fred still managed to evade him while he was sneaking his deadly attack on him. He even immobilized him with a single palm strike. This left Thunderstrike feeling as if he was going insane. He could not help but roar. "Who? Who are you? You clearly shouldn’t be that powerful so why... Why were you able to dodge my attacks?”"Me? Weak? When did I ever give you that impression?" Fred chuckled in response.What?When Thunderstrike heard what Fred said, he slowly got up to his feet. Teeth gnashing, he sneered, "Heh, it's clear as day, and you’re claiming that it isn’t? If my guess is correct, th
The way Thunderstrike saw it, it made no difference whether Fred was just faking his ability or if he had not reacted to his attack. Fred was doomed either way the moment his fist landed its mark. "It's over for you!"When Deanna saw this, her face turned pale—ashen even. She closed her eyes, as if resigning herself to her fate. Facing Thunderstrike’s powerful attack now, it did not matter either way even if she was right next to Fred at this moment. With her ordinary human body, the only outcome was death!Deanna closed her eyes with fear and even blame coursing through her. However, everything seemed to quiet down instantly after that.She did not feel the pain she expected to feel from receiving Thunderstrike’s attack. Nor did she hear the resounding clash like when Thunderstrike and Fred traded hands before either. There was only silence!Was she… Was she dead? Or did something unexpected happen?With these thoughts in mind, Deanna could not help but pry her eyes open b
Back at the villa, the unconscious and severely injured man with braids as well as Dave, who had been on death’s door, were now in stable condition. They had received treatment from Fred.Deanna had also recovered from her earlier panic and was now once again a vision of the international actress she was when Fred first met her. Apart from her unique mannerisms, however, Deanna seemed much more approachable now. "Mr. Hoffman, I really don't know how to thank you!""You should thank Miss Tyne," Fred responded to her gratitude with a smile.Deanna nodded and replied, “I know what you mean.” Then, she turned to Tyne, who was just standing nearby, and said, “Miss Tyne, I’ll be a part of Major Entertainment Company from this day onward. I’m willing to sign a lifelong contract with you—if you don’t mind, that is. You can instruct me on anything you need."A lifelong contract?Tyne was immediately taken aback by Deanna’s words. "Miss Deanna, h-how can this be?""There's nothing wrong wi
Dave nodded but then said, "You’re not wrong, Mr. Hoffman, but I think it's better if you don't know the specifics about them! They’re incredibly powerful, after all."Powerful?Standing behind Fred, Stellar could not help the smirk on his face when he heard that. He found it hard to believe that the faction of so-called ability users Dave mentioned could be more powerful than Fred. Fred was a living legend, after all. He was widely recognized as the number one figure in the world, the revered Great One!Of course, Stellar would not say such things out loud. Fred did not press Dave for more information either. Continuing from his previous statement, Dave went on, "Let's talk about Thunderstrike who you had just taken care of. He's quite an extraordinary person. He's a disciple of the Overseas Martial Arts King, Ulric Ortega! I believe you’re familiar with the reputation since you’re also part of the warlord world, yes?”Overseas Martial Arts King?Ulric?Fred laughed when he he
With Stellar's martial prowess and the information broker's keen sense, it would not be difficult at all for them to locate someone as ordinary as Barett in the Netherlands. Fred just had to give the command.As such, almost half an hour after Fred gave the order, Barett was already kneeling in front of him with a bewildered expression."What... What else do you want?" Barett scoffed with a mix of defiance and trepidation the moment he realized that it was Fred who had ordered his capture. He had, after all, witnessed how a single glance from Fred had turned Thunderstrike into dust back in Deanna’s villa. Now that he was brought before Fred again, Barett could not help but feel a little panicky. In fact, not only Barett, but Dave was also feeling anxious as he stood beside him. He knew the reason why Fred had instructed Stellar to bring Barett was so that they could inquire about the Overseas Martial Arts King’s whereabouts.The Overseas Martial Arts King had gained fame across
Barett was even standing up now as he casually stretched his muscles. He then looked at Fred with a contemptuous smile and said, "To be honest, you only realizing now that you need to apologize to the Martial Arts King is already too late! "He has eyes and ears everywhere, a top figure in this world. Haha! You got yourself a one-way ticket to hell the moment you killed his disciple! So, I suggest you treat me better, or else... Hahaha!""Is that so?" Fred looked at Barett with a calm smile. "In other words, you do know where Ulric is, yes? You have the means to contact him?""That's right!" Barett grinned triumphantly as he sat down opposite Fred. "So, the path in front of you is quite simple, actually—”"You're suggesting that you'll take me to meet Ulric?" Fred interrupted Barett before he could finish his sentence."What? You want to meet the Martial Arts King?"Clearly unaware of Fred’s intentions, Barett just scoffed and said, "Do you think he's someone you can just meet wh
At the base of the Black Dragon Mercenary Group in Aramid was a man who was once the number two person in the world, Milo Steinbach. He was the leader of the Black Dragon Mercenary Group.The Black Dragon Mercenary Group had fallen into chaos ever since Milo went missing at the Somerland border town. Then, what followed was the Great One’s return and the wildfire news of Milo’s death. Hence, in just a few months, the internationally renowned Black Dragon Mercenary Group fell silent and their base was deserted.Even so, the mercenaries who once coveted this place dared not come to disturb the place either as new owners had settled there. As long as they recognized these individuals, they would definitely be able to discern that they were none other than Ulric and Greywulf. They were also the men who had betrayed Fred.At this moment, Ulric's expression was grotesque.Seeing this while standing to the side, Greywulf could not help but ask, "What's wrong, Martial Arts King? Did someon
"You’ve met him before. It’s Barett," Ulric replied."Barett?" Greywulf's brows furrowed at the name. He asked, "You mean Barett, the representative for that faction over there?”Ulric nodded. "That's right. It's him. Now that we've already allied ourselves with them, they won’t let us off easy if we were to turn a blind eye when something has happened to Barett.”"Something happened? What happened to him?" Greywulf quickly asked.As Ulric had mentioned, they had betrayed Fred, so their only hope was for the faction to accept them. Although Barett was a minor representative, if what Ulric did affected their joining, then it would be more trouble than it was worth for Greywulf!Ulric wanted to tell Greywulf what he was thinking. "It's something Barett brought upon himself. He probably lured out some expert, and that's how Thunderstrike got into trouble. He contacted me yesterday and said he wanted to explain this matter to me in person.”"Explain? What does that have to do with hi
Marciella walking away did not bode well with the giant snake. Marciella was its food! How could it accept that its food had escaped?Marciella had not moved far yet. She reluctantly looked back at Fred.She did not know how Fred would handle the River God. She could only hope Fred would be okay!When Fred saw that she had left, he geared up, rubbing his palms in glee. He had an eager look on his face, which confused the giant snake.It was the snake’s first time meeting a man like Fred!How strange indeed!At this time!Suddenly, Fred said with hostility etched on his face, "Hey, Big Snake, what are you going to do now?"The snake's attention was entirely focused on him, which seemed off to Fred."What I’m going to do?"The giant snake fixated its eyes on Fred. It felt that it could handle a human like Fred easily.“I’m going to kill you with one bite! How dare you look down on me like this!"The giant snake rushed toward Fred fiercely at a speed so fast that no one could
Fred was annoyed by the giant snake's arrogant tone. Fred squinted his eyes at the snake and asked in confusion, "Why are you making that face?"“Huh?"The giant snake was shocked. He thought that Fred would submit to him, but to his surprise, Fred was not shaken at all.The snake was about to lose his temper.“Dirty snake, haven't I made myself clear enough? I think you are probably sleep-talking if you want me to hand over my people to you..." Fred said impatiently.At this moment…Feeling that it was being ridiculed, the snake said suddenly, "You punk, this is the first time anyone spoke to me this way. What is your name?"“Me?"Fred was stunned subconsciously, not knowing what the snake wanted. Suddenly, he understood.“Did you want to know my name so you can remember me, bow down before me, and become my follower? Sure, I’ll give you that chance!"He was adding fuel to the fire. The giant snake almost spat out blood in anger!"What? You want me to follow an immature bei
Huh!?Putting aside Marciella, even Fred could not hide his shock as a giant snake appeared from under the water!A giant snake!How could it be!?Fred's eyes widened at the sheer size of the snake. "A Giant Snake… Is this the so-called River God?"Moreover, the size was humongous. The snake must be at least ten stories high!What a huge snake!Fred finally understood why he felt a powerful force under the water!There was a sharp glint in the giant snake’s eyes! That was the blinking light from time to time!"Who comes here? Are you from the village? Who do you plan to sacrifice to me this time?" As soon as the giant snake spoke, Fred realized that this was not the first time it had done this.The snake seemed familiar with the ritual process. Obviously, the villagers had witnessed this giant snake before. This was the meeting between the two sides! Fred felt uncomfortable at this. As for the giant snake, it felt bemused when it saw Fred. The snake had never seen Fred befo
Fred was going to risk it all to open this girl's eyes!The force from the punch was extraordinary! As soon as the tree was hit by the seismic fist, it fell immediately and the whole tree split neatly in two!Marciella was dumbfounded!Although she knew how powerful Fred was, to witness his power was a different thing entirely!"Master Fred, your power is insane!"Marciella could not help but applaud.Fred seemed indifferent, as though he had no feeling at all about this."Is it? Why do you think so?"He looked so indifferent.For Ancient Martial Arts, things did not get any simpler than this!"You’re so strong. Anyway, I don’t doubt you anymore..." Marciella sighed, suddenly feeling very sad. "This is the reward of being educated. If we were more knowledgeable, we wouldn’t be so clueless.”"Haha, if you can't solve your issues, your descendants can work harder," Fred said with a wink.Marciella said, "Mr. Fred, I needed to ask you something! What if our luck was changed ju
What Fred said aroused her curiosity."What does it look like when you offer a sacrifice?"Fred knew he could not speak of this matter. Sure enough, Marciella felt a little downcast after Fred said the words. She did not know why Fred would say such a thing. Suddenly, Fred felt bad about it.He coughed and said, "Don't think too much about it... I just want to find a clue. Maybe we could find a solution. Why does it never rain in your village?""Huh?"Marciella's eyes, which were still a little dejected, suddenly realized what was important and asked hurriedly, "Mr. Fred, are you saying that the reason why it never rains in our village is because someone is behind it?"Although Fred was unwilling to admit it, he could not help but nod. "Yes, this is exactly what you thought!""For real?!"Marciella felt hopeful again when she heard this. She said hastily, "The thing you asked about is pretty simple. You can just check out that place!""That place?"Fred turned around to see w
Marciella found herself nodding in agreement with Fred's harsh assessment. "You're spot on," she said. "That woman is nothing but vile!"Seeing Marciella's reaction, a rare smile crossed Fred's face as he nodded back. "Glad you see it my way," he said.What caught Fred off guard was the villagers' reaction. One by one, their faces turned ashen with despair.It seemed to them that nothing could be worse than the predicament they were facing. The absence of the witch spelled doom for the village—it was like their last shred of hope had vanished. They had all put their faith in her to charm the River God into blessing them with rain, which would have brought some peace to their troubled lives. However, now their chances seemed to have dried up just like their fields. Fred stood there, his face a mask of serenity amidst the chaos.In the moments that followed, the village chief was a picture of despair, his only option was to send everyone home while he racked his brain for a backup pl
"What?"Fred did not even have time to blink before the witch suddenly made a move.It was like a bomb went off.Kaboom!Then, she was dead!Fred dusted off his hands, even surprising himself with his lack of tolerance for the witch.Now, though, he had a real headache. He had planned to clear the air with the witch and lay out the past so everyone would know the full picture.He thought that might just turn things around.The situation changed when she vanished, and Fred's plans were completely derailed. Then again, changing the villagers' minds was not going to be a walk in the park anyway. They were pretty set in their ways, thanks to all the stuff they had been fed.As such, just talking it out might not cut it. Heck, it could even mess with history!With the witch out of the equation, Fred figured he might as well try a different tactic. Maybe if he took out the guy in the cloak and worked his own magic to bring some rain, it could save a lot of hassle. The more he thoug
"No way!"The witch bristled with defiance. She could not accept that she was no match for Fred.As she noticed Fred's focus was locked on her, a sly idea popped up in her mind.Before she could act on it, though, she found herself pinned against the wall by Fred in a flash...Her face contorted in disbelief. She was pinned so tightly that she could not even move!The witch was completely overpowered, her heart racing with panic.How could he be so much stronger than her?Fred, on the other hand, seemed unfazed."What's going through your head? You don't seriously think you can take me on, do you?" Fred asked, his voice laced with skepticism.The witch felt utterly trapped, as if at any second, Fred might just finish her off."Look, I messed up, okay? Can we not do this? I'm old, just a pile of brittle bones—I can't take this kind of rough treatment!" the witch pleaded with Fred, trying a new tactic to get through to him.Fred was not falling for it. He looked at her with a
"Heh, I caught on to you a while back, you know. You've been tailing me, and I'm pretty sure you're here for me. Plus, you don't have the look of someone from our village. That means you are an outsider, and I'm your target, right? Listen, man, we don't have any beef with each other, so why are you sticking your nose where it doesn't belong?"The witch had sensed the raw power rolling off Fred, and it was enough to send shivers down her spine!At that moment, she knew that challenging Fred was not going to be a walk in the park! If she had spotted him earlier in the forest, it would not have been good news for her. For starters, she had no clue how many tricks Fred had up his sleeve, and if he took her down, she and her buddy would be toast.However, the witch was not about to let Fred take her out without a fight! She racked her brain and finally settled on one strategy!She would try to sweet-talk him, hoping Fred would fall for her words just like everyone else, and fall into he