‘Rising Sun Group wants to meet me?’Fred did not expect to hear news of Rising Sun inviting him just as he was talking about it with Yorick.Speak of the devil.Fred asked her, “What’s this president’s name?”“Diana Lane, I think,” Elaine replied.Martin chuckled. “Ladies always love a hero. Perhaps Miss Lane saw your prowess and fell for you at first sight, Master Hoffman. She couldn’t help but ask to meet you.”‘Fell for me at first sight?’Fred smiled but paid it no mind as he asked, “Where and when?” “Tonight, at a restaurant selling Sunrise Islands cuisine in Southern Astra called Weathering Clouds,” Elaine replied, also curious.According to her understanding of Fred, the man did not usually entertain such invitations, yet here he was asking for details of the meet-up.She asked curiously, “You’re going, Great One?”“Why not? It’s free food.” Fred smiled. “And there are quite a few things I’d like to find out from Ms. Lane”Fred did not elaborate, but there was the
The lady frowned.Weathering Clouds was a restaurant offering Sunrise Islands cuisine. Its interior decorations imitated those in Sunrise Islands, and naturally, its seats were kneeling futons.Yet Fred had pulled over a chair to sit carelessly and look down from above while she kneeled.It looked as if she was his handmaiden.The frown did not last long as she quickly smiled again. “It did not occur to me that you wouldn’t be used to such seating. I apologize. My name is Arnkatla Jonsdottir.”“Arnkatla Jonsdottir? A Sunriser?” Fred asked.“Indeed. Of course, Mr. Hoffman, you could refer to me by my Somer name, Diana Lane,” Arnkatla said with a smile.“Your name isn’t important.” Fred waved her off. “Tell me why you invited me here.”Arnkatla frowned again.Many ladies were vain, especially those who were good-looking and had nice bodies like Arnkatla. Even if she were to stand in front of a popular female celebrity, Arnkatla was still confident in her looks.Yet Fred had ski
‘There are people around?’Yorick shot to his feet in alert and immediately looked around, but he could not find anything out of the ordinary anywhere. Then suddenly, Yorick realized what was wrong—Arnkatla.She was smiling calmly and showing no signs of explaining herself regarding Fred’s accusation. Then, a cold chuckle rang out.“We were right about you. The fact that you could detect my presence is proof that you’re valuable.”Then, a bone-chilling breeze blew.Following the breeze was the appearance of a man from a shadowed corner in the room, and he looked at Fred with an icy smile.‘There really was someone there?’Yorick frowned, but he realized that Fred’s attention was not on the man who appeared but at a different corner of the room.Another round of laughter rang out.“I didn’t expect you to find me too. You truly are a man of extraordinary skill.”Crack!A secret door opened where Fred was staring and another man walked out with a cold smile.“Sunrisers?”
‘What’s Yorick laughing about?’What else but the fact that this revered Great One Redwolf and the others bragged to be the only person in Somerland worth their worries was precisely the same man they were bragging to and planning to kill?Redwolf and the others did not know what Yorick was thinking about, nor did they care.What they cared about was the fact that Fred had just called them nobodies.“What did you just say, young man? I don’t think I heard you quite right.” Redwolf, Bloody Hand's S-class assassin, smiled icily at Fred with frost in his eyes.“I said, you’re a nobody who doesn’t know who he’s talking to. You’ve got bad eyes, but I didn’t know you’ve got horrible hearing too,” Fred replied calmly.Not only Redwolf but the four Espionage Society grandmasters wore wretched expressions on their faces as well.They prided themselves in their capabilities, and Redwolf’s capabilities could even terrify governors of some small countries.Yet, they were deemed nobodies by
‘A-A b*tch-slap?’Ulfhrafn shook in fury.There was no doubt that Fred had come up with this name on the spot and Ulfhrafn saw this behavior as belittlement.In fact, he concluded that Fred disdained them. Ulfhrafn roared. “You dare to make fun of me?”“Make fun of you?”Fred smiled. “I suppose it’s not a really fitting name considering I didn’t manage to slap you in the end, hmm?”Then, Fred raised his palm again, this time his aura even stronger and scarier than before.Ulfhrafn and the others sucked in a cold breath.After the previous attack, the four grandmasters thought that even if they could not defeat Fred, they were at least on par with him, but it seemed like they were very wrong.“Haha! I didn’t expect you to be holding back this whole time. Looks like I misjudged you!”Redwolf sneered and finally joined the fight.He moved so quickly that all that could be seen of him was a shadow before he arrived in front of Fred and swung his fist.Fred did not react to it
‘Next?’The remaining four of them gulped, and their hearts raced as they heard Fred’s nonchalant tone and saw his expressionless face.The moment Fred displayed offensive and defensive skills that completely overpowered them, they knew that not all of them would come out alive.Still, knowing was different from seeing.Seeing Fridgeir’s expression of disbelief remain even after his death, some of them had already started thinking about retreating.However, before they could make a move, an oppressive aura cloaked them and locked them in place.“Looks like we got ourselves a difficult opponent this time.”As an S-class assassin, Redwolf was used to walking in and out of places at will. Now, the man wore a solemn expression on his face as he said grimly, “Everyone, this isn’t an issue of whether we can kill him or not. We have no other choice, it’s him or us.”The others nodded in agreement.Fred showed no signs of letting them off.Not when the five of them had infiltrated So
He dispersed into a cloud of smoke again.“W-What…” Ulfhrafn and the others were confused. As they took another look, they saw Dagbjart, who had vanished just now, reappear in Fred’s hand.Indeed. He had reappeared in Fred’s hand.His neck was now grabbed by Fred’s hand which he had extended out earlier. Fred’s grip did not loosen, and Dagbjart did not stop trying to struggle.“H-How did you do it?”Dagbjart looked shocked. He could not believe what had just happened.Fred ignored him and with a flick of his wrist. Dagbjart’s neck was twisted, and he fell lifelessly to the ground.Dagbjart had followed Fridgeir’s footsteps and disappointed the other three’s high expectations.Fred said calmly, “Second one down.”Gasp!Everyone sucked in a cold breath.Despite giving their all in their attacks, they were down another comrade.In fact, Dagbjart died much quicker and easier than Fridgeir.‘H-How are we supposed to defeat him?!‘Run!’Without hesitation, Redwolf turned and
“Great One, Arnkatla has already fled back to Sunrise Islands. Rising Sun Group’s funds were all pulled out overnight and the company is merely a shell now.”The following day, Fred had just returned to Sea City when Stellar arrived in front of Fred with the results of his investigation.“That was quick.” Fred smiled but paid it no mind.Last night, Arnkatla could feel that something was wrong and ran out of the restaurant when the fight began. Then, she fled from Somerland overnight.By the time Fred had killed the four grandmasters and the S-class assassin, there was no sign of the cunning Sunriser anymore.Hence, the first thing Fred did when he returned to Sea City was to have Stellar investigate her whereabouts.He did not expect her to run back to Sunrise Islands and pull out all of Rising Sun’s funding, though.“Looks like she came prepared and planned her escape in advance. Or she wouldn’t have been able to pull out the funds of a group qualified to join the alliance,” F
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