A young man stepped out from the crowd. His expression was calm, but his eyes were cold.
Cold enough to make several people instinctively fall silent.
His gaze settled on Marcus.
Before he spoke again.
"To think such an inspiring speech would come from someone this strong, yet the person you’re looking down on only awakened a few days ago. Quite the irony."
For a brief moment, silence hung over the area.
Then the crowd erupted.
"Wait, he only awakened a few days ago?"
"What?"
"Seriously?"
Several hunters immediately looked toward Adam with surprise.
"I thought they were from the same generation."
"So this guy awakened earlier and is beating up a newcomer?"
"How shameless."
"Level forty-something bullying someone who just awakened and then acting superior."
"What a joke."
The insults came from every direction.
Marcus’s face immediately turned red.
The confidence he had been enjoying moments ago vanished almost instantly.
Being humiliated publicly was one thing.
Being humiliated publicly while dozens of people watched was another entirely.
One of Marcus’s followers couldn’t hold himself back.
"How dare yo—"
He never got to finish.
A blur flashed across the distance.
One moment Kael was standing several meters away.
The next moment he was directly in front of the man.
The lackey’s eyes widened.
Too fast.
He couldn’t even react.
A hand suddenly clamped over his mouth.
Before the man could process what was happening, his feet left the ground.
Then the world flipped upside down.
BOOM!
The hunter was slammed headfirst into the stone floor.
The impact echoed throughout the entrance plaza.
Cracks spread across the ground.
A horrifying crunch followed.
The man’s entire body convulsed.
Several bones shattered instantly.
His jaw suffered the worst of it.
Because Kael had lifted him by the mouth before slamming him down, the force completely crushed his lower jaw. Teeth scattered across the floor, mixed with blood.
The man didn’t even get a chance to scream.
He passed out immediately.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
The entire crowd froze.
Kael looked down at the unconscious hunter.
His voice was calm.
"Who said you could talk?"
The coldness in his tone sent chills through the surrounding hunters.
Several subconsciously took a step backward.
Even Marcus found himself staring in shock.
His heart skipped a beat.
That speed...
He hadn’t seen it clearly.
For the first time since arriving, genuine caution appeared in his eyes.
This person was dangerous.
Very dangerous.
Marcus forced himself to remain calm.
"Who are you?"
He tried to keep his voice steady.
"Why are you interfering in my personal business?"
Kael looked at him as if he had heard something amusing.
"Personal business?"
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Sorry to break it to you, buddy, but it stopped being personal business the moment you decided to bully my friend."
Marcus’s expression stiffened.
Friend?
Adam had a friend like this?
His instincts immediately began screaming warnings.
Avoid conflict.
Avoid conflict at all costs.
Marcus wasn’t stupid.
People who survived in the Tower learned to trust their instincts.
And right now every instinct he had was telling him that provoking this person further would be a terrible idea.
His tone immediately softened.
"Look."
"This is all a misunderstanding."
"Misunderstanding?"
Kael raised an eyebrow.
"I’m pretty sure I just watched you put your hands on my friend."
Marcus forced a smile.
"I wasn’t bullying him."
"I’m simply trying to keep him away from my sister."
"Oh."
Kael nodded.
"I understand."
Marcus felt a small sense of relief.
Finally.
Someone reasonable.
Then Kael continued.
"In that case, I’ll also help keep you away from touching my friend."
The relief instantly vanished.
Meanwhile, Adam was finally regaining his senses.
The pounding pain in his head slowly faded as he processed the conversation.
For a moment, warmth spread through his chest.
Kael was here and he was standing up for him.
But that feeling quickly turned into alarm.
Marcus wasn’t someone ordinary.
"Kael!"
Adam shouted.
"Be careful! He’s extremely—"
Too late.
Kael moved.
Marcus’s pupils shrank.
The distance between them vanished in an instant.
Fear gripped his chest.
"Stop him!"
His voice cracked slightly.
"Now!"
The remaining four lackeys immediately rushed forward.
They had no choice.
Marcus paid them well.
Unfortunately for them, money couldn’t solve every problem.
The first hunter lunged with a dagger.
Kael didn’t even slow down.
He twisted slightly, allowing the blade to pass harmlessly by.
Then his fist shot forward.
CRACK!
The punch landed squarely on the man’s face.
Blood exploded from his nose as his body was launched through the air like a broken doll.
The second hunter arrived almost immediately, thrusting his spear toward Kael’s chest. Kael casually caught the weapon mid-strike, startling the man. Before he could react, Kael yanked the spear forward, dragging its owner off balance, then drove a heavy punch into his abdomen.
The hunter’s body folded around the blow before he was sent flying.
The remaining two hunters froze in place, fear creeping onto their faces. In the span of a few seconds, three of their companions had already been taken down.
And the man responsible looked as relaxed as if he were taking a walk.
They immediately reached a conclusion.
Marcus wasn’t worth getting whooped for.
Without hesitation, both turned around and ran.
Unfortunately, Kael wasn’t interested in letting them leave.
He surged forward.
The closest hunter was caught within seconds.
Kael grabbed the back of his head and slammed it directly into the ground.
The impact knocked him unconscious instantly.
Kael spun the stolen spear in his hand and threw it.
The weapon shot through the air and caught the last one.
A scream echoed out.
The spear pierced through the man’s leg and pinned him to the ground.
The entire place fell silent.
Nobody spoke.
Nobody cheered.
Nobody even moved.
The brutality of the exchange had completely exceeded their expectations.
What started as a simple confrontation had become a complete massacre.
Among everyone present, Adam was perhaps the most shocked.
Because unlike the others, he knew something they didn’t.
Kael had awakened recently too.
Yet somehow...
He was strong enough to treat experienced hunters like children.
Meanwhile Marcus felt his legs growing weak.
His mind struggled to process what had just happened.
All five of his followers were down.
And the person responsible was now walking toward him.
Fear gripped Marcus’s heart.
Things weren’t supposed to go this way.
He had only wanted to rough Adam up a little.
Show him his place.
Nothing more.
How had it escalated into this?
Kael stopped a few meters away, his eyes locked onto Marcus. The plaza remained silent as he spoke.
"Just like you did earlier."
His voice was calm.
"I’ll give you a chance."
A sword appeared in his hand.
The blade gleamed beneath the sunlight.
"Fight me."
Marcus swallowed.
"If you win, I’ll let you walk away."
The words should have sounded reassuring.
Instead, they felt like a death sentence.
Marcus stared at the young man standing before him.
The expressionless face.
The steady gaze.
The complete lack of fear.
Every instinct in his body screamed danger.
Marcus tried one final time to escape the situation.
"Do you even know who I am?"
His voice carried a trace of desperation.
"Harming me won’t end well for you."
Kael’s response came immediately.
"I don’t care."
The next moment he disappeared.
Marcus barely had enough time to raise his sword before Kael’s blade came crashing toward him.