Chapter 22: Shock again Ethan sat quietly in a corner of the battlefield. As the others slowly regained consciousness, they were met with a scene of utter devastation—the corpse of the giant ape lay still and lifeless. Suddenly, a realization struck Remond. He scanned the field anxiously. All twenty martial artists were alive—some seriously injured, but alive nonetheless. And there was Ethan, perfectly unharmed, sitting calmly in the distance. A wave of relief washed over Remond. In that moment, he was more overjoyed to see Ethan alive than even himself. He quickly walked over and asked, "Ethan, do you know what happened here?" Ethan looked up and nodded. "Everyone suddenly collapsed and fell unconscious. Then, a man appeared—his entire body covered in a battlesuit. Judging by his aura, he was a Martial Grandmaster. He floated down from the sky on a shuttle, so I guess he’s a Spirit Master. He fought the ape and killed it. Afterward, he came to me and said the Supervisor had sent him secretly as my guardian. Then he left." A wave of understanding passed over Remond. Of course. The Supervisor wouldn’t be so careless as to let a super-genius like Ethan roam the wilderness with only Master-level warriors. Ethan remained silent, though a thought crossed his mind: That Supervisor was actually careless... but never mind. When the others heard the explanation, they too came to a sudden realization—they were all likely still alive because of Ethan. Without him... They quickly gathered in front of Ethan and bowed. "Thank you, Mr. Ethan." Ethan waved his hand dismissively. "I didn’t do anything. It was the senior who saved you." But Eric stepped forward. "That senior saved us because you were with us." In this world, strength determined seniority. Ethan said plainly, "Whatever. Let’s go home." Everyone agreed. They gave all the monster carcasses to the Twin Sword Team. How could they dare take any share, knowing they had been saved thanks to Ethan’s guardian? Remond and the others were thrilled. Not only were they alive, but they’d also made a fortune. According to their estimate, they could get at least 2 billion from the ape alone, and another 5 billion from the hundreds of other beasts they’d taken down—some of which were high-level monsters. Ethan sat deep in thought. What should I do now? I need to stay in the wilderness and fight powerful monsters to hone my battle instincts. My strength is increasing exponentially. If I don’t get used to it, what happens if I accidentally destroy a base city just by walking into it? I need to fight at full strength to adapt. His spirit was evolving along with his body, giving him a deep, intuitive understanding of his muscles and power. But soon, his strength would increase even more. I have to stay out here longer... Should I tell them I’m a Level 9 warrior now? He thought for a moment and decided: I’ll say I got a rare treasure from that mysterious person. No one knows who he is anyway. It’s a believable excuse. Once they returned to camp, the group departed for the city. Ethan bid farewell to the team and went straight home. His father, Jack, was surprised to see him. "You’re back early, son. Didn’t you say you’d be gone for a few days? Did something happen in the wilderness?" Ethan smiled wryly. His father’s instincts were sharp—as expected of someone from a powerful family. "It’s nothing serious, Dad," Ethan replied. "We just encountered a stroke of luck and decided to return early." He recounted a version of the events—edited and carefully crafted. Elina clutched her chest in anxiety as he spoke, while Jack remained tense throughout the story. When they heard that a Grandmaster had been secretly guarding Ethan, Jack’s mood completely changed. "So the Alliance is really paying attention to you... Sending a Grandmaster to protect you?" Jack was overwhelmed with pride. But Elina wasn’t as reassured. What if that guardian hadn’t shown up? She didn’t even want to think about it. She simply hugged Ethan tightly, eyes filled with emotion. After freshening up, Ethan had dinner with his parents. While eating he received a message from Remond. The monster carcasses had been sold for 8.5 billion Alliance Coins. Ethan was to receive 8 billion as the main contributor as the others basically didn’t do anything else. But Ethan didn’t keep it all. He sent 3 billion back to Remond to distribute among the team. He turned to his father. "Dad, I just got 5 billion. What should we do with it? Let’s invest it into the company and grow it." Jack’s eyes widened. 5 billion? That wasn’t a small amount. Even in his prime, Jack had amassed only around 10 billion. His son had made half of that in just three days after awakening. Jack was proud... and slightly defeated. "Are you sure, son?" Jack asked. "Don’t you need better equipment or resources for yourself?" Ethan shook his head. "What I have is enough for now. I’ll earn more soon. Let’s use the entire 5 billion for the company." Hearing Ethan’s confident, almost casual tone, Jack felt a mix of emotions—pride, awe... and a tinge of sadness. My son earned in 3 days what I spent half a lifetime building. He nodded. "Alright." Ethan transferred the money. Elina, too, was overjoyed. Later, Ethan returned to his room, thinking: Tomorrow, I’ll visit Supervisor Charles and tell him I broke through with the help of that guardian’s treasure. Just as he was about to sleep, his phone rang. It was Charles. Ethan answered. A concerned voice came from the other side. "Ethan, I heard what happened today. Are you okay? And I heard about that secret guardian, but... I didn’t assign anyone. Maybe the higher-ups did. I’m sorry. I should’ve been more careful." Ethan felt warmth from the sincerity in Charles’s voice. Despite being a King-level warrior, Charles still cared deeply for him. No one expected a Grandmaster-level beast to appear on their second day—not in Area 40, which was considered relatively safe. "Don’t worry, Supervisor," Ethan replied. "No one could’ve predicted it." "Oh, are you free tomorrow?" Ethan asked. "There’s something I want to discuss." "Yeah," Charles said. "Come anytime. I’ll be in the Alliance Hall." After hanging up, Ethan didn’t cultivate. He needed to fully grasp his current strength before attempting another breakthrough. Stats were rising—but breaking through was more than that. It was a qualitative leap, the elevation of life itself. He needed time to let his strength settle. That night, Ethan slept peacefully. The Next Morning At 6 a.m., Ethan woke up and looked at his status panel: > [Master: Ethan Hunt] Physique: 3472 Spirit: 3472 Talent: Infinite Comprehension His raw stats had already reached the Grandmaster realm, even though he was officially just a Level 6 Master. Grandmaster Strength Scale: Level 1: 2,250 tons Level 2: 4,500 tons Level 3: 6,750 tons ... Level 9: 20,250 tons With rare treasures, this could be even higher. After breakfast with his parents, who were preparing for a busy day following the investment, Ethan had another thought: Are there treasures that can forcibly grant elemental affinity? Maybe not on Earth... but in the universe, surely. When I’m strong enough, I’ll search for them. I want my parents to live forever. At the Alliance Hall, Richard was already waiting. Ethan rolled his eyes internally. Why is no one talking about how much of a pervert this guy is? Maybe I should bring it up to Charles... Still, he returned Richard’s smile politely. Richard led him to Charles’s office. Charles welcomed him warmly. "Good morning, Ethan." "Good morning, Supervisor," Ethan replied. "I came because... I’ve broken through to Level 9 Warrior." Charles continued smiling—until the words registered. Suddenly, his expression froze. He looked around the room. "So many mosquitoes these days. Richard, what the hell do you people even do when I’m not around? I can’t even hear properly with all this buzzing!" Richard: 🙂 Ethan sighed. Mosquitoes, my ass. You heard me just fine. You just don’t want to believe it. "I said," Ethan repeated, "I’ve broken through to Level 9 Warrior." This time, Charles’s jaw dropped. His eyes widened. He forgot how to breathe. "You—! Stop saying things like that with a straight face, you bastard! Do you want to kill us ordinary people from shock?!" Ethan deadpanned, "Ordinary? You? You’re a King-level warrior. If you’re ordinary, the rest of humanity should just commit suicide." Charles coughed, regaining composure. "Maybe there is a misunderstanding? Do you want to test your strength?" But everyone knew it couldn’t be mistaken as to level up one needed to unlock the subsequent sub gene locks. But still Charles didn’t want to believe. Richard watched with amusement. Déjà vu. The supervisor’s turn to get crushed. Ethan nodded. "Alright, let’s test it." In the training room, Ethan stood in front of the machine. He casually threw a punch. Boom! The machine displayed: 10,000 kg Ethan had precise control over his strength thanks to his powerful mental energy. Charles felt utterly defeated. What have I been doing with my fucking life...? Breaking through is this easy ? Why are we still struggling against the beast tide? His hands trembled. I can’t handle this anymore. I have to report to the higher-ups. Richard, watching quietly, smirked. Now you know how I felt. If Charles had heard that, he might have beaten Richard right then and there. But Charles was already on the phone. Meanwhile, in Super City 1... Inside the Alliance Headquarter, a storm had begun. The Vice President stood up abruptly, as if he’d heard something terrifying. "Arrange me a flight to Base City 5—immediately!"