Chapter 42: Giving them a second chance in life Rose felt very awkward when she saw the strange looks in the student’s eyes. But she didn’t care. Ethan looked at her and said, "Let’s go, my lady." Rose’s cheeks flushed a hue of red, but she nodded. Ethan took Rose by the hand and stepped forward. He didn’t even look at Ryan. Ryan called out and ran from behind. "King, please stop! Have I done something wrong?" Ethan’s brows furrowed, his face darkening. What does this bastard mean? Why did he sound like something nasty? He looked back and punched Ryan lightly. Ryan fell to the ground. Ethan had controlled his strength to match Ryan’s level, so Ryan wasn’t hurt—but at least his damn mouth had stopped. Rose looked at Ethan suspiciously. The three of them reached their class. Ethan didn’t intend to join any university. He had only come to see everyone and invite them to the party he would throw tomorrow. Besides, he had brought some supreme-tier body strengthening fluid. There were a few people who had failed to get the certificate last time due to insufficient strength, and he wanted to help those who had stood by him when he was down. All the students began pouring into the classroom. They greeted Ethan as they passed by to take their seats. When Ethan reached his old desk, he noticed a restriction sign on it. He was confused. What was going on? Why would this seat be restricted? After all, he wasn’t even a student here anymore. But what Ethan didn’t know was that ever since he withdrew from the school, his seat had remained vacant. The school leadership had heard of his achievements, so they had kept his seat intact and restricted others from sitting there. Who knew? Maybe someday this seat would become their brand icon. He asked Ryan about it. Ryan shrugged. "You’re a celebrity. Of course the school wants to sell your fame someday." Ethan was speechless. "So...is it okay if I sit here?" But he didn’t sit down, since the restriction sign was still there, and he didn’t want to remove it without permission. He remained standing. Rose was talking with some girls nearby, smiling brightly. Ethan felt relaxed seeing her like that. Arnold entered the class. He was surprised to see Ethan standing there. All the students stood up to greet him. Arnold told them to sit down, but Ethan was still standing. Then Arnold suddenly remembered something and looked embarrassed. "Ethan, please remove that sign. You can sit at your seat." Ethan smiled and did just that. "Thank you, Teacher. How have you been?" "I’m fine," Arnold said. "And you? You kid, already making a name for yourself. I’m proud of you." Ethan smiled. "I’m doing fine. By the way, Teacher, I came today to tell something." Arnold smiled. "Would you like to speak from there or come to the front?" "I’ll talk from here." Then he looked around at the students. "Hello. I’m Ethan Hunt. Some of you might know me, and some might not. Anyway, I was your former classmate. I’ve received an invitation to live in the Super City. So I’ll be leaving the day after tomorrow. I’m throwing a farewell party tomorrow night, and you’re all invited. You too, Teacher." All the students were excited. They knew Ethan was a big shot now. His party would probably have many powerful martial artists. If they could form bonds with them, their lives could be changed forever. Arnold smiled. He already knew Ethan was going to the Super City. Ethan sat back down and activated his spirit sense. He had always been curious about Arnold’s true strength. The moment his mental energy scanned Arnold, he was surprised by the blinding light. Damn, it was intense. His core was almost 28 centimeters—Arnold was definitely a King-level powerhouse, and judging by his core size, he was a genius. A normal King’s core was only around 16 centimeters. But something was wrong with it. The core was fractured badly. Arnold’s strength probably wasn’t at the King level anymore. That Richard guy probably knew about it, Ethan thought, which is why he showed him so much respect that day. Arnold started his lecture. "Students, those of you who have become quasi martial warriors, study well. You have a chance to be admitted into a top university. But don’t take it for granted. You’ll have to compete against those monsters from the super cities. Besides, other base cities have their own geniuses. Even our city has many other schools, and they have produced strong students. Your competition won’t be easy. So study hard and practice diligently. And those who could not become quasi warriors, don’t lose heart. You can still join first-class universities if you reach 500 kg of strength and 20 m/s speed. If you train hard, you can reach that threshold. You can’t become a quasi warrior this month—the test has already finished. But you can always advance after you’re admitted to university. Once you become a quasi warrior, you’ll be treated nearly the same as top-class university students. So work hard." He continued explaining important study topics, exam regulations, and other details. The class ended. The students sighed, realizing they were informally graduating today. From now on, they wouldn’t have to come to school anymore. Ethan asked Ryan to wait and bring the three students who had helped him that day to the infirmary. Ryan nodded and left. Ethan also told Rose to wait. When Ethan stepped out, students from other classes greeted him politely. He nodded back to them. Rose snorted, as if to say, Go on, become even more popular with the girls, you pervert. Ethan was speechless at her expression. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮 Ryan was already waiting in the canteen with the three students. Ethan and Rose walked over. The three students stood up nervously when they saw him. Why would Ethan make them wait? Did they do something wrong? "Please sit," Ethan said. "We were classmates—no need for such formalities." He asked about their families. The first boy, Kale, spoke first. "I have a little sister and my mom and dad. My dad is a security guard." Ash went next. "I have one elder brother and a little sister. My father works in a supermarket." Bill was the last. "It’s just me and my parents." Ethan nodded. Then he turned to Ryan. "What about Riya’s family?" Ryan was surprised that Ethan wanted to know about his girlfriend’s family. "Riya has a little brother, one elder sister who’s married, and her parents." "Okay." Ethan took out 24 vials of supreme body-strengthening fluid. The moment they saw the bottles, the three students’ eyes lit up. They all knew exactly what it was—and how precious. Ethan smiled and handed four vials to Kale, five to Ash, and three to Bill. He gave Ryan nine vials—four for his family and five for Riya—and handed Rose three vials. The students immediately stood up, stunned. Even Ryan looked shocked for a moment. "What is this?" Ash stammered. "I...I can’t accept such expensive gifts, Ethan. That’s five hundred million credits..." Ethan had already placed a mental barrier around them so no one could overhear—only see them talking. Kale and Bill also tried to refuse. But Ryan was different. He pocketed all nine vials without batting an eye. Ethan smiled. He liked these guys’ character. But when he looked at Ryan, his face darkened. This greedy bastard... Forget it. He had already planned to make Ryan his general. A little greed was fine. "Sit," Ethan said calmly. "I’m not finished. You will each take one vial tonight. You can give the rest to your families or sell them—I don’t care. Tomorrow, I’ll ask the Supervisor to conduct an awakening test for you four. You can come if you want." This time, Ryan was also moved. He was so emotional that he almost raised his fist again. But Ethan was ready. The moment Ryan tried, he punched him straight in the chest. Anyway, that was all. "Come to the Alliance Hall at 9 a.m. tomorrow. Ryan—bring Riya too." The three students began crying. They never imagined that helping him that day would lead to a second chance at life. Ethan left with Rose. Ryan clenched his fist when Ethan was gone. I won’t let you down, my King. I’ll be your strongest general. Rose didn’t react much. She asked quietly, "When will you go?" "Wait. I need to talk to Teacher Arnold first. You can come with me if you want." Rose nodded. They went to Arnold’s office and knocked. "Come in." When Arnold saw who it was, he smiled. "Come, sit. Do you need something?" Ethan didn’t beat around the bush. He took out the remaining 11 vials of fluid and placed them on the desk. "Teacher, this is a small gift from me to my juniors—as an alumnus. You can decide who to give them to." Arnold was stunned. Eleven vials of supreme body-strengthening fluid—worth over a billion credits. Just how rich had Ethan become? He had no idea about Ethan’s master-level breakthrough, as the Alliance had kept it confidential. Arnold smiled warmly. "Thank you. I’ll tell them how fortunate they are to have a senior brother like you." Ethan smiled. "Teacher, please come to the party tomorrow if you can." "If I can go," Arnold said. "I’ll definitely come." They left the school. In the car, Ethan turned to Rose. "I plan to take my parents to your house to discuss our engagement and announce it tomorrow. What do you think?" Rose’s face turned bright red. Her heart pounded violently. This was happening too fast. But...she liked it. "I...I don’t know," she stammered. "You talk to my mom." She quickly put in her earphones and turned to look out the window, ignoring him completely. Ethan nodded to himself. He didn’t like those clichéd stories where the main character had to suffer endlessly just to marry his love. Sometimes the girl would even be taken away for a trillion years because she had the "holy daughter" aura bullshit or something. No—he wanted Rose by his side always. Now that he had the capability, there was no need to wait. --