The sports car's engine roared, turning heads as it sped down South City's infamous Pub Street...
Neon lights lit up the night... Music thumped through the air... Bars of every caliber lined the street... From cheap dives for regular folks, to high-end lounges for the elite... After a long day of grind, this was where the city came alive...
Ryan Miller pulled up outside the Wild Rose Pub... He slid into a spot after weaving past a row of luxury cars... The moment he pushed open the door, pounding bass and flashing lights hit him... Chaotic laughter filled the air...
That old feeling... he thought... In his previous life, after his family's downfall, he had stopped going to clubs... That colorful, noisy world had been stripped away... But now... he was back...
Dressed in sharp clothes, his physique lean and athletic, Ryan stood out instantly... Girls glanced his way, some smiling... He was young again, yet his calm, mature aura—tempered by two lifetimes of experience—made him seem different from the usual crowd...
He scanned the room, searching for his friends...
"Ryan, over here..." a voice called... It was Vivian, the youngest in their group, waving from a booth...
Ryan made his way over...
"Where's Jay..." he asked once he sat down...
The mood in the booth shifted instantly...
"He's not coming..." Justin said flatly...
Ryan frowned... "Why..."
Justin's jaw tightened... "He's with Robert Rathore now... Guess he decided being Robert's lapdog was more profitable than hanging with us..."
Ryan leaned back, considering... Robert Rathore came from a powerful family—wealthier and more influential than most... Their parents all did business together, but Robert's circle was definitely higher on the ladder...
"Forget it..." Ryan shrugged... "Everyone makes their own choices..."
"You're right..." Justin muttered, fists clenched... "Still pisses me off hearing his name..."
They let it drop... Drinks and fruit platters arrived... The music pounded... Laughter spilled across the table... Ryan relaxed into the night, that youthful recklessness creeping back into his veins...
A few tables over, Sam, Victor, and Ethan had started a rowdy game of Truth or Dare... But the easygoing mood shattered quickly...
Ryan noticed tension at their table... Sam and Ethan were facing off with a group that screamed trouble... Tattoos... Earrings... The smug swagger of street thugs...
Ryan's expression hardened...
One of the thugs suddenly shoved Sam and snarled... "Your girl spilled her drink on me, and you think a cheap sorry is enough... Do you even know how much this shirt costs... You little rich brats think you can walk into a real bar and get away with it..."
Laughter erupted from the thug's crew...
Ethan's temper flared... Their families were used to respect wherever they went... No one dared talk down to them... If word spread that they had been humiliated by street thugs, their reputations would be trashed...
Sam's face tightened... He knew the numbers were not in their favor, and with Ria standing nearby, this was not a fight they could afford to lose... This was the age of martial arts... What if one of these guys was trained... He swallowed his pride...
"Listen, it was our fault... The shirt's ruined, fine... We will pay for it... No need to make this a big deal..." Sam said steadily...
But one thug cracked his knuckles, eyes flashing... "Pay... I'll show you what you can pay with..."
He lunged at Ethan with a claw-like strike...
"Martial arts..." someone gasped...
Ethan's eyes widened... At the last second he twisted aside... His father had drilled him in the basics... He was only a beginner, but without that training, he would have frozen...
The bar erupted into chaos... People screamed... Some ran for the exits, others stayed to watch... Sam yanked Ria back...
The thug smirked and swept his leg at Ethan... Ethan grabbed a chair to block—
Crash...
The metal bent like foil, sending Ethan into a row of tables... Glass shattered, bottles spilled liquor, and the lively pub descended into destruction...
"Ugh..." Ethan groaned, clutching his chest... Blood spilled from his lips... The impact told him everything... This thug was not just a beginner... He was close to breaking into mid-stage martial arts...
The thug stalked forward, sneering... "What happened to all that rich-boy arrogance... You scared now..."
Ethan tried to rise, but the man towered over him, mocking... "Is the floor too comfortable... Planning to stay down there forever..."
Ryan finally stepped forward, calm but sharp-eyed...
Sam yelled desperately... "Ryan, he's your brother now... You gotta help us..."
Ria hurried to Ryan's side, watching him closely...
"What's all this noise about..." Ryan asked casually...
"You hiding something from me..." Ria whispered...
Ryan smirked faintly... "You never asked..."
The thug growled... "You think this is funny... Boys, let's take him out together..."
But his crew hesitated... One muttered nervously... "This guy's dangerous... I don't want a piece of him..."
"Cowards..." The thug kicked one of them aside and stepped closer to Ryan... "What's your name, punk... You're dead after tonight..."
Ryan didn't flinch... He crouched, brushing one of the faintly glowing attribute bubbles scattered from the fight...
Strength plus one... Speed plus two...
His eyes flickered in surprise... The first time he had gained multiple boosts at once...
He straightened slowly, voice steady... "You want my name... Fine... It's Leo Chauhan... Come find me in thirty minutes... If you're late, I won't be waiting..."
The thug blinked... Fear flashed in his eyes... He backed away, then bolted out of the pub...
Ria burst out laughing... "Ryan, you dumped the whole mess on Leo... If he finds out, he will kill you..."
But Ryan's eyes gleamed with something no one else noticed...
"Let's go home..." he said simply, turning away... "We're not waiting for him..."
The bar manager exhaled shakily once they left... "Damn... that kid..."
His assistant frowned... "Should we report the damages..."
"Not yet... That thug, David... he will be back... He always comes for revenge... Better to pin the losses on him... I'll keep the footage as proof... When the boss sees this, he will decide... Regular staff like us, we stay out of it..."
Meanwhile, Ryan and his friends headed home... By the time they got back, it was already ten p.m... Ryan did not bother going to Evergreen Martial Arts Academy that night... Instead, he sat at his desk, scrolling through information about the martial arts era...
Today was a warning, he realized... If I had not raised my stats these past two days, I would have been crushed...
His phone buzzed...
A message from Ria, sent three minutes ago... Goodnight, Ryan... Sweet dreams...
Ryan stared at it, stunned... Why is she always so proper... Even after getting home safe, she still sends a goodnight text...
By now it was four minutes old... She was probably already asleep... He decided not to reply...
He scrolled through meaningless posts, then set the phone aside and closed his eyes... Within a minute, he was out cold...
Across the city, in her pink bedroom, Ria lay staring at her phone... No reply... Her face fell... With a groan, she tossed it aside and rolled on her bed in frustration...
The next morning, Ryan woke early, ate breakfast, and headed out... His father, Steve Miller, watched from the porch with a satisfied smile...
"At least now... those eyes don't weigh him down anymore..." Steve murmured...
Ryan, already speeding off in his car, shivered... Was that... parental affection... Creepy...
Not long after, he arrived at Evergreen Martial Arts Academy... The training grounds were filled with students sparring, attribute bubbles scattered across the grass... Ryan picked them up casually as he walked toward the training hall...
The moment he entered, voices rose in shock...
"Mid-stage already..." one student gasped...
"Wait, isn't this the guy who just joined Friday night..." another whispered...
"No way... two days and he's advanced to mid-stage... That's impossible..."
"Must be cheating... No one grows that fast unless they've trained for years..."
The muttering spread quickly... No one could believe it... In their eyes, someone like Ryan was not a genius... He was a monster...