On a tall, white mansion rising three stories into the sky, a pale-skinned man with a bald head was visible. He was dressed in a flowing white robe adorned with golden trims that cascaded down its sides, a testament to his refined fashion sense.
The man sat cross-legged on the expansive roof, his eyes closed, revealing a quiet and handsome visage that belied the weight of his thoughts.
The surroundings were enveloped in silence, the only sound emanating from the man's heavy breathing, his chest rising and falling rhythmically with each inhalation and exhalation.
After a few moments, he opened his eyes, and a faint golden glow flickered within his dark purple irises before vanishing as quickly as it had appeared.
"Who would have thought that this world conceals so many secrets from its inhabitants..." he murmured to himself, a hint of disbelief lacing his words.
"I can hardly believe that I have lived half of my life without realizing such immense power existed... I always thought that money was the ultimate form of power; I believed that as long as I had a healthy bank account, nothing could harm me. But this... This is on an entirely different level," he continued to mutter, studying his hands intently.
They appeared weak yet simultaneously strong, a strange power surging through his veins, awakening a sense of potential he had never known.
"If money were truly the ultimate power, then there would be people who should never have died—people like Ox," he stated, his thoughts drifting to a particular individual.
Reflecting on the past five years, he couldn't help but recall how he and his family had unearthed a formidable power hidden beneath their world, revealing an entire realm of secrets.
He vividly remembered the day when he and his family struck a deal with another family, one far more potent than he could ever hope to be.
However, an obstacle arose during the negotiations, leading them to join forces to eliminate the threat, fully aware of the anger they were inviting.
It became a chain of events; after they successfully neutralized the threat, something inexplicably strange began to unfold—everyone involved in the plans started to vanish.
It was a bewildering occurrence at the time, as those involved were influential individuals, yet none emerged unscathed from that encounter.
Just when despair began to creep in, a man appeared before him, claiming to possess a solution to his troubles—but only in exchange for a deal.
In that desperate moment, as the head of the family, he had to make a swift decision and accept the offer. Yet what he was introduced to next left him utterly baffled.
He learned that superhumans were living among them, albeit in hiding—humans capable of achieving the most impossible physical feats. Furthermore, there were even mythical beasts roaming the planet.
This revelation altered the trajectory of his worldview. Rather than seeking to forge big deals to amass wealth or finding a powerful family to marry off his daughter to, he was now determined to carve out a place for himself and his family within this newly unveiled reality.
"Arghhh!"
Suddenly, a loud scream shattered his thoughts, prompting him to look down at the scene unfolding below. Four children were playing, but three of them were on the ground, tears streaming down their faces.
"That brat... I told them to stop playing with him," the man muttered angrily to himself, and in the blink of an eye, he vanished from the roof, descending swiftly toward the commotion.
For a typical human, jumping from such a height would likely result in severe injury.
However, this man was far from ordinary; he belonged to a rare breed known as "Paragons."
Upon landing on the ground, he surveyed the scene with a piercing gaze.
"Grandpa John! It's Alex again! He's gone crazy! He started attacking us when we told him we wouldn't play with him," one of the children exclaimed through tears, his voice trembling.
Seeing this, the man turned his attention to the only child still standing. "Did I not tell you to stay away from them?" he asked, advancing toward the boy.
"Wa—wait, Grandpa, I didn't... I—" Before Alex could finish his explanation, a sharp blow struck his cheek, causing his world to spin as he tumbled to the ground.
"I told you never to call me that again! I am not your grandfather!" Grandpa John shouted, his hand poised to strike Alex once more when a voice interrupted him.
"If you strike him again, you might end up killing him. It's a miracle he's still alive," the voice remarked.
Upon hearing this, Grandpa John immediately regained his composure, instinctively standing up straight and bowing in respect.
"Master, you're here! You didn't inform us of your visit," John said, lowering his head.
Meanwhile, the owner of the voice, a bald-headed man clad in a black robe, appeared to be in his sixties at most. Yet, his posture and the way he carried himself belied his age.
"That's inconsequential. I merely decided to observe how the new generation of fighters is faring, but it's quite a disappointing sight," the master remarked, glancing at the three children on the floor and then back at Alex, who was slowly rising, tears welling in his eyes.
This observation only fueled John's anger further as he clenched his fists.
"You all hate me! I don't know why you all hate me...!" Alex shouted, sprinting away in tears.
"That boy is talented. He may not be able to channel Qi, but he is undoubtedly a strong fighter given what he has done to his peers," the master commented, turning to John. "Are you sure you don't want to train such potential?"
"No, I will never train that brat's seed!" John snapped, glaring in the direction Alex had fled, his fists still tightly clenched.
---
Meanwhile, Alex continued to run, his eyes swollen with tears and cheek bruised, as he stumbled into the mansion. He dashed through the door without a moment's hesitation and burst inside.
Within, he found two women—one possessing slightly darker skin and the other pale—who were in the midst of applying makeup when Alex rushed into the room.
"Mom, this is too much... it's all too much for me! You told me to go and play with the others... but they all hate me! They don't want to play with me!" Alex cried, collapsing into the arms of the beautiful pale-skinned woman, sobbing uncontrollably.
The women exchanged shocked glances, one of them grinding her teeth in frustration.
"How could they do this to a child... to my son?" she exclaimed, her voice thick with anger.
"I think, Anna, it's time you take a step back from this situation for your own sake and the sake of your son," Sera suggested.
Anna wanted to respond, to express her inability to leave at that moment. But as her child rested his bruised face against her chest, still sobbing, he lifted his gaze to her, tears glistening in his eyes.
"Mom, Daddy? Why haven't I seen him before? Why isn't he here to stop this?" Alex cried out, desperation evident in his voice.
Hearing this, Anna felt all the strength drain from her body, yet she tried to muster a reply.
"Daddy... Daddy is dead," she said, now also tears rolling down her cheeks as she spoke.
---
Meanwhile, in an unknown location, in a dimly lit room, a man lay on a bed with his eyes closed. Suddenly, he opened them, surveying his surroundings in confusion.
"No... I am... alive!" he shouted, disbelief flooding his voice.