Chapter 118: The Strong One

“Let go, you filthy scoundrel! Let me go, take your claws off me!” Alice’s angry shouts of shame and fury came next.
The man’s body was really hot, and that heat made her feel uncomfortable—her entire body seemed on fire. Being held in the arms of this despicable thug was truly unbearable!
“Hehe, you’re no match for me now!” Rod, holding Alice, was momentarily stunned by her softness, which distracted him for a brief moment. But he quickly shook off that feeling and tightly grasped Alice, who was struggling desperately in his arms, saying with a sinister smile, “You, you scoundrel…”
With a cry mixed with tears, she shouted fiercely. Rod felt as if his wounds had been wetted by tears—tears? This little girl was crying?
This left Rod at a loss. With a wry smile, he released her and watched Alice, who was trembling with anger. He couldn’t think of anything to do. A woman’s tears are always the most deadly weapon—true enough.
“Knight Rod, you seem a bit dazed. Have you changed? Since when has this guy become so easy to talk to and not done anything outrageous? From what I remember, she’s not the kind of person who gives up easily.”
“Hmph, enough already. Do you still want to bother me? Why speak so ambiguously? I don’t want to face you forever!” She pouted and muttered disdainfully before turning back to the table to enjoy her meal, seemingly forgetting who had kindly brought it to her.
Another night of training passed. As dawn broke, he opened his eyes, walked to the window, and took a few deep breaths. His injuries had almost healed, no longer hindering his movements. Surprised yet excited, Rod realized it had taken less time than he expected.
Inside the room, he moved his limbs, starting with the most basic exercises. Although the room was small and made movement awkward, it was still an excellent place for training. Just as Xuanyuan had told him, training here could not only improve his reflexes and agility but also help him better control his strength, steps, and posture—achieving the best results in the smallest space. That was true strength. Mastery was the key.
After hours of training, drenched in sweat, it was already 10 a.m. The strong sunlight streaming through the window brought a warm feeling. Winter had passed, giving way to spring—a time when everything revived, naturally lifting people’s spirits.

Strangely, Kiro and the others didn’t come to disturb him today. Perhaps it was because of Alice. Although it was certain that Alice wouldn’t tell Anderson and Kiro about last night’s incident, there was no doubt that she was by far the most influential person in this small group of three. If he had a conflict with her, there was no need to explain—she definitely wouldn’t come after him. As for Kiro and Anderson, given her attitude, it was unlikely they would dare do much either. “Good, this saves me trouble!” With a slight smile, having no one to disturb him was perfect for focusing on his training. He would use this time to see if he could make further progress. Today’s training was over for now. Walking out of his room, he saw that the doors and windows of the adjacent room were tightly closed, completely quiet—no signs of activity at all. It seemed those people had already left. Turning, he went down the stairs and stepped onto the street. Today’s street felt even more gloomy and desolate than usual, with far fewer people. Perhaps it was really because of last night’s incident, which had killed many people and dissuaded even more from their reckless ideas. Following his instincts, he kept walking and, before he knew it, found himself in front of the Mercenary Association. With a wry smile, he realized this place was still the most attractive to him. Turning, he entered the mercenary hall. There were fewer people inside compared to yesterday, and this was the first time Rod had come here without feeling crowded. Walking up to the counter, he idly glanced at the tasks listed—mostly ones related to the Collins Forest, ranging from E-grade to S-grade, with even rare SS-grade tasks. The target was none other than the fire dragon in the Collins Forest. The price was exorbitant, with a string of zeros that was dizzying to look at. “Not my cup of tea!” He smiled bitterly and shook his head. “Hm? What’s going on?” Suddenly, the screen flashed, showing that the previously unclaimed SS-grade task had been accepted. “Are there still people who aren’t afraid of death?” He frowned and muttered to himself. Apparently, the mercenaries around him also noticed this and began whispering among themselves.

A strange sensation spread around him. A man wearing a conical hat to cover his face passed by and headed outside. Next to him was a tall, muscular man with a bald head that even reflected light, giving him a imposing appearance. At least Rod thought that even the two of them combined couldn’t compare to him. His tanned skin gave off a healthy vibe, and the huge tattoo on his arm was quite noticeable. A sword nearly as tall as a person was slung across his back as he followed the seemingly weaker man in the conical hat outside.

A strong feeling spread through Rod’s mind—these two were no ordinary people. Although there were few people around today, they were still shoulder to shoulder. Yet these two walked outside without any effort, and upon closer inspection, their steps were agile; they didn’t even brush against anyone else. Just this alone showed how extraordinary they were.

As if sensing someone watching him from behind, the tall man turned his head in Rod’s direction with a cold gaze that made Rod shiver and quickly averted his eyes.

“Interesting guy. You could sense it?” The voice was low, audible only to the man beside him. The man in the conical hat also turned his head this way.

“Just a minor Silver Warrior. Xue Luo, since when have you taken an interest in such a minor figure?” At that moment, Rod finally saw the man’s face clearly—it was pale, almost unreal, with a sickly look. He was extremely handsome, to the point that even Rod, who was usually confident about his own appearance, felt a hint of inferiority. It was hard to imagine such a beautiful man; his handsomeness was beyond description—he belonged to the category of beauty itself!

Soon, their gazes met in the air, colliding as if they were tangible.

The moment their eyes met, Rod broke into cold sweat. It was terrifying. What kind of gaze was that? It was cold enough to make you shiver, sharp enough to see through everything about you, and elusive enough that you couldn’t see anything in it—only endless emptiness, like a black hole that pulled one’s spirit inward involuntarily.

“Master, no!” Xuanyuan’s roar suddenly came from within Rod’s body, startling him.

A chill spread throughout his body, reaching deep into his bones, leaving him drenched in cold sweat. What kind of gaze was that? A beast? A demon? A asura? Or something else… indescribable. If not for Xuan Yuan’s sudden roar, he would have truly fallen into that gaze. The consequences would be unimaginable—perhaps his mental strength would be completely destroyed, leaving him as an idiot for the rest of his life.

“Damn it, using such tactics!” Fear gave way to anger. He had merely glanced at those two out of curiosity, and yet they treated him like this?

“It must be the task assigned to those two!” He had already reached a conclusion in his mind—definitely those two, no one else! And they were indeed very strong.

“Hmm, interesting guys!” The man spoke to himself with a hint of surprise and a slight smile.

“He… he managed to escape your gaze? I’m afraid your dignity as a duke will be ruined! But he’s really something special—I’m getting interested!”

The burly man also smiled slightly as he spoke to himself.

“Tiger, it’s better if you don’t act rashly. If you want to keep being hunted, go ahead and try!” The man known as Blood Asura said calmly, with a mesmerizing smile.

“Hehe, interesting guy. I believe we’ll meet again!” Looking at Rod, Blood Asura suddenly smiled and even made a gesture at him before turning to Tiger, who was licking his lips: “Let’s go. We’ve completed this task today. We’ll return tomorrow. There must be no problems at this meeting!”

“Hmm, it’s good practice. Maybe we’ll really be in a big fight when we return!” The burly man said with a dark look in his eyes, tinged with worry.

The two turned and quickly left the mercenary association, disappearing from Rod’s sight.

“Huff… huff…” After they left, Rod felt exhausted, as if his mental strength had collapsed. He was on the verge of collapsing to the ground. “Who are those two? They’re… so strong. I wonder if anyone is stronger than that old man! Who are they?”

Thinking back to their gaze still filled him with fear. Their identities were shrouded in mystery, impossible to fathom. Rod knew the gap between him and them was enormous.

“It must be them!” he gritted his teeth, thinking to himself that aside from them, he couldn’t imagine anyone else daring to take on that SS-class mission, and only they had the means to do so!