A muffled, masculine voice called for Raine. He ignored the interloper, the soft clouds around him much more desirable. The mysterious man shouted more forcefully and he shut the rude voice out; if they had the gall to address him, they should at least pitch their voice to sound like a bearer of heavenly freckles. He snuggled deeper into the clouds. The movement triggered a twisting contraction that radiated pain through his bowels. His eyes shot open, the need to pee conquering both dreams and Morty's insistent nagging.

Awareness of reality brought with it a slew of agony that made him regret not pissing himself just to sleep a little longer. Despite treating his joints the previous night, they were on fire from his short use of internal force. Likewise, his muscles were brimming with acid so potent they may as well be melting. None of that could compare to the pounding in his skull like an army of jackhammers out for revenge.

Raine lifted throbbing arms to unclip his headset. The simple motion let him know just how much trouble he was in. He rolled off the bed and waves of dizziness assaulted his senses. His stomach rebelled and only desperation allowed him to hold off from retching. The effort caused his bowels to contract and he knew there were only seconds before he really did christen the floor. Bracing against the bed, he stood on wobbly legs and stumble-rushed to the bathroom.

Haven't been this messed up since that assassin threw me out a building. How? Nope, thinking hurts.

Even after relieving himself, his bladder still ached. Compared to the rest of him, it was a paltry discomfort. Raine made it to the shower where heavy streams of hot water from multiple directions gave some minor relief. Using the smart-wall, he checked the time and his jaw clacked down a notch.

Raine spoke, his whispered question eliciting a wince as the sounds sliced through his head, “Morty, how long was I asleep?”

The AI blissfully matched his volume to Raine's, “Your breathing became regulated ten hours ago.”

Ten? Which means I entered the mystic realm fifteen hours ago? I was only in there for five hours… The insane time dilation was real… How am I still alive? No wonder I feel like a dog's second crap.

All hopes of his aches fading vanished as he realized what the sensations truly were. His body was crying for nutrients, and there wasn't a chance in hell he was going to get them from regular food before the rest of him was cannibalized to repair the most vital areas. Worse, the fat in his body being chewed through was packed with toxins from years of bad choices. Those toxins were being funneled directly into his organs, amplifying the damage.

If only ReGen was on the market. I could turn this into an opportunity to massively boost my fitness.

With hollow hope, he accessed Soulgen’s stock and it was a fifth of what he bought it for. A normal person would have panicked at the sight of their investment reduced to a pittance, but Raine merely cracked a broken smile. Unfortunately, the drop in price meant the company had yet to produce their revolutionary body supplement that was so effective at nurturing the human physique that it doubled a person's lifespan.

He switched to his inbox and was met with a wall of new messages from Frontier’s engineers. One stuck out to him, bringing relief that momentarily banished his suffering. He allowed himself a full five seconds to appreciate the two billion credits in his account before he started buying Soulgen stock hand over fist.

He bought out the entire float within seconds, causing the price to soar well above where he first bought. Sellers stepped in, taking advantage of the boom to get out at a huge gain and he bought all of their shares as well. He compared his shares to the total outstanding, calculating that he currently owned fifteen percent of the entire company. He left multiple open buy orders, knowing others would sell, then limped out of the shower.

Since I’m a majority holder now, I have a responsibility to go check my investment in person. They've got to be close to the final product. As an owner, if I borrowed a little, it wouldn't even be considered stealing…

Raine slowly dressed in one of the new suits delivered from Shillids, “Morty, call me a cab.”

“You're a cab, Master.”

Raine chuckled, immediately regretting it, “Good one. I'll be back in a few hours. Order those arms I picked out and get me a list of legs.”

Morty’s voice was the most sincere Raine had ever heard it, “I… Thank you, Master KongRu. Taking over the world will be much simpler now.”

Don't laugh! Don't laugh!

image [https://i.imgur.com/hpsW3fY.png]

Raine felt a little better after cramming several fistfulls of protein down his gullet but that only further fueled the fires of his metabolism into a steady blaze with no end in sight. During the drive, he reached out to the other major shareholders of Soulgen, introducing himself and scheduling a board meeting. Then, he answered as many questions from Frontier’s engineers as he could.

Soulgen’s only facility was a quick thirty minute drive to the far side of downtown Carter City. Raine closed out of his AR to get a good look at the small fifteen story complex. There was nothing special about the building, its outward appearance as bland as the next. Raine’s taxi drove right up to the front door without the slightest hint of a security check or perimeter, and alarm bells were already going off in his skull.

We’re going to need some serious security upgrades. How did they manage not to have their formula stolen in the past? I know Ronexzera bought them out. They must have moved them to a more secure facility right away.

The lobby was as unexciting as the exterior. A single receptionist stood at a central desk with a bored expression. She either didn’t notice Raine, or didn’t care as he approached with the slightest limp he could manage. The few others in the lobby waiting for appointments had more observational awareness than the woman. He heard them take note of his expensive attire, whispering amongst themselves.

He rested a forearm on the counter, leaning far enough to peek at her old-school monitors that displayed a measly four cameras watching the exterior and lobby. Raine stifled a groan, “I need to speak with President Ehrhardt.”

The woman flinched, tearing her gaze away from whatever AR display her LinQ had been distracting her with. Her neck craned higher until she was looking up at him with wide eyes, “U-uh, d-do you have an appointment, mr…”

That’s right, my personal records were deleted. I don’t have an official name anymore. Whatever, nothing I can do about that now.

“Mr. KongRu. And no, I don’t have an appointment,” Raine thought at his watch which streamed a fully interactive AR display directly into his optical nerves. He leaned forward, whispering, “Tell him the new majority shareholder is here to see him.”

“The new? Wait! You’re the reason the—” Raine’s thunderous expression zipped her lips. Her head swiveled left and right, glancing at the nearby observers who were very much attempting to dial into their hushed conversation. “Yes, sir. My apologies, sir. I’ll let him know right away.”

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

She didn't even double check. Sloppy. It’s amazing how many doors open from being dressed right. Still, this woman needs some supervision. If she doesn’t get a lot more competent with a few security personnel breathing down her neck, she’s gone.

Keeping up appearances, Raine didn’t acknowledge her further as he moved slowly to a pillar facing the lobby’s only elevator. He kept an eye on his ownership of the company which had continued to rise with his massive buy orders sucking up any shares that were sold. The elevator opening drew his gaze. Four professional bodyguards obnoxiously displaying their class two martial badges walked out. They were boxing in their charge—a short woman whose fiery red hair was the only thing visible over their shoulders.

The guards stiffened at the sight of him. Despite being injured, Raine was over two meters tall and carried himself with the kind of threatening quality that bodyguards were trained to spot. Their eyes remained glued to him as they guided the mysterious woman well clear of him. He kept his awareness on them as well, glad they hadn’t messed with him in his current shape.

Two of the women in the lobby clearly recognized them, gossiping loudly.

“Isn't that Celeste Luu Rahn?”

“The Celeste Luu Rahn? I can't get a good look.”

Raine took more interest, peering back at the red hair bobbing steadily toward the door.

Really? To think we’d meet again so soon. I guess it’s not that big a coincidence. She must be here because her dad's company is trying to acquire Soulgen before they become a massive cred printer. If I remember right, she was forced to resign from Ronexzera right before the acquisition because of a scandal with her uncle. She went on to join ZL at the same time as me, but ended up becoming much more famous there as the ChiShimo, Crimson Nebula.

Well, notorious is a better word. Equally likely to kill friend as foe, she earned and kept the title of number one tremendous bitch of the Tri-glades. I better avoid her. Wouldn’t want to attract the attention of Ronexzera either. That entire company is full of the worst kind of scum.

Celeste Luu Rahn

Celeste was standing near the shoddy front door of Soulgen, waiting for her car, when she overheard a man’s deep, smooth voice speaking loudly about her. At first she ignored him, used to people gossiping around her and more than aware she couldn't do anything to stop them. When he mentioned the scandal with her uncle, her entire sense of self awareness shattered under a cascade of realizations.

Multiple times, especially recently, her uncle asked her to undertake odd requests and go out of her way to be in specific places at specific times for almost no reason. She assumed it was all part of being groomed to take over the presidency of Soulgen; teaching her patience, prudence, and the value of time. All the while, vile rumors with just enough accuracy to be plausible kept creeping into influential circles.

At this very moment, she was on one of his errands, once more feeling like she had wasted her time with no chance of success. In her gut, she had felt something was off but her uncle was a charismatic man, always assuring her that he had her best interests at heart. But how could a man who consistently showed such cruelty to others not have the capacity to do the same to her?

The stranger was right about one thing: her uncle was up to something, and if she didn't figure it out, she may very well end up in the situation he mentioned. All her previously set aside doubts and feelings returned in a flash of shame that raged through her until she vibrated with the need to hit something.

She tuned into the mysterious stranger's voice, paying far more attention to his words. She was right on time for his next statement to hit her like a bullet train.

[Number one tremendous bitch of the Tri-glades.]

W-what?! I am not a tremendous bitch! How dare he say that where others can hear. My reputation is already on the brink of disaster, and now this?!

Celeste pushed through the encirclement of her bodyguards and stomped toward the mysterious man. With each step, the burning disgrace from being used and slandered again and again threatened to burst forth and consume her until she was nothing more than a shriveled husk of rage.

Raine KongRu

Raine’s brows drew down when the young girl—certainly no more than twenty—pushed free from her guards, determinedly striding in his direction. He remembered seeing her on broadcasts a few times but never paid much attention since she was a player that his guild refused to interfere with. In the end, she left the Tri-glades for greener pastures.

She had a heart-shaped face framed by bright red locks that accentuated sensual eyes containing more than a little spicy fury. Yet those features couldn't hold a watt to the adorable freckles that complimented the shade of her skin. She wore professional attire from Shillids seventh floor that accentuated her shapely, yet slim figure.

“You!” She pointed, calling him out through angrily pursed lips.

image [https://i.imgur.com/4q2T2d4.png]

Raine schooled his features, tearing his gaze from her and looking to the side in an obvious declaration that he didn’t want to speak. His thoughts raced as her guards swarmed in an attempt to surround her again, each giving him threatening glares.

What's that bitch coming over here for? She shouldn't know about my stake in Soulgen, so what's this about? Go away, you stupid little girl!

For the second time in as many minutes, Celeste’s entire worldview tilted as she saw the impossible. She nearly stumbled and broke a heel as her eyes bulged.

[His lips aren't moving! Am I really hearing his thoughts?! How? No. I can’t be a… Wait! Can he hear my thoughts too? Judging by his expressions, he can’t. Thank god. I'll figure out what's happened to me later. Right now, I need to focus on this opportunity. It should be easy to learn what he knows about uncle.]

More determined than ever, Celeste lowered her pointed finger and stood straight before the much taller, overweight man. He turned to face her and their eyes locked. She glared up at him through meticulously manicured eyelashes. Her guards fanned out to intimidate the stranger but he didn’t flinch or withdraw as a normal person would, instead inching closer in an obvious display of threat. Neither were willing to look away first and lose the lead in the conversation that had yet to truly start.

His spoken voice was less deep and intimidating than the one that had echoed in her skull, “You have some business with me? If not, get lost.”

[He's not thinking anything now? Or did I imagine it? He's not backing down even though he knows who I am, which means he’s of equal status to my family. Who is this man? I have to say something but what if everything I heard was all in my head? I would only make a bigger fool of myself if I accused him when he didn't say any of that aloud.]

Her demeanor was frosty and smooth, not revealing her inner turmoil, “What's your name?” Raine squinted one eye, widening the other.

So far, all the crazy girl had done was stomp over in a huff, point in his face, then ask his name. If anything, she'd done a great job of proving she was exactly the kind of psychopath he wanted nothing to do with. Raine didn't respond to her question. His focus split between the five of them. Since he knew Celeste was competent enough to eventually become a pseudo fifth-class powerhouse, there was no way he would evaluate her as less threatening than her guards just because she was short and beautiful.

One of the guards stepped forward and reached for him, “The young miss asked you a quest—”

The second the guard's hand landed on his shoulder, Raine dipped his torso forward while bringing his hand up to clamp atop the guard's. In the same motion, Raine rotated his torso and brought his raised elbow down on the man’s arm. The joint bent and the guard was pulled closer. With his arm locked in position, he was helpless to respond as Raine whipped back the other direction so fast his huge form blurred. The lightning fast elbow strike connected with the man's temple, sending him crumbling to the floor.

The lobby went dead silent at his casual use of internal force. Raine’s back and sides were screaming in protest. At least he didn’t have to be concerned with hitting the man since his class two license had been in clear view. The bodyguard was a martial, so it was entirely legal to beat him to a pulp, anytime, anywhere. There were repercussions for fighting below your class, but they were only serious if someone was crippled or died.

The other bodyguards could attack him as though he were a martial now that he’d fought back, but that concern was made mute when Celeste yelled at the top of her lungs, “Stop!” The guards froze mid-lunge but Raine wasn’t about to trust any of them. His arms were still up, ready to continue.

What the hell is wrong with her?! Who trains their guards to attack people in public that quickly? I knew it, I have to avoid this bitch. She's completely crazy.

[I heard him again! This is real, I can actually hear his thoughts! Oh shitstain. Murang attacked him without realizing he’s an internal force adept. Another fucking mess to clean up. What a perfect day!]