[April 15th, 2024]

Vito was taken aback when he discovered that the man had been pretending the entire time. He had been certain the man was unconscious, given his experience, but it turned out the man was even more cunning than he was.

He declined the offer, reasoning that if the man managed to overpower his henchmen and escape, his investment would be squandered. Therefore, he chose not to get involved.

"But why can't you just beat him up?" asked Jonny, visibly shaken, as he began to fear his plan might backfire on him that day.

"Well, I could, but our business has been quiet lately, and I need the funds for my crew," Vito explained. Only then did Jonny understand; he clenched his teeth in frustration. He had already spent a considerable sum to hire Vito once, and now Vito was demanding more.

In this predicament, Jonny realized he had no choice but to pay up.

"Okay, I'll send ten thousand more dragon points, so hurry up and beat him," Jonny agreed.

"Well, a total of thirty, huh? I can manage that. Boys, show him what we're made of," Vito commanded as he ordered his goons to attack Rey again.

However, this time the scene was different from before. Initially, Rey was on the defensive against them.

Now, he was taking the offensive, and the first attacker was down with a single punch, groaning in pain while clutching his stomach.

Vito was stunned, unable to comprehend the sudden surge of power in the boy.

His goons were being defeated by the kid, one after another in succession.

Rey, though surrounded, remained cautious, even when he was significantly stronger.

One of them swung an iron rod at his back, just like the first time, but now Rey caught it and turned back with a grin.

"So, you're the one who did this to me back then, huh? It still hurts even now," he said as he snatched the rod from his hand, bent it into a U-shape, and handed it back to him.

As the man was dazed, Rey punched him squarely in the face, causing him to crash against the wall. His face was a sight to behold, with his front teeth half-broken and blood gushing from his nose, the front area of his face reddened precisely where Rey had struck him.

The others were shocked upon seeing the man's condition and retreated from Rey in fear, knowing such monstrous strength could only belong to a cultivator.

But Rey wasn't about to let them leave so easily.

As they backed away, he quickly approached one man, grabbed his arm, swung him around like a stick, and slammed him to the ground with both hands—not to demonstrate his immense strength, which he could have done with just one hand.

Whenever he punched them, one punch was enough for each of them, and if he exerted enough force, they could die, but Rey didn't want it that way.

His strength was under Aiden's control, who was observing the fight, and his expression was one to behold.

"Hey kid, are you some kind of street fighter?" Aiden inquired, noticing Rey's confusion.

'But why? I don't think I'm fighting poorly, and it's kind of cool, just like those main characters who take time to beat up random thugs,' Rey thought to himself, careful not to voice his thoughts aloud.

"Kid, I've told you; real life isn't an anime or something, okay? It's real, and nobody knows what will happen next, so hurry up and finish your fight before something happens," Aiden advised, and Rey, not wanting to comply but knowing what Aiden was capable of, decided to follow the advice.

"Okay, it's time to end this," Rey declared, crouching slightly for stability before rushing towards the goons.

His speed was great, yet he remained visible.

He began taking down the thugs with ease, each with a single hit, and as he did so, he imagined himself as some legendary bald hero who could knock out an enemy in one punch.

He even checked his hair to make sure it was still there and was relieved to find it intact.

Aiden, who observed such actions, became angry, knowing they could cause numerous issues.

Thus, he issued a mild warning.

As he knocked out the adversaries, a jolt shot through his hand, causing him to tremble from head to toe.

This helped him acknowledge his error and refocus on the fight.

Within minutes, the entire group lay on the floor, clutching the areas where they were struck, some rendered unconscious by the forceful blows.

Rey's hand had become as potent as a hammer strike after the power-up, and he realized that even with suppression, his arm strength was incredible.

Just as he took down the last opponent and stood still, a powerful punch landed squarely on his face, sending him flying several meters. Yet, it wasn't enough to defeat him, as he quickly rose to his feet.

He noticed Vito, who had been a few meters away just moments before, now seething with anger and ready to retaliate for the defeat of his henchmen.

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"You will pay for this, for what you've done to my men," he said, charging toward him with his hand faintly glowing with energy.

Rey was alarmed, still feeling the pain from where he had been struck.

"Kid, be attentive. This guy is a cultivator of the Initiate 3rd realm, similar to Jacob who was in the second," Aiden explained, familiar with the power hierarchy of this world.

"So, he's more powerful than Jacob, whom we faced before?" Rey inquired, eager to determine whether he could defeat him or if he should flee.

"Yes, he's quite powerful, though not exceedingly so since he's still low-ranked. But if he were to advance to the Mid realm right now, we'd be in trouble," Aiden replied, analyzing the readings he was getting from the man and hoping he wouldn't ascend ranks, which would significantly increase his power.

"Kid, hurry and finish him off before your luck turns," Aiden advised. Rey nodded, aware that villains often receive unexpected power boosts, and he aimed to end the fight swiftly.

He picked up the bat lying beside one of the goons and readied himself for the confrontation.

The scene was intense. Jonny's case was different; initially, he was wary when he saw Rey beating up the goons. However, his concern turned to relief when Vito took matters into his own hands, believing the situation was under control since Vito was an Initiate of the third realm. But what happened next shattered all his hopes...

As Rey and Vito charged at each other, Rey swung his bat to finish Vito off, but Vito caught it with one hand. Little did he know, it was a feint, and the real attack was yet to come.

Rey, prepared for this moment, threw a punch straight into Vito's face with full power, cracking the ground beneath him into a spiderweb pattern. The force sent Vito flying to the end of the street, where he crashed onto a car that nearly tipped over but righted itself.

Now unconscious, Vito's face was severely injured, some of his teeth knocked out, bloodied, and his cheek swollen. His body was sprawled across the car like a caterpillar, and as for the car, it was badly damaged on the side.

Rey who was quite normal now looked at Jonny who was dazed now. He approached him and sat in front of him as he was in first state like before.

His pant was covered in pee after what he shows, and some tears was also on his face.

"Now then what shall I do with you." Rey said as he also wanted to beat him but decided not to as it may cause more problem for his family.

As his father would take action then he had to defeat or destroy them like in manga.

So, he decided to let him off with a warning, intending to instill a sense of dominance in his heart to deter any future confrontations.

However, unleashing a full-powered punch was not on his agenda; he merely wanted to test the limits of his strength after the upgrade, which proved to be astonishing.

"Hey, go away and don't ever cross paths with me, or you know what will happen," Rey warned as he started to walk away.

But it seemed Jonny wasn't thinking clearly, as his next words would soon make him regret.

"Hey, where do you think you're going? Do you see yourself as some kind of saint or sage? Listen, Rey, I will make your life a living hell for what you've done to me today. I'll have your family groveling at my feet..." He was cut off mid-taunt when he noticed Rey had vanished and reappeared before him, this time with a dagger in hand.

"What did you say? Huh, say it again. What would you do to my family? I was considering letting you go, but vermin like you don't deserve freedom, so die," Rey said as he swung the dagger at him.

However, Aiden managed to deflect its trajectory just in time, causing the dagger to fall between his legs, which made him pass out again.

"Why did you stop me?" Rey shouted.

"Have you lost your mind? Do you think we have the time to wage war against his entire family, like in your anime? But listen, kid, we don't have time for this. With the mana invasion starting, you have to leave this world for a while, and your family will be in grave danger," Aiden explained, trying to make him understand in terms he would grasp.

Rey, initially furious, began to comprehend the gravity of the situation and stepped back, relieved that Aiden had prevented him from committing the act.

"So, what should we do now? I don't think he will stop here with just this," Rey said, aware that people with Jonny's mentality don't understand even after defeat.

"Well, I have an idea for that. Just wake him up and repeat what I said," Aiden instructed, ready to put his plan into action.

"Okay," he said as he began trying to wake him up.

After a few minutes of struggle, Jonny woke up but was still half-asleep, mumbling random words.

"Mom, just five more minutes," he mumbled, as Rey laughed at him and noticed the guys he had beaten starting to get up.

They all looked around, remembered everything, and backed away, pressing themselves against the wall like lizards.

"Hey, if you've all finally woken up from your beauty sleep, then pick your boss up and get out of here before I start round two," Rey said, thinking it was quite cheesy but still fitting for the moment.

They all hurriedly agreed, some running towards their boss and others in the opposite direction, as they picked Vito up, placed him in one of the cars, and drove away.

Rey was left alone with Jonny, who by now was fully awake and terrified.

Rey, seeing his reaction, was quite pleased internally and, following Aiden's orders, he walked towards him.

Jonny who saw him coming toward him backed away in fear as he still remembers that what Rey was about to do now before he got unconscious.

He was stuck into the wall and was scared.

He starts saying as what Aiden told him.

"Jonny listen, I won't say it again so if you ever try to do something like this again then be prepared for the outcome which will not be like this as I will first break your hands and leg and then will personally go to your home to throw you in front of your family and will 'politely' teach your family the lesson which I half spent on you.And I swear you won't like it and if I am gone and you start thinking to hire more thugs to beat me then be ready as the thing I wanted to do before I can do this anytime and anywhere. Even if you hide in the safest locker in the world, I will catch you and beat you until you will no longer thought of me or if did then only thing you remember will be pain, I gave you before. Or if you want, I can just finish this matter here and know with my buddy here and no one will find this and your body." He said as he showed him the dagger.

Jonny, having heard the statement, nodded foolishly in agreement, relieved at the thought of not being harmed.

He vowed never to cross paths with him again, and if by chance he did, he would alter his route.

Rey consented to let him go, and Jonny hurried away, still in his soiled pants, heading home.

Rey, feeling better, decided to return home. A few minutes later, he arrived at his doorstep, panting heavily from running at full speed because it was already past seven, and he was very hungry. However, before he could enter, Aiden halted him and instructed Zero to change into his uniform to avoid any trouble.

Finally, he decided to ring the doorbell.

His younger sister, Emmy, opened the door, overjoyed to see him.

He went into his room and closed the door, bringing an end to the long day and his cherished school days, leaving only the exams ahead.