Myths Reawakened

Dawn.

Kristen enjoyed the breakfast carefully prepared by the maids and went back to the academy in a black luxury car. Sitting in the back seat, she patted her belly, disappointed with herself.

Recently, gossip had been circulating at the academy about a certain senior getting herself a wealthy sugar daddy, saying that the senior came and went at odd hours and was chauffeured around in luxury cars by a gentlemanly butler in white gloves—clearly a servant of an influential upper-class family.

Kristen laughed at the story until she realized the issue. The kept girl was her!

The campus gossip spread like wildfire, and even many professors believed it. Kristen couldn’t convince anyone otherwise despite her effort to explain the truth for days.

“I left school at night to tutor a friend,” she had said.

The gossiping crowd responded, “We get it. You don’t have to explain.”

Sometimes, the truth didn’t matter. It was all about the drama. A beautiful senior becoming a fat rich man’s mistress was far more gossip-worthy than a senior and a noble young master falling in love with each other.

Kristen explained that her student wasn’t fat and ugly, but no one believed her.

Last night, while tutoring Wayne, she had suggested going without the chauffeuring service. She would just use public transportation.

The gossip on campus was too embarrassing, and telling Wayne that honestly would feel like confessing something. She was thus vague about her explanation, which, of course, wasn’t enough to convince Wayne.

His reasoning was simple: Kristen already tutored him for free. If she had to pay for her transportation, wouldn’t that make him the worst sort of scum?

She reluctantly resigned herself to being the subject of the gossip. Besides, the pastries at Wayne’s place were delicious. Every time she saw the food prepared by the maids, she couldn’t bring herself to refuse. Moreover...

She looked out of the car window at the crowds rising in the early morning, some cycling, and others rushing to catch a subway train. Then she looked at herself, sitting in the back of a luxury car. She felt like she had become corrupted by bad habits.

“This is bad. I need to turn him down.”

***

Wayne’s Detective Agency, Commercial Street.

Wayne arrived early and didn’t encounter Mona in the office. The profession came with a flexible schedule. They were running around outside almost every day, and not seeing someone for half a month was normal.

He put on white gloves and entered the archive room, pulling Mona’s dossier from the employee records. It contained her detailed information, including her height, age, education level, resume, phone number, and home address.

“Single, living alone...”

“The plot elements are coming together!”

He noted down the home address and put the record back, tucking his white gloves into his jacket pocket.

In the afternoon, he drove to the Lando Estate for the fourth day of testing with Silvia. After the testing session, Veronica was there to offer benefits. The Dragonblood was too competitive. Even knowing his impure motives, she still insisted on pinning him down.

Wayne thoroughly enjoyed the tests. The benefits were truly—no, he just enjoyed being tested by his master. To better stimulate his potential, Silvia almost never fought back until she threw one punch at the end to regain some dignity.

His speed and strength were improving every day, gradually surpassing those of Veronica’s—when she didn’t transform, that was.

Dragonbloods involved life modification, and both Silvia and Veronica had been through varying degrees of evolution, able to strengthen their physical power and defense through transformation. Veronica was somewhat weaker. Wayne could wrestle her without falling behind, while Silvia was truly an immovable wall; hitting her was like striking a steel plate.

Half an hour later, Silvia knocked Wayne down with one punch. Watching her student rolling on the ground, she gave Veronica a meaningful look.

Mother has trained him well for you. Take him and use him.

Veronica didn’t understand at all. Thinking it was her turn, she charged forward with her fists clenched.

Silvia pressed her down by the head and gripped her shoulder to turn her a semicircle, gently pushing her on the back to send her back where she came from.

“This girl... with such good genes, how did she not inherit her parents’ shrewdness?” Silvia murmured to herself. Perhaps Auston had cheated on her, or their daughter wouldn’t be so naive.

She told Megan to bring her blood drawing instrument, explaining that they needed to test her student’s bloodline. It was essential. Only by getting a concrete result could she tailor a training regimen for him.

Wayne nodded. It was just a syringe of blood. She was welcome to it.

Those who didn’t know the truth always viewed him through colored glasses, suspecting him of having an extraordinary bloodline. He, though, knew very well that he was a hundred percent human; his life essence was only strengthened to this point due to the Book of Greed. The test would return nothing.

Megan tied a tourniquet around Wayne’s arm, disinfecting the area and using a syringe to collect blood. Wayne looked at it in surprise. His skin was thick and tough. For it to break his skin so easily, was the needle of the syringe some divine weapon?

After collecting his blood, Megan pressed a cotton swab to his arm. The blood was put into a glass vial, sealed, and placed in a briefcase.

“The test will take some time. Until then, continue to develop your potential. Don’t rush to cultivate the Silver Cross. Once we’ve fully unearthed your potential, I’ll guide you personally,” Silvia said seriously. Then, she would create a customized curriculum based on the test report, teaching him combat techniques and faith magic according to his strengths.

With that, she hurriedly left with the briefcase.

Noting Veronica’s eager and impatient expression, Wayne tossed away the cotton swab and beckoned to her. “Let’s be clear up front. This is a sparring ring. It’s normal for certain parts of our bodies to touch. You can hit back, but don’t make personal attacks verbally.”

Veronica scoffed, patting her bound chest. She wasn’t so stupid that she would let the pervert take advantage of her every time.

Two minutes later, she gritted her teeth and glared at the scum while covering her bottom. Unable to hold back, she launched into a litany of pointed insults. Well-educated as she was, even when she was laying into someone, she could only come up with mild derogatory terms like ‘pervert’, ‘scoundrel’, and ‘shameless bastard’.

Her vocabulary was so limited that Wayne was getting excited listening to her.

“Instead of wasting time cursing at me, you should just attack me. Time waits for no one. Senior Kristen is going to tutor me tonight!”

“You’re so shameless! Your hexagram has already formed. What’s the point of getting basic courses?” Speaking of that made Veronica angrier. The scum was deceiving people everywhere, not even sparing her gentle, kind senior.

“Can’t I review it?” Wayne rarely concealed his true nature when he was with Veronica since she had read his diary. “I just love studying. Learning makes me happy.”

Studying isn’t what you love. Bah, I feel ashamed for you!

“Just wait. Tonight, I’m going to your place for dinner and telling Senior Kristen that you’ve deceived her.”

That won’t do! Wayne raised an eyebrow. “Do as you like, but you have to beat me first. If you can’t win and talk about me behind my back, I won’t just take it.”

“I’ll beat you today!”

Megan watched them with exasperation. Calm down, Young Lady. How are you any different from the mistress, who’s being played by an older scum?

Boom!

Veronica stomped on the ground and lunged at Wayne instantly, grabbing his collar and shoulder before sidestepping for an over-the-shoulder throw.

Rip!

She failed to throw him, but instead tore his shirt off.

“Nice angle!”

Looking at her back, Wayne put the index and middle fingers of both his hands together, jabbing at her ribs. Veronica gasped, immediately jumping three meters away. She turned to glare at the scum. In her rage, she ignored his topless state and got into close combat with him.

“Hmph!”

“Ha!”

Megan despaired at the familiar sight.

(눈‸눈)

Well, at least the young master is showing restraint by keeping his pants on.

***

At six o’clock in the evening, Veronica, having showered and changed clothes, sat glumly in the passenger seat. She hadn’t lost, but she hadn’t won, either. Given her pride, she couldn’t tattle to Kristen without winning.

Just thinking about how the senior would be led into the study by the scum every night and spend an hour and a half tutoring him made her heart ache. Although it was only tutoring, she couldn’t help but conjure images of Wayne breaking a lily and rubbing his hands together like a fly with an evil expression, stomping on the flower repeatedly.

“You’re not allowed to bully Senior Kristen. She’s a good person.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. You’re speaking like I’ve bullied you or something.”

“Hmph!”

“Ha!”

At nine o’clock in the evening, the tutoring session ended. Veronica had left by then. The stocking quality inspector sought help from the two quality idiots, successfully making them overcome their shame once more.

***

“As expected of you, Vera. I can’t do without you. I’ll get you a maid outfit soon.”

The streets of Londan were shrouded in fog. Wayne poked his head out of the sewer. Using the mist and the shadow of the buildings as cover, he made it to Mona’s front door.

To avoid being recognized by his employee and damaging his reputation as the boss, he had disguised himself in the sewer. He padded his cheekbones and thickened his eyebrows with makeup, putting on a balaclava with a black bowler hat on top.

Still not enough!

She was a detective. Any minor oversight could expose him. Out of caution, he also changed his physical characteristics by manipulating his life essence. His now bigger muscles altered his body shape to some degree.

Without merging with the Book of Greed, this was the most he could do. Or he would have to put a stocking on his head.

At the door, he used two paper clips to easily pick the lock. Mona lived alone in a two-and-a-half-story building, similar in design to Wayne’s former detective agency. He closed his eyes and sniffed. The air smelled only faintly of her. The target wasn’t home.

“Still not home at this late hour? You don’t look short on money, so you wouldn’t be working part-time outside...”

He searched around. The storage in the basement had no hidden doors, but he found a pistol in a secret compartment of her nightstand. He grabbed it and returned to the living room on the first floor, leaning against the sofa and blending with the shadows.

After around an hour, a car stopped by the road. Two voices reached his ears.

“Nancy, it’s late. Why don’t you stay at my place?”

“I don’t mind, but won’t your boyfriend have an issue with that?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m devoted to my faith. I’m not going to get a boyfriend...”

Mona and her friend returned home from the theater. The moment she inserted the key into the lock, the smile on her face froze. She then put on a faint smile and turned to pull her friend away.

“There’s something else in the car. Help me carry it.”

“Such a hassle. You’re always forgetting things.”

They chatted and laughed as they returned to the car. Then they started it and sped away.

(꒪⌓꒪;)

Well, fortunately, his three future girlfriends weren’t this smart, or he would’ve gotten exposed long ago.

“Run. Let’s see where you’ll run to. If it’s a church, I won’t even need to test you.”

He narrowed his eyes and contacted Do to tail them through the mist. Then he went to the sewers.

***

The car drove out of the Western District of Londan to an empty street block in the Southern District. Few vehicles passed by. The pale moon shone gloomily, and the street lamps flickered. Just bring in a few actors and it would be a horror movie, no additional setup needed.

“How is it? Did we shake them?” Nancy asked quietly from the passenger seat. “What do you think it was? Cultist, assassin, or some gang member you offended with your investigation?”

“Hard to say. They are dangerous, and I don’t want to fight them at my place.” Mona’s expression was grave. “I hope they follow us here. There’s no one around. It’s best if we can catch them here alive.”

“Poor fellow. They’re in for it tonight.” Nancy played with the cross in her hands, hoping the mysterious person hadn’t been shaken off.

“Careful. They may have a gun.” Mona removed her glasses to wipe them before putting them back on. “They’re after me. Sorry for dragging you into this mess tonight.”

“No worries. If it’s a cultist, I’ll get half the credit.” Nancy smiled, her eyes crinkling. “I’m the one taking advantage of you.”

As they conversed, Mona turned off the engine. With the headlights off, the flickering street lamps remained the sole light sources on the desolate street. The fog grew thicker.

“Something’s wrong with the fog.”

Five minutes later, Mona looked at the impenetrable darkness outside the window, immediately trying to start the car and leave. However, the car was suddenly unresponsive; she tried several times without success.

Decisively, she abandoned the car with her friend and fled the foggy area at top speed. Her heels clacked brightly in the misty night, making their hearts race faster.

Finding the noise grating, Mona kicked her shoes off. Then she realized that the irritation had nothing to do with the sound her heels made, but some sort of mental magic that instilled fear and pressure, stressing her through the environment and making her heart beat faster.

She had been careless! The enemy wasn’t as simple as she’d expected. She shouldn’t have led them here.

Beside her, Nancy clutched her chest and stopped, saying with a pale face, “We can’t run anymore, or my heart will jump out.”

“She’s right. If you keep running, your hearts will explode.” Wayne approached a street lamp with a hoarse voice, his ghostly eyes blazing with crimson light. “You’ll make a good sacrifice. Worthy of the time I spent investigating you.”

“Who are you?”

Mona shielded her friend with her body, studying the mysterious person’s face. Since he had covered his face up so thoroughly and had apparently investigated her for days, they had to have come face-to-face at some point.

Who could it be?

“What, do I look like a good person in this getup?” Wayne pointed the gun at Mona. “The lines need depth. Please use your brain when fishing for information.”

As he said that, Nancy, hidden behind Mona, completed her magic. She raised her five fingers, conjuring a circular barrier of holy light around Wayne to trap him.

If she hadn’t missed, she would’ve hit him.

He easily dodged the sneak attack, raising his hand to bring a violent storm of fog down. The fast, fierce wind severely interfered with Mona’s vision and forced her to use holy light magic to resist.

She had a mission, during which she wasn’t supposed to expose her faith. Since it already happened, though, she couldn’t let the enemy escape.

The wind was unnaturally strong, and the mist seemed alive. She heard movement beside her. With a thunderous crack, she kicked out her stockinged leg.

“Nice leg, but too bad you missed.”

The voice coming from behind her shocked her. It didn’t make sense that the opponent could move freely through the mist. When she turned around, she saw Nancy with a resigned look on her face, suggesting she had done her best, while the mysterious person pointed a gun at her head.

“Let her go,” said Mona. “I’ll come with you.”

That’s not necessary. I’m just checking your faith.

Wayne chuckled darkly and tossed a pair of silver handcuffs to her, getting into the villain character and reading his lines.

“Put this on, hands behind your back. No funny business, or your friend’s head will blow up.”