Kaelen used a finger to wipe the blood off his nose as he calmly stood up.
"Don’t misinterpret my kindness for weakness. Your aura is impressive, but you’re still no match for me," he said as he turned to President Hunter, who had an ugly expression on his face.
The local bank manager, who had withstood the president’s aura, was now on the floor trying hard to breathe amidst the clash of two peak S+-rank auras.
The door to the office burst open, and several guards immediately charged in, armed not with guns, but with swords and magic. They were all awakeners.
"Stand down," President Hunter immediately ordered, retracting his aura.
Kaelen didn’t back down just yet. He couldn’t show any sign of weakness to avoid future confrontations.
"I’ve never been in the presence of such a refined yet deadly aura. You have proven yourself to be a man of your word... we’ll go with your terms," President Hunter said as he struggled to keep his back straight.
Kaelen was silent for a moment. "Very well," he said, retracting his aura as well.
President Hunter signaled for his men to leave, while the local bank manager immediately excused himself to flee from the two men, who were like gods in the presence of his mortal self.
After they were left alone, the two men stared at each other in a deadlock before President Hunter exhaled softly.
"I apologize for my rash behavior. As a token of my sincerity, I’ll be handling your specialized account," the president said and turned his back to Kaelen, walking over to a secret compartment door before unlocking it and disappearing inside.
Kaelen was confused.
Was it any different whether the bank teller or the president opened the account? And why did he make it sound so special?
He didn’t need to think for long before President Hunter stepped back out, closing the secret compartment door behind him before walking over to Kaelen and handing him a black card and a piece of paper.
"That’s your special card. It can hold both Evolution Points and dollars, and convert them at the best rate without you having to be present at the bank. Also, whatever property you buy in Stronghold 5 with this card is registered under the card, and you won’t have to provide any personal information."
So that’s how it is... Kaelen mused to himself. It was very convenient.
On the piece of paper were the account details.
Kaelen nodded in satisfaction as he looked up at the president. "It was nice doing business with you," he said, and without waiting for a reply, he turned to leave.
3... 2... 1...
"Wait..." the president suddenly called out, making Kaelen pause in his tracks, but he didn’t turn around.
"Can I at least know the name of the man who made me feel alive for the first time in a long time?" the president said. "Not for business. Just between me and you," he added.
Kaelen knew the president wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to learn his name, not after the display of raw power. He didn’t mind giving his name now, especially after cementing his status as a powerful SSS-rank awakener with a mysterious background.
"My name’s Kaelen Cross."
"I see. It was nice to meet you, Mr. Cross."
Kaelen didn’t reply and simply walked out. He knew President Hunter would definitely look him up in the stronghold database, not to expose him, but out of sheer curiosity. And that was exactly what Kaelen wanted... because it was his first step toward his revenge.
As soon as Kaelen left, President Hunter returned to his seat and immediately went on his computer. He entered his password to access the stronghold’s deep database and swiftly typed in the name Kaelen had given. But the results he saw made him frown, and the more he read, the more his heart skipped a beat.
In the entire stronghold system, there was only one Kaelen Cross. Not from Stronghold 5, but from Stronghold 2—a place many had forgotten ever existed.
That Kaelen Cross was 10 years old, with the status deceased from a decade ago.
But most importantly, he was the son of Governor Cross, the Emperor’s best friend, who had helped unite the nine strongholds and ruled over Stronghold 2.
Governor Cross disappeared overnight along with the rest of the stronghold’s residents. Rumor had it that it was caused by a beast invasion that marked the beginning of the second wave of the apocalypse. But those who had seen the true strength of Governor Cross knew that whatever could kill him was more than a mere beast invasion...
Because he was the First Dragon Slayer.
The office door suddenly swung open, and two figures charged into the room, but they were stunned when they saw the state of the office.
President Hunter calmly looked up to see his niece and quickly exited the stronghold database before deleting his search history.
"Uncle, what happened here?" Black Rose asked in surprise and confusion, with Cindra beside her.
President Hunter simply smiled. "A little misunderstanding. How may I help you, Rose? Or did you miss your uncle so much?" President Hunter said with a goofy smile.
"Where’s he?"
"Who?"
"The man that came with one billion Evolution Points?" Black Rose asked impatiently.
"Oh, you didn’t see him on your way in? He left not long ago—"
Before President Hunter could finish speaking, Black Rose shot out of the office, with Cindra running lazily behind her.
Black Rose ran to the elevator to see which floor it was on. It wasn’t descending, but ascending, meaning her target had already left the elevator. But she didn’t give up and pressed the elevator button impatiently.
It wasn’t long before it arrived and slid open, and she stepped into the empty elevator with Cindra before tapping the button for the first floor.
The elevator doors began closing, but before they could shut completely, a hand suddenly shot through the gap from outside, stopping them and forcing them to open once more.
Black Rose looked up with a frown to see a handsome man standing before the elevator. He had messy long hair trimmed to perfection, with sharp jawlines and broad shoulders. But when the man saw her inside the elevator, he paused and simply stared at her with a look of surprise on his face.
"Are you getting in or what?" she asked in annoyance.