In just a few minutes of arriving, Max had totally demolished twenty gang members, leaving the once-boastful men sprawled across the ground. Groans and guttural growls echoed through the alley as they rolled in pain, clutching their battered bodies.
The majority had already fallen unconscious, their fragile frames unable to withstand the sheer force Damian had unleashed through Max. Their bones had buckled, their muscles torn from the pressure of each strike.
In the midst of the carnage, Max stood tall, his chest rising and falling steadily, eyes scanning the broken figures littering the ground around him.
’I managed to hold back enough so as to not kill them,’ Max thought, flexing his fists. ’I can’t believe I’ve already surpassed the limits of what a human should be capable of. I’m no longer bound to the same rules as ordinary men... I’m climbing toward something greater—something terrifying.’
Yet his gaze faltered, drifting across the ruined scene as doubt pricked his thoughts. ’But the question still lingers... where am I really? This doesn’t feel like my world.
We don’t even have gangs back home. The tall, fancy buildings, the strange architecture... at first glance I thought this was still Earth, but deep down, I know I’m wrong.’
A sharp pulse of pain from his leg snapped him back to reality. He hissed, gripping the spot instinctively before his eyes widened.
’Right! Mia—she’s still in the hospital! I got carried away with these fools. I can’t waste time... I need to get the hospital money right now.’
"Not now," Max muttered curtly, swiping the notification away with a dismissive wave. Without another glance at the groaning gang members, he dashed off, the pounding of his footsteps echoing as he disappeared down the street toward his house.
Silence lingered for a few heartbeats before the townspeople, who had been frozen in place the entire time, began to stir. Shock and disbelief lined their faces.
Many had witnessed the clash firsthand, yet even as the evidence lay before them, the unconscious thugs scattered like ragdolls—they struggled to process it.
"Who is he? Who was that guy?" someone whispered, voice trembling. "He just came out of nowhere and saved us like it was nothing."
"Is he even human? The way he moved, the speed, the raw power in his blows... even his fighting style was strange."
They weren’t wrong. Max wasn’t human anymore. He was a dragon vessel—his body reforged and strengthened beyond human limits.
The gap between him and ordinary men was no longer something numbers could measure.
Humans could no longer pose a threat to him, not when his power was steadily climbing like a beast tearing its way up the food chain.
"I don’t care if he’s human or not," a woman suddenly burst into tears, pressing her hands to her face. "I just want to thank him for saving us. Those bastards have been extorting us for weeks.
We barely had enough to feed our families before, and with them stealing everything we earned, my children have been starving... they haven’t eaten in days." Her voice cracked as the memory of her children’s weak, hollow eyes crushed her heart.
"These heartless dogs," a man spat, glaring at the unconscious bodies. "None of us had the courage to fight back. And now, one man shows up and shatters them like twigs.
If they wanted money so badly, they should’ve gone to the rich districts instead of preying on us!" His voice rose, thick with bitterness and shame.
But another man, slightly better kept than the rest, stroked his chin as his eyes narrowed in thought. His voice was calm but edged with worry.
"One thing remains clear," he said slowly. "That young man... he’s just painted a massive target on his back."
"Meaning?" a woman asked, frowning.
The man sighed. "I used to live in the higher levels of town before poverty dragged me down here. I know how the underworld works there.
People like those gang members aren’t free agents, they serve bigger powers. And if word of this reaches the wrong ears... that boy won’t just be dealing with street rats anymore. He’ll be hunted."
"Well, in the higher towns, all these gangs are usually sponsored by a higher gang or a corporation. These small-time gangs could be backed by a much stronger organization. And if that’s the case, then I’m sorry to say, that young man would end up pissing the shit out of them.
Trust me, those higher gangs are far more dangerous and could wipe out a small town like ours without breaking a sweat if they truly wanted to."
"But what if that young man is also backed by a gang, huh? We don’t know for sure. Based on his level of skill, he looked to be a good fighter." A middle-aged man argued back, unwilling to accept the claim so easily.
"Trust me, I know a gang member when I see one. And that guy didn’t look like one." The well-kept man said firmly, his eyes narrowing as if replaying the image of Max in his mind.
’I’ve researched everything about this country and its gangs. And according to my findings, I think this Gray Bulls gang is being supported by a strange corporation.
An unknown and powerful corporation that decided to remain in the shadows instead of standing openly like the others. I don’t know why they would do that, but I suddenly feel uneasy about it all.’
Meanwhile, after leaving the town and walking for several minutes, Max was finally back home. Without hesitation, he began ransacking his house, searching frantically for where he had kept the money.
His leg was still bleeding, and the crimson stain had spread across his trouser. To stop the flow, he quickly tore a strip of cloth and tied it tightly around the wound.
The makeshift bandage stung, but it slowed the bleeding. With that done, he resumed his search, his movements becoming more desperate as each second passed.
A few minutes later, he managed to find the envelope tucked under a pile of clothes. He snatched it up and tore it open, quickly counting the money inside with trembling hands.
’I’ve got ten thousand dollars left from the money Camila gave me earlier. And then there’s the five thousand from Mia. That should be enough.’ Max thought as he separated the bills.
He quickly took out five thousand dollars and stuffed it into his pocket, then placed the rest back into the envelope before returning it to its spot.
"Pl... please Mia, just stay strong for me. I’ll be there soon. God, this is so frustrating. No woman has ever cared for me the way she does. She literally got shot for my sake, trying to protect me when she didn’t have to." His voice cracked slightly as he spoke into the silence of the room.
The weight of it all bore down on him. His fists clenched tightly, veins bulging on his arms.
"Meanwhile, the one girl I once loved, the one I was willing to lay down my life for, cheated on me... then took my life. And now I’m stuck here in this world I know nothing about! Damn it!" Max roared, the sound echoing off the walls of his small house.
His chest heaved with ragged breaths, and he shook his head violently to force the memories away.
’No use thinking about all that now. I need to get back to the hospital as soon as possible.’
He marched toward the door, determination flaring in his eyes. His hand swung it open, his body moving in haste to step outside when...
A powerful punch struck him squarely in the face. The force was brutal, sending his body hurling backward into the house and smashing him through the rear wall. Blood sprayed from his mouth mid-flight, the metallic taste flooding his tongue.