Chapter 60: Chapter 60: Confronting Simon
Being guided by Jacob felt to Alex like soaking in a hot spring—warm, comfortable, and oddly refreshing.
About half an incense stick of time later, Jacob finally withdrew his palms.
A thin trickle of blood slid down from the side of the mouth.
His breath came in heavy gasps, his face pale and his body weak with exhaustion.
The boss’s foundation is a bit hollow, Jacob muttered inwardly.
Alex, who had been tense all this time, suddenly felt a surge of ease spreading across his body.
His sore waist was no longer aching, his stiff neck loosened, and warmth flowed steadily through his limbs, filling him with unexpected new found strength.
But when he looked down, his skin was covered in patches of grayish-black filth that oozed with his sweat. Curious, he leaned closer to sniff—
"Ugh!"
The stench nearly made him vomit. The foul odour was so overpowering that it seemed to reach the nerves of his nose.
His stomach churned, and he almost vomited last night’s meal smelling that foul odour
"Boss," Jacob spoke weakly, wiping the sweat from his forehead, "your foundation is decent, but years of impurities have built up in your body. If you had practiced the Martial Arts from youth, I could’ve completely purged them. But as it stands, I could only cleanse your tendons and marrow to a certain extent."
He sighed, adding, "I also infused you with my three-fourth of my inner strength into you, but your absorption was so poor that you only managed to take in about half of my total strength."
Alex froze at that.
Only half...?
He wiped his brow embarrassed, unsure whether to laugh or cry.
Before he traveled here, he always imagined that if he got the chance to learn martial arts, he would naturally become a Grandmaster at the very least.
But reality hit him harder than anything else his talent was painfully mediocre.
Still, after some thought, his heart settled.
He didn’t need to become an invincible martial arts master. With power and background, he could still make his way.
As long as he had enough skill to defend himself, that was more than enough.
And more importantly—Jacob’s loyalty touched him deeply. The man had given away his hard-earned inner strength without hesitation becoming pale-faced and drained.
For someone like Jacob to sacrifice so much it was a proof of true loyalty.
"Being able to absorb even half is already more than I expected," Alex said earnestly.
"I won’t ask for more. After your guidance, I can already feel the strength in me growing!"
He flexed his right arm, surprised. "Wait... can I actually—"
With a sudden impulse, he placed his hand beneath the stone table beside him. It was a massive thing, carved entirely from rock, easily weighing over a hundred kilograms at very least.
To his astonishment, he lifted it with one arm and effortlessly.
"Ha Ha! I can lift it... and it feels so easy!"
His eyes lit up with disbelief and joy.
Nathan, who had been quietly watching was equally stunned.
His jaw dropped as he stared at Alex holding up the stone table like it was nothing.
"Brother Alex can lift Boulders... and that’s with only half of Jacob’s power?" he whispered in awe. "Then how terrifying must Jacob himself can be?"
"Hehe, but such a powerful Jacob is now under the command of Brother Alex.
It seems the strongest one among us isn’t Alex after all, but Brother Alex."
Nathan suddenly thought of how Jacob had submitted to Alex.
The image of the towering brute following Alex’s words like a soldier obeying his general made him chuckle aloud.
"Well, the boss is a broad minded person," Jacob replied honestly.
His broad chest swelled a little with pride, his voice booming like thunder. "With my strength, lifting a stone table with one hand is no problem at all."
He wasn’t bragging, not exactly. His master had once told him he was a Martial Arts genius that appeared only once in a century, destined to shake the Martial world.
He always carried those words like a badge of honor.
"Good," Alex said with a faint smile. "Rest well tonight. Tomorrow, we can go kill Simon."
The three men exchanged a heavy look, the murderous intent filling the room.
"I’ll head back first. Tomorrow morning, meet me in the courtyard," Alex added hurriedly.
He glanced at the faint shimmer of System Panel on his uniform sleeve where was the mark of the time-travel countdown.
It has just a few minutes left. He would need to do another night shift to replenish the time needed for its abilities to activate again tomorrow.
Without another word, he turned and strode away into the night.
———
The next day, at early morning.
Ironhold City. Southern District.
Simon strode on the paved street with two of his most trusted men at his side.
His steps were heavy, but his expression was smug, as if the whole city bowed before him.
He carried a thick bundle tied in cloth which is of course today’s tribute of the Maxwell family.
His destination was the Maxwell Mansion in the the Southern District.
The Maxwell family, and in particular Aldrich Maxwell, its patriarch, were not merely common wealthy merchants they were practically political kingmakers.
It was said that the current county magistrate owed his position entirely to the Maxwell family’s hidden hand.
As for Simon, his own rise from a nameless nobody to chief constable in under two years was thanks to Aldrich’s recommendation to the magistrate.
Of course, Aldrich hadn’t recommended him out of kindness. The reason was simple: Simon paid the most.
Every sixth day of the month, without fail Simon would bring a heavy offering of gold to the Maxwell stronghold.
Thinking all of this Simon smirked to himself.
Both Power and position can be bought with coin. That was the truth of this world.
But suddenly sensing something, he froze on his steps.
The hairs on his neck stood up in danger. His instincts which is honed through countless fights screamed extreme danger.
"Who’s there?!" Simon barked loudly, spinning around.
His voice boomed across the empty street.
"Come out! Hiding in the shadows like cowards—what’s the matter? Are you Afraid your shameful faces will be seen?"
His two followers tightened their grips on their weapons, eyes darting nervously at the silent alleys.
A moment later, the sound of footsteps echoed.
Dozens of figures stepped out from the shadows, emerging from the alleys and rooftops. Every one of them wore black clothing, with scarves covering their faces, leaving only their eyes visible.
They quickly surrounded Simon in a wide circle.
Simon’s grip tightened on the machete at his waist.
"Haha..." A faint, mocking laugh drifted from among the black-clad men.
One figure stepped forward from the crowd. His eyes were calm, sharp, and carried an unshakable confidence.
It was none other then Alex.