Webnovel

Chapter 1: CHAPTER 1: Prologue

Pak! Pak!

People were startled because of the loud noise and strong force coming from the other side.

The impact of the attacks that two men are creating shattered their surroundings during their battle. Their fight continued until one of them could no longer fight back.

After some time, the sound of their clashing has stopped.

"...Is it... over?"

"Look! It looks like it's over."

It was a disaster, and it appears that the man covered in blood and bruises was unable to continue.

Coughing blood*

"HAHAHA! Sh*t! I thought earlier I could beat you earlier. Is this me, going to die right now? Ugh..."

He was shocked because what happened just now was beyond his expectations.

'I know this guy was strong just based on my guts, so I attacked him first to find out but... to be this strong... is he a top fighter here? Then why didn't I know him!?' He thought as he lay on the floor, looking miserable.

He asked for the man's name so he could fight him again the next time they met, but there was no response.

After a few moments, he regained consciousness and noticed that the man's presence was slowly fading. He opened his eyes and slowly lifted his body, only to see the man he had fought earlier escaping.

"....."

He asked for the man's name again, even though he didn't have a single ounce of strength left, and still, the man didn't tell him.

The fighters who had just arrived were shocked to see how messed up he was. The medics rushed over to him as soon as possible. A random fighter asked.

"Who's that man laying on the ground?"

Pak!

"Gosh! Really!? You don't even know who that guy was!?"

A Verdigris top fighter with a well-built body suddenly butted in and answered the question.

"He's Drake Wendell. One of the top fighters here in Verdigris. How do you even not know him?"

'Even if he fights other top fighters, he shouldn't be ending up like that. How pathetic. Who's the top fighter he fought against with?' He is thinking with a worried expression on his face.

"Wait, who are you, mister?"

"..."

"Bro, you should just shut up if you want to see another day tomorrow."

Says the second random fighter while tapping the back of the random fighter who asked.

"...."

While the medics were busy tending Drake's injuries, he asked Drake what had happened.

"You see..."

Drake was in the market disguised to buy some dragon fruit when he sensed a strong presence nearby. He assumed that someone he knew may have also gone by, so Drake followed it, but it was a different person than he had expected. He sensed something different about the man, so he contacted someone and asked whether any top fighters had recently visited their country, and he continued to observe him until the man returned to his car.

Tok! Tok!

He knocked on the car window and asked the man inside if he could take him for a ride because he needed to get somewhere urgently.

His plan to get inside succeeded. They were in the middle of the road when the man suddenly asked.

"Sir, you're a fighter right?"

Drake was shocked when he heard the question.

"Right... How did you know?"

"...You just look like one, Sir."

'Look at this guy. I was disguising myself and even concealing my strength, but he could still tell I wasn't your average guy.' Drake thought as he smiled a little.

Now that the guy was sitting next to him. He also thinks that the man had already fought a lot because of his aura, but only a guy like him with strong senses would notice that, while others who aren't and are just ordinary wouldn't even discover that.

After a light conversation with him, his curiosity about how strong the guy grew.

----

"Did he recognize you at that time?"

"No, he didn't. When we were both out of the car, and there was no one around us, I took advantage of the opportunity as soon as possible and attacked him; honestly, I didn't expect the outcome to be this."

When he heard Drake's story, he furrowed his brow.

"Oh! And he suddenly asked me to suggest a name for a boy out of nowhere..."

"???"

In the middle of their talk, Drake stopped for a moment. He remembered as if he had asked something before. He was too focused that he forgot that he did make a call earlier.

Bzzzzzt! (Calling)

"It's me. Did you find something?"

[ ...There were no Top fighters that recently came here to our country, and about the other strong fighters that were recently registered here... you already saw them yesterday, remember? ]

"!"

Then they both looked at each other in shock.

"Just who...?"

***

It's a beautiful day in Verdigris. The sun is shining brightly, and a road with only one black car passes by.

Bzzzzzt! (Calling)

[ Hello... ]

"Father-in-law, it's me. Are you busy today? Did you... by any chance watch the news already?..."

He said while driving a car.

[ I'm watching now. What happened? ]

"Uhm... Can you do me a favor and do something about that, father? I'll explain it to you in person."

[ Fine... but you need to explain this to me later. How are my daughter and grandson doing? ]

"They're both doing well. I'm on my way to the hospital now."

Their conversation lasted about an hour. The man drove fast until he arrived at the hospital.

"Honey! I'm back! Sorry, I'm late."

He said to his wife with a huge smile on his face while holding a plastic bag full of fruits.

"Gosh! What happened to your face? Don't tell me...?"

His wife was talking about the tv news that was showed not too long ago.

"Yeah. Don't even mention it now. Oh! Dear, I talked to your dad earlier because I asked him a favor about that, and I think he's going to be here later with my dad."

"So... have you decided on the name for our little boy here?"

The baby has black hair, black eyes on the left, ash grey hair, grey eyes on the right.

"Not yet."

She answered while touching her baby's cheeks.

"How about we name him Kaizen?"

The baby giggled for a second as if he agreed to the name that his father gave him.

'I wonder what path would you take when you grow up...?'

And that was when Kaizen got his name.

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