The force of the blow sent Catherine flying. She crashed hard onto the ground.Sara narrowed her eyes, danger flickering within them, her voice cold as ice.“Who do you think you are, daring to defy me?”Catherine clutched her swollen cheek. A flash of hatred crossed her eyes, but reason ultimately suppressed her anger. Gritting her teeth, she swallowed her humiliation and forced a flattering smile.“My deepest apologies, Lady Sara. I meant no offense. But this is a sacred blood duel. Jones has already lost consciousness—so naturally, the result is a draw. After all, he insulted the dignity of the nobles present.”Her words immediately won the approval of the aristocrats.They sipped their champagne and nodded in agreement.“Yes, the boy does have some skill to push Robert this far. But in the end, he awakened a useless Titan—and relied on burning his own life to fight. Trash like him deserves to die.”“I agree. Lady Sara, we mean no disrespect, but a duel is a duel. Out of respect fo

His mother was in danger.A violent surge of fury crashed through Jones’s mind. He could feel the Titan power inside him spiraling out of control as his body began advancing on its own.On the very first night after his awakening, after enduring one brutal battle after another, Jones was already about to become a Level 2 Hero.And once a breakthrough began, it could not be interrupted.So he had no choice but to stay where he was.Meanwhile, Lily leapt out of the car, panic written all over her face as she sprinted toward the hospital.“Mom! What happened? I’m coming!” she shouted while running.But the moment she reached the ward and saw the scene inside, her entire body froze.She covered her mouth, eyes filled with disbelief.“Mom! No!”The sight before her was enough to ignite anyone’s rage.Their mother had been shoved violently off the hospital bed. Her frail body lay sprawled across the freezing floor, tangled in IV tubes in a pitiful state.Several nurses crowded around her, th

The guards’ voices were sharp and cold, fingers already curled around their triggers.The slightest movement from Jones, and they would open fire without hesitation.Yet even with more than a dozen gun barrels aimed directly at him, Jones remained perfectly calm, his expression composed and unfazed.He was a genius who had awakened an SSS-Class Titan.A hero who had personally defeated the blood-soaked mercenary Robert.Compared to that battle, this situation was nothing.He had countless ways to resolve it effortlessly.He could reveal the truth.Reveal that he had awakened an SSS-Class Titan.If Norman Academy learned the truth—if they realized Jones had once again become the dazzling prodigy they once praised—then the one punished would not be him, but the male teacher instead.The academy would likely dismiss the man on the spot just to appease Jones’s anger.That was the reality of this world.Cold. Ruthless. Profit-driven.Morality and loyalty meant nothing in the face of value.

Jones’s voice carried obvious anger.After all, the man’s “test” had gone far beyond normal limits. He had been pushed to the edge of death.Anyone would have struggled to remain calm.But the man simply nodded openly and answered without hesitation.“That’s right.”“Let me introduce myself, My name is Wilson.”“But most people know me as…Blazing Fist.”Blazing Fist!The legendary hero who had slain powerful monsters and saved Dusk City countless times!Jones’s heart jolted violently as he stared at the man before him.He never would have imagined that this ordinary-looking man in a black leather coat was actually the fourth-ranked hero in Dusk City’s Hero Rankings.Jones remembered clearly—Blazing Fist was a Level 34 hero.One of the strongest heroes in the entire city.A question immediately surfaced in Jones’s mind.Why would someone this powerful deliberately come to test him?The man calling himself Blazing Fist continued speaking casually.“My original mission was to investigat

Karina stood alone at the entrance of the villa, carrying nothing more than a small bag on her back.She had been thrown out by Catherine’s family.As she gazed at the house she had lived in for fifteen years, confusion and emptiness filled her heart.Her mother had died of illness when Karina was only three years old. Before passing away, she left behind two silver-like necklaces engraved with the letter “K.”One of them, Karina had given to Catherine in gratitude for taking her in.The other, five years ago, she had quietly gifted to the boy she secretly admired—a boy from the slums who possessed an unyielding spirit and dreams far greater than his circumstances. That burning vitality had captivated her completely.That boy was Jones.Karina had watched him claw his way into Norman Academy, fighting desperately against ridicule and discrimination. Step by step, he rose until he became the academy’s brightest genius.But in the end, Jones chose Catherine.So Karina buried her feeling