Chapter 389: Chapter 365: You’re All Black-hearted Scammers

「Two days later.」

A father and son arrived at the Kane & Ming Dojo.

The man’s name was Gael Forrest. He was the local bully from the next town over. He’d been sentenced to a long prison term for accidentally injuring someone in a fight and had only gotten out last year.

Because he liked to keep his head shaved, people called him Baldy Forrest.

After his return, Baldy Forrest had been unemployed, with no steady job. Over time, he became the town bully. His reputation was notorious, and the nearby villagers were all afraid of him.

He usually stuck to his own town and rarely left, so for him to show up here was quite unusual.

Especially since he had a little boy with him.

"Zack Sutton, I heard your boss opened a dojo offering three months of free lessons. My boy here is old enough to start learning martial arts. Are you taking new students?"

The child with him looked a lot like him, but he seemed to have a bad temper.

His face was sullen, his lips were pouted, and he was glaring fiercely at Zack Sutton.

Zack Sutton already disliked Baldy Forrest, and this kid looked like a real brat. He instinctively refused.

"Our dojo requires children to be willing participants. One look at your kid, and it’s clear he doesn’t want to be here..."

But before he could finish, Baldy Forrest cut in, "Who says he doesn’t want to? My son loves practicing martial arts, right, Cedric...?"

But the little boy didn’t cooperate. He kept shrinking back, a look on his face that clearly said he wanted to go home.

Baldy Forrest grew anxious and started poking him, even glaring to intimidate him. "Don’t you usually love to practice fighting? Why are you so unwilling now?"

To his surprise, the little boy’s lip trembled, and he burst into tears, wailing for his mom.

Baldy Forrest’s face turned livid with anger. He couldn’t bring himself to hit the boy—he was their only precious child—but if he didn’t, the boy would never learn.

It was rare for him to swallow his pride and ask for a favor, and now his own son wasn’t even appreciating it.

Zack Sutton let out a soft chuckle and turned to walk into the dojo.

Seeing this, Baldy Forrest grew frantic. He swept up his son and gave him a couple of swats on the bottom, but this only made the boy cry louder.

It was an hour later by the time Baldy Forrest managed to calm his son down.

Zack Sutton watched as the little boy, now holding a fried chicken leg, ate with greasy satisfaction all over his face.

’Baldy Forrest might be fierce with outsiders,’ Zack thought, ’but he really dotes on his own kid.’

"Finish your chicken leg before you go in."

The boy ate fairly quickly. Baldy Forrest wiped his hands for him, then let Zack Sutton lead his son away.

This child wasn’t quiet like the others. He looked all around, extremely mischievous.

The area where the children practiced their martial arts allowed parents to watch.

However, they could only watch from outside the glass windows of the training area.

And so, some of the parents started to complain.

"Whose kid is that? Can someone get him under control? He’s distracting my son."

Because Baldy Forrest was so infamous in the area, Zack Sutton, fearing a bad scene, had asked him to wait outside.

Now, seeing the parents’ dissatisfaction, he walked straight into the classroom and sat down next to the little boy, watching over him.

It’s unclear what they said to each other, but the boy actually quieted down. Though his attention still wandered, he stopped being mischievous.

As noon approached, another family arrived to enroll their child. They were also from the neighboring town.

The previously harmonious training area was suddenly shattered by this family’s shouting.

A woman was pointing at the little boy inside and screaming, "Baldy Forrest’s son? You’re actually teaching a bully’s son martial arts? You have no conscience!"

Her words were like a lit fuse, instantly setting off the parents outside.

"It really is him. I knew he looked familiar."

"Baldy Forrest has been to prison! Why did you let a criminal’s son in here?"

"What’s wrong with this dojo? Are you teaching a bully’s son martial arts so he can become the next bully?"

"No way. I can’t let my son learn martial arts with him. He’ll be a bad influence..."

"That’s right! Kick him out—now!"

The class inside came to a halt. The little boy in the back row pouted, his eyes welling up with tears.

He suddenly stood up and rushed outside.

Raising his little fists, he yelled at the adults by the door, "My dad is not a bully!"

But the adults outside didn’t care. A torrent of vicious words assaulted the little boy, especially from the woman who had just arrived. Her face was harsh as she incited the crowd.

"Let’s all leave! This dojo recruits the children of bullies. Their hearts are black. Don’t let your own kids be corrupted by them..."

The adults began calling for their children to come out, ready to take them home.

"Hey, you all... The kid hasn’t done anything wrong..." Zack Sutton watched the little boy, head down, fists clenched tightly. He suddenly felt a sense of empathy, because he had grown up the same way.

Suddenly, the boy pursed his lips and, with a hateful expression, charged toward the woman’s child—only to run into a hard "iron plate."

He angrily threw a punch, but his hands were caught.

He looked up and saw a very beautiful young woman looking at him calmly.

"Angry enough to hit someone?"

"Let go of me—"

But Dawn Miles didn’t let go. Instead, she looked at the woman who was stirring up trouble and said coolly, "Anyone who voluntarily withdraws from this dojo will never be readmitted."

Hearing this, the woman scoffed. "You really think we want to be here? This dump of a dojo? I wouldn’t come even if you paid me."

But Dawn Miles didn’t get angry. She took the little boy’s hand and started walking toward the second floor. "No matter. He will simply become a Martial King before your son does. Show them out—"

Dawn Miles’s words made the parents who were about to leave freeze in their tracks, a trace of shock on their faces.

A Martial King?

No dojo would ever dare promise to make someone a Martial King.

Where did they get the confidence to claim they could train someone to become a Martial King?

The woman was stunned, but then she remembered the money her employer had promised her and shouted again, "A Martial King? What a shameless boast! How many Martial Kings are there in all of Veridia? And you think you can train one? That’s hilarious... Frauds! You’re all black-hearted frauds! Just wait, I’m going to report you to The Martial Alliance—"

But Dawn Miles didn’t stop. She led the little boy straight up to the second floor.

Her attitude, however, made some of the parents hesitate.

Becoming a Martial King truly was a powerful temptation.

She pulled the little boy into a private training room and let go of his hand.

The boy was furious. With red-rimmed eyes, he glared at her, then suddenly rushed at a punching bag in the room and started hitting it relentlessly.

His small frame seemed to contain immense Strength, making the punching bag go THUD, THUD, THUD.

Dawn Miles stood by the door, arms crossed, watching him the whole time. It was as if she were seeing her past self.

Finally, the boy grew tired.

Seemingly out of breath, he sat on the floor, panting heavily.

"Still angry?"

The boy lifted his flushed face and glared at her, his expression seeming to say, ’Mind your own business.’

Dawn Miles watched him for a moment, then her gaze shifted to the window. "Do you hate that woman?" she asked lightly.

"Yes! I hate all of you," the boy roared, clenching his fists as if using all his strength.

"Do you hate your dad?"

The boy fell silent, but he stared daggers at her, as if she had said something to deeply embarrass him.

"Because of his mistake, you’ve had to bear so many years of ridicule and insults. You must hate him, right...?"

The tip of the boy’s nose turned red again, and tears welled up in his eyes. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

He was strong, trying his best not to let himself cry out loud.

"But people can’t choose their origins, nor can they choose their parents..."

Two blurry faces appeared in Dawn Miles’s mind.

...

"Be good, Rory. Once Mommy gives you this shot, you can go play, okay?"

"Mommy, why do I always have to get shots?"

"Because of something wrong with Mommy’s body, it made Rory sick, too."

"Mommy, can I not wear these things? They’re so heavy."

"No, you can’t. Rory needs to get used to walking with weights on."

"But Auntie said only monsters wear these things..."

...

"Cedric Forrest, you can’t choose them, but you can choose your own future and your own destiny."

The little boy’s eyes widened slightly. He sniffled, watching in shock as the punching bag in front of him was sent flying with a single kick, smashing hard against the ceiling before falling to the ground and breaking in two.

And the beautiful young woman landed stylishly from the air, radiating an overwhelming Power. She was stronger than anyone he had ever seen.

"Do you want to learn?"

"Yes..."

"Then hold back your tears and work hard to become strong!"