Chapter 47 - 46: Superpower Awakening
It felt as if every joint in his body was being broken and reset. The pain sent tremors through every nerve, and large beads of sweat rolled down his face.
At first, he was able to clench his jaw and endure. But in the end, he bit his lips until they bled. Unable to hold it in any longer, he let out a wail of agony.
The sight was so unbearable that the others all turned their heads away.
Nolan Crawford couldn’t resist asking, "Yvonne, this looks incredibly painful. Isn’t this a little too harsh?"
"Do you think there are really any shortcuts in this world? To get stronger, you have to pay the price." Yvonne Lowell watched the scene, her face devoid of expression.
This was a secret formula unique to Apeiron, used to awaken superpowers.
That was how Zachary Jacobs and Nina Jennings had quickly awakened their own superpowers—by soaking in a medicinal bath.
As for her, she had soaked in it far more times.
Back then, although an old man had taken them in, the brutal, dog-eat-dog organization they’d escaped from was later wiped out entirely by her, ensuring their complete safety.
But those seven sunless years in the organization had taught her a profound lesson: the only way to avoid being bullied was to become stronger.
In truth, she hadn’t known back then if she could even awaken a new superpower. ’But what if I can?’
So she had gritted her teeth and endured the bath time and time again, which is what made her who she is today.
Hearing this, Nolan Crawford said no more.
Leo Grant looked at her, his eyes filled with heartache. He couldn’t help but squeeze her hand. ’Did she go through the same thing back then?’
Half an hour later, Silas Lynch helped him up.
Warren Lynch was so drained from the pain that his entire body had to lean on Silas Lynch for support.
"Go rinse off, change your clothes, and meet me in the boxing room." With that, Yvonne Lowell turned and walked out.
Silas Lynch couldn’t bear it and was about to protest, but Warren Lynch stopped him.
"Take me there."
Resigned, Silas Lynch had no choice but to take him to the showers and then help him to the boxing room.
...
Yvonne Lowell lifted her chin, gesturing for Warren Lynch to walk into the middle of the cluster of punching bags.
Once he was in position, Yvonne Lowell stared directly into his eyes.
A moment later, Warren Lynch’s eyes began to glaze over.
Scenes from his entire life began to flash through his mind like a film reel:
His father was unknown, and his mother, pregnant out of wedlock, was scorned by everyone. His birth was just as unwelcome.
He had no name, so everyone called him "bastard," "wild child," or "little beast."
His mother was an alcoholic who beat him whenever she was drunk. When he was eight, she drank too much, lost her footing on the way home, and fell to her death.
In that moment, his first reaction wasn’t sadness, but, surprisingly, a sense of relief.
’I must be the kind of bad kid the grown-ups always talk about,’ he thought.
After his mother died, he truly became a wild child, surviving by scavenging through trash.
Later, he discovered his own immense strength and went to the docks to work as a hauler.
Later still, he was scouted by the owner of an underground fight club and hired to be a bare-knuckle brawler. Naively, he signed an indenture contract.
He was thirteen that year, and his name was Black Dog.
But he was formidable. Despite having no formal training, he won again and again through sheer brute force. That was the first time he’d ever seen so much money.
The boss’s ambition grew, and one day, he ordered him to throw a fight—to lose to his opponent on purpose.
He refused. So, before the match, the boss drugged his water.
In the ring, his limbs grew weak, and he was pinned to the ground by his opponent, unable to move.
Just as he thought he was about to die, a boy around his age appeared before him.
The boy paid off his contract and took him to a large estate to recover from his injuries.
After he had healed, the boy appeared again and introduced himself as Leo Grant.
Leo Grant asked if he wanted to stay.
He agreed, staying at the estate and calling Leo Grant "Master."
At the estate, he was no longer Black Dog. He was Number 228.
His master treated him well, arranging for tutors to teach him how to read and providing him with a comprehensive education and training.
His fighting skills improved dramatically, and he rose above thousands of others. He and three close comrades became his master’s most trusted men.
And so, his master gave him a new name: "Warren Lynch."
The years flew by, and he remained by his master’s side.
One day, while on a mission, he was caught in an enemy trap and captured.
His captors used him as bait to threaten his master, demanding that he come in person to ransom him.
He could only pray silently for his master not to come. ’My worthless life isn’t worth it.’
But his master came anyway. Even knowing it was a trap, he still came.
He was tied up, forced to watch helplessly as his comrades fell one by one, trying to save him.
He struggled desperately, but the ropes only grew tighter with every movement.
’How laughable. What damn "innate Divine Power?" I can’t even break free from a stupid rope!’
His master captured the enemy leader and demanded they release him.
But at the same time, a gun was pressed to the back of his head.
His master wavered. To save him, he let the leader go.
The enemy immediately turned and plunged a dagger into his master’s abdomen. Warren’s vision swam with rage.
His master collapsed. The enemy then aimed the gun at him, and a bullet streaked through the air in front of Warren, as if in slow motion.
"Master!"
His body was covered in bloody welts from the restraints, but at last, he finally broke free. He threw himself in front of Leo Grant, taking the bullet for him.
He was furious. His master had given him a second chance at life. His brothers had tirelessly helped and taught him, making him who he was.
But these people... they had killed all his brothers and harmed his master.
He jammed his fingers into the bullet hole in his arm, dug out the slug, grabbed the nearest person, and started pummeling him.
’They deserve to die! Every last one of them!’
He had no knife, no gun. But he had his strength. He could use his fists—his fists were his weapons.
Fist after fist rained down on his enemies. He was using the weapon he took the most pride in to protect the one who had once protected him.
...
「In the boxing room.」
The others only saw Warren Lynch’s eyes glaze over, then his expression began to shift rapidly as his body started to move.
Sad one moment, angry the next, then happy.
Finally, his eyes bloodshot, he let out a great cry: "Master."
As if breaking free from some invisible restraint, he grabbed a nearby concrete pillar and began to smash it.
Nolan Crawford and Silas Lynch exchanged a look of utter confusion, unable to comprehend what was happening.
Yvonne Lowell’s brow furrowed slightly. She took a remote control from Leo Grant’s hand and began manipulating the gear-driven punching bags.
One after another, the punching bags slammed into him. His hands were already dripping with blood, but he seemed to feel no pain as he continued to strike back.
Finally, the first punching bag was smashed into concrete rubble.
Soon, he even learned to use strategy.
He began to dodge and counterattack, trading blows with several of the bags.
In the end, all the punching bags had been torn down and reduced to a pile of rubble.
Yvonne Lowell finally smiled in satisfaction. She snapped her fingers, and Warren Lynch awoke from the Illusion Realm.
Seeing Leo Grant before him, a flash of joy lit up his face, and he tried to walk toward him.
But as soon as he took a step, he collapsed to the floor.
"Warren!"
"Warren!"