Inside a dilapidated room in a dark alleyway. Two figures could be seen staring at each other with solemn lights in their eyes. One of the figures lifted his right arm and placed it near the other. Time slowed down and everything around them became insignificant compared to the event that would happen in the next several seconds.
"Uhmm..."
Both hands tightly held each other as both arms bulged. In a single breath, both competitors rotated their pent-up strength as veins popped on their forearms. Dan and the man's expression reddened under the intense exertion. On both of their temples, bulged numerous veins that looked like worms.
Their eyes dilated and the wooden table where their arms rested creaked in protest.
"Don't underestimate me...Don't underestimate the power of someone that remained a virgin for the past two decades!" The man shouted with vigor and he pulled a thread of power somewhere inside his body as Dan's face contorted in pain and exhaustion.
"Just two decades? You dare to strut before my eyes with just two decades of accumulated power?! Take a taste of the strength that I gathered from my past life!" Dan roared and his eyes looked like it would fall from its sockets at any moment. Both of their arms looked purple from the exertion and the lack of oxygen.
"Guuuu..."
The two gritted their teeth, and the wooden table below their arms collapsed under the immense stress that they exerted. With both arms hanging in the air, the one that has the stronger endurance would win!
"Not yet...Not yet!" The man clad in jet-black robes mumbled amidst his hurried breathing. Dan's expression twisted in delight and he exclaimed, "What's wrong, what's wrong?! Is that it? Is that the best that you can do with your accumulated power?!"
Dan's tauntings awakened the beast inside the man's heart as a huge force that could be compared to a mountain crashing on Dan's arm manifested and almost made him fall on the ground. If not for the fact that Dan tempered his body beforehand, such strength would've subdued him already.
"Shit, so that wasn't the extent of your powers?" Dan hissed, however, when he lifted his head, he saw that the man's face looked purple and was clearly at the end of his ropes. Witnessing the determination within the man's eyes, Dan sighed in his heart and slowly released his strength.
"You bastard, what are you doing? Are you looking down on me?!" The man noticed Dan's actions and he fiercely cursed in return. Dan's expression turned hesitant, and the man once again shouted, "Continue! Even if I fall right here and now, it is not your fault! It just means that my strength is lacking and that your accumulated purity and strength is stronger than mine!"
After hearing such words, Dan didn't hesitate any longer and summon the strongest power that he possessed as a crushing sound along with a miserable shriek pierced through the entire room.
Several minutes later, Dan wrapped the jet-black robed man's right hand with bandages and secured it, making sure that it wouldn't move. "Thank you, brother," The jet-black robed man mumbled, and Dan shook his head, "You shouldn't concern yourself with such a small matter, brother. However, may I know what merchandise are you selling here? Are they that dangerous that you're hiding from the general public?"
His words made the atmosphere turn tense. Nevertheless, the jet-black robed man nodded his head and removed his robe. Revealing the figure of a young man whose visual appearance looked to be the same age as Dan. The latter's figure looked slender and his eyes emanated a light of shrewdness hidden within a merchant.
His expression reminded Dan of Grace when they first met.
"Brother, let me first introduce myself. This one's name is Michael Degollacion, I'm the Chief Leader of the Goddess Appreciation Club," He stretched his hand out and revealed a small smile on his face. Dan stared blankly for a moment, "Goddess Appreciation Club?"
He frowned as he asked and Michael's smile turned sly. Taking a jadeslip from his robe, he placed it above the table and infused his Spiritual Qi as the jadeslip shattered and formed the familiar figure of Natalie removing her robes and changing her clothes.
"Pffft!" Dan spat a mouthful of liquor that he was drinking and Michael took his reaction as someone stunned silly about his precious discovery. "Astounding, right? I knew that you would definitely be shocked, as you can see, this woman is the Honorary Disciple of the Academy, it took me quite a bit of an effort to take this high definition image, I was almost caught by the formations around the Fragrant Peak Pavilion..." Michael looked incomparably proud while Dan's expression turned strange and indescribable.
"Could it be that you're a voyeur?!" Dan exclaimed and Michael knitted his eyebrows, "A voyeur? Far from it! You should not call me using such a perverted term! What I do is appreciate these Goddesses in their purest form as possible! And how can one see a person's purest form? That is to see them without their knowledge! That's the time where their facades are gone and they are in their truest and purest form possible!"
"These Goddesses would definitely be pretentious in the presence of strangers. They would only become themselves when they are alone or they are with their loved ones. That's the reason why I am going all around the entire Academy, capturing their image in the purest form possible for that's the only way that we can truly appreciate their beauty!"
Michael spouted such a speech which earned Dan's admiration and respect, but still, he felt uncertain before asking, "Purest form possible, eh? But why are you taking pictures while they are changing their clothes, should taking their images while they're doing chores, enough to see their purest form?"
Michael's figure froze as an ambiguous smile lifted on his lips, "Of course, what you said is true, however, we're all men and you do know about what men likes, right? To earn some money from my endeavor, I have to, of course, go through the extra mile and take such pictures..."
Stretching his hand, he tapped Dan's shoulders and said, "Don't misunderstand, just think of it as extra appreciation for all of these Goddesses..."
Dan revealed an indescribable expression while Michael coaxed him from the side. The two talked to each other for a moment, but suddenly. A voice filled with disdain and righteousness echoed throughout the entire room.
"So this is your current place of operation, Chief Leader of the Perverts Club..." The door exploded into splinters and the figure of a reddish-haired figure of a young man appeared right before their eyes.
Michael fiercely glared at Dan, "You bastard! Could it be that you're the one who leaked information for them?!" Dan locked his eyebrows in thought before saying, "Why would I do such things, brother? You have already tested my fate and you should know that I'm a true comrade, right?"
Michael turned his gaze away from Dan and stared at the reddish-haired figure that just arrived, "Laxus, why must you stand on my path? Could it be that you're not a man?" He lifted a small smile and mocked the latter.
"Not a man? Hmmph! A true man is someone who respects women! Not like you who only thinks of them as fuels for your perverted desires!" Laxus lifted a finger and pointed at Michael, Dan's expression turned weird and he distanced himself away from the imminent battle.
"A true man is someone who respects women? Are you saying that just because I admire women in their purest form that I do not respect them as a human? What a farce, what a farce, Laxus!" Michael retorted in return and Laxus assumed an offensive stance, "There's no reason for talking anymore, let's just fight it out, Michael!"
"You took the words out of my mouth!" Michael shouted in response and the two engaged in a fierce close combat battle. When it comes to battle prowess, cultivation, and experience, Laxus was higher than Michael.
However, when it comes to being shameless and despicable, Michael had the higher ground.
Laxus kicked and Michael dodged, "Is that the only thing that you can do? Dodge all of my attacks?!" Laxus taunted and chased after Michael. Witnessing that the latter was cornered, his smile turned vicious as his punch soared through the air, heading for Michael's head.
But before his punch could reach the latter's head, a fierce gale struck his face and his facial orifices instantly reddened in irritation.
"Achu!" Laxus sneezed, his eyes burned and tears streamed down in an effort to fight the irritation caused by Michael's counter-attack. Tasting the powder that landed on his face, Laxus screamed, "Despicable bastard! You actually used black pepper powder against me!"
Laxus figure repeatedly retreated like a scared off rabbit and Dan stared at the scene with a weird expression on his face. As a bystander, he saw everything that happened and knew that it was when Laxus threw his fist did Michael snatched a bottle of black pepper powder, emptied the contents before throwing it at Laxus' face.
The perfect timing of his counter-attack disrupted Laxus' movements and the latter had no other choice but to resentfully retreat, giving Michael a breather.
"Fucking hell, this guy is even more shameless and despicable than me..." Dan commented at the side as he felt pity about Laxus' condition.
The poor guy's eyes looked swollen and he would intermittently sneeze which would disrupt the natural flow of his movements. Michael who saw his miserable condition, sneered, "Are you retarded? Remember that on a battlefield, no tricks are dirty!"
He quickly ran at the disoriented Laxus with his fist tightly clenched in a punch.
Laxus' experience in battle enabled him to regain his strength, however, it was at the moment where Michael's fist neared his face. Ducking his head, he barely evaded Michael's punch and counter-attacked with an elbow strike right at Michael's sternum!
Crack~
A painful cracking sound along with Laxus' miserable shriek reverberated across the entire room. Michael viciously smiled, before he attacked the former, he stuffed an iron plate with nails on his chest.
Now the injury that Laxus would suffer if he noticed what Michael did would be minimal. However, in his attack, he used all the strength that he could muster amidst his rage and the result was, he completely fractured his elbow, from the system's simulation, it would take at least three months for it to heal.
"Bastaaarrrddd!!!" Laxus scrunched on the ground like a dying shrimp before his eyes rolled out and losing consciousness due to the pain. Dan shook his head and darted his gaze at Michael. The latter huffed and puffed before turning towards him and raising his thumb in a gesture of victory.
"Damn, this bastard really is strong, to think that he dented such a huge piece of reinforced black iron, if this was my chest then I would've died!" Michael commented as he stared at the dented piece of metal plate, his expression pale as he imagined his outcome if he didn't do such quick actions.
Dan merely stood at the side with his arms crossed, cursing Michael's shameless and despicable attitude. Staring at Laxus who went into shock, Dan could only shake his head and carry him towards a nearby medicine pavilion.
The despicable bastard also went along and after placing Laxus inside the emergency room. He even stripped him of all of his Spirit Stones, leaving Laxus with nothing to pay for his stay in the emergency room.
Because no one vouched for Laxus' identity and paid for his medical fees. The people from the medicine pavilion could only kick him out and place his unconscious body near a sidewalk beside the beggars.