Bang! Bang! Bang!
On a mountain cliff, a group of men in black suits was brutally beating a feeble boy in tattered clothing.
The boy was covered in his blood; his hands and legs were crooked in unnatural angles, clearly broken, and he was barely breathing, but the men didn't stop and continued to beat him. It was obvious they didn't want to stop until he was dead.
The boy, despite being in immense pain, didn't cry out a single time and just continued to look at them defiantly with his swollen and bloodied eyes.
In the distance, a youth in luxurious clothing was leisurely sitting on a rock, watching his people beat the teenager with a cruel smirk plastered on his face.
Beside him, a middle-aged man who looked like a butler stood motionlessly. Glancing at the almost dead boy, he couldn't help but say, "This boy's willpower is too strong. Even after such beatings, he didn't cry or beg them to stop. Truly admirable!"
"That's plain stupid." The youth laughed mockingly before saying. "If he had begged me, I might've spared his life, but now... his only path ahead is death."
Upon hearing this, the butler smiled and inquired, "I'm sure the young master wouldn't have spared him even if he begged, right?"
"Hmm?" The youth glanced at the butler silently. Then suddenly, he burst out into crazed laughter, "Hahaha!" You know me alright. That's right. I wouldn't have spared him. But at least I could've enjoyed his pleading look."
The butler shook his head at this and didn't comment further.
Beep! Beep!
Suddenly, he heard his wristwatch ring. When he saw the caller's I.D., his expression instantly turned respectful.
He lightly tapped on the watch, and a holographic image of a dignified middle-aged man in brocade robes sprang up in front of them.
Shua!
The butler promptly kneeled on one knee and saluted reverently. "Greetings, my lord!"
The youth also stopped laughing, his expression becoming solemn.
The man in the holographic image glanced at the butler before shifting his gaze to the youth and sternly asked, "Andrew, didn't I ask you to accompany that girl from the Felix family? Why aren't you with her?"
"Father, I was with her, but then a commoner..." The youth nervously tried to explain.
"Shut up! I don't want to know what happened." The man shouted, "Instantly quit whatever you are doing and go find her. Make sure she has a pleasant time while she is in our territory."
"Yes, father." Andrew obediently nodded.
Just then, the man noticed the terrain and shouted in alarm, "You bastard! Why are you at the Demon Mountain Range? Do you not want to live anymore? Hurry up and get out of there."
"Don't worry, father. I've come here before; there is no danger..." Andrew said, smiling lightly. He never understood why his father was so fearful of this place. Apart from some low-level beasts that his men could easily take care of, there was no danger whatsoever.
Hearing this, the middle-aged man's face turned red in anger. He glanced at the butler, who was still kneeling, and ordered, "Take him away immediately! If he is still near this accursed place after a minute, you'll lose your head, understand?"
Zoop!
After he finished speaking, the holographic image vanished.
...100 miles away, Kroft city...
In the middle of the bustling Kroft city, a huge palace-like mansion stood.
A dozen or so people were gathered inside the mansion's hall, which resembled a royal court with a golden throne in the middle and two rows of chairs neatly lined on both sides.
Everyone, apart from Nelson Kroft, the current head of the Kroft family sitting on the throne, was silent.
Bang!
"That stupid bastard! Despite my repeated warnings, he doesn't stop going to that dreadful place. He really wants to die." Nelson banged his throne's armrest in anger, almost shattering it.
He then glanced behind him and ordered, "Go. Ensure his safety."
A voice answered, "Yes, my lord," even though no one was visible behind him.
One of the people sitting in the chairs asked, "Family head, why don't you confine that kid inside the mansion since he keeps getting into trouble?" The one who spoke looked similar to Nelson. He was his half brother, Ryke Kroft.
Nelson looked at his brother and calmly said, "I want to. I even want to beat him to death. But you know who her mother is and how protective she is of him, right? How about I tell her you suggested confining her dear child and see how she reacts?"
When Ryke heard this, his face paled, and he trembled in fear. Forcing a smile, he shook his head, "N-No. Forget it."
Who in the Kroft family didn't know who Andrew's mother was? Although she was just a spoiled brat of a noble family, that family was easily over 100 times more powerful than their family. Because of this, for them, she was a demoness who they dared not offend at any cost.
Because once they did, only their body would be found the next day, sometimes not even that. Despite knowing she was the one who did it, no one would dare voice it out, not even Nelson, her husband.
If he did, he knew she would go and cry about it in front of her family, which, for some reason, had always wanted to gobble up their family but didn't dare do it without a proper excuse, fearing the criticism of other powers.
They could easily imagine the fate that would befall them if that family acted against their family because of her complaints.
...
...The Demon Mountain Range...
After the call ended, Andrew's expression turned ugly, and he flew into rage, banging his fists against the boulder. "Why does he treat me this way? I always do what he asks me to, but when I make a slight mistake, he always scolds me."
He then hatefully thought, 'If my mother wasn't just an illegitimate daughter of some insignificant member of that family and I would be treated no less than some stray dog there, the Kroft family would have been destroyed many times over.'
"Young Lord, please don't misunderstand the Lord's intentions. He only wants what's good for you." The butler tried to calm him down.
Andrew took a deep breath, calming his rage, and nodded. "Yes, I understand."
He then glanced at the group of men and shouted, "Fun time is over. Let's go."
"But young Lord, this guy is still breathing." An ugly-looking man shouted with a sadistic expression on his face. It was obvious he was having fun beating the poor kid.
"Just throw him into the abyss and move. I don't have any more time to waste here." Saying this, he walked to the car parked behind him.
"Understood, young Lord."
After that, the sadistic man grabbed the half-dead boy by his broken leg, dragged him to the edge of the mountain cliff, and flung him into the dark, endless abyss.
As the boy flew down, the corner of his lips lifted into a tragic smile, and he said in his mind, 'Mother, little sister, I hope you will take care of yourselves and no one bullies you. I'm sorry for not being able to accompany you guys anymore...' Then he lost consciousness.
After an unknown amount of time had passed, his eyelids fluttered lightly, and slowly, he opened his eyes. But he couldn't see anything apart from the endless darkness. He couldn't even see his hands. Then suddenly he realized he wasn't feeling any pain and could move his arms and legs as if they were in perfect condition.
Feeling this, he became confused and mumbled. "How... how am I still alive, and how come my injuries have vanished? Moreover... am I floating in the air right now? Could I be in the netherworld right now, awaiting my judgement?"
"Hehe, unfortunately for you, kid, you aren't in the netherworld." A goosebumps-inducing voice sounded in his ears, which almost gave him a heart attack.
"Who... who are you?" He asked, afraid. He knew if he wasn't already dead, he should be at the bottom of the abyss, which was rumored to be the home of a powerful demon. So, maybe he was that demon?
"It doesn't matter who I am. What matters most at this moment is whether you want to continue living? Take revenge on the people who wronged you? Give your mother and sister a good life you always wanted?" The voice asked.
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A/N: Hello guys. Thanks for giving the story a chance. I hope it would be to your liking. If you like it, please don't forget to give the story your Power stones and Golden tickets. Happy Reading~