Marius experienced a whirlwind of emotions as blood stained his knuckles from striking Portia's teeth and nose, which were bleeding profusely.
Consumed by hatred, he couldn't help but be disgusted with his own actions in this game-like world and how he had been behaving up until now.
Marius deeply grasped that he did not resonate with the sort of person who would behave in a paranoid, evasive, or weak manner, and his strong aversion to this world drove him to unleash his pent-up emotions.
Scared. Sad. Distrust. Frustration. Despair. Anxiety. Hopelessness. Disappointment. Irritation. Distrust. Shame. Loneliness.
His pent-up negative emotions suddenly came to the surface when Marius was disrespected, which was the final straw.
All he could see was the color red, and he felt trapped, like he was in a place where he didn't belong.
Marius couldn't deceive himself; he felt intense hatred and fear, but he realized he needed to adapt — determined to no longer run away, be paranoid, or dwell on negative thoughts.
He didn't want to lead a life like this. A life where he felt such scared emotions.
Acting on his hatred gave Marius a sense of power, for some inexplicable reason. He felt amazing, as if something had energized him.
He concentrated his animosity on this game-like world, giving him a sense of invincibility. He seemed to be fueled by this hatred.
"I. HATE. YOU. ALL!" Marius let out a loud scream, gasping for breath, relentless in his attack.
He knew this game-like world is not kind, nor is it forgiving. It will break him, crush him, and leave him gasping for breath if he allowed it.
Marius knew this game-like world will not hand him success; he must take it with his own hands.
He knows he'll suffer. He'll face pain, loss, defeat.
These were inevitable.
Instead of letting it shatter him, Marius would let it tempter him. Let every setback harden his resolve. Let every insult fuel his determination.
He'll use his anger, his frustration. Let them drive him to heights nobody would think of as possible.
Marius's path was his to command. He wants to conquer his limitations. He wanted to prove he wasn't another fleeting shadow.
The entire Adventurer's Guild went silent, with everyone in shock over of what was happening. Nobody didn't know what to say or do.
As the rest of the Piggy Party looked on, they were frozen in shock as their leader cried out while being brutally beaten.
Their leader has never been so pitiful before; typically, he would always come out victorious against the newcomers.
Even though tears streamed down Portia's face as he shouted incoherent words, Marius continued to deliver powerful blows, not stopping.
He felt alive.
Each strike was not just a release of Marius's pent-up emotions but a declaration of his resolve.
To not be a little bitch.
To challenge this game-like world head on.
Portia's weeping slowly stopped as his face was brutally beaten and bloodied, causing him to lose consciousness.
Marius showed no care as he continued to deliver powerful punches, even using his armored elbows.
However, everything abruptly came to a halt when an unexpected gust of wind appeared out of nowhere, propelling him backwards and lifting him off the ground, causing him to crash into the wall before landing with a thud.
"Such barbaric behavior. Do you adventurers have no shame?"
A stunning young lady with flowing, pale blue hair and captivating light blue eyes gracefully descended the staircase from the second floor. While half of her face was covered with a veil, she waved a flat uchiwa.
She wore a kimono with a beautiful sky pattern, which looked luxurious.
A group of women, all dressed in matching attire, fully veiled, walked behind her, seemingly serving as her personal bodyguards.
"Oh, my god! Isn't she the Golden Daughter!? Edith Sinclair!?" someone exclaimed.
"Wait… you mean the only daughter of the Merchant King!?" another voice added in surprise.
"The Merchant King? Are you referring to the man who holds a monopoly over all trades and goods in the Holy Kingdom?" a third person asked incredulously.
"Holy shit! What is she doing here!?" someone else blurted out.
With a cold demeanor, Edith chose to ignore the surrounding voices, feeling a slight aversion whenever they brought up her name or discussed her.
She despised it when those beneath her believed they had the privilege to speak her name.
Only those of noble status, like the King, Archduke, and Duke, were considered worthy to mention her, not even nobles such as the Marquess, Count, Viscount, or Baron could.
Though, despite this, Edith harbored a deep disgust towards men, viewing them all as crude individuals driven by lust, who were solely fixated on her physical appearance.
While walking towards him, she kept a fixed gaze on the man wearing the all-black armor. With unwavering attention, she watched him standing up slowly, and he returned her gaze.
"Fuck, that hurt" Marius mumbled in discomfort as he experienced a sharp ache coursing through his entire body, leaving him feeling sore all over.
He had never felt such pain before.
Marius wanted to check his health points, but he didn't want to reveal his system window, so he could only hope that it wasn't too low.
After a brief moment, he composed himself, breathed deeply. "What's the big deal, you stupid bitch?" He felt a strong sense of annoyance that he was suddenly propelled into the air.
Edith took a brief pause, thinking she may have misheard, but her eyes narrowed. "Repeat what you just said?" With a tone of anger, she shook slightly, trying to hold herself together.
Marius took a step forward and repeated, "what's the big deal, you stupid bitch?" He had already reached his limit and decided not to tolerate this shit any longer.
The bodyguards quickly responded when they noticed the man had taken a step forward, quickly surrounding Edith and brandishing their kunais in a defensive position.
"Calm down, ladies." Marius put up his hands. "I don't bite."
Edith signaled for her guards to sheathe their weapons and create some distance, while she herself stepped forward.
She looked up at the man in front of her, feeling a profound revulsion towards him that surpassed her general aversion to men.
"The big deal is that you acted like a barbarian while I was around," Edith spoke. The presence of something she disliked, specifically uncivilized and unrefined fighting, was something she absolutely abhorred.
Marius, with a smirk behind his helmet despite the pain coursing through him, retorted, "barbarian, huh? Coming from a spoiled brat, that's rich."
Edith's eyes narrowed further, her patience wearing thin. "Calling me a spoiled brat?" No one has ever referred to her as a spoiled brat; in all of her 21 years of life, no one has been so disrespectful to her.
"You're entitled as fuck," Marius spit out. He detested these type of people the most. Believing that they are the center of the universe.
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Author's Note:
Dear Readers,
Thank you deeply for joining me on this journey through my webnovel so far. Your support is truly invaluable to me. I am excited to share that I am now officially contracted!
Your contributions—whether through gifts, powerstones, comments, chapter unlocks, or reviews—mean the world to me. They fuel my passion and inspire me to keep writing. I hope you will stay by my side as I continue to write this story, and yes - from now on, I will begin writing longer chapters (1500 - 2000 words).
Once again, thank you for being an essential part of this incredible journey!
Warmest regards!