A while ago.
After waking, resting, and waiting for the right moment, Elliot returned to the Association and purchased another E-Rank dungeon pass.
Although the staff raised an eyebrow at his speed, once he showed his second summon, they allowed him to enter. He had already emerged victorious from it once, after all.
And as he suspected, the dungeon did not pose any real challenge to him this time.
He had become so much stronger and had improved his use of energy to the point that he was able to kill the Boss single-handedly, although this time it didn't carry a mirror or let go of the item it was carrying. But that was the least of his problems; he just wanted to see if he could get through the dungeon.
After selling the corpses to the Association, he made his way to the martial arts center.
But that was when the trouble began.
"Excuse me, you are not authorized to enter this establishment," a voice said, stopping him at the entrance.
Four people, including two awakened ones, stood in his path.
Thinking that it was just a routine check, Elliot calmly took out his Entry Card for inspection and showed it to them.
"This is my card, I'm already registered." He tried to walk past them again—only to be blocked once again.
"Like I said, you are not allowed to come in here," one of the awakened ones held him back and pushed Elliot hard, wanting to knock him to the ground, but he could barely move him a few steps back.
Elliot frowned, his eyes narrowing.
"What's going on? I paid my monthly fee four days ago. How come I can't come in?"
The man who had pushed him frowned. 'Why did it feel like I was trying to move a tree?' He stared at his hands in shock.
He wasn't the strongest, sure—but with 12 points in strength, he was no weakling. How could it be that he didn't manage to push this fellow despite using force? Didn't they say this guy was a useless misfit?
'Surely he's acting tough and has good balance…. Forget it, it doesn't matter.'
He looked at Elliot and shrugged. "I'm sorry, but…" Before he could finish, he was interrupted.
"Elliot Clark, registered 4 days ago…" a firm voice interrupted from behind. "In fact, you can't come in. Please go back. You're blocking the way for our lads who come here to train."
Elliot turned around and met the eyes of the newcomer. His frown only deepened.
"Leader!" the four in front of Elliot exclaimed and quickly bowed as a sign of respect.
'He's the Leader of the Martial Arts Center… If I remember correctly, he's a powerful awakened registered under the 'Hawk's Fury' Guild… He should be a Master.'
The pressure radiating off this man was overwhelming—Elliot nearly buckled under it, but he endured it.
He was one of the City's few Masters. Hawk's Fury only had two, and this man was one of them.
Elliot bit his tongue a little, steadying himself as he met the man's eyes.
"I don't understand. Why can't I enter? I clearly paid the monthly subscription recently. You can check…"
"You can't," the man replied coldly. "The establishment's new policy is that only registered Awakened Ones may enter."
The leader took a few steps forward and grabbed Elliot by the arm, pulling him away with ease.
"The path of the Awakened Ones must not be sullied by a Misfit One. Here's your refund."
With that, the leader threw a few hundred dollars at him as they hit Elliot's chest before scattering in all directions.
Elliot frowned at the sight of this.
'The Clarks, eh? Those damn bastards…'
He immediately realized that it was those bastards digging their claws into everything. They always found a way to interfere when it came to him and ensured doors closed in his face. That was why he had worked as a Misfit for two years—because it was the only place where those guys didn't bother to meddle.
He looked down at his arm, still stinging from the leader's grip.
'So powerful… that guy from before could barely push me a few steps back because he took me by surprise, but this guy… Even when I put all my strength into holding on, he could move me like I was nothing.'
Fighting back was pointless. He couldn't beat him even if he gave his life.
So instead, he turned his back and gave them a contemplative look before walking away.
Enduring humiliation was his speciality, after all.
'Sooner or later, I will take my revenge. But for now… I have to be patient.'
_____
About 30 minutes after he left, John Clark appeared next to Alexander Clark.
The leader of the Martial Arts Center was gone, but as soon as the Clarks arrived, one of the four quickly hurried over to them.
"Sir, he left about 30 minutes ago."
"He left? Where to?"
"I don't know. Maybe to the gym."
Alexander frowned. 'Tsk, that bastard. Who interfered to make him run away so quickly?'
He immediately glanced at his son, and without wasting a word, they sprinted toward the gym.
But when they arrived…
"He was here about 15 minutes ago, sir. He went in that direction. You might catch him."
"Shit, that damn slippery bastard."
Father and son had to run again in some direction, but after a long stretch of chasing shadows, they found nothing, except for one of their subordinates patrolling the city.
"S-sir?" the man stammered.
Alexander quickly approached him and asked, his eyes sharp: "Elliot Clark, have you seen him around?"
"Elliot? N-no sir. Shouldn't he be in his room? He usually stays in on days when he doesn't have work. And… lately, there hasn't been any work for him."
'His room?' Alexander turned his gaze towards the Misfits housing area, and his expression twisted.
'Disgusting. I don't want to get dirty by stepping into that place...'
He looked at his son and smiled, finding a scapegoat to use.
"Go there."
"F-Father?! Why do I have to go and look for that bastard in a place like that?! They'll talk about me if I am seen there!"
"Did I speak in another language?" Alexander growled.
John stiffened immediately and fell silent.
'Dad is acting strange… What the hell has gotten into him? Even if he awakens, isn't he still a talentless idiot?' Although he wanted to express his thoughts, his father's deadly stare shut him down.
He was forced to go and check.
_____
Meanwhile, Alexander waited at a nearby coffee shop, looking thoughtful the whole time.
About 30 minutes later, John returned.
"Father… I found out that he submitted his leave letter recently. After that, no one knows where he is living."
Alexander nodded slowly. 'He must be living in one of the other guild areas…'
"Anything else?"
"Nothing else, Father."
"Shit."
He clenched his fist and the coffee glass in his hand to shatter. The hot liquid spilled over his fingers, but he didn't even flinch.
A staff member quickly rushed over to clean up the coffee, but John dismissed them and began cleaning the mess himself.
"Father… you've been acting strange for a while now. What's going on? His awakening was a possibility, but he's still a guy with no talent. What's the problem with his awakening? Eventually, I'll kill him. We do no need to move around so much just to look for him."
Alexander shook his head slowly. "No… You don't understand. He shouldn't have had the chance to awaken."
"Huh? What do you mean?" Confused, John looked up to see him.
How is it that someone who did not fail to awaken could not have the possibility of awakening?
But Alexander could not tell his son the reason behind all his worry.
"We're leaving," he said, standing and walking away without another word.
'That guy's son shouldn't have a chance to awaken. I have to kill him.' His dangerous eyes were filled with murderous intent, and his mind began to plan, ignoring his son's words.
'He must die.'
No matter what it took, he would make sure of that.