AN IRONIC SITUATION II: JUST A GUY

Stare was at first stunned by the man's odd words and behavior.

He instantly tried pulling his hand away from the man's grip again but still found that impossible, no matter how much he tried.

Slowly looking back up at the man's face which still had a wide smile, a bad feeling slowly grew within him.

"And how…do you intend on helping me?" Stare asked in a cautious tone.

Honestly, Stare wasn't overly concerned about what the man might say. He had already readied himself to go on the offensive at any moment and was primarily focused on buying time, aiming to gather more essential information about his opponent.

Somehow, he could feel something was off with the man, despite the difference in age, Stare couldn't put together how someone as frail as the man before him managed to hold him down on a lock and with just a single hand.

The man, who had been silent in response to his question, suddenly erupted into brief laughter. He then reached into his trousers' pocket, retrieving a small corked test tube containing a faintly glowing blue liquid.

"How else can I assist you aside presenting the same opportunity you had missed on—a chance to transform into a Prime and, quite possibly, a hero?"

Stare was momentarily stunned, swiftly devising a plan to deliver a forceful kick, targeting the man's head. However, before he could lift his leg off the ground, he felt the man's leg abruptly pressing down on his own.

What was even more shocking was the fact he couldn't lift his leg up no matter how hard he tried, it was like a heavy boulder had been placed on his legs.

"How?" Stare muttered in confusion and helplessness as he stared at his leg which was unable to push away from the frail man.

He then looked back at the man's face which still had a casual smile as he pushed his body as far as he could in caution.

His thoughts were currently so disoriented, he couldn't understand anything that had happened so far.

How the man was so strong despite his body structure and if he was this strong, how come he let the two robbers bully him?

Had he planned all of this from the beginning? and why was he suddenly so bent on his issue with the test.

What was even more shocking was the blue liquid substance in his hand which from the man's previous words Stare had to assume was Algos.

This appeared improbable, considering the rarity of physically encountering one. Element A was highly prized in this era, tightly controlled by the government. Citizens had limited chances to come into contact with the element, mainly through public testing.

However Stare currently didn't have any way of confirming if the liquid was algos or not, he had never really researched the liquid as up till now unlike others as he viewed it as only a reminder of what he truly was and why he was here…something he really wanted to forget.

Stare however had this odd feeling the man wasn't just blabbing and the liquid in his hand was actually Element A.

With that last thought, something suddenly popped into Stare's head.

Could this…could this have been planned by the Oracle all along?

Was this all part of his scheme to make sure Stare didn't deviate from the Oracle's path no matter what, because currently, that was the only thought to all of this, that made some sense.

"Who…Who are you?" Stare suddenly asked, his emerald eyes which were filled with confusion and caution still very focused on the man, as he awaited his response.

The man replied with a brief chuckle, similar to before. However, after the chuckle, Stare sensed the atmosphere between them growing tense, as a suppressing aura emanated from the man's body.

Stare looked on at the man in shock, barely even able to remain standing on his feet with how suppressing the atmosphere had become.

He could only currently think of one set of people powerful enough to release such an aura in this era.

A Prime.

The frail man was a Prime.

The smile on the frail man's face widened after seeing Stare's reaction.

"I am…Just a Guy, but after seeing your potential, you can as well call me your benefactor cause I'll do my best in making you a prime and hero."

Stare instantly tried pushing away from the man with every ounce of strength he had left, however with the suppressing aura coming from the guy he could barely put up any sort of resistance. Ultimately, the man being a Prime meant that, regardless of Stare's current skill level, he couldn't match the physical prowess in his present state.

Carefully unsealing the test tube with his teeth, he gradually directed its tip toward Stare's mouth, compelling the liquid within to enter his mouth. Despite Stare retaining the liquid, resisting complete swallowing, the man increased pressure on the hand locked in a handshake, compelling him to painfully gulp down the contents he held in his mouth.