Explosive Power

"Jihoon, I want you to punch me… using your metal arms," Ethan's words left Jihoon speechless.

"Young Master?" Jihoon stared at the young man before him. "Young Master, I know that you already possess your Essentia, but this is..." Was Ethan doing this because he was too sad? Anxious? "There is no need to be anxious about the others. Both Master Wu and I are already at the Master Level. We will do our best to protect you."

Ethan smiled inwardly. He couldn't quite understand what was going through Jihoon's mind. Was there some misunderstanding?

"In fact, I have yet to test my Essentia," Ethan continued. "I need to spar against someone stronger than me to properly assess my skills," he explained. "Moreover, everything has become very uncertain... I..." His words trailed off when Jihoon held a palm in front of his face.

"Say no more," Jihoon interrupted. "This humble one will demonstrate my abilities and allow you to assess me properly."

Ethan was momentarily taken aback. What was Jihoon talking about?

However, Jihoon had already removed his black coat, revealing a white shirt. He then rolled up his sleeves, and his arm transformed into metal. "Young Master, I am ready."

With that, Jihoon suddenly rushed toward Ethan.

Ethan, with his background as a former assassin, reacted quickly. He anticipated Jihoon's explosive and powerful strike. As Jihoon's metal fist hurtled toward his midsection, Ethan deftly sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the potentially fatal blow. The whoosh of air from Jihoon's punch barely brushed his clothing.

Ethan wasn't one to be caught off guard easily. He recognized that he needed to be cautious, and his combat instincts kicked in.

Ethan moved fluidly, circling Jihoon as he kept a watchful eye on his opponent. Jihoon didn't hold back, launching a barrage of explosive strikes in rapid succession. Ethan, being the agile fighter that he was, narrowly evaded each blow, avoiding the fatal points targeted by Jihoon. His movements were precise and calculated to maximize his chances of survival.

At first, Ethan struggled to adjust to this new body. After all, this body did not have the same training as Ethan had in his previous life. However, it didn't take too long before his vast combat experience kicked in. Muscle memory took over, and he began to move with increasing ease and grace. Every action was proof of his past experience as a deadly killer.

Despite Jihoon's raw power, Ethan's quick reflexes and combat skills allowed him not only to defend himself but also to stay in the match. Jihoon's strikes were impressive, but Ethan's ability to read his opponent and react swiftly kept him out of harm's way.

Right now, Ethan's secret weapon lay in the fact that he could use Counterstrike, but there was a catch – he could only use it once a day. This meant he needed to find the perfect timing to employ this powerful counterattack.

Ethan chose to bide his time. Jihoon, however, wasn't making it easy. His attacks were relentless, and he showed no signs of slowing down.

Then, it happened. Jihoon launched a particularly devastating punch, aiming for Ethan's chest. It was a high-stakes move, and Ethan seized the opportunity. With precise timing, he activated Counterstrike.

In an instant, the momentum of Jihoon's punch shifted. The force of the attack, originally meant for Ethan's chest, was redirected back toward Jihoon with incredible speed and power. Jihoon's eyes widened in surprise as he found himself on the receiving end of his attack.

Jihoon was sent staggering backward, his metal arm taking the brunt of the counterattack from the fierce impact. He let out a grunt of pain as he struggled to regain his balance. Then he lifted his face and stared at Ethan's pale face.

"Young Master, you—"

"You—" Ethan struggled to catch his breath. Exercising every single day is simply too different from real-time fighting! He could feel his body shake both from exhaustion and from using Counterstrike. "Are you alright?"

"I am fine. Although… I think I need to go to the infirmary to have the healer check." Jihoon smiled, his eyes brimming with pride. "Young Master, that explosive strength is—"

"Is something similar to the old chairman's!" Master Wu, who stood by the side observing the fight, beamed. Just like Jihoon, he was beaming, his old face scrunched up with happiness.

"…" Ethan could only give them a half-hearted smile. "This was the first time that I used my Essentia. I still need to find ways to control it."

"Young Master, it seems that your combat ability has increased. Shall we go ahead and spar every day?" Jihoon smiled.

"That would be for the best," Ethan immediately agreed. He needed someone experienced with really explosive power, and Jihoon is the perfect candidate for that. As for Master Wu… he turned his attention to the older man who had just arrived to tell him some updates about Kai Consortium.

"All the board members will be in the wake later. They expect the young master to join them," Master Wu reported as Ethan and he boarded the elevator that would lead them to the second floor where Ethan's room was located. "The rumors surrounding the young master have been... numerous in the past few days. I suggest that the young master spend his time inside the mansion for now. We have detected the arrival of a few important Essentia Users from all regions, and it seems that these people are asking for more information about the young master."

"Are you saying that they might be here to harm me?"

"Once the Kai Family is gone, it would be easier for them to rule over the region." Master Wu did not sugarcoat his words. He was not here to make Ethan feel better but to help him grow. "Everyone is currently thinking that an eighteen-year-old non-Essentia user is not capable of running the whole Region."

"So?" To be honest, Ethan truly thinks that he is not capable of running the whole region. Moreover, he was not someone who would bite off more than he could chew. He had the money! Why not hire someone to manage it for him? Isn't that what billionaires on Earth do?

"Are you not curious about your older brother's reputation?" Master Wu asked.

"Reputation?" he asked. He thought that his older brother had none of those. He was known as a very strong Essentia user. When he activated his Essentia, it was already Class C with the potential to grow and become S.

He was known as a genius, a bloodthirsty one.

"Will the young master follow me somewhere?" Master Wu said as if he could read Ethan's thoughts. In response, Ethan nodded.

The two of them then went to his older brother's room.

Ethan examined the room with a black motif. To be honest, the room looked as uninteresting as his older brother. He then watched as Master Wu opened the closet and took what appeared to be a metal box, then handed it to him. "Young Master," Master Wu said, "you should know the password. I will be waiting for you on the balcony."

With that, the older man left him alone in his older brother's room. Ethan looked confused as he stared at the box. Did his brother leave this for him?

He frowned and tried to recall the password. When he was still here, he could vaguely remember talking to his older brother, but they were never actually close.

After a few minutes, he finally entered his birthday along with his brother's birthday. There was a mechanical sound, and the box opened. Ethan thought that what was inside the box might be some secret documents or relics that could help him, but the box was filled with news articles and photographs... of Ethan himself.

Huh?

The pictures included some from when he was a newborn to his toddler years. Some showed him crawling, while others featured him blowing out birthday candles.

Ethan thought this body was not close to his older brother so these things surprised him.

Upon further examination, he saw pictures of himself when he was already abroad. Did his older brother stalk him? The thought made Ethan snort.

The photographs depicted him studying, working, and talking to some of his 'friends'. There were dates, location names, and the names of the people he was in the pictures.

Hm? At the bottom of the box, he found a piece of paper with a list of numbers. There were 21 numbers, each followed by another series of letters and numbers. At the very bottom of the paper were words that said: "Open when you are twenty-one."

There are some more letters and numbers that appear to be passwords.

What are these?

Gifts?

Ethan sighed and placed all the images back into the box. He took the paper with him before closing the box and putting it back where Master Wu had taken it from. Then he went out to the balcony to see Master Wu.

"Young Master, I hope you understand," Master Wu smiled. "The Eldest Young Master did not mean to stay away from you. It's just that... he cannot show his enemies a weakness." Master Wu handed him another box. "These are some videos that the Eldest Young Master took when you were younger. From the time you took your first steps to when you started crawling. Everything is in there."

"What does Master Wu mean by giving me this?" Ethan asked. Originally, he felt nothing toward this biological brother of his. After all, the man had not shown any care for him in the past.

"I can only hope that the young master will live..." Master Wu smiled. "And live well. After all, this is what the Eldest Young Master wanted."

Ethan said nothing. He looked at the beautiful view from their balcony. It seemed that he needed to find that brother of his, or this body would blame him for it.

"Do we have any updates?" Ethan asked.

"Nothing. They believe the Eldest Young Master is already dead, but our people are not giving up. We have added more people to the search party," Master Wu said. "As for the company, everything is slowly going back to normal. However, many clans are currently eyeing the Kai Family."

"I understand," Ethan replied. Then he checked his current stats. The stats had finished updating a day ago. Upon waking up, he immediately felt that something was wrong with his body. He spat out a mouthful of blood before spending the whole day in bed, feeling exhausted and in pain. For some reason, the upgrade this time made him feel like his bones had been crushed by hand.

Luckily, when he woke up today, the pain was no longer there.

**Name:** Ethan Kim

**Race:** Human?

**Level:** Novice Level 2

**Basic Stats:**

**Health Points (HP):** 8/15

**Energy Points (EP):** 15/15

**Strength:** 5/15

**Agility:** 5/15

**Intelligence:** 9/15

**Charisma:** 4/15

**Experience Points (EXP):** 8/30

**Reputation:** -3/10

**Abilities:** "Counterstrike":

Staring at the stats in front of him, Ethan did not know if he should laugh or cry. He had so many high expectations about his numbers without the boost.

Who would have thought that this body would still be this weak? Luckily, his EXP has steadily increased because of his daily training in the past 2 days. Including the one that he did when the system was activated, he was able to gain a total of 6 EXP. After the upgrade, he now have 8 EXP.

However, just as he was pondering the current state of his body, Jihoon suddenly appeared in front of them, his face filled with panic.

"Young Master... we have a problem!"