Killing the chiken to warn the monkey.

Leonardo stopped laughing and exhaled a satisfied sigh to the fallen bird's size. "It's hunting season for these. So I thought to surprise everyone. Though unlocking Cecilia's gun from her bike was hard."

Grinning, he silently looked into the face of each one of the people around. "I'm sorry for those who were a bit too spooked, it wasn't my intention to be distasteful, it's my father-, the mayor candidate's barbecue, after all."

One could hear a needle fall on the silence that followed.

These people were not the main guests but only a few of the more wealthy parents and their kids from school, but these were the kind of people Leonardo wanted to witness things, these are the people who talk. And he knew that exactly because of the mayor candidate behind him. They would talk well despite the scare.

Ugo was the first to break the silence.

His tall and thick frame got up from that pleading stance.

"W-whoa! That was a hell of a shot, I could barely see his mates flying by! Leo, my dude you changed so much! I wish I could stay more and get a few shooting lessons, but I and my buddies have to go!"

He waved and was already turning back when Leonardo chuckled.

"Oh, but that would be a slap in the face of Jeff. He was the one who invited you four as a company, isn't it?"

Ugo turned his head mechanically while hiding his gritting teeth. Leonardo was too damn different, height, demeanor and methods, it's like he's another person, furthermore, he was still holding that rifle on his shoulder!

An ugly grin emerged from his lips.

"Y-Yes, I guess it's true, I should stay a little more."

[Hoho, look at him now, all spiritless.] Azumi chuckled

"Just stay? How about a game?" Leonardo said and threw the rifle to Cecilia who breathed a sigh of relief and threatened him with her eyes.

"A game? Well, I'm not that good but I played a lot of soccer." Ugo laughed and scratched his head. 'Well, he's still just a rich kid, things are still solved with games.' He thought with inward relief.

But Leonardo shook his head.

"Not soccer, a fight! I heard you won the regional tournament of Muay Thai in your weight class right?"

Ugo looked on with disbelief as Leonardo drew a circle in the middle of the yard with a stick, not believing what he just heard, Ugo asked again.

"Y-You want to compete in a fight? With me?"

Leonardo threw the stick away and pointed at the circle. "The one who goes beyond that line is the loser, of course, you can also lose by surrendering or losing conscience but I doubt we'll reach that point."

'W-What?' Ugo thought and spoke with the usual ugly smile "Perhaps it's better if we play another game?" He looked at Leonardo's tall but thin frame. 'If I hurt him here, like this, I won't gain anything but a grudge with an armed lunatic, and possibly the future mayor'

Leonardo walked to an end of the circle and said loudly; "The wager will be: If Ugo wins I'll build him a complete professional dojo where he can teach and practice his Muay Thai, but if I win, he'll sign a contract to become my private back and call Muay Thai instructor."

"T-this is not good Leo, and I doubt the guests want this kind of violent game, there are children here too, let it be, I-"

"It's alright mom." Leonardo cut Helen short then blinked at Cecilia who got up and was about to intervene.

Hailey who was biting her lips on the back felt awful since she was the one to call him. But he looked back and smacked his lips with gusto; and mouthed; 'Sweet as cherry.'

Her cheeks reddened and she stomped her feet in rage.

But Leonardo just smiled and turned back to Ugo who didn't hesitate to jump inside the circle with greed written on his forehead

Ugo silently observed the edges around the circle, looking for any trick the enemy would have planted. That suspicion only grew as he heard Leonardo's next words.

"You can use your authority, and I'll use minor spells, agreed?"

A whole minute of thought later, Ugo nodded heavily in agreement. Leonardo looked around and noticed a few phones recording everything. He smiled and spoke:

"Begin the-"

A high shin kick cut came flying to his temple and cut him off. Leonardo hurriedly raised both arms and blocked his left ear.

The slapping sound resounded, and Leonardo almost toppled sideways but held it in

"Tsk" Ugo smacked his lips and stepped back.

[Your forearm is broken and your shoulder was nearly dislocaded] Azumi said nonchalantly.

Leonardo gazed at the wary Ugo, the man's authority was a D rank bronze casting that hardened the skin, making it tough as bronze but malleable where it should be.

And even though Leonardo used a weak shield in a hurry the damage was still such.

But he smiled

"Don't try and end it so fast, I've yet to throw a single punch" Leonardo shot forward with a direct punch, but Ugo shielded his face with both arms, crouched and threw a heavy elbow at Leonardo's ribcage.

Leonardo grunted and stepped back. Ugo was still wary, mainly because Leonardo did not cease smiling.

The crowd was stunned into silence. The students were even more startled, Ugo's damage capacity with the authority is well known.

[At least you were well prepared for that, only two ribs broke and no organs were further damaged.]

Leonardo kept circulating the mana inside.

"Why do you keep stopping between your attacks?" Leonardo laughed and started throwing short jabs, but they were as clumsy as the average beginners'

Ugo dodged with ease and countered with a fast direct to Leonardo's already broken rib. 'These rich kids can't withstand pain, I know you broke at least one rib, rich boy.'

Leonardo's eyes flashed with an ominous light as he saw Ugo's conceit growing and suspicion diminishing.

They exchanged a few more attacks, but it all always ended the same way. Ugo eventually started to grow confident that Leonardo was just trying to show off before.

Some people around even grew relaxed, thinking the same, but Jeff was gritting his teeth with sweat on the back of his head, he saw all of this happening but couldn't get rid of the thought that Leonardo was manipulating them all.

[Of twenty-four ribs, seventeen are cracked and the rest is broken, the mana shielding your organs is growing thin. Stop this now.] Azumy's tense tone reached Leonardo's mind but he couldn't hear it, he didn't dare distract himself. There was too much pain. His only recurring thought was the plan on his head and the smirking Ugo in front of him plus the need to keep up the act. 'If I don't succeed, I'll go back there…' A terrifying fear of retarding back to who he was a weekend ago kept his mind sharp

Nobody else knew the gravity of the injuries, Ugo took care to not mess up Leonardo's appearance too much, he only focused on the injuries he already caused and inflicted more on top of it. Leonardo himself did not show a single sign of injury.

Then after Ugo became sure of himself, the moment of truth arrived.

Ugo stopped and took a step back assuming a clear stance for a heavy punch.

'It doesn't matter what I do, this shrimp does not fall out of the circle, being like this, I can only knock him out.'

The crowd watched with an expectant morbid taste, knowing exactly what'll happen and still wanting to see it.

Ugo grinned evilly, already seeing picturing a dojo with his surname on it. He threw a long direct punch, all his strength was on that punch, he couldn't imagine Leonardo still had the strength to strike back.

But Leonardo's black eyes shone with a golden mana "low hasten" he conjured on his mind. His leg moved abruptly fast, he dodged to the side while closing the distance between their bodies.

'low Hardening, weak shield' he conjured two more low ranked spells, hardening his skull and shielding it from outside, he latched both his hand's fingers onto Ugo's shoulders and brought his head forward with all the weight from his body, plus the strength of his rebirthed muscles and the enhancing spell that forced double of the muscle's usual capacity.

His head became a black flash and a dull thud echoed.

Leonardo tumbled backward a few steps, his eyes were white but the savage smile did not leave his lips, nor did he stepped out of the circle.

But Ugo who covered his forehead in bronze stood still with eyes rolled back.

A crack suddenly appeared between his eyes and spread through his bronze forehead like a spider web. Blood came out of his nose and ears as he fell down unconscious.

Silence grabbed people by the throat.

Since twenty years ago, when humanity accidentally discovered a dimensional gate while sending the sixth robot to mars, a whole new world and the energy named mana was discovered through it, authority holders started to appear and since then, the people who explore that world were called hunters. And wit the discovery, monsters and supernatural beings started appearing on earth. Hunters are the front line against it. They are more revered than anyone who learned magic on their own but is without authority.

They're considered superhumans, heroes chosen by destiny.

And Ugo was not just a strong bully who succeeded in martial arts, he was a D class hunter with numerous groups looking to strike a contract and groom him.

But the thin Leonardo, who nobody ever saw practicing a single sport, knocked him out in a clear and simple thought out plan.

"Elder sis, can you follow me? I'm a little hurt and need some tender care." He asked with a pitiful expression, it was clear he was doing it for fun.

Cecilia rolled her eyes and the crowd laughed, some hiding the sweat on their neck. No one dared to care for the unconscious Ugo, not even his lackeys.

But Leonardo pointed them out. "Cecilia is an elite soldier, her healing spell is quite good, let her treat him, then make him apologize to my mother, you know for what, then you lot can leave."

They nodded their heads fast and repeatedly. Leonardo walked back to the house with light steps.

Claudia, who remained in the barbecue because of Rebecca, looked at his back with wide disbelieving eyes, she bit her lips in rage, patted the little girl's head and followed after him.