Listening to the uproar in the bar, the warrior named Steven's face turned livid. He grabbed his ax from the table and swung it straight at Ethan's head.
Ethan's audacious action set off a flare of anger in Veronica.
Coming to her senses, she started to feel embarrassed and angry.
Waves of magical power started to surge around her.
Suddenly, countless ice crystals appeared at Ethan's feet and swiftly spread, freezing Ethan's lower half.
"You're done!" Steven roared, his arm muscles swelling up significantly.
With the ax in his hands, he swung it downward at Ethan with such force as if he were to cut Ethan in two.
Releasing Veronica from his embrace and tossing her aside, Ethan drew his longsword from his waist and rushed forward to meet Steven's attack.
With a crisp "clang", Ethan felt like he barely used any strength, yet Steven, along with his ax, was sent flying backward.
As a Rank S upgraded Ethan, his power was enough to annihilate most Heroes.
Steven was sent tumbling backward, crashing through several tables.
"Steven, are you even trying? Did you drain all your energy messing around with women? Why are you so weak?"
"If you can't handle it, just call me bro. Or you could lend me your chick for a couple of nights, and I guarantee I'll take care of this guy for you."
"Doll, I've had my eye on you for ages. Look at Steven, all show and no go. He definitely can't satisfy you. Why not come to my room tonight? I promise you a memorable experience."
Watching Steven easily knocked down by a single sword strike, the bar erupted in laughter.
The Heroes were delighted to see Steven make a fool of himself.
Each of them had suffered from Steven and Veronica's scams to varying degrees. This pair specialized in scamming others by using Veronica's beauty as bait.
Many Heroes had been lured into paying for a night with Veronica, only to have Steven barge in with an ax just as they were getting undressed.
Not only did they not get the woman, but they also had to pay compensation.
Now, the Heroes in Stone Rock Harbor had become wise to their schemes.
Unable to scam locals, Veronica and Steven started targeting out-of-towners.
But it seemed they had bitten off more than they could chew this time.
Steven, with a grim look on his face, stood up and rubbed his wrist, then signaled to a few brawny men behind Ethan.
Several burly men armed with weapons circled Ethan, and the Heroes obligingly cleared a space for them.
Steven and Veronica could run their scam so brazenly because they had backup.
They both belonged to an organization called the Golden Stone Guild.
The guild leader had been involved in the underworld before he was transported to this world.
After the transition, he brought his previous business to the new world, amassing a group of followers and coercing several female Heroes to become his money-making tools.
Veronica wasn't Steven's woman, but the woman of the Golden Stone Guild leader, Sean.
Steven had not even touched her, let alone slept with her.
Therefore, watching Ethan shamelessly take advantage of Veronica, his apparent rage was likely fueled mostly by jealousy.
"You dare to mess with our Golden Stone Guild? When I, Steven, say something, it's as good as done. Wait till I cut off your hand, I want to see if you can still be so arrogant!" Steven charged at Ethan.
The members of the Golden Stone Guild joined the attack, swords flashing and daggers glinting as they engulfed Ethan.
Ethan twisted his sword lightly in his hands, ignoring the lackeys, and charged directly at Steven.
His sword met Steven's ax in a mighty collision, the powerful blow forcing the ax upwards.
This time, Steven was ready. His axe drew a semi-circle in the air, heading straight for Ethan's neck.
Ethan probably could have taken Steven's full-powered swing without dodging, but to keep things from getting too outrageous, he chose to dodge symbolically.
Several flashes of cold light blinked past, Ethan's body left a faint afterimage on the spot.
The next moment, Steven's mournful howl echoed through the room.
His axe-wielding arm was chopped off by Ethan's swift sword, blood splattered and stained the floor.
As for the rest of the heroes who joined the attack on Ethan, they had been run through by Ethan's sword and were now sprawled on the ground, blood soaking their clothes.
They were dying.
Ethan flicked the blood off his sword and slowly sheathed it.
The Adventurer's Tavern, which had been full of noise and commotion, fell eerily silent. It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
After what felt like forever, the silence was broken by a round of applause.
A rotund middle-aged man with an ostentatious gold chain around his neck and silver heavy armor strode forward, clapping and speaking:
"You sure know how to handle yourself, mate! I've been around Stone Rock Harbor for a long time, and it's my first time seeing something like this. You must be a Rank A Hero already, huh? Why are you stirring up trouble with my boys?"
Ethan glanced at the fat man, gave a smile and said: "Easy there, buddy. I wasn't looking for trouble. Just defending myself."
Sean eyed the one-armed Steven, then glanced at the whimpering men on the floor.
He cursed them in his mind, useless buggers, but he had to put on a friendly face for Ethan: "My friend, sometimes fights lead to friendships, and meetings are fate. Would you be interested in having a drink with me? To tell you the truth, I've always admired a strong Hero like you."
"Sure," Ethan nodded, having the local big shot around could save him a lot of trouble.
Sean ordered his men to carry away the whimpering fellows and led Ethan to a detached villa not far from the tavern.
As they sat in the lavishly decorated living room, Sean spoke with a hint of bragging: "This villa cost me a fortune, a whole 200,000 gold coins. Damn those greedy dwarves, always saying they're honest, but they're nothing but money-grubbing..."
"But in truth, I've gotten quite a steal. Those dwarves thought they ripped me off, but I'm the one who ended up profiting. I don't know who left this villa, but the basement has a powerful barrier spell. Once it's activated, even a Rank A strongman can't move an inch."
"I've had several Heroes trying to assassinate me. Just recently, I captured a Rank A. Sold him as a slave for quite a tidy sum."
"Oh, is that so?" Ethan raised an eyebrow, catching the veiled threat in Sean's words.
Sean glanced at Ethan and chuckled: "But don't worry, Ethan, I told you, I'm here to make friends. We're not going to do anything unpleasant. Of course, if you decide to cause trouble, well, I won't have much of a choice, will I?"
Sean clapped his hands, and several seductive, scantily clad female Heroes came in, carrying trays of food and wine.
After they had served the dishes, Sean raised his glass to Ethan, asking: "You seem unfamiliar, Ethan. Where are you from?"
Ethan lifted his glass and took a sip, replying: "I'm from East Sea. You probably know what's going on there... I guess you could say I'm a refugee..."
"East Sea?" Sean's interest was piqued, and he quickly asked, "I heard that place was taken over by the Golden Dragon Dark Lord, is that true? What's the power level of this dragon? I heard that the Golden Dragon Dark Lord is now the strongest in the Dark Lord faction."
Ethan nodded, "Indeed, East Sea is under the rule of the Golden Dragon Dark Lord now. Not only did the city lord surrender, but the Empire also recognized the Golden Dragon Dark Lord's dominion over East Sea. Many Heroes also defected. I didn't want to serve under a Dark Lord, so I took the opportunity to escape."
"So that's how it is…" Sean squinted his small eyes, pondered for a while, then asked again, "So Ethan, what's your plan for the future?"
Ethan shrugged, "I'll just go with the flow. I don't have any specific plans. Ever since I came to this world, I've had my disagreements with those Dark Lords. Now that I have some self-defense capabilities, I just want to explore this world more."
"You're right, Ethan... I heard the girls in those Elven Kingdoms, and Foxkin Kingdoms are so stunning. Even in Stone Rock Harbor, a port where goods from all countries circulate, slaves of that sort are hard to come by, and they often fetch sky-high prices when they appear."
"And it's not just about the high prices, there are freaking entry requirements to those auctions. Even if you're rich, you can't get in." Sean couldn't help but sigh when he mentioned this, "I thought I was somebody here in Stone Rock Harbor, but now I realize, to those truly big shots, I'm just a clown."
Sean drank another cup, personally filled Ethan's cup, and said sincerely, "If you don't mind, I'd like to consider myself your elder brother. You don't have a place to stay at the moment. If you like any room in this villa, feel free to stay."
After a few rounds of drinks, Sean was slightly tipsy.
He instructed one of his subordinates to bring a roll of parchment, handed it to Ethan, and said, "I won't beat around the bush, brother. I have a favor to ask of you today…"
Updated from fr𝒆ewebnov𝒆l.(c)om