"I would like to trade a favor of mine for some of your slaves," Kayden didn’t even introduce himself—he didn’t need to. His strength spoke for him.
"How big is this favor?" Kayden smiled and continued drinking his tea. Slowly, the pressure forced Jonas to concede. "Alright, what do you need?"
"Bring me your slaves with the strongest minds; talent and rank don’t matter," Kayden already knew the next question.
"How strong?" It was obvious that an organization like this would know some people sought slaves only to break them. It was sick, but much more common than one might imagine.
"The ones still standing in five minutes." Kayden snapped his fingers, and a circle of mana emanated from him, spreading in all directions. It was mana mixed with a small part of Kayden’s soul.
It extended everywhere, implanting a memory of ridiculous pain and despair in everyone. No one was spared; 99% of the people immediately passed out.
The memory was so intense that few had the mentality to endure it. It was much easier to become unconscious and erase the memory from their minds, which is what most did without any control.
The people in the room were the only ones unaffected by Kayden’s attack, as he had directed it in a way that left them safe. The seventh-realm leader understood what had happened.
He could have argued with Kayden for affecting his clients and such, but it was clear that Kayden wasn’t someone he could mess with easily. It wasn’t worth offending Kayden for the sake of a few fat old men.
A few minutes later, everyone stood up as if nothing had happened. No one could remember what had occurred, and only a few would know the truth of this event.
In another room of the market, Kayden stood before seven people. Five were in the third realm, and one was in the fourth. Each had a strong and determined aura. They seemed to have faced many hardships in their lives.
"I will take three of you with me. I don’t care about your names or your stories. Whoever can take ten steps under my aura will be chosen," Kayden said, and...
The atmosphere changed immediately. Even Jonas felt as if an entire world was weighing on his shoulders. It was as if the universe itself was pressing them to the ground. Some of the slaves knelt instantly.
"You can fall or crawl, but walk the ten meters, and I promise you freedom." Kayden’s voice reached deep into their minds, his tone not appearing deceitful.
Time passed quickly. The test that seemed simple was hell. Every step took hours, and after a few minutes, Kayden blinded them so they couldn’t draw motivation from their opponents.
The first to take ten steps was the highest-ranked individual, an elderly mage with dozens of scars on his body. He seemed to have fought for centuries, which was indeed true. His name was Pelvan.
He had been a mercenary from the moment he was born until the day he was captured in a battle and sold as a slave. That was one of the dangers of fighting for other forces, especially against those who cared little for basic human rights—most mages.
"Congratulations, now sleep for a bit." Kayden simply knocked the man out and waited for the others.
The next one took at least ten hours longer than Pelvan. It was a small woman with red hair. She, too, seemed to have gone through many bad experiences, especially considering her beauty and strength.
Her name was Hanna, a third-realm fire mage under 50 years of age—a great talent. Unfortunately, she had fallen into the hands of slave traders when her village was raided decades ago. Since then, she has suffered many hardships.
"Congratulations, now rest a little." Kayden knocked her out, and the next one arrived almost half an hour later.
Again, it was another woman, but this time her appearance was utterly terrible. Her hair was disheveled as if she hadn’t bathed in millennia, and her skin was dry, covered in red spots.
Her name was Ana, a teenager rescued from one of the southern tribes. Her mind had been broken for months by various groups performing different activities. When she was finally rescued, she found out she was a slave.
Due to her unattractive appearance, she was treated even worse. It was ironic how society would recoil at the killing of a butterfly but ignore the death of a moth. That was Ana’s case—no matter what they did to her, no one cared in the least.
"Congratulations, now sleep." Kayden took the three, thanked Jonas, and left, flying off with Konan so quickly that no one could react to the situation.
A few minutes later, Kayden and his disciple were on a vast plain. The three slaves lay on the ground before them like dolls. With a snap of Kayden’s fingers, they awoke.
For several minutes, Kayden said nothing as he stared at them, measuring their mentality and strength. It was obvious to the boy that they weren’t great fighters; they had only survived through sheer willpower, which had never given them a solid foundation.
"I need three disciples. If you don’t die during training, you should be able to reach the top of this world easily. If you don’t want to, you are free to leave." Kayden’s voice came out without any emotion.
Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freewebnσvel.cøm.
"Who exactly are you? Pardon my honesty, sir, but why should I trade my freedom for something unknown?" the man spoke with courage, looking directly into Kayden’s eyes.
"I am Kayden Heart. I hold no titles beyond ’monster.’ This is my disciple, Konan." As soon as Kayden said that, Konan released his aura, and the three before him fell to their knees.
"Nice to meet you." Konan released her aura and bowed, her display of strength was quite significant, as her kingdom was not high and yet she suppressed the man completely.
"You are free to make your choice." Kayden knew that the three would accept, he had already moved the three souls for that.