Chapter 16

Icarus' gaze was hollow. Yet, at the same time, it was filled with unbridled iciness. It was hard to imagine that such eyes belonged to someone who was not yet in his 20s. Soon, Icarus turned away. Walter was still pleading for mercy and trembling all over. A large wet patch spread across the front of his pants. Icarus remained expressionless as he kicked Walter's right knee. Next, the chilling sound of a bone breaking could be heard. Walter clutched his knee and screamed in agony. "If there's a next time, I'll snap your neck," Icarus said frostily. Then, he turned to Ruth and said, "Let's go. My house is just up ahead." Isaac was still in shock, and Icarus paid him no mind. He had known all along that Isaac had been following them in his car. Ruth responded with a nod, but then she realized something. She turned to Isaac and asked, "Uncle Isaac, why are you here?" "I was concerned about your safety, so I followed you," Isaac replied. "Oh... Well, you can follow us in the car. Once I get the medicinal herbs, we can leave together," Ruth said before catching up with Icarus. Isaac looked at the 20 or so thugs lying on the ground with eyes full of shock. As an 8th-stage innate fighter, he considered himself a skilled fighter. But even he knew that handling an attack from over 20 armed thugs without a scratch was beyond him. Yet, Icarus had done it with ease. In the short span of two minutes when Isaac noticed the commotion, parked his car, and ran to the alley, Icarus had already taken down all 20 of the thugs. How powerful was he? Coupled with that chilling gaze he'd inadvertently revealed earlier… "This young man is no ordinary person!" Isaac exclaimed. ... Ruth caught up with Icarus, her eyes fixed on his right arm. She asked softly, "Icarus, is your arm okay? Should we go to the hospital?" "I'm fine," Icarus replied. "How can you be fine?" Ruth responded a little anxiously. Icarus had blocked that blow for her, and the iron rod had even snapped. How could his arm be okay right now? "If I said I'm fine, then I'm fine," Icarus stressed, glancing at Ruth. Ruth wanted to say more, but she was afraid of upsetting Icarus. She was afraid that she might not get the medicinal herbs if he was displeased with her, so she held back. As Ruth walked behind Icarus, she kept her eyes on his back. When she recalled how Icarus had taken on all those thugs by himself, her heart started beating faster. "He's around my age. How did he become so powerful?" Ruth wondered, biting her lip. Three minutes later, Icarus led Ruth to the courtyard in front of his dwelling. "So, you live here..." Ruth said, looking up at the rundown building with the small courtyard. "I live on the second floor," Icarus said, leading her upstairs. Once inside, Icarus headed straight for the storage room. Meanwhile, Ruth looked around curiously. Icarus' home was quite simple. The living room was bare and housed no furniture—not even a TV. Ruth couldn't help but wonder what Icarus did for entertainment. Soon, she was lost in her own thoughts. "Come here," Icarus called out to her, interrupting her reverie. Ruth hurried over. As soon as she reached the doorway of the storage room, she was greeted by the fragrant scent of medicinal herbs. Then, she saw the room that had medicinal herbs scattered all over the place. "Stellanus Plant..." Icarus sifted through the pile of medicinal herbs as if he was rummaging through heaps of trash. But in reality, every herb in this "trash pile" was priceless. A minute later, Icarus handed one stalk each of the Stellanus Plant and Lunaria Bloom to Ruth. "Dry these and grind them into powder. Then, brew them according to the dosage in my medicinal formula," Icarus instructed. "Okay, got it!" Ruth said, holding the medicinal herbs. Her face became flushed due to her excitement. With these two medicinal herbs, Jeremiah's lifespan could be extended by ten years! "Thank you, Icarus," Ruth said sincerely. Not only had Icarus saved Jeremiah's life, but he had also blocked that blow with his arm earlier to protect her. "You're not as cold as you appear to be. You're a good guy," Ruth said, her eyes shining as she looked at Icarus. That look she gave her reminded Icarus of a woman from many years ago, who used to look at him the same way. Icarus disliked such memories resurfacing randomly. So, he shook his head and said to Ruth, "You should go now. I won't be inviting you to stay for dinner." That comment completely ruined the moment. "Like I'd want to eat at your place! Hmph!" Ruth huffed, stomping her foot as she turned to leave. But after taking a few steps, she turned back and asked, "Icarus, didn't my dad give you a check the other day? Why are you still living in a place like this?" "Do you know where the most luxurious and largest mansion in the entire Dalsoria is?" Icarus asked. Ruth shook her head. "It's Manor 101 in Centrone. That manor is so large that it dwarfs your house by dozens of times. It has natural springs, gardens—anything you can imagine... But no one has lived there for over a hundred years," Icarus explained. "Do you want to buy that manor? It would probably be very expensive," Ruth said with her eyes wide. "No. What I mean is that I'm the owner of that mansion, but I haven't lived there in a long time," Icarus said with a smile. ... After Ruth left, Icarus decided to water his vegetable garden. He was about to head out when he heard footsteps downstairs. He immediately remembered Irene's suppressed sobs from the previous night. With his years of experience, Icarus knew that 95 percent of people's difficulties stemmed from money problems in current society. In other words, money could solve most issues. For Icarus, money was the easiest thing to obtain. So, he returned to his room and took out a stack of bills of about 100 thousand dollars from his drawer. He couldn't remember how he had acquired the money. Icarus stuffed the cash into his pocket, went downstairs, and knocked on Irene's door. "Coming!" Irene called out as she walked out of the bathroom, drying her hair with a towel. She had probably just taken a bath. "It's you, Icarus. Come on in," Irene said with a smile, opening the door to let him in. "Isn't Hindale High preparing for its anniversary nowadays? Luna has to stay for rehearsals, so she won't be home until 6:30 pm these days. I haven't cooked yet since I'm waiting for her. Are you hungry? I can make you some noodles first," Irene said, assuming that Icarus had come over for dinner. "I'm not hungry, Ms. Webb. I came to ask if you've been facing any difficulties lately," Icarus said without beating around the bush. "Difficulties?" Irene's expression changed slightly before she forced a smile and shook her head. "Icarus, I'm not facing any difficulties." "Last night, I couldn't sleep and… I think I heard you crying," Icarus said. "Y-You must have heard wrongly, Icarus," Irene said, biting her lip. "I don't think I heard wrong. Luna isn't home right now, so there's no need to hide anything from me," Icarus urged. Irene stared at Icarus in silence for a few seconds before her eyes reddened. She began to tell him everything. "A while ago, my ex-husband kept coming to the restaurant where I work, causing trouble and demanding money. I ended up losing my job because of him. "Last week, I got a call saying my father had fallen while working on the farm and injured his spine. The surgery costs 50 thousand dollars... "For the past few years, I've been working at the restaurant, and my earnings are just enough to cover Luna's tuition fee and basic living expenses—I have no savings. But my father needs surgery right away for his injury. If we wait too long, he could become completely paralyzed. "But I don't have the money for his surgery. Now that I've lost my job, I don't even know how I'll pay Luna's tuition fees for the next semester. And then there's my ex-husband! I don't know how much debt he's racked up. I don't know how many more people will come looking for me..." As Irene spoke about her dire situation, she began to cry. Life had been cruel to her, and she was at a loss. She had been feeling so depressed that she had even considered suicide. However, she pretended that everything was fine in front of Luna. She didn't want her daughter to feel burdened by all these things. After confiding in Icarus, Irene felt a sense of relief. She wiped her tears and looked at Icarus with a bitter smile. "I'm sorry you had to see me like this." But Icarus shook his head and stood up from the sofa. He then took out the stack of cash from his pocket and placed it on the table. "Ms. Webb, there's about 100 thousand dollars here. Use it to help you get through these tough times," Icarus said. Irene's expression turned into one of immense shock when she saw the money. "Icarus, what are you doing? W-Where did you get this money from?" To Irene, Icarus had a difficult life. He was only in his teens. Yet, he had no family or friends. He often stayed alone at home and ate nothing but vegetables. It was because of this that Irene often invited Icarus to eat at her place. But now Icarus was suddenly offering her 100 thousand dollars, which didn't make sense. He was a high school student who didn't have a job. How could he have so much money? Irene's first thought was that Icarus might have done something illegal. "Don't worry, Ms. Webb. This money was given to me by… a friend," Icarus clarified. Irene retorted sternly, "A friend? What friend? Icarus, tell me the truth. Where did this money come from? Are you doing something—" "Absolutely not, Ms. Webb. I swear this money isn't some dirty or illegal money. If I'm lying to you, may I be struck by lightning," Icarus cut her off, feeling helpless. He found it kind of funny that he had to convince others to accept his help. "Don't say that! I believe you," Irene interrupted him, feeling flustered. Icarus fell silent. "But I can't accept this money. No matter who gave it to you, it's still your money. Your life is hard enough. How could I borrow money from you? Take it back. I'll figure something out," Irene said. Icarus paused for a bit and said, "I'll tell you the truth, but you might not believe it." "Go on." Irene looked at Icarus, feeling puzzled. "I'm actually the richest person in Dalsoria," Icarus declared.