Chapter 1

The mountainous area in the northwestern region of Dalsoria remained in its natural state, untouched by development. There were no roads and no cars. Even the sighting of a human was rare.

Nestled among the mountains was a solitary shack. Beyond it was a clearing filled with medicinal herbs whose scents wafted in the air.

The shack was small and housed nothing more than a bed and a desk, the latter of which was covered in books and scraps of paper.

On the bed lay an elderly man. His eyes were closed, and he had a peaceful expression on his face. A young man who looked to be approximately 17 or 18 years old was sitting by the bed.

"I envy you so much, Sal. You got to pass away peacefully after at the age of 81," Icarus Frye murmured with a faint smile as he looked at Salazar Aldridge, the elderly man who had just died.

"Alas, my life is far more tragic. Who knows how much longer I must live before I get to move on too."

Icarus sighed, his gaze filled with pain and helplessness. Nearly five thousand years had passed since he first started on the path of cultivation. Throughout those long, arduous years, he'd failed to die and failed to proceed to the next cultivation phase.

After cultivating for almost five millennia, he was still in the first phase—the refinement phase! Indeed, he was still at the very most basic phase of cultivation. Technically speaking, one wouldn't even consider it a cultivation phase, really. It was more akin to a preparation phase to prepare a person's body for cultivation.

Only when one had reached the second phase—the foundation phase—did it count as truly embarking on the path of cultivation.

Yet Icarus just so happened to be stuck right at the refinement phase with no means of progressing further. Over the years, he'd consumed over ten thousand foundation enhancement pills, to no avail.

During the first millennia, his mentor consoled him by saying that his spiritual core was stronger than everyone else's, so he needed to stay in the refinement phase a little longer. But just like that, a thousand years passed, and even his mentor started wondering if he'd been mistaken.

Had Icarus merely been a mortal without a spiritual core? But then again, could a mere mortal live for a thousand years without showing any signs of aging?

Later on, Icarus' mentor succeeded in his ascension, joining the ranks of immortality and leaving the mortal world. From then onward, no one paid any attention to Icarus' cultivation.

As time went on, the spiritual energy and resources of the world gradually decreased. And now, even if Icarus managed to have a breakthrough and proceed to the foundation phase, he wouldn't be able to ascend to immortality.

That being said, Icarus never even thought about wanting to achieve immortality. All he wanted was to get past this stupid refinement phase! That was his obsession.

By now, he had cultivated until the 9832th stage of the refinement phase. Most cultivators only needed to reach the 12th stage before progressing into the foundation phase.

Just the thought of cultivation alone vexed Icarus. Taking a deep breath, he stood up and looked at the pieces of paper on the desk that were scribbled with all sorts of medicinal formulas.

"If I'd known you'd end up becoming so obsessed with medicine, I wouldn't have taught it to you back then!" Icarus said, shaking his head helplessly. According to Salazar's dying wishes, he was to organize these formulas and bring them with him.

He'd only just started sorting through them when he heard the sound of footsteps outside. He swiftly lifted his head and looked out the window. Considering where Salazar had built this shack, how was it possible that someone managed to find it?

Icarus' brows creased slightly.

After about 15 minutes, a group of people appeared in front of the shack.

There were seven of them in total—a young man and woman, an elderly man in a wheelchair, and four muscular men in suits that looked like bodyguards. Once Icarus saw the dying man sitting in the wheelchair, he knew they'd come to seek medical help.

The handsome man approached the shack and called out loudly, "Greetings, Dr. Aldridge. My name is Fred Talbot. We're from the Talbots of Riverton. We would like you to—"

Icarus opened the door, cutting Fred off.

"You're too late. Salazar Aldridge passed away not too long ago."

Everyone's expressions stiffened in shock. What was that? Salazar Aldridge, the genius doctor they'd gone to great lengths to find… was dead?

"H-How could this be…" Fred mumbled, his face pale. He stared dazedly at Icarus.

To treat the severe condition that plagued Jeremiah Talbot, Fred's grandfather, the Talbots used all of the resources at their disposal. They had expended a lot of money and manpower before they managed to procure the location of Salazar who had withdrawn from society for nearly two decades.

After much hardship and difficulty, they finally located Salazar's shack, only to receive this devastating news instead!

"How could it be such a coincidence? We've only just found him… No, it can't be. Dr. Aldridge isn't dead. He's just choosing to hide from society. He doesn't want to see us!" Ruth Talbot, the pretty young woman, exclaimed in agitation. Tears had filled her reddened eyes.

"Yes, that's right! Dr. Aldridge is definitely inside!" Fred agreed. Eyes filled with hope, he entered the shack. Immediately, he spotted Salazar on the bed with his eyes tightly shut. After taking a closer look, he realized that the old man was no longer breathing.

"H-How can this be happening…" His hopes dashed, he felt as if all the energy had been sucked out of him.

"I already told you that Salazar has passed away. You can leave now," Icarus said, his brows furrowed. He was a little displeased that Fred had barged into the shack without permission.

All of a sudden, a thought occurred to Fred. He swiveled his head around to look at Icarus. "You're Dr. Aldridge's disciple, aren't you? I'm sure you must've inherited his medical skills. You can treat our grandpa instead. As long as you succeed, we'll give you as much money as you want!"

Icarus shook his head and replied, "I'm not his disciple. I'm just… an old friend of his."

Technically, Icarus was Salazar's mentor. It was under Icarus' influence that the 15-year-old Salazar had chosen to study medicine. But of course, there was no point in saying this. No one would believe him if he did.

As it was, claiming to be Salazar's old friend was rather strange too. Icarus looked like he wasn't even 20 yet, and Salazar was in his 80s. How could two people of vastly different ages be considered old friends?

Nevertheless, no one was in the mood to ponder this right now. They were all wallowing in despair after having their hopes destroyed.

Meanwhile, when Jeremiah heard about Salazar's passing, he slumped down in his wheelchair with a defeated gaze. Such was fate. His time was up. There was no point in trying to fight it.

Ruth was deeply saddened to see Jeremiah in this state. She couldn't stop crying.

Brows furrowed, Icarus looked at Jeremiah and asked out of the blue, "You're already 73 years old. That's a pretty long life. Isn't it more than enough? Why do you want to carry on living?"

Upon hearing that, everyone was stunned. They were curious to know how Icarus knew Jeremiah's age. However, once they processed what Icarus said, their expressions hardened.

Did he imply that Jeremiah had lived long enough? Who in this world would ever claim that they'd lived long enough? What did he mean by that? Was he trying to taunt Jeremiah? Was it an insult?

"What are you trying to say, you bastard?" Fred fumed as he threw a punch at Icarus' chest, his expression foul.

Icarus' gaze flickered ever so slightly, but he didn't even move.

Before Fred's fist could make contact with Icarus, Fred felt as though he'd been hit by a powerful force. He was sent flying backward before stumbling onto the ground.

Everyone's jaws dropped. They were all thunderstruck. It had clearly been Fred who threw the punch. Icarus hadn't even moved, so how did Fred end up on the ground instead?

"Fred!" Ruth shrieked.

The four bodyguards finally came back to their senses and began making their way over to Icarus.

"No one is allowed to move!" Jeremiah ordered hoarsely, and the four men swiftly halted.

Clutching his chest, Fred crawled up from the ground and stared at Icarus in horror.

"I'm afraid we've been very rude, young man. May I know your name?" Jeremiah asked.

"Icarus Frye."

Jeremiah nodded in greeting before saying with a smile, "You asked me why I wanted to carry on living. I shall answer that question now. It's because I want to continue spending more time with my family. I want to be around to watch my grandchildren grow up. I want to see them get married, start their own families, and have children of their own.

"Isn't that the case with everyone? We all hope to see our families flourish and do well for themselves."

"Grandpa…" Ruth cried even harder after hearing what Jeremiah said.

Meanwhile, the mention of family made Icarus' eyes flicker. To him, family was nothing more than a distant memory. But for ordinary mortals, family was a constant in their lives that carried on from generation to generation. Wouldn't most mortals long to live for as long as they could?

"What you have is end-stage lung cancer, right? You have less than three months to live, so make the most of your final moments," Icarus said before heading back inside the shack and shutting the door behind him.

The Talbots were stupefied. How did Icarus tell just by looking at Jeremiah that the latter had lung cancer? Plus, he was spot-on. The doctors had indeed said that Jeremiah had less than three months to live.

Icarus had to be Salazar's disciple!

After coming back to his senses, Fred started pounding on the door, shouting, "Mr. Frye, you're Dr. Aldridge's disciple, aren't you? Please treat my grandpa. Please, I'm begging you! We'll—"

"A person's life and death is in fate's hands. Leave at once, all of you. Or else, don't blame me for not showing any courtesy." Icarus' calm voice rang out from the shack.

"A doctor should be compassionate! How can you refuse to save a life—" Fred growled in anger.

"Freddy, come back here," Jeremiah said.

"Grandpa!" Fred cried out, his eyes red as he turned to look at Jeremiah.

"The young man is right. Life and death are both determined by fate. If is it my fate to die, how can I cheat fate? Let's go," Jeremiah said.

In a sincere manner, he called out to the shack, "Young man, I have nothing but the utmost respect for Mr. Aldridge. I didn't expect him to have passed on already… I know we have disturbed his peace by coming here today, and I'm truly sorry for that. I hope he will rest in peace now."

Once Jeremiah finished speaking, he instructed everyone to leave. Although Fred didn't want to accept this outcome, he had no choice but to obey Jeremiah.

As they made their way back, everyone was silent, and the atmosphere was heavy. Noticing the thoughtful look on his younger sister Ruth's face, Fred frowned and asked, "What's on your mind, Ruth?"

Brows slightly furrowed, Ruth muttered, "I keep getting the feeling that Icarus looks a little familiar. It feels like I've seen him somewhere before."

"How is that possible? It's our first time coming to the northwestern region. How could you have possibly met that guy Icarus before?" Fred said.

"You're right, but… he really does seem familiar to me," Ruth replied as she rubbed her temples.

Being in a bad mood, Fred ignored Ruth. He assumed she was merely mistaken. Yet, after only taking a few more steps, Ruth came to an abrupt stop. "I-I remember now. I saw him in school before!"

Chapter 2

It was evening when Icarus stepped out of the train station in the city of Hindale in Riverton. He dropped by the supermarket to get himself some chicken and two cans of beer before slowly walking home.

He lived in a small house with a front yard in an undeveloped neighborhood. Rent was cheap—only 500 dollars a month. Each floor of the two-story house was rented out separately. He took the second while a mother and her daughter lived on the first.

Once he got back, he set up the barbecue pit out in the front yard and started roasting the chicken. Just as he was basting his chicken, a teenage girl with a backpack on her shoulders came scampering into the yard.

"It smells wonderful, Russ! I could smell it from miles away," said Luna Upton, the teenage girl. She walked up to Icarus and stared at the chicken with widened eyes.

"Calm down. I'll set aside some for you," Icarus assured her.

"You're the best, Russ!" Luna squealed before heading into her house.

Luna was a 10th grader who lived on the first floor with her mother. Moments later, she came back out and brought a stool over to sit beside Icarus.

"Where have you been the last few days, Russ? Mom went back to her hometown, so I'm here all alone. I've been so bored," Luna said as she cupped her face with her hands.

"An old friend of mine passed away. I went to see him," Icarus replied truthfully.

After a pause, Luna said contritely, "I'm sorry. My condolences."

She figured Icarus' old friend had to be around his age. They had to have been close too. It was such a tragedy for that friend to die so young. Yet, she soon realized that Icarus showed no trace of sadness in his expression. On the contrary, he was salivating as he stared at the juicy chicken on the barbecue pit.

A few minutes later, Icarus declared, "It's done!"

He grabbed it by hand as if unafraid that it could burn him. After breaking off a drumstick for Luna, he started munching on the rest.

It was delicious!

Generally speaking, cultivators shouldn't have to rely on food for sustenance any longer. It was kind of absurd that someone who had been cultivating for nearly five thousand years still relied on food for satiation without achieving the state of no longer requiring food.

Alas, Icarus had no choice. While he could avoid eating, he'd feel the hunger pangs. A long time ago, he had been so depressed and tired of living that he wanted to end his own life. Yet, even after starving himself of food and water for two months, he was still alive and well.

But of course, while he was physically fine, he felt desperately hungry and thirsty. As long as he could still feel those pangs, he had to eat like a regular person. It'd be torture otherwise.

Later that night, Icarus sat on his bed and slowly looked through the medicinal formulas that Salazar had written over the span of almost two decades. Every single formula was the result of his extensive research, his labor of love. They were all priceless beyond comparison. The release of any single one would've shocked the entire medical industry.

"My, my. He'd studied areas such as the improvement of virility quite extensively too. The disciple surpassed his mentor," Icarus murmured to himself.

All of a sudden, he heard someone pounding on the door below.

A rough, unpleasant voice hollered, "Come out here, Carl, you bastard! You owe us 50 thousand! You think you can just hide from us to avoid paying your gambling debts?"

With Icarus' keen sense of hearing, he heard Luna crying inside the house below. If he recalled correctly, she'd said that her mother had gone back to her hometown, and she'd been staying alone the past few days.

"Open up right this instant! If you don't, we'll break the door down! Just you wait. Once I get my hands on you, I'll fuck you up!" another voice shouted.

Immediately, the men started knocking the door down.

"C-Carl Upton and my mom have already gotten divorced. He has nothing to do with us. He's not here either…" Luna cried out tearily.

"Am I supposed to trust you just because you say he's not here? You're his daughter! I bet you'd lie to protect him!"

The two men continued their attempt to barge into the house.

"I-If you don't stop, I'm calling the police!" Luna shouted.

"As if you'd dare! Once this door comes down, I'll deal with you first!" one of the men threatened.

Within seconds, the door flew open, and the two ferocious men stormed into the house. They immediately saw Luna slumped on the floor, weak from fear. After looking around, they realized she was all alone.

"How did that bastard Carl get himself such a pretty daughter?" one of the men remarked as he eyed Luna greedily.

"That gives me an idea. Since we can't find that fucker, let's just sell her off. That'll cover his debt," the other man suggested.

"There's no rush. Before that, we can get a taste first—"

But before he could even touch Luna, he felt himself being lifted up by some powerful force.

"Who are you?" the other man yelled as he tried to attack Icarus. But at the very next second, he let out a piercing howl as Icarus kicked him, sending him back out into the yard.

Meanwhile, the guy Icarus had caught didn't even get a chance to speak. Icarus gave him a few slaps before tossing him out as well.

"If you want money, find the person who owes you. I give you three seconds to get the hell out of here," Icarus said coolly.

Still reeling from Icarus' earlier attacks, the two men knew how terrifying he was and dared not stick around. They fled without even having the guts to threaten him.

Luna was still sobbing, her body trembling. Icarus crouched down and said, "Everything's fine now. I've chased them away."

She threw her arms around him and started wailing even harder. After consoling her for a while and fixing the door, he finally went back upstairs.

Having lived for nearly five millennia, Icarus had experienced far too many things. As a result, he developed a rather cold and detached personality. Even when confronted with the misfortunes of others, such as Jeremiah's situation, he chose not to get involved.

He would only help those who were connected to him in some way or people he found interesting.

…

Late at night, Icarus got in bed to sleep. Just like food, sleep was something he could avoid if he wanted to, but he would feel drowsy, so he had to sleep anyway. However, he'd only closed his eyes for a minute or two when he heard a knock on the door.

Once he opened it, he saw Luna standing outside in her nightgown.

"R-Russ, I'm too scared to sleep alone at home… Can you let me sleep here instead?" Luna asked. Her pretty eyes were puffy from all her crying. Even her nose was red. She looked rather pitiful.

Apart from her mother, the person she trusted the most was Icarus.

Her request startled Icarus. He only had one bed. Nevertheless, when he noticed how she was still trembling, he agreed to her request.

"You can take my bed tonight," Icarus said.

"I-I'll sleep on the floor. You can keep your bed," Luna replied.

"It's fine. I napped on the train today, so I'm not that tired."

Thus, Luna stopped protesting and carefully got into Icarus' bed.

"So, this is what Russ' bed feels like," she thought to herself. "It's warm. He must've been lying here just now…"

Luna looked over at Icarus, who was sitting at his desk and looking through the large pile of medicinal formulas again. She felt her cheeks burning. She couldn't believe she was lying in his bed right now.

How was he such a good fighter anyway? Those two men had been so scary, but he'd thrown them out of the house within seconds. He looked so cool doing it too!

Soon, Luna's mind stopped wandering as she fell into slumber.

…

The next day, Icarus headed over to Hindale High. Over the years, he'd attended school countless times already. Still, he had no choice but to continue doing so. As long as he was still alive, he had to live like an ordinary person.

After working in various professions, Icarus concluded that attending school was still the most fun and relaxing part of life.

He walked to the Class 2 classroom for seniors and sat down in the corner. In school, he was a loner who kept a low profile. He had no friends and went unnoticeable in class. In fact, he was willing to bet that at least half the class didn't know his full name.

"I heard that Ruth Talbot, the school beauty from the honors class next door, wants to transfer to our class! Is that true?"

"It is! The class representative overheard her talking to our homeroom teacher in the staffroom, and she'd asked to transfer here."

"What's going on? Why would a goddess like her want to transfer to our class? Could it be that she likes one of the guys here?"

Icarus heard his classmates gossiping among themselves, but it was all noise to him.

Donovan Lane, Icarus' plump deskmate, poked him in the arm and asked, "Hey, Icarus. Ruth Talbot wants to transfer to our class! Why aren't you excited?"

"I don't even know who she is. Why should I be excited?" Icarus responded.

"What the hell? Haven't you heard of Ruth before? She's a daughter of the Talbots of Riverton! Not only does she come from a prominent family background, but she looks as beautiful as an angel too! Everyone agrees that she's the most beautiful girl in Hindale High. She's our goddess!" Donovan cried out enthusiastically.

The Talbots of Riverton? That sounded familiar, but Icarus merely hummed in acknowledgment before resting his head on his desk to take a nap. He was sleepy after having stayed up all night.

Since Icarus seemed uninterested, Donovan didn't bother keeping the conversation going. After a while, the class bell rang, and everyone took their seats, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the school beauty.

True enough, Hank Yarra, the homeroom teacher, came in with a female student. She was dressed in the school uniform and wore her hair in a braid. Although she didn't have any makeup on, her skin looked bright and flawless.

Even though she was dressed like a student, her striking features, including her shining eyes, elegant nose, and ruby-red lips all made her seem like an angel. Ruth was undeniably the school beauty. She looked like a goddess to everyone in class, who sighed in awe when they saw her.

"From today onward, Ruth will be joining us here in Class 2. Please give her a warm welcome!" Hank said respectfully.

Everyone in class started clapping, the noise making Icarus look up. As soon as he did, he saw Ruth standing at the head of the class.

Immediately, he recognized her and figured out why she asked to transfer to this class. He cursed under his breath, knowing that trouble had come looking for him.

Ruth had also been scanning the class to look for Icarus, and once she spotted him in the corner, her eyes lit up.

"I knew you'd be here, Icarus!" she thought gleefully.

"Mr. Yarra, I'd like him to be my deskmate," Ruth piped up as she stared fixedly in Icarus' direction.

Chapter 3

The students tracked Ruth's gaze and saw her looking toward the corner where Icarus was seated, but their eyes naturally landed on Leon Harlow, who sat in front of Icarus. He was crowned the most handsome guy in class due to his good looks and wealthy background. Many of the girls in class had a crush on him.

Could it be that Ruth had transferred to Class 2 for him?

Tom Higgins, Leon's deskmate, bumped his arm against Leon and said, "L-Leon, I think Ruth is here for you!"

Leon was a little confused as well. Back in 10th grade, he'd once tried to woo Ruth, but before he even got a chance to talk to her, the Talbots gave him a warning to back off. From that moment onward, he knew that Ruth was someone he couldn't afford to offend.

They were in their senior year now and on the verge of graduating from high school. Why was Ruth coming for him now? Could it be that she'd been harboring a secret crush on him for a long time?

Considering this possibility, Leon swiftly sat up straight and combed his hair a little. Despite being rather excited, he maintained a calm exterior.

All eyes were on Ruth and Leon now. Naturally, everyone in class ignored the fact that Donovan and Icarus sat behind Leon. After all, one was physically unattractive while the other was a loner. Why would a goddess like Ruth be interested in either one of them?

"Leon's going to ruin yet another pretty girl!"

"Alas… if only I were as handsome and rich as Leon."

"Ruth's my goddess! How could she fall in love with someone else?"

The boys in the class had mixed emotions about this. Some were envious while others were jealous.

Meanwhile, Hank looked at Ruth with a kind expression and asked, "Do you wish to sit with Leon, Ruth?"

Instead of responding, Ruth started heading toward Icarus.

Leon was so nervous that his heart was racing. He began to ponder what the first words out of his mouth should be. As Ruth came closer, he started to smile. He was just about to speak when Ruth walked right past him.

"Mr. Yarra, I want to sit with Icarus," Ruth said as she stared fixedly at Icarus.

The classroom was silent as the students all exchanged wide-eyed looks with each other. What was going on? Why was Ruth asking to sit with the basically invisible Icarus instead of Leon, the most handsome guy in class?

Ruth turned to the thunderstruck Donovan and asked sweetly, "Would you be okay with giving me your seat?"

It was Donovan's first time being in such proximity with a beautiful girl. Turning scarlet, he opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. Thus, before Donovan could say anything, Icarus spoke up.

"I don't want to sit with you."

Some of the boys in class couldn't resist gasping in shock. The fact that Ruth wanted to sit with Icarus had been stupefying enough. Who would've thought that Icarus would even reject the idea? Did he know what he was rejecting? Every other guy dreamed of being in his position!

All of the guys were inwardly hollering their own willingness to sit with Ruth instead!

Ruth didn't care about Icarus' rejection. She turned toward Hank, who tensed up when he sensed her eyes on him. Considering who Ruth was, even Ned Hoffman, the school principal, had to treat her with respect. Naturally, he was going to fulfill her request.

Hank looked at Icarus and said grimly, "Watch your attitude, Icarus! Ruth has just joined our class. How can you talk to her like that? You and Donovan chat in class all the time! As it is, I've been meaning to separate you two, and now's as good a time as any. Ruth will be your new deskmate. Donovan, you can move to the second last row and sit by yourself. Come on. Do it now!"

Since Hank had given the order, Icarus couldn't say anything. A few minutes later, Ruth got her wish and became his new deskmate, while Donovan was dispatched to the second last row to sit all by his lonesome self.

"Ruth here is a star student from the honors class. You must all learn from her example!" Hank said ingratiatingly.

For Icarus, being Ruth's deskmate was nothing short of terrible. He'd maintained a low profile at Hindale High for two years now, so much so that most of the students in the class didn't even know his name. Yet, Ruth had ruined everything.

Even now, although class was in session, Icarus could sense that many eyes were on him. He let out a sigh and started massaging his temples.

Ruth had been observing him out of the corner of her eye, but she said nothing. He showed no interest in talking to her either. Instead, he slumped back over his desk and continued to rest.

As soon as the bell rang to signal the end of class, everyone broke out into chatter. The topic of discussion was Icarus and Ruth, of course. Even Leon and Tom left their seats and headed up front to chat with a few other guys.

"What the hell? I thought Ruth came to this class for you, Leon! Who would've thought she was after that Icarus guy instead?" one of the guys said.

Leon had a foul expression on his face, feeling vexed and humiliated. Earlier on, he'd been so confident in his own charm and popularity, but Ruth didn't even look at him!

"No. I think something's up. I didn't hear Ruth and Icarus talking to each other at all throughout the entire class. They don't seem to know each other at all," Tom remarked.

Immediately, the guys turned to look at Icarus and Ruth. Icarus was lying on his desk while Ruth seemed to be writing intently. They had no interaction at all.

"I think you're still her real target, Leon! She only chose to sit with Icarus because that means she'll be right behind you!" Tom concluded confidently.

The other guys also had looks of realization and voiced their agreement. "Yes, I think so too. Icarus barely even talks in class. How could he possibly be acquainted with a goddess like Ruth?"

"But if that's the case, why didn't she just ask to sit with me instead?" Leon asked with a frown.

"I bet it's because she's shy! After all, she's just a teenage girl, and she comes from a prominent family too. How can she possibly express her feelings for you directly, Leon?" another guy chimed in.

After thinking about it, Leon thought they had a point. Ruth must've ignored him just now because she was shy, right?

However, while the boys were having this conversation, Icarus got up and left the classroom with Ruth going after him. That got the students chattering again, and Leon, whose mood had only just improved, immediately had a stormy look on his face.

…

Icarus and Ruth went up to the rooftop.

"I know why you came to look for me, but I can't help you," Icarus stated plainly.

Biting her lip, Ruth shot back, "You're Dr. Aldridge's disciple! I'm sure you can save my grandpa."

"I already said I'm not his disciple. He was a friend," Icarus replied, shaking his head.

"Stop lying to me. All it took was one look for you to figure out that Grandpa had end-stage lung cancer and only less than three months to live. Who else could've done it besides a disciple of Dr. Aldridge?" Ruth staunchly protested.

Icarus was now regretting ever having said that. He should've just held his tongue back then. Nevertheless, he cocked an eyebrow and retorted, "So what if I knew what his condition was? It doesn't mean anything. I'm assuming no one in this world can treat someone who has end-stage lung cancer."

"I-I don't expect you to cure his condition… I just hope… you can prolong his life so that he can live a few more years…" Ruth said, her voice choking up. She was starting to tear up as well.

No ordinary guy could withstand the tears of a beautiful girl like her, but Icarus wasn't an ordinary guy.

"Sorry, but I can't do that either," Icarus replied. There were plenty of people in the world who went through their own hardships and misfortunes. He couldn't save everyone, and neither was it his duty to do so either. He wasn't a hero and had no intention of being one.

"It doesn't matter how much money you want in compensation. We can afford it!" Ruth declared.

"I mean it when I say I can't help you. I don't need money either," Icarus responded curtly before turning to leave. But after a few steps, he turned his head around and added, "By the way, I hope you can move to a different seat. I don't want to sit with you. I hate trouble."

As Icarus walked away without hesitation, Ruth became so infuriated that she turned pale. When had she, the daughter of the Talbot family, ever had to plead with someone in such a humble manner? She'd even turned on the waterworks!

Even so, Icarus remained unmoved. He'd been as nonchalant as ever.

"You hate trouble, huh? Well, I'll make trouble for you then!" Ruth growled through gritted teeth.

They both returned to the classroom and throughout the next few periods, they didn't interact with each other at all. Finally, it was time for lunch. Icarus continued to nap on his desk. After arranging her books, Ruth poked him in the shoulder.

"Let's have lunch together, Icarus," Ruth said sweetly.

Icarus looked up. Seeing the brilliant smile on her face, he got a bad feeling.

"Oh, forget it. You must be tired after last night. Go on. Get some sleep. I'll bring you some food. Be a good boy and wait for me," Ruth said, her eyes flashing devilishly. She got up and left the classroom.

Everyone else in class was in an uproar over what Ruth said. They felt a little overloaded by the information! What did she mean by that? What happened last night that tired Icarus out? Why did Ruth blush so bashfully when she said that?

Could it be that Icarus and Ruth had already…

Most of the guys threw jealous glares at Icarus, who remained as cool as a cucumber. He figured Ruth was determined to cause trouble for him. However, she seemed rather determined, going so far as to besmirch her own reputation just to cause this misunderstanding.

Unfortunately for her, Icarus didn't care about this. While he hated trouble, it didn't mean he feared it. After all, this just meant that he would become famous in school and be subjected to the jealousy of all these teenage boys. What was the big deal?

As someone who'd cultivated for nearly five millennia, he might as well end his own life if he couldn't even handle a teenage girl.

Icarus got up to have lunch with Donovan at the cafeteria, but someone called out to him.

"Hey, Icarus. I'd like to discuss something with you. Shall we talk out in the hallway?" Leon said.

Chapter 4

Had trouble come knocking already?

Brows slightly creased, Icarus asked, "What is it about?"

"Let's talk outside. I wouldn't want to disturb the rest of the class with our conversation," Leon replied with a threatening smile.

Icarus nodded without making any further comment. He followed Leon and a few other guys—four of Leon's usual chums—out to a quiet corner by the staircase. Once they got there, the five guys formed a circle around him.

Leon stood in front of Icarus and questioned haughtily, "Icarus, are you acquainted with Ruth or not?"

"We've met before, but I wouldn't say we're acquainted," Icarus responded honestly.

"Not acquainted, you say? Why did Ruth ask to become your deskmate then?" Leon continued questioning in an unpleasant tone—not that it bothered Icarus, of course.

"It's because she needs a favor from me," Icarus said.

"Ruth needs a favor from you? You must be kidding. Why would a wealthy heiress like her need a favor from a poor bastard like you?" Leon retorted with a mocking chuckle. All four of his lackeys laughed along too.

Icarus simply smirked without responding.

After a while, Leon asked once more, "Tell me the truth, Icarus. Do you have something on her?"

"Nope." Icarus shook his head.

"You sure?" Leon questioned as he stared intently at Icarus' expression. Icarus couldn't even be bothered to respond this time.

"Hah. I knew you wouldn't answer me. Either way, I don't care. You'd better find a way to switch seats. When I enter the classroom tomorrow, I don't want to see you sitting with Ruth," Leon commanded. "You got that?"

"I'll do my best," Icarus replied before yawning. "Can I go now? I'm hungry."

"You can go, but you'd better remember what I said. Or else, don't blame me for not going easy on you despite us having been classmates for two years." Leon threatened him with a sneer.

With his wealthy background and constant envoy of lackeys, Leon had always been domineering toward the others in Class 2. No one dared to offend him. And since Icarus was basically invisible in class, Leon thought of him as a loser who didn't pose a threat at all.

As Icarus strolled off, Tom piped up, saying, "Are we just going to let him go like that, Leon? I'm sure he has something he's holding against Ruth. If you can get it from him, you'll be able to get Ruth to—"

"There's no rush. It's too crowded here in school. We can't get physical with him. Relax. If that loser doesn't do as I say, we'll have plenty of chances to teach him a lesson," Leon said coldly.

Donovan, who had been waiting for Icarus at the classroom entrance, exhaled in relief when he saw Icarus returning unharmed.

"Icarus, if Leon ever asks to talk to you alone, you'd better not go no matter what! He's not a nice person," Donovan warned.

"Got it." Icarus nodded.

"Perhaps you don't know, but Leon's family runs a construction company. His dad is kind of powerful here in Hindale. We can't afford to offend people like him!" Donovan anxiously explained when he noticed that Icarus didn't seem to take him seriously.

Icarus said nothing. Before classes resumed in the afternoon, he went to the staffroom and told Hank he wanted to switch seats.

Hank flew into an outrage and admonished him, "Icarus, do you think your family owns this school? What makes you think you can switch seats just because you want to? Plus, considering your circumstances, you should be thanking your lucky stars that you get to sit with Ruth! Why are you trying to act like it's a problem for you?"

Evidently, to Hank, keeping Ruth happy was far more important than entertaining Icarus' requests. There was no way Icarus could move his seat away. Since that was the case, he didn't bother trying any further. He went back to the classroom and sat in his seat.

Throughout the entire afternoon, Leon and Tom kept swiveling their heads backward to shoot Icarus warning glares.

Once the school bell rang to signal the end of class, Ruth packed her things before turning to Icarus with a faint smile. "See you tomorrow, Icarus. From now on, I'll help you with your studies."

Icarus ignored her, but everyone else heard her.

Before leaving the classroom, Leon approached Icarus and scoffed. "Don't forget what I said earlier today, Icarus, or else—"

Once again, Icarus couldn't be bothered to deal with Leon. He walked off before Leon could finish his sentence.

Leon's eyes flashed viciously as he watched Icarus leave. How dare a useless piece of trash show him such little respect?

"Leon, why don't we go after him and teach him a lesson now?" Tom suggested.

Leon waved him off and said icily, "It's fine. Since Icarus doesn't want to move to a different seat, we'll just have to help him!"

…

There were a few hills beside the neighborhood where Leon lived. At the base of one of the hills, he kept a small vegetable garden filled with a variety of vegetables. Every two days, he'd come over to water the plants and harvest some of the produce.

Today, he headed to the vegetable garden as he always did and went to retrieve two pails of water from the nearby stream. As soon as he stuck his pails into the stream, he saw a layer of dark red floating on the usually clear water. He also caught the stench of blood in the air.

There was blood in the water! Icarus cursed at how the crisp, clean water was now polluted with blood. Frowning, he stood up and started walking upstream.

After passing over a small slope, he spotted a woman about 100 feet ahead of him. Dressed in a somewhat tattered office suit, she was stumbling along the edge of the stream while clutching her left arm. It was her blood that had dripped down from her left arm and fallen into the stream.

When she saw Icarus, her eyes lit up with hope.

"H-Help!" she shouted with all her might.

A husky voice male rang out behind her. "Ms. Young wants you dead, Melinda. No one can save you now!"

Two men in black suits and sunglasses ran toward the injured woman, Melinda Johanson, from behind, both armed with guns fitted with silencers.

Not wanting to get involved, Icarus turned to leave, but the two men had seen him too.

"Who are you?" one of them demanded as he raised the gun and pointed it at Icarus.

Icarus couldn't help but wonder what the hell was going on today. Why did he keep running into trouble?

Feeling exasperated, he replied, "I was just passing by. Don't worry. I didn't see or hear anything."

Hearing that, Melinda sank into despair, while the two men exchanged glances, their eyes glinting with hostility. They couldn't risk letting what they'd said earlier be leaked to others. In a desolate place like this, what difference would it make if they killed one or two people?

One of them fired the gun right at Icarus' chest, but in an instant, Icarus vanished, and the bullet missed its mark.

Icarus' voice rang out with a sigh. "Why must you choose to cross me? All I wanted to do was fetch some water for my garden."

Before the two men could react, Icarus reappeared less than three feet in front of them. He slapped one of the men in the face, hitting so hard that the man's head flipped 180 degrees backward. His features were all contorted. Blood splattered out of his mouth, and soon, it was clear he'd stopped breathing.

Terrified by this, the other man yelped and tried to flee, but Icarus didn't give him the chance to leave. He punched the man in the chest, and the chilling sound of breaking bones could be heard. The man slumped to the ground, his eyes bulging with fear.

In just five seconds, the lives of both men came to an end.

Icarus' expression remained unruffled. He didn't intend to attack them, and he'd even promised not to say a word about what he saw. Alas, they'd tried to snuff him out, so he had no choice.

He wouldn't do anything to those who left him alone, but he'd kill those who tried to come at him.

After dealing with the men, Icarus turned around and looked at Melinda. She was also staring at him, her eyes wide with shock. Did he kill those two hitmen just like that? Who on earth was he? Was he even human?

Having lost a lot of blood, Melinda had already been severely weakened. Stunned by what she just witnessed, she felt woozy and passed out.

Chapter 5

Icarus finally focused his attention on Melinda, who'd fainted. Although her face was streaked with blood, her beauty was still unmistakable. But more importantly, she shared a close resemblance to a female friend of his from many years ago.

He wondered if Melinda was a descendant of his friend, though it could also merely be a coincidence. With the number of years that had passed and the increase in world population, it was quite probable for someone with a similar appearance to show up.

Either way, because of her face, he decided to save her.

Ten minutes later, Icarus had bandaged her wound, stopped her bleeding, and called an ambulance for her. By the time the ambulance arrived, he was already gone. The emergency responders took her to the hospital while he proceeded to walk home with his newly harvested vegetables.

…

Inside the study at the Young residence in Hindale, Ingrid Young, a glamorously beautiful woman in a silk nightgown, was leaning against the chair as she looked out the window and took in the night view.

When the phone on the desk started ringing, her brows creased slightly, and she took the call.

"The mission has failed, Ms. Young. Melinda Johanson has been taken to the hospital. The Johansons have sent ample reinforcements to the hospital to protect her. For the time being, I'm afraid that we won't be able to make another attempt—"

"Save it. I just want to know why it failed," Ingrid said in an icy, murderous tone.

"We're still looking into the situation. All we now know is that our hitman duo had successfully dealt with Melinda's bodyguards. They'd hunted her down, and she'd been forced to flee her car in the hills near Janville. However, we lost contact with them after that, and Melinda was also…"

At this point, Ingrid figured out that someone unexpected had rescued Melinda. Otherwise, Melinda wouldn't have survived the attack and had even been brought to the hospital afterward.

"I'm giving you three days to find the person who saved Melinda," Ingrid ordered before ending the call. She picked up her wine glass and swirled the wine, staring at the liquid as she murmured, "I don't care who you are. Since you had the gall to ruin my plans, I'll make sure you're found."

…

When Icarus entered the classroom the next day, he saw an overturned table near the back of the class that was surrounded by a bunch of scattered books. Meanwhile, his own desk had gone missing. Only his chair remained.

Most of the students in class were eyeing him with scorn and derision. Only a few gave him pitying looks.

Brows furrowing, Icarus asked, "Who did it?"

No one replied.

He looked around and asked once more, "Can anyone tell me who did it?"

"Well, since you're so pitiful, I'll tell you. It was Leon and his friends," a pretty girl replied in an impatient tone.

She was Emily Jackson, the previous class beauty prior to Ruth's transfer. She was also one of Leon's ex-girlfriends.

"Oh. It's him, huh?" Icarus nodded and looked over at Leon's desk, but Leon wasn't there.

"So what if he did it? What can you do about it? Don't tell me you'd dare to beat him up. Once he arrives, I bet you won't even dare to say a word about it, so why bother putting on this act now? Just the sight of you annoys me," Emily retorted shrilly.

Icarus glanced at her coolly. In the two or so years he'd spent at Hindale High, he barely made his presence known and certainly never offended anyone. Yet, for some reason, Emily spoke to him with an unexpected sense of contempt in her voice.

"I don't think I've ever offended you. Why are you talking to me like that?" Icarus asked.

"Hah! Just the sight of you riles me up. So what? So what if I like to mock you?" Emily shot back haughtily.

Ever since Ruth transferred to Class 2 yesterday, Emily had been in a foul mood. Before that, she'd been the center of attention in class. But now, all anyone talked about was Ruth.

Being Ruth's deskmate, Icarus was also the subject of Emily's displeasure. Plus, he was a nobody in class—a pushover whom she could use as a metaphorical punching bag to vent her discontent.

Naturally, Icarus didn't bother to argue with Emily. He headed to his desk.

"Why is a nobody like you aiming above your station anyway? You deserve to be taught a lesson by Leon!" Emily shouted after him.

Icarus went to his chair and sat down. He didn't bother moving his desk back from behind. The surrounding students were either jeering at him or eyeing him curiously. What was he doing? Was he waiting for someone to move his desk back for him? Or, was he waiting for Hank to arrive so that he could lodge a complaint?

After a while, Donovan came to the classroom. Once he took everything in, he immediately understood what happened.

"I'll help you move your desk back, Icarus," Donovan offered.

"It's fine. I'll get Leon to do it once he gets here," Icarus replied.

Donovan's expression froze. "Icarus, why don't you just put up with it… We can't afford to offend Leon…"

Some of the guys in the vicinity couldn't resist laughing. "You want to get Leon to move your desk back? Icarus, I used to think you were just an introvert who didn't like talking to others. I'm now realizing that you're a fool after all! Once Leon gets here, you'll know how foolish you're being right now."

As soon as he finished speaking, Leon and his lackeys came walking into the classroom. When they saw Icarus sitting on his chair with no desk in front of him, they all started sneering mockingly.

Leon walked right up to Icarus and exclaimed in feigned shock, "Icarus, what happened to your desk? Why is it missing?"

"Someone said you threw it in the back of the class," Icarus replied. He raised his head to meet Leon's gaze, his eyes still. For some reason, when Leon saw the seemingly hollow look in Icarus' eyes, his heart jumped, and he felt a flicker of fear.

However, he quickly came back to his senses, mortified that he'd actually felt frightened just now. Icarus was just a useless loser! What did he have to be afraid of?

"Yeah, I did it. So what? I'd already shown you enough courtesy yesterday, but you didn't do the same to me. I had to prove to you what I'm capable of so that you'd know better than to think I'm someone you can mess with," Leon loudly declared without bothering to hide what he'd done.

"If you move my desk back and arrange the books on the floor back in order, I'll drop this matter," Icarus said.

Leon wasn't the only one dumbfounded by what Icarus said. The rest of the students in the classroom were stunned too.

Did he say he would drop the matter? Who did he think he was, and who did he think Leon was?

"Hahaha…" Leon let out a scornful guffaw. "You know, Icarus, I'm starting to realize how amusing you are."

"I can't take it anymore, Leon. I want to beat this punk up!" Tom declared as he balled his fists. Leon's other lackeys also formed a circle around Icarus.

Seeing this, most of the students looked on in amusement, especially Emily. She wanted nothing more than to see Icarus beaten into a pulp.

Sweating profusely, Donovan hurried out of the classroom and ran straight to the staffroom. He had to get Hank here at once, or else, Icarus would be in big trouble!

"What did you say? Say it again," Leon said as he put his arms on his hips and eyed Icarus condescendingly.

Icarus began, "I told you to move my desk back and arrange the books on the floor—"

"Get lost!" Leon cut Icarus off with a scowl as he raised his right hand to slap Icarus in the face. However, at the very next second, Icarus grabbed his hand so tightly that it couldn't budge at all.

"How dare you try to fight back?" Tom growled as he sent a kick in Icarus' direction, but similarly, Icarus caught his leg.

"You guys started it," Icarus said curtly before flinging them both away. Both of them flew backward before landing at the back of the class with loud thuds.

Everyone else in class was dumbfounded. What just happened?

Icarus walked to the back of the class and peered down at Leon and Tom, who were both dazed from the fall.

"Move my desk back," Icarus calmly said.

Leon had never suffered such treatment before. Turning pale with fury, he roared, "How dare you lay your hands on me, Icarus! I'll make you regret—Argh!"

Icarus stepped on Leon's right hand, applying just a bit of pressure. However, it was enough for Leon to howl in excruciating pain.

"Move my desk back," Icarus repeated.

"Just you wait, Icarus…" Leon gasped out as he rolled around in pain.

The terrifying sound of breaking bones echoed in the silent classroom.

"I'm only going to repeat myself one last time. Move my desk back to its original spot," Leon said with an expressionless face.