An Understated Dominance by Marina Vittori Chapter 1209
Woody was scared out of his wits. He trembled in fear. The Drunken Maniac’s appearance had unleashed his deepest, darkest fear. Ten years ago, he was just a small fry in the Martial Arts Union.
He was full of fighting spirit the night he received the mission to capture the criminals. Beyond excited, he thought that would be his one chance to prove himself. He was going to make a name for himself.
But it wasn’t until they reached the battlefield that he realized how cruel reality was. He saw with his own eyes how his comrades were shredded into pieces.
He saw how his leader was beheaded. And he saw how all the experts he had looked up to were murdered. They had all been utterly defenseless against their opponents and were killed upon contact.
He was thoroughly traumatized by the bloody and gory scenes that had unfolded before his eyes. To this very day, those scenes still haunt his every nightmare. He would shake involuntarily every time he was reminded of what happened.
The fact was, he had only survived that night due to pure luck. At the most critical moment, he got the brilliant idea to feign death. So he dropped to the ground and played dead. And that was how he had made it out alive.
Though he was promoted after the battle, he was scared out of his wits. He lost all the ambition he had when he started.
He had thought that he’d finally gotten over those nightmares and that they would never appear anymore. But now, the murder machine from his memories appeared before him again. All the terrifying memories from before seemed to awaken within him, stirring up all his hidden fears.
“What? The Drunken Maniac? This grubby old man is the Drunken Maniac?
“How’s that possible? Isn’t he dead?”
“My goodness! If news gets out that the Drunken Maniac is still alive and in Balerno, the entire Dragonmarsh will descend into chaos!”
“Who is the Drunken Maniac? Is he very powerful?”
“Well, but of course! The Drunken Maniac’s an ultimate grandmaster! He’s one of the top ten greatest martial artists in the entire martial world!
“He’s someone right at the pinnacle! Do you think he’s powerful?”
“Damn! He’s that great? Wouldn’t he basically be invincible if he’s one of the top ten greatest martial artists?” At that moment, Woody was not the only one scared.
After learning about who the Drunken Maniac was, all the experts from the various guilds looked at him in awe and admiration.
Even the haughtiest and proudest among them had no choice but to show respect to such a formidable person. To them, an ultimate grandmaster of such level was no longer a mere mortal. Instead, he was more like a God who held their lives in his hands.
“Hey, you. “the Drunken Maniac called out to Woody. That scared him so much that his legs gave way, and he fell to his knees.
He shivered as he begged, “Lord Drunken Maniac, I was blind! I didn’t know who you were. Please don’t take it to heart, and I hope you find it in you to forgive my unintentional offense!”
Still on his knees, he hung his head low. He looked flustered and frightened to the core. “Huh?” The Drunken Maniac raised a brow as he looked at Woody with a peculiar expression.
All he did was call out to him. Why was he so scared? Were people from the Martial Arts Union such scaredy-cats these days?
“Alright! I’m in a good mood today, so I’ll let you go just this once.”
The Drunken Maniac waved his hand as he continued calmly, “Go back and convey my message to Cesar Fent. Tell him to be careful and watch his back. Now, take your men and get lost!”
“Yes, sir! We’ll be off right away!”
Woody nodded in gratitude as he sped off with his men without looking back. Wise men submit to circumstances. A wounded ego and bruised pride was nothing if it meant he could get away with his life.
Besides, few could live with their ego and pride intact in the presence of the Drunken Maniac. “Do any of you have anything to say about me defending this young man here?”
After getting rid of Woody and his men, the Drunken Maniac turned his gaze to those from the guilds. That sent a wave of panic among them.
None of them had expected Dustin to be backed by such a powerful person. It was no wonder he was so powerful at such a young age. So it turned out he had an ultimate grandmaster teaching him in private.
“Why have you all gone mute now? Weren’t you all waving your weapons about, ready to challenge me?”
The Drunken Maniac picked at his nose again. He pulled out a piece of booger and toyed with it between his fingers.
