Matthew Atkinson
London, United Kingdom
Grand Magister Russell had excellent self-control.
Or rather… He was quite shrewd and calculating.
Instead of reacting immediately, he said, "Mr. Kent, I've prepared some tea and milk. Let's get in the car first, and we can talk over tea when we get back."
"Alright, Grand Magister Russell, please."
Matthew agreed and got into the car with Grand Magister Russell.
The interior of the car was very luxurious, and the seats were as comfortable as sofas.
"Drive back to the guild."
After Grand Magister Russell gave the order, the driver drove the car toward the guild building.
On the road, Grand Magister Russell chatted with Matthew the whole time.
"Mr. Kent..."
"Grand Magister Russell, you can just call me Clark."
"Alright, I'll take the liberty of calling you Clark."
Grand Magister Russell nodded slightly in satisfaction at Matthew's politeness.
"Clark, how did you and my daughter meet?"
"Oh, I'm a graduate of the University of Oxford. In May, I wanted to go back to the University of Oxford for a visit, and I ended up running into my junior, Natalie Russell..."
Before coming, to avoid giving anything away, Matthew and Natalie had rehearsed their lines.
As for his fabricated story about being a graduate of the University of Oxford...
Matthew wasn't afraid of Grand Magister Russell investigating.
First of all, Grand Magister Russell did not yet have the authority to investigate the graduate files of a prestigious university.
Only after Grand Magister Russell took the seat of the regional headquarters would he have this power.
However, by then, Natalie would definitely have already patched up the "holes" at the university.
Grand Magister Russell nodded.
This was the same explanation his daughter gave, so there was nothing wrong with it.
"Clark, if I may ask, what layer are you currently at in the Supernatural Realm?"
"I just passed the 19th layer."
This number was also carefully considered by Matthew.
He felt that his current strength should not be weaker than Ava Owen's across the hall. Since Ava Owen was at level 26, he should be a little conservative and say layer 19, right?
He was initially planning to give a layer number higher than 20.
The main problem was that he looked too young. Saying he was over twenty years old was a bit too conspicuous.
Because the twentieth level of the Supernatural Realm was a major hurdle, extremely difficult, and few people passed it.
Upon hearing this, Grand Magister Russell looked at Matthew with great surprise.
He was only on the 23rd floor.
This kid was so young, yet he was almost catching up to him.
"My daughter told me you're only 22 years old?"
Seeing Matthew nod, Grand Magister Russell exclaimed, "Truly, the younger generation is formidable."
...
The Royal Guild branch building in London was not far from the station.
As the two were talking, the car was already parked in front of the guild's building.
The driver reminded him, "Grand Magister, we've arrived."
Grand Magister Russell nodded and beckoned Matthew to get out of the car together.
As they entered the Royal Guild building, Grand Magister Russell asked, "Clark, my daughter must have already explained everything to you before you came, right?"
"Yes." Matthew understood what Grand Magister Russell meant and said, "I came to join the Royal Guild."
"Okay, let's register your information first and make a membership file for you."
Matthew nodded.
Matthew immediately produced his fake ID.
No. That was not true.
His ID card was genuine. It could be swiped, its information was registered, and he could open bank accounts.
His entire file was available in the police system.
The basic membership application form has been completed quickly.
Next was a test of strength.
To be honest, Matthew was actually quite curious about his current abilities.
"I need to ask before testing." Grand Magister Russell asked, "Clark, what ability did you gain in the Holy Land?"
"It's a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit, the Strong-Strong Fruit," Matthew replied immediately. "Currently, it can increase my strength by three times."
He couldn't say he got a Kryptonian Bloodline. That would blow their cover.
Among the abilities in the Holy Land, only the "Strong-Strong Fruit" suited his situation best.
Other suitable Devil Fruits or mutant bloodlines all exhibited extraordinary characteristics.
Only the Strong-Strong Fruit amplified one's power without other characteristics.
"The Strong-Strong Fruit?" Grand Magister Russell immediately said, "This ability is quite good. It once produced a top-tier powerhouse."
"It can't compare to the Flame-Flame Fruit ability of junior Natalie." Matthew smiled and said, "As for my performance in the Supernatural Realm, I was far worse."
Upon hearing the young man praise his daughter, Grand Magister Russell's old face immediately showed a proud expression.
"Haha... not at all, Natalie was just lucky..."
After a feigned act of humility, Grand Magister Russell continued, "Since you possess the Strong-Strong Fruit, then you must be pursuing the path of strength, right?"
Matthew thought for a moment and said, "I am prioritizing the strength path and using agility as a secondary path."
"Alright, the next test will focus on strength."
As Grand Magister Russell spoke, he instructed his subordinates to make preparations while leading Matthew toward the back of the guild building.
Behind the guild building, there was a structure that resembled a stadium.
This was where supernaturals' abilities were tested.
Everything here, from the walls to the floor, was made of special materials and filled with metal.
A moment later, Grand Magister Russell led Matthew to the strength testing area.
He pointed to the machines and equipment next to him and introduced them to Matthew.
"This is the latest punching power testing machine, which can withstand a force of up to 50 tons."
"This is the grip strength testing machine, which can absorb a grip force of up to 10 tons."
"This is the weightlifting area..."
"These can all be used to test strength, Clark. Which one would you like to test?"
Matthew thought for a moment, then pointed to the punching-power testing machine beside him and said, "Let's test my punching power first."
The reason he chose the punching power testing machine was that it was the safest option.
Like weightlifting, it required systematic training and mastery of power-generation techniques to unlock its advantages.
Matthew was indeed strong, but he had never trained, so choosing weightlifting would definitely reduce his effectiveness.
He came here to demonstrate his strength.
For Matthew, the best way to demonstrate his power was to throw a punch, showing his destructive force.
"Alright. Let's test your punching power then."
Grand Magister Russell said that, and he immediately ordered the staff to come and record the video.
The reason for recording the video was to upload it to the headquarters for inspection.
Grand Magister couldn't just say how strong a person was, could he?
If someone deliberately cheated, then even the most insignificant person would become the strongest on paper.
After the recording equipment was set up, Matthew aimed a punch at the punching power testing machine in front of the camera and threw it.
-Boom
The loud impact sounded like a thunderstorm.
Matthew didn't use Armament Haki or Fist/Galaxy Impact skills in this punch. It was just an ordinary punch.
The punching power testing machine immediately displayed numbers.
Soon, the numbers stopped, displaying the force of Matthew's punch: 45 tons.
It almost broke the upper limit of the punching power tester.
"Good."
Seeing Matthew's performance, Grand Magister Russell's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but cheer loudly.
He hadn't told Matthew that this punching power testing machine could withstand tests from "fifth-tier" strength-type experts.
Matthew's punch just now was enough to earn him a "fifth-tier" strength rating from the headquarters.
...
A moment later, Matthew was taken to Grand Magister Russell's office.
In the office, Grand Magister Russell politely poured tea for Matthew.
"Clark, you've really given me a wonderful surprise."
It was indeed a pleasant surprise. He initially thought that Clark Kent was a fourth-tier expert.
Unexpectedly, this kid actually had the strength of a fifth-tier expert.
That was 45 tons in one punch.
What did this mean?
If you let this kid wreak havoc in the city, he would become the king of destruction. No building could withstand his attacks.
To deliver a punch that weighs 45 tons, someone needed at least 3,000 points in the Strength attribute.
Even if Clark Kent's strength attribute were tripled by the Strong-Strong fruit, it would still show that this kid's strength attribute has already exceeded 1,000.
This also showed that the kid performed very well in the Supernatural Realm, which was why he obtained so many attributes.
Since the Strength attribute exceeds 1000, the Constitution attribute must be at least 500 points.
"Grand Magister Russell, is that enough?"
Matthew also felt that this test was a bit too simple.
He only threw a regular punch.
That was not his true strength at all.
"That's enough, that's enough," Grand Magister Russell said with a smile. "It's more than enough."
He himself had only recently been rated as a fifth-tier expert, and now that he had recruited a fifth-tier expert into the guild, it was enough to satisfy the headquarters.
After all, there weren't many fifth-tier experts.
In the entire city of London, there were only two or three publicly known fifth-tier experts, including Grand Magister Russell at the moment.
In fact, one of the main reasons for this was that these experts were generally recruited by the government or the Royal Guild and then sent elsewhere for official duties.
"Since that's enough, I should take my leave."
Matthew said. He planned to go back to see his parents.
"So soon?" Grand Magister Russell couldn't help but say, "Why don't you stay for a simple meal? You've come all this way and helped me so much, so I should at least show you some hospitality."
At this time, Grand Magister Russell had an excellent impression of Matthew.
He felt that this young man was very capable, yet remained humble and composed, which was quite rare.
He was much better than that brat from the Atkinson family.
"No, Grand Magister Russell, I have something else to attend to..."
Matthew was just about to decline politely, but suddenly…
-Waaah—
The piercing alarm sounded throughout the skies of London City.
Matthew was taken aback, thinking it was a planned drill.
However, when he looked at Grand Magister Russell, he saw that Grand Magister Russell's expression had changed drastically, and he knew that something must have happened.
The next moment, the office door was pushed open, and Grand Magister Russell's secretary barged in without knocking.
"Grand Magister, it is an emergency."
The secretary hurriedly said, "The nearby military region just sent an urgent message. Their detectors have detected a spacetime rift in the southeast of London City, only ten kilometers away."
When these words were spoken, Grand Magister Russell's face immediately turned several shades paler.
However, he wasn't terrified and remained somewhat calm, asking his secretary, "What level of spacetime rift is it?"
The secretary quickly replied, "The military's initial assessment is Level B."
Upon hearing this, Grand Magister Russell immediately made a judgment and ordered, "Use the emergency communicator immediately to call for support from the headquarters and government."
"Yes."
The secretary agreed and quickly ran out.
Grand Magister Russell rushed to his desk, picked up the landline phone, and dialed the military region's number.
Landline phones were now scarce.
The reason it still existed in Grand Magister Russell's office was that his landline phone had stable calls and was not affected by signal interference.
While Grand Magister Russell was on the phone, Matthew also took out his phone to search for information about the spacetime rift.
Turns out to be, the so-called spacetime rift was an unstable channel connecting to the monster world.
This wasn't the first time a spacetime rift has appeared.
Since the monsters first appeared, spacetime rifts have reappeared from time to time.
According to official statistics, spacetime rifts have appeared more than a hundred times in the United Kingdom.
Some experts speculate that this was a slow merging of the monster world and the human world, which caused spatial distortion and led to the spacetime rift phenomenon.
There was no discernible pattern to the frequency of the appearance of spacetime rifts.
Sometimes they appeared several times a year, and sometimes they were not seen for several years.
Each time a spacetime rift appeared, it brought a large number of monsters to Blue Marble.
Spacetime rifts could be strong or weak.
Like Natalie's mother, who perished because of the Class A spacetime rift disaster more than a decade ago.
While Class B spacetime rifts weren't as terrifying as Class A ones, they were still extremely dangerous.
Seeing this, Matthew's expression became serious, and he frowned deeply.
---------------
Author's Note: You folks can also read up to +50 chapters on my P@treon Pages as an early access privilege.
www.patreon.com/spell_merchant
P@treon Page Name: Spell Merchant
www.patreon.com/vanguard_v
P@treon Page Name: V For Vanguard
Next Chapters' Name:
Ch.106: It Is My Duty
Ch.107: An Acquaintance