After a long while, Merritt finally managed to calm himself down and thought, "Looks like I'll have to live here for now..."
Living means needing food, shelter, and transportation, and the foundation of all that is—money!
He had left all his bank cards and identification behind to avoid being tracked by that girl. Originally, with that one million euros, living wouldn't have been an issue, but now that money was gone. All he had left were a few hundred euros and the four thousand local currency he had exchanged.
What could four thousand buy?
Moreover, not only had he lost all his powers, but his physical condition was also worse than an average person's. Earning money the way he used to was out of the question.
He needed to find a job that didn't require much physical effort. Otherwise, once his cash ran out, would the mighty Azure Dragon resort to stealing or begging?
Suddenly!
Just as his emotions began to settle and he started to think about his next steps, something deep within his mind was triggered.
It was a memory.
Or rather, it was something passed down to him by a remnant soul, which had remained hidden until now.
For some reason, Merritt could only see the first chapter.
"The Chapter of Wind..."
He stared blankly at the memory, almost fainting. "Invisibility? X-ray vision? What... This has to be a joke!"
Even though it was just the first chapter, he found it completely unbelievable. Or rather, it had already surpassed the limits of what he had previously thought possible.
There was no doubt that Merritt had once reached an astonishing level of martial arts prowess, ranking among the top in the global martial arts community.
But what exactly is martial arts?
It involves refining internal energy, transforming it into true power.
Top-tier martial artists can project their energy outward, making it possible to kill from ten steps away without breaking a sweat.
However...
Internal energy is meant for combat, not for the magical feats described here.
Take the first chapter, "Chapter of Wind," for example. Besides being used in combat, it supposedly allows one to see things from a great distance...
Isn't that just spying?
Creepy! Perverted! Disgusting!
But... if it really were that amazing, just thinking about it is exciting!
As Merritt read on, he was stunned.
Just the first chapter, "Chapter of Wind," took the creator of this supreme art thirty years to master. Can you imagine? Someone with such incredible talent, capable of creatingsuch a secret technique, still needed thirty years to master the first chapter!
How do you even train for that?
Merritt's excitement vanished.
He hadn't put much stock in the authenticity of this technique to begin with, given how unbelievable the abilities sounded. Now, seeing that it would take thirty years, he immediately gave up. He didn't have the patience to spend decades mastering just the first chapter of some supreme technique.
Instead, he would rather go back to practicing the martial arts he had learned before. With his past experience, it wouldn't take him more than a few years to achieve something significant.
"That's it!"
Merritt finally made a decision: to give up on those elusive so-called secret techniques. Starting tomorrow, he would find a job to make ends meet and then resume his martial arts training.
Oh, right!
Since he couldn't return to Europe for the time being, once he settled down, he could try to find his childhood friend— the little girl named Hamilton— using the few clues from back then.
Yes, Merritt had lived in Bien City when he was at Ancient Splendor!
After a series of exhausting events, his frail body couldn't take it anymore, and he quickly fell asleep as soon as he lay down.
The next morning.
Upon waking up, he tidied himself upfrom head to toe. Looking at the unfamiliar face in the mirror, Merritt shook his head and sighed.
He still preferred his old face. Being handsome didn't put food on the table, and this pretty-boy look... it just made him seem like a pushover.
He didn't like being seen as a pushover, but he had no choice now.
After washing up, he stepped out of the tiny hotel room. Thinking about the $10 per night room rate made him even more worrie