Adrenaline Rush

Jon Bane and Rica continued their journey to the next mountain, and while they were walking, they saw an old man lying at the foot of Tubalcain Mountain.

They instantly rushed beside him, but the moment they got close to him and touched him on the shoulder, the old man's hands abruptly moved and placed each of them in Jon Bane and Rica's mouths. Even Jon Bane can't get the old man's hand out of his mouth. After a few more seconds, they both fell asleep and went unconscious.

After twelve hours of being unconscious, Jon Bane finally wakes up, but he finds himself in an unfamiliar place. He is in a room full of aromatic herbs. He checked some of it and discovered that almost all of the herbs inside the room are used in meditation to cleanse the mind and soul.

Suddenly, a girl in her early twenties opened the door and noticed that Jon Bane was already awake. "Oh, you're already awake; I'm pretty sure that you're hungry already. Come with me."

"Who are you? And why am I here?" Jon Bane questioned the girl while following her.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I haven't introduced myself. My name is Rona, and the one that brought you here is my grandpa," Rona replied.

Hearing the word grandpa, Jon Bane remembered the old man that they encountered at the base of Tubalcain Mountain. He stopped moving and commented, "Grandpa? You mean the old man that made us unconscious?"

"We are actually expecting your arrival. We received an express mail from Giovan yesterday. I'm so sorry for the actions of my grandpa. He's just so bored because most of us here in Estes Clan are no match against him in terms of martial art skills. He gets excited that instead of waiting, he decided to meet you halfway. I have no clue that's how he's going to welcome you guys." Rona smirked a little while speaking about her grandpa's actions.

"Your grandpa is really strong; I'm already at the peak of guardian-level, but I still can't remove his hand from my mouth, and he made me unconscious by just doing that." Jon Bane seems confused about how the old man made them unconscious by just putting his hands on their mouths.

Rona just smiled and signaled Jon Bane to continue moving. After a few seconds, they finally arrived at a hut that was full of nutritious food. Jon Bane hasn't eaten for almost twenty-four hours. His eyes widened when he saw those delicious and nutritious foods in front of him. He devoured it immediately, like a boar.

After eating, he remembered something and asked Rona about it. "Where is Rica? The girl that was with me?"

Actually, the sweat from my Grandpa's hands is the reason why you guys fell into unconsciousness, and according to him, if a person wakes up after 10 to 12 hours, it means that person is almost as strong as him in terms of martial arts skills. It's already been 13 hours, and she's still sleeping. It means she is a lower-level martial artist than you guys," Rona explained.

While they were talking, a bearded guy went near them, and jealousy was eminent on his face.

"Rona, who's this guy?" He looked at Jon Bane as if he was going to kill him.

"He is... umm." Rona is about to say it, but she hasn't asked him about it. "What's your name again?"

"Jon Bane," Jon Bane calmly replied, despite seeing the bearded guy have an eagle eye on him.

Alright, yeah, he is Jon Bane," Rona said.

Seeing the bearded guy's impolite face against Jon Bane, she then whispered to him, "You should relax, Febrero; he's our visitor from Bolo Clan."

Rona showed a grumpy face at the bearded guy and signaled him to calm down.

"Bolo Clan? You mean he's also from Bolo Clan like your grandfather? According to Old Man Bau, Bolo Clan members are expected to reach red level at the age of 20. I want to see for myself if that is really true." Febrero was filled with excitement and curiosity.

After being silent for a moment, Febrero glared at Jon Bane and said, "Me, Febrero Rocher is challenging you to a match."

"Febrero, don't make hasty decisions; he's a visitor from one of our allied clans. We should treat them with respect."

Rona wanted to rebuke Febrero, but Jon Bane interrupted her.

"Nah, it's fine; I also need some exercise since I slept for almost 12 hours," Jon Bane scoffed.

"Exercise? I won't just give you an exercise; I will break some of your bones," Febrero boastfully replied.

Febrero signaled Jon Bane to follow him to an open field not far from their citadel.

Before the match started, Febrero ripped his shirt, revealing his muscular body.

Jon Bane looked very confident. He then picked up a piece of Febrero's ripped shirt and put it in his eyes as a blindfold.

"Alright, I'll give you an advantage," Jon Bane said scornfully.

Febrero felt indignant hearing Jon Bane's air of confidence. He then attacked him furiously.

tack!

swoosh!

swish!

Febrero is throwing hard and crisp punches and kicks against Jon Bane, but all of his attacks are just hitting the air. All of it has been dodged by Jon Bane, even if he has a blindfold.

After a few minutes, an old man came and asked Rona. "That guy with a blindfold is one of our visitors from the Bolo Clan, right?"

Rona just nodded and astonishingly explained the current situation in Febrero. Yes, grandpa, and ever since their battle started, Febrero hasn't been able to hit him."

The old man realized something while watching the battle, and he got the attention of Febrero by calling his name "Febrero."

Febrero, hearing a familiar voice, turned his eyes and quickly went near the old man. The old man whispered something to him.

Jon Bane, sensing that Febrero had not attacked for a couple of seconds now, called him out.

Febrero, are you tired already? You haven't------ ah." Jon Bane is not yet done talking; he was surprised because he felt someone grab his right hand, attempting to throw him on the ground.

Before his body hit the ground, Jon Bane did a quick counter-attack by encircling Febrero's neck and one arm with his legs in a configuration similar to the shape of a triangle. Applying pressure from one's leg and the opponent's own shoulder.

Given the current situation, Febrero still managed to slam Jon Bane on the ground, but Jon Bane's triangle choke on his neck is still in place. He then slams Jon Bane a couple more times.

A glimpse of pain is seen in Jon Bane's face, but he is still holding on to his triangle choke, which is getting tighter and tighter as time passes.

After a couple more seconds, Febrero suddenly stopped slamming Jon Bane on the ground. He wanted to gasp for air, but because of Jon Bane's choke, he is having a hard time breathing.

Febrero, on the verge of losing, suddenly roared. "I.....wont.... lo.....se"

Febrero suddenly gained strength as his pupils were dilating.

In the same position, having caught in Jon Bane's triangle choke. He managed to lift Jon Bane, jump high in the air, and slam him on the ground with all of his strength.