—

Kieran lowered his hand from his face and stared at the familiar face sitting in the left corner of the room. It was familiar because he had seen it not too long ago, but it wasn’t inside Zenith Online.

The person before him was Erin Arman, one of the princesses of the Arman Family, a true goliath in the fashion industry. It was rumored that the Arman Family was behind the Versiali clothing brands that appeared in all the affluent countries worldwide.

Aside from being Erin Arman, she had another identity—Kieran’s previous math teacher, who endeavored to teach by using her connections. It was something she did to quell her boredom.

Kieran didn’t avoid Erin because of her family. He wasn’t aware of her background because there were many instances where people unrelated to certain families bore the same last name.

Some names were common.

He avoided her because of how abruptly he walked out on her. As a former student, he understood that most teachers expected a certain level of respect.

With his earlier behavior, Kieran suspected that a teacher like Erin, who singled students out in class when they didn’t pay attention, would undoubtedly talk his ear off.

Even with the changes to his appearance, Erin noticed Kieran quickly.

“One moment, please, Phyllis,” Erin said, speaking to the attendant by her side. Erin was in the middle of getting a full-course facial with tender care.

However, her eyes weren’t covered yet, which is why she spotted Kieran.

“Is it someone you know?” Alice whispered beside Kieran after noticing the change in his expression. Kieran didn’t grimace or avoid people often, so Alice felt something was suspicious.

‘An ex-girlfriend perhaps? She is quite stunning, so that much is understandable,’ Alice inwardly thought. Because she watched many dramas, her first thought immediately shifted to past relationship issues.

“Something along those lines,” Kieran responded with a thin smile.

Erin’s pronounced gait that used a subtle sway of her hips immediately drew the attention of Bastion, Nemean, and Sithik.

‘Awooga!’ Nemean thought. ‘That lady is one foxy mama. How in the world does Kieran know all these people?! I swear he is surrounded by women I see in my dreams!’

Erin crossed her arms and tilted her hips with a dark expression while standing before Kieran. The front of her amaretto-colored stiletto heels tapped against the ground in compliance with her jittery nerves. “Isn’t there something you want to say to me, mister?”

“Not… particularly,” Kieran answered, drawing out his response. The corner of his lip twitched as he tried to remain calm and refrain from saying something outlandish.

“Interesting,” Erin scoffed. “If memory serves, you were insulting during your last day of class. That isn’t the proper way to address your teacher.

“If my memory serves, you like to throw things. That isn’t the proper way to interact with a student,” Kieran replied callously.

Everyone behind Kieran blinked with a foolish expression. Teacher?! This thought had never crossed their mind.

Although it was true teachers were becoming more stunning in this day and age, Erin would outclass many supermodels in terms of looks and curves.

Why she settled for a lowly teacher job was unfathomable. Their pay was subpar for the stress of dealing with insufferable children or belligerent young adults.

Erin sneered and shook her head with a dark expression. “I see you haven’t fixed that attitude of yours. No, I suppose it has gotten even worse! Wait a minute….”

Erin’s gaze shifted from Kieran to the people behind him. For some reason, they felt oddly familiar. At least three of them did.

‘This isn’t a coincidence, right?’

Erin ignored Kieran and approached Altair, closely examining Altair before inhaling his scent. Her eyes flashed with a peculiar glint as she lifted her gaze to meet the weirded-out Altair.

“You’re a Wiyan.”

“What the—” Altair was too stunned to continue speaking. He looked to Kieran for help. How could she possibly sniff out his identity? Was what she? Some kind of dog in human form?!

“I have interacted with the Wiyan Family. You guys exude a particular scent due to an abnormal gene mutation. I don’t know how to describe it, but to me, it’s easy to detect,” Erin revealed.

“Uh, Kieran. Is this lady a humanoid dog? What does she mean scent?!” Altair questioned while blinking and repeatedly moving his gaze between the two.

“Don’t ask me. I wasn’t even aware of such a thing before she mentioned it.” Meanwhile, a different thought surfaced in his mind. ‘You mean a bitch? If so, then yes, my friend!’

“Actually…” A voice sounded. It belonged to Dr. Riley, who stepped to the front. “I’ve noticed it as well. Altair’s body exudes strange reactions at times. It’s similar to a beast releasing a pheromone.”

“Damn, so like, Altair is part animal?” Bastion interjected.

“It’s possible. I wouldn’t put it beyond the Wiyans to splice genes and extract traits from animals to strengthen their offspring. They are one of the leaders in the genetic modification faction,” Dr. Riley answered.

“Altair is a lab rat!” Sithik exclaimed and laughed hysterically. However, he was the only one who laughed. Everyone looked at him with blank expressions, causing his eventual grimace. “Not the time?”

“Definitely not the time,” Altair remarked.

Afterward, Erin shifted her gaze to Kieran and Altair before gasping loudly! “It’s you! Aa-“

Whoosh!

Kieran stepped forward, using what looked like a Surge Step to cover Erin’s mouth immediately. Because altering one’s features without changing one’s race or class in Zenith Online was impossible, recognizing him wasn’t difficult if one possessed a good set of eyes.

Kieran wasn’t afraid of confrontation after regaining some of his strength, but he also didn’t appreciate someone foolishly broadcasting his identity. “Please do not announce my identity to the world. Thank you.”

After speaking, Kieran gradually retracted his hand, leaving Erin in a state of shock. Part of her shock was due to the fact that Kieran had closed the distance between them faster than she could react.

She noticed once before when Kieran flung the item at her, but he was similar to her—a child that could wield an extraordinary power that shouldn’t be accessible to humans.

Grandmasters in combat trained her for years to defend herself, yet she couldn’t respond to Kieran’s advance.

The other reason for her shock was that Kieran felt confident touching her.

“I guess your budding fame has made you brazen enough to touch the heiress of the Arman fortune. Tell me, why shouldn’t I have my bodyguards deal with you?” Erin’s gaze grew cold while staring at Kieran.

“I mean, if you want to lose bodyguards, then so be it. Because, I’ll say this only once—if they approach me with lethal force, I will kill them. I do not care about the laws that secure our society,” Kieran openly stated.

Erin was shocked by how his current personality matched his demeanor within the game.

‘I thought he was joking when he said he was leaving school to play a game and excel, but looking at him now, I think it was I who was being shortsighted.’

Despite her thoughts, Erin voiced her dissatisfaction. “Disregard for the rules that bind our society? In other words, you feel as if you’re above the laws?”

“Is that not how the Magnate Families and Extreme Magnate Families operate? Outside of the law. I can quote many instances where charges disappeared simply because of their background. Conforming is for the weak, and I can assure you—I am not weak,” Kieran voiced.

After a slight pause, Kieran lifted his gaze toward the awaiting attendants. “If you’ll excuse me, I have matters to attend to.”

Once again, Kieran brushed past Erin, completely disregarding her stunned expression.

When was the last time someone ignored her, let alone a young man? Most men would be at her beck and call, trying to gain her favor in hopes of becoming one of her potential suitors.

Furthermore, those males usually hailed from Affluent or other Magnate Families!

Erin had read Kieran’s records. His parent’s identities were unknown in the school database, and he was listed as an orphan with no relation to any mighty background.

Erin chewed on her fingernail while repeatedly tapping her foot. Her anxiety shot through the roof after meeting with Kieran again. ‘Hohoho! He really knows how to irk me! He boils my blood!”

“Ms. Arman! Don’t bite! Stop!” Phyllis shouted, hurrying to grab Erin’s hand. Phyllis had recently finished her manicure, so the anxious biting would ruin it!

Meanwhile, Kieran sat with his attendant and leaned back in the chair while closing his eyes. “I don’t have any particular style in mind. You can style it according to what you think fits.”

“Understood, sir. What would you like to begin with?” The slender lady by his side asked. Kieran read her nametag and learned it was Katarina.

“Hair, I suppose. And we can work our way down,” Kieran answered.

Katarina circled him, studying Kieran’s features and hair growth pattern. “You have a nice face, a slender jawline, well-sculpted cheekbones, and subtle button nose. Most of all, your hair is dark, so I think it would complete your look if you retain moderate length, barely above your eyebrows.”

“Let’s do it.”

Afterward, Kieran relinquished all responsibility to Katarina as he relaxed an enjoyed the magnificent treatment.