My attributes are increasing infinitely

Chapter 458: Black Bull Gang

Ethan was making his way through a narrow alley when a man stepped out in front of him.

The man was average height, rough looking, with the kind of face that had learned to smile when it benefited him. He wore dirty clothes and had the hollow cheeks of someone who didn’t eat regularly.

”Hey there, kid.” The man crouched down, putting himself at eye level. ”You lost? Where are your parents?”

Ethan looked at him but said nothing.

The man’s smile widened. ”You hungry? I got food. Warm place to sleep. If you follow me, I’ll take care of you.”

Ethan studied him for a long moment. The man’s eyes flickered.

But Ethan didn’t need honesty. He needed access. He needed a way into the power structure of this underworld. Every empire needed a foundation. This man was as good a starting point as any.

Ethan nodded.

The man stood up, satisfaction flashing across his face before he hid it behind that fake smile. ”Good. Good decision, kid. Come on, follow me.”

They walked through the slum, past crumbling buildings and open sewage, past hollow eyed children and adults who looked through them like they were invisible. The man talked as they walked, pointing out landmarks, telling Ethan how lucky he was to have found someone so generous.

Ehan absorbed everything. The layout. The territories. The faces.

After twenty minutes, they reached a cluster of slightly better buildings. Corrugated metal replaced by actual wood. Broken windows covered with plastic instead of nothing.

The man’s smile changed as they crossed an invisible boundary. It became sharper. More cruel.

They stopped in front of a small building. The man pushed open the door and gestured Ethan inside.

Ethan entered.

The room was bare. Dirt floor. A few wooden crates. The smell of alcohol and sweat.

The door slammed shut behind him.

When Ethan turned, the man’s kind smile had vanished completely. Replaced by a cruel grin that showed yellow teeth.

”Bastard.” The man’s voice was different now. ”From now on, you’re a slave of the Black Bull gang.”

His hand came down fast. Smacked Ethan across the head hard enough to send a normal child flying.

Ethan stumbled but didn’t fall. Didn’t cry. Didn’t even flinch.

His face remained completely calm.

The man’s grin faltered for just a second. ”Oh? Pretty tough, aren’t you? Let’s see how long you can keep this tough act up.”

Bam.

The first punch landed in Ethan’s stomach. His small body folded. Instanly blood came out from his mouth.

Bam. Second punch to the face. Blood sprayed from his nose.

Bam. Third punch to the ribs. Something cracked.

Through it all, Ethan just looked at him calmly. As if he were observing an insect. As if he were the divine judge deciding what punishment to hand down.

The man’s name was Max, and for the first time in years, he felt a flicker of something unfamiliar. Unease.

”That’s enough, Max. He’ll die. A living person is far more valuable than a dead one.”

A harsh voice came out from their behind.

Max stopped and turned with irritation clear on his face. ”Fuck off, James. I brought him here. I can do whatever I want with him.”

Another man stood in the doorway. Taller than Max. Leaner. His clothes were worn but cleaner. His eyes were sharper.

”Back off, or do you want me to call the boss?” James’s voice was flat as looked directly to Max’s eyes.

Max’s jaw tightened. For a moment, violence hung in the air between them. Then Max clicked his tongue and stepped back.

”Tsk.” He pointed at Ethan. ”Go start your training, bastard. If I see you slacking off, you’re gone for good.”

He shoved past James and disappeared outside.

James walked over to Ethan and crouched down. He studied the boy’s face, the blood, the complete lack of emotion.

”You took that beating without a sound.”

Ethan wiped blood from his face. And then, slowly, a smile spread across his features. Not a child’s smile. Something colder.

”I’m going to show him what it feels like to touch a god.”,he thought.

James blinked. Then he let out a short laugh.

”Oh kid, that’s a scary smile you’ve got there.”

[Master. He is from a hidden martial family. On a mission here.]

Ethan’s internal attention shifted. ”Show me his stats.”

[Name: James Maguire

Strength: 1.2 tonnes

Rank: Force manipulation level 3]

”Only 1.2 tonnes? That’s not much. But I guess in a mortal world, that’s terrifying.

And what is force manipulation?”

[Martial artists on this planet use ancient techniques to absorb sunlight, moonlight, or starlight. This births force inside their bodies. The highest known level is level 9, with strength around 5 tonnes.]

”Five tonnes.” Ethan’s internal smile matched his external one. ”I’ll surpass that in just a few days. This mortal world might be more fun than I thought.”

He looked up at James, his expression shifting to something more appropriate.

”Thank you for stepping in earlier, sir.” He bowed slightly. The movement was awkward, childlike.

James studied him with narrowed eyes. ”You’re rather well spoken. Are you not from the slum?”

”I don’t know. I don’t remember anything.”

James considered this for a moment, then nodded slowly. ”Okay. You should join under me. You won’t have to beg. I have other tasks for you.”

Ethan nodded. ”Okay.”

”Follow me.”

James led him through a maze of alleys to a small room attached to a larger building. Inside was sparse. A bedroll in the corner. A small stove. A table with two chairs.

James closed the door behind them and moved to the stove. He lit a small fire, filled a pot with water, and added a handful of dried herbs from a pouch at his belt.

Thirty minutes later, he poured the liquid into a bowl and set it in front of Ethan.

”Drink this.”

[Analysis: Low grade healing properties. Safe for consumption.]

Ethan picked up the bowl and drank it all without hesitation.

James raised an eyebrow. ”You’re not suspicious of poison?”

Ethan set the bowl down. ”If you wanted to kill me, you could do it directly. Why would you bother boiling water, adding herbs, and wasting your time on someone like me?”

James stared at him for a long moment. Then a genuine smile broke across his face. ”Hahahaha! Fantastic!”

He stood and moved to the center of the room. ”I’m going to show you some exercises. Do them regularly for seven days. You can stay in this room. Food will be sent to you here.”

Ethan nodded again.

James began demonstrating. Some simple postures like stretches. Movements designed to increase flexibility and body awareness.

For twenty minutes, James moved through the sequence, explaining each position.

When he finished, he straightened and looked at Ethan. ”Do you get it?”

Ethan didn’t respond with words. He simply stood and began replicating the movements.

Perfectly.

Every angle. Every transition. Every subtle shift of weight. His small body moved through the sequence with a precision that James himself couldn’t match.

James watched with wide eyes. His mouth opened slightly. Closed. Opened again.

He swallowed hard.

Ethan’s movements were flawless. Better than his own demonstration. Better than anyone he’d ever trained.

”A once in a century genius.” The thought flashed through James’s mind. ”If I bring him to the family, they’ll go crazy.”

For a moment, he considered it. The rewards would be immense. His standing would rise.

But he shook his head. He couldn’t go back now. Not yet. Not with his mission incomplete.

”Boy.” His voice was rougher than intended. ”Just stay inside this room. Don’t go anywhere else. Do the exercises regularly. I’ll come back to check on you in seven days.”

The door closed behind him.

Ethan stood in the center of the room and looked around. Four walls. A roof. A door that locked from the inside. Compared to a garbage bin, this was luxury.

He sat down and reviewed everything. Max. James. The Black Bull gang. The hidden martial family. The levels of force manipulation.

Five tonnes at level nine. That was nothing. Absolutely nothing. In his previous life, he had torn apart beings that could destroy planets with a thought.

But this wasn’t his previous life. This was a mortal world with mortal rules and a mortal body that weighed barely three kilograms.

He would start small. The Black Bull syndicate was tiny, insignificant, a pimple on the face of this planet’s underworld. But it was a start.

From here, he would expand. Take over other syndicates. Build a network. Control the flow of money, information, weapons. Then move upward. Target the organized crime families, the cartels, the syndicates that operated across borders.

Then the corporations. The ones who thought they ruled the world from their glass towers. They would learn that real power didn’t come from bank accounts.

And finally, the governments. The ones with nuclear forces, with armies, with all the tools of modern destruction. They would fall last, and they would fall hardest.

By the time he was done, every criminal, every executive, every politician on this planet would answer to him.

But that was the long game. The immediate game was simpler.

Survive seven days. Master these exercises. Build a relationship with James. And when the time was right, make Max understand exactly what it meant to touch him.