Martial Online.

"Jaah…" A blond-haired man sat rather lazily on a high-end chair, his legs dangling over the sides as he scrolled down the music interface, trying to find any songs to play.

Meanwhile, the members of his dojo either played cards or sunbathed in the backyard, and a few hacked their weapons against wooden beams.

It wasn't a serious atmosphere, but more of a casual one.

It was clear that over half of them didn't take training seriously and were just part of the dojo to hang out with their friends.

"This shit is boring." Rach said, looking dazzling in his black gi. "If we plan on just hanging out like this, what is the point of logging in when we can do that back in reality?"

"Well, do you have any plans, boss?" A long-legged woman, with sunglasses on her face, asked while enjoying the sunlight on her skin.

"I heard some stuff…" Rach smirked, intentionally delaying his next sentence. "A bunch of players found an entrance to an underground tomb.

"However, it isn't a normal underground tomb."

"Then what is it?" A short-haired player flipped over his cards and asked.

"No one knows." Rach put his arms under his head and closed his eyes, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. "That group disbanded because they argued constantly and got very tired of it.

"All of them wanted to be the ones to steal the riches of the tomb, but each one of them died. They were all consumed by their greed and ambition.

"The next day, all of them joined forums and started selling the information instead. They all gave up trying to clear the tomb or even build a party for it.

"They must've realized that it is impossible to clear."

"So, the tomb is incredibly difficult to clear. What makes it special?" A man with a buzzcut asked while he leaned against the wall.

"That is difficult to clear. That makes it special." Rach stood up and looked at his friends with a thrilled grin. "They didn't even reach the 'Gate Guard'. My mouth salivates just from the thought that something special is hidden behind that gate."

"I suppose we have nothing else to do." The buzzcut-haired man said. "It could help us become powerful enough to get rid of Reverse Tiger Blade once and for all."

"Exactly." Rach combed his hair with his hand, and a sly smile spread across his face. "We'll start prepping right away. The tomb will be a hot spot soon."

Tap, tap—the sound of wood hitting the straw mat filled the air. It sounded like someone was tapping their foot impatiently.

"Huh?" Rach looked over his shoulder towards the entrance and saw a figure tapping his wooden sword against the floor, like a blind man trying to find his way.

However, the black-haired figure was looking straight at him with an eternal smile on his face. His piercing purple eyes sent a shiver down Rach's spine.

"Who in the…" 

Rach felt self-conscious for the first time in his life. He had always been the most popular kid in the school and was always the center of attention.

He could always face someone with a raised chin and a proud look, but now he instinctively alerted his gaze.

At that moment, Rach saw another person standing behind the black-haired figure. He recognized him as Ken, the person who visited them mainly to claim the tax money.

"Reverse Tiger Blade?" Rach frowned. "Ken, what the hell are you doing? Who is this?"

"You are in the presence of Immortal Dojo's master!" Ken shouted loudly. "Lower your heads, show some respect!"

"Immortal Dojo? I never heard of it." Rach turned to his friend and whispered. "A player from Yatagarasu or Tsukuyomi?"

"I don't think I have seen him before." His friend whispered with a frown.

"What have you come here for?" Rach asked, his voice laced with suspicion.

Ken never came to visit them for fun. He only came for the business, and the black-haired figure didn't look like someone who was a fan of small talk but instead a man of action.

Swoosh—as Rach blinked, turning his vision back to normal, he noticed the black-haired figure was now standing right in front of him.

His eyes widened in shock, and he quickly took a step back.

However, then the wooden sword touched his forehead. It was like a bolt of lightning had struck him, and he felt a surge of energy coursing through his body.

"Mortal Style, Schlitzer." Ambrose calmly whispered and slashed slightly upwards.

Spurt—a deep cut appeared across Rach's face, ruining his dazzling, handsome face. 

The blood flowed like a river, staining his cheek and dripping down his chin.

"Boss!" His friends screamed and lunged forward with their weapons.

The buzzcut-haired man was the fastest and attacked Ambrose from his side. He swung his weapon with all his might, aiming for Ambrose's heart.

Ambrose grabbed Rach by his loose GI shirt and pulled him towards him, using his body to shield him from the attack.

The buzzcut-haired man's weapon slashed deep into Rach's shoulder, causing a deep gash that left him gasping for breath.

"F-fuck!" Rach screamed and coughed up blood.

"Shit, sorry boss!" The buzzcut-haired man screamed.

Ambrose tossed Rach's body away and stabbed the wooden sword through the buzzcut-haired man's chest, ending his life.

He then turned around and saw Ken battling others, managing to hold on to nearly a dozen Rach Dojo members by himself alone.

Swoosh—Ambrose slid across the dojo, smashing his bloodied wooden sword through them, spilling blood and shattering their bodies.

Ken watched as every player in front of him collapsed on the ground lifelessly. They were powerful enough to threaten his life, and if he had to fight them alone for more than a minute, he would have been in a lot of trouble.

However, his new master, in a matter of seconds, took care of them.

Ambrose pulled out a napkin from his chest pocket and cleaned the blood off his wooden sword's blade while approaching Rach.

"Argh, w-what have we done to you?" Rach asked while holding his bleeding shoulder. He was strangely under the effect of the stun skill.

Ambrose used 'High Pain' on Rach after his Schlitzer attack, causing him to become immobile and vulnerable.

"A simple thing." Ambrose tossed the napkin away and crouched beside him. "Reverse Tiger Blade is no more. I am their new master, and the dojo is Immortal Dojo from now on."

"Cough…" Rach chuckled angrily. "So, you considered us a threat, so you decided to get rid of us before we grew big enough to destroy you."

"No, I wasn't threatened." Ambrose said. "However, I am in need of your dojo, and you'll give me the key."

"Hah, why the fuck would I do that?" Rach asked with a bloodied grin. "While I have the key, the dojo is still mine!"

Ambrose grabbed an apple from his inventory and stuffed it inside Rach's mouth, then made him eat it.

Rach frowned while struggling to swallow the apple. It almost got stuck in his throat.

"I know how to make you feel pain, unfortunately." Ambrose sighed. "Don't make me do it."

"Hah, try me!" Rach spat out blood, splattering across Ambrose's handsome face.

"Hmm, fine." Ambrose wiped the blood from his face and sighed. "Have you ever suffered a soul injury?"