Lin snorted coldly and pointed his sword at Ron, speaking angrily:
"What does a weakling want from me?"
Ron's face twisted. He pulled a gun from his belt and pointed it at Lin.
"You're the weakling, Lin. I heard you became a Physical Awakened specializing in speed? Well, let's see if you can dodge a bullet!" Without waiting for Lin's reply, Ron pulled the trigger!
Bang!
The bullet instantly crossed the ten-meter distance and was already a millimeter from Lin's head when it suddenly slowed down!
Lin had used his skill and managed to create a slow-time zone, where the bullet drastically decelerated and didn't reach him — saving his life. But it required quick reflexes, which he possessed.
"That was dangerous. The zone really helps, but without my quick reactions, I could've died," he slowly caught the bullet in his hand, which continued spinning in his palm. It felt unusual, as if the bullet was trying to escape Lin's grip.
Inspecting it, Lin realized it was a blank round. Though he knew Ron wouldn't kill him, his rash actions still alarmed him, and he had to use his skill.
He sighed.
"Forgetfulness is about to activate, and I'll forget everything for a while. What an inconvenient Price."
He simply pointed the bullet upward and let it go. When the slow-time zone deactivated, the bullet flew dozens of meters in an instant, hit the ceiling, and left a small hole.
To all observers, including Ron, the bullet seemed to suddenly change direction when it was just a millimeter away from Lin!
"W-what... How?" a stunned Ron slowly handed his gun to the guards and said to Lin, "How? Even to my eyes, you moved too fast."
At first, Lin didn't understand, then smirked.
"Ha-ha-ha! For a weakling like you, of course, it's impossible to notice such attacks." His eyes turned serious as he asked:
"What do you want? Why stage all this drama?"
A man draped a luxurious coat over Ron's shoulders. Ron ignored Lin and headed toward the exit. On his way out, he said:
"Follow me. The family called for you. They said you must appear before them, or there will be consequences."
Lin watched Ron walk away and smirked.
""Appear" huh... I knew. I knew they found out about me when I submitted my data. And now the day has come — the family is calling." Lin smiled and headed for the exit.
Outside, he saw several black cars lined up. Ron slowly entered one of them and looked out the window, waiting for Lin.
Lin quickly approached and got into the same car as Ron. The vehicles started moving down the road.
Inside, Ron glanced at Lin and warned:
"You'll need to change your clothes when you arrive. Maybe where you live it's normal, but where we live — it looks awful."
"This is what I wore to survive for two weeks in the Magic World. Maybe you can't feel it, because you're weak. Though, why am I talking to someone who doesn't even have a Title." Lin smirked.
"You!.." Ron clenched his fists.
Although Lin didn't particularly like interacting with his family, he had spent six years actively researching them, constantly gathering knowledge about the Matrix family.
Ron was a mediocre descendant, as he didn't receive a Title at sixteen. So he became a regular government servant, mostly handling internal matters for the Matrix family. But since he lacked intellect, no one took him seriously.
In contrast, Lin — a half-blood — increased his value by proving he was Awakened. Whether you're a Physical or Abstract Awakened, you still hold great worth for the family. More Awakened — more authority, and more authority — more influence.
So the Matrix family would try everything to bring Lin back, even if he was a half-blood. But there was one problem... Lin didn't want to join the family — he wanted to destroy it.
"What do they want from me?" Lin looked at Ron and asked.
"Hm? Why pretend you don't know? You know exactly why they're calling you. You became Awakened and increased your value — because of that, you now have the right to return to the family and "atone for your mother's sins"." He smiled at the end and looked at Lin.
A sharp glint of killing intent appeared in Lin's eyes. He pointed his sword at Ron and said seriously:
"I'd advise you to think before you speak. Otherwise, you might lose your head."
"Ha-ha! The half-blood really did become dangerous. But you can't kill me, no matter how much you want. Because..." he pointed at the driver and the other cars outside the window, "they'll kill you faster."
"You think they'll kill someone who has a Title? You seem useless to me."
Ron snorted.
"That doesn't matter. You haven't returned to the family yet, so you're still an outsider. And I'm still a Matrix."
Lin finally lowered the sword he was pointing at Ron, who sighed and looked at the blade in Lin's hand with interest.
"That's a Distorted item, isn't it? How many Distorted creature did you have to kill to get it? I'm willing to pay a high price to buy it."
"It's not for sale."
"Why? Don't you need money? It's just a rusty sword, probably White quality. Why would you want it?"
"It's not for sale."
"But... Wait. I really am ready to offer a high price."
"It's not for sale."
"Why?"
"It's not for sale."
"But may-"
"It's not for sale."
Ron's face turned tomato red. He was about to say something when the driver's voice came:
"Sir Ron, we've arrived."
Ron instantly wiped the anger from his face and smiled, stepping out of the car. Lin followed him, and they stood before a large three-story mansion that resembled a palace.
The palace sat on a vast estate, with everything one could imagine — a huge football field, golf lawns, large flower gardens, and gazebos filled with sweets on tables.
This was the home of one of the world's top five families — the Matrix family.
A butler stood at the main entrance and bowed to Ron. When he looked at Lin, he said nothing and simply turned away.
"..."
Opening the door, the butler led them through the house. Lin often looked around, studying the structure and memorizing some details.
"Well? Impressed by the house? If you agree to the family's request, you'll be able to live here," said Ron.
"My house isn't much worse. Just smaller. So there's no need." Lin replied calmly.
They continued walking. Along the way, they passed guards standing by the walls like robots. Some of them glanced at Lin but quickly turned away.
Lin quietly took note of this and continued on. They arrived at a room where he was told to wash and change. Ten minutes later, Lin came out completely transformed.
"Finally, you look decent," said Ron, continuing the path.
Lin sighed and followed.
After a long walk, they finally stopped before a large red door — the room of the family head, Lin's grandfather.
The butler knocked three times:
Knock! Knock! Knock!
"Come in," a majestic voice sounded from within.
The butler slowly opened the door. Ron and Lin stepped inside.
The room was large, filled with bookshelves. Along the walls were stands with various weapons: a sword, spear, bow, etc. At the end of the room was a large window casting light onto a desk with a chair. Sitting there was a tall, middle-aged man with white hair and bright violet eyes.
"Ron Matrix greets Head Noro," Ron quickly bowed.
Lin didn't bow and simply asked the man:
"Why did you call me... Grandfather?"