Chapter 143 : 143-Is he a monster or something?

Brutus's POV *** "Wahhhhhh!" Standing at the massive security gate of the Frostburne family mansion, I stifled a yawn, feeling bored out of my mind. My junior colleagues nearby looked equally uninterested. With a sigh, I glanced down at my smart watch. 10:30 a.m. The sun was mostly hidden by clouds, casting a dim light across the grounds. The weather was perfect—not too hot, not too cold. Balanced... Normally, I'd appreciate the calm day, but today wasn't one of those days. I still had three more hours before I could even think about taking a break. Any hope of resting seemed impossible with all the cameras around. Not that I was worried about those—I could easily bypass them thanks to my rank. The real issue was that old geezer... The thought of him alone made me shudder. If he caught me slacking off, he'd definitely follow through on his threats. Knowing him, he might actually chop me into pieces and dump me in the ocean. Yeah, no thanks. I straightened up, forcing myself to stay alert. No rest until my break. Looking back, I really regret not being a bit selfish and taking the day off. I could've been out in the wilderness hunting monsters right now. That would've been a better use of my time. Still, maybe it's a good thing I didn't waste my vacation days. I'm going to need them for sure later, especially since I've already used up six of my holidays. The Frostburne family gives each employee at least eight days off per month, but there's a catch—not everyone can take their time off at once. Only two people can take a day off at a time, while the rest of us have to stay on duty. I had planned to take today off for some monster hunting, but when two of my junior colleagues urgently requested the day off, I decided to let them have it. They needed the break more than I did. So here I am, not just working my usual shift but also covering theirs. Normally, I'd be stationed inside, keeping an eye on the mansion's interior, but today, I'm stuck at the gate. I don't mind too much, though. I'm not on my own—there are four junior guards with me, keeping watch. At least that helps make the shift a little more bearable. For now, I just had to get through the rest of this shift. Somehow... A soft buzz suddenly came from my smartwatch. "Hm?" I muttered, glancing down at the screen. It was a message. From *him*. That old man? Now *that* was unexpected. He despised technology. In all the time I'd worked here, he'd never sent me a message directly. If he needed something, he'd always send someone to fetch me or send orders throught someone else... But a direct message? That was unheard of. A wave of curiosity washed over me, tinged with a bit of unease. After a brief pause, I tapped the notification to open it. The message was short and straight to the point. "Take a 2-hour break along with your group." What? I blinked, reading it again to make sure I wasn't imagining it. Take a break? From *him*? It was so unlike him that I was completely caught off guard. Is he joking or something? But knowing him, there was no way he was joking. Which meant... what I'd just read was real. This was a man who never let us take a break, and now, out of nowhere, he personally sends a message—telling me to take one? And not just me, but the whole group? It was nothing short of a miracle. Grinning, I turned to my team and called out in a firm voice, "Everyone, listen up! I've got an important announcement!" The four guys, who had been focused on their own tasks, immediately stopped and looked over at me. One of them, sounding as lazy as ever, asked, "What is it, boss?" I glanced at him—John Erickson. Like the rest of us, he had a muscular build, but what made him stand out were his rare green eyes and matching green hair. On top of that, he was almost ten years younger than me, so I couldn't help but see him as a little brother. John was one of the junior guards, known for being ridiculously lazy. I didn't mind his laid-back tone—it was just how he was. In my usual strict tone, I said, "Sir Allen just messaged me—we're getting a two-hour break, starting now." The shock was immediate. I could see it in their eyes as they stared at me, just as surprised as I had been. Trinoy Heilder, one of my juniors, with an average appearance but a strong build, was the first to speak. "Are you serious, boss? Sir Alex *really* said that?" John chimed in right after, "Yeah, boss, are you sure? You're not just imagining it, right?" Their disbelief was obvious, and honestly, I couldn't blame them. None of us expected something like this. When John said that, the others turned to me, curious and unsure if I was serious. I shrugged. "If you don't believe me, see for yourselves." I opened the message on my smartwatch and held it out for them to read. Like a pack of hungry animals, they crowded around, eager to check the message from the old man. A few moments later, after each of them had seen it, they stepped back, convinced. John scratched his head, looking a little sheepish. "Sorry, boss, for being so dramatic." I waved it off. "No big deal." Then I added, "You've got two hours. Do whatever you want." Trinoy grinned and quickly said, "Thanks, boss!" With that, all four of them rushed through the gate, eager to get on with whatever they had in mind. I sighed, knowing full well what they were up to. "All this generation cares about is women and beer..." They were probably off to party, drinking and flirting with the maids, despite all my warnings. I'd told them over and over that those maids were no ordinary women, but clearly, they didn't care. "Hm... whatever," I muttered to myself. I was ready to hunt—wait, what? Just as I was about to finish my thought, my smartwatch buzzed again with a flurry of notifications. "Ahh... Damn it," I muttered, realizing I had completely forgotten to turn off the notifications. I opened my smartwatch, intending to silence it, but what I saw made me stop cold. A fresh notification appeared on the screen: "Breaking News! Sir Michael Frostburne has found a loophole, defeating all competitors in the Cannes competition in just 5 minutes! Don't miss the live updates—watch now on Webstar24!" Wait, what? Loophole? Did the young master actually do that? I blinked in disbelief, reading the message over again. This can't be real. In all my time working for the Frostburne family, I never imagined seeing the young master crush everyone in such a short time and top the rankings. It was mind-blowing. Guess I was wrong about him—way to go, young master! Without another thought, I spun around and hurried through the gate, heading straight for the Frostburne mansion's cafeteria. There was no way I was going to watch this competition on my tiny smartwatch when I could stream it live on the massive HD TV in the cafeteria. Plus, there would be snacks—a way better deal than standing out here. This day was getting wilder by the minute. After a short walk, I finally reached the cafeteria, but I was met with a chaotic scene. Almost every table was packed with all kinds of people, and I couldn't help but wonder what was going on. From the maids to the gardener to the chefs, everyone was present—including my juniors and friends. They were so absorbed in the TV in front of them that they didn't even notice me. I stood there for a moment, confused, until I spotted the huge TV displaying a young man with black hair and hazel eyes. He was incredibly handsome, and it quickly became clear that everyone had gathered to cheer for our young master. Excited to find an empty seat and enjoy the show, I suddenly heard a loud voice cut through the commotion. "Yo, Brutus, what are you doing sitting alone? Come over here!" It was one of my close friends. I hurried over in his direction, reminding him to keep his voice down. As I approached, the crowd shifted their focus back to the TV, allowing me to navigate through the noise and excitement. While I moved toward him, I couldn't help but take a good look at him. He was sitting near the center of the cafeteria, really standing out among the busy crowd of juniors. Morrison Carlson. He was both my friend and, at times, a bit of a bully. With his striking blue eyes and strong jawline, he had a distinctly chiseled appearance. Standing around 6 feet 3 inches tall, he boasted a muscular build, broad shoulders, and a well-defined physique that showcased his commitment to fitness. His sandy brown hair only added to his rugged look. Huh... Seeing him here always hits me with a sense of nostalgia. Why? It's mainly because we became friends the very first time we crossed paths in the cafeteria five years ago. "Dude, you're late!" he said, motioning for me to join the group. "We just now witnessed how the young master came out of nowhere and, took the competition by storm!" John and, Trinoy who were also sitting surroundings said one by one. "Boss, youngmaster just worked smart rather than hard!" "Yes boss, he is correct! You missed up everything!" I said in friendly tone,"No need to worry, I still have 1 hour to enjoy!" And, then, I took a seat next to Morris, with the cheerful energy of the room palpable. I then asked him, "Hmm, where are the others?" He said, "That old-I mean, sir Allen send them to some important mission together a few hours ago." Hearing his answer, I nodded calmly all because getting random mission from that old man were as comman as possible. I shifted my attention away from him and back to the large screen, where the young master was battling a group of Iron Wolves. But hold on—what was happening? As I watched him more closely, something felt off. His footsteps during the fight seemed unusual, though I couldn't quite put my finger on why... With each passing second, the young master's movements grew faster, more fluid. His footwork, once slightly awkward, was now precise-almost too precise. It was as if he had memorized the exact positions of each Iron Wolf, anticipating their every move before they even made it. His daggers flashed through the air in a blur, the gleam of the blades catching the light as they sliced effortlessly through fur and flesh. Every strike landed with deadly accuracy, targeting the wolves' vital points their throats, joints, and hearts. The beasts barely had time to react before collapsing in a heap around him. The cafeteria was dead silent now. The boisterous energy from earlier had vanished, replaced by awe. Every pair of eyes in the room was glued to the screen. No one could believe what they were witnessing. Why? Because almost everyone working in the mansion knew about young master Michael's skills and rank... I leaned forward in my seat, my heart pounding in my chest. This wasn't normal. Just a few months ago, young master had struggled to take down even the most basic of monsters -creatures that would barely cause a seasoned hunter to break a sweat. And now... Now he was carving through Iron Wolves, a pack of uncommon-ranked beasts, as if they were nothing more than training dummies. This level of improvement in such a short amount of time was unheard of. As he spun around, effortlessly dodging a wolf's lunge and slashing its exposed neck in one swift motion, I couldn't help but mutter under my breath, "Is he a..." "...Monster or something?"