Give children a little self-destruction shock to their worldview.

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"...How old are you anyway?" Jack scoffed. "Old man, why are you dragging me into this when you clearly want to learn?"

The Abyss Gentleman, who was sharply criticized as an old man, had a well-shaped mark appear on his forehead, but his good manners kept him polite: "Mr. Jack, it's impolite to call an elder 'old man'."

Jack scoffed, but seeing that the Abyss Gentleman was indeed a bit angry, he shut his mouth.

Where did this strange old woman come from?

Jack was incredulous that he had been so easily defeated by an unknown oddball.

At first, he thought the other party had come to seek refuge with him! He even thought that if the other party wasn't very capable, he could just put in the effort to keep him at home as a housekeeper.

However, what he didn't know was that the seemingly weak and fussy guy in front of him was actually his future self.

Nowadays, most high-level monsters like to show their more human side, displaying their extraordinary strength through their appearance.

Jack did the same, and he was the most talented of all the weirdos... He never expected that the Gentleman of the Abyss would be hiding his talents.

While the former is a natural talent, the latter is a natural talent who has accumulated strength over more than a decade. Even though he was busy making a living, he did not neglect his magic. It would be easy for him to crush his younger self.

After being defeated by this pretentious old woman, Jack's leadership naturally changed hands.

As the leader of the eccentrics, Jack didn't actually put much effort into management. He allowed these guys to follow him, so why would he need to manage them personally?

Every time he raised his arm, his cronies would swarm around him.

However, the Gentleman of the Abyss was different. After taking over Jack's subordinates, he immediately began to reorganize them and has already achieved considerable results.

Although Jack didn't care much about power, he still felt a little uneasy seeing those guys who used to follow him around starting to side with the Abyss Gentlemen.

What's more, this old hag is truly despicable! How can she be so good at winning people over!

—In reality, some subordinates simply felt that the Abyss Gentleman was much more reliable than the playful Jack, and that following this older brother should be more promising.

Compared to the unpredictable young Jack, the Abyss Gentleman at least gives them promises and assigns tasks, which seems much more professional.

Meanwhile, Jack himself, who has been sidelined, is now being forced to study by the Abyss Gentleman.

I made a list for him, covering everything from basic subjects like Chinese and mathematics to practical life skills like driving a car, and I plan to have him learn everything according to that list.

Jack felt a chill run down his spine as he looked at the contents and wanted to run away, but the Gentleman of the Abyss grabbed him by the collar and pinned him in front of the desk.

It's amazing!

This weirdo really acts like a mother hen... What kind of weirdo is she anyway? Is she a parenting weirdo?

This was the first time in all of Jack's years that he had felt the fear of being suppressed by his parents.

Even his previous guardians weren't this tough.

Jack, who didn't know that the Abyss Gentleman should actually be categorized as "strict with himself," simply couldn't stand it anymore.

He planned to run away.

Escape from this cage called learning!

While the Gentleman of the Abyss was out buying groceries, Jack finally seized the opportunity and climbed out of the study window.

There was a barrier set up at the entrance, and if he tried to break it, he would definitely be discovered, so he chose to leave through the window.

Although there was a barrier around the entire encampment, unlike the barrier at the study entrance, it didn't have any binding function. By the time the alert was issued, Jack had already escaped.

Just as Jack climbed out the window, he heard someone calling him from downstairs: "Hey—! Jack! What are you doing?"

Jack slipped and almost fell headfirst. After hurriedly regaining his balance, he found that the prankster was standing in the yard looking up at him.

Phew, it's Anna.

The prankster at this time is not much different from the one ten years later, except that the texture of his skin is not as close to that of a human, and it has a doll-like sheen.

She was an oddball who decided to follow Jack from the very beginning, and they had a pretty good relationship in private. Jack felt he could trust her.

"Why are you climbing out the window...?" the prankster asked, puzzled. "The teacher said you were studying hard."

Jack landed in front of her, scoffing, "Who wants to learn that boring stuff... Wait, you call that old woman 'sir' too?"

No one knew the Abyss Gentleman's name or his eccentric nature, but his elegant demeanor was so impressive that people called him "Sir".

Jack stared incredulously at the prankster in front of him... "Have you betrayed us too?"

The prankster didn't actually intend to join that gentleman's side.

Although the other party did seem more reliable than the Fear Monster, it was obvious to anyone with eyes that he had no intention of becoming the leader; he was simply trying to organize Jack's messy organization.

Rather than seizing power, it's more like snatching the controller from someone playing a game because you think they're playing terribly, helping them beat the game, and then throwing the controller back afterward.

Of course, it's also possible that the strange man simply looked down on this messy gang of thugs, since his demeanor was completely out of place in this area.

The prankster wouldn't say these things to Jack in front of her; she still had some doubts in her heart.

She didn't immediately turn to the Abyss Gentleman, after all, the monster she followed was Jack, whom she believed could bring a new world to monsters.

But the Gentleman of the Abyss casually punctured her inner unease.

The older, composed eccentric stroked the smooth-faced gem on his cane. Faced with the prankster's doubts and dissatisfaction regarding his usurpation, he merely chuckled: "Oh? Miss Anna, are you so certain that Jack is the leader who can create a new world for all the eccentrics?"

This statement planted a seed of doubt in the mind of the prankster.

Jack is indeed the most likely monster the pranksters have ever seen, but so far the qualities this young monster has shown do not seem sufficient to lead the monsters to the new world they seek.

It's not a matter of strength, but rather that Jack's ambitions lie elsewhere, and he has no plans for the future... He hasn't even managed to gather the old followers of those bandaged monsters.

Looking at Jack, who was skipping school, the prankster finally confirmed the problem he had been vaguely aware of all along.

The leader she chose seemed to be a lazy, inexperienced young man.

Faced with Jack's questioning, the prankster realized his mistake in making the initial choice, but still offered his advice: "I think the gentleman is right, Jack, you should go back..."

Jack's face fell, a hint of disappointment in his eyes: "You too?"

Why did all the lackeys who used to follow me around betray me as soon as that old woman arrived?

Even though he didn't care much about his role as leader, Jack was still unhappy about his "playmate's" defection.

Let those guys fawn over that old man all they want! I don't need anyone following me around!

Ignoring the prankster's advice, Jack angrily left the place that no longer belonged to him.

Before leaving, she didn't forget to catch the prankster and cast a secret spell on her to prevent her from revealing her whereabouts to the Gentleman of the Abyss.

The prankster was incredibly frustrated; her mouth was sealed shut with a magical tape-shaped seal, preventing her from uttering a single word. She had wanted to argue with Jack, but he had already vanished too quickly to be seen.

He had no choice but to turn around and go inside, but to his surprise, as soon as he turned around, he saw a neat and tidy figure in a formal suit standing in front of him.

The Abyss Gentleman waved his white-gloved hand in front of the Prankster, and the magic tape on the latter's mouth immediately disappeared.

He glanced in the direction Jack had left and sighed.

"Ignore him."

The younger I look at myself, the more I feel like a jerk. But instead of forcing someone to study, it's better to let them stumble and fall hard on their own.

Jack left the camp in the afternoon, close to dinner time. He left while the Gentleman of the Abyss was buying groceries for dinner.

So he didn't get to eat dinner.

That strange old woman really does cook very well. Compared to Jack's quick meals that he just grabs to fill his stomach, the Abyss Gentleman's cooking has a homey feel to it.

Jack's stomach started growling at the thought of the Abyss Gentleman's cooking. It was already dusk, and night would soon fall; the streets were filled with people eager to get home for dinner.

Jack didn't know where he was going, so he simply sat down on a park bench.

I left in a hurry and didn't bring any money with me.

The place where I used to live with my desperate older sister was demolished long ago, and I don't know where she went.

I wanted to ask acquaintances for help, but it seemed like they were all poorer than me... Putting that aside for now, if those guys found out that I left because the Abyss Gentleman forced me to study, it would be as embarrassing as a runaway child.

Jack, a quirky young man who looked like a hoodlum, sat in the park in a daze, unaware that because of his presence, the children who wanted to play there subconsciously took a detour.

Even if he knew, he didn't really care and would let him have some peace and quiet.

But as he was still pondering whether he should sleep on this bench that night, a shadow suddenly loomed over him.

Jack was annoyed and didn't even want to lift his head: "Go away."

"You're crazy. The park isn't your private property."

Then he was subjected to merciless insults.

Jack was stunned. He looked up and saw a strange-looking man who looked completely unfamiliar.

Judging from its body shape, it should be female, but its voice is a neutral electronic voice that is hard to tell the gender of. Its head is a TV screen about the size of an average person's head, with only static on it.

What also caught Jack's attention was the rope in the other person's hand.

The other person had a pet leash for a small dog tied to their wrist, and the other end of the leash was attached to a strange clown-like figure that looked like it had just been born, was not yet in a daze, and had a dazed face.

Jack: ...

This is unbelievable! What kind of combination is this?

The other party said they used a pet leash to tether the young monster, but it looks like they brought the young monster to the park to swing on the swings.

But if you say the other party was kindly taking care of the child, then looking at the dog leash, something just feels off.

Jack's childhood was also spent in a daze, being raised by the former Despair Monster. However, he remembered clearly that the Despair Monster was the gentle type, unlike the hot-tempered monster in front of him.

Moreover, judging from the way the other person takes care of the child, they don't seem to have much patience.

Wow, what a kind-hearted but bad-tempered guy.

Jack was initially furious after being called a lunatic, but seeing that the other person had a child with them, he kept quiet.

He shut his mouth and watched as the strange woman put the little guy on the swing, then, without even loosening the leash, prepared to push him.

"Wait!" Jack exclaimed in surprise. "What are you doing!"

The rope was tied around the neck and was very short. How could you let a child play like that?

Even though Jack had little experience with children, he knew it was dangerous.

He hurriedly lifted the child off the swing, during which the little thing bit him, making him gasp in pain.

The strange woman exclaimed in surprise, "I didn't expect you to be so kind."

"You're so careless! You didn't even untie the rope!" Jack complained, shaking the child off her arm. "Are you his sister? You should at least be a little more careful..."

“His predecessor was my brother,” the strange woman said.

Jack stopped complaining; he knew what that meant.

After the monster exhausts its magic and falls into a deep sleep, the reborn individual is actually a different monster.

So, the female monster means that her brother met with misfortune, and she can only live with the new monster born from her brother's monster core.

“He is a monster with the attribute of ‘Dream,’ and I am a monster with the attribute of ‘Memory,’” said the Memory Monster.

Jack knew that these two strange individuals were both subordinates of the Bandaged Monster, the former leader of the city's strange groups. After Jack took over the city, some of the Bandaged Monster's subordinates did not choose to submit to him.

But what he didn't know was why the Nightmare Monster had fallen to this state.

Text: 322. False Thugs

Nightmare Monster and Memory Monster are both subordinates of Bandage Monster.

Jack didn't have a good impression of the bandaged monster who had ruled Miracle City before him.

Before he grew to his current level, he was protected by the Despair Monster and was therefore not oppressed by other powerful monsters.

After the Despair Monster fell asleep, the Bandaged Monster, out of respect for the Despair Monster, actually took care of Jack for a while.

In retrospect, the care he received during that period seemed more like a way to win people over, so that Jack could be of use to him once he grew up.

Compared to ordinary, simple-minded weirdos, the bandaged weirdo possesses an evil personality that doesn't belong to this world.

Rumor has it that the Bandage Monster doesn't actually have the bandage attribute, but rather some other, worse attribute.

However, because no one knew his true nature and his body was wrapped in bandages, he was called the Bandage Monster.

When the Desperate Monster was still alive, he warned Jack not to trust the bandaged monster who was full of secrets.

Unlike other simple-minded oddballs, the bandaged oddball cannot be trusted.

Therefore, Jack was wary of the bandaged man's attempts to win people over.

He didn't refuse any of the other party's attempts to bribe him, but he also didn't cross his own bottom line, maintaining a just-right distance from the other party, and the two maintained a superficial relationship.

It wasn't until later, when the Bandaged Monster's plan to extract the magic power of other monsters was exposed, and the Prankster Monster, who had narrowly escaped his clutches, came to complain, that Jack led his men to wipe out the Bandaged Monster's entire force.