Martial Era: Starting With The Strongest Talent-Chapter 37: All Smiling Solutions
The three men kneeling in front of Adam’s door belonged to the company Always Smiling Solutions.
The man in the middle, dressed in an expensive suit, was the owner of the supposedly "fine and clean" establishment.
And right now, he wished he could go back in time and stop himself from making such a stupid decision.
After all, who in the sector hadn’t heard of Adam, the man who had soloed an entire mutant rift?
It was no surprise then, that the members of Always smiling solutions had also heard of it and to say the owner was terrified would be an understatement.
As he knelt with his forehead pressed to the ground, his thoughts raced.
Why did we give such exaggerated rates?
Adam had come to them for a loan of $13,000, and just like any other sucker they had duped, they had given him the money, along with their usual, absurd repayment interest of 70% stacked monthly.
After six months, Adam owed them a ridiculous $67,600.
This was a sum he obviously wouldn’t have been able to pay back.
However, they had their ways to make back the money, although it wouldn’t have been pretty for the previous Adam.
It was already clear that, Always smiling solution was a filthy company.
A 70% interest rate was absurd, but they got away with it because the owner himself was a Martial Apprentice with a four-star martial spirit.
That backing allowed them to act brazenly, targeting non-martial artists or martial artists without talent or support.
But this time, they had bitten off far more than they could chew.
They had rushed here to make amends, terrified that Adam, after becoming so powerful, would seek retribution for their foul practices.
So they came first, hoping to appease him before anything happened.
But just then, a calm voice broke the tense atmosphere:
"Is it because I’m owing you guys money that you won’t allow me to go into my own home?"
The neighbors were stunned by Adam’s statement.
None of them had expected the men prostrating at his door to be loan sharks. Loan sharks weren’t exactly known for courtesy when collecting debt.
As for the three men, their blood ran cold the moment Adam spoke.
The owner jolted to his feet instantly, kicking the two men beside him as he barked:
"Why would you block Mr. Adam? Do you want me to skin you alive?!"
The two large men scrambled upright, not daring to complain.
Both bowed their heads in a perfect ninety-degree angle and said in unison,
"We apologize, Mr. Adam."
Their submissiveness surprised Adam, though he didn’t show it on his face.
"So," Adam said calmly, "what exactly are you doing here?"
The fact that they had been kneeling at his door made it obvious, they weren’t here for the money.
Unless loan sharks had suddenly adopted a new debt-collection method he wasn’t aware of.
The owner quickly bowed again.
"Mr. Adam, your presence precedes you."
Adam’s eyebrow twitched at the exaggerated performance.
"We are simply here to make amends," the owner said.
"Amends?"
"Yes," the owner continued.
"We did not start on the best terms, so to remedy that, we brought something to show our sincere apology."
He nudged the large man on his right.
The man immediately produced a briefcase, clearly from a storage item like Adam’s own ring.
The briefcase was handed to the owner, who snapped it open.
All the neighbors gasped.
Silence hung for a moment, until a small child whispered loudly:
"Mummy, why are those strange-looking men giving Uncle Adam so much money?"
Her mother stroked her head, answering,
"They did something stupid, so they’re paying their way out."
"Ohhh," the child said, with an exaggerated understanding that made a few neighbors chuckle.
Adam looked at the stacks of cash inside.
"How much is in here?"
"Three hundred thousand dollars, Mr. Adam," the owner replied without hesitation.
The neighbors felt their breath vanish. Most of them had never even seen such an amount in their lifetime.
Adam, however, barely reacted.
The sum was large, larger than what he had earned so far, but with his recent income and achievements, it simply didn’t hit him the same way.
The owner, however, mistook Adam’s calmness.
Will this move him? He started becoming anxious.
But he calmed down as Adam reached out, took the briefcase, and said casually,
"Apology accepted."
The owner nearly collapsed in relief.
"Thank you, Mr. Adam. We won’t trouble you any further," he said, bowing deeply before hurrying off with his two men.
Adam watched them leave, then shook his head.
He gave his neighbors a small nod before entering his apartment.
Slowly, the neighbors dispersed, each of them still reeling from the sight.
They couldn’t help thinking how easily martial artists made money.
But if Adam could hear their thoughts, he would’ve told them the truth,
that this wasn’t normal.
He was just that good.
Unfortunately, Adam couldn’t read minds.
As Adam stepped into his apartment, the first thing he did was slip the briefcase into his storage ring.
A small breath escaped him, He was finally a man without debt.
"But there really is no privacy in this building," he muttered, a faint chuckle slipping out.
He wasn’t annoyed.
The busybody nature of his neighbors was something he’d grown used to.
Honestly, he was guilty of the same curiosity himself.
Adam glanced around the worn-down one-bedroom apartment and scratched the back of his neck.
He had no intention of moving.
This place was home. Every crack in the wall carried memories. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂
"It just needs renovating. Then it’ll be good as new."
He would handle the renovations after returning from the incursion. For now, he needed to prepare for the journey ahead.
Just then, his phone buzzed.
A message flashed across the screen; it was a reservation reminder for Siren’s Swamp.
The manager had already done his part.
But beneath that message was another notification.
It was from his bank.
Adam raised a brow, curiosity piqued, and tapped it open.
****
╭───────────╮
〖Name: Adam〗
〖Rank: None〗
〖Cultivation Talent: G〗
〖Special Talent: Equip ❖ Connect〗
〖SLOT〗
↳ SOUL (2): Rapid E ❖ Poison F
↳ BODY (5): Empty
╰───────────╯
Star Power: 14+
Thank you for reading!
