Right after coming down the mountain, he hadn’t even found a phone store before running into Sera Kleinberg—who had twisted her ankle. After helping her to the hospital, he somehow ended up in a detention center.
By the time he was released, he was starving. His first priority had been to find a restaurant and fill his stomach, and in one meal, he had nearly spent all of his money. Now, he didn’t even have enough left to buy a phone.
No phone meant no maps or anything.
And in this massive, unfamiliar city, after hours of wandering in circles, he had completely lost his sense of direction.
With no money left, no food, and no energy, Eric was exhausted. His lips were dry and cracked under the scorching sun. Eventually, he gave up and collapsed onto a patch of grass by the roadside.
“What kind of damn place is this? Why are there so many roads?!”
He was on the verge of breaking down.
A Prodigy Miraculous doctor who could save lives with one hand and take them with the other—yet here he was, hopelessly lost in the middle of a city.
Just then—
“Ding—”
Three coins suddenly clattered onto the ground in front of him.
Dazed, Eric squinted up against the blinding sunlight. A young father stood before him, gently patting the head of his little daughter.
With a solemn voice, the father began to educate his child. “Sweetheart, this is why you need to study hard. Otherwise, you’ll end up like him—no job, no money, no food, and no proper clothes.”
The adorable little girl nodded with her soft, childlike voice. “I’ll study hard, Daddy. But he smells so bad! Let’s go!”
”….!?”
Staring at the three few cents coins tossed in front of him, he felt his dignity had just taken a serious hit.
But before they go or turn to leave Eric opens his mouth.
“Life has its ups and downs—just because I’m struggling now doesn’t mean I always will be. You are look down on me today, but mark my words—one day, I’ll rise higher than you ever thought possible!” Eric Vaughn said, his eyes blazing with determination as he faced the father and his little daughter.
Before he left the mountain, his second master had told him: “A man isn’t meant to stay stuck in one place forever. Once you step out into the real world, you’ll have the chance to prove yourself—like a small-town kid making it big, ready to take on whatever comes your way.”
He had always believed in those words.
The young father, however, remained unimpressed. He raised an eyebrow and asked, “What’s your education? Did you graduate from a top school? An Ivy League or a prestigious university?”
“I…” Eric Vaughn opened his mouth but couldn’t find the right words.
He had been raised in a deep mountain forest by his three masters since childhood. He had never even attended elementary school, let alone a prestigious university.
The young father’s frown deepened. “What do your parents do? Do they have pensions?”
“I…” Eric Vaughn took a step back in shame.
He had never met his parents. His three masters had told him he was an orphan. As for pensions—none of them seemed to have one.
The young father pressed on, relentless. “Do you own a car? A house?”
“I…” Eric Vaughn let out a defeated sigh and dropped to the ground with a thud.
He had lived in mountain caves his whole life and always traveled on foot.
Since coming down from the mountain, he had ridden in a car once—a police car. As for a place to stay, he did have one for a while—a detention center.
The young father delivered the final blow. “What do you do for a living? How much do you earn? Do you have social security benefits? Do you get weekends off?”
“I…” Eric Vaughn’s breathing became ragged, struggling to keep up.
He had never worked a day in his life or earned a single paycheck. His days in the mountains had been spent mastering medicine, poison, and deadly assassination techniques.
And as for social security benefits and weekends off… ‘What even were those?’ Eruc thought as he looked at them.
“You have nothing. How dare you shout about ‘some random motivational online quotes’?”
The young father held his adorable daughter’s hand and turned to leave. His mocking voice drifted from afar.
Eric Vaughn stood frozen on the spot.
This man… was a genius. For the first time, he started to doubt his master’s words.
His master had often told him stories of the ‘good-for-nothing’ some random country side kid turning his fate around, always emphasizing that Eric’s training in the deep mountains was to prepare him for the day he would descend and amaze the world—just like how random kid had returned to the to the countryside but not as random but as head of some big Industries.
But after hearing this random man’s words, Eric suddenly realized—that random kid may have been called a loser, but at least he had a starting point for him!
What did he have? Nothing. Not even a single strand of hair.
With that thought, Eric bent down, picked up the three few cents coins that the young father had tossed onto the ground, blew the dust off them, and stuffed them into his pocket.
Even though something about that man’s words felt off, the more he thought about it, the more damn reasonable it sounded.
Just then, a commotion broke out nearby. A crowd quickly gathered, and anxious voices filled the air.
“Dad! Dad, are you okay?”
“Dad, don’t scare me! Wake up!”
“Call 911! Someone collapsed—hurry up and call an ambulance!”
Someone had collapsed?
For some reason, the previously disheartened Eric instantly perked up, as if he’d been injected with pure adrenaline.
Finally! Someone had fallen ill. This was his chance to prove he wasn’t a fraud!
A confident smile appeared at the corner of his lips before his expression turned deadly serious.
“This time, I will save the patient with my acupuncture—no matter what. Even if someone tries to stop me, I won’t let them. No one will stop me. I’ll prove to everyone that I am not a con artist!”