RENEWAL (WARPED Book Two)

Prologue

(3rd Person's PoV)

"Y-You..." Phoenix said as Thanatos, his most formidable enemy ever since they met each other, extracted the Phoenix soulstone from his core. "N-No...please, I...he's the only one left with me...!" he pleaded to the one who was said to be the strongest of all Adepts since he knows what will happen next.

"The Phoenix has forsaken you, Adept, so you're not worthy of its name anymore," Thanatos replied, crushing the soulstone before his eyes.

Considered to be the lifeline of an Adept, having your confidant's soulstone get destroyed not only means the nullification of your contract but your own death as well.

I must have gone really crazy, thinking that I will be able to defeat this man in front of me as long as I dedicate myself to training, Phoenix thought while looking at him.

Knowing him for at least a decade and a half now, Thanatos is definitely a man of his words, he can give him that. But seeing him right now, even he can tell that so much has changed in his Nemesis, something that he won't be able to crush, no matter what.

"NOW BEGONE!" Thanatos yelled while directing his killing intent towards him.

And because of that, the former strongest man in their nameless world ran away from the presence of his enemy for the first time in his life because of fear.

***

"It seems like all is well with you now, Hyung," Hirai Hatori said to Jung Minsung after undoing his magetech armor while approaching him and the Fromis_9 members, the group he is managing right now.

"W-W-WHAT?! YOU'RE THE SAME AS MINSUNG-AH, PRES?" Lee Nagyung asked him.

"Yup. Actually, he's the one who mentored me while I was still a newbie Adept in our former world," Hatori replied.

"Ah! So it means that...Minsung Oppa's the one you mentioned to me before," Baek Jiheon commented.

"Yes. He's the one, Noona," Hatori replied. "So...where's Phoenix now, Hyung? You didn't kill him, right?" he asked.

"I don't think that it's necessary anymore, now that the Phoenix soulstone is already destroyed," Minsung answered.

"Soulstones might be our lifeline in our former world, but that's not really the case here, Hyung," Hatori commented. "And that man is too stubborn to die, I think."

"Well...he's the only one who challenged me constantly for more than a decade so, I can't really object to that," Minsung said. "However, if he decides to threaten those who are dear to me once again, I'll definitely face him anytime."

"Well...sitting on the throne of the strongest Adept sure is very tempting, even for me so I understand him somehow, Hyung," Hatori commented.

"And why tell me that right now, huh?! The throne of the strongest Adept is already yours, you idiot, hahaha," Minsung commented. "You already defeated me before, right?"

"I was only able to do that since we all ganged up on you, though," Hatori replied, shocking the ladies around them.

"Do you really think that, without trust, you can make people obey you? You have the strength of a leader as well as the trust and loyalty of the people you lead. And that is why you're able to defeat me," Minsung replied, patting his head. "And besides, I already found something that is worth far more than the throne of the strongest Adept so, seriously speaking, I don't need it anymore," he added before hugging Jiheon beside him.

"Aish. Are we having a movie shoot here or something?" Jang Gyuri asked. "I've been hearing cringe lines until now."

"Same feeling here hahaha," Lee Chaeyoung added.

"Err...by the way, do you have a girlfriend, Pres?" Nagyung suddenly asked, making the rest of the ladies do a facepalm at the same time.

"Looks like Nakko's at it again," Lee Seoyeon commented while smirking.

"Definitely," Song Hayoung agreed.

"Nope, I didn't even experience having one yet. Why do you ask?" Hatori-san replied, oblivious of what's happening right now.

"Hmmm...i-in that case, w-would you like me to be your first?" Nagyung shyly asked while smiling sweetly.

"What?! Did she just stutter? Omo," Park Jiwon asked.

"Oh, shit. She just asked the wrong person," Minsung suddenly commented.

"What do you mean by that, Minsung-ah?" Lee Saerom whispered to him.

"That kid's got a big sister complex, Sae Noona," Minsung whispered back.

"Pfft," Lee Chaeyoung commented, suppressing her laugh after overhearing the conversation. "He should date Jissen Unnie, then hahaha."

"YAH! WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY, LEE CHAEYOUNG?!" Jisun asked amidst the laughing.

"Well...as long as it's a single lady and not Jiheonie, I think it'll be alright," Minsung commented nonchalantly before kissing Jiheon on the forehead.

"Hahaha. Don't worry about that. Jiheon-ah only has her eyes set on you," Gyuri said.

"Unnie...!" Jiheon said, her cheeks flushing a bright pink color.

Despite what happened to them earlier, their day somehow ended up happily.

***