When I was five years old, I was kidnapped by the human traffickers. Later on, I was abandoned at Dreadvault Isle's prison meant for serious offenders located in the infamous no-man's land of Cloudguard Continent.

In order to avoid dying from starvation, I clung to Edgar Blythe, who was a serial killer with the highest bounty known on the Internet, and called him "Grandpa Eddie". Then, I moved to grip Franklin Graves, a former boxing champion, by his diamond-crusted belt just to beg for scraps.

Finally, I entangled myself around a top-tier assassin's leg while yelling at the top of my lungs, "As long as you don't let me starve to death, I'll make sure to take care of you once you grow old!"

All the international mercenaries, arms dealers, and professional assassins were stunned by my declaration. In the end, they gave me some leftovers from their own plates. That was how I was raised in prison.

Since my grandpas have enemies all over the globe, the first thing I do after returning to the country is act like a cowardly impoverished student.

When I'm a college sophomore, Leonard Hargrove, a rich scion from a conglomerate, has accused me of stealing his laptop. He even beats me up relentlessly on the campus field and breaks three of my ribs by stomping on my chest. To make things worse, he forces me to swallow blood-drenched soil.

I'm in so much pain that I've practically gone nuts and bitten off half of Leonard's ear as a result.

Jordan Chappel, the dean of the college, kicks me to the floor when I meet him later on in his office.

"Do you really think you're in the right for stealing from someone else, you broke bastard? All he did was hit you a few times! It's not like you'll die from those attacks!

"You'd better tell your guardians to come here as soon as possible! I want to see them groveling to me and apologize on your behalf!"

After spitting out a mixture of blood and saliva, I turn to stare Jordan dead in the eye.

"Are you sure you really want my guardians to show up?"

Without a second's notice, Leonard Hargrove slammed his foot into my stomach.

I curled up in pain as my broken ribs stabbed into my lungs. Every breath I took carried the metallic taste of blood.

"How dare you talk back to me, you bastard?" he shouted, clutching his bloody ear as he ground his heel down on my knuckles.

Agony shot through me instantly.

"Return my laptop to me, or I swear I'll rip your arm off today!"

I clenched my teeth tightly, adamant not to let out a scream.

Inside the office, the dean, Mr. Jordan Chappel, did nothing to stop Leonard. Instead, he even had someone cover up the surveillance cameras.

"Look at what you've done! You bit Leonard's ear off like a rabid dog just because he wanted to ask you a few questions?"

Sprawled on the concrete floor with my mouth full of bloody foam, I barely managed to force out the words. "He hit me first... and I never stole his laptop!"

"You're lying!" Leonard roared as he ground his heel down harder. The pain left me drenched in a cold sweat.

"You can't even afford to buy yourself a proper meal most of the time! If you didn't steal it, who did? You're just jealous that my family is rich and that I'm better than you in every way. So you wanted to steal my stuff and sell it!"

I was shaking with rage and was about to retort.

But the very next second, Mr. Chappel stepped forward and kicked me hard in the stomach. I gasped sharply from the pain.

"Cut the nonsense! Now hand over what you stole! This is extremely serious misconduct, and your guardians must be notified!"

A crowd of curious students had already gathered at the entrance of the disciplinary office, exchanging comments among themselves.

"I heard his parents are dead, so he was raised by a few old fishermen on an island."

"No wonder he's so light-fingered. It must be his poor upbringing. Now that he's messed with Leonard, he's done for."

The moment I heard that my guardians were going to be contacted, I was consumed by terror.

It was true that my grandfathers—the men who'd raised me—lived on an island, but they were no fishermen.

Edgar Blythe, or Grandpa Eddie, was the highest-bounty serial killer on the international wanted list. Countless tyrants and scum had died at his hands.

Franklin Graves, or Grandpa Frankie, was an underground boxing champion who could smash half a ton of granite into powder with just one punch.

Tobias Mercer, or Grandpa Toby, had been one of the top secret agents in Acratius in his younger days.

Then there was the king of mercenaries, Grandpa Harry, or Harold Keene, and the arms dealer, Grandpa Luke, or Lucian Calder. I had been brought up on an island by a huge group of men like them.

Back when I left Dreadvault Isle for college, these old men had held my hands with their eyes red-rimmed.

"Eli, if anyone gives you trouble out there, don't you dare just take it in silence."

"If anyone bullies you, you give us a call, and we'll come over and take care of them right away!"

That was what they said, and they were more than capable of doing it. But how could I possibly make the call?

Every single one of them had dabbled in things that could cost them their lives. The moment they set foot on this land and their identities were exposed, the consequences would be disastrous. There was no way I was going to risk my grandfathers' lives over something as trivial as this.

Fighting through the searing pain, I struggled to my feet and dropped to my knees in front of Mr. Chappel. Between my dignity and my grandfathers' safety, I would choose the latter every single time.

"Mr. Chappel, I'm sorry. I was wrong," I said in a shaky voice, keeping my head down.

"The men who raised me are old and aren't in the best of health now. They can't handle the stress. I'll apologize! I've saved up some money from working odd jobs. I'll give it all to Leonard for his medical bills. Please, just don't bother my grandfathers, okay?" I begged in a pathetic manner.

Before I left for college, my grandfathers had slipped a black bank card into my bag as a reward. I had never checked the balance, but it should be enough to cover Leonard's medical fees.

Just then, the door to the disciplinary office was kicked open. "No way!"

Leonard's father, Mr. Felix Hargrove, stormed in furiously. "Look what he did to my son! You think a simple apology will settle this? Have you forgotten who donated the funds for the college's new academic block last year?"

Mr. Chappel had initially been hesitating, but the moment he heard that, his expression changed instantly. When he turned around, his gaze had turned cold and vicious. "Call your guardians right now, or I'll send you straight to the police station!"

My heart sank immediately. If this really reached the police and I ended up with a criminal record, my entire future would be ruined. And even worse, if the police traced things back to Dreadvault Isle...

I was instantly flustered.

Seeing this, Leonard laughed smugly. "Go ahead, make the call! Tell those bloody fishermen to come over and grovel in front of me! If they don't lick the soles of my shoes clean today, I swear we won't be seeing the end of this."

I gripped my phone tightly, contemplating whether I should make the call. If I called, my grandfathers could be exposed. But if I didn't, the Hargroves would definitely destroy me, and they might even trace things back to Dreadvault Isle.

"Hurry up!" Mr. Hargrove kicked me in the shoulder.

The last shred of hesitation in me swiftly vanished. My finger moved across the screen, and right in front of all of them, I made the call.

There was no turning back now. Since they weren't giving me a way out, we could all end up in hell together.

The phone rang for only a second before it was answered.

"Eli? Why are you calling at this hour? Missing your old gramps?" Grandpa Eddie's voice carried a light chuckle, followed by a few coughs. It had been raining for days, and his lung condition was probably acting up again.

I was instantly hit with a pang of regret. They were all so old already—how could I bear to have them worry about me? I bit down hard on my tongue to stop any groans from escaping.

"Grandpa Eddie, I... I just miss you guys and wanted to hear your voices," I said, trying my best to sound as cheerful as possible.

If Grandpa Eddie ever found out I was being bullied, he would come charging off Dreadvault Isle no matter what. And if he did, there would be no going back.

"Just come home if you miss us! All of us here miss you a lot too. And don't forget to tell us if anyone is giving you a hard time."

Then, Grandpa Eddie laughed heartily, telling me to eat more and not to skimp on money.

My eyes stung, but I forced myself to lie, saying, "There's no one giving me a hard time. My teachers and classmates are all very nice to me, really."

Then, I hung up hastily and collapsed to the floor without a word.

When Leonard saw me hang up, he kicked me. "What's the matter? Are those fisherman grandfathers of yours too scared to answer the call? I knew it. The moment they heard they'd have to come to the college, those broke old geezers would just hide on the island and play dead."

I kept my head down and said in a hoarse voice, "My grandfathers are old and can't travel long distances. They won't be able to make it here. Whatever compensation you want, just tell me. Please just don't get them involved."

Mr. Hargrove gave a cold snort, grabbed a fistful of my hair, and forced me to look at him. "They won't be able to make it? You bit off half my son's ear, and you think that telling me they're old is reason enough to brush things off?

"Seems to me like you won't see the severity of the matter unless you're faced with the consequences of your actions. Give me your phone! I'll call those damned fishermen myself!"

With that, he bent down to grab my phone.

Clutching the phone to my chest, I scrambled backward like a madman. "No!"

All of a sudden, Leonard grabbed a thermal mug off the office table and, without the slightest hesitation, poured the steaming hot water in the mug onto one side of my face.

"Ahh!" I let out a bloodcurdling shriek and rolled on the ground, clutching my face. My skin instantly blistered and swelled from the burn. The burning pain was so intense that it nearly shattered my sanity.

Leonard planted his foot on my face, his lips twisted in a menacing smile. "Look at you, acting like such a coward. What happened to all that spunk you had earlier when you bit my ear?"

I convulsed in agony, barely able to speak. "I-I'll do a-anything… as long as you d-don't go after my grandfathers."

Leonard crouched down and patted my cheek. "Fine. Starting tomorrow, you'll wait at the campus gates on your knees every day, shining my shoes where everyone can see.

"Also, you owe me five thousand dollars in medical fees, not a cent less. Otherwise, I'll call the police and have them go straight to that little island of yours to arrest your grandfathers."

I agreed through clenched teeth. "Y-yes, I promise. Please, just don't call the police."

Leonard excitedly pulled out his phone and started recording me. He clicked his tongue and said, "Don't you usually act all high and mighty? But look at you now! You're behaving like a well-trained dog!"

After Leonard left, I had just walked out of the academic building when Grandpa Frankie gave me a video call. I panicked and quickly adjusted my collar to cover the side of my face that was red and swollen.

On the screen, Grandpa Frankie was clumsily fiddling with pieces of a building set. The former formidable boxing champion was now wearing reading glasses and sweating profusely.

"Eli, look, this is the Black Comet spaceship you said you wanted before you left for college. But my hands aren't very steady, so I'm only halfway done after working on it for two weeks. I'll give it to you when you come back during break."

Then, he smiled at the camera with a simple, honest grin.

I gripped the tree trunk beside me hard enough for my nails to dig deep into the bark just to stop myself from crying out loud. "Grandpa Frankie... it's beautiful. I love it."

He nodded happily with a chuckle, gave me a few more reminders, and finally ended the call.

The moment the screen dimmed, I could no longer hold myself up. I slid down the tree trunk and sat on the ground.

I just had to make it until graduation. As long as it meant my grandfathers could live in peace, I would accept whatever it was, even if it meant living in humiliation.