He was just an ordinary person before being sentenced to prison. However, upon his release, presidents, war heroes, and even the head of the prison guards knelt before him, addressing him as Master. He had transformed from a nobody into a figure of mysterious and immeasurable abilities and strength.

He had become a kingmaker, capable of accessing the world's resources with ease. Despite this, his only wish was to live a low-key life, marry his fiancée, and provide the best for her and their parents.

However, things did not go according to his plan. His fiancée was no longer the person he once knew; she had become a cheater and materialistic. Now, he was seen as a common ex-convict with no future, and due to a one-night stand out of tipsiness, he found himself getting into a contract marriage with a pitiful but beautiful CEO.

– Leaving Prison

*****

Ironclad Prison, located in the most uninhabitable and unwelcoming region of Elaria.

As implied by its name, this prison was constructed entirely from solid iron, with no hint of other materials and It was the most frightening prison ever created, holding not common criminals but formidable and ruthless ones such as warlords, high-level cultivators, mafia leaders, and those who had caused widespread devastation.

The main reason this prison was feared around the globe wasn't merely its solid iron structure; rather, its location in the coldest place on Earth.

Each day in this prison was a frozen hell, so unbearable that many warlords had died within its confines, while those who survived faced relentless and terrifying torture daily.

In one word, this prison represented the ultimate terror for every power on Earth, and no matter how strong you were, escape was impossible without being released.

…

“Have you guys heard? That demon will finally be released today!" an ex-terrorist whose face was glowing with excitement suddenly whispered in a gossipy tone inside a hall where thousands of prisoners were eating their breakfast of rock-hard bread and frozen congee.

As soon as the inmates around this person heard him, their eyes widened with astonishment, and they trembled with disbelief before gaping.

“How— how true is that?" asked a legendary scientist, who had once used an entire city for his research, his beard trembling with excitement and anxiety from the news.

“100%.” The ex-terrorist replied with confidence. “I got this information from a reliable source.” He added.

“This…” the breathing of everyone around the ex-terrorist quickened and a rare excitement began to fill them.

It was as if the most terrifying demon haunting their lives was finally going to be removed.

Astonishingly enough, it wasn't only this group that was excitedly discussing this topic, but rather, every single person in the vast hall.

Just at that moment, a calm, distinct footstep echoed, and as though the arrival of a scary entity, the massive space fell into pin-drop silence.

Everyone quickly lowered their heads with terror and focused their entire attention on biting into their frozen solid rock bread.

One might expect a fearsome figure to be behind such a terrifying footstep. However, it turned out to be a tall, 26-year-old man who appeared lean and harmless. He was very handsome and elegant, with a gentle demeanor, yet, what stood out most about him was his delicate appearance, which gave the impression that he wouldn't be able to handle a common chicken.

Aside from that, the young man appeared very lazy, but his eyes were brimming with wisdom and power.

…

Noting the terrified expressions on everyone’s faces, as if a death angel had arrived, the young man smiled wryly.

“Aren’t you guys celebrating a second ago that this father is finally leaving?” the young man, Xavier Wilson asked speechlessly.

“This…” the hearts of all the inmates, who appeared menacing and each at least three times the size of Xavier, all muscularly built, trembled upon hearing him.

“Master Xavier!” They shouted in unison, as they jumped to their feet, appearing like soldiers facing their commander.

“We—we definitely aren’t celebrating,” they cried with apprehension and Xavier studied their faces emotionlessly for a moment before snorting.

“Whatever,” he said calmly before crossing his hands behind his back, then like a sage who had transcended mortality, he walked unhurriedly through the hall, each step making the inmates’ heart thump louder in their chests as though scared that Xavier would attack them.

Soon after, his presence vanished from the hall, after which all the inmates collapsed nd began to breathe heavily, recalling the weight of Xavier’s presence.

“Ah!!! Finally!!!” the former kingpin of the prison, who had led all the prisoners before Xavier arrived abruptly sobbed.

“I can now get back my role,” he jubilated and was about to laugh excitedly when, without warning, a calm voice echoed through the hall, saying...

“If any of you dared to cause even the slightest trouble after I’m gone… hmph!”

Although the voice did not complete its threat, everyone broke out in a cold sweat from the power it held, especially the former leader and those who had begun to entertain their plans.

“Why won’t this demon free us even after leaving!” the inmates finally sobbed.

....

Meanwhile, at the entrance of the grim prison, a high-ranking prison guard, who had been waiting respectfully suddenly bowed deeply.

“I didn’t do it for you,” Xavier said calmly, dousing the guard’s fiery excitement with cold water and causing his mouth to twitch.

Unsure whether to smile or cry, the man eventually sighed. “Overall, thank you for putting those troublesome bastards in their place,” he said with an awkward smile, and with that, respectfully opened the massive gate for Xavier.

“You are free from now on,” he said emotionally. However, as soon as he finished speaking, Xavier’s gaze turned blank, causing the man to shiver slightly.

“Have—have I said something wrong?” he asked nervously and Xavier rolled his eyes.

“Do you really think I wasn’t free all this time?” he asked ironically, then not waiting for a response, he stepped forward and walked out of the prison that had held him for the past five years.

The prison guard wasn’t able to respond for a moment after hearing Xavier’s arrogant words, but then, he smiled wryly, unable to refute him.

He sighed after a moment and although Xavier had left, the warden couldn’t help but bow his head again, recalling all of Xavier’s achievements during his time in the prison.

“Take care,” he said with emotion before pressing the remote control in his hand again, sealing the massive gate once more until who knows when.

…..

Meanwhile, Xavier stood outside the prison, looking somewhat helpless. He had initially planned to welcome the sight of freedom, not expecting to be greeted by people who instantly knelt before him.

Undoubtedly, the world would be thrown into chaos if it were to witness the scene Xavier was observing.

Describing the identity of the people kneeling to him right now as terrifying was in fact an understatement.

At the forefront was Elaria’s president, flanked by the four gods of war who protect the entire country, Elaria’s divine physician, and the wealthiest person in the nation.

These seven were like gods to the entire Elaria citizen, yet they were currently kneeling to an ex-convict.

....

“Didn’t I warn you guys not to come see me off?” Xavier finally grumbled unhappily and the instant the seven heard him, they did not become mad instead smiled wryly.

"How could we not come to see you off, Master, on such an important day when you finally decided to leave for the main world?" the president replied with bright eyes.

Xavier was silent for a second before eventually shaking his head helplessly, unable to understand why the seven people were always adamant.

“You have seen me now, off you go,” he said after a second, trying to shoo the seven away, something only he dared to do in the entire world.

The seven exchanged gazes and smiled yet again, already expecting this.

“Master, we would have loved to escort you to the outside world and perhaps announce your esteemed identity, but since you’ve expressed a desire to return to your parents and fiancée for a quiet life, we can only see you this far,” the president said with a heartbroken tone as the seven of them stood up.

Xavier immediately rolled his eyes once more but remained silent.

Suddenly, the South God of War stepped forward, presenting a token while bowing. “Perhaps, you might need the army someday, so, the four of us decided to prepare this command token which you could use to deploy the army at will.”

Xavier, “_”

He stared blankly, but before he could react, the wealthiest person in the country also stepped toward him.

“Master, this is an Opal Card for the World Bank. It should be able to provide you with a slight financial assistance in the outside world.”

“Master, I’ve already informed the prime minister of your city that someone important will be arriving soon. You can call him anytime if you need anything,” the president added.

Looking at the people before him, Xavier, was silent for a second, then sighed after a moment of hesitation

“I will accept your gifts, then,” he said calmly as he accepted the presents.

Although he showed no outward signs of appreciation, the seven people in before him were instantly thrilled, having already thought Xavier would reject their presents.

Without a second thought, Xavier slipped the two items that could have caused a storm in the outside world into his pockets and then walked away and without looking back, boarded the chopper that had been waiting for him.

“Master Xavier.” The pilot bowed his head respectfully, and Xavier nodded calmly.

“I wish to keep a low profile, so you should just drop me at the outskirts of Riverton city.”

“This...” the pilot, who had been given a different directive by the president, hesitated for a moment before nodding respectfully. “Yes, Master Xavier.”

Upon hearing the pilot's response, Xavier gazed out of the window, and instantly, a look of longing appeared on his face.

“Jenifer, Mother, Father, I’m finally free after five years of missing you guys nonstop," he murmured to himself, his eyes abruptly welling up with tears.

…

At the same time, the seven people Xavier left behind continued staring at his chopper until it disappeared into horizon.

“Although the master said he was going to retire and lead a quiet life, why do I have this sudden feeling that his return to the outside world will only bring about storm?" the only woman in the group, one of the four gods of war abruptly muttered to herself.

“It obviously would,” the others responded matter-of-factly, their eyes suddenly shining with excitement for the soon to come future.

– Getting Surprised Instead

*****

“Hehehehe. Do you know, I learned from a very trusted source last night that a powerful, erudite, and prominent Grandmaster is coming to our city today.”

“Huh? A powerful, erudite, and prominent Grandmaster?”

“You—you hadn’t heard the news?”

“Seems so.”

"Ugh! Whatever. According to the news, the prime minister, all the First-rank family leaders, and other major figures in our city have been at the airport since last night, waiting to welcome this god disguised as a man."

“Huh- Wow!”

*****

“Are they talking about me?”

Xavier, who had just entered the city and was appreciating the massive changes around him abruptly mumbled as he came to a stop, staring at the two men in suits walking before him.

He frowned intently the following second before subconsciously looking at the crowded walkway opposite him, which contained people going to work.

Xavier quickly joined and blended into the crowd to listen to their chatter and as it turned out, everyone was animatedly discussing the same topic: the arrival of an Erudite, powerful, and distinguished Grandmaster, a god of war, and a highly esteemed figure, as they call it, coming to the city.

The more Xavier heard the crowd’s gossip, the more astounded he became before he eventually did not know whether to laugh or cry.

“Didn’t I warn those guys that I just wanted to live a low-key life?” he wondered speechlessly before sighing helplessly as he imagined how his seemingly low key life would have been ruined even before it began if he had let himself be dropped off at the airport.

Xavier instantly felt a cold shiver run down his spine as the image of himself being knelt to by all the various leaders of the city crossed his mind. He swallowed hard and quickly shook his head.

“Fortunately for me, I’m smart enough to change the route,” he mumbled as he swallowed hard, and with that, decided to stop sightseeing the city that had changed so much in the past five years, almost appearing strange to him.

“Time to go see my woman,” he abruptly muttered and his eyes brightened so much in the following second before his breathing quickened with pure joy.

“Five years isn’t easy at all!” he sighed heavily with a nostalgic tone, momentarily losing his composure—something he had rarely done in the past five years.

Unable to wait any longer, Xavier hailed a taxi and got in. A little over thirty minutes later, he arrived at his destination and got out, then looking at the house that had barely changed in the past five years, his eyes grew bloodshot.

This was the house he had bought for himself and his fiancée five years ago, which they would move into after their marriage.

Xavier clenched his fists once again, adding all strength and causing them to crackle hard.

Five years ago, he was just an ordinary young man from a humble family who managed to labor hard and work his way into a middle-class financial position.

Although not big, he managed to start his own company and buy a house on a mortgage, while also owning a small car.

That was almost all of Xavier’s dreams back then and just as he was about to achieve the last, by marrying the woman of his dreams, everything was changed by an unforeseen incident that led him to jail.

Recalling all this, Xavier failed to handle the drop of tears that fell from his eyes.

He sighed heavily, then with his eyes having turned red from his contrasting emotions, pushed open the door he had yearned to walk through for the past five and walked into the villa.

It was still pretty much the same except for some little changes here and there.

Xavier’s heart couldn’t help but melt at this, at how his fiancée was still taking care of the villa and making sure he would meet it as he had left it.

‘It shows that she still loves and cares about me,’ he thought and the massive love he initially felt for Jennifer increased by several folds.

Perhaps all the powerful jade beauties, numbering in the hundreds, who had always envied the woman who had captured Xavier’s heart, would immediately commit suicide if they were to know that such a simple thing as taking care of a house would deeply touch the godly entity’s heart and cause his love to grow exponentially.

Unaware of this, Xavier, unable to contain his anticipation to see the face he had been longing for and imagining days and nights for the past five years, quickened his pace and began searching for his wife, eager to surprise her with his return.

“Could she be in our room?” he mumbled to himself after failing to find Jennifer anywhere else in the small villa and once Xavier muttered this, he wasted no time and quickly made his way to the master bedroom.

As he reached the door, his heart began to pound wildly with nervousness.

Right now, he was no longer the scary entity known as Master Xavier. Instead, he was just a weak young man who was going to die from nervousness and goosebumps.

Many imaginations quickly surge through Xavier’s head in the span of seconds before finally, he pushed open the door that felt heavy.

“Surprise!!!” he announced loudly, his voice filled to the brim with unhidden joy, but in the following second, his voice hung and his face became stiff.

Right on the massive bed before him, the matrimonial bed he had bought five years ago to be used by himself and his fiancée after they got married, two naked bodies were tightly entangled with each other, and they both seemed to be having their climax.

Xavier’s heart and body froze in an instant.

He couldn’t react nor do anything, feeling as though he were dreaming, and following this, his eyes widened in shock, and his jaw nearly dropped to the ground from disbelief.

– Another Shock

*****

Of all the things Xavier had visualized his first meeting with his fiancée would be after five years, this definitely was never one of them.

He remained dumbstruck for a long time, gaping, with his head pounding hysterically in disbelief as he stared at the couple who wouldn’t tear from each other even after his intrusion, only stopping after they finished having their climax.

They finally glanced toward the door, wondering about the person who had dared to intrude on their room.

“Which motherf*cking bastard are you?” Victor, a short man with an unremarkable appearance, demanded with rage while Jennifer’s eyes grew cold, unable to believe that someone had dared to barge into her room while she and her partner were together.

Infuriated, Jennifer quickly rolled herself into the duvet on the bed and leaped to her feet, pointing aggressively at Xavier.

“You!!!” She barked, wanting to curse but then she went into a daze the next second, unable to believe her eyes.

“How—how could it be you? Weren’t—weren’t you only supposed to be back 15 years from now? How—“ she stuttered with shock, disbelief, and panic, staring at the face she had almost forgotten.

As soon as Xavier, who was still struggling to process what he had just witnessed, heard Jennifer, he found himself smiling in the most heartbreaking way anyone had ever seen.

“Yes, how could I be back now when I was sentenced to 20 years in prison?” he asked self-mockingly, his voice raspy and unlike his usual tone.

Meanwhile, a frown immediately spotted Victor’s face when he heard the exchange between his woman and the stranger, and being the possessive sort of person he was, became so ugly in an instant, glaring at Jennifer.

“I…” Jennifer immediately returned to her senses from this glare and subsequently, the expression of panic and disbelief on her face disappeared, only to be replaced by mockery.

“Don’t you know him?” She inquired, pointing at Xavier in disgust.

Still infuriated by how his woman had communicated with another man, Victor’s eyes flashed aggressively. “How am I supposed to?” he asked darkly and Jennifer smiled wickedly.

“He was the bastard you threw away into prison 5 years ago.”

“Huh…”

“Huh…”

It wasn’t only Victor who was dumbstruck, Xavier was as well.

His face returned to being dazed as he heard Jennifer, unable to believe how she had just addressed him.

“Did—did you just call me a bastard?” He asked with shock, making Jennifer give him the sort of stare he had never received from her since knowing.

“Aren’t you one?” She inquired with derision before seeming to have recalled something.

She immediately smirked. “Isn’t even calling you a bastard me trying to respect you when I was supposed to address you as a…. Priisoonner.”

That was all Xavier needed to hear.

His heart shattered into millions of pieces in an instant and he became suffocated.

“You… you… you just called me a—a prisoner?”

“And so what? Aren’t you one?” Jennifer snapped back, with contempt and sarcasm, causing Xavier to tremble, almost fainting the next second.

His ears began to ring hysterically as those words echoed repeatedly. Xavier’s eyes turned crimson red as he pointed at Jennifer in disbelief. “You… you actually dared to call me a prisoner?” His voice shook badly.

If anyone who had known Xavier during his time in prison saw him now, they would be completely stunned, feeling the need to repeatedly check their eyes and ears to believe what they were witnessing. The man who was always known for his unwavering calmness was now shaking uncontrollably.

“You—you… have you forgotten the reason I was imprisoned?” He suddenly inquired.

“Hahahahah! Obviously, I sent you to prison!” Victor, who had initially been too stunned after what Jennifer revealed to him abruptly laughed out loud.

He was a young master of an influential third-rated family, and for this reason, he had always been having his way since he was a child.

One thing he particularly enjoyed was taking other people’s women, especially right in front of their partners, but he had never experienced this level of fervor before.

He couldn’t help but tremble with excitement, wondering what Xavier must be going through, returning from prison and finding his fiancée and the person who sent him to prison making out in his house and on his bed.

….

After he finished speaking, Victor thought Xavier would completely lose it, thereby giving him the chance to teach him a lesson for the second time.

Contrary to his wish, however, Xavier did not react.

He only spared Victor a single glance before ignoring him, dumbfounding both Victor and Jennifer.

“You…” Jennifer opened her mouth, but then Xavier interrupted.

“My eyes might be deceiving me but isn’t that the guy who almost raped you five years ago?” he suddenly asked, glancing back at Victor as though he just recalled the face.

Both Jennifer and Victor instantly exchanged gazes, but in the next second, beamed.

“And thanks to you, we got together,” Jennifer responded making Xavier’s tongue become tied for a second with astonishment.

"I—I attacked him five years ago when I caught him trying to assault you and was arrested for it, eventually being charged with attempted murder," Xavier suddenly began, his voice trembling so severely that anyone who knew him would be chilled to the bone. "I wasn’t given the chance to get a lawyer and was immediately sentenced to 20 years in a prison meant for hardened criminals." He concluded before his eyes suddenly flashed with hatred.

“Not only have you betrayed me upon my return, but with someone like that?” He inquired with disbelief, curling his fists so much with pain as he felt his heart being clenched tightly.

Jennifer remained silent after hearing Xavier and Victor did not say anything, waiting for how Jenifer would react.

With that, the room turned silent for a while before suddenly, Jennifer scoffed with ridicule.

“You said you were sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for defending me?” She inquired coldly but continued before Xavier could respond, her voice turning icy cold. “Did I send you to defend me back then?” She demanded, stunning both Xavier and Victor to the core.

Xavier wasn’t able to react for a long time, while Victor, after struggling to control himself, finally erupted into laughter only after which Xavier regained his senses and felt his body go cold. Yet before he could say a word, Jennifer continued, her voice still dripping with coldness and scorn.

“You acted as though you were unjustly thrown into prison. Did you not attempt to murder my man five years ago? Criminal!”

Xavier’s vision immediately darkened while his head became light.

“You—you—you—you…”

“Me what?” Jennifer snorted with disgust. “Did I lie?” She asked, making Xavier finally unable to hold it anymore.

“To think I rushed out of prison for you, hoping to give you a lifetime of happiness and make up for everything you desired for the rest of my life!” He suddenly laughed bitterly, his voice dripping with pain, self-mockery, and disappointment.

No sooner had he finished laughing, however than two jeering voices responded to him.

“Did you just say you rushed out of prison?” Victor inquired.

“And you, an ex-convict who had stopped having life 5 years ago dare to tell me how you wished to give me a lifetime of happiness?” What a joke.”

The couple laughed as though they had heard a joke, but Xavier didn’t show any painful emotion, instead, said seriously after a moment;

“I could have given you the best life and made you the envy of all the ladies in this world if you had waited.”

“Fool,” Jennifer scoffed, her eyes filled with disdain as she stared at the plain dress on Xavier’s body.

“You couldn’t give me one percent of the life given by my man before you were imprisoned and you think you’d be able to do that now that you’ve become an ex-prisoner?” She asked with sarcasm.

Perhaps because his emotions were too disordered or for another reason, Xavier neither got angry nor hurt by Jennifer’s words. He simply realized that the Jennifer he had always loved might have disappeared the moment he was sentenced to prison five years ago.

With that, Xavier breathed deeply. Although deep down, he wanted nothing more than to destroy the cheating duo, he chose not to act on those whims.

“Since you’ve already moved on with your life, can you and your man at least get out of my house now? Also, I will need my company back,” he said calmly, his demeanor having turned indifferent.

The moment Jennifer heard him, however, she finally panicked.

“I…” she opened her mouth to speak, but then was interrupted.

“Which stupid company and house?” Victor asked, not hiding the mockery in him.

"Since you were rotting away in prison, and I couldn’t squeeze a dime out of you for the damage you caused, my babe and I decided to sell off everything you owned, tossing whatever pathetic scraps were left to your parents after deducting my medical bills."

”This!” Xavier’s eyes widened with disbelief.