Andrew pulled his hand back and smiled. “How do you feel?”

Eric stood up slowly, his tone icy. “Inferno Strike, right? You’ve been training with Dad’s technique. No wonder you were completely immune to my Phantom Mirage.”

Andrew shrugged, not even trying to hide it. “You’re right. It’s Inferno Strike. But just so we’re clear, Mr. Thornton gave it to me. I didn’t sneak around and steal it.”

Eric stared at him for a long time, his expression unreadable. “You’ve already mastered the first stage, Flame Surge, to perfection in such a short time? Andrew, you really are just like Henry said: an absolute freak.”

Andrew grinned. “Come on, it’s not that hard. I’ve got hands, haven’t I?”

Eric shook his head. “Inferno Strike is pure, blazing energy; it’s aggressive and brutal. Even Dad never dared train in it. He respected it but always kept his distance. And yet here you are, charging headfirst and actually mastering it. I’ll admit it. I’m no match for you.”

It was not easy for Eric to say that, but he finally accepted the fact that he had been dragged out of Goldridge, beaten and outclassed.

Andrew raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Mr. Thornton avoided Inferno Strike? So he never practiced it at all?”

Eric let out a dry laugh. “Of course not. Dad studied everything under the sun, martial arts techniques from every province across Holtrien. But that was exactly the problem. To master Inferno Strike, your heart has to be pure, your will unwavering, and your path singular. You have to be someone who never looks back and fights with righteous intent. He had too many techniques tangled together. It made him incompatible. But you… There’s nothing pure about you. You’re scheming, underhanded, and disgusting. Yet somehow, you still managed to pull it off. It’s just unreal.”

Andrew gave a sharp laugh. “Watch your mouth, you diva. If you’re going to talk, make sure it’s worth saying. I’m a stand-up guy, through and through. Can’t you see that?”

Eric shook his head without hesitation. “Sorry, but no. All I saw, or rather, heard, was someone next door going at it like a machine gun, making poor Ms. Garcia scream like she was possessed. Andrew, is sleeping with women really that satisfying?”

Andrew looked genuinely puzzled. “Are you seriously asking me that? How hard did you hit your head? You honestly don’t think being with a beautiful woman, mutual passion, deep connection, is worthwhile?”

Eric gave him a flat look. “Disgusting. I really don’t get it.”

Then, he pointed toward the curtain in the corner. “There’s someone hiding behind the drapes. While you were… busy doing your thing, he crept in. I knocked him out cold. Oh, and he was carrying insect parasite eggs. Probably has something to do with the case you’re investigating.”

Andrew’s eyes lit up, and he hurried over. Sure enough, lying on the floor was a skinny man, passed out.

“Eric, you finally did something useful. Maybe those slaps I gave you earlier finally knocked some sense into you,” Andrew teased.

Eric’s lips twitched as he held back a scowl, thinking, ‘What a bastard!’