Frankly! The Fastest Leveling Up Of All Time

Lee stood over the kneeling man, his eyes narrowing. "You thought you were slick, huh? Trying to sneak up on me like that—what did you expect to happen?" he said, his voice sharp with mockery.

The man in front of him, a fully grown adult, had tears streaming down his bruised face. There was despair in his expression, his features slightly misaligned—courtesy of Frank. Each time he opened his mouth, the gaps left by countless missing teeth became glaringly obvious.

"My eyes, my eyes! I can't see!" the man sobbed, rubbing his battered face with trembling hands.

Frank scoffed, crossing his arms. "No, no, no. Come on, you're a grown man, for God's sake! Crying like a baby whose toy was snatched? Pull yourself together!"

His words had the opposite effect, intensifying the man's sobs. Frank frowned, his irritation growing. "Ah, this situation…" He sighed, then forced a more consoling tone. "Hey, sorry, sorry—don't cry."

In all his life, Frank never imagined he'd be comforting a man old enough to be his senior. But it wasn't his fault. The guy had been the one who tried to land a cheap shot on him. Despite his efforts to calm him, the man's wails grew louder. Frank's patience snapped. "Look, when you're done crying, let me know," he said, folding his arms. "We still need to finish our fight. Besides, I still have to knock you out."

The man froze at those words, his face turning pale. Frank tapped his foot impatiently. "What? We haven't finished, have we? The bet's still on. Did you think I'd let you off just because you're weak in spirit? A real man doesn't surrender. A real man fights."

Frank's voice carried an edge of conviction. If he wanted to be the strongest, he had to defeat the strongest. Only absolute victory would allow him to claim that title. "He's a man of honor," Frank thought. "His pride won't let him back down from this fight. To let him walk away would be an insult to his ego. And if he won't quit, what excuse do I have?"

But then, to Frank's utter disbelief, the man rolled onto the floor, pleading. "I surrender! I yield!"

Frank's jaw dropped. For a moment, he stared at the sobbing figure with clear disappointment. "This guy…see the man I was even hyping up," he muttered under his breath.

Still, Frank wasn't about to let it end like this. "Surrender or not, I still have to knock you out," he declared. He jumped back, pulling his arm behind him as an ethereal blue light began to gather around his fist.

"No, no, no!" the man screamed, scrambling to get up and flee. But it was too late. Frank vanished from his spot, reappearing instantly in front of his opponent. The man's eyes widened in helpless panic as Frank's glowing fist shot forward.

"Triple Pound Punch!" Frank shouted. His fist connected squarely with the man's gut, and a shockwave rippled across his belly. Boom. The impact sent the man's body reeling, energy surging from Frank's arm into him. If nothing else, Frank was certain that the guy would be breaking the sound barrier with his flight.

In the nanoseconds it took for the punch to land, Frank felt a strange wave of nostalgia. Just a few months ago, he had been an ordinary guy—just a D Rank hunter, nothing too special. But after a series of catastrophic events, everything had changed. He'd obtained the system that transformed his life.

"I guess what they say is true," Frank thought, watching the man disappear into the distance. "Fortune and disaster often walk hand in hand

---

"I'm afraid it's over between us," said a petite, jade-skinned beauty with long pink hair tied in two separate buns with a hairpin as she looked at Frank Lee.

"What?" Frank Lee asked in confusion, staring at the girl.

"She said she's breaking up with you!" Kong Ran, one of his two friends standing nearby, shouted, unable to hold back.

Frank shot him a sharp glance.

"Ah... I just thought I should help clarify," Kong Ran muttered, falling silent.

Turning back to her, Frank Lee was taken aback. He and Lee Shan'er had been dating for a year now, and yet, she was going to dump him just like that?

Frank Lee, a D-grade hunter, had been in this line of work for over half a year. A few years ago, he couldn't even afford college tuition, forcing him to give up on formal education. However, while working at a construction company, he had suddenly awakened as a hunter.

Being a D-grade hunter wasn't extraordinary, but it was enough to earn a decent living. He completed missions and dungeons regularly, and though most of his earnings went to daily necessities, the remaining amount allowed him a modestly comfortable life.

In society, hunters were highly respected figures, and their status brought prestige. For Frank, this was a life-changing opportunity.

Lee Shan'er, on the other hand, was an ordinary human, though undeniably beautiful. She came from a reputable family with significant wealth in the oil business. When Frank enrolled in college as a hunter, thanks to the free registration for hunters, she had approached him, confessing her feelings during their first year.

Since then, they've been in a relationship. But now, barely into their second year, she was breaking up with him—on their one-year anniversary, no less.

"Why today of all days?" Frank muttered, his voice trembling. "Would you at least tell me why?"

Lee Shan'er shook her head. "I'm sorry, but we can't continue this relationship."

"Why not?" Frank asked desperately. "Is it that you no longer love me?"

"No... it's not exactly that," she replied hesitantly.

"Then why?" Frank clenched the flower bouquet in his hand.

"I'm sorry," she said softly, turning and running away.

Frank stood there, frozen, watching her retreating figure. His shoulders slumped as confusion and disbelief washed over him.

Kong Ran and Hao Yuan, his two friends, stepped up to either side of him.

"I know it sucks to be dumped on your anniversary," Hao Yuan, the rotund one, began with a pat on Frank's shoulder, "but... are you still taking us out for dinner?"

"Yeah," Kong Ran chimed in eagerly, "I'm starving right now. Let's eat!"

Frank blinked at them in disbelief. He had just lost his girlfriend, and all these two could think about was food.

"Unbelievable," he muttered, sighing inwardly. "These bastards. No sympathy for a brother whatsoever."