《I Reject Quests》 Prologue Prologue Ricewater Vige. In the muddy fields of barrennd, near some small huts, a figure was squatting in the ground with both his hands sweeping the brown wend. The sunlight fell directly on his thin shirt drenched in sweat. Looking at his pitiful figure, the nearby vigers voiced their concerns but he merely replied with a smile telling them not to worry. "Urgh it should be around here. Found it!" Holding a bronze coin in his dirty hands, he let out a smile in satisfaction. However, the smile didn''tst long. Soon, it was reced by a frown. "It looks just like an ordinary bronze coin" As he was carefully scrutinizing every single detail of the coin, a figure from behind pped his back. "Because it is an ordinary bronze coin! Congrattions! You just wasted four hours of your day!" "Shut up! I have seen Uncle Maclen from the nearest towning into the vigest night identally dropping a glowing red-colored coin. What benefit is there for me to lie to you?" "Forget about it, Rewen. Master Kaf would get angry if he sees us cking off this way. Even our monthly paycheck may also be in danger." Rewen silently pondered about his friend Sam''s words, then casually kept the coin in his pocket before going to the nearby well to clean his appearance. ------------- Master Kaf was the only cksmith in the vige therefore, he was quite respected. Rewen heard from fellow vigers that Master Kaf was a renowned cksmith in the city and he had onlye to the vige sixteen years ago. "Sixteen years ago, when I came here, although I was past my prime, my old bones still had the vitality of youth. Now, I have be nothing more than a naggy old man who is scared to die" The old man, Master Kaf, sat solemnly on his bed staring at the two filial disciples he had nurtured in the past decade. Rewen felt a slight heartache looking at the man he treated both as a master as well as a father figure in his life. Rewen lived with his mother. He was not always without a father. He had lived the first five years of his life with his parents. In his sixth year, his mother was cornered by some wild creatures. Incidentally, his father was a hunter and was returning to his home when he saw ten-some wild creatures ready to devour his wife. In an attempt to save his mother, he died. The part which affected Rewen the most was that his mother went to the forest in search of sweet berries because he was throwing a tantrum that day. Whenever he thought of this incident, he just couldn''t help but feel extremely guilty. "Please instruct us!" Sam and Rewen shouted in unison. They both had a rare solemn look on their face because they knew that today was theirst day as a cksmith apprentice. Master Kaf smiled calmly. "My only instruction to both of you is to make the renowned in the neighboring city." It was easier said than done. The nearest city, Darkhood, covers an area of more than fifty-thousand kilometers. Families of knights, merchants, and even some low-rank court officials live there. This alone shows the necessity for a huge market. cksmiths and pill-refining experts are as numerous as clouds. "We''ll do our utmost!" Even so, both of them are very determined to make their master''s dreame true. Master Kaf nodded his head with a satisfied smile. "Well then, pack up. We''ll start our journey in the afternoon." "So soon?" "I got the carriages ready. Let''s not waste any time." ------------- After chatting with Sam for a few minutes, Rewen returned to his home. Upon returning, he found his mother in the kitchen. "Mother!" "Oh, you returned. Did Master Kaf say something about going to the city?" "Yes, Mother. Master told us to get ready by the afternoon. Come, let''s pack up!" "What ''us''? I also have to go?" Rewen annoyingly said. "Yes, you have to! How many times have we discussed this?" "B-but" "Don''t worry about shelter and food. Master hasnd and he would let us stay there" "What if some young arrogant scion takes fancy for my appearance!" "Dear Mother, you are indeed very beautiful but you''re only beautiful considering that you are middle-aged!" Rewen felt speechless regarding his mother''s narcissism and confidence. "Such a tasteless man" She shook her head and sighed. "Forget it. I''ll go. Get three bowls from my room. Along the way, we might get hungry." Rewen heaved a sigh of relief, then obediently went to get the bowls. Three hourster. Ricewater Vige Graveyard. Rewen stood in front of his father''s grave. Standing beside him, his mother''s eyes already turned moist. His mood was a bit heavy. He remembered the days his father used to train his body and heined a lot. "Mother, let''s go it''s not like we are nevering back to this vige. Every year, we''ll visit father''s grave to pay respects." His mother hesitated a bit before nodding her head silently. A few minutester, they reached Master Kaf''s residence. Rewen lightly waved his hand looking at Master Kaf and his best friend Sam talking with the carriage driver. --------------- It was midnight. Having their dinner, the group was sleeping peacefully. The carriage was ratherrge so nobody had any difficulties sleeping. "Ho!" Rewen woke up hearing the sound of a wolf. He rubbed his eyes, then went near to the driver. "Was it the howl of a wolf?" The driver replied in a carefree manner. "Indeed." "T-then what are we gonna do?" His face turned white. Although Rewen was the son of a hunter, he never actually confronted a single beast in his life. "Nothing. Even if I drive faster, the oue would not necessarily change. For now, we can only leave it to fate" The driver said in a mncholic tone. Hearing that, Rewen instantly got furious. "Bullsh*t fate! Hurry up and drive faster! We''ll pay you to double!" "Pfft! It was just a joke, kid. There are borders around the route." First, Rewen calmed his heartbeat. Then, he forced a smile. "Uncle, please don''t make jokes like this." He got up and went to the other side of the carriage to look at the stars. He thought about his past, then his present, and then his future. "With the business in the city, I should be able to live a carefree life" He was content. He never really wanted to be someone noteworthy. Although he does admire the heroes and generals from the legends, he never really aspired to be like them. After all, everyone worked hard and sacrificed some things to be who they are today. He just wanted a worry-free life. "Huh?" All of a sudden, he fell on his back. The night sky which was originally full of stars suddenly got reced with a dense dark sky. [Suitable Host found] [System verifyingpatibility] [Compatibility rate 100%] [System initiating] [Processing bloodline details] [Unique bloodline found!] [Basic Magic and Knights System activated] [Would you like to ess the system?] Chapter 1: Earth Chapter 1: Earth Rewen felt a sudden headache as he looked at the blue-coloured transparent lights. Although he was extremely confused, he regained his calm a few secondster. Looking at the options [ept] and [Decline], he pressed his finger forward to [ept] with some hesitation. ------ Host: Rewen Klofar Bloodline: Human (100%) Age: 18 Strength: 5 Agility: 5 Endurance: 5 Dexterity: 5 HP: 50/50 MP: 0 Skills: [None] ------ [Ding! You have received Lvl 1 Beginner''s Gift Pack! Would you like to open?] [Yes] [No] Giving a casual nce at the unfamiliar dark ce, Rewen decided to not think much. Yes. [Ding! You have received the ''Freestyle Knights Combat Manual! Would you like to learn it right now?] [Yes] [No] ''Sure. Whatever, I guess.'' [Ding! You have learned the Freestyle Knights Combat Technique!] [Skills: [Freestyle Knights Combat] (Initial Stage)] "Now then, where the hell am I?" Looking around, he found himself in a dark alley giving off a nasty smell. Getting up, he found an unfamiliar dustbin. Out of curiosity, he looked into it. Weirdly, he found some 200 Credits notes. "Wait, why can I read thenguage? And why do I know that they are credits?" Rewen checked his memories and found unfamiliar things. "I seem to have lived on a different." He had many questions in his mind but for now, he decided to not think too much. Absent-mindedly pondering about the recent events, he walked out of the alley. Out of his expectations, the streets were rather filled with crowds. He looked at the dark sky, then looked at his wristwatch. "11:24 pm." Noticing his watch, he nced at his clothes. He was in a casual outfit. Reaching out to his pockets, he found his wallet. Rewen heaved a sigh of relief seeing that he had more than enough to stay at a hotel for the night. "Who am I whose body is this?" Even though he knew he won''t find the answer, he still spoke his honest thoughts aloud. In a daze, he suddenly found himself looking at a mirror. "Red hair, average face, fairly tall. Isn''t this my own body?" All of a sudden, a gush of memories entered his brain. He staggered backward a few steps colliding on the wall of a tall building. After a while, he eventually calmed himself down. The he is on right now is called Earth. It had thirteen continents. Governed by Thirteen Celestials from respective continents. The continent he lived on is called the Yellow Continent, which instantly rendered Rewen speechless. Couldn''t the Continent Founder try a bit harder to give a more appropriate name? What made him even more speechless was the fact that every continent had exactly seven empires, each of them having a "Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Thunder, Light, Darkness" empires in thirteen continents. Hopefully, the name of the kingdoms under the empires was ''unique''. "My Eastern Dream Kingdom should be the third strongest kingdom out of eighteen kingdoms under Earth Empire." He muttered with exhaustion apparent in his voice. "For now, let''s go to the nearby hotel to stay the night." ording to his memories, Rewen lived with two of his cousins in the neighboring town, Travil. He hade here to meet his mostly absent father. He had a usual chat with his father before leaving. On his way, he decided to check out the town''s library. Unknowingly, he spent a long time in the library and headed to a familiar nearby hotel in this town. He then decided to take a shortcut through this dark alley until he suddenly copsed. *Ding! Ding!* He picked up his phone in a natural manner. He didn''t feel unfamiliar in this world. After all, he can be considered as a person from this world with the memories of the predecessor. For some reason, he didn''t feel that he was in a foreign body. "Hello." "Are you going toe back?" A male voice sounded. "No. It''s toote. Book a 4 am bus ticket and arrange my files and uniform." "You''re going to the academy tomorrow?" The person on the other side of the phone sounded bewildered. "Do you think I''m scared of their antics?" The other person didn''t reply for a while before letting out a sigh. "Alright. Remember to get up early." "Got it." Concluding the conversation, he shook his head with a helpless smile. "Ahh.Ahh H-help me." Just as he was about to start walking, the sound of heavy breathing of a woman entered his ears. He turned around to see a ragged-haired young womaning towards him. Her eyes were red. Instinctively, he took a step back. "How can I help you? Did someone assault you? Let me call the cops." The young woman shook her head. "Ap-aphrodisiac.I" Without evenpleting her sentence, she jumped into him. Out of reflex, he dodged. "Wait for a second, Miss. I believe we can talk it over" Before he could finish his sentence, a sudden jolt of pain erupted in his brain. [Due to certain circumstances, the Host has been rewarded the ''Male God System''. Would you like to ept it?] [Yes] [No] ''Male God, my ass! Give me something useful. My chastity is in danger.'' [Replying to the Host, the reward cannot be refused.] ''Then why bother asking?'' [''Male God System'' sessfully linked with Host.] [Ding! A sudden quest has appeared.] Quest: Damsel in distress Quest Grade: E+ Details: The Host hase across one of the twelve Fallen Devils in her vulnerable state. Mating with her would give the Host immense benefits in both personal power and authority. There is even a chance that the Host ends up bing a Revered Guardian of her. Rewards: Authority - At least a Marquis. Personal Power - Rank 1 Magus within a week. Immediate rewards - 10 Rank 1 unknown-grade Skills and a Rank 0 Magic Artifact. Failure: Unknown ... [Would you like to ept the quest?] [Yes] [No] "No." His voice was calm and carried no hesitation. As soon as he rejected the quest, he gave the red-eyed woman a sympathetic look and fled. Approximately half an hourter. Sundown Hotel. Taking a shower, he directlyid down in the bed. "From tomorrow onwards, I have to attend the Eastern Dream Academy" Muttering unconsciously, his eyes became slightly moist thinking of his mother. "I hope she doesn''t do anything foolish." With a heavy heart, he fell asleep. The next morning, he got up five minutes till 4 and left the hotel hastily. Fortunately, he didn''t miss the bus. Travil Town. Klofar Residence. He ringed the bell once. Ten secondster, he heard the sound of footsteps. The main door opened, a suave young man appearing in front of him. "Oh, you''re back?" "Yeah. What are you doing getting up so early?" "Did you want to continuously ring the doorbells while I sleep? When did you develop such a kink?" "Eh it was a weird question right. What about Denny?" "She is not feeling well." "Can Rank 1 Mages even get sick?" "It''s not exactly umon." "...And that too, on the first day of the semester." "..." "I never thought that Sister too would be involved in their schemes. I know, you won''t reveal it but how about giving me some clues?" His elder cousin, Cal, stared at him for a long time, then sighed. "Be careful around Bianca." ''Crap, I forgot to stay in sync with the previous Rewen''s character.'' "As expected. It''s my elder brother that treats me the best!" Laughing foolishly, he replied while cringing inwardly. Cal slightly nodded his head maintaining an indifferent expression. "Go and have your breakfast. I have some work to do." Cal worked in Crafting Factory as a Crafting Apprentice. His monthly wage was average. It was, in fact, more than enough to livefortably with the two of us. However, that all changed when his sister, Denny, was tested to have some special magic resonance and was admitted to one of the divisions of Eastern Dream Academy, the kingdom''s top Magic Superinstitute. The annual fees the academy asked were exorbitant due to which, Rewen and his cousins had to face a couple of financial problems. Not to mention, he still had to pay my tuition fees. Although he isn''t in the Special sses like Denny, the fees are still expensive. Rewen couldn''t help but feel pitiful towards this cousin of his. His thoughts then drifted towards the previous owner of his body. The Rewen in my memories was timid and foolish. Aside from that, he was also quite selfish and had a bad temper hidden but he suppressed it. Frankly speaking, he wasn''t that bad of a guy. It''s just that his luck was a bit too bad. His predecessor had an extremely bad mental condition for which he had suffered for the past two years. He shook his head trying not to focus on some matters. Taking a shower, he went to have breakfast. Due to running low on cash, he didn''t eat anything the previous night. Now, seeing the fresh food, his mood instantly soared. [Beep! Bloodline system activated! Sorry for the dy!] Within a fraction of seconds, his mood went on the negative. Chapter 2: Friends and Academy Chapter 2: Friends and Academy Rewen sighed heavily as he looked at the hologram disyed in front of him. [Would you like to receive the ''Bloodline System''?] [Yes] [No] ''Well, not really. Can I refuse?'' [The reward cannot be refused.] ''Again, then why bother asking?'' [Bloodline System has sessfully been linked with the Host!] [Ding! An immediate quest has been issued! Would you like to see it?] [Yes] [No] ''I''ll see the gains first.'' Thinking about it for a few seconds, he tapped on ''Yes''. Quest Grade: E- Details: Having a healthy breakfast is good for both body and the mind. Eating the meal in front of you and drinking 500 ml water after the meal would be the aim of the quest. Rewards: 0.075 ml Rank 0 Chaos Bloodline would be infused directly in your blood veins. Failure: None [Would you like to ept it?] [Yes] [No] ''Not needed. I don''t want to leave my humanity. Besides, who knows what kind of side effects the bloodline would have? Even if it doesn''t, it would be too much of a risk to roam around with a bloodline that has not been recorded.'' Although he felt like the system wouldn''t harm him in any way, it wouldn''t hurt to be more cautious. He sighed and pressed ''no''. Declining the quest, he went on to have his breakfast. "Mmm Cal sure has a talent for cooking. Not to mention, he is good at socializing, unlike that violent Denny. Now that I think about it, the previous me suffered a lot under her." A few minutester, he finished his breakfast and went to his bedroom picking up his bag. The moment he took half a foot outside his house, he saw a couple of youths wearing blue uniforms. Rewen instantly cursed his luck. Just as he was about to stealthily hide, a female noticed him. She waved at him. "Hey there, Rewen!" Among the group, a guy also simultaneously noticed him. "Hm. Rewen? Howe you''re so early? Come, let''s go to the academy together!" Another girl from the group sneered. "Tsk tsk. Is it just me or does it look like you were trying to run away?" Rewen''s predecessor''s best friend, Gill shouted in an attempt to make a joke. "What nonsense! How can the younger brother of a Special ss student run away!" Everyone except for him awkwardly coughed. The girl who noticed Rewen first, Salica, red at him. "It was just a joke, Gill. Why are you taking things on a personal level?" Gill was confused that his poor joke wasn''t taken well. "Eh? W-what I didn''t mean that" The first guy to notice Rewen, Junar, sighed."Salica is right. Your EQ is too low. Why aren''t you dead yet? That mouth of yours truly infuriates people to death." Others expressed their consent. Gill grumbled. "Howe I feel that the three of you are even worse?" Meanwhile, Rewen sighed as he heard their conversation. ''I guess they count as normal?'' Salica looked at the time and reminded everyone. "Alright, enough guys. Let''s continue chatting while walking." Eastern Dream Academy was not even half a mile away from Rewen''s ce, so it was very convenient for him to travel. Also, they, his middle-school friends, too live in the same area due to which, it''s little coincidence that they run into him. Eastern Dream Academy. After a few seconds passing through the academy gate, he found himself surrounded by countless cadets. Most of the cadets were first years, second and third years were in the minority. There is a reason for this. Being the top Magic Institution in the country, the graduation rate was below forty per cent! If the Academy decides that one of the first years is too ipetent, then he/she would be directly expelled. In turn, every cadet who sessfully graduates would have a settled and high-society life. Take his sister for example. Having a 32% magic resonance with Ice, she was admitted to the Special ss - the ss where cadets with high magic resonance would receive special attention. The moment she graduates, she is bound to be an important government official with high wages. The reason Rewen could even be admitted to the Academy was due to his sister. The annual fees for him were high and his elder brother could only afford them after their sister requested to give some concessions did the Academy lower the fees. Unlike his sister, Rewen was barely above average. He didn''t have any elemental affinity. He had a 22% magic resonance with "Attraction" and "Repulsion" properties which is neithermon nor rare. Junar waved his hands. "We''ll be going then. Let''s meet up after the sses!" Staring at his four friends, Rewen smiled helplessly. ''Well, let''s try to get along with them for the time being.'' "Alright." ss 1-B. Rewen entered the ssroom and looked around. It was more than half-filled now. Some turned to look at the neer. Some were too busy in their hubbub. To those that turned to look at him, he returned a good-natured smile. Rewen firmly believed social rtions were important. Just as Rewen was about to introduce himself, a tall suave green-haired guy stretched his hands forward. "Zaplin Rodrigues." He returned the handshake. "Rewen Klofar." Zaplin appeared thoughtful and after a moment, he asked. "Klofar? As in Senior Denny Klofar?" "Yes." Rewen then added. "She''s my cousin." After Rewen said that, quite a few secretly turned to look at him. After that, Zaplin chatted with him for a while before returning to his seat. Rewen learned from their conversation that Zaplin was assigned as the Assistant Monitor. He chatted with the nearby cadets and went to his seat. During this whole time, he noticed a girl asionally eyeing him from time to time. ''Is it because of my sister? Not likely. Although she is popr and well-known among the first years and I''m her cousin, sitting in 4th Grade ss alone shows that my abilities were at most above-average. Is she friends with her? Possible but in that case, she could directly approach me. Maybe it''s because she''s shy? But then again, what if that''s not the case? Could she be interested in me? No, I don''t have much confidence in my looks.'' As he went deep in thoughts, a voice rang beside his ear. "Are you thinking why I''m looking towards you from time to time?" He looked at her smiling face. Suppressing his shock, he forced a smile. "I hope you won''t make things difficult for me. I just didn''t dare to bear heavy responsibilities if I had done the deedst night." Initially, Rewen was unable to put two things in ce together. Now that he managed to get a clear look on her face, his doubts fade away. The girl''s smiling expression instantly went dim. "Hehe good thing you remembered. Else, this Noble Devil would have to adopt some extreme measures." She emphasised the words ''Noble Devil'' as if to induce fear and reverence into him. Unfortunately for her, Rewen didn''t have the slightest expression of the word "fear" on his face. He just had a queer look on his face. "Don''t tell me you wanted me to papapa''d you yesterday?" The girl instantly nked out. All of a sudden, the temperature of the room went down by ten degrees. After a moment, she calmed down but she had the look of disgust looking at him. "The mere thought of it makes me want to puke." "So you were thinking about it." Giving an I-don''t-talk-to-perverted-people nce, he turned aroundpletely ignoring her existence. The girl had a calm look on her face, almost to the point of terrifying. Surprisingly, after looking at him for two seconds she walked away. Rewen didn''t really care about her and instead took out a book from his bag and studied it quietly when all of a sudden, a prompt appeared in front of him. [Ding! The ''Male God System'' has issued you an immediate quest.] [Would you like to see it?] [Yes] [No] He almost jumped in surprise, then frowned and answered in his mind. ''No.'' [The Host is advised to see it.] His frown deepened. His irritation from the sudden transmigration hadn''t gone yet. ''This is getting a little annoying alright, show it.'' Quest Grade: B+ Details: Be friends with Luciana, a mid-ranked Fallen Devil. Rewards: Unknown Failure: Unknown Note - The quest would only be consideredpleted once the target''s favourability reaches 25. Current favourability of the target: -3 ''This is quite tricky. Originally, I thought the quest would be something like making her fall in love with me, after which I would directly reject the quest without any hesitation but now it seems I need to think further. Not to mention, this time there''s no ''None'' in Failure. But on the other hand, I also couldn''t help remove the risk that this quest would upgrade once Iplete the current quest and by then, it would turn something ridiculous altogether. ''There doesn''t seem to be a time limit. I have no idea how severe the failure in ''Unknown'' can be so it''s better if just take advantage of this.'' With some hesitation and thoughts, he epted the quest. Smack! He felt a sharp pain in his head. Anger boiled in his heart and he already prepared to return the pain to the other party without even looking at the person concerned. Interrupting his thought process by smacking him at the back of his head while he was irritated and preupied with several other things made him mad. He coldly looked at the figure appearing in front of his eyes. The girl had a cheeky smile on her face. Zelic Dte. His maternal cousin. "Waa~ Little Brother''s eyes so scary" "What is it? Also, it''s Big Brother for you." It''s not that because she is a rtive of his that he won''t curse or act, just that he couldn''t create a scene in the ssroom. For the time being, he could only swallow his frustration and anger. Chapter 3: Class Chapter 3: ss "Aah! Can I not visit you without a reason?" Zelic yfully pouted and showed an expression as if she had been wronged. Seeing this, Rewen silently thought. ''When I used to read those web novels, I have seen these kinds of character temtes and found them annoying yet lovable. Where the heck did the ''lovable'' part go to now?'' Regarding her clichd question, he didn''t even bother answering it. Part of the reason is that he is afraid of triggering another random quest. The rest is her being too annoying. Unfortunately, even if he doesn''t respond, he would be forced to hear her. "I need to go to the washroom." Without giving her time to speak, he left the ssroom leaving the other party speechless. In a way, although Rewen is a very rigid and inflexible person he isn''t unsociable. He will willingly engage in a conversation if the person he is talking to would have sincere or meaningful thoughts. However, he is hell-bent on not entertaining those with the likes of Zelic and other simr people. Not to mention, his mood was ruined because of the backhead hit. Washing his face in the washroom, he went to the crowded assembly grounds. Along the way, he heard some interestingmotions and decided to learn more about them. A bruised young manid on the ground. "What? Are you still not satisfied? Say, I might have bad blood and my status might be lowlypared to you lots but are you so sure that the prefects won''t give a damn?" Opposite to him, two men looked at each other panting. Then, one of them red at the bruised man and sneered. "Let''s meet up after sses, shall we?" Not bothering with the gathered crowd, they left. Some were filming the whole scene with their cell phones. Some didn''t bother with themotion. Some, like Rewen, were curiously looking at the bruised young man. Hearing the conversations of the nearby students, he got the general idea of what had happened. It turns out that the bruised young man is a distant rtive of a "Seeker". They are part of a distinguished race in the neighbouring Frozen Fire Kingdom. Although they are technically still human, a small portion of their blood is green. Until twenty years in the past, the Eastern Dream Kingdom and the Frozen Fire Kingdom were in a cold war. Although in a civilized society like today''s world, racial discriminations were frowned upon, some disputes were unavoidable. It''s indeed a very narrow-minded action but so what? Justice is merely a term. Do they have to go to jail just because they hit him? Let alonepensation, they would at most receive some lecture. Watching the entire show, Rewen felt a bit conflicted. ''This guy can sure boast in a ce he shouldn''t belong.'' Getting merged with the new memories, he learned some things and developed sentiments for the country. Regarding this matter, he epted his new emotions without any qualms. In an unfamiliar ce like this, he couldn''t just develop mind turmoil and had to keep things straight. A few secondster, the bruised guy got up and left. Ten minutester, the Director came onto the stage and gave a usual speech. However, as he progressed, the contents of the speech became more and more serious. "... Remember to not pride yourself as the young talents of the kingdom. Don''t have too much hope in yourself. I see that some of you look dissatisfied. Very well, let me tell you how the system works." "Every year, only about 400 out of 1800 students graduate from this Academy. You can check out the records if you doubt my credibility. Coming to the point, even after you imagine you get past all the obstacles and troubles to graduate sessfully having the chance to enlist yourself as a "Combatant", it is but a mere ''chance''." "This Academy is only one of the twelve first-tier institutions in the kingdom. Although, technically cadets graduating from our Academy are more in quantity as well as quality, others are not too far behind. Each year, there are only 500 seats avable for a Novice Combatant. On an average basis, out of our Academy''s 400 graduated cadets, less than a hundred can acquire the title of a "Novice Combatant". Let me round it up now. The Division you are enrolled in, that is, Secondary 11th Division has 300 freshmen but as a whole, there are about 13500 freshmen in the entire Eastern Dream Academy." The Director stopped there. He swept a nce among the crowd and took a deep breath. "You evaluate your worth yourself!" He left, leaving the entire assembly mute. A few minutester, the freshmen were told to go back to their respective sses. On his way back, Rewen looked at the burning sun and wiped off the sweat formed on his forehead. "Too f*cking hot." Before he transmigrated over, the ce he was living in had a moderate climate. Although there were still four seasons and twelve months, the climate was not too extreme. ''Now don''t ask me why there were four seasons and twelve months.'' "Want to meet up after ss?" Just as he wasining about the weather, he suddenly heard a female voice from behind. He was considering how to reply when he looked at the speaker and let out a wry smile. "Sure. I actually have some things to discuss with you." She was Svety, a tall and lively girl. Hearing Rewen''s response, she nodded with a smile, then asked. "Is it serious?" Rewen nodded back without a word. "Alright! I was hoping to invite some of my friends but since it''s serious, let''s save it for another day. Let''s meet at the cafeteria in the afternoon." He chatted a bit with her, before heading to his ssroom. Looking at the back of the departing figure, he sighed softly. A minuteter, he came back to the ssroom and sat on his seat. Soon, a middle-aged man came and gave his introduction. "Good morning everyone. My name is Alrocit Dominic and I''ll be your homeroom teacher for the first year. Any questions?" A boy in the front raised his hands and asked. "What is the basic sybus and curriculum?" The surrounding students also nodded their heads. There is a universalw - "Before turning 18, one is not allowed to engage or deal with magic, be it theory or practical." Therefore, the first years have very little idea about what they would learn. Alrocit raised his eyes. "I''ll get to that. But before we discuss the sybus, can anyone tell me why is there aw like - not allowed to engage in magic before eighteen?" A student in one of the front seats answered. "Isn''t it because kids who try to learn magic are more prone to interference?" Interference is a mental disability that has the same awareness as suicide. When a person''s soul space gets invaded by a soul remnant, he/she loses the capability to make rational decisions. There are five stages of interference. In the worst case scenario, people can lose their rationalepletely. Alrocit nodded. "That''s one of the reasons. The other reason is pretty practical and simple. I''m sure not a single one of you present here is not excited about your course, isn''t that right? Now, you people are grown-ups and we can fully trust our knowledge to you. It''s like - imagine a kid throwing a fireball at your windows. Should he be punished by jail time?" Everyone turned quiet. Alrocit then shifted the topic. "Regarding the sybus... First, let''s discuss your subjects. There are technically three in total - Mana Mechanics, P.E., History. Well, there is also ''Advanced Mechanics'' but it''s not a mandatory subject. There is only a single ss of it in a week. Students interested can apply for it, though I rmend you do not. By the way, I''ll also be teaching you Mana Mechanics. "Coming to the curriculum, in theory, there would be ten monthly tests. No semester wise exams for theory. For practicals, there would be two mock tests and two merit-basedbat programs. Mock tests would be conducted by trained instructors who would mark you based on your abilities and potential. Combat programs will be held two times a year in June and December. These two programs are also termed as "Summer Program" and "Winter Program" respectively. Here, unlike Mock Tests, you would have to duel with fellow cadets to achieve a rank. Any questions?" "How important is the rank?" "Well, giving an urate estimate, I would say that for your promotion to next year, the ranks of twobat programs would have 30% significance. Our Eastern Dream Academy is a superinstitution and it has countless kinds of geniuses. Some are proficient inbats, some in artifact forging, some in alchemy and many others. Those who aren''t well-suited forbat can''t possibly waste their talent suited for some other departments." Another bout of questions erupted and the teacher was exining things patiently. While the teacher was exining, Rewen''s mind was somewhere else. Crossing over from his world, he had been thinking about the state of his close ones. Coming to an unknown ce, he was feeling distressed most of the time. The reason he didn''t act unnaturally was that he understood that he won''t get back to his world acting such. After a while, his mind drifted towards the system he got yesterday. It was exactly the item he needed in his circumstance. I have to make good use of it and not be led around by it. He called the system interface and took a good look at it. **** ----- Host: Rewen Klofar Bloodline: Human (100%) Age: 18 Strength: 5 Agility: 5 Endurance: 5 HP: 50/50 MP: 0 Skills: [Free-Style Knights Combat (Initial Stage)] ---- [Basic Knights and Magic System] [Male God System] [Bloodline System] **** ''I must decide my priorities and goals. I''ll have to be specific for that so I have to make notes but I obviously can''t right now. I''ll do that in the evening. For now, let''s see to return to my, I have to study about Space and be an [Explorer]. Hm, that''s enough.'' Collecting his thoughts, he attentively listened to his homeroom teacher. "Now that everyone is done asking questions, let''s just jump right into the subject ''Mana Mechanics''. From the name itself, you would have guessed that yes, it is a subject concerning mana and how it works - in fields as well as in daily lives. It is just like any other forms of energy but it isn''t a form of energy. Practically, mana can be created and destroyed. So is it just matter? Maybe. We don''t know actually. Mana can be stored but not experimented upon. "When you are performing a skill, what mana does is gather up the natural energy from the surroundings and trigger infinite chain reactions simultaneously. That exact moment is what we call the "alpha" stage of the skill. Theoretically, everyone in the world can reach the "alpha" stage of any skill. It doesn''t matter how much your affinity with elements and properties is. The next stage, as you have already guessed, is called the "beta" stage. In this stage, you must immediately halt the chain reactions, condense and connect it to your innate mana string. Innate mana strings are nothing but the string-like structure you feel when you allow the mana to flow inside your body. "Remember. These things I''m telling you areplicated stuff. The reason I''m exining it briefly is that it is an introductory ss. Any questions?" A guy sitting in front asked quickly. "How do elements or properties work in learning a skill?" "A basic but good question. The thing about elements or properties is that they are very random and unpredictable. What I mean by random and unpredictable is your inborn magic resonance. Although magic resonance to some extent can be manipted, for the most part, it is random. Yes, gics is a major factor but only people with more than 40% magic resonance can rest assured that their offspring will have a magic resonance of at least 30%. And our entire Eastern Dream Superinstitution only has nine cadets who have more than 40% resonance. Out of them, only one of them has parents with superior genes." Alrocit took a deep breath and continued. Chapter 4: A day in academy Chapter 4: A day in academy 4th Grade Training Ground. A pen was levitating on top of Rewen''s right hand. It was two-and-a-half centimeter from touching the hand. "So that''s how it works. The procedure is actually pretty simple." The pen dropped on his hand. "First, you activate your nearest mana circuit from the target. Second, try to focus on the mana in the surroundings. Andstly, you connect the mana to your mana circuit through your inner mana." He threw the pen up in the air and tried to stop it from falling down. "The pen should weigh about 25 grams. So let''s see how much strength my Repulsion has. From my estimate, it should work for now." Sure enough. The pen didn''t fall. In fact, it even went upwards a bit. With some questions in mind, Rewen went to the instructor who was watching everyone''s progress. "Instructor, I have some questions." Venitt, the Chief Instructor of 4th Grade Training Grounds, looked towards the cadet. "Where are you having problems with?" "I''m not having any problems at the moment. I just wanted to ask if I could increase the strength of my properties." Venitt didn''t answer and stared at him. A whileter, she opened her mouth. "You must be the misced student." "What misced student?" Rewen asked with a confused tone. The Chief Instructor Venitt answered calmly. "You have a magic resonance of 22%. 22% was enough to bring you to 3rd Grade ss. Do you know the reason why you were put into 4th Grade?" Rewen had heard of this matter from his cousin but he never bothered to care. The previous Rewen waszy and if it were not for his cousins'' pressure, he wouldn''t even bother to go to the Academy. How could he care about which ss he would be in? He thought for a bit and answered. "My family is in an economic crisis and couldn''t handle the costs of 3rd Grade sses." Venitt shook her head. "The Academy could have deducted the annual fees. The reason you are stuck in 4th Grade ss is because of your properties." "My properties? Could they have some defect in them?" She again shook her head. "No, they don''t. Your properties in whole are a defect. It has very limitedbat scope." Bullsh*t! Rewen cursed in his mind but still kept a respectful expression. "Instructor, my current strength (of the properties) is only 28 grams. If I could somehow increase it to 80-90 kilograms, would it still have limitedbat scope?" Venitt''s face made a bizarre twist before finally breaking into pearls ofughter. Holding her belly with a hand, she gestured to the Assistant Instructor toe. The Assistant Instructor curiously came overseeing the usually stoic womanughing like a madman. Rewen looked over at her with a frown. "If I said anything over-the-top, it was my ignorance" Before he could finish, she cut him off and started exining the conversation to the Assistant Instructor who too soon broke into fits ofughter. A whileter, Avid, the Assistant Instructor, patted Rewen''s shoulder. "Kid, I like your passion. Wanting to increase the strength of your properties to 90 kg relying on your 22% essence is not something a normal person can think of." During the entire ordeal, Rewen had not for once got angry or awkward. He kept the same frown from beginning to end. Looking at the rough Assistant Instructor, he let out a sigh. "Then, what is my upper limit?" Avid smiled. "24-25 kg with your 22% essence. For that 25 kg, you have to do intense training for at least 15 years." "So if I train for 60 years, I could reach 100 kgs of strength?" Avid and Venitt now looked at him weirdly. "No, with your 22% essence, you have to train more than 80 years to attain the strength of 90 kgs." Rewen chuckled. "Only 80 years?" Avid and Venitt: "Only!?" "Don''t post-apocalypse humans have a lifespan to 200? I''m only eighteen. Let''s just say I go into training for 85 years, by the time Ie out I''ll only be a bit over a hundred and I would still be in my prime. The heaviest human on Earth right now is 210 pounds which is just about 95 kg. Won''t I be the strongest person in the world?" After his exnation, Venitt had an amused look while Avid was much more solemn. After a moment, Venitt spoke. "This theory is very interesting. Why don''t you give it a try?" Rewen sighed. "I know that you''re looking down on me. It''s not that you think that it is impossible but rather, you aren''t willing to believe that I can train for 85 years." Venitt calmly nodded. "Yes, I ain''t going to believe that unless you prove it." "I''m afraid your shocked expression isn''t worth it. Also, I''m sorry for not being motivated. Anyways,ing back to the topic, how can I increase the strength of my properties?" Venitt''s eyebrows twitched. "Only practice can improve it." ''It''s troublesome in that case.'' Rewen thought. He nodded and left the training ground. His face was filled with exhaustion and sweat and nned to go to the restroom to wash himself up when he suddenly saw a familiar face walking towards him. It was Avid. "You can increase the strength of your properties by getting hold of "Strength Crystals". They cost a bit too much so don''t have too much hope. However, although rare you can also find it in random ces. They are bright red in color. For more information, look into the inte." Rewen was startled by him. It wasn''t exactly normal for a person to appear in front of him out of the blue and spout some particr things. But he didn''t make ament regarding this as the information was quite helpful. He nodded. "I''ll look into them." *** Central Canteen. In the corner, Rewen leisurely sat in a chair asionally looking at the time on his watch. Drinking some kind of weird cheap juice he ordered, he looked at his surroundings. Disputes were all over the ce. ''Why is this world so noisy?'' He wondered. ''The juice isn''t half bad though. It tastes a bit like Greenwood Wine from the vige.'' Thinking till this point, he remembered a funny incident from his childhood, and the corners of his lips curved up. "That''s the creepiest smile I have seen." He looked up to find a girl looking at him amusedly. With a wry smile, he said. "Childhood incident. I''ll tell you about it sometime." Taking a seat opposite him, the girl gave him an annoyed look. "What''s the serious business you were talking about? Just so you know, I have canceled two wee parties toe here-" "I had interference yesterday." Rewen directly came to the point. Svety''s mouth abruptly closed and her eyes lost focus. "W-which interference are you talking about" Rewen sighed. "Soul interference. Yesterday, a soul tried to merge with mine. My mind became muddled for a while but after I woke up, it became all too clear to me." Svety took a deep breath and asked. "So how much can you control?" "More than 40 percent." "You know, we can actually work this out" "Let''s cut ties." He misspoke. Instead of ''cut ties'', he should have said ''break up''. Not that it mattered. The other party stood up nonchntly. "Alright, we''re done. Don''t call me again if you need some help!" She deliberately said in a loud voice. The onlookers who were busy in their own affairs looked at them in interest. Rewen was disinterested in arguing. Finishing his juice, he took his bag and turned to leave the canteen. "Miss, don''t worry about him. You did the right thing. He didn''t deserve you." "That''s right. As the old proverb goes, there''s plenty of fish in the pond. Just hop on to another." "Good job dumping him." Some just started cheering and pping. Hearing the voices, Rewen felt dumb enough to answer. But how could he let it go just like this? He was petty. He was a normal guy who cares about what society thinks of him. He couldn''t let the matter slide. He looked at the crowd who swarmed around Svety and said calmly. "I had interference yesterday and today, I decided to break up with her. You can ask her if what I said was true or not. You guysunch campaigns and cry about how sad it is to be a victim of interference. Yet here you are, ignorantly makingments about a guy you don''t even know about. Of course, you can keep saying I''m ying the victim card and I''ll be damned as an exception to the interferencemunity but luckily, I have been recording everything on my phone." All of them had different kinds of expressions on their faces. Some awkward, some smiling in disdain and others ignoring himpletely. A guy smiling at him stood up. "Very sorry for not giving you the sympathy you deserve." Although his words were polite, his face was full of sarcasm. Rewen didn''t care. He said what he wanted to say and knew his words affected a lot. He also understood that people won''t acknowledge their mistake and changing opinions is a crime nowadays. He just shrugged. "Since you are sincere, I''ll forgive you." He exited the canteen without saying anything more. The other guy''s face twitched not expecting his provocation to fail. The others talked about the issue for a few minutes and forgot about it entirely. All this time, Svety kept standing nking out. *** Rewen met up with Gill to go to the official wee party arranged by the academy. "Yo, I heard you broke up with Svety and that you got interference? Are you okay mate?" "Don''t worry, I''m still Rewen. Just my thoughts and views changed a bit." "Well, good to hear but then, why did you break up with her? I mean, don''t get me wrong but couldn''t you guys work things out? You know, you have been dating her for like six years." Rewen shook his head. "The matter is much moreplicated. Trust me, you don''t want to know." Gill''s face lit up with curiosity. "Ohe on man let out those dark secrets!" Rewen eventually gave up. "Okay but don''t gossip around after hearing this." Gill seriously nodded his head. "So it was in elementary school. I had a crush on one of the girls in my ss. Back then, Svety was a good friend of mine. I talked about my crush with her and one day, she told me to try my luck out. I went to the girl but before I could say anything, she directly said ''you''re disgusting'' and ran off. I was in a bad mood when I saw Alfred running to me and hit me pretty bad. He was two years older than me. Just when my consciousness was about to fade, Svety came to me and helped me up." "Then why-" "Alfred was Svety''s step brother. The girl I had a crush on didn''te to school again. Add Svety''s background and all of your confusions will clear." "You don''t mean" "Yes, Svety is amaniptive girl. The me before interference deduced all of this yet didn''t do anything to confront her. She had wrapped me up all too well. You could always argue that ''at least she liked you and didn''t y with your feelings but no matter how much I try, I just can''t fancy a control freak." "Well, I suppose you did the right thing." "Hmm when will the ceremony start?" "By 7." Rewen looked at the time. 3:14 pm. "Do you have some ce to go to? I haven''t eaten anything since morning except for the juice. How about the-" He suddenly bumped into a figure and fell down. Without even seeing the other party, he instinctively cursed out loud. "F*cker, do you have eyes on your lower half!?" "Open your two eyes and look at me. You think someone like you can berate me!? Be d that I gave you an unforgettable memory of a lifetime." ''Woman, huh.'' Rewen thought as he looked at thedy dressed in a cute one piece dress. Her hair was dyed navy blue. He had to admit that she was prettier than the third prettiest girl in the vige. Upon closer look, he figured that the reason she acted so arrogant is because she is a part of an idol group which consisted of aggressive and outspoken girls. ''If I remember correctly, her stage name is Ruby.'' Rewen had qualms about it but ultimately decided to end things. "Look. I get that you''re portraying as a character and have to be a persona you are in your music. I get that. But I really wish you could not act like a jerk sometimes. It''s not cool." He said and started walking away. Gill followed him. However, the woman had other ideas. She went upto Rewen and pushed him. Rewen''s physical strength could not match up to her and he fell on his face. "From the next time, watch where others go!" Rewen looked at her back with a frown. "She might be a victim of interference" Gill knew how dangerous and weird interference can be. "Interference or not. She is one crazy woman." Rewen snorted, then got up dusting off the dirt from his pants. No one could be more familiar with interference than him. Although he personally didn''t experience it, his predecessor did. His condition was possibly way worse than her. But he managed to hold it in and never publiclyshed out. "What did you say?" The idol stopped in her tracks. Rewen might not be a bad person but he was certainly not a pushover. "I said you are crazy! Clean your ears next time!" "WHAT DID YOU SAY!?" She turned back, her eyes went red from anger. Looking at him menacingly, her whole figure emitted yellow gas. Chapter 5: Fight Chapter 5: Fight Rewen immediately understood what''s going on and said in a cold voice. "Miss Ruby, I hope you know what you''re doing is against thews." "SHUT UP! As long as I can kill you, I don''t care even if I die!" Seeing how critical the situation had be, Rewen whispered to Gill. "Go, call someone. Hurry up and go! Don''t ask useless questions." Gill came to his senses. He had a little idea on what, why, and how even after watching the whole incident in front of his eyes and therefore,plied with his friend''s wishes. Giving one deep look at him, he ran off towards the nearest street. Rewen looked at the idol and calmly said. "Take deep breaths. Since I assume you have interference, I understand your problems. It''s not easy but let''s be civil, alright?" Ruby didn''t answer but the yellow gas in her vicinity increased. Ruby let out a high-pitched scream and the yellow gas around her got more vigorous. The air got windy and the natural energy seemed to envelop her body. Seeing this, Rewen''s expression turned dark. He gave up trying to reason with her and thought of ways to defend himself. ''From the looks, she is at least an Early Rank 2 Mage. With my physical prowess of Rank 0, can I possibly defend myself? Hmm let''s see if the [Freestyle Knights Combat] works.'' Freestyle Knights Combat Technique is a mandatory technique for all the Knights. In terms of pure martial arts, although not the best it is still a pretty respected technique used all over the previous world of Rewen. To practice it, one needs to create 81 specific mana points all over the body and channel mana through those points. That''s it. After that, no matter what move you make, it would always be a move designed forbat. This is also the reason why it is called "freestyle". In simple words, it can boost up the base stats by four times! Opening up the mana points, Rewen felt his body lighten. He threw a jab in the air to see his strength. ''Not enough.'' His father trained him and even after his father passed away, he still continued training the martial arts his father passed on to him. The martial arts itself was mediocre but he trained it every single day and knew the weaknesses and strength of it back at the palm of his hand. ''Thankfully, my whole body transmigrated over. Not just my soul. Else, I wouldn''t know how to adjust to the new body.'' Taking a deep breath, he channeled the mana through all the mana points carefully. All of a sudden, he felt his body flying. He again threw a jab in the air. *Screech!* ''Looks good. Now then, is her power-up still going on?'' He looked up only to see a yellow-colored fist in front of his face. *Boom!* The next second, a figure flew towards the nearest light pole and crashed. The light pole broke down bringing down several other electric poles and causing a massive electric discharge. The ground near the light pole shattered. The surrounding trees fell down. All of this happened in a mere few seconds. This is what happens when you piss off a Rank 2 Mage. Ruby stared coldly at the view. Her eyes didn''t contain a bit of regret. She knew that she would regret doing what she had done after a few minutes but she didn''t care. ''I tried being good only to be treated like trash. Now that I created a persona of my own and became somebody with power, nobody should treat me like this!'' She was simply delusional. Technically, it''s not that she couldn''t control her emotions at well but her willpower was too low to ovee it. She didn''t try to run away after this. She was about to sit down on the street when she noticed the light pole move. Her eyes squinted and sprinted off in the direction of the light pole without wasting any time. As she neared the pole, she noticed a figure in ck sitting leisurely on top of the pole and she immediately halted in her track. It was Rewen. His elbow had red stains of blood, his face covered in dirt and his suit torn. He sighed before taking off the suit and looked at the psycho and wondered many things. If it had not been for his quick response, his face could have possibly received some serious injury. Without any words, he sprinted off to Ruby. Like a wind, he closed the distance between them within a second and delivered a round kick. Ruby was shocked by the speed and by the time she noticed her own carelessness, it was already toote. *p* Ruby''s face tilted. There was a bright shoe mark on her right cheek. It was a normal kick but has severe effects depending on how you see it. It had no mana behind it but it struck one vital mana point and destroyed it, creating a small ugly mark that would take time to recover. At this point, Rewen shed a smile looking at the ugly mark. "Hopefully, this would remind you to be careful with your emotions in the future." Ruby''s expression was dark. Her head spun and her ears rang. She lifted her eyes with some difficulty and looked at the man she didn''t even know the name of. Her blood boiled and she channeled her mana even more vigorously. Two streaks of blood tears came out of her blood-red eyes. Never had she hated someone this much. And this ''someone'' was a guy she met a minute or two ago. Rewen stared at her messed-up face and noticed her violent reaction but didn''t move away. He very obviously stretched his right arm pulling in for a punch in front of her and threw it to her face. This time, however, he missed and felt a scorching hot thing on his waist but ignored it and pulled another punch on her. Ruby''s white palm was filled with yellow gas and as her palm neared the waist, she neglected her own defense. Now, it was just a matter of speed. If Rewen''s fist reached her face faster, he would win the exchange. If Ruby was faster, she would throw him off before he could attack. *Creak* *Fwoosh* Ruby flew off somersaulting on the rough street seven times beforeing still. Laying on the ground, she groaned. "Ugh" Her eyes were filled with unwillingness and hatred. She herself had no idea why she hated the unknown man to this extreme. She just hated him. Her originally white teeth are now missing more than three teeth. She looked at the blue sky and remembered the day she was thrown out of the house by her own parents. She remembered the day she entered underground with no other options left. She remembered the day she killed her own lover and best friend. She remembered the day the allies and friends she had been trusting all turned against her. She couldn''t understand why she needed to deal with all this crap. ''I just wanted to be happy'' Unknowingly, her eyes turned moist. She heard the sound of slow footsteps and a rough-looking face appeared in her view. Although he looked tired and weary, the calmness of his face didn''t fade away. Her gaze went down and saw his waist filled with blood. "I''m not done with you yet." Rewen approached her dragging his feet. He himself was not in a much better condition. Hearing him, Ruby got the urge to beat him up but unfortunately couldn''t. She again gathered all her willpower and tried getting up when all of a sudden, she felt lost. Why? She wondered as all of her hatred seemed to disappear. "This is for crashing on to me." *Smack* "This is for going out of control." *Smack* "This is uh for being prettier than Ca." *Smack* Her already messed up face swelled up. She already went numb to the pain and didn''t care about her face anymore. ''Why did I start fighting with him? From his uniform, he should be a newly-enrolled student. Why did I bother breaking rules and hit him? What is wrong with me'' Sounds of sobbing came from her mouth. She is 26 - an independent and strong woman. Even when she was thrown out of her house, she didn''t cry. Even when she killed her own lover and best friend, she didn''t cry. That day, she closed her heart and killed every other emotion except for hatred. Here she is sobbing helplessly. Looking at the pitiful figure, Rewen shook his head and just sat down on the bare street. His waist was burning but he couldn''t do anything else other than holding it in. Spitting red blood from his mouth, he rubbed his face and looked at Ruby with a hostile expression. "Say, what is your name?" "Pan Weimer." Ruby looked at the sky and muttered in a daze. He was about to reply when another voice. "Rewen!" ''Finally arrived!'' Rewen turned around to see his friend Gill nking out looking at the surroundings. Behind him stood Kesha, one of Rewen''s female friends, who simrly tried to decipher the happenings which led to the current situation. At a distance from them, several men and women in ck who had serious looks on their faces. "Oi! Help me up, you two! You took long enough." Rewen shouted. Both Gill and Kesha snapped out of their daze and ran towards their injured friend. Only when they neared did they notice how bad his condition is and started panicking. Lifting his right arm while Kesha lifted the other, Gill asked. "Are you okay?" "Where in the hell did you get the idea that I''m okay!? My internal organs leave it. You better not speak anymore. I can''t guarantee I won''t hit you." Gill immediately shut up. Kesha, on the other hand, was terrified looking at the pig-like personying on the street. ''T-that shouldn''t be Ruby, right?'' Taking heavy breaths, her curiosity got better of her. "Did you beat her, Rewen?" "No, a superhero was passing by so he decided to beat us because he found us annoying." Kesha''s eyes shined in realisation. "Ah, so it was a superhero-" "Shut up! A single more word and I promise I won''t beat you up disregarding the fact that you''re a member of Female Union." "Yes, yes. I''ll shut up." Kesha had never seen such an angry Rewen before. They helped get to the car parked. As Rewenid down, he saw a cop staring at him. He immediately understood what that gaze meant. "If you''re going to ask me what''s happened, look at the camera. If you''re interested in hearing from my mouth, as for what happened, I don''t have the energy to give a proper answer. To get beaten up by a victim of interference on the first day of my academy makes me feel like absolute dogshit. I request you to give a few minutes to recuperate." The copughed out loud hearing him, then sighed. "Sorry for troubling, kid." Chapter 6: Hospital Chapter 6: Hospital In a white room of the Branch B-3 Hospital, Rewen wasying down peacefully on the bed with his previously injured elbow and waist now without a single scratch. Beside him, a nurse was carefully scrutinizing his condition. "Do you feel ufortable anywhere?" She asked. Rewen frowned, then said with a serious face. "Yes, my balls are itching to get out of this ce. I have been jailed for like two hours when a Healer healed me the minute I came here. Any cure?" The nurse made an awkward face. "I have been told to not let you go because of certain reasons." She paused and looked at the young man''s face which was not very pleasant, then switched topics. "Right. I heard you defeated Ruby despite not even being a Rank 0 Mage. How did you do that?" In a split second, Rewen made a smug face and coughed. "Well, of course. If I had to say, Rank 2 Mages are pretty difficult to defeat. The reason I could defeat her is not that she was stronger than me but because she was berserk and I made use of my intellect. Haha brains are greater than brawns." Rewen himself didn''t believe that he could spout this much nonsense that makes the perfect sense. Although Ruby was indeed berserk, as a Rank 2 Mage, herbat experience would let her be stupid even if she wanted to. The only reason he managed to defeat her was because of her carelessness. Not to mention, Rewen himself was strong. His physical stats became more than four times while using the [Freestyle Knights Combat] technique. Of course, how could a nurse do all of this? She simply felt that the young man in front of him was an extraordinary person. She smiled kindly and asked a few more questions before sighing. "You shouldn''t me the girl. She had no idea that she was the victim of interference." "I''m afraid I can''t but I''m curious as to why she didn''t know that she had interference. I mean, don''t people who have it be the first person to know about it." The nurse replied affirmatively. "Yes, she did know that she had interference but she chose to forget the matter and be a person who needed no sympathy and to prove herself that she isn''t any worse than other healthy people. You know how cruel interference is, right? If you ask me, just the mere thought of a soul existing within me and having hold of the decisions I make makes me shudder." Rewen nodded and asked in curiosity. "By the way, what does interference mean? It doesn''t exactly sound like the Judarin and other early post-apocalyptguages and isn''t even remotely close to the modern Unified Language that we all speak today." "Interference is a word from the pre-apocalyptic period. It''s an English word, the most prominentnguage of the period. In modern Unified Language, keeping the context in mind, it would mean interference - the action of interfering or the process of being interfered with." "It was that simple?" He felt perplexed. The nurseughed but didn''t say anything. "So how was the pre-apocalyptic world like?" "You might find it surprising but the world today isn''t any different from 2020. Today is 1st April, 4027 and the normal lifestyle and technology were the same as it was back twenty centuries ago. I know you are doubting my words but all evidence and facts say that although the world has changed, it hasn''t changed. Interesting, isn''t it?" "If it''s as you say, it is. My question is why is it like that?" "After the awakening of the earliest modern humans, they were very much looking forward to advancing science with mana. Unfortunately, after about five years, they passed a decree prohibiting every science research center around the world to continue their progress and destroy the umted research. Why did they pass the decree? We don''t know." The young nurse didn''t get annoyed hearing him asking questions. Before bing a nurse, she was a Level 4 Historian and was very passionate about the subject. So she was more than willing to answer questions about history. Seeing the passion on her face, Rewen felt the need to show more interest. "So how did manae to being?" The nurse''s eyes went round. "You don''t even know this? Oh wait, was today your first day in the Academy?" He gave a slight nod. Her face went from confused to livid, then from understanding to again confusion. "I thought you were in your second year anyways,ing to your question, I don''t have time to exin since it includes so many events and characters so I''ll exin in brief. By the end of 2020, the world abruptly went dark and everyone fell asleep. It possibly happened because an alien race released an extremely small percentage of mana inside a worldwide virus that was prevalent in that year. People died and everything went silent. The continents broke apart and the world itself underwent a mutation. The Earth you know today used to be 7287 times smaller. "For 564 years, everything was dark. By year 500, more than twelve people woke up from their slumber and waited for the sun, the primary source of light, to lit up the world again. They kept waiting but the world never lit up. They knew that they were already far away from their Sr System but still held that hope. One died. Two died. Three died. Simrly, eleven of them died. "Thest one was the youngest. Seeing all his friends die, he felt hopeless and had given up on life. He went back to his old house and stayed there for three years. He said in his diary that he tried to hang himself four times but just couldn''t do it. One day, he nkly stared at the ceiling of his bedroom and saw a lizard move around. He felt extreme disbelief and anger. If such a tiny thing is surviving, why can''t I survive? He wondered. The next day, he left his home and created a source of light and named it ''Sun'' which was wayrger than Earth-" Rewen interjected. "Wait, hold on, hold on, hold on. How did he create that? Also, is thisme ass backstory supposed be a part of world''s history?" The nurse shrugged her shoulders. "Nobody knows. We just know that before he died, he engraved the words ''Dear future generations, be grateful for I created a whole Sr System for you. The name''s John Smith and I hope you remember it''. Of course, it was written in English. After that, some fourteen yearster, people started waking up. It is estimated that only 0.03% of the entire poption survived." Rewen''s interest in Earth grew. ''This Earth is possibly bigger than my previous world.'' Although he knew he wasn''t in a luxury to marvel about the world as he has more important matters to worry about, he also felt that rushing things up won''t help. "Hn? You have got a serious look on your face." Rewen chuckled. "It''s not every day I talk with a nurse well versed in history." They talked about a few more interesting things before some people along with cops entered the room. Two cops led the group, followed by a man and two women. They were Rewen''s cousins - Cal, Denny and Zelic. An hour ago. Cal was working in the factory when he got a call from his brother''s childhood friend, Gill. "Hello." "Hello, is it Cal?" "It''s me. What''s up, Gill?" "No time to exin. Come quickly to B-3 Hospital! Rewen had an ident." "What? How? Is he okay?" "Don''t worry, he is okay. Come quick. It''splicated to exin." *Beep* Without wasting any more time, he called his sister, Denny. *** The Academy''srgest auditorium was packed with people. Everyone is hyped and excited about the Grand Weing Ceremony. Some even came three hours early to get the front seat. More than 40% of the seats were already filled. "I heard two A-rank idol groups areing this year. Thest time two A-rank idol groups came was five years ago. I''m excited to see the performance of DREAMTEEN because they released their album not too long ago." "The only reason I''m here is for Ruby and Fang." The atmosphere was very lively. Somewhere in the middle sat two girls. They were precisely Denny and Zelic. "You did tell them about the arrangements right?" Zelic pouted. "For the sixth time, yes. Don''t worry, Sis. Nothing would go wrong with the n." Denny still wasn''t convinced. "Let''s go and check it out again." Saying so, she got up. Zelic groaned and caught her hand. "Just sit. Everything''s in n. Diana quit the choir squad and her quitting has been epted by the Council. The guys and the girls are already here. Now, we just wait for Rewen to arrive." Denny sat down after some hesitation. "He wille, right?" "As long as your nd brother Cal doesn''t havea loose mouth which I''m not too optimistic about." Zelic and Cal were never on good terms. *Ring* Denny''s smartphone rang. She took it out and saw the name ''Cal''. Beside her, Zelic chuckled. "Speak of the devil." "What is it?" "Come to the B-3 hospital. Rewen had an ident." *Beep* Denny remained silent for a while before getting up and dragged Zelic out of the auditorium. "What the hell happened!?" "Rewen had an ident." *** Coming to the hospital, the girls spotted Cal talking with a cop. They ran towards him. "Cal, what happened?" Denny asked worriedly. "Don''t worry, Rewen is fine now," Cal exined unhurriedly. "What exactly is going on?" Zelic questioned. Cal was about to exin when the cop suddenly interjected. "Follow me." The cop took them to a room on the second floor. As the cop opened the door, the girls'' eyes wandered around the room and they got a huge shock. They noticed four other girls were already in the room. ''Aren''t they the A-rank female idol group that was supposed to perform at the Academy tonight?'' Denny looked at Zelic only to find her looking at her. Cal was nonchnt and nd. He never had any interest in idol groups but he did wonder about them. ''Rewen must have hit one of them. They are all at least Rank 2 Mages. How could Rewen, who wasn''t even a Rank 0 Mage, defeat any of them?'' The five idols also noticed the people that entered the room and stood up. Among them, Ruby went forward and bowed. "I''m sorry." Amidst the confused Denny and Zelic, Cal stepped forward and spoke in a neutral tone. "It''s not up to us to decide whether you''re guilty or not. I''ll leave it to thew." Ruby didn''t say anything and went back to her chair. Following her, Cal and other idols also went back to their seats. Confused and lost, Denny and Zelic also took a seat. The cop sighed and turned on the projector and soon enough, a video was yed. The video first showed two guys walking down a deserted street. Cal, Denny, and Zelic immediately recognized the guys - Rewen and Gill. Soon, it showed the part where Rewen was hit by a speeding figure. At this point, all three of them turned towards Ruby who covered her face with her hands. Then the video showed the brief argument between Rewen and Ruby. Cal: Since when did he develop such a strong mouth? Denny: Since when did he grow the balls to argue with an idol? Zelic: Since when did he have such charisma? Ruby: So embarrassing! Just kill me All the things that happened till this point had been shocking. Zelic and Denny even guessed that Ruby must have hit their brother and as a result, an ident urred. But what they saw next was miles away from their expectations. They saw Rewen throw some fast punches in the air and all of a sudden, he flew and crashed onto the nearest light pole. Their minds went nk but as they thought of opening their mouth, they saw another impossible thing. Rewen, who should have been half-dead by now, leisurely sat on the fallen pole and took off his suit unhurriedly. The next eventspletely shook everyone''s minds excluding Ruby''s. The video ended with Gill and Kesha helping Rewen get into the car. No one spoke for a long while. Finally, Cal broke the ice by giving a rareugh. Only he knew the reason forughter. "Mind yourself, Cal!" Denny turned to the cop and asked. "Is he alright now?" The cop nodded. "You cane with me to see him." Chapter 7: Bianca and Alfred Chapter 7: Bianca and Alfred Looking at his cousins, Rewen was distressed. He didn''t know how to answer them. ''Troublesome.'' He thought, then turned his attention to the five idols standing behind them. "How are we going to sort this out?" Rewen directly asked. The cop moved forward and said in a in voice. "They came here topensate you for this matter. It would be best if you asked what you need directly." He then turned to the idols and they nodded in response. Rewen frowned. "What do you meanpensation? She tried to kill me." He knew that this argument wouldn''t work but he still said it. The cop sighed as if expecting the answer. "It is not possible to put her into custody for a lot of different reasons. I''m sorry." Rewen stayed silent. Ruby didn''t have any expression on her face. Cal, Denny, Zelic and the other four idols were curiously watching the developments silently. A few secondster, Rewen got up from his bed. "It''s okay." His voice was calm without any ripples. He then looked at the main troublemaker, Ruby. "Let us never meet again. By the way, the new make-up looks good on you." Hemented seeing an ugly mark on her face and snickered. Ruby raised her head but didn''t say anything. It was unknown what she was thinking. Rewen''s attention turned over to his cousins ignoring the idols. "I''m off." He left the room before anyone could utter a word. Silence filled the room as everyone looked at each other not knowing what to say. Sensing the awkward atmosphere, the nurse quickly left the room. *** Eastern Dream Academy. Rooftop. Rewenid down and looked at the orange sky and sighed. "What the hell am I even doing?" The reason he came to the rooftop was in hopes that he would have a moment of peace. The wind brushed up against his body. In contrast to the scorching heat in the morning, the cold wind made him feel better. "Yo!" An orange-haired guy about his age appeared in Rewen''s view. He had no idea who this guy was and was not interested in knowing. Yet he nodded politely. The orange-haired guy smiled brightly, then ran off towards the edge of the rooftop. "Holy shit!" Rewen cursed under his breath and got up quickly. ''Shit, it''s toote. What could I do? What could I do? Think. Think. Think.'' As he was pondering, he spotted a small pebble near him. Without wasting time, he grabbed the pebble and threw it towards the back of his knee with the help of the [Freestyle Combat Technique]. The orange-haired guy tumbled and fell. ring resentfully at Rewen, he cursed. "Yo! What was that for?" Rewen was stunned. Feeling angry, he walked up to him and kicked him hard in his back. "Ahh! Stop it! Yo? Ahhh! Why are you doing this?" Rewen didn''t reply and kicked him a few more times. The orange-haired guy closed his eyes in defeat and stopped speaking. After a while, Rewen''s legs felt tired and he stopped. "If you were to lose your dog-life, then I would be questioned by authorities." The orange-haired guy turned his head in difficulty. "Why the heck would I lose my dog life wait! Did you assume that I was going to jump off?" Without waiting for Rewen''s response, he cried out. "No! I was just going there to take a piss." Rewen weirdly looked at him. "Just why?" The orange-haired guy scratched his head awkwardly. Losing interest in him, Rewen looked at the time. 5:57 pm. Not wanting to be disciplined by the prefects for beingte, he went to the auditorium. A minuteter, he nced at therge auditorium estimated to be more than three times the football field. Like him, many students were entering the auditorium but in flocks. Entering the auditorium, he searched for an empty seat among the crowd. During his search, he spotted both of his cousins discussing with the choir group. He frowned and pretended to not see them but soon found himself spotted. "Hey there, Rewen." It was Bianca. She was Denny''s best friend and someone Rewen has negative favorability. "What can I do for you?" He didn''t want to talk to her. "My, I heard you had an ident so I came to check on you. Are you alright?" "Oh, I''m sorry to trouble you." "No trouble at all. Come here a bit. I''ll check your condition." "It''s okay." "No, juste here." As they were conversing, Bianca suddenly reached out her hand to grab Rewen''s shoulders. At this point, Rewen waspletely irritated. Despite making his intentions loud and clear that he isn''t going to entertain her, she persisted. He restrained himself to not curse as he was in a public ce and didn''t want the matter to go big. He shrugged her hands off and muttered in a deep voice. "You better find someone else to y with." Hearing his response, she cheekily smiled. "So you finally attached some balls, huh? Well, even if you do get ballsy, unfortunately for you, you don''t have a choice to refuse." After that, she took her smartphone and snickered. "You don''t wanna see the Academy website filled with your embarrassing pics, right?" Rewen''s face didn''t change. "Okay. I understand that you have your daily needs." There wasn''t really any "explicit" pictures of him, just a few shirtless pictures that she got her hands on somehow. "Daily needs? What? What! Are you fucking kidding me? Oh, so that''s how you want to y. Alright then. Be sure to check the webs-" *Snap* As she was speaking, she was caught off-guard by a motion and went into a daze. The smartphone on her hand now went into Rewen''s. "Rewen, I promise you would regret it if you don''t give my phone back right now!" "Yeah? I want to see how I will regret it." Ridiculing her, he broke the smartphone in two pieces with ease, threw it on her face and ran! Like the wind, he disappeared into the crowd. By this time, Bianca re-analyzed what happened and went quiet. Looking at her broken smartphone, her eyes became moist. Normally, he wouldn''t have done it. He knew that she wasn''t very serious about it and didn''t consider this "bullying" but for his predecessor whose life was extremely hard because of his interference, it was "bullying". Rewen could make a distinction between jokes and bullying but his predecessor couldn''t. He was battling his way out from the crowd while grumbling. Why does he get into conflict with women so often? "Woman, woman and woman everywhere!" "Why! Do you have any problems with women!? Sisters! A misogynist is roaming freely-" "No, no, no. You misheard, sister." After a few seconds, he finally spotted an empty seat and dashed into the seat seeing no one around in the vicinity but as soon as his butt was about toe in contact with the seat, he was obstructed by another butt. Not even bothering to say a word, he used his butt force and forced his way to his seat. "Hmph. Look somewhere else." To his surprise, the person was quite persistent and the corner of his eyes caught sight of a huge butt near his face. Without a second thought, he smacked the butt and cursed. "Get your ass off my face!" "....you dare hit me?" Rewen snorted in response to the person''s threat but his fuse went off when he saw the face of the person. The fallen devil prostitute! The first person he encountered aftering to this world and his ssmate. ''What kind of fuckery is this!?'' Rewen cursed inwardly. "Calm down. I didn''t know it was you. Sorry for hitting you." Her eyes were cold and devoid of any emotions. She gave him a deep look, then walked away. Seeing her back, Rewen didn''t feel relief at all. ''I should prepare myself for an assassination.'' He rxed and leaned on the seat when he noticed the person sitting beside him. Rewen sighed as he presumed that he might as well be forced to turn himself to like those mystical creatures called "gay" if this continues. Fortunately, the next two hours were peaceful. Even though the cheers and ruckus bothered him, he ignored it. While he wasn''t exactly fond of the music, the performances were entertaining. The female idol in which Ruby was a part of did appear but they all had masks on their faces. Rewen sneered. In the end, the student council president came on the stage and concluded the ceremony. "Just wait! You little shit!" Rewen heard a voice as soon as was about to enter the 43-F street, which led to his home. Listening to the voice, he was both annoyed and relieved. Relieved because it was a male and annoyed because the male could be counted as his childhood bully. "What do you want?" "I heard you dumped my sister." "Yes. What about it? Isn''t that good for you? You have a chance now." "I have no idea what you''re talking about." "Is that so? Well then, see ya!" Rewen waved his hands and started walking away when the guy suddenly grabbed his shoulders. "I ain''t letting you go before-" *Smack* A jab came straight down on his face. Blood sipped down from his nose as he couldn''t believe what happened. "You" *Smack* "Are you f*cking crazy!!?" He roared before using his huge muscr body to take advantage. Unfortunately for him, another fist came down on his face. A few secondster, a well-built manid on the ground beaten and bruised. Rewen cleaned off the blood from his hands using the leftover water from his bottle. "Hm. Consider this as a sort of revenge for what you did a few years ago." He spat his saliva on the guy''s face and went away. That muscr guy was Alfred, his childhood bully and also Svety''s step-brother. Although he never explicitly showed it, Alfred also liked his step-sister and hoped for the popr incest-but-not-incest trope to be dropped on his life. Now that Rewen has broken up, he is taking the chance to act like a local hero to his sister. Rewen almostughed out loud thinking about this. Paying no heed to him anymore, he continued walking to his home. Just as he reached the gate, he let out an exmation upon seeing his cousin, Denny. "Eh?" "Eh?" He was about to move on when he saw two suspicious boxes on her left hand. Looking at her with a gleeful smile, he spoke. "Hehe, is this thetest VR that has been causing quite a bit of ruckus in the gaming industry? Thanks!" Without waiting for her answer, he politely took one of the boxes from her. Denny looked at him with sharp eyes but didn''t say anything. Rewen nodded understandingly. "You don''t need to worry, this is between us." He said and went inside. Denny nced at his back. ''Is this the face of a man who beat up a Rank 2 Mage a few hours ago?'' *** Rewen''s bedroom. Taking a shower and wearing light clothes, he sat on his PC and installed the VRMMORPG - CHAOS which was publicly avable. From the developers'' notes, Rewen found out that the game ispletely free-to-y and there is no way to convert the real-world currency into game currency but the converse can be done. The only thing that would require some cash to y the game is the game''s driver Rewen took out a small ck chip from the box and read the instruction manual. "In simple words, all I have to do is rece my helmet''s driver with this. Pretty simple." He went over to his shelf and took his helmet. After a few seconds, he was all ready to dive into the game. "I wonder which server should I join? Hmm I probably won''t ypetitive so I don''t need to join servers near the popr guilds exclusive servers. I''ll just select one randomly." He scrolled down and selected B-X87. "Alright, done." Putting on the helmet, heid down on his bed. Chapter 8: The Virtual World Chapter 8: The Virtual World [In case you didn''t read the prologue, you should read it before reading this chapter.] A clinking sound came to his ears along with a mechanical voice. "Connected. Please choose your username. Note that the username cannot be changedter." "Rewen." "Sorry, the username is taken." "Rewen0624." This was his birthday. "Sorry, the username is taken." "Rewen0624879." Thest three digits were thest three digits of his cellphone number. "Sorry, the username is taken." "..." "..." "Rewen0624879klofar." "Sorry, the username is take-" "Rewen0624879klofarfuckthisgame." "Sorr-" "Rewen0624879klofarfuckthisgameanotherwordandillfuckyou." "Are you sure you want to keep this username?" "Yes." Rewen felt like he had achieved something. "Which mode do you want to y?" Rewen pondered. There are two modes avable - NPC and PLAYER. Choosing NPC mode will give your character an unique identity. Randomly, you would be born as anyone''s son or daughter in the virtual world. Of course, you can also select your age. You will be regarded as an NPC but that''s not to say that you can''t participate in events. You would just not be able to y inpetitions. Choosing PLAYER mode will not give you an identity and you would be perceived differently by NPCs. You can''t choose your age or gender. It will be synchronized with your real self. The key difference is that you are free in every sense and terms. You don''t need to have a responsibility to protect or guard your family, nor be bound byws. "I choose the PLAYER mode." "Are you sure?" "Yes." "Manage your stats. You have been given 25 points." A virtual screen was presented before Rewen. [Strength: 0 Dexterity: 0 Constitution: 0 Intelligence: 0 Charisma: 0 Luck: 0 Points: 25] There are no sses given during stats management. There are special requirements to obtain a ss. Rewen wanted to be a Pdin Knight, which would require him to have a good constitution. With some thoughts, he put 4 points on every stat and an extra on the constitution. The developers themselves said that the stats management doesn''t affect your favourite ss no matter how ridiculous your management is at the start of the game. So Rewen wasn''t particrly worried. "Done. Is there anything else?" "No. Close your eyes." Rewen did as he was told. The next moment, his body jerked by a sudden movement. ''So I''m here.'' He slowly opened his eyes and the scene stupefied himpletely. It was morning. The sun was shining brightly. He found himself on a moving carriage with a group of people. An elderly man was talking with the carriage driver. Behind him, a brown-haired young man was drooling in his sleep. Opposite to him, a middle-ageddy was peacefully having her breakfast. Rewen couldn''t speak for a long time. The middle-ageddy noticed his gaze and spoke in a surprised tone. "Oh? You woke up. We are almost there. Come here, have some Kiuran Balls." She held a Kiuran Ball with a chopstick and gestured to him to eat it. Rewen moved forward but didn''t eat the ball and rather hugged her. A momentter, he released her and ate the small ball that was still in her chopstick. "Hm, it''s good." The middle-ageddy showed a difficult face and gripped her son''s shoulders tightly. "I know you are of age and still unmarried but I" Rewen almost couldn''t believe what she was saying. He prepared some strong words and was about to retort when she suddenly shook her head and gestured to him to be quiet. "Don''t worry, I''ll show you some good women reaching the town." Rewen sighed in defeat before thinking over the current issue. ''I like to think that all I saw was just a dream and nothing else but I know better that it wasn''t. It was real. If that''s the case, isn''t my existence forget it, it''s not the time to be in an identity crisis. So what if I ain''t real? Isn''t my goal to return to my world? Isn''t that achieved? What am I crying about? Ah yes, the problem is three hours in the real world equals a day in this world. And the servers shut down after midnight.'' He called his game window and went to the "Query" section and posted the question: Can I stop the time flow in the world? Almost instantly, a reply arrived. "You can stop the time flow by going OFFLINE. It is present in the SETTINGS. Remember that currently, you can halt the time flow of a single country and no more." Rewen heaved a sigh of relief, then wrote another question. "What is the purpose of OFFLINE?" "Going OFFLINE means no character could enter your country and neither could you travel to other countries and your existence is supreme in the country. When you log out, time stops. When you log in, time resumes. By default, an ount is set to ONLINE." Rewen stopped asking questions, then set the country to OFFLINE. By the time he was done, he saw Sam rinsing his mouth with water. He chatted with him for a while then became bored and gazed at the surroundings. "Typical vige. Huh? Master Kaf, can you stop the carriage for a minute?" Master Kaf was surprised to hear his voice. He looked at the carriage driver and nodded to him. The carriage stopped and Rewen got off. Before him was a young fat pig. He took out his pocket knife and quickly sliced the pig''s neck off. "5 EXP gained!" A mechanical voice sounded in his head. He nodded his head in satisfaction and returned to the carriage. While everyone was giving him strange nces, he awkwardlyughed. Master Kaf patted the driver indicating him to continue. Sam chuckled. "Since when did you want to be a pig ughterer?" "n B in case my smithy isn''t earning enough." Rewen joked. About twenty minutester, Rewen had finally arrived at the gates of Darkhood City. There were two City Guards. He along with the others got off the carriage. After the City Guard checked their goods, he registered their names, then nodded to Master Kaf. Entering the city, Rewen wasn''t exactly surprised. "Markets everywhere" Master Kafughed. "Are you afraid now? Don''t worry. Our smithy will surely do well." Although Rewen didn''t know where the confidence wasing from, he still nodded. After the leap, his life experienced in the past day, all he wanted to do is have a peaceful life without any worries, at least in this world. [Ding! cksmith feature added to your stats! Would you like to see it?] [Yes] [No] Squinting his eyes, he tapped on [Yes]. --- [Quests] [Daily Missions] [Stats] --- Since he didn''t get any quests, he tapped on the [Stats]. --- Stage: Rank 2 middle-grade (2387/5000) Proficiency: 45% Expertise: Spear Best Product: Rank 2 unnamed Spear --- ''It doesn''t seem that bad.'' Rewen mused. He had been smithing weapons for almost ten years and he was quite proud of his achievement. His eyes darted towards the [Daily Missions] as he tapped it. --- [Create a Rank 1 peak-grade weapon (0/1)] Rewards: 500 EXP --- ''Not too difficult.'' *** "Isn''t the house quite good, eh?" Rewen looked at the two-storey residence and smiled in satisfaction. The residence was far away from the noisy market and the weather, as well as the surroundings, were clean and cool. ording to Master Kaf, the house was gifted to him by one of his friends. "Very good but where is our smithy?" Master Kaf chuckled. "Inside the house, there is a separate room for the smithy." "I mean, where would we sell?" "Well, we would sell our products to the City''s top trade marketingpany, Olin. Every week, they would send people here to take our products and sell them outside." Rewen was surprised. "That seems like good business. Master seems to have quite the influence." Before Master Kaf could reply, Rewen''s mother chimed in. "Are there any good families around, Uncle?" Master Kaf pondered. "I have some rtions with a Baron''s family. Why? Is there any problem?" "Ah! A baron!? Good. Good. Good." Hearing her response, Rewen and Master Kaf looked at each other in confusion. At this time, Samughed out. "Rewen, oh, Rewen. Aunt is looking for an unmarried woman." Rewen''s face changed. "Mother, I''m still young!" His mother treated him as air and looked at Master Kaf expectantly. Master Kaf awkwardly smiled. "I''m not sure whether there is an unmarried woman in their family" "It''s okay! Just give me the address and I''ll find it out." Rewen sighed in depression. Two hourster, Rewen, his mother, Master Kaf and Sam sat on a round table talking about several things. Rewen was sitting quietly, responding only when questioned. He took a crisp snack and ate it. Rewen groaned. "Ugh" With a groan, he garnered everyone''s attention. His mother sharply looked at him. "What''s wrong? Homesick already?" "I have something to say that you all might not believe." "Heh! You have so many things that even I, your mother, couldn''t believe. At this point, what can I not believe?" "Believe me, it''s serious" "Enough. Just say what is it." Upon feeling everyone''s curious gazes, he prepared the words in his mind and took a deep breath. "Long story short, the world is not what you believe it is." Master Kaf''s eyebrows perked up. Rewen''s mother and Sam''s expression was full of confusion. ''When did he be so philosophical?'' They wanted to question but seeing Rewen''s serious face, they didn''t say anything. "I know this might seem unbelievable but we are not real. We exist in this virtual world alright, I''ll make it simple. We are being controlled by people outside of this world." Everyone was silent. Of course, they didn''t believe his words but why would he lie? Master Kaf took a sip of wine. "First question, how do you know that?" "I was transported to the world outside of this and was given an identity" "Wait, you are telling me that you went to that world? How?" "I have no idea." "Ok, how about you tell me how the other world is?" Rewen went on to describe the Earth in as much detail as he could, starting from history tonguages. Master Kaf then asked him to trante some sentences into Earth''snguages. He did as he was told. During the entire conversation, Rewen''s mother and Sam quietly listened without speaking a word. The more they listened, the more they got shocked. Rewen then went to talk about what and how the virtual world works. Eventually, Sam got up with an unreadable expression. "This I''m going to sleep." He doesn''t want to believe that his existence is not real. Who even would? "Sam, sit." Master Kaf spoke in a stern tone. "It doesn''t matter whether our existence is real or not. It doesn''t matter whether we are nothing more than a sequence of 1''s and 0''s. We still have consciousness and the fact that we can digest what Rewen is telling is enough. We are NPCs, so what? Real and virtual are just a term. We live and die and the ones who created us live and die. Isn''t that enough?" Rewen agreed with his master''s reasoning. He also demonstrated the [Freestyle Knights Combat] technique. It took more than three hours to answer all the doubts and queries. By the end, everyone sighed. By their expressions, Rewen deduced that everyone more or less believed him. With sufficient exnations, reasonings and proofs, anything could be believed. Of course, changing world perception is a huge thing. It goes without saying that "changing someone''s opinion is a crime". People are stubborn and headstrong. It''s an innate trait among humans to not admit defeat. This is the reason why if Rewen made this fact public, nobody, no matter how progressive the person is, would believe it. However, Rewen told it to people who he grew up with, who know him better than anyone and who genuinely cares for him. Chapter 9: Weird System Chapter 9: Weird System At the dining table, Rewen ate the meat in front of him and felt a gaze upon him. "What''s wrong, mother?" His mother frowned. "When you exit from this world, remember to not offend people." "I know, I know." "Know my ass. You fought a deathmatch with a stranger you bumped upon on the very first day in that world. How unstable are you?" "It''s not my fau-" "Also, bring your cousins here. Tell them you are in NPC mode." "Sure" "If you get yourself a girlfriend, bring her to me." "Hm" "She shouldn''t be too bad, you understand me right?" "Yes." "Don''t trouble your father and mother too much. Since they work overseas, they have their own difficulties. Although how irresponsible" "I understand." "Keep your hair shorter. What''s with the bangs? Don''t they cover your eyes?" "Why my hair" "Make few but trustworthy friends. Don''t act like a social outcast." "Of course." "Now answer me, what did I say till now?" "Mother, I remember-" "I know you remember. So say it." After a long session, Rewen was finally released. When he came out of the room, he stretched his arms and legs as they became stiff and wondered about the future. "What should be my goal now? I have achieved what I wanted to. Although I''m happy, I also feel a bit empty. On thest day, I was motivated, willing and determined to get what I want. I felt that I could do anything. "Do I want to be strong? It goes without saying, yes. However, strength is not exactly my ultimate objective. I want control. I want enough control to turn my fantasies into reality. All my life, I have been lying to myself that I am better off leading a normal life while secretly feeling proud that my lifestyle and thoughts are humble but who doesn''t have ambition? "Perhaps this is just a short-time adrenaline rush but I want this feeling to be remembered. Also, no matter what, my family and friends are still virtual. I can''t deny that I want to make them real. Hm still not enough pressure. Call me crazy but I want to feel pressured like the main character to grow strong." [Ding! Checking initiated!] [01 14.76.90...97...100%] [Ding! Hidden feature "Mission to doom" discovered!] --- Information: Automatically makes the Host''s luck negative when activated. Completing missions under this feature, in turn, gives the Host a boost of luck stats for a short period. [Missions] Note: Missions will be given only when the feature is activated. --- Rewen was merely spouting bullsh*t after he was angered by the long interrogation session with his mother. He absolutely had no intention of making his life harder than it already was. Now, reading the words disyed in front of him made him feel extremely vexed. "Well, whatever, never mind." Repeating the words in his mind to remind himself that he didn''t do anything excessively stupid, he made his way to the basement, the room exclusively made for smithing. Reaching the door of the basement, he found that the light was lit and the door was open. Going inside, he found Master Kaf sitting in a chair reading a book. Upon noticing his arrival, Master Kaf raised his head. "It''s alreadyte. Why don''t youe here tomorrow?" "I have a mission which can help me increase my experience in smithing. Is there any immediate materials to make a Rank 1 peak-grade weapon?" Master Kaf thought for a moment, then replied. "There is enough to make ance." Within a few minutes, Rewen got the materials needed to make a standardnce. He took out a two-metre hard metal from a container containing forging heat and started to shape it into a shaft. *ng* *ng* *ng* It was a long and boring process. Smithing doesn''t care about your strength, aptitude or talent. It only needs one thing - perseverance. Rewen, by profession, is a cksmith and naturally, he held extreme respect for the job. He liked using a hammer. Sometimes, it acts as a let out vent to the stress in his daily life. Other times, he simply loved forging. It fills him up with pride and satisfaction. Forty minutester, he looked at the roughly round two-metre-long shaft. "Should be enough, eh?" He asked himself. After hammering it a few more times, he picked up another block of metal and started hammering it. This time, he was creating the sharp pointer. Unlike with the shaft, making the sharp pointer is a bit moreplicated. Repeated heating and hammering with different temperatures and intensities are required. On top of that, the measurements must be extremely urate. However, to Rewen, this wasn''t difficult. All of this is attributed to the passion and hard work. In ten years, he had made more than three hundred Rank 1 peak-grade weapon. *ng* *ng* *ng* Time passed by slowly and dawn arrived. Rewen at this time was sweating bullets. He had finished making the sharp pointer and is now forge welding. In other words, joining the two parts by heating them asionally hammering and chiselling. [500 EXP gained!] "Hidden Profession ''cksmith'' unlocked!" "You have gained a ''Tier 1 Upper-Bronze Ranked Unnamed Lance''." Rewen heard a series of voices in his ears. "Alright, one by one." He looked at the "cksmith" feature in the system. --- Stage: Rank 2 middle-grade (2887/5000) Proficiency: 45% Expertise: Spear Best Product: Rank 2 unnamed Spear --- ''The proficiency didn''t change.'' Rewen knew that his skill wouldn''t be so easily enhanced but he still wanted to see some changes. "System, can you change the percentile to three decimal ces?" [Ding! Processing request Initiating request.Done!] [Proficiency: 45% Proficiency: 45.546%] Rewen was about to praise the system when a sudden thought entered his head. After a moment, he abruptly asked. "System, what is the depth of your capabilities?" [Replying to the Host, if you could use me well, bing the God of Thirteen Continents within a millennium isn''t necessarily a fantasy.] This time, the system replied in a loli voice. "Not that impressive, if you ask me. In a hundred years or so, I can control the entire Earth with my properties." Rewen bragged. [Does the Host really think everything is so simple? In fact, when the Host was speaking with the Chief Instructor Venitt today, a man secretly filmed the Host and uploaded the video on] "Enough! I know! I know! I was merely joking. Who knew that people in this day and age couldn''t understand sarcasm." Rewen was shocked but why would he let anyone know that he was shocked. While smiling outwardly, he could only pray he didn''t go viral. [The Host''s poprity skyrocketed. So much so that people have started calling the Host the Future Strongest Man on Earth.] Rewen felt all his senses go numb but again, didn''t let it show to his face as he coolly smirked. "d they know it." After a moment, hepletely shoved the thought at the back of his head and asked seriously. "Tell me, how can I get stronger?" [Replying to the Host, there are many ways but the most effective is definitely toplete Quests. They can increase stats, give amaaaazing~ rewards annnnnnnd~ mhmmmm~ why don''t you guess it?] The system replied in a yful loli voice which Rewen had no intention of entertaining. "System, terminate!" [WAIT!! Geez, what an impatient boya Why don''t youe here, hehe? Elder Sister will tell you a secret hey! Matte! Where are you going?] Chapter 10: Reading Chapter 10: Reading Rewen sat on a chair. In front of him was a clean table. On top of the table was a thin paper upon which Rewen was scribbling over. "Two daily missions from [Basic Knights and Magic System]" [Check.] "Two daily missions from [Bloodline System]" [Check.] "A single daily mission from "cksmith" feature." [Check.] "Done. Let''s wrap it up. I have to go to the real world. It''s been over twenty hours here." [Wait. What about the ''Male God System''?] "Are you an idiot or pretending to be one? Obviously, I won''t use it. I am already very famous amongdies as you have seen it the entire day. Won''t I trouble my fellow brothers this way?" He said in a monotonous way but anyone with half-a-brain could sense the sarcasm. [Is the Host sure? There could be unexpected benefits who knows!] Rewen''s lips made a frown. "What?" [A lottery] "A lottery? Ok. I see. What is the lowest quality item possible?" [The highest prize is not lower than "Freestyle Combats Manual"] "You sure?" [I pledge on my 76th G-546 System Protocol-] "I get it. A lottery is definitely worth it. Besides, youth is iplete without love and lust. Aside from my already negative reputation, I have nothing to lose. However" [However?] "Heh, nothing. I''ll let you think you are winning. Alright, two daily missions from [Male God System]." He flicked his pen and wrote it down on the paper. [Check.] "Okay, log out!" Time stopped. *** Rewen took off his helmet and ced it on his PC desk. He felt a bit dizzy immediately after logging out but within a few seconds, that sensation vanished. He got up and sat down on his PC and went to the academy website. In the "what''s new" section, he found several threads. --- Give respects to the Future Strongest Man on Earth #Respect #Funny (657955 replies) Shocking! The two eldest teachers in the academy might be married! #Shock #Rtionship (34656 replies) Omg!! Fang hugged me!!!! #Bliss #NowICanDieInPeace (23575 replies) I secretly saw Ruby without her mask and you wouldn''t believe it #Gasp (9986 replies) .. --- Rewen clicked on the overwhelmingly popr thread. Some replies made him feel shame but he hardened his resolve and continued reading it. He knew he couldn''t falter here. He had to thicken his skin to not be a joke in public. He had to digest the whole thing "sportingly". By the end of the 45th page of replies, he startedughing about it. "Rewen! Come for dinner!" He heard Denny''s voice. Shutting down his PC, he went to the dining room. Cal was sitting down reading a magazine. Denny brought up the dinner she prepared from the kitchen. Rewen was a bit emotional looking at his new family. Growing up, he had no blood rtives aside from his mother. Of course, the vigers and neighbours treated him with love and affection but he knew he wanted kin. He had two identities. He knew he was fortunate enough to have a full family in one of them and was grateful. If he could, he wanted to make his family prosper and make them feel proud of him. Having such thoughts, he smiled and sat down at the table. As he started eating, Denny raised her eyebrows and stared at him with her dead fish-like eyes. "I can''t believe I''m having dinner with the Future Strongest Man on Earth. Ah, I''m so lucky." Rewen stopped chewing the food in his mouth but didn''t say anything. After a moment, he resumed chewing. Cal, on the other hand, looked confused. In curiosity, he asked. "What''s with that?" Denny took out her phone and showed him the video. After the video ended, Cal had a hard time restraining hisughter. Rewen snorted. After dinner, Rewen went back to his room and took out a new book from his bookshelf - "Bing a Mage - Book 1 by Rofel Gruntz", kept his pen and notebook ready and started reading it. The book itself wasn''t anything special. There were millions of books having the same contents. What makes it apart from the rest of them was the name "Rofel Gruntz". He was a renowned direct official of the Thirteen Continents Council and also a genius in mana research. Throughout his life, he proposed more than twenty theories that are used to date. As Rewen was reading the book, he felt the power system was veryplicated. In the mages system, there are a total of ten ranks (0-9). To be a Rank 0 Mage, he/she must learn to absorb and store mana. Everyone''s storage is originally zero, thepetitiones when the question arises - how fast? That depends on the percentage of mana resonance. For example, a person with 15% resonance would need a minimum of five minutes to restore 100 MP. A person with 20% resonance can do the same within three minutes. The base MP to be a Rank 0 Mage is set to 100. Generally, people can only store 100 MP at Rank 0 but few exceptionse up now and then. All in all, there is only a single criterion to be a Rank 0 Mage, i.e., to store 100 MP in the body. Normally, it would take around a month to reach Rank 0 and he would be the highest in his ss due to him having the highest mana resonance. In Academy, sses are generally divided into six grades. The 6th Grade students have a mana resonance of less than or equal to 10%. 5th Grade students - less than or equal to 15%. 4th Grade students - less than or equal to 20%. 3rd Grade students - less than or equal to 30%. 2nd Grade students - less than or equal to 35%. 1st Grade students - over 35%. 1st and 2nd Grade ss was called the Special sses. One of the important requirements to graduate sessfully is that a student has to reach Rank 1 by the end of their second year which is also the biggest hurdle for 4th and some 3rd Grade students. Naturally, 6th and 5th Grade students are pursuing different paths and any 2nd and 1st Grade student could easily be Rank 1 by a single year if they try hard enough. Why is it that difficult for an average Joe to get to Rank 1? Because to be a Rank 1, he/she must learn at least four skills and store 3000 MP. Simple. "No, it''s not simple. If I take a month to grow my storage from 0 to 100, then it would take at least two years and six months for my storage to have 3000 MP and I haven''t even taken the four skills to learn into consideration. Of course, there would be opportunities to boost the speed and it seems that the only way to make this possible is to make full use of those opportunities. "To increase the capacity of the storage, there is apulsory special training to be done at Academy and can only be done at the academy for two hours. There is no other alternative." Rewen sighed. "Hopefully, the system will help me through it. I might seem powerful after defeating a Rank 2 Mage but even if I am the strongest student in the academy, I still won''t be able to graduate unless I pass other requirements. After all,bat strength isn''t a measure of an estimate of potential." Rewen kept the book, pen and notebook in his study desk and headed to bed after turning off the sleep. "Today was the toughest day in my life." He said as he slowly closed his eyes. Chapter 11: Interference Chapter 11: Interference Rewen''s eyelids fluttered as a bright ray of light struck down at his face. Rubbing his eyes, he yawned and opened them. Looking at the bright lighting from his ss window, he grunted. "I should put on covers, though it works as a good rm clock." Flipping his quilt, he got up and looked at the time. 7:06 a.m. Academy will start at 8:30 and it takes about ten to fifteen minutes from his home to the academy. Rewen yawned once again as he stepped out of the room and went straight to the bathroom. It was locked. ''Cal should have already gone to the factory, so it should be Denny.'' He surmised and knocked on the door. "Don''t take too long. You hear me?" Rewen waited but didn''t get a reply. ''It was weird.'' If it were any other person, he wouldn''t have thought so but his cousin Denny is the type of person who usually bes talkative in the bathroom. He wondered a few things and a sudden thought struck him. "I should be careful around her today." He moved to the basin outside his bathroom, rinsed his mouth and washed his face. As he was about to grab the towel, he heard a sharp shrieking from the bathroom. ''Denny?'' Rushing up to the bathroom door, he knocked. "What''s wrong? Any roaches?" He didn''t get a reply but instead heard the sound of footsteps within the bathroom and the door opened only for Rewen to undergo a massive shock. A tall figure with bright red hair dressed in uniform looked at him with a smile. Behind the tall girl, Denny stood with a towel wrapped around her body. Rewen, at once, took a step back but he was halted as his T-shirt has been grabbed by the person in front of him. Puckering her lips as if induce a seductive atmosphere, she said. "What''s the hurry? How about talking with me for a while?" "What can I do for you, Miss Yeri? Haha, it''s been months since I have seen you. For you to adjust your busy schedule just to visit my humble abode is my extreme pleasure-" "Cut the bullsh*t. I heard you broke up with Young Miss?" Rewen was repeatedly cursing in his mind. The tall woman was one of the personal bodyguards of Svety and her background, as well as strength, is not simple. She shouldn''t be less than a Rank 4 Mage. One must know that in the entire Eastern Dream Academy, the top-most government officials are not more than Rank 5 and this woman standing in front of him was at least a Rank 4, which automatically makes herparable to any High-level Combatant. In short, fighting with her is useless. "Yes. I''m not sure if you know it or not but I have interference. What I did was the natural and logical course of action." Unknown to him, when he said this, Denny''s face was warped in shock. However, Yeri''s face didn''t change a single bit. "I don''t care." After saying so, she loosened her grip on his shirt. Rewen adjusted his cor and spoke in a grave tone. "What can I do for you?" "I want you to go back to her." "What if I don''t?" Yeri smiled. "Tervon! Beat this kid up!" All of a sudden, a man in his 20s appeared beside her. The man sized up Rewen from head to toe. "Even if you are not letting fear show to your face, you are brave. I''ll give you that." He then turned to Yeri and spoke in a mild tone. "Why beat him up?" Yeri sneered. "This kid broke up with the Young Miss yesterday." "My, what a grave sin," Tervon said in a serious tone but Rewen could swear he smelled some sarcasm hidden. Rewen kept standing contemting what to do. ''Running isn''t an option since any of them could catch up to me'' As time passed, Yeri became annoyed by the fact that they were doing nothing. "Tervon, beat him up and let him know his mistake." Tervon didn''t speak and was about to make a move against Rewen when Rewen suddenly blurted out. "Wait, wait, wait. Answer me one thing. If you beat me up today, will you leave me alone?" "No. We''lle every day." Rewen showed a difficult face. "I see. Okay, then! I''ll go back with Svety. Is that alright?" Yeri and Tervon looked at each other. Being expert bodyguards, they had dealt with countless stubborn people so when Rewen provocatively said "what if I don''t", they directly thought that he was stubborn. After a while, Yeri nodded appreciatively and patted Rewen''s shoulder and disappeared. Rewen sighed and walked into the bathroom and looked at Denny. "Are you done?" Denny didn''t reply to his question and asked in amanding tone. "Did you really have interference? When did it happen? Why did you not tell me?" Rewen was irritated but knew that she was only worried about him and thus, answered. "Yes, it happened around two years ago-" "Two years!!? WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING ALL THIS TIME!?" "My mind was not clear. I didn''t want to go sit at home like a useless person. I wanted to go to the academy. Besides, did you not notice my falling grades? Didn''t you notice that my behaviour changed?" "Stop! Do you even understand the gravity of the situation you are in!? I''ll see what Uncle and Aunt have to say about this." With that, she stormed off the bathroom. Rewen bitterly smiled looking at her back and regretted telling her. *Bam* While he was showered, he heard a loud knock on the door. Grabbing the towel, he opened the door. "What''s wrong?" "Everything''s wrong. Here, Aunt is on the phone." Without letting him say a word, Denny shoved the phone to his hand. Helpless, Rewen brought the phone closer to his mouth. "Mom?" A calm voice came from the other side. "Rewen." "..." "Ipetent fool." *Beep* "..." Rewen didn''t know whether he should feel happy or sad. He was a bit troubled at this mother who is a woman of few words. Since childhood, he didn''t remember having a conversation with her thatsted for a minute. He handed over the phone to Denny making a sad face. He knew he had to endure a lecture from her if he didn''t show that he was affected. Only by showing remorse and guilt could he be spared. Denny stared at him. "Rewen, you cane to me if you have any troubles." *** After a shower, he wore his uniform and looked at the mirror. "Good to go." He then thought about how the previous Rewen endured everything and felt slight admiration. Two years ago, Rewen was a freshman in high school and with his excellent grades, he was a bright student. One day, he suddenly found another soul trying to invade his soul space. He had a Stage 5 Interference, which was extremely deadly. Stage 5 Interference means having only about 3-5% of his soul space in his control. In his high school, he was bullied and was alone for the most part. He became a gloomy bottom student. Due to his behaviour, he was lectured by Cal every day, bullied by his ssmates thrice a week and became a disappointment to his parents. Gradually, he started hating everything. On several asions, heshed out publicly. However, no matter how much difficult it became, he never once admitted that he had Stage 5 Interference. It was childish. If he openly confessed, he would have lived better but he didn''t. While Rewen didn''t approve of his ways, that didn''t stop him from admiring him. ''You were a tough guy.'' "System, I forgot to ask but where is the interfered soul?" The system replied in the usual emotionless monotonous way. [Replying to the Host, it''s inside the system inventory.] "When I would be diagnosed, would my soul space show the other soul?" [No. But if the Host wants, it can be done.] "Good." When Rewen took over the previous Rewen''s identity, he found that he could control 100% of his soul space. Initially, he didn''t want to let anyone know that he had interference but then he thought about the previous Rewen and decided to let his family and friends know that they didn''t give him the right treatment. It didn''t sound worth the fuss but Rewen believed it was worth it. Chapter 12: Races Chapter 12: Races Rewen walked to the main gate of the academy with Denny. The heat today was very lukewarm so Rewen was rather enjoying the weather. Along the way, many nced at him. Some secretly, some tantly. Rewen was fully prepared for this kind of situation. In fact, he even prepared some strong words in the worst-case scenario. Denny sharply stared at him. "Listen. If they bother you, give me a call." Rewen slightly nodded. "It''s okay." Denny moved to her ss while Rewen stood there enjoying the surroundings. Looking at the ssic cherry blossom tree, he felt peaceful when suddenly, a hand tapped on his shoulder. "Yo! Got some time?" Turning back, he found an unfamiliar guy smiling at him. Rewen had no idea who he was but can guess his intentions. "Yes, what can I do for you?" "Just an interview. I was currently streaming when I saw you so this idea of an interview came to my mind. Want to join?" Hearing this, one would think that this guy is polite and not forceful at all but he isn''t as the camera in his hand was already pointing towards Rewen. Rewen didn''t pay much heed to it. Today, he is prepared for everything. He prepared for all the deadly situations before his sleep. He gave a friendlyugh. "Honestly, I never expected my poprity to get such a rise." "Indeed. Overnight, you went from an average guy to a person known by four million! How do you feel about this?" "Yeah, it''s good." Rewen finished his sentence when he noticed that the other guy had no ns to ask another question. "Um, next question?" "Oh, sorry. I just thought you had more to say anyways, what did you think when you said to the instructor that if you do this, you would be the Strongest Man on Earth?" "It was supposed to be an unfunny joke. Apparently, I was wrong." "Wait a second, you joked?" "You don''t really believe that I was serious, right?" "It''s just you are making this all up. Besides, you don''t even know why your theory wouldn''t work. If you know now, it only means you have researched." "Does it take a genius to figure this out? Okay, man. I understand where you areing from. Yesterday, everyone wasughing and making fun of my supposed ignorance. Now that I said it was a joke and apparently made peopleugh, you just couldn''t let go of your superiorityplex you developed whileughing at me thinking it makes you smarter. Think about it. It isn''t that hard to figure it out." With that said, Rewen drifted off towards his ssroom. Almost everyone''s eyes fell on him as he entered the ssroom. Zaplin came up to him andughed. "Dude, you have be a celebrity now." Rewen gave a helpless smile. "I wish to find the bast*rd who filmed me." Another guy came up to him. "It should be Devin from the 5th ss." After chatting with them for a few minutes, he sat on his seat. His seat was near the window and the ssroom was on the third floor so he was quite pleased viewing the scenery from above. After a moment, he felt a bit bored and noticed the person sitting beside him. ''Time bomb.'' He said in his mind. Regarding this "Fallen Devil", Rewen wasn''t sure how to deal with her. He was confident that her background was monstrous and that her identity isn''t a threat to mankind. He liked to think that she was rather protected by the higher-ups. "Hey." He reached out to her. She merely nced at him with a single eye. "Did youe to this academy for me?" Her eyebrows twitched but didn''t say anything. "..." "It''s okay." He wanted to throw a light joke but he knew that it wouldn''t end well. "... one of the reasons." "I see. So what do you want to do with me?" "I want to stay beside you." "Does it have to do with the condition you were in that night?" Rewen tried not to misunderstand. "Yes. You are a smart person." [Favoritibility +1] "Err, yes. Wait, why are you good to me today?" "Do you prefer me to not?" "No. No. No. It''s all cool. Good day!" He nodded his head vigorously and turned his head as if they were parting after a small talk. ''System, what is my current favorability with her?'' [Current favorability: -6] ''Oh well. I guess smacking her butt boosted my negative favorability. It feels a bit weird though. It''s as if there are triggers set in her brain and if I identally triggered the trigger, she would suddenly increase her liking towards me.'' "Rewen." He heard a familiar voice. It was Zelic. She had a deep frown on her face. He replied. "Ah, good morning." "It''s a bad one, I''m afraid. Why did you not tell you had interference-" Not letting herplete her question, he grabbed her wrist and brought his face closer to her ears. "Woah, calm down. No need to let anyone know. Let''s talk about thister, okay?" "Not okay." "Okay." "Not." After a few minutes, he finally managed to calm her down. Pouting, she went back to her seat. Soon, the subject teacher for History came and started talking about the very first topic of the first-year sybus - Races! "Pure humans became the most primitive and ancient races of the Earth after the apocalypse. 500 years in the post-apocalyptic period and the poption of pure humans were already starting to slow down. Rather than pure humans, variant humans became more and more prominent over the years. Why did this happen? Because pure humans didn''t evolve with the changes. They still had the lifespan of a century. They don''t have any bloodline abilities. Not a single noticeable advantage. In fact, the only reason we call them ''ancient'' and not ''useless'' is because they were our ancestors." The rant made by the elderly woman made Rewen feel a bit annoyed. "Talking about variant humans, till date, there are countless. Making a rough estimate, it shouldn''t be lower than 2500. Most of these variant humans only have bloodline impurity. For example, the ''Seekers'' are also variant humans with a bloodline impurity of 6.7% approximately. But always remember, if a race''s bloodline impurity goes beyond 50%, the race doesn''t count as variant humans. Questions?" A girl asked from the middle seat. "What is the bloodline impurity for pure humans?" "Such a dumb question. Pure humans don''t have bloodline impurity. Just as the name suggests, it is pure." Rewen''s brain experienced another sudden shock. ''Why? Why me? Damn it should be because I transmigrated in this world with my pure human body.'' "In our Eastern Dream Kingdom, starting from local inhabitants to government officials are mostly FRY-76 - variant humans with bloodline impurity of about 1.87%. I know, the name''s not the best but there are over 2500 variant humans. It seems like the Thirteen Continents Union''s officials found it troublesome to be creative." ''Agreed. They aren''t the most creative people.'' Thinking of the continents and empires'' names, he felt the massive urge to facepalm. "I could go on and on about races all day but let''s not stray too far away from the sybus. What you do have to learn in the first year is specifically about your race, FRY-76. You have to learn about its origins, groups, ces it inhabits and many more things. I''d say it is mildly interesting." Rewen would beg to argue that the next forty minutes were not interesting at all. Whenever he was on the verge of falling asleep, he pped his cheek to remain awake. Chapter 13: Daily Missions Chapter 13: Daily Missions Bored, he took out his notebook and started writing down the daily missions from the three systems. --- [Basic Knights and Magic System] Practice [Freestyle Combats Manual] for ten minutes. Gain 1 MP. [Male God System] Get a girl''s number. Kiss a girl 3 times. [Bloodline System] Drink two cans of Hagver. Run half a mile. --- ''Aren''t the daily missions of [Male God System] too damn straight!?'' As a proud seasoned veteran virgin in his previous world, he naturally had very little experience with romance. Fortunately, the Rewen of this world had experience. Having dated someone for four years, there was almost nothing he didn''t do. ''Running half a mile shouldn''t be so hard and well, today we''ll be learning how to store and absorb MP.'' Rewen slowly nned out everything in his mind and as soon as he was done, the History Professor left the ss and Instructor Venitt along with the Assistant Instructor came. Instructor Venitt coughed lightly. "As y''all are already aware, today we''ll be taking the first step towards your journey in the Mage System. Now,e to the training grounds within five minutes." The ss stood up and one by one, everyone left the ssroom. 4th Grade Training Grounds. [Ding! Daily Mission from ''Basic Knights and Magic System''pleted.] On his seventh try to create the mana storage, Rewen seeded. He looked around and found everyone except for him struggling and felt a bit proud. With long strides, he headed in the direction of where Instructor Venitt was standing and monitoring the students. "I''m done." He said in a moderately loud voice. His voice sounded humble and his expression said he didn''t want to bring attention. Rewen knew all too well but unfortunately for him, Instructor Venitt only spared him a single look and nodded. "Good." Rewen was dissatisfied but didn''t try to push things. "Is there anything I can do for now?" "Do you even need to ask? Try increasing your mana storage." [Ding! A quest has been issued from ''Basic Knights and Magic System''. Would you like to see it?] [Yes] [No] Rewen was nning about how to go about setting goals to increase training productivity when the system gave him a quest. Going into a corner, he directly tapped ''Yes''. --- Quest: Starting up Grade: C- Details: Be Rank 0 Mage within this week. Rewards: Two Rank 0 Purple-ranked skills. Failure: None. --- [Would you like to ept it?] [Yes] [No] Rewen fell into silence when he read this. ''Including today, I only have about 5 days and increasing mana storage from 1 to 100 within five days is something I have never heard of. Hm I''ll just ept it since there''s no failure.'' Thinking so, he pressed ''Yes'', then fell into thoughts. ''It''s practically impossible to increase my speed with my 22% mana resonance. The only option left for me is the system. System, do you have any solution to this?'' [Checking initiated 0...54.100%] [Not found. Please try again.] ''Alright, start checking.'' [Checking initiated 0...78...beep-] [Something went wrong. Please try again.] ''Start checking.'' [Checking initiated 0...21...98...100%] [Ding! Hidden feature "Boost" found.] --- Information: When activated, increases the Host''s speed in a particr activity depending on the Host''s temporary sacrifice. [Missions] Note: Missions will be given only when the feature is activated. --- ''What exactly is the temporary sacrifice?'' [It can be anything. The Host can sacrifice stats, skills, bloodline and anything in possession with the Host. Of course, it alles back when the activity the Host is doing is halted.] ''How fast would the speed be if I temporarily sacrificed all of my stats and [Freestyle Knights Combat] technique?'' [A little more than three times.] ''Not enough, but the speed would increase as I get more stats and skills along the way. Activate hidden feature ''Boost'' and temporarily sacrifice all my stats and skills.'' Wasting no more time, he started training. Two hourster when the training session ended, Rewen increased his mana storage capacity to 10 which is a huge improvement. Of course, he didn''t bother to inform anyone not because he was afraid of getting attention but he wanted to give everyone a scare when he reached 100 MP after this week. If he wanted to show off, he would do so in the best possible way. Rewen was chatting with Zelic in the hallway after the training session when suddenly a braided girl with sses popped up in front of him. "Ah, are you Rewen?" Figuring that she was very close to his body, she stepped back and adjusted her sses. "Yes. Is something the matter?" The braided girl with sses again readjusted her sses. "You are requested toe to Ms Cutlin''s office." Rewen turned to Zelic. "You go to ss." Zelic nodded and left while Rewen and the braided girl with sses started walking towards Ms Cutlin''s office. "Eh! Aren''t you the Future Strongest Man on Earth?" Showing a shocked face, she turned to him and bowed. "Please forgive my manners!" Rewen bitterly smiled. "Uh yes." "I believe it''s my greatest honour to be walking around with the Future Strongest Man on Earth." "Please stop joking." "Wha- Sorry. Sorry. Sorry. It wasn''t my intention to make fun of you. Please don''t hold a grudge against me." Rewen frowned. ''I don''t even know her. Why is she still joking around with me?'' He was about to berate when a thought struck his mind. "Why do you think I''ll be the Strongest Man on Earth?" "Ah, isn''t everyone on the inte saying so?" Rewen had a strange smile on his face. Although he still couldn''t be absolutely sure, he was confident that this girl didn''t know the word ''meme''. "Excuse me for asking but do you use the inte very often?" The braided girl shook her head. "I never used the inte more than three times in my life. Yesterday, a friend was going through the inte when she told me about you." "Oh." Rewen didn''t tell her the truth but also didn''t acknowledge that she was right. Although the chance is slim, she could still be ying with him. When they arrived at Ms Cutlin''s office, a woman was looking as if she was in herte twenties reading some stuff. When she raised her head and noticed the pair, she closed the book she was reading. "Rewen,e and sit here." He did as he was told. Meanwhile, the braided girl left the office. Ms Cutlin took a sip from her coffee and stared at Rewen. "I''m not sure if you are aware or not but apparently, a tiny portion of your soul space is missing. Yesterday, every single cadet in the academy went through a scan and only yours had a slight defect." Rewen had a calm expression. "No. I''m not aware. Will that affect me?" "No. It''s only a tiny portion. To scale, if your soul space has 100 units, then only about 1/100 is missing. It can be overlooked but there are surgeries to restore the defect. I just called you here to make you aware. Are you interested in restoring?" "Is it expensive?" "Somewhat." "Then no need." "Okay, you can go now." Rewen came out of the office and stared at pink cherry blossom leaves from the hallway through the sses. "They look good, don''t they?" Rewen turned sideways and saw Zaplin smiling, then nodded. Chapter 14: Joint Combat Program Chapter 14: Joint Combat Program With the warm winds shoved towards his face, Rewen was experiencing a wave of nostalgia. He remembered the day his friend Sam went missing. The entire morning, he was searching for him in every part of the vige. By evening, he got tired and decided to go back home. Those evening winds were the same as these winds he is experiencing currently. Thinking of his family in the virtual world, he was sad. He wished he could bring them to the real world and make their life morefortable. "It''s just sad" "Your life is, I know but just know this - I''m not forcing you." It was Svety. When he saw his peace destroyer, he didn''t have much emotion on his face. He merely scoffed. "You are narcissistic, aren''t you?" Svety lightlyughed, then came close to him and crossed elbows with him. "Not my worst perk, you know." Regarding her actions, he didn''t mind. They had crossed way more boundaries together. With a contemtive expression, he asked. "You don''t really like me, do you?" "I don''t. You like me." A quick reply came. Rewen couldn''t say he didn''t expect this answer. "If I say I don''t, will you leave me alone?" "Yes, of course. I can''t say the same for my bodyguards though." "Are you ying with me?" Rewen spoke in a mild voice. "Maybe. Anyways,e to the 6th Combat Ground. We''ll be having a joint trialbat program." Not waiting for his reply, she gripped his wrist and pulled him in her direction. Rewen didn''t know what to do with her. He was positive he didn''t like her but he also didn''t want to be bothered by those Rank 4 Mages. Sure, he could rebel and show his disgust towards her but what good would that do? From Rewen''s experience, she would definitely not leave him be and create troubles for him. ''If she goes beyond my limit, I would use brute force.'' He decided. "Wait," Rewen called out. Svety turned back giving a questioning nce. "To seal our reconciliation,e here and let me kiss you three times." *** When Rewen and Svety came to the 6th Combat Ground, therge room was already bustling with energy. Looking at the crowd, Rewen was more than eager to show off his strength. ''I wonder what would happen if my base strength is close to a Rank 2 Mage. Would they still dare tough at the ''Future Strongest Man on Earth''?'' Thinking so, he inwardlyughed. "Creepy smile counter - 2." Svety''s voice sounded beside his ears. "Go and join your ssmates while I join mine," Rewen said with an indifferent tone. Svety frowned but didn''t say anything. Rewen stretched his arms and yawned, then walked towards the group of ssmates he was familiar with. Vin: "Oh Rewen, what took you so long?" Zaplin: "He was sight-seeing." Rewen: "I heard about this Joint Combat Program thing. Isn''t that too early for us?'' Zaplin: "Way too early. I guess they will just check our rawbat prowess. Not gonna lie, kinda worried." Vin: "You are probably overthinking things. Nothing tooplicated should happen during the program." Rewen: "Let''s hope so." Zaplin: "Hm!" Vin: "Hm" Zaplin: "So I was thinking about the girl you (Rewen) came with. Is she your" Rewen: "Apparently." Zaplin: "How long?" Rewen: "Almost four years." Vin: "Pretty serious, huh. Gonna be a real bummer if something uneventful happens." Rewen: "I don''t know." .. While Rewen, Zaplin and Vin were chatting in a corner like some mobs, most students from 2nd Grade ss were already warming up, some even started fighting. Zelic grabbed the bottle from her bag and took a lot of sips. Running around for more than ten minutespletely drained her energy. "Huff never had this kind of warm-up before. Oi, give me the towel." She snatched the towel from her nearby friend rudely. Her friend just shrugged as if she was used to it. After cleaning her face, she directly sat on the ground. "Say, by any chance, can I not participate in this program?" "I don''t think so." Zelic clicked her tongue and felt bored when she noticed Rewen standing with his ssmates in the corner and nudged her friend. "You see him?" Her friend, Ellie, nced at the pointed figure and nodded. "He should be the so-called Future Strongest Man on Earth." "He''s my cousin." "Ah, sorry. I was just kidding." "I know. It doesn''t matter. Let me tell you a secret. I don''t know if he would be the Strongest Man on Earth or not, what I do know is that he is the strongest student in the academy." "What kind of joke is that? Are you serious?" "Hell yeah, I''m serious. This guy can beat a Rank 2 Mage." "Really?" "Is that your reaction? Honestly, you should work on your reactions. Also, yes. I''m not that bored to make such a tasteless joke." "Oh!" Ellie still wasn''t quite sure if her friend was making a joke or not. While she felt Zelic wouldn''t lie about such a matter, she didn''t want to believe her for obvious reasons. She didn''t want to praise the person sheughed at the other day. Nobody wanted to. Unknowingly, Rewen had be something of an underdog and a joke. A momentter, four people entered therge room and everyone halted their warm-ups. They were instructors and Assistant Instructors of the two sses. Instructor Venitt nodded at a middle-aged man, who was the Instructor of 3rd Grade ss and stepped forward. "This is a trial Joint Combat Program session. I know it''s too soon but the council decided to introduce this new trial to test the raw Combat ability of the students. Don''t worry, this would not have any effect on your performance record whatsoever. Any kind of weapon is allowed. Now, make two separate columns." The students more or less guessed what''s going to happen. Rewen, Zaplin and Vin joined a column. They weren''t separated ss-wise. It was random. Seeing all the students in order, Instructor Venitt went near a table upon which a box was ced, then gestured to the Instructor of 3rd Grade ss who raised his hand. "Everyone listen. That box contains sixty numbers since there are sixty of you. Each of you wille and take your pick. No. 1 fights No. 2, No. 3 fights No. 4. Get that?" "Yes!" A loud ''yes'' sounded. The middle-aged Instructor nodded. "After your pick, you wille to me in case you want weapons. The fights would be conducted in a V-Space so be as brutal as you want to be. Assistant Instructor Wy will be the referee. Any questions?" " "No, Sir!" " V-Space is one of the revolutionary inventions which solved every single danger of duelling. It was invented before the research centres were taken down and the technological developments halted. Before its invention, people had no idea how to develop and train theirbat strength by experience. Having a long history of being pacifists, people just can''t adapt to bloodshed and idental deaths. ''What V-Space does is simple. It takes one to a virtual world and it doesn''t matter if a virtual body is killed. The fact it doesn''t have any pain resistance mechanism is what matters.'' Rewen thought. "Alright, starting." As soon as the middle-aged Instructor finished, a guy in the front of the left column walked up to the box and picked up a piece of paper. The next in the column followed. A minuteter, Rewen''s turn came. He smiled. ''[Missions to Doom] activate.'' With an unhurried pace, he walked up to the box and looked at Instructor Venitt who had her trademark frown. Most of the students'' gazes were on him. Just as he was about to enter his right hand into the box, a sound rang in his head. [System Alert!] Chapter 15: Accident Chapter 15: ident [The Host is advised to move away!] Rewen freaked out hearing the alerts from the system. Without sparing another time to think, he ducked on the ground with his hands above his head expecting an explosion. *Swoosh A wind brushed past his body. Raising his head, he saw a strange man staring at him weirdly. Looking around, he found everyone looking at him the same way. Not caring about their stares, he got up and started brushing the dirt off his uniform. ''[Missions to Doom], deactivate.'' The strange man stared at Rewen deeply. "How?" Rewen shrugged. "I''m not called the Future Strongest Man on Earth for nothing. Rather, who the f*ck sent you to assassinate me? I want an exnation." He was furious now. He had been a good boy but ever sinceing to Earth, people are continuously trying to test his limits. Secret chuckles filled the room but Rewen didn''t care. The strange man didn''t get angry and showed an apologetic expression. "Sorry, young man. My flying skate powered by mana went out of control." He pointed to a broken skateboard but Rewen was unrelenting. "A clever idental death, I see." The strange manughed and patted his shoulder. "Good sense of humour. Okay, my bad. What can I do topensate you?" Rewen wanted to say money but decided against it. If he asked for money in public, let alone his cousins, he presumed every single rtive living overseas woulde and beat him up for disgracing the name of the family. "Who are you?" Rewen asked. "He is Assistant Instructor of 1st Grade ss, Xovin." The middle-aged Instructor of the 3rd Grade ss reached out his hand for a handshake. Xovin smiled. "My pleasure." He then turned to Rewen. "Now that you know my identity, you should know that I can help you in almost every way. Think about what you want and don''t waste this opportunity." He sat down on a nearby chair roughly and looked at everyone. Rewen didn''t say anything and turned to the box in front of him. He lifted his head to find Instructor Venitt pointing her chin towards the box. Rewen understood her meaning and picked up a piece of paper from the box. ''43.'' He flipped the paper around for Instructor Venitt to see, then gave her the paper and walked towards Instructor Peter. [Ding! The Host has gained 10x Luck for 5 seconds. Would you like to use it now?] [Yes] [No] ''No.'' Rewen smiled inwardly. This is what he needed. "Lucky kid, tell me, which weapon have you ever used?" "Is there a spear longer than two meters?" "There is, but are you sure you can handle it?" "I''m confident." "Alright, wait here." Instructor Peter ran and entered a room. Twenty secondster, he returned with a long brown spear in his hand and threw it towards Rewen. Rewen caught it with ease despite the heaviness. He was stronger than his peers not without reasons. It all attributed to having trained since he was three. Being a hunter''s son, he was most proficient in spears and knives. Rewen was judging the quality of the spear when he felt his hand patted. "Hm? What is it, Zel?" "When did you learn to use a spear?" "Heh, I have been a hunter all my life are you saying I shouldn''t use it urgh, sorry. What did you say?" "..." "Puhahahaha! Quite the look you have got on your face- owowowow. F*ck, stop biting my arm!" At some distance, students of 3rd Grade ss who had finished picking their opponents were talking among themselves. They were very serious about this trial Combat Program. Having a higher mana resonance percentile is what set 4th and 3rd Grade ss apart. Although they didn''t have the ''talent'' benefit, in case they don''t perform well, some kind of criticism is unavoidable. Sweeping his eyes over the tensed students, Svety let out a sigh. "We have to do well." "Goes with saying." Zachughed and patted her back. Svety rolled her eyes in response. "Easy for you to say." Zach awkwardly scratched his head. He had been training in martial arts since eight. Of course, he isn''t a martial freak. He is just better than most of his peers in terms of martial arts. He looked around and caught the sight of a noteworthy figure. "The one who pulled off quite the stunt just now should be your boyfriend, right?" Looking at the direction of Rewen, Svety acknowledged. "Yes. Quite a handful." "I can see that." Zach chuckled. *** Instructor Peter pped his hands. "No. 1 and No. 2,e out." Two girls came out of the crowd, both of them holding swords. More than 80% of the students were holding swords. Do they know how to use swords? No. Why are they using it? Because it''s easy. To use a spear or sabre, you need to train. Daggers are also an unpopr choice because it needs you to get close. That''s not to say that swords are easy to use. Rather, they like to believe it is easy to use. Some people know this but are still forced to use swords because they would be at a massive disadvantage if they don''t pick a weapon. Both the girls were from 3rd Grade ss. They stepped into a tform and wore their respective helmets. Arge ck screen was fixed on a wall. For a few seconds, it went nk white, then slowly revealed colours. The screen showed two girls standing on a clean ground facing off against each other. "They look kinda cool like that." Rewen voiced out his thoughts. Zaplin agreed. "Don''t worry, within a few minutes, you''ll be looking cool as well." "I''m feeling strangely excited. Is this what battle spirit is?" Vin said from the side. "Speaking of battle spirit, haha, I remember an incident from childhood. I was watching ''Academy City Rangers'' back then. Do you remember that show? Right, the main characters get a special kind of power-up from the ''power of spirits''. Yeah, so I was trying to do that and loaded a huge load of junk off my ass." Zaplin narrated the story. "Were you wearing something or?" Rewen asked. "I was wearing my pants," Zaplin admitted. "That must have felt awful, right?" Zelic, who felt left out, asked enthusiastically. Zaplin nodded. "Of course, only scat-fetishists would like that." "Speaking of pooping in pants, I also-" Zelic was about to narrate her own story, a loud voice interrupted her. "Match ended with a draw!" "It was dry, wasn''t it?" "Seriously, what did you expect? Flying swords? Beams? That simply isn''t how the fights work." Rewen watched the whole fight. It was boring for the most part except for thest part where one of the girl''s heart was pierced against the rough sword and the other''s skull ripped apart. The girls took off their helmet, looked at each other and shook their hands. A normal person when introduced to this kind of raw life-or-death fight would have a traumatic experience but the standards of a ''normal person'' changed after the apocalypse period. Beforeing to the academy, from middle school to high school, every student was made to get used to the V-Space and the fragile human body. Of course, they directly weren''t introduced to the killing but were made to slowly pave their way to get used to it. In case some still find the situation traumatising, proper medical advice and therapy were given to them and then try again. Over the course of six years, even the most weak-minded person has to get used to it. Chapter 16: Observe Chapter 16: Observe "No. 3 and No. 4,e out!" This time, it was two guys. Both of them were from 3rd Grade ss. Rewen was least interested in watching the fight after watching the boring match. Both of them wore their helmets and appeared on the screen. After about thirty seconds, a guy came out victorious. Rewen yawned as he sat down on the ground cross-legged. Zaplin, Vin, and Zelic followed him. "Got some cards?" "Yup." Vin took out a pack of cards from his pocket and started distributing. "Ah, both of them are from our ss this time," Zelic muttered, then looked at the three. "What are your numbers?" Zaplin: "46." Rewen: "43." Vin: "12." Zelic: "54." A few minutester, Vin got up and grabbed his sword. "No. 11 and No. 12,e out!" His opponent was a girl from 3rd Grade ss. A momentter, Vin came back winning the fight and continued ying cards. "What''s even the point of this?" He grumbled. At this moment, Rewen was guessing the strength of his peers and if their strength can be ssified in numbers. For example, Rewen''s all stats were 5. He knew he was stronger than his peers but he was still interested. ''System, search.'' [Ding! Check initiated1 99...100%] [Ding! Passive skill ''Observe'' found! Do you want to learn it?] [Yes] [No] Rewen felt a bit baffled seeing how generous the system was being. Not overthinking, he pressed ''Yes''. [Ding! The Host has sessfully learned ''Observe''!] He didn''t particrly feel any changes in his eyes but there was a very notable change in the world around him. Everyone suddenly had their stats written in green text above their heads. Most of the students had an average stat of 3, some had 4. ''I suppose this is normal. Alright, how to stop using this skill?'' [If the Host wants to stop, it would.] Rewen ''hmm''-ed as he started observing everyone''s stats. Zaplin, Vin and Zelic had an average stat of 3. As his eyes darted towards the Instructors, he was shocked. All of their stats were 70+. Instructor Xovin even had 80+ stats and they weren''t even Rank 4 yet. For Rewen, it was a moment of realisation. Just from the stats, he understood how powerful they are. During his fight with Ruby, his stats boosted to 20 and he was still at a disadvantage. He presumed that she had an average stat of 23-24 and automatically made an estimate of Rank 3 and Rank 4 which now turned out to be wrong. ''There is a significant gap between ranks.'' Rewen smiled inwardly. ''The longer you starve, the sweeter the food tastes.'' His mother used to tell this to him when he continuously failed in smithing. Rewen previously thought that his road to get stronger would be easy as he had the system beside him. Now, it seems he needs to re-evaluate his thinking. "No. 43 and No. 44,e out!" Rewen was slightly surprised to find his turn arrived so quickly. Getting up, he found almost everyone''s eyes on him. He grabbed his spear and walked towards the tform with a tall green-haired guy, groups of mocking cheers erupted. Rewen was helpless in this regard. He knew none of them had any ill intentions and just wanted to poke fun. Walking up to the tform, he put on the helmet. His spear remained in his hand. The green-haired guy Rewen is matched with following him. Rewen opened his eyes to find himself on a clean ground. Looking at the sky, he uselessly thought. ''The sky is blue and the sun is bright.'' As his eyeballs lowered, he found the green-haired guy standing about ten meters away from him. Without a single word, he rotated the spear using his fingers and wrist. He nned to end this quickly. "It is my honour to fight the renowned- kukk!" Blood spurted from his mouth and sharp pain arose from his chest. He didn''t know what happened as he fell backwards. Rewen threw the spear towards his chest using [Freestyle Knights Combat] technique and ended it. *** The referee, Assistant Instructor Wy, rubbed her eyes and looked at the screen again. "No. 43 wins." In the real world, everyone was ready to watch the so-called ''Future Strongest Man on Earth'' in action but when they saw Rewen rotating the heavy spear like the men from the circus, their smiles faded away. The next scene shocked them even more. "Is he some kind of spear master?" "He has to be." "Holy, who could have predicted the biggest meme currently would have such techniques!" On the tform, Rewen took off his helmet and got up. Shaking his hands with the green-haired guy, he joined his friends. "That was one hell of a surprise!" Vin eximed. *** The training ended after about ten-some minutes. With this, the academy ended its day. But since it was only afternoon, many students went to the canteen for lunch. Rewen also had to have lunch here since he didn''t want to cook going home. Bidding farewell to Zaplin and Vin, he along with Zelic headed to the canteen. "Ah, Zel. Can you do me a favour?" "What is it?" "Can you bring me two cans of Hagver for me?" Zelic''s face was not good. "I''m not your errand girl-" "Okay, the lunch is on me today." Within a few seconds, Zelic vanished. Rewenughed lightly and walked to the canteen when he saw Svety in front of the canteen. "What are you doing here?" Rewen took the initiative to ask. "Oh! I was waiting for my friends." Svety replied. "Is the ''Good Hagver'' closed today?" Rewen asked. Svety and her friends usually hung around in ''Good Hagver''. Rewen didn''t eat there because the food is a tad bit expensive there. "Yes." Svety gave a slight nod. ''Damn, there goes my 120 credits'' Rewen knew that Zelic definitely won''t listen to any of his exnations and would demand he pay for her lunch. Entering the canteen, he found a quiet table and sat down keeping his bag on the other chair for Zelic. Within a few seconds, a short-haired guy came, took the bag from the chair, and threw it towards Rewen. "Hey, that chair is reserved. Why don''t you go sit there?" Pointing to a table beside him, he said. He was a bit angry at him but he knew misunderstandings like this happen in everyday life. "What? Got a problem if I sit here? I''m a third-year." The short-haired guy said with an intimidating re. Hearing this, Rewen no longer felt the need to be polite. "What a fucking retard." Not bothering with the crazy person any longer, he picked his bag and went to another table. *m* He just sat down when a hand mmed on his table hard. "I dare you to say the word one again." The short-haired guy said, making his voice deeper. "Retard!" The short-haired guy grabbed his cor and picked him up. His eyes were bulged out and his nose was emitting carbon dioxide at a steady rate. "I. Dare. You. To. Say. It. Once. More." Rewen sneered. "R*tard, take this." As soon as he finished speaking, he steadily threw his fist towards the short-haired guy''s forehead using the [Freestyle Knights Combat] technique. *Bam* The short-haired guy fell t on the floor. Gasps could be heard from the surroundings. Rewen snorted and sat down on his chair not bothering with the unconscious figure. ''Violence isn''t the answer to everything, it is a goddamn fact.'' Chapter 17: Verbal Arguments Chapter 17: Verbal Arguments "Here, miss. Your two cans of Hagver." The man at the counter of ''Good Hagver'' handed over a bag containing two cans of Hagver to a youngdy. The youngdy took out some notes and handed it over to the man before taking the bag from him. The youngdy was Zelic. Upon making a deal with her cousin, she came to the ''Good Hagver''. The brand ''Hagver'' is famous for its drinks but other grocery products and packaged food are also of good quality. Humming a tune, Zelic got out of the shop and headed towards the canteen. *** Rewen took a big bite of the burger in his hands ignoring the stares from his surroundings. ''She sure is taking her time.'' He wondered as he ate. ''Well, good for me if she went home.'' While eating in peace, he saw another guy approaching him. "Ey, mate?" "What?" "Did you knock him out?" Pointing to the short-haired guy on the floor, he asked. "No. He knocked himself out. I''m a first year and this mofo is a third year. I better be finding aliens in my garden than knock him out. This is a tant scheme. Believe it or not." Lying was the best option for Rewen right now. He didn''t know if this new guy would call some prefects and create trouble for him or not. The new guy bent down and carefully observed the short-haired guy''s face, then got up. "You seriously don''t believe that. He''s literally unconscious." "Odd. I didn''t know he was such an actor!" Rewen eximed, not wanting to back down. "Stop your nonsense. You punched him right in the forehead. Everyone saw that." "How do you know that? You entered the canteen just now." "A friend told me." "Who is he to you?" "No one. I was going originally to the canteen when my friend informed me about this." "Okay. How can I be sure you are not his alibi in framing me? Like, you seem deadly suspicious. Let''s not talk about your friend who gave you urate information that I punched this guy in the forehead, you don''t even know who this man is and yet you came forward to argue with me risking offending me. Not to mention, you are just a First Year like me. How does this make any sense?" Crowd slowly gathered in a circle around Rewen''s table watching the show. Some pped after Rewen''s seemingly wless argument. Some even took out their phone and started filming. Mobs are after all, mobs. Although they might not look like it, they couldn''t care less about anything. They are just here to sate their curiosity and watch the fun. Rewen had no opinion on it. He himself bes a mob sometimes and their behaviour is somewhat understandable. The guy who was absorbed in arguing with Rewen let 0ut a long breath. "There''s no need to beat around the bush. You knocked him unconscious and I''ll take appropriate measures for it." "Oh, now I''m beating around the bush. Who was the one who came straight into me and started interrogating me as if I''m only step away from getting arrested. I''ll tell you one thing, mate. Come, let''s talk to the prefects and see who''s right or wrong." Rewen stood up. "That''s an idea. Let''s go." He said this but aside from tilting his head towards the door, he was motionless. At this moment, Zelic battled her way through the crowd and noticed her cousin Rewen is one of the main attractions of the gathering. "What''s wrong, Rewen?" "You better ask him. It seems I''m involved in a deep scheme." Rewen said in a in voice. "There is no scheme. Why would we make such ame scheme just to frame you? I don''t remember having any conflicts with you. Who do you think you are?" "You don''t know? I know perfectly why you are doing this. Aren''t you close friends with the dude I won against in today''s Joint Combat Program?" Rewen was basically shit-talking politely. He knew he can''t be toxic in a public space like this so he had to keep talking shit as long as he could and at least make it seem he was winning the argument. From this guy''s interaction, Rewen could easily tell that he is a pushover. Rewen didn''t know why he was doing this but he knew that the guy in front of him was clearly afraid of getting beat up and could only rely on words and never show aggression. With his left eye, he winked at Zelic secretly. "Yeah, I was there in the program and saw you with his opponent. Your name should be Faren?" Faren was gobsmacked and for a long time, he didn''t open his mouth. He didn''t show any kind of anger or frustration at the turn of events. He just sighed, took the short-haired guy on his back and walked away. Perhaps he was hiding it. Maybe he really didn''t feel anything. One thing for sure is that he knew hepletely lost and making further arguments would not result in his favor. If he did continue arguing pointlessly, he would just be presenting himself as an aggressive idiot in front of the crowd. As he exited the canteen, "boos" were thrown. Rewen found this sight extremely familiar and chuckled. Regarding this matter, Rewen himself knew he wasn''t in the right. He could have solved things in a much more lowkey manner. He didn''t believe everyone would be happy with whatever he did. People aren''t alike and they don''t necessarily have the same thoughts most do and he understands that very well. But if there''s one thing he hates, it is when people use smarts against him. He prefers straightforward conflicts. As the crowd dispersed, Rewen went back to eat the leftover burger while Zelic sat opposite to him. "What the f*ck happened? I was gone for a second and you started creating troubles? Do you not know the situation you are in?" "People are genuinely scheming against me oh, give that bag to me." He was about to tell her the entire incident when his eyes fell on the bag in her hand. Not waiting for her reply, he took the bag from her, took out a can and started drinking it. "I don''t recall you bing a figure people would scheme against." "Well, times changed ever since I was respectfully dubbed as the ''Future Strongest Man on Earth''. A dude interviewed me in the morning. Social media is giving me useless fame. Instead of doing that, they might as well give me some credits for giving the inte a new topic to talk about." Zelic quietly ate her food. She realized she wasn''t capable of educating Rewen. "Right, Aunt ought to havee to your home by now." Rewen froze and stopped chewing. "How do you know that?" "She called me in the morning." *** Uvin woke up in an unfamiliar ce. His head hurt but he vividly remembered the scene before he was knocked out. Struggling to get up, he felt a hand on his back pushing him upwards. When he finally managed to sit cross-legged, his head spun and he lowered his head. "It''s good that you woke up." Faren said. Clutching his head with his hands, he asked. "Where are the others?" Faren shook his head. "They are not here." "Where am I?" "Nurse room." "That b*stard hit me pretty hard. What happened after that?" "I couldn''t do anything. He was eloquent and aggressive." "In other words, the n failed. Did she say anything?" "She didn''t. She remained quiet when I narrated the events to her." "I''m going to assume that''s a safe." "Can''t be sure but I hope so." "Heck. Why did she even want to do that? This isn''t some kind of TV drama, this is real f*cking life! ying childish games like these and making us get involved...." Uvin sighed. "Don''t know man. She''s kinda annoying but we have to pull it through in order to not offend her." Chapter 18: Inventory Chapter 18: Inventory Rewen took a huge gulp of Hagver before throwing it in the nearby trash can. He savored the taste of the drink as he drank. "This never gets old. The question is why would the [Bloodline System] give such a mission. Does the drink contain some mysterious ingredients?" He shook his head and focused on the matter at hand. Toplete the second mission of [Bloodline System], he needed to run half-a-mile. He originally nned to run the entire journey but the distance from the academy to his home is shorter than that so he thought about running in the academy training grounds. He took the elevator and came to the fourth floor where his ss'' training ground is located. Upon reaching the door of the training ground, he found it closed. "It''s not like I didn''t expect this." Rewen sighed, then spotted someone unfamiliar in the hallway. She had sports shorts and her body was emitting hot rays. It didn''t even take a second for Rewen to figure out that she had just trained somewhere. "Excuse me, but do you know a ce where I can run?" "Get out of my w- wait, aren''t you the-" "Yes, yes. Do you know a ce where I can run?" "Um" Hesitation initially showed on her face whichpletely disappeared afterwards. "Come with me." Rewen followed her to an elevator and saw her press ''6''. The elevator door slowly closed, after which it was ascending them when it suddenly stopped. Rewen and the girl both assumed that the fifth floor had someoneing in. "" "" Two seconds passed by but the elevator door didn''t budge an inch. [Ding! ''Male God System'' has issued an immediate quest! Would you like to see it?] [Yes] [No] ''Yes.'' Rewen didn''t want to see but the rewards tempted him. He wasn''t particrly worried about the elevator. Although cases like these are very rare, it did happen from time to time. It wasn''t necessarily due to system failure. Most of the time, it was just pranks. --- Quest: Popr elevator failure incident. Grade: D+ Details: The girl who is with the Host right now in the elevator has a severe case of ustrophobia. Cope to deal with her phobia. Toplete the quest, the Host would have to bring the favorability meter of the girl towards the Host to 3. Current favorability - 0. Rewards: +1 Dexterity and +1 Strength permanently. Failure: None. --- [Would you like to ept it?] [Yes] [No] ''Yes.'' Rewen''s first reaction after reading and epting the quest was ''Oh no!''. He swiftly looked at the girl in front of him who was leaning her head to the elevator door and her feet appeared sluggish. It looked as if someone was sleeping while standing. However, her eyes were open and her forehead was dipping buckets of sweat. As every second passed, her footing was slowly losing. Rewen took out his bottle, opened it and gave it to her hand while also supporting her standing. Slowly and gradually, he brought her down on the elevator ground and made her lean on the wall. The girl drank the water given by him quietly. [+2 Favorability] Rewen smiled. He didn''t necessarily do it for the quest but he was still happy. "Thanks." The girl said, handing over the bottle to Rewen back. Rewen kept the bottle back to his bag and sat down near her. "Do you have ustrophobia?" The girl nodded after a few moments of hesitation. "Why did you take the elevator then?" "I usually don''t take elevators but today, I was exhausted also, my destination was only two floors high. I thought I could handle it but then this happened" The girl spoke in a weary voice. "This ought to be a prank. You think it was your friends?" Rewen expressed his thoughts. "...It urk...should be my friends.. urhhahhh... uahrrrrrr" She started puking. Rewen didn''t feel much disgusted looking at some crunches of chips dipped in yellowish-white fluid mixed with the strong scent of curry she probably atest night. He again took out his bottle and passed it to the girl. Washing her face and drinking some water, the girl finally felt a little better. Her attention then turned to the guy who was carelessly sitting near her. ''What a weirdo.'' Any sane person would immediately move a feet or two away when someone pukes. ''Maybe he just likes it? Who knows.'' Recalling how he became the ''Future Strongest Man on Earth'', her suspicions of him having some weird kink deepened. "Ah, sorry. I finished your water." No matter what, she still had to be grateful to him. Rewen took his bottle and kept it in his bag, then turned towards her andughed. "Take my advice. Chew food properly before gulping it down your throat." After a few seconds of embarrassment, the girl giggled. "Where did you learn to examine the details of the puke? Don''t tell me you''re into it." [+1 Favorability] [Ding! The quest has beenpleted! Would you like to get the rewards right now?] [Yes] [No] "I haven''t explored that. In case I find myself to be really into it, I would at least put the doujin authors to shame." Rewen joked before saying ''Yes''. [AN: Now that I think back, I haven''t made it clear that both "saying" and "pressing" works.] [+1 Strength] [+1 Dexterity] The girl and Rewen started chatting. From their conversation, Rewen found out that her name was Francesca and she was from the First Year 1st Grade ss. Five minutester, the elevator started moving. Both of them heaved a sigh of relief and got up. As the elevator door opened, Rewen spotted three unfamiliar students looking at them. Two guys and a girl. From their appearance, Rewen presumed them to be high-schoolers. "Are they your friends?" Turning to Francesca, he asked. Francesca shook her head which puzzled Rewen. "Why did you do this?" Rewen asked in a deep voice. "Come on bro, it was just a prank. Why be salty? Besides, didn''t you also get to know the girl? I see this as a win-win." "Exactly-" "Shut up. What are your names?" "Bro, we didn''t mean to do it!" "Yes, we were nning to prank on our friend but he didn''te." "So you pranked on us?" "It waspletely unintentional!" Initially, Rewen thought they would be difficult but surprisingly, they knew where to take a step back. Personally, he didn''t want to take this matter to the prefects for two reasons. One, it would do nothing productive for him. Two, his anger is diminished. Yet, he couldn''t immediately dismiss this because he wasn''t the only one who suffered. Francesca, being ustrophobic, had a far worse time than him. "What do you think we should do?" [+1 Favorability] ''Wut?'' "Hmm, just leave them be. We got better things to do. Come with me." Rewen was a bit confused with the sudden favorability increase but decided to not overthink."Alright, needless to say but don''t do it again." He waved his hands and started following Francesca. As they walked, Francesca suddenly blocked his path. "Want to exchange numbers?" "Huh? Sure." This woman is a godsend for Rewen. Not only did he get two of his stats increased, she also helped him clear one of the missions in ''Male God System.'' [Ding! Daily mission from ''Male God System''pleted! Would you like to receive the rewards right now?] [Yes] [No] ''Yes.'' [Ding! The Host received a Tier 1 Bronze lottery ticket! Would you like to use it right now?] [Yes] [No] ''No.'' [Ding! ''Tier 1 Bronze lottery ticket'' is now stored at the Host''s inventory!] ''Wait. When did I have that?'' [Replying to the Host, from the start. The inventory has limitless space but it could only hold items given from the System.] Chapter 19: Running Chapter 19: Running 1st Grade Training Ground. Rewen''s face was incredulous at the sight of the training ground. Even though Rewen expected this training ground to be better than his ss'', he still was surprised at the gap. In his ss'' training ground, there was only arge clean field. Here, what wasn''t there? The size was about four times the size of his ss'' training ground. Gym equipment, athletic fields, sports fields There were even some stalls set up at the far corners. Seeing his surprised look, Francesca smiled. "You shocked?" "It''d be weird if I wasn''t. Well, are you sure I can run on the athletic fields?" "Of course, you can. It wasn''t rare for someone to enter this training ground from outside. Besides, there are very few people at this time." Rewen surveyed the area with his eyes and indeed, it was more or less empty. Only a few five to six students were present who were talking among themselves. Taking off his bag, suit and watch he went to the athletic field and started running. 2 m. 25 m. .. 700 m. 800 m. [Ding! Daily Missions from ''Bloodline System'' have beenpleted! Would you see the rewards right now?] [Yes] [No] Rewen stopped in his tracks. ''Yes.'' [Ding! There are three rewards presented for the Host but the Host can only pick one out of them. 1. Chaos Bloodline (0.01 mL) 2. 5% Bloodline Activation 3. 2x Power Spike] [What would the Host like to choose?] Rewen was visibly attracted to the ''2x Power Spike'' but the option above it held it off from him. He didn''t even consider getting the Chaos Bloodline. Although he had a feeling that he would gain the most from the Chaos Bloodline, he didn''t want to lose his humanity. It was silly but growing up as a human, he had prided himself as being the race with the lowest mortality rate. His parents, grandparents, great-grandparents and his fourteen generations of ancestors were humans. Not to mention,ing to this world, he discovered that he was a "pure human" and was mocked. He knew it wasn''t a personal attack and the whole world likely thought the same. Even though he didn''t mention it, he had the desire to prove them wrong. ''2.'' Rewen said in his mind after much deliberation. [Ding! The Host has achieved 5%pletion in activating the "pure human" bloodline!] [Ding! The Host has unlocked an innate skill ''Stealth''!] --- Race: Human (100%) (Yellow) - [Perks] --- Rewen saw that the "Race" in his stats had changed. The writing had changed from white to yellow and there was a glowing word - "perks". He tapped on it. --- Stealth (Initial Mastery) --- As there were no exnations given, he didn''t understand the full extent of the skill but that didn''t stop him from recognising that the skill was worth it. Finding himself in the middle of the track, he ran theplete the round and was nning to go home. He had alreadypleted most of the daily missions with only a single one left which he nned toplete in his house. But something stopped him from leaving the training ground. He had a feeling that leaving this would be a waste and was hoping for something. [Ding! ''Basic Knights and Magic System'' issued a chained quest! Would you like to see it?] [Yes] [No] ''Yes.'' This was what he was waiting for. --- Quest: Baby Steps of a Knight Grade: A+ Goal: Run a mile within a minute. Rewards: Unknown Failure: None Note: This is a chained quest. Instead of "details", "goals" are targets ofpletion. Chained quests update itself after the current goal is achieved. --- [Would you like to ept it?] [Yes] [No] He didn''t immediately ept it. He looked around to find Francesca drinking water from a tap and went near her. Francesca, who was engrossed in drinking, heard the footsteps as he raised her head and saw a familiar figure. "Are you done?" She wouldn''t be surprised if Rewen decided to pack things up. Being a student of 1st Grade ss, she understood physiques very well and knew it would be a thing that would hold her back. So she trained her physique from an early age despite having a top-tier aptitude in mana. She thought that Rewen already had a good stamina running for so long and now has reached his limits. "Pack things up? No, I''m here to drink some water." "Oh? Go on." Hearing an unexpected answer, she left the tap for him to use. Rewen cleaned his sweat-filled face first. He is the type to sweat bullets after little hard work. Drinking cold water, his whole body felt refreshed. He then closed the tap and stretched his arms and legs. From the side, Francesca stared at him curiously. ''His physique is quite good. It''s a pity that he had low mana resonance.'' To her, not getting tired after sprinting at full speed for more than five minutes is already an achievement. After ten seconds, Rewen cracked his shoulder joints and calcted in his mind. ''I took approximately five minutes and six seconds (306 seconds) to run half a mile with 80% of my total speed. If I used my full speed, it would have taken 245 seconds. If now, I used [Freestyle Combats Manual] to run half a mile, it would take a little more than a minute which is not enough. In this case, I have to use [Boost] but I can neither sacrifice my stats nor [Freestyle Combats Manual]. ''System, If I temporarily sacrifice [cksmith] and [Missions to Doom] features, how much boost would I get?'' [40%.] Rewen wasn''t particrly shocked when he heard this. He knew that [Freestyle Combats Manual] was extraordinary so it''s value would naturally be extraordinary. Aside from the two features, he had other options. ''Temporarily sacrifice all of my MP and tell me how it would increase.'' [Including the two features, the total boost would be 40.02%.] ''Shit. It''s probably because MP is a renewable source. I don''t want to temporarily sacrifice MP in that case. Let''s try this then. If I temporarily sacrifice my bloodline along with the perks, how much would it increase?'' [Including the two features, the total boost would be 99.45%.] ''Close but not enough.'' Rewen knows his limit. He couldn''t just exceed his limits like anime characters. He had to work hard to do so. ''System, could I try again if I fail?'' [Yes. The Host is allowed to do so but the number of attempts should not be more than ten times.] At this moment, Rewen felt that the system despite its emotionless nd mechanical voice was very cute. ''One more question. Would something negative happen if I temporarily sacrifice my bloodline? Wouldn''t I just die?'' [A base bloodline would be reced for the time being.] ''What is a base bloodline?'' [Base Bloodlines are bloodlines which died out because they had no abilities.] ''Would there be a side-effect?'' [None.] Carefully surveying the training ground, he walked towards an extreme corner. Curves could potentially destroy the momentum and speed so instead of running into a small circle, he was about to circle the whole training ground. This way, although he still had to face turns, he can run the fullest before encountering one. "Where are you going?" Francesca asked, observing his unnatural actions. Rewen turned to face her. "To the corner. Anyways, do you know how much the circumference of the whole training ground is?" "It is said to be 1.8 km. The stalls and gym equipment take up some space, so I would say it should be more than 1.5 km free space." Rewen asked casually but didn''t expect her to really know. "Do you think it could be a mile?" "A mile? It would be a good measure. What are you even nning to do?" He smiled. "Nothing too impressive. You got a timer?" Since he would be showing off, Rewen nned to do it well. Francesca took out her phone from her bag. "Are you ready? What''s your target though?" Chapter 20: Ice-cream Chapter 20: Ice-cream "Hm how about the whole training ground in a minute?" Rewen said in a nd voice. "Are you serious? That isn''t even a challenge. How about I show you run the course within ten seconds?" Francesca countered with a nd voice. Of course, she wouldn''t believe him. In fact, which sane person would? But Rewen wanted exactly this. The impact would be much heavier if she realised he wasn''t kidding. He stretched his knees before standing totally erect doing the breathing exercise. "Alright, start the count." Releasing a long breath, Rewen said. Francesca slightly nodded. "3." ''Temporarily sacrifice [cksmith] and [Missions to Doom].'' "2." ''Temporarily sacrifice my bloodline along with the perks.'' "1. Go!" ''Activate [Boost].'' A gust of wind along with dust passed by Francesca''s body as she failed to keep her eyes open. By the time, she opened her eyes, Rewen was already out of her vision. She looked around in puzzlement and finally spotted a figure faraway sprinting. From the distance, the pace looked nothing special but Francesca knew how vision works and had nothing but horror in her eyes. ''Who is this guy?'' When he was half-way through, she sat down on the chair and looked at her phone. "0:31." She just couldn''tprehend the speed. From her estimate, if it was ate-Rank 2 Mage, only then would it be believable. ''He hasn''t even reached Rank 0 which means he should have trained his physique to a superhuman level. I don''t know about the whole Empire but this should be a first in the kingdom. Should I report this to the higher-ups? I should probably ask him first.'' A few secondster, she saw Rewening into a stop and immediately stopped the timer. Even though Rewen was profusely sweating, his face was anything but tired. Jogging over to her, he asked. "How much time did I take?" Initially, Francesca was about to dump loads of questions upon him but decided to do thatter. She held her phone and turned the screen towards his eyes. "1:03 minutes." Rewen sighed and squatted down. He did some squats and got up. "That was my best. Any way I could bring my pace within a minute?" Francesca shook her head. "I can''t say. Besides, you are already very fast. If you practice for a week, you should be able to achieve your goal." Rewen fell down t on the ground wondering what to do. ''My absolute best would be 62 seconds. There''s no way I couldplete the quest unless'' His eyes darted towards Francesca''s feet and then looked at his own. Francesca noticed his stare. "You can take them if it helps." She goes off to take off her shoes and keeps it beside him. Rewen got up immediately and took off his shoes before putting on her shoes. "Thanks. The size fits perfectly." Francesca smiled. "Are you ready?" "Yeah." Rewen focused on the path ahead of him and calcted. "Go!" *Dash* This time around, Francesca watched him disappear clearly but was still gobsmacked by his speed. She watched some other ssmates of hering towards her and guessed their reason. "What''s with this guy?" "Is he a graduate senior?" "Wasn''t he wearing a uniform when he came in?" "He is in his first year like us." Francesca admitted. "No way." "More like ''are you kidding me?''." "No, I''m not. He should be the ''Future Strongest Man on Earth''. The guy in the meme who went viral yesterday night." "No freaking way!" "Look, he''sing. You can verify my words." Francesca stopped the timer as soon as she saw Rewen stop. She smiled at him while her ssmates had the same face as her when Rewen first ran. "Do you want to check the timer?" sting water from the tap on his sweat-filled face, he replied. "No need. It should be under a minute this time." [Quest Updated] [Do you want to continue the quest?] [Yes] [No] ''Of course.'' Rewen would be a fool to not continue. He didn''t know how many goals he needed to reach before getting the "Unknown" reward but he would do it. --- Quest: Baby Steps of a Knight Grade: A+ Goal: Defeat five people within ten seconds. Rewards: Unknown Failure: None Note: This is a chained quest. Instead of "details", "goals" are targets ofpletion. Chained quests update itself after the current goal is achieved. The quest would start as soon as the Host is done reading it. --- "Shit. Friends,e and spar with me. Be quick!" Rewen took a stance. He didn''t know if they would reallye or not. Two seconds ticked by and nobody spoke a word. At this point, Rewen decided that if the time exceeds five seconds, he would go up to them and start flipping them up. He had a vague idea of what ''defeat'' means so he was fairly confident in achieving the current goal. "Haha, alright. Since you asked for a fight, a fight is what you would get- eukkk!" The young man nearest to Rewen said the dialogue like a third-rate viin as a third-rate viin and tried to pull on a sharp punch on his jaw only to be faced towards the ceiling in less than a second. "One." Rewen didn''t even need to use the [Freestyle Knights Combat] technique. His fighting experience and martial arts was enough to defeat them. "Two, three, four or any number. Come at me!" "I-I have some important things to do." "Yes, I remember my maid asking me to go to the grocery." "Urhg- Yeah, I have to go as well." They aren''t brainless minions. Seeing him flip a bulky guy, they understood well that numbers won''t work. Rewen sighed seeing them ready to run away. "Don''t me me for doing this!" Using the [Freestyle Knights Combat] technique, he swiftly went near them and sweeped his leg making them fall over. Francesca watched the scene in front of her with all kinds of emotions. Awe, confusion, surprise, anger ''Why is he doing this? To impress me? How cheap- wah'' Her thought process was interrupted by a sudden force which made her stumble and fall. [Quest updated] [Would you like to continue the quest?] [Yes] [No] ''Wait.'' Rewen then helped each one of them up as they gave him looks. Under such pressure, he could only awkwardlyugh and say. "I have a medical condition." "Sure you do." Francesca replied with clear hostility in her eyes. Other''s expressions were not better off. Rewen looked around hoping to get out of this predicament when he noticed an ice-cream stall. "How about I treat y''all ice creams?" As soon as the words came out of his mouth, he realised he had misspoken. They aren''t kids who needed to be pacified with ice creams. However, their response surprised him. "Oh, you sure? You can''t go back on your words now." The bulky guy who was the first to view the ceiling said. "I''ll get the extrarge vani." Francesca added. Followed by them, the other three also showed enthusiasm towards ice-cream. Rewen didn''t know what to say and took them to the stall, then ordered their ice-creams. He wasn''t some ice-cream fanatic but seeing others eating it with the face of pure bliss made him get one for him. While exchanging credits with the storekeeper, they started talking for no particr reason. "I haven''t seen you before." "That''s because I am from a different ss. Also, it''s rather strange that you could tell this because it has only been a single day." "Yeah, a medical doctor said that I have semi-eidetic memory. Forget that, you shouldn''t treat your friends." "Eh? Why?" "From what I know, students from this ss have to maintain a very specific diet and they are actually prohibited from eating and drinking certain things. One of them being ice-creams." "That sounds like a vition of freedom." "It is worse than that. Don''t think they had to implement the diet just after they got into the academy. They had been following this diet this since they got to know their mana resonance percentile at the early age of five or six." "Why?" "To maintain their physique." "Not eating ice-creams maintains their physique? Cool. By the way, why are you setting up an ice-cream stall here? Isn''t the business shit?" "I was told to set up a stall here. I receive monthly ie from the academy regardless of whether I manage to sell ice-creams or not." "Understandable, have a nice day." Chapter 21: Weapon Skill Chapter 21: Weapon Skill Rewen tapped on ''Yes'' on the screen in front of him after the hassle. --- Quest: Baby Steps of a Knight Grade: A+ Goal: Create a weapon skill. Rewards: +4 All Physical Stats, Unlocks the Knight Path. Failure: None Note: This is a chained quest. Instead of "details", "goals" are targets ofpletion. Chained quests update itself after the current goal is achieved. --- [Would you like to ept it?] [Yes] [No] ''Sure.'' He wasn''t sure what weapon skill meant, but how could he let go of the shy rewards? ''What is a weapon skill?'' [Replying to the Host, a weapon skill is a skill which uses weapons as a form of mana release.] ''Hmm I haven''t tried it yet but it sounds difficult. Well, let''s see how it goes.'' Turning to Francesca and her ssmates, he asked. "Do you guys have a spear?" "Spear? We do have them. Do you need them?" Francesca replied. In response, Rewen lightly nodded. "Follow me." Rewen followed behind. When they stopped in front of a door, Francesca took out a key and unlocked it. This action surprised him a bit. "Are you the Monitor?" "Unfortunately." She said with a sigh. Rewen wasn''t surprised by her answer. Every monitor is like this. They never try to brag about their badge not not because they are humble but they try to appear humble for others to know that being a monitor is a tough job and while others might glee and express pity in front of monitors, deep down in their heart, it is just a form of encouraging themselves not to feel too sad by the fact that they didn''t manage to be a monitor. It was a popr hypocrisy. Rewen had no opinion of this. He didn''t know if it was good or bad. He can''t judge it. After all, everyone desires to be a leader and when they can''t, they need something to heal their wounds. "How long do you want the spear to be?" He heard Francesca''s voice from within the room. "About two meters." Few secondster, he saw Francesca walking in half-steps with a heavy long spear in her hand. Seeing her struggle, he felt a bit sorry for her and was about to help out when she stumbled upon a box and directly fell upon Rewen''s chest. He along with her on top fell on the floor. ''Ah yes, I''m destined to be a harem protagonist. Events like this will keep happening in my life, I must get used to it.'' Rewen grimaced. "Sorry!" He heard her shrill voice, making his ears numb. When he saw the weight in front of him getting up, he too got up. Francesca had an awkward smile and didn''t speak. "Was this the revenge for what I did ten minutes ago? Seriously, you could have done better." Rewen said the only thing that came to his mind to salvage the awkward atmosphere and hoped for it to work. To his relief, it did work. As soon as he said that, she broke into fits ofughter. "How could you remain so calm immediately after this happened?" "Calm? Me? You don''t know anything. I was like turning on my hidden mind gears to look for the best option to say just like those dating simtors." [+1 Favorability] Francescaughed harder when she heard this. Rewen noticed that she was the kind of girl who likes tough. ''Also, system. Why am I farming favorability points? Stop this. It feels weird. This isn''t some dating simtor where I make girls wet by choosing the correct option. I mentioned this previously but it''s as if there were triggers in her brain that activate once I say something particr.'' [Replying to the Host, the system is in no way helping you farm favorability points, the Host himself is responsible for doing this. The System can take down the favorability meter of her but is the Host sure he wants to do that?] Rewen fell in deep thoughts. ''You''re correct. I don''t want to do that.'' In case her favorability goes high, he would have no idea about it. If he knew about her favorability, he could cleverly avoid her for the time being. ''Wait, what if I fall for her? I''m not immune- nevermind, I''ll think when I have free time. Now''s not the time.'' He bent down and picked up the long spear without much effort. Francesca didn''t get much surprised when she saw this. ording to her, he should be a genius from a prominent martial arts family. There''s no way to exin this strength otherwise. ''How could my weight force him down then? Am I getting heavy? Whatever, I don''t care about my weight. It doesn''t matter. Yes, it doesn''t matter'' "Do you know how to make a weapon skill?" Hearing the voice, she woke up from her depression stupor. "Weapon skill? Are you trying to create one?" "Indeed. Is it difficult?" "It depends on mana resonance, skills and your mastery of the weapon. Since you are in 4th Grade ss, your mana resonance should be around 20%, it should take more than three months for you to learn how to imbue mana over your weapon." "What about skills?" "Innate skills and martial arts skills won''t help." "What kind would then?" "Some spells would. Also, amplifiers should probably work as well." Rewen smiled. "If I got a 4x amplifier which channels mana across 81 meridians of my body, how much time should it take?" "Immediately!" Francesca finally grasped the secret to his extraordinary strength. "Ah, don''t worry. I won''t tell anyone." Rewen honestly didn''t care. The world is a civil one. Although crimes didn''t stop, it isn''t a greedy and dog-eat-dog world. If greed was humanity''s primal instinct, how are they any different from beasts? ''Yes, the world today is far from an ideal world where injustice doesn''t exist but it is exactly because of these imperfections that gives us the opportunity to make things perfect.'' These were the famous words said by one of the fourth generation "Celestial" when he was questioned about the prejudiced system in the world. Of course, nobody understood what he meant by that. After all, he himself had the power and authority to change things. ''Oops, I''m getting sidetracked.'' Rewen simply nodded in response and swung his spear vertically. "Good spear." He muttered. He could tell that the quality of this spear was far better than the one he used previously in the Joint Combat Program. ''Let''s try this in that case'' He took his foot forward and swung his spear horizontally. *Swoosh* With this force, a normal human would be immediately beheaded. Rewen gave a satisfied smile but didn''t stop. This time, taking his left foot forward, he flipped his body counter-clockwise swinging his spear vertically. *Swoosh* The moves weren''t overly shy but it has it''s charms. Francesca was genuinely impressed by his spear arts. "How long have you trained spear for?" "You don''t want to know how long I have taken to execute this." "Why? Tell me." "So when I was 13, there was a girl I was interested in and wanted to getid by her-" "Stop! Stop! Puhahaha. You aahaha... must be kidding, right HAHAHAHA." "I wish I was." He wasn''t kidding. When he was 13, he was going through a phase simr to the Chuunibyou phase of this world. "Ahh! Rewen, you will be responsible if my kidney fails tonight." Rewen didn''t know what to do with this easily amused person and just let her be as he continued swinging his spear. Being somewhat of a perfectionist, he decided to not attempt creating the weapon skill before getting used to the spear. *** Ten minutester. "We are going! Don''t stay up for long!" Four of the guys waved their hands at Francesca. She waved her hand back with a smile. "See ya!" Seeing the four leave, her eyes turned to Rewen whose body white shirt was soaked with sweat and never stopped swinging for a single moment. ''What is he trying to achieve? If he just used his amplifier, it wouldn''t even take an instant to create a weapon skill.'' *ng* Like an unconscious reflex, she immediately got up and tried to search the source of the metal sound. Chapter 22: Mom Chapter 22: Mom [Weapon skill "Lunge" created.] [Ding! The chained quest has beenpleted. Would you like to receive the rewards right now?] [Yes] [No] He stopped lunging his spear and looked at the screen in front of him. "Where did the sounde from?" "Oh, it''s my spear. By the way, I have finally created a weapon skill." "Y-you" Francesca''s face drained of color and she suddenly found it hard to stand. "Why are you so shocked? Is something wrong?" "You do know that this is a Spring-space room, right?" "Of course What about it?" Spring-space rooms was another great discovery made before the research centres shut down. Depending on the quality of the materials used, spring-space rooms are used to createrge rooms in a popted area. Else, how could this huge room fit in an academy? There has to be some kind of mechanism and Rewen guessed it the moment he entered the room. "Do you know that the room absorbs shock?" "Of cour f*ck, no no no, it wasn''t me who made the metalli- no, just the sound. Yeah, I wasn''t the one who made the sound." "..." "Okay, understand this. I haven''t even reached Rank 0. I just did that with my martial arts. I''m sure that wouldn''t be counted even if you reported." "Oh? What a coincidence. The other guy who was expelled from the academy was also a martial arts genius." "Wait! I can guarantee you won''t be expelled if you didn''t report this." "Even if your father is the Branch Director of the Academy, I can guarantee that I would most certainly be expelled if I hide this." "We know nothing, how''s that sound?" Rewen tried hisst trick. "Why do you not want to graduate?" "Isn''t that obvious? I don''t want to go into that hellish dark city for five years." "But aren''t the gains muchrger?" "I have my own ns to get stronger. So, what do you say?" Francesca didn''t reply for a long while before finally opening her mouth. "Okay, I don''t know anything." Rewen heaved a huge sigh of relief. He was only a single step away from graduating and sent into a special prison. The story behind making a metallic sound in a spring-space room dates back more than five hundred years. Back then, the first branch of the Eastern Dream Academy had just established itself and made a name for itself and it''s very first year, a student like Rewen appeared. He had a low mana resonance but was extremely proficient in martial arts. With his strength, he began to disrupt the naturalws of the school like paying basic respects to the seniors. In his third year, he made the same sound Rewen made in a spring-space room. Everyone took note of that. The very next day, the entire first, second and third years ganged up on him. He managed to emerge victorious in the brawl which is nothing short of a miracle. Although he wasn''t thrown into jail because it was self-defense, he was expelled from the academy and ck-listed in every branch. This story spread far and wide throughout the world and some Super Academies decided to sit down and discuss the issue. One of the Super Academy being Eastern Dream. In the end, a rule was written that said ''Whoever manages to make a metallic sound in a spring-space room should report themselves to the academy officials for immediate graduation. After the immediate graduation, the said person will be sent to the capital of their respective countries'' Country Hall for further training for a period of five years.'' Even though this rule was made, not a single case appeared until now. Rewen sighed and picked up his bag after keeping the spear to the room it came from. "Are you going?" "Yeah." "I''ming as well." *** Eastern Dream Academy. Main Gate. He stared at the departing figure''s back a bit, then shifted his attention to the transparent screen and tapped ''Yes''. [+4 All Physical Stats] [Knight Path Unlocked] He then took a look at his stats. --- Host: Rewen Klofar Bloodline: Human (100%) (Yellow) - [Perks] Age: 18 Strength: 10 Agility: 9 Endurance: 9 Dexterity: 10 HP: 95/95 MP: 13/13 Skills: [Freestyle Knights Combat], [Lunge] Features: [cksmith], [Missions to Doom], [Boost] Path: [Knight] --- ''What is the benefit of the knight path?'' [Replying to the Host, the ''Knight Path'' unlocks several locked skills.] ''And where are those skills?'' [In the System Shop.] ''There is a shop? How can I buy from the shop? How many points am I earning?'' [The ''Shop'' and ''Points'' features cannot be essed for the time being.] ''Then what do I do? When can it be essed?'' [Rted to the ''Knight Path'', nothing. It couldn''t be estimated.] ''That sure was a quick letdown. Anyways, time to go home.'' He wasn''t too worried about this. He was confident that just with the daily missions, he would be stronger everyday. *** Jogging the entire way, he reached his home and noticed a white car parked in the open garage. With this, he confirmed that his mother arrived. He saw Cal tending the garden and came to him. "How''s her mood?" He asked cautiously. "You forgot to ask mine. I don''t know what to do with you. Yesterday, you caused a huge incident and today, you gave me a huge shock. What else do you have in stock?" Cal replied without any emotions in his voice. "That''s because you are very understanding and-" Cal immediately cut him off. "No need to lick my ass. Go and meet Aunt. I''ll being in a minute." Rewen felt a bit depressed and walked towards the main entrance to ring the bell. *Ring* "Who is it?" "It''s me, Denny." "Oh, the protagonist of the evening arrived. Pleasee in." Making a grand wee with her hands, she weed him. Other than giving her a threatening nce, he didn''t say anything. "Give me your bag and you should go to the living room." "I can keep my bag on my own." "No, give it to me." Rewen didn''t continue arguing with her and handed over the bag to her. Denny shot him a single nce before walking away. Sighing, he took off his shoes and moved to the living room where he saw a middle-aged woman wearing a business outfit sitting on the sofa reading a magazine. Seeing someone arrive, she raised her eyes and frowned. "So you''ve arrived? Sit down." Rewen did as he was told, taking a seat opposite to her. "You smell." She said calmly. "Ah, I was sprinting." "Why?" "To maintain my physique." "There are better ways." "Of course." "I heard you''ve been hiding the fact that you have interference. What do you have to say about that?" "Nothing-" "Shut up! Immediately follow to the hospital!" It didn''t take more than a second for her calm face to change into a raging devil woman. Pulling his wrist, she dragged him out of the house. Rewen was helpless. He could be rebellious but what good would that do? He did have thoughts on directly shifting the me on his family and cry about it but one thing he hated doing is drama. Nothing good woulde out from it. He was a grown-up so he had to act like one. Putting on the seat belts in the front seat of the car, he asked. "Where is Dad?" "He went to the ck Continent." The middle-aged woman subtly replied. "That''s so far." "..." "I never asked this but what kind of business are the two of you involved in?" "Manufacturing Magic Artifacts." "Do you have apany or sorts?" "We do." "Then are you rich?" "Possibly." "Then why are my monthly expenses so low?" He almost resisted the urge to add a few curses. "You have to know the value of money." Rewen inwardly facepalmed a thousand times. "You increase my monthly expenses and I''ll work harder. How about this?" "How about no?" Chapter 23: Reports Chapter 23: Reports The sky was orange. Rewen drank a can of some drink in one gulp and threw it in the trash can. He was sitting in an empty hallway. He felt a little chilly due to the air conditioners. This momentary peace was enough for him to lean back on the bench and rx, maybe even take a nap but he resisted the impulse to do so. "Excuse me, is it okay if I sit here?" A blonde young man with a fractured left hand appeared in front of him. "Sure, go ahead." "Thank you." Having a little difficulty walking, the blonde young man sat down on the other end of the bench. "You look pretty healthy. What are you doing at the 3rd Section? If you don''t mind me asking." Rewen didn''t mind his question. "I have interference." "Oh. I hope you do well." Rewen lightly nodded. "If you don''t mind me asking, how did you hurt yourself? "I hurt myself in abat duel. I won the duel though." "Are you a Combatant?" The blonde young man shook his head. "I''m a State Mage. I saw in a magazine that the Marquis of the Gragnor Province is hiring bodyguards for his grandniece and went there to try my luck. I did get the job but here I am. Hahaha." Gragnor Province is one of the twelve provinces of the Eastern Dream Kingdom. Every province/state has a Marquis looking after the respective state''s affairs. Nobility lower than Marquis like Earl, Viscount and Baron don''t exist in the kingdom. There are two parts of the kingdom - Inner and Outer. The Capital of the kingdom is located at the heart of it and surrounding three provinces are considered as the inner part of the kingdom and directly take orders from the king. Gragnor Province is the neighbour of Nat Province, the state Rewen lives in. Both of them being Outer part of the kingdom. "Are State Mages having unemployment issues?" State Mages are Rank 3 Mages who didn''t go into the administrative fields and are experts inbat ability. They are just a step lower than "Combatants". "Difficult to say. It depends on tiers. For example, a Tier 3 State Mage can easily sweep his way to be a Personal Instructor of Quasi-Combatants but a Tier 1 like me had to break his arm to be a middle-ranked bodyguard." "How are tiers made? Does it depend on the number of skills one has mastered? Or just MP?" "Both." "Does it not takebat strength into ount? Wouldn''t that be unfair to those who have expertise in martial arts?" "There''s a separate ranking system in martial arts. Since you don''t know that, I presume you are still in high school or in first year?" "First year." "I see. Well, it''s like there. There are grades given to martial arts experts - G to SSS. Just like Rank 0-9. The power difference between ranks and grades are more or less the same. Grade-G martial artists are in the same level as Rank 0 Mage. Coming back to the point, just like a Tier 1 State Mage is struggling in life, simrly a Tier 1 State Martial Artist would struggle. Though, there are professions where Martial Artists are preferred over State Mages of the same tiers and Martial Artists usuallye from a good background." "Can I ask another question? I''m sorry if I''m making you feel ufortable-" "Oh no. It''s fine." He shook his hand and smiled. "Aren''t there people who do both? I mean, being a Mage as well as a Martial Artist?" "I''m d you asked. To answer your question, it''s not that there aren''t and that it''s inefficient but think about it. Let''s say, you are a Tier 2 State Mage and you get the opportunity to learn martial arts. Would you learn it?" "I don''t know about myself but I know most people wouldn''t want to." "Right. Now, you must be thinking - what if they train both from an early age? Well, how many non-prominent martial arts families are there?" Rewen got his answer. A young man who had just started to get into the Mage system couldn''t train martial arts as he wished. His family should have a martial arts lineage without evolving into a prominent family. If it became a prominent family, then the higher-ups won''t allow them to practise magic. "So are people who dual wield, err, practice both mana and martial artsparatively stronger?" "For the most part, yes but they aren''t much stronger. When you be a Rank 3, everything depends on tiers. To you, resonance might seem like an insurmountable gap if your resonance is low but that all changes as you grow. Even though there are ranks, grades and tiers, there aren''t any absolutes" The blonde young man got lost in his own thoughts. Rewen understood more than 80% of what he was trying to say. He rxed his back and didn''t ask any more questions. As he closed his eyes, he felt drowsy and slept. *** Viviana looked at the reports in her hand as her eyelids dropped. A man sat opposite to her. "I''m regretful to inform you that your son has a Stage 2 Interference. While this isn''t the worst case, mental care should be adequately given to him. People with Stage 2 Interference don''t really lose control of their mind but they still have a very hard time distinguishing between their own simted reality and reality. All in all, I could tell that a Stage 2 Interference causes some mild mental issues but other that, there shouldn''t be problems." "Does interference make a person strong in terms of brute force?" "No, it shouldn''t." Viviana got up and shook her hands with the doctor. "Thank you for your time." Exiting the room, she immediately dialed a number. It rang for a while before the other party answered. "What are the reports?" "Stage 2." "I see." "Should I drop him out of the academy?" "If he wants to, drop him out." "He won''t agree." "Let him continue in that case." "Are you out of your mind? No, this couldn''t continue. We have been neglecting him for too long. Even though he doesn''t say it, I know he secretly mes us." "Alright, fine. Do you have any ns for him?" "I''ll take him to mypany and make him work there." "Are you sure you can convince him?" "I''ll try." "Okay, see you seen." "See you soon." Cutting off her phone, Vivian headed straight to the bench where Rewen was sleeping with mouths open. She found it a bit funny and tapped on his head. "Wake up. Time to go home." Rubbing his eyes, he stretched his arms yawning and got up with some difficulty. "How were the reports?" Rubbing his hair, she replied. "Stage 2." Rewen felt a bit unustomed to the sudden action but didn''t say anything. *** In the car. "Rewen, I have a proposal you might be interested in." Viviana said with a smile. "What''s that?" Rewen, who was ying a game on his smartphone, curiously asked. "I''ll raise your monthly expenses by five times if you agree to this condition." "What''s the condition?" "You havee and live with us in the-" "No." "How about 10 times?" "No." "20." "No. I''ll not budge a single inch even if you make it a hundred times." "Stop. Being. So. Stubborn." Anger oozed out through her words. Her face remained calm but her heart was boiling. "I''m doing this for your own good." "I won''t go." The car stopped. "Get out of the car." Viviana looked straight at the road in front of her and spoke in amanding tone. Rewen wasn''t overly surprised by her deration and exited the car before it drove off. He had the same neutral face. For the next ten minutes, not a single trace of a vehicle could be seen. With mixed feelings, he thought of a poem. "The road is abandoned just like me." Slowly and gradually, the sky went dark. Chapter 24: Return (Filler) Chapter 24: Return (Filler) *Drip* Rewen was sitting under a pole stand when he felt something fall on his hair. ''Is it bird''s poop?'' He hurriedly moved his hand to check it, then realized it was a bad move but still continued. "It''s just water. No, wait." *Drip* *Drip* It didn''t even take more than a few seconds to start pouring heavily. Rewen just sat still like a homeless man. There was no ce to take shelter from. There were empty roads everywhere. He took out a smartphone and dialed a number. Rewen: "Where are you?" Cal: "Where are you?" "I''ll send you the location. Where are you?" "I''m working. It should take me more than an hour toplete my work and reach. Besides, it''s pouring here. Is it pouring there?" "No. Come soon." "Alright." He hung up and kept it back in his pocket. He was almost wet by now but what else could he do? ''System, create an invisible umbre above my head! Hah! As if that wor-'' He didn''t feel pouring on his body any more. [Not possible.] He saw a shadow near him. Raising his head, he found a dirty-looking kid with tattered clothes helping him with an umbre. The boy noticed his gaze and smiled. The smile didn''t suit the face of the kid as his face was deformed and dirty but for Rewen, it was the brightest smile he had seen. "Is there any ce I can take shelter from?" The boy tilted his head. "Shell tar?" "Forget it. Is there any house nearby?" The boy looked at him in confusion. Rewen didn''t give up and tried to show him a picture of a house using his hands. "This is a house." "House! I know!" The boy pped and proceeded to give him the umbre. Rewen didn''t actually think this would work. He was grabbed by his wrist by the boy and was forced to get up. He got up cooperatively and followed the boy to venture out of the roads. When he first stepped upon the wet long grasnds, he felt a bit bothered butter, didn''t care. His uniform was already wet, it wouldn''t hurt if it got dirty. Walking about a minute, a small hut covered by palm trees came into his view. The boy took him near the door of the hut. Rewen could hear of the sounds of kids. ''Is this some family?'' The boy pushed open the door and what came into Rewen''s view shocked him to the core. He saw about a dozen children, each of them having abnormalities, doing chores. Some had facial deformities like the boy who brought him here, some had deformed hands and legs and others just staring into space with mouths open. He presumed thest one had mental disabilities. In the centre, an old man wasying down watching the children. "Ten, you came? Who is this?" Rewen stepped forward. "I''m sorry for the sudden intrusion. Can I take shelter for a while here?" The old man nodded. "You can." Rewen sat down on the floor while the children stared at him curiously. The boy, Ten, ran to the other kids and started brooming the floor. "Who are they?" He asked the old man. "I raised them up." "Were they abandoned?" The old man silently nodded. Rewen felt bad for them. He wished he could do something. ''System, is there any Helping Humanity System?'' [Negative.] ''Of course you wouldn''t have those. You couldn''t care less about these trifling matters. The only thing worth caring for you is my strength.'' His mood was bitter. Who wouldn''t be? He was dropped at a ce he didn''t know. Although he didn''t know the exact distance, he was sure that it wasn''t less than ten miles. ''Wait, ten miles? Couldn''t I reach home within a few minutes then? It''s decided. I''m officially crowned as the greatest idiot the world has ever seen.'' He took out his phone and called Cal again. "What''s up?" "Oh, I found a taxi. You don''t need toe." "Good." He hung up. As Rewen was about to get up and bid farewell, a little girl came to him with a tray full of bread. "No need for this, Sister." He denied with a smile. Unfortunately, the little girl pushed the tray into his hands. He didn''t deny it this time. He started eating bread. Finishing it, he picked another one up and started eating. During the process, he noticed that the little girl''s and Ten''s, who had stopped cleaning, eyes werepletely focused on the bread he was eating. He stopped eating the bread and took the bread to the little girl''s mouth. She shook her head but after a single nudge of the bread to her lips, she grabbed the bread and ate it. He smiled and took another bread this time pointing it towards Ten. He took the entire bread in his mouth without any reservations. Picking the tray, he gave it to the little girl then pointed to the other children indicating her to give the bread to them. The girl hesitantly nodded and distributed the bread to others. Rewen got up, took out his purse and handed over every note there was in his purse to the old man. "Use this well." The old man was overwhelmed by this sudden gratitude and vehemently refused to take it. "Young man, you are being foolish by giving me these many credits. We''re living very well." He then called Ten and handed him over a bundle of notes and exited the hut without saying anything. Rewen wasn''t a saint and was very stingy with money. He felt some sympathy and pity towards these kids and leaving without giving something would bug him in the future which is why he gave his entire monthly expenses to them. He admitted he went a bit overboard with his kindness but he felt very proud of himself and didn''t regret it one bit. ''Maybe I''ll regret it after some time whatever, I''ll ask her for credits aspensation.'' ''Temporarily sacrifice the two features and my bloodline.'' All of a sudden, his body felt lighter as he dashed. *** Denny was casually watching a TV show when she heard the sound of a car engine. ''They must have returned.'' Wearing home slippers, she ran to the door and opened it. She saw Viviana standing outside and looked inside the car. "Aunt, where is Rewen?" "He... call Cal." Viviana replied with an exhausted voice. Denny confusedly took out her phone, dialed Cal''s number and passed it to Viviana. "Hello." "Hello. It''s me, Aunt." "Ah, no need to worry. I heard from Rewen that he found a taxi." "I see. Are you doing well?" "Can''t say that but I''m trying." "Okay, I''m hanging up." *Beep* Viviana let out a sigh and walked inside the house. Denny, still confused, followed her into the living room. ''Aunt looks really stressed out for some reason.'' "Is something the matter?" She cautiously asked. "Take this card and help out Rewen. If something happens, call me immediately. I have to go." Handing over a card to Denny, she left swiftly. Denny just couldn''t sync with her. She took some seconds to process what she had said and by the time she was done, she again heard the sound of an engine starting. *Ding* After a minute or two, she heard the doorbell. Chapter 25: Unexpected Chapter 25: Unexpected Rewen patiently waited in front of the door. He was in a pathetic condition. Not only was he feeling weary after running for so long, he was also soaked. ''I hope I don''t catch a cold.'' As the door opened, Denny looked at him with a stupefied look. "What happened to you?" Rewen bitterly smiled. "Let mee in. Right, where''s Mom?" "She had already left." Rewen''s face turned bizarre. He was about to throw curses but controlled himself. There was nothing he could do. "I see. Did she leave anything for me?" Denny took out the card and handed it over to him. Rewen calmly took it but his heart was anything but calm. He chuckled suppressing the urge tough and cry in joy. "Hey, I''m going to the bathroom. I expect there to be an extra uniform in the morning." "Yes Sir, there will be one I''m not your f*cking maid!" By the time, she said that Rewen was already half a foot into the bathroom. ''So fast?'' Denny realized that she had underestimated the secret her cousin was hiding. ''It''s good for him.'' Her thoughts drifted to his reports. ''Do I need to apologise to him? I admit I went overboard with my pranks sometimes but isn''t he at fault for not confessing the truth at the beginning? He himself was foolish. It''s not my fault. Not to mention, I wasn''t even present in the worse pranks Bianca yed. He seriously can''t find me in me.'' It''s very hard for people to ept that they were wrong for doing something serious, especially in the situation when no one mes them but everyone knows that they are indeed to be med. What Denny did was wrong. She knows it. Cal knows it. Viviana knows it. Rewen knows it as well. However, epting and knowing are two different things. *** Wrapping a towel around his waist, Rewen looked at the mirror in the bathroom and found himself a bit better looking than he was previously. ''Oh System, tell me, aren''t I the most beautiful specimen?'' [Finding answers] ''Wut?'' He was just messing around. ''Wait. Stop. Don''t find answers.'' A deep premonition bode over him as he hurriedly said in his mind. [Ding! A new feature "Appearance Grader" has been added to the System! Would you like to know the details?] [Yes] [No] ''I neither care about the details nor do I even need to know as it''s pretty self-exnatory. I want to ask, can I just not take it?'' He went ahead and pressed ''no''. [No.] ''Fine. I figured as much. Err, evaluate my appearance.'' He said, giving the most badass pose in front of the mirror. --- Grade: C Description: With a well-defined body, the target has a clean face with rare crimson eyes that resemble closely with the wavy red hair covering his ears. Thin lips and sharp eyebrows are the mainponents that enhance the target''s beauty. Height: 1.83 meters D*ck size: 18 cm --- ''Why the f*ck is thest one there!?'' Rewen waited for a reply but didn''t get one. ''Whatever. I better get the three sizes when I ask for them.'' He went back to his room and wore a casual outfit, then went to the kitchen to get a drink and casually strolled into the garden. "Alright then, time to get started!" "What are you going to start?" Denny interrupted him. She saw him going to the garden and followed him. She had been curious about his newfound strength and was hoping to solve the mystery. Rewen didn''t answer her. He calmed his nerves, then started practicing the [Freestyle Knights Combat] technique. It was the only daily mission left toplete. How could he let go of the free rewards? Denny''s eyes squinted as saw him punching and kicking in the air. ''The moves although unusual aren''t anything noteworthy.'' She waited for something interesting to happen for the next five minutes but all she got was silent grunts from him. Bored, she left the garden. Rewen continued doing the same for the next five minutes. [Ding! Daily Missions from ''Basic Magic and Knights System'' have beenpleted! Would you receive the rewards right now?] [Yes] [No] "Yes." [+10 Mana Storage Capacity] ''I''m satisfied.'' This increased his chances of reaching Rank 0 within a week by some margin. He went back to his room and sat down on his PC. He nned to log into the VRMMORPG - CHAOS when he suddenly remembered a crucial thing. ''Not yet, I have to do the lottery. System, pull the lottery and show me how good my luck is. Also, don''t forget to use the 10x Luck I got from [Missions to Doom].'' He wasn''t interested in seeing and pulling the lottery by himself. He went into the "Signature", one of the most popr social media sites in the Yellow Continent to see what''s the group he and his friends a year ago created was upto. Rewen: Sup? Anyone? Gill: Ey, are you ying chos? Gill: chaos* Salica: Obviously, he isn''t. He couldn''t ess the site by going to the virtual world. Gill: I didn''t mean it like that- Rewen: The game is lit. Junar: Only lit? It is the hottest game currently in the world. [Confirmation needed to use the ''Tier 1 Bronze Lottery Ticket''.] [Confirm] [I take it back] ''What''s with this? Yes, confirm.'' Kesha: It''s overrated asf. I would argue that Deathmine was better in terms of character designs. Junar: Deathmine had an anime-esque character design but Chaos has real life-like characters. It''s a matter of preference. [Congrats! The Host pulled the item of highest possible rank!] ''Expected. What is it? Throw it to me.'' [Ding! The Host has received a Legend-ranked property - "Balls of Steel". Would you like to see the details?] [Yes] [No] ''...'' Rewen tapped on ''yes''. --- - Indestructible balls. - Can''t be castrated. --- "I see. How. The. F*ck. Is. This. Not. A. God. Rank!?" Rewen almost jumped with tion. Sure, this wasn''t something he expected but it didn''t mean he wasn''t happy with this. The joy he was feeling couldn''t be described in words. After a moment of extreme tion, he calmed down. ''Well, let''s not overreact.'' He went back to chat with his friends when he noticed a private message sent by Gill. Gill: Woah man, your morning interview has been uploaded into youtube. Rewen''s first response in his mind was ''what''s youtube?''. Among the popr video streaming sites, there were Cutnik, Opum, etc. As far as he was concerned, there wasn''t any ''Youtube'' between them. ''Must be an underground or small site.'' He didn''t think too much and searched it up. "What''s this?" Seeing several kinds of video written in an unknownnguage, his curiosity was piqued. However, the very next second, he was dumbstruck. Below each of the videos, he saw something extremely frightening. "Why are these from ''2027 years ago''? Is it some kind of joke that''s supposed to be scary?" He knew that the pre-apocalyptic age ended in 2020. ''What if this is a site that was lost?'' Even though he denied this question, the question still revolved around his head. ''I guess there''s only one way to find out.'' He started browsing through the videos on the page. He failed to understand thenguage but that didn''t stop him from understanding the videos were technically different from the other video streaming sites. "There is no category tag and every one of them the people somehow feel fundamentally different.'' As he was thinking hard to unravel the mystery, he saw two private messages arrive in "Signature". First one was from Gill. Gill: Correction - itube, sorry for the wrong site. If you are wondering what this site is, this is a new site avable only in the kingdom. Rewen went silent for a while. Rewen: You expect me to find my interviewed video among thousands of other videos? Send me the video link. He then went to check the other private message. The private message was sent by a user called ''Richard123''. Richard123: I apologize if I sound interrogative when I say this but how did you find youtube? ''How did you find me?'' Chapter 26: Muddled Chapter 26: Muddled Rewen: A friend of mine told me about the site. It was a typo apparently. Why do you ask? Richard123: Would it be possible for you to send a picture of the conversation. Rewen: Sure, here you go. Richard123: Hm, alright. Allow me to introduce you to the world of the pre-apocalyptic period! If you are confused about the site, let me have the opportunity to tell you that the site you were in IS a site from the pre-apocalyptic period. No doubt there. You can browse and enjoy watching videos on the site but there are two conditions you need to obey. First, don''tment or make videos. Second, don''t tell the site to anyone else or there will be serious consequences. It''s easy to guess what we are trying to do. In simple terms, we are preserving the ancient specimens. Rewen: How many people have ess to the site? Richard123: Currently 34. I''m sure you are wondering why there are so few. The site server is usually closed and it only opens for about a few seconds every month. Needless to say, you are a super lucky person. Rewen: I have two questions. Are there subtitles for the videos on the site? Are there more sites like these? Richard123: There are, in fact, many. Since you have essed one of the ancient sites, you are fully eligible to browse the other ancient sites. I''ll send you a list. Richard123: I have sent the list to an private email and now, this private email is yours. Rewen checked his email and sure enough, all of a sudden, an unknown email has be his. He understood why he did this though. "This is a private email and this Richard guy would be controlling this. In case he sent it to one of my emails, he couldn''t be sure if I would leak it or not." Rewen: Thanks, but it''s a bit hard for me to digest everything immediately so I need to think about it. Also, can you help me with something? Richard123: I''ll try my best! Rewen: How manynguages do I need to learn topletely understand the sites? I''m positive there aren''t any trantors which can understand the pre-apocalyptguages. Richard123: Understanding English would solve most of the problems, albeit not every problem. You would be shocked to find that the anime/manga was not based on English. They were created by a country called "Japan" and thenguage used was "Japanese". Rewen: Interesting. So are there any Englishnguage guides? Richard123: I could send you a few in the private email but I think it would be better if you just learn it naturally. Rewen: Well, bye. I will text you if somethinges up. Richard123: Anytime! Rewen ended the chat with Richard, put on his VR helmet and logged into CHAOS. *** When he logged in, he found himself in the same room from where he logged out previously. ''Let''s see what the others are up to.'' Getting out of the basement, he headed towards the dining room as it was morning and he expected his family to be having breakfast but he could find Sam sitting in the balcony near the window muttering something iprehensible. "Yo!" "Huh? Rewen? Oh, did youe back?" "Yes." He nodded. "Where are the others?" "I have no idea." "You haven''t seen any of them?" "Nope. I woke up a few minutes ago and came here." "I see. Are you hungry?" "Nah." "Then wannae with me?" "Where?" Rewen showed him a mysterious smile. "To grind." *** In an abandoned poultry farm, several chickens and hens were ying and having fun among themselves when two harmless humans arrived at the farm. They were naturally Rewen and Sam. "Why is this farm abandoned?" Sam asked. There were a couple hundred chickens and hens. It doesn''t make sense that such a "loaded" farm is abandoned. "Yesterday, when we were travelling, I asked Master Kaf if there were any farms which were abandoned with chickens and he said this was the ce." "But still, why are chickens here? Wouldn''t they normally be taken by the locals?" "Do you know why the farm got abandoned? It''s because the farm suffered a massive loss after being used of having defective chickens." "No wonder. Don''t tell me you are here to y chickens?" Sam had an incredulous look on his face. "Wasn''t it given?" Rewen shrugged. "What do I do then?" "Give me your pocket knife." Sam gave the pocket knife hanging from his waist. "Let me see my goal first, status!" --- Level: 0 (15/100) ss: None Social Status: Peasant Strength: 4 Dexterity: 4 Constitution: 5 Intelligence: 4 Charisma: 4 Luck: 4 --- "Six kills, fine." He casually walked in front of some of the chickens and plunged his knife directly into a chicken''s head without any warning. The other chickens felt alerted but didn''t move away from their spot because they are dumb. They are sensitive to sound. So if Rewen ys them quietly, they wouldn''t budge from their spot. "One." "15 EXP gained!" "Two." "15 EXP gained!" "Three." "15 EXP gained!" "Four." "15 EXP gained!" "Five." "15 EXP gained!" "Six." "15 EXP gained!" [Level Up! A single point is given. Please manage your stats immediately.] The stat window popped up in front of him and he put the point into Strength bringing it to 5 without much thoughts. "Status." --- Level: 1 (5/200) .. --- The next four hours were uneventful. Rewen kept grinding tirelessly while Samid down in the ground half-naked basking in the sun. From yesterday night till now, his mind still hovered over one particr thing - I''m not real. ''Sigh, what the heck am I doing? Me thinking it over and over again won''t change anything? I need to adapt to circumstances.'' He then looked at his childhood friend. ''I''m f*cking jealous of this little shit. Damn it, I should have picked the coin that day.'' Shaking his head, he focused his attention on a pair of siblings near the bridge. A woman was carrying her little brother on her shoulders and was merrily chatting when the little brother slipped from her shoulders and fell straight down to the river below. *Ssh* "KIO!!" The woman let out a heart-wrenching cry. Almost instantly, Sam dashed towards the bridge. Seeing him approach, the woman begged with tears in her eyes. "Please save him! I beg you to save him! Please!!" Sam didn''t say anything. He went near the side of the bridge and looking at the height, he felt terrified but forced himself to remain calm. The woman shook his hand and almost went hysterical. Pity and sadness welled up in his heart. "I''m sorry." He knew the moment the little guy fell from the bridge that he was doomed. There is no possibility that he would be alive after such a fall. Even if he fortunately does survive, the water currents will crush him as soon as hends. The woman went on her knees and started sobbing. "This is just a virtual world Why did the people outside make us so fragile? I wonder if I''m incapable of finding the reason behind this because I''m not real..." He muttered with a nk look, then his vision regained its rity slowly. He lent a hand to the sobbing woman. "I''m going to find your little brother''s body, do you want toe with me?" The woman didn''t reply for a while, then silently nodded but didn''t take his hand. After twenty minutes, they arrived at the bottom of the bridge and Sam immediately found the body. He went over to the body and observed the condition of the body. There were huge cuts on the body''s head. Hisst dying hope died down. Picking him up, he carefully passed him to the woman. Hugging the body, she started sobbing silently again. Sam sighed, then sat down on a nearbyrge stone when a bronze coin rolled off his pocket. Chapter 27: Quest Chapter 27: Quest Sam bent down to pick up the bronze coin when he noticed a gold coin just beside him. In his entire life, he only witnessed the might of a legendary gold coin when Master Kaf took him to a city and was bargaining about the price of a material. The shopkeeper was very stubborn and adamant about not increasing the price of the material by a single bronze coin. However, the moment his Master flicked out a gold coin, the shopkeeper lost control of himself and sold the material at a highly reduced price. That was the coolest shit he had ever witnessed. Flicking a gold coin, everyonees to you and starts rimming your a*s. What else can be more badass than that? ''Holy shit! I''ll pick this up after I pick my bronze coin.'' He resisted the urge to jump from excitement and immediately picked up the bronze coin and went for the gold coin but before he could do so, a white light shone from the gold coin and blinded him. "I see that you are a kind soul. To give up such arge amount of wealth to someone of your caliber is something very rare. In fact, in my two billion years of life, I have only encountered a gracious soul like you not more than hundred-and-fifty-eight times. Very well then, you shall receive both the bronze coin as well as the gold coin. Take it!" An indistinguishable halo appeared in front of Sam. ''Ah, that bronze coin was mine to begin with and it''s already within my hands'' But he didn''t dare say anything. He had read his fair share of fairy tales and knew not to screw up. Taking the gold coin hovering in front of his hands, he made a ny degree bow. "I shall forever remember the generosity and kindness of Your Grace. My kindness is not worth a dirt in the sandpared to yours!" "Good. Good. You have not failed to get on my good sides. Now, before I bid farewell to you, I can grant one of your wishes. Tell me boy, what do you want?" Sam''s brain engine rotated as he tried to think of the things he wanted to achieve. "I wish to be granted the power to control the life and death of beings. I promise to not use this to my advantage and if I do so-" "That can''t be done. While I do have the ability to give you the power, that goes beyond nature" Sam wasn''t overly surprised. He slumped down on the rock and sighed. "In that case, please cure that boy." He wanted to try his luck and break through the natural cycle of life and death not wanting to be controlled by the "outsiders". But as it turned out, he couldn''t do so. His next choice was to make him "real" but he realised how selfish he would be if he asked for that. Not to mention, the halo of a man in front of him was also probably not "real" so he doubted even he could grant his wish. "It isn''t ''cure''. I need to bring him back to life but I could do that. However, are you sure you want to do this?" "Yes." "Your wish has been granted! Farewell!" The halo disappeared quickly as Sam got up and went near the woman and boy to check. "Ah! Sister!" "Huh? Kio?" The woman let out a startled cry. The three-year old boy rubbed his eyes and tugged on her sister''s clothes. "Let''s go home. I''m sleepy." "Alright, just sleep and we''ll be home!" She tried to sound cheerful but her voice quivered. The boy however didn''t notice that and fell asleep in her arms. Sam smiled and showed a shocked expression. "Woah, he woke up?" The woman silently nodded. "I guess we are lucky. Let''s start ascending." He could have bragged about making the boye to life but it was simply meaningless. She was a vige woman. What gains could she possibly give to him? Nothing. He knew he would regret this decision in the future but he didn''t care. He saved a life and that is something to be proud of. *** "Thank you again." The woman bowed with the boy in her hands. Sam waved his hand. "No big deal." "How can this be nothing? You have toe to my house for a meal. I know I''m poor but that''s the least I could do." Sam was about to deny when he noticed the woman''s persistent gaze and sighed. "Where do you live?" "I live in the city and I presume you are from the city as well. Stop by the Delish Inn anytime at night." "Got it." Sam agreed. ''The Delish Inn is near our mansion.'' He walked back to the abandoned farm where he saw Rewen was no longer ying chickens and wasying down in the grass. He went near him and kicked him lightly. "What? Where did you go?" "I saved a life." "Is that the best?" "I''ll tell you on the way back home. So what level did you reach? It seems like all the chickens have been yed." "Here''s my status." --- Level: 10 (0/1000) ss: None Social Status: Peasant Strength: 5 Dexterity: 6 Constitution: 7 Intelligence: 6 Charisma: 6 Luck: 6 --- "Is this a good allocation of points?" "I don''t know. Neither do I care. I''m just ying the game for fun." "Hm, shall we go?" "Yes, let''s go." Along the way, Sam exined the miracles he encountered today and Rewen was more than bbergasted by the story. Although he couldn''t be sure, he guessed the mysterious man to be a mod. "Ah, I''m green with regret!" Sam eximed out loud. "Who told you to be a saint?" "You wouldn''t understand the situation I was in. I felt so obligated to save the boy." "Sure. By the way, do you have some Yellow Steel?" "I have about four kilos. Why do you need it?" "I will make a Rank 2 spear." --- [Create a Rank 2 weapon (0/1)] Rewards: 1500 EXP --- This was his daily mission. The amount of EXP is enormous so there''s no way he would miss that. "Why all of a sudden?" "A daily mission." "Oh? I''ll help you. Would that work?" "I don''t know. Maybe, maybe not. To be safe, don''t help." "That''s surprisingly rude." Chatting along the way, they reached home. Rewen went to his room and didn''t know how to spend his time. Master Kaf and his mother haven''t returned yet. "Well, might as well take a stroll." He knocked on Sam''s door to see if he could apany him. "What?" "I''m going outside for a stroll. Wannae?" "No. I''ll take a nap." "Alright." Rewen left his house and went to the marketce hoping to find something interesting. The marketce was crowded. He browsed through different shops but didn''t really buy anything. As he was going from shop to shop, he noticed an old man standing motionless between two shops. "Something wrong, old man?" "Aii, my house is raided by jackrats. I''m now homeless." Jackrats were huge rats. --- Quest: Help the old man. Rewards: 1000 EXP, +2 Morality --- [ept] [Decline] It was a game quest. Without thinking much, he epted the quest. "I can help you." "You will? Unfortunately, I have nothing to give you." "Don''t worry. Where do you live?" Chapter 28: Ghost? Chapter 28: Ghost? The old man''s house was near to the marketce so it didn''t take much time. Rewen didn''t immediately open the door to kill the Jackrats. He first checked through the window. ''One, two, three and three!'' The Jackrats sizes were below his waist level but they had sharp teeth. If one wasn''t careful, they might lose their lives. In CHAOS, there is no HP. ''One dies when one dies.'' The pain ratio set to default is 1:16 and Rewen had no intentions of changing it. "Could you do it?" The old man nervously asked. "This shouldn''t be a problem." Rewen stepped inside the room boldly with a pocket knife in his hand. The Jackrat nearest to him jumped at him as soon as he stepped inside. Rewen wasn''t budged by the sudden reaction and calmly glided the knife through its neck while also dodging its nefarious teeth. Blood spewed from its neck but he paid no heed to it and dashed towards an alerted Jackrat and did the same. He then turned towards thest Jackrat. If it had even a bit ofmon sense, it would run away and he hoped for it to happen but s, the Jackrat snarled and jumped towards him. "F*cking minions!" As usual, it was ughtered. "1000 EXP gained!" "+2 Morality!" [Level up! A single point is given. Please manage your stats immediately.] He put the point into Strength to bnce the stats. "Aah! Thank you! I''m very grateful for your help. Pleasee in and have some food." "No, it''s fine." "How would that work? Come in!" "Urgh" After an hour, Rewen reached his home and found that the missing members of the household had returned. He went to the living room but it was empty, then knocked on his mother''s room. "Mother, have you returned?" "It''s open." She replied. Rewen entered the door to find her mother knitting. He went near her and smiled. "You''re so good to me." "Don''t get delusional. This isn''t for you. Besides, I have made hundreds of these when you were a kid and all you did is tear them." Rewen could only awkwardly cough. "Then, is this for Sam?" "He isn''t much better than you." "Is this for Master- forget it. Nevermind." "You rascal! What kind of fantasies do you have of your mother!? He is a father figure to me. I''m making this for my daughter-inw." "Eh, your daughter-inw huh. That''s nice- no it''s not! Who the f*ck is my wife? Howe I don''t know of her?" "It''s decided." "What is? Like I said, I don''t want this kind of half-assed rtionship. Trust me, I''ll find someone very quick." "Of course, you''ll find someone." "Then-" "It doesn''t hurt to prepare yourself in case you don''t." "Prepare!? What do I do if I do find someone of my liking in the future?" "You can also take her then." "What?" "Look, this is a virtual world. It doesn''t matter if you have a few wives here. In reality, you can still be faithful to someone you like." "T-that makes sense." "Doesn''t it? Such an understanding man." "But, no matter what, wouldn''t that be cheating?" "Pftt, the outside world has corrupted your thinking. Your eldest uncle has seven wives, look how peacefully they are living in the capital. Cheating doesn''t exist in this world." "Can I not end my bachelorhood so fast?" "No. That''s not an option. Besides, what have I ever asked of you to do? This is the first time I''m requesting something and you''re still notplying with my request?" She tried the divine guilt-tripping technique. "Fine" And it worked. "But I have got conditions." "What?" "I won''t leave this ce." "Done." Rewen sighed and went to Sam''s room to ask for the Yellow Steel. Sam gave him two kilos. "This should suffice." He nodded before going to the basement and started smithing. *ng* *ng* *ng* An hourter. "Failure." The main reason why it''s difficult to make a Rank 2 Weapon is because the weapon needs to be "inscribed". Every weapon above Rank 1 has their own inscriptions. To inscribe means to convert a part of the material into weightless energy. That phenomenon urs extremely randomly. The right temperature, the right force,the right spot everything is taken into ount. *ng* *ng* *ng* An hourter. "Sess." Rewen smiled. He had expected it would take a few more tries. [1500 EXP gained!] "You have gained a ''Lower-Silver Ranked Unnamed Spear''." --- Stage: Rank 2 middle-grade (4387/5000) Proficiency: 51.003% Expertise: Spear Best Product: Rank 2 unnamed Spear --- Keeping the newly-crafted spear in the basement, he went to his room and wondered what to do. It was 6 p.m. He could log out but that would mean that the next time he logged in, he would still have to pass the time here. He didn''t want to go to any nightly adventures. "I guess I should sleep? Yeah, sounds like a good idea. My life right now has been very stressed all of a sudden. A nice long sleep is all I need!" Yawning, he drifted off to sleep in the bed. Time passed. *Drip* He woke up by the sound of a liquid on the floor. ''Where did thate from?'' Rubbing his eyes, he slowly opened them and spotted a figure dressed in white. The room was dark. Besides the moon''s light that sneaked out from the window, there were no other sources of light. But when the little light fell upon the cold white figure standing beside the bed with her long hairs covering the entirety of her face, it looked very menacing. Rewen''s first thought was the ssic: ''Is this a dream?'' Then dismissed the idea by how real he was feeling. He didn''t really say anything or screamed. He just quietly closed his eyes. Secondster, he opened them and found a pale white face with bloodshot eyes looking at him close to his own face. "..." He again closed his eyes. "Why aren''t you an anime ghost? I wouldn''t mind having a chat with you and talking about the good old times about how you were betrayed and murdered by your lover if it weren''t for your cute little face." --- Grade: D Description: While the target''s face is beyond what humanity''s beauty hase so far, the target''s proportions don''t disappoint. With the nearly perfect waist and the softest tit-, err, chest muscles, the grade couldn''t go any lower than D. Height: 1.61 meters Three sizes: 34-23-37 --- ''Who the f*ck asked for your opinion?'' A few secondster, he again opened his eyes and saw the same figure standing by the open door. He blinked his eyes and it disappeared leaving the door wide open. "How rude. It''s a basic etiquette to close the door after leaving the room." He was about to get off the bed and close the door when a thought crossed his mind: ''What if she decided to jumpscare me when I''m half-way through in closing the door? Better close my eyes and sleep.'' Running the quilt over his head, he fell asleep. At dusk, Rewen woke up and found no one awake yet. Going into the kitchen, he ate some cookies exclusive to this world only. "Hmm, I have to learn this recipe from mother. I can''t live without eating these." Finishing gobbling down some cookies down his throat, he logged out. Chapter 29: Bus Chapter 29: Bus Taking off his helmet, he looked at the clock. "11:00 p.m." He went out of his room and there was no one in the kitchen. ''They must have slept. Let''s see what''s left for me in the refrigerator.'' However, his hopes were soon shattered. "Ah man. I guess I''ll have to go to Uncle Ben''s Night Restaurant. I have no choice" Gripping the card given by his mother, he sighed. Before logging in to CHAOS, he had checked the bnce of the card. Usually, his monthly allowance was 4500 Credits, which is moderately enough. The best way to put it into words would be with 4500 Credits, you could attend parties with alcohols but couldn''t host. The card he received had an astonishing amount of 30,000 Credits - sweeping 6.667 times increase! With this muc money in hand, how could he not be inclined to use it? Rewen wore a blue leather jacket before going outside as it was snowing. The streetmps were lit and he saw a few people. A few of them were his neighbours and he greeted them politely. "Ey kiddo, having a date?" "Uncle, you really know how to joke." "Aha, see ya. Don''t stay out for too long though!" Rewen nodded, then walked forward. His face was neither fast nor slow. While having an objective in mind, he didn''t forget to experience the snow. In his vige, winteres once in four years and it doesn''t even snow. So this kind of experience was very new to him and he was enjoying it. In a bright mood, he came to the bus stop and went to the ticket counter standing in a queue. He wasn''t afraid of not getting a ticket because there were an abundance of buses at this time. "Give me a N-563 ticket as well as a return ticket." The man in the ticket counter handed over two tickets to him. "That will be 12." *** Five minutester, the bus finally arrived. As people rushed to the bus, Rewen unhurriedly walked up to the bus. It would be good if he was able to sit but he didnt care much if he was standing becausete night buses are usually packed full. Getting on the bus, he looked around hoping to spot an empty seat. "Oh!" He found a window seat a few meters away from him. Takingrge strides, he captured the seat. A grunt came from an officeman who waspeting for the seat with him. Pretending like he didn''t hear, he observed his surroundings. There were normal everyday civilians in the front seats. Elders in the middle and thest seats werergely upied by a group of yellow clothed men and women in their early twenties. "I gotta say, Lina, you got him real good." "I ain''t someone to brag but that was a given!" "Not gonna lie, but this branch is at best mediocre. Like my first opponent, that dude had absolutely zero idea about syncing. Not only was his offense sloppy, he was also terrible at reading moves." "I think so as well. It also reflects poorly on the fact that this town has a Eastern Dream Academy. Not trying to be arrogant but look at us, aren''t we from a second-tier institution?" "Come on man, we can''t be crying about this forever." Rewen was unintentionally listening to them because they are loud. Listening to their conversation, he got the general idea of who they are. Almost every recent graduate who doesn''t view "Combatant" as an achievable goal visits from town to town to participate in districtpetitions, sub-districtpetitions and so on. Upon winning, they gain a special kind of score. That score determines the job they want to take. ''If I''m not wrong, they must be talking about the Shinu Districtpetition which was held tonight in the evening. My Nuan District will have the yearlypetition next month. I wonder if it will be a good idea to participate?'' The only condition of thepetition is that candidates should be less than 25 years of age. He then shook his head. ''Of course, it''s not a good idea. Let''s not be too much of a show-off.'' He leaned on the seat and closed his eyes but didn''t fall asleep. The bus stopped. A few passengers got off and a lot more got in. Rewen remained seated and moved his eyes around. ''The bus has really exceeded its capabilities'' He was about to close his eyes again when a pregnant woman came by and stood near his sea causing him to fall into a dilemma. If this was in CHAOS, there is no doubt that he would give the seat to her without any qualms. ''But if I did it here, I would be judged. In simple and harsh words, it has be almost a trend to mock guys who help people out.'' He remembered an incident from a few years ago. (shback) He along with Gill and Cal went to watch a movie and were returning when they saw a woman having her bag snatched by a man passing by her. The trio halted. As they thought about what to be done, Gill dashed towards the thief and threw a stone on the man. The stone hurt the man as he turned out and angrily shot a twin-sided de from his hand which injured Gill''s arms heavily. Rewen and Cal ran upto Gill. Cal: "Can you stand up?" Y-yeah, I''m fine." Leaning Gill on the wall, Cal gestured to Rewen to help his friend with the wound while he walked to the woman. "Don''t worry. He will be caught soon." "I hope so do you have a smartphone?" "Sure. It''s fine if you call the nearest division''s ambnce." "Ambnce? Why? Oh! I''m sorry for being so inconsiderate. As you can see, with the very recent event I am not feeling very well. Nevermind, let me just give a quick call to the cops." Cal couldn''t understand her. ''It doesn''t matter which is called first. It''s just a difference of seconds but why isn''t she taking the obvious hints? Nevermind.'' He then turned to Gill who was gritting his teeth while Rewen was wrapping clothes around the wound. "I can only pray that your parents won''t make things too difficult for me." "Hah.. uk!" Gill tried tough but the pain resurfaced. "Shut up." Rewen and Cal said in unison. A few minutester, an ambnce arrived and took in Gill and Cal was talking with the ambnce men. Meanwhile, Rewen was quietly standing waiting to go home when he heard several voices. "You can''t be serious, right!? A middle-school kid acted as a white knight? This should be a first!" "Seriously, kids along with their delusions." A man in histe-twenties spat his saliva on the ground. Hearing the conversation, Rewen got mad. He stopped eavesdropping and stared at the woman who got her bag stolen. "You aren''t even good-looking." "Oh? Thank you." The woman sounded calm but only she herself knows what her heart is going through. "Listen here, kid. Who gives the right to judge her looks? I demand you apologize to her right now!" Her female friend chimed in. The man in histe twenties red at Rewen but didn''t say anything. "Rewen! Let''s go home!" Cal called from behind. Rewen hasn''t vented yet but he knew he would get nowhere with this. He could only turn around and walk away. Chapter 30: Beef Chapter 30: Beef Along the way, he talked about what happened with Cal. Cal never said anything and just let Rewen continue to speak what he had in mind. "Yeah, so this all happened. What do you think?" "It''s not good." Cal finally opened his mouth. "I know it''s not good but I want to hear more!" Cal sighed. "This is what happens when a world doesn''t change." "What are you talking about?" "You''ll know soon enough." (shback ends) In the bus. Rewen snapped back from his thoughts and he stared at the pregnant woman deciding what to do when he sudden;y noticed something. "Aren''t you?" It wasn''t him who spoke. Rewen got up and gestured to the pregnant woman to sit on his seat."Sit." The pregnant woman looked at him with mixed emotions before eventually epting his offer. Holding one of the supports, he stood up amidst the standing crowd. Quite a few took notice of his actions and shot a look at him for a while before minding their own business. Soon, he started getting bored. "Hey, how are you doing?" Turning to the pregnant woman, he asked. "I''m working in this condition. Do I need to say more?" "What about your husband?" "You know my husband?" "I don''t. I just assumed for natural reasons." "He''s working." "I see. Your life must be tough" "It is." "Hope the child''s future is bright." "Please stop with the sarcasm. If you think that giving me a seat will automatically give you a moral high ground and the rights to make fun of me, then you''re dead wrong." "You did make fun of my friend that year so obviously I''m not going to let you sit on my seatfortably that easily." "Like I''m sorry. Okay? I was dumb and young back then. Everyone makes mistakes in life, don''t they?" "Nevermind." Rewen shook his head and stopped talking with her. He quietly stood in the bus for a while before an elbow bumped in his right arm. Looking back, he saw a brown-haired short heighted guy with a yellow shirt. "You are pathetic, you know." The brown-haired guy directly said that to his face. "Quite a shame." Rewen nodded with the reply before turning around. He wasn''t interested in having a verbal dispute. Although he was generally quite hot-headed and ready to p and hit faces whenever he got the chance but he doesn''t want create a chaos in the bus. The brown-haired guy was surprised at his reaction and for a moment, couldn''te with aeback. A few secondster, he chuckled while looking at his friends. "See? Not only is he pathetic, he is also a pushover." However, the reactions he got from his friends were not to his liking. "You are not funny bro! Just admit it." A young woman sitting near to himughed. She was the elder sister of the brown-haired guy. Her name was Riley. The brown-haired guy awkwardlyughed. "Enoughughing. Call that meme guy and let him sit next to me." She then turned to the middle-aged man sitting next to her. "Can you pleaaaaase do me this favor? I have got some urgent talks with him." "Huh? S-sure." The middle-aged man wanted to say ''no'' but couldn''t because he was a normal office worker. From their conversations, he guessed that they were Mages. He didn''t want to get into conflicts with them for such a minor reason. Thus, he stood up. Meanwhile, Rewen kept standing like a block of wood. He hadn''t heard anything since he was thinking about what to order for dinner. ''...Okay, I''ll settle for Beef Steaks-" *Tap* The brown-haired guy tapped on his back. "What is it?" Rewen asked with an annoyed face. He didn''t like thoughts getting disrupted. The brown-haired guy pointed to the empty seat. "Sit there." Rewen got confused. ''First, he said I''m pathetic then he asked me to sit on an empty seat. What''s his deal? Since I was given the seat, why don''t I sit on it?'' "Okay." He went ahead and sat when he noticed a ck-haired charming young woman sitting next to him. "You''re the meme guy, aren''t you?" "Yes." "I saw your morning interview. You were pretty cool." "d you think that way." "Oh? Which way would you not be ''d''?" "Not trying to be rude but how about you guess that yourself?" "Mmm let''s see. You would not be d if I thought you were trying to cover up. Am I right?" "Yes." "You go to Eastern Dream Academy, don''t you? I''ll tell you what, it sucks." "Okay." "I participated in the Shinu District Competition. There were 204 participants and out of them, more than thirty were from Eastern Dream Academy. I literally sweeped the floor with a single offense spell. Every single one of them went down after a single attack. What do you have to say about your Academy?" "It''s been two days since I joined the Academy so I couldn''t say I feel a strong connection to the Academy." "I see. But your Academy sure sucks, isn''t that right?" "No. It doesn''t." "But it did have weak Mages who have recently graduated. Weak to the point that even I, a graduate from Tier 2 Institution, could handle them at ease." "Academy doesn''t determine your strength. It only determines how much you have learned and how fast you have learned. Talents are a major boost to one''s strength but it doesn''t determine anything more than the span of three years. There is a reason why Tier 1''s are Tier 1''s and not Tier 2''s. You might be stronger than the ones you have fought with but they are but a minority and don''t represent the entire strength of the Academy." "Sure. I''ll take them to be the minority. What about the others? Why have I not met any strong Mages from your Eastern Dream Academy yet?" "How would I know that?" "In short, your Academy sucks, okay?" "No." "Come on man, we all know the truth. It doesn''t hurt to say it." "You should really stop the recorder. You know, it''s really cheap." He had long noticed the weird way she was holding her Pad. He had suspicions and confirmed his suspicions while talking to her. ''Why are people so troublesome these days?'' "So you noticed this? Good. You are smarter than you look." "You are as dumb as you look." Rewen didn''t feel the need to restrain himself anymore. "HAHAHAHA! Are you seriously trying to pick a fight with me?" "Yes, I am. The fact that you needed to confirm makes you even more dumb." A man from the same group stood up and held Rewen''s shoulders. "Kid, that''s no way to talk to your senior. It''s better if you apologi-" "F*ck off, your presence and advice is of no relevance to me." "Let''s take this outside. Shall we?" "Sure, I''m dropping at the next stop." As the man was about to respond, Riley put out her palm gesturing to him to not speak. "The next stop, it is. It will be a brawl between you and me, agreed?" "Perfect." "It''s decided then. Lain, you go to the apartment along with the others. I wille in a bit." Lain, the brown-haired guy, had an uninteresting look. "Why bother Sis?" Hearing that, Rewenughed. He initially thought that since she was dropping the next stop, her stop would also be the next one. He hadn''t expected her to be so dedicated. Of course, there is still the chance that she is just scaring him. The bus stopped. Rewen got up, followed by other passengers including Riley. He walked up to the exit of the door followed by her and just as Rewen was about to get to the ground, he felt the sudden movement of her legs that was directed at his ass and immediately activated [Freestyle Knights Combat] technique to dodge it. Rewen grinned and showed a middle finger to her. It took a moment for Riley to realize that she had kicked in the air. Chapter 31: Restaurant Chapter 31: Restaurant It was midnight but the street was still flooded with people. Some were spending time with their families, some with their significant others while others hung out with each other in groups. Rewen was alone. "I am alone." He thought about bringing Gill or Cal with him but he didn''t want to pay for what they would eat and he was confident that either one of them would definitely not show mercy to his wallet. ''I should call Uncle Ben.'' He took out his phone and dialed a number. "Hello." "Hello." "It''s you, Rewen?" "It''s me. Can you book a single-man table?" "I''m afraid all the single-man tables are reserved. There are several groups and two-mans, " "Anything will work." "Anything will work? Ah, I see. Got it." "Okay." He hung up. He was about to start walking towards the restaurant when he felt a violent urge to pee. He didn''t want to hold it in so he went to a dark narrow alley and decided to make full use of his male privilege. *Hiss* "Uu that felt good." He smiled in satisfaction before closing off his zippers but as he turned around to move out of the alley, he saw a figure he never thought he would see here. It was the ghost which haunted him in the night. Her terrifying face is still etched deeply in his mind. She was standing a few feet away with the same white cloth, her face obstructed by her long messy hair. "I''m not interested in ying hide-and-seek with ghosts. Please leave me alone." He pleaded with a tired face. {I a-am sorry Ar...thur} "I don''t know who Arthur is but you''re forgiven!" The ghost stood still as if she didn''t hear a word he said. "I said you''re forgiven! Shoo shoo! Go away now!" The ghost didn''t budge. Rewen went impatient as time ticked by. He waited for five seconds more and seeing the ghost was in the same position, he used [Freestyle Knights Combat] technique and made a mad rush towards the street. Reaching the street, he looked back. Surprisingly, the ghost didn''t follow him. Not caring about her anymore, he walked to the restaurant he booked. *** "You have grown very big." "Aha, you have also begun to look older. I couldn''t tell whether you were Uncle or Brother because of your baby face when I was small." "Hahaha. Thest time I met you must be around two years ago? Yes, two years ago." Rewen was talking with his father''s school friend, Uncle Ben who was also the Manager of the ''Late Night''s Restaurant''. Uncle Ben was a slightly obese man with a thick moustache who always has the hint of a smile on his face. "Your beard is bing more and more prominent, kiddo. What do you wanna do?" "I''m thinking of keeping it." Touching from his cheeks to his chin, he felt a rough outline of beard forming and he had no ns of destroying it. "Good choice. Ah, I''ll talk with youter. Call me if there''s anything you need." Uncle Ben patted on his right shoulder and went to a room. Rewen hummed and looked around the room. There were only three two-man tables ced in the entire room. He sat at one of the tables rxing and waiting for his feast. *Creak* The door opened. ''Did the waitere?'' He guessed. But what came in was beyond his expectations. ''Devil woman!?'' He wanted to duck down as if to pick something up in order to hide his face but it was toote. Her gaze was already fixed upon him. "Fancy meeting you here,dy!" He enthusiastically smiled to show that he was very happy with her arrival. The devil woman smiled in response and hopped on the chair opposite to him. "Isn''t this too big of a coincidence? Are you stalking me?" "I wouldn''t dare." "Hmm why would you not? You certainly aren''t afraid to butt-fight with me. You are very brave, you know that?" "Ha...hahah..ha. If you say so, then I certainly am." "Answer me. Why do you look so afraid of me? Do you think I would eat you? Or is there some other reason?" "No, no. It''s actually like this. I''m usually the timid, shy and nervous kind of guy. Not sure if I''m nice but I''m harmless. I give you this guarantee." "I don''t know about that but I have gotten news that your first day at Academy was wild." "Rumors, just rumors." "Enough of your nonsense. I''m not here to entertain you." "Okay, as you wish." "..." "..." "What?" "What?" "Are you making fun of me? Fine. If that''s how you want to y-" "I don''t know what to say. Like, what are you even asking?" The devil woman took a deep breath. "Alright. Why did you not help me that night?" "I don''t understand how you think. Why would I want to f*ck a stranger? Rather, why would you want to get f*cked by a stranger?" "You goddamned incel, why said anything about f*cking?" "Didn''t you say aphrodisiac?" "Yes and you could have helped me just by giving me simple smooch on my lips! Although you would have to lose a fraction of your lifespan, you could have enjoyed-" "Excuse me what!? A fraction of my lifespan? Thanks for informing me. I indeed didn''t make a mistake that night." "Watch your tone." "Watch my a*shole. I''m so tired of speaking to you." Rewen was like this. He wouldpromise and decide to be good for as long as he wasn''t entirely ticked off by something. When that happened, he wouldpletely go on the offense. While he wouldn''tpletely disregard the situation and circumstances, he would definitely not continue to be a pushover. "I see that you have finally snapped and showed your true colors. Good, this will make our conversation smoother. Now, I want you to answer a few questions for your own good. Can you do that?" "What exactly do you want?" "The truth." As they were conversing, the waiter came and kept the respective dishes on the table. "I don''t think I have anything to hide from you. I want to know where your suspicions areing from." "One thing. Coincidence. You were the only man that could help me from my situation yet you chose to not and you were unexpectedly admitted to the same Academy I''m in. My theory is that you were hired by someone close to me to help me but you chose to not do so. In exchange, you became a spy of an enemy of mine and went to the Academy to keep track of me." "There is a hole in your theory. If I really wanted to not help you, why would I decide to show my face to you? Wouldn''t that make you suspicious when I meet you in the Academy the next day?" "You showed your face exactly because you wished to deceive me with this argument." The devil woman said with a nonchnt face. Also, the fact that you seem to be half-aware of almost everything I say and quickly ept it makes you even more suspicious." "What if I say you are overthinking?" Rewen picked up a piece of steak with the fork and ate it. "I''m just trying to make sense of everything. I''m responding ordingly not because I believe you but because I''m inclined to believe you." "What a perfect cover up!" ''Either she is messing with me or she has problems in her brain.'' Rewen decided to not take her seriously and just have his steak. Chapter 32: Club Chapter 32: Club "Enough. If you want to use me, bring me the proof." "Why do you think I need proof to use you?" "Because you do. No matter how high your background is, you won''t be able to do whatever you want with me because there isw and order." "It''s true that I can''t put you behind bars or kill you but I could certainly trouble you." "You are still in the age to y childish games? How mature." "I will y childish games with you. What are you going to do about it?" "Oh, sure. I''ll be waiting." "Rewen, this is yourst chance. Spill the beans or I will do what you can''t even imagine." "You''re underestimating my imagination. Also, I think I have already made it clear that I''m not someone even closely rted to you. Why are you so hooked up on me? Just think in a clear and concise manner without any weird tangents in your thoughts and you''ll figure that out." Rewen was uninterestedly conversing with her while having the steak. The devil woman smiled mysteriously. "You might be right. Maybe I''m just overthinking but conversely, the chance that you''re deceiving me still exists" "Go on." "Which is why I''m going to ce you under my observation 24/7 for the time being. Do you agree?" "Oh? What kind of observation?" "Daily life." "Oh." Rewen''s eyes widened a bit before calming down. "Previously, I thought that even if you are an overthinking freak, you still have an ounce of intelligence left but now, it seems I have to re-evaluate yourself." "What do you mean?" Her eyebrows squinted. "You are saying you will observe my actions for the time being, if your purpose is really to find the traitor, then you are stupid. Let''s say I''m a traitor for now. Do you think I would make any suspicious moves knowing that I''m being observed?" "I don''t want to know your thoughts. I just want to know if I would agree or not. Yes or no?" "You did ask for my thoughts though but let''s ignore that. I''m now certain that you are cooking something up. In fact, I even think that the main goal of yours in this conversation is to make me agree to your 24/7 observation and I don''t wish to participate in that so no." "You are too stubborn for your own good. I''m giving you onest chance to redeem yourself. Agree to my conditions and you''ll live in pleasure of all forms. Else, you will put both yourself, your friends and your family at risk." The devil woman didn''t hold back with her threat this time. "Sure, go ahead." He replied with a carefree smile. "You can always pretend like you don''t care but I''m serious." "I don''t think we have anything else to talk about. You want me to agree to your conditions? I won''t. You are threatening me, my friends and family? I''ll see if you can continue to do so after I report this to the authorities." He flicked out his smartphone which was recording. While chatting with her, he sneakily recorded the rest of the conversation. He knew there is no better weapon against people with authorities who threaten others other than recordings. "I see. Are you really that stupid to think that this would work?" "I don''t know. I don''t know how corrupt the government is. I don''t know how much power your background holds. I don''t know if recordings would even work because of how easily it''s faked." Rewen admitted with a sigh. "The only thing I know is that this is myst piece of straw and I''m willing to gamble on it." "You are really going all out, aren''t you?" Seeing him vulnerable, the devil woman smiled and moved her seat closer to Rewen and touched his hands. "I promise you won''t suffer ANY kinds of losses." Rewen didn''t take his hand away and directly looked at her eyes. "I''ll say this once. Don''t scheme against me. Halt all the secret operations you are doing and we could still be friends, maybe even lovers. From your mannerisms, I surmise that you are a big shot. You see, I''m not a big shot. I can''t have assassins all around my corner. I''m a feeble guy who can be killed at any second. That''s why I request that you don''t pull some crazy shit on me. Look, I''m trying to be polite and humble because I don''t want myself, my family and friends in trouble." Rewen tried being realistic and humble despite not wanting to lower his head. "Yes, you can do that. You can certainly avoid any kind of trouble if you agree to my condition. Do you agree?" Rewen snapped. He stood up abruptly but didn''t shout out curses but instead, spat at her face. *Spat* Time stopped. The onlookers who were curiously looking at the "arguing couple" had now stopped chewing their food. The devil woman was in a trance. Rewen didn''t care anymore about her and left the restaurant. He had already paid before eating. Coming out, it was still snowing. However, this time, Rewen wasn''t as happy seeing it as he was when he first saw it. He felt a bit depressed and he had so many new worries. ''I stepped back so many times yet there was nopromise made for me... ''I have a cousin at home who dislikes my guts. I have overly-strict parents who care little about my own thoughts. I have friends who are borderline untrustworthy. Is this a normal teenage phase? Perhaps. But gone were the days I used to lead a carefree life in what they call the virtual world.'' "Ah. I have to toughen up!" *Bang* He lightly punched against a wall. He didn''t really want to smash anything. "Woah bro, you''ve got some real muscles." A guy wearing a white jumper jumped from the wall Rewen was punching. "I guess." "Broooo, I have this really good idea to help you make good use of that muscle. Wanna hear?" "You sound shady but sure." "So there''s this newbie Club our Club is up against and we are a tiny little bit short on the numbers. For that reason, we are recruiting people. But not just any average Joe, our people are full of bad muscr men who can kill someone simply with a re. Although you''re not the manliest one, you have got some skills." "Hmm what do I get by joining though?" "Brooooooo you are asking THAT out of so many interesting questions? You''ve got to be kidding me man. You have lost your chance at joining the Grand Ultine Kapile Club. Aight, I''m out. Peace." "Wait. Are you talking about the Grand Ultine Kapile Club?" The guy in the jumper immediately turned around. "Yes. I will give you three seconds to confirm your decisions. 3." "I''m in." "Good. Now fill-up the form ande with me." He gave Rewen a form. Rewen looked at the form. "Isn''t this the form to participate in the Club Fight? Are you sure you haven''t mixed this up?" "Yup." "What about the form to join the Club?" "Fool. Did you think that the Club would ept you before knowing your prowess. This could be considered as some sort of test before entering. Even I, who had been running errands for the club for two years, couldn''t enter the Club officially. Did you really think it''s that easy to join the most influential Club in the Travil Town?" Chapter 33: Reflection Chapter 33: Reflection In a dark abandoned building, men gathered in crowds. Each of them looked terrifying with huge bulging muscr muscles. Between them, Rewen felt like an ant between giants. He ufortably fiddled his way to reach a free space where he can breath normal oxygen and not oxygen mixed with the muscle energy. "Hehe boy. You should leave before it starts. I''m sorry to say that this isn''t a ce for a young man like you. This is a ce for real men." "I am a real man! Try me!" "You might be one among your peers but to us, nah." "I''ll show you, buff guy." Rewen snorted at the middle-aged short-haired rough-looking man and went to sit down at a bench. ''So the base requirement for entering the Club is performing well in this Club fight. Fair enough. They shouldn''t take much time to wipe out but I''m positive that even though I can''t estimate their strength, they shouldn''t be stronger than Rank 1. With my [Freestyle Knights Combat] technique, it would make things easier but I''m not sure if I should show everything off. No. I definitely can''t show off. ''I have to fulfill the criteria of performing well using my stats and martial arts. Although that would still be surprising, it won''t be shocking.'' The reason he is trying to join the Club is not on a whim or "Who cares, I''ll join". He had an actual reason for doing so. The Grand Ultine Kapile Club is, like the jumper guy said, the most influential Club in the Travil Town. The reason being, it is closely connected to the State Government. Rewen boldly wanted to be under the influence of the government, even wanted to be a government official if the opportunity presented itself. ''I couldn''t be sure what she would do. I don''t want to blindly believe in thew and order and leave everything to them.'' Hardening his resolve, he stretched his arms and got up. "Looks like both the sides have already arrived." He muttered then moved forward to see what''s cooking. "How are we going to start this?" "Send one from your side and we''ll send one from ours." "Good! Haha! A long battle must have a slow start. You! Yes, you. You are going first. We have already selected our one. What about yours, Damien?" The Leader of the newbie Club sent out a man from his side. Damien, the selected Leader of the Club Fight from the side of the Grand Ultine Kapile Club was wondering who to choose from when he heard a young voice. "Big guy! Choose me!" It was Rewen raising his hand. This would have originally been a knee-pping funny incident but nobodyughed. Damien eyed him from top to bottom and asked in a deep voice. "Are you sure?" "Hell ya!" "You are going then." Rewen smiled confidently and walked to him with long strides. "He will be your opponent. Don''t worry about getting in the hospital." Damien patted on his back while Rewen looked at his opponent. He was a simr giant. In fact, everyone here was simr in physique and size except for him. "Come here, little guy. I won''t hit yo- urkkukk!" As he was speaking, Rewen showed no mercy and punched the guy in his cheeks. His movement was unexpected and fast. While everyone was shocked about the sudden move, Rewen again punched his opponent''s face. *Jab* *Jab* *Jab* He was nowpletely dominating the match. His opponent initially wanted to fight back but with Rewen''s momentum and quick consecutive punches, he couldn''t get a hold of his footing and eventually fell off. But Rewen wasn''t done. He dashed towards the Leader of the newbie Club and threw a kick at his torso. It was blocked. "You are good, but not enough." The Leader said so in a neutral expression and pulled it in for a punch in Rewen''s face. It was blocked. Not by Rewen, but by Damien. "You are forgetting us. Men! Fightmence!" The brawl started. *** An hourter. Rewen sat down on the ground feeling his knees getting weak. His shirt was torn and his face was filled with bruises and cuts. "Damn this felt real good." He looked at the men kissing the ground. Only a few people were able to remain standing and they were still staggering, finding it hard to remain static. It was a low-key bloodbath. Never had Rewen expected this level of fight when he decided he would participate in the Club fight. ''I don''t know if mybat prowess increased or not but I he enjoyed it.'' Rewen smiled. He wasn''t a battle crazy man but fighting with what he got not using the cheat technique. It let him find out his limits. Damien came to him and helped him up. "Good job, champ! You did well. I''ll report this to the Club and consider yourself a new member of the Grand Ultine Kapile Club." "Haha this was really tough. So when am I joining? And where do I have toe?" "Come by to our meeting tomorrow. Give me your mail. I''ll send you the address. Don''t worry. It''s not outside of the town." "That''s a relief." Rewen talked with Damien and the others for a few minutes before leaving. *** Travel Town. Klofar Residence. 2:08 a.m. He took the bus and returned home. Nothing eventful happened along the way. He felt a bit sleepy in the bus but resisted. "It got reallyte." Looking at the time, he yawned. *Ding* He rang the doorbell. *Ding* ... *Ding* ... "Who is it?" After about a minute, Denny''s voice sounded. "It''s me. Open the door." She opened the door with a half-asleep look in her eyes. "Where were you?" Clearing her vision, she cried out. "Where were you!? What''s with your clothes? What trouble did you brew up again!?" "Oh well. I have joined the Grand Ultine Kapile Club. Isn''t that amazing?" "Huh? What? Anyways, go and take a shower. You stink. Rewen stretched his hand towards her arm. Seeing the stinky hand approached, her body jerked away. "This. Isn''t. Funny. Rewen." Rewenughed in a carefree manner and entered the bathroom. Momentster, he got out of the bathroom, went back to his room and changed into loose clothes. *Knock* "Rewen. We need to talk." He opened the door. "What is it?" "What were you telling about Club?" "I said I joined the Grand Ultine Kapile Club." "Are you serious?" "Why would I joke?" "How did you join?" "Don''t you know of my prowess? There was this Club fight and it said if I perform well, I would be recruited. I performed fairly well and that''s the whole story." "Why did you suddenly decide to join the Club? Do you want to be a government official? For connections?" "For both. Since I have this power at my disposal, why not make full use of it?" "Indeed. Thats a good n Ah, it''s nevermind. Don''t wake upte." Denny hesitated to say something but eventually didn''t. "Good night." Saying so, she left the room. Rewen locked the door and switched off the light before jumping on the bed. Then started reflecting on his actions. ''My pride will one day lead to my doom.'' He bitterly smiled. He wasn''t an idiot. He understood others quite well. He could say with a high degree of certainty that if he had agreed to the devil woman''s deal, although he would still be a victim of her schemes, the oue would be far less than what he had done by rejecting her deal. While talking with her, he understood from the very beginning that she herself didn''t believe the bulls*it traitor-theory she hade up with. ''If I had epted the deal, I would at most be a victim of a few games but now, I brought potential trouble to my family.'' Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes. "I have to get stronger quicker." Chapter 34: Absence Chapter 34: Absence It was pouring. Standing in front of the Academy main gate, Rewen looked at the sky for the fifth time. ''Still dark.'' He looked around and only found a couple of students. It''s no surprise. He came half-an-hour early alone. He didn''t even have his breakfast. Waking up at 5, he took a quick cold shower and went out with an umbre in hand and bag in back. Behind him, Zaplin was quietly humming a tune when he noticed his ssmate standing like a wood before the gate. "Hey there bud, why so early?" He went up to him and patted him on his back. "I could ask the same to you." Rewen responded with a smile. "Anyways, I have got to do something important. Can you fill in my attendance for the day? I swear I''m not kidding around." Zaplin was a bit taken aback by his sudden request. He thought for a moment before answering. "I''m afraid attendance can''t be easily manipted. If you have a good enough reason, thene with me to Ms. Cutlin''s office. What do you say?" "Alright, let''s go." *** Ms. Cutlin looked at the young man in front of her and asked in a gentle tone. "Why do you want to take leave?" "As you have likely found out from the scans, I have interference and I''m not in the best condition today. Therefore, I would like to take a leave." Ms. Cutlin''s eyes twitched. Standing beside Rewen, Zaplin was shocked at the discovery. ''So he had interference? I didn''t know that. I guess some people like to hide the fact.'' "Forgive me if I''m crossing my boundaries but you don''t seem to be much affected. Is it really worth taking a leave?" "I''m afraid so." "In that case, fine. Now, sign here." Ms. Cutlin took a thin stack of paper and ced it over the table. *** "I think I have done more work than I would have by staying at the Academy. The papers never ended. How many was it? 14? No. 17. Probably. Imagine a sick studenting to ask for a leave. He would die before he couldplete signing off those damn papers." "Honestly, I don''t get why you have to include your personal details and write the same thing over four times when the Academy literally has them stored." Rewen and Zaplin chatted a bit before parting ways. The former walked out of the Academy while thetter went to his ssroom. "Rewen? Where are you going?" Rewen stopped in his tracks. He recognized the voice. It was Svety. "I''m taking a leave." "Oh? Leave? Why? Are you having any problem?" Svety came near him and asked with a confused face. "Didn''t I tell you about interference? It is acting up. I got to rest for a day." "Mhm" Svety nodded lightly. "That''s troubling. Wouldn''t you be alone at home? Why don''t I help you? Yes, that could work." "What? No. It wouldn''t. I just need to rest. I''m not sick that someone needs to nurse." "Don''t be stubborn, Rewen. Your health is serious." Svety grabbed his hand. "Listen here." He looked at her seriously. "I''m going to be fine. You should go now." "I''m going with you." She loosened her grip on his hand but still didn''t let go. Rewen didn''t have the time and patience to deal with her. "Don''t follow me." He said that before walking away not bothering to turn back and look at her. --- Requested Mission: Find X Clues Unlocked: Mischief in the Slums --- This was the whole reason he is so worked up today. After waking up today, he brainstormed ideas to get rid of the threat looming over him and his family. The first thing that came to his mind were daily missions but dismissed the idea as soon as that came because he understood that daily missions were not enough. He needed to speedrun quests and missions in order to get stronger. Thus, he came to the conclusion and asked the system to give him high-reward missions which it did give. He couldn''t care less if it was high-risk high-reward. The rewards are all that matters to him right now. *** ''The slum mentioned should be in the Extreme South of the Town. Never really went there but I heard it''s not a good ce." Sitting in one of the front seats of the bus, he muttered subconsciously. "Of course it isn''t a good ce. Slums are never considered a ''good'' ce and the reason shouldn''t be too difficult to guess. Unless, you know, there are some problems in your intelligence." A young girl sitting across him berated him in a sharp tone. Rewen tilted his head to see the speaker. The girl looked less than ten years of age and had a serious expression on her face. He wasn''t particrly offended by her but it left a bitter taste in his mouth that a girl half his age disrespected him. ''I should probablyugh it off excusing her behaviour. Replying back would only make me seem childish and narrow-minded. But the thing is, I don''t want tough it off.'' With that in mind, he pretended to not hear what she said and y games on his smartphone. At this moment, a blonde-haired woman sitting near the young girl spoke out in a harsh tone. "Is that how you speak to your elder!? I demand you apologise to the brother right now!" "Nope!" "What did you say!?" "I said nope! N.O.P.E. Nope!" "Feya, this wouldn''t end well." She couldn''t believe how rude her daughter was being and turned to Rewen. "Brother, I hope you didn''t mind her words. I..." She hesitated before discontinuing. Rewen heard and saw the entire banter and he had arrived at the conclusion that the daughter was spoiled and bratty. He gave a subtle smile to the blonde woman. "Not at all. I''m sure your daughter is just having a bad day." The blonde woman returned a smile. The young girl was about to speak something but when she noticed her mother''s frightening eyes, she gulped her words down her throat. Eight minutester, he got up as the destination had arrived. As he was nning to get off the bus, he felt a small hand touching his hand. "Take this." It was the little girl. She shoved a candy into his hand. Rewen wasn''t sure how to respond to this sudden explosion of generosity. He saw the blonde woman smiling at her daughter. From her expressions, he could tell that this wasn''t nned by her. The little girl took the initiative to give him the candy which Rewen found very wholesome. He patted the girl''s head. "Thank you." "Your wee." "Let''s hope to meet again." Saying so, he got off the bus in good spirits. He wasn''t an expert in conversations, especially with children so he had decided to keep it short and simple. ''Slum? This doesn''t feel like a slum at all. It''s more like a barren vige in the middle of a desert.'' Looking at the surroundings, he thought. There were small settlements but all of them were mysteriously quiet. Not a single person could be found on the street. This definitely isn''t how he thought the slums would be. The only thing that entered his ears was the sound of the sand drifted by the wind. "This looks more like a haunted ce. I''ll just look around." He wasn''t sure if this is what the clue meant because the clue itself was very vague. Strictly speaking, he was trying out his luck. He walked around, going from alleys to alleys with no sign of life. "Hmm?" Finally, his eyes caught sight of a small figure. He ran towards it and saw a small boy trying to pick up something from the drain. As he approached the kid, the boy noticed his arrival and looked at him. "Could you pick my ball from the drain, Uncle?" Rewen didn''t mind the kid calling him ''Uncle''. "Only if you tell me why the ce is so silent." "That''s because" "Because?" "That''s because you are an idiot, Uncle!" The boy''s innocent face turned bizarre. *Baam* A club collided against Rewen''s head from back as he fell. "Third one of the month! Haha! Good job there, kiddo." A skanky-looking man along with several other middle-aged men revealed themselves. Two men picked Rewen up and everyone including the boy left the ce. However, while the group was chatting andughing merrily with each other, they failed to notice a small curve in Rewen''s lips. Chapter 35: Questions Chapter 35: Questions Rewen swept the dust off his uniform as he got up. He was thrown in a store room with his hands and feet tied up. He wasn''t really scared because of the sudden turn of events. Why? Because he was strong. ''Hm, this ought to be the so-called ''mischief'' in the clue. The real problem starts now. From their conversation, I got to know that the whole slum is a disgusting mess. Apparently, they kidnap a weak-looking person and sell their body organs. The worst part is that even kids were included in their schemes. I should call the cops oh, well. My hands and feet are still tied. Let''s see if I can break this with my strength.'' He exerted all his strength into his hands and tried breaking the rope. "Nope. Strength Check Failed." Next, he tried after activating the [Freestyle Knights Combat] technique. "Strength Check Passed! Uh, I should learn to control my voice." He took out his phone which he hid away in his crotch. "Hello?" "Hello. I''m speaking from the town slum area." "Ok. Is there any problem?" "Indeed. I have been kidnapped by a group of people shortly after I arrived in the slums. I pretended to be unconscious after they hit me in the back." "Wait. Wait. Wait. Are you alright?" "I''m fine. How much time would it take the cops to arrive?" "No more than twenty minutes! Stay strong! We''ll be there soon!" *Beep* Cutting off the call, he muttered in an audible voice. "I guess twenty minutes is more than enough." To get himself kidnapped, he had his own ns. He figured since the clue is too vague, he had to design his own theory toplete the quest and he did have a hypothesis in his mind. ''No, not even a hypothesis. At this point, I''m just guessing. There should be an organ trader the people in the slums are associated with. Maybe that person could lead me to ''X'' or something like that'' Pausing for a moment, he sighed. ''I need to work on my intellect. Not that I have a wisdom stat or anything.'' Cracking his arms and fingers, he headed towards the door and tried opening it. ''It is left open? Are they idiots? Who gave them the criminal degree of trading organs?'' "Eh?" "Ah!" Rewen found himself locking gazes with a group of more than twenty people. The people include old, middle-aged and young children of both the genders. He thought of a couple of scenarios in his mind after he opened the door and the present scenario didn''t escape his imagination but that didn''t decrease the surprise he was feeling. "Eduar! Badok! And the others! Hurry to him!" A bald man shouted as soon as he spotted Rewen. "Stop." In the face of six men running to him, Rewen opened his mouth. "Unless you want to mess with a Ranked Mage." Of course, no one stopped. Rewen didn''t have any change in expression on his face as he anticipated the response. He sighed lightly and stepped back leaning on the wall of the store room. The men rushing towards him had their eyes shined thinking that he was afraid. "What ranked mage? Do we look like fo-" *Boom!* Everyone stopped in their tracks as they failed toprehend the abnormality that just urred. The store room behind their captive just gone blown away. As the dust settled, none of them had the strength left to move forward. Three of them even fell on their butts. "He used a hand?" "Correct. Seems like this is the end." A middle-aged man sighed. His name is Mark, also the unofficial leader of the group. Knowing it''s futile to resist, he gave in. The rest of the group looked unwilling but they still gave in. Rewen folded his legs and sat on the ground. "Everyone sit down. I have some questions. If you are willing to respond truthfully and respectfully, I won''t disclose the matter of organ trading to the cops." Silence reigned the area. Mark immediately replied. "What organ trading? We don''t do that-" "Are you seriously a five-year old? Okay, tell me why would I mention organ trading? Surely, I must have heard it somewhere. Even if you keep denying, the second I mention the word ''organ trading'' to the cops, what do you think will happen?" Rewen paused for a second. "Alright, here''s your chance. Answer some of my questions and all of you including your families will only be held ountable for my kidnapping. Agreed?" Mark looked at the group who were nodding. "What are your questions?" "Where is the person whom you trade organs to?" "We don''t know his name but hees here every month when we call him. He shouldn''t live too far from here." "Where does he sell?" "He mentioned selling it to a hospital but I don''t know where." "Call him." "Now?" "How much time does he usually take toe?" "Not less than forty minutes." "Tell him toe." As Mark was doing as he was told, Rewen was observing the group. There were all kinds of people. From a boy as young as three to a sick-looking elderly. Mothers were hugging their kids while the fathers were guarding them. If possible, he didn''t want to see something the human-side of them. They had been involved in one of the darkest sides of mankind. He had zero sympathy for them. When he said he won''t talk about their organ trading business to the cops, he lied. As he was looking around in boredom, a woman came up to him. Her eyes fidgeted and her bodynguage clearly told that she was afraid of the person in front of her. "I-I have a request." "What?" "Co-could the children be exempted from punishment? They had no part in the business and only did as we told them to." "Nope." Rewen denied her request tly. The children are potential murderers. Growing up in such a ce, their minds also had been twisted. It''s not that people can''t be changed but the risk is too high. Indirectly killing so many innocents, he wouldn''t be surprised if some of the children grew up to be a criminal. "Please I-I promise-" "Do I need to make myself clear?" *** "That should be it. Although I must say, your reward would not be small." The cop smiled with a small notebook in his hands. He was the same person who had been involved in the aftermath of Rewen''s fight against Ruby. Seeing him was a huge coincidence. Rewenughed lightly. "I''m looking forward to it. By the way, I want to keep this confidential. Don''t alert the academy." What Rewen did was a big deal. In situations like these, the academies are the first persons to have a grin. ''Politics is boring and uninteresting.'' However, this wasn''t the main reason he wanted to keep the matter confidential. He could potentially be manipted by the academy but the gains outweigh the losses. He was afraid of the devil woman. After the incidentst night, catching her attention was thest thing he could do. ''Lying low is probably the best option.'' "Fine." The cop nodded with an understanding smile. "Excuse me, Mr. Bamin. We are ready to depart." A cop politely interjected. Mr. Bamin, the cop Rewen was talking to, nodded, then looked at Rewen. "Well, I want to drop you off but the cars only had so much space. See ya!" Rewen watched as the twelve cars left his sight slowly. Originally, only a single car hade with Mr. Bamin in it. When he realized the severity of the situation, he quickly ordered more cars. Due to this reason, there was a time dy resulting in a loophole in his ns. For him to interrogate the trade dealer, he couldn''t let him meet the cop. Thankfully, that didn''t happen. ''It has been fifty minutes. Did he run away after seeing themotion? Probably.'' Chapter 36: Chaos at Green Chapter 36: Chaos at Green Rewen was an impatient and restless fellow. He is the kind of person who can''t stand straight for a second. Moving his feet here and there has be a part of his life. There came a point where he started circling the ce. In the process, he saw a caring towards him. It didn''t take two nces for Rewen to recognize the car and naturally guessed the owner of the car Svety. ''Why in the world would that b*tche here?'' The question wasn''t hard to answer. He was merely angry at her sudden appearance. Not that he wouldn''t get angry if she called him and then appeared As the car stopped in front of him, he knocked on the window of the front seat. It was indeed Svety. He didn''t guess wrong. He looked at her with a serious expression while she did the same. "Did you follow me?" "If I say no, will you believe me?" Svety replied in a mild and carefree tone. "No. Anyways, that doesn''t matter. Go back. I have some business to take care of." "Not going." With the hint of a smile, she argued back. *Tchhhhhhhhhh!* (ss breaking sfx) "Go back." Svety went into a trance. ''W-what just happened?'' Her trembling hands slowly moved towards her cheek as she felt a slight pain in that area. A ss piece has prated her skin. The blood flowing through wasn''t shallow but it wasn''t to the level of a ''cut'' either. Rewen let out his breath and stared at her with the same serious look once again. "I hope you understand that my anger is justified. Now, go." Svety had her head lowered, refusing to reply. Rewen waited. "Don''t make me repeat my- ah shit. Go! F*cking go!" From a distance, he spotted a lone figure. ''I can''t let him see the car. What if he tries to run away wait, aren''t I fast? If he is a normal person, there''s no way he could outrun me. Nevermind. I should take caution." With that in mind, he no longer bothered with Svety and went behind the car. ''My normal strength should be enough'' He thought, then pushed the car. The wheels rolled giving him an urate scaling of his strength. Meanwhile, Svety who was inside the car felt anxious when her car suddenly moved. ''What''s going on?'' When she looked at the rear-view mirror, she received another shock. "What the f*ck are you doing!?" Unfortunately, she didn''t get an answer. Uponing to an unknown hidden ce not far from the original ce, the car stopped moving. As she was about to speak, Rewen came up to her. "Keep quiet and don''t move anymore." His voice was calm and indifferent, however, something about him made her hurriedly nod her head. Rewen didn''t say anything else and walked away from the car. A middle-aged man was silentlying in his direction. When they were about to cross paths, Rewen attacked him on the face with his elbow. The man fell down on his butt and was about to flee when he heard a chilling voice. "Do you dream of bing a cripple in jail?" "What do you m-mean? Who are you? What do you want from me?" "Who is the big boss of your organization? Do you know someone named ''X''?" The man''s eyes showed hesitation but eventually imagining the scenario of living in the jail, that little hesitation disappeared. When he came to the slums, he didn''t find it weird that the slum was quiet because the slum is a quiet ce. But the moment he saw Rewen, he knew something was odd. ''He must work with the cops.'' "I don''t know his name. I''m just a lone branch member." "What is a ''lone branch'' member? Are there divisions?" "Branch members are employees who are training to be a full-fledged employee. Those with some influence and power usually join or make squads and people like me who don''t have either of the two ends up bing a lone branch member." "What about full-fledged employees?" "There are also squads among them but the squads there are official. The squad members are decided by the higher-ups." "Are there ranks among them?" "City-level squads, State-level squads, Province-level squads, and Quasi-kingdom-level squads." ''What? What kind of organization am I dealing with? Calm down, Maybe they are just names.'' "What kind of names are those? Can city-level squads destroy a city?" He said in a mocking tone. To his shock, the man nodded. "That is the purpose of the squads. Three years ago, a message came to my phone asking me if I want to make some real money. I asked what I should do. The reply was that I could do anything. When I asked what that meant, no reply came. All I received in the three years were a single mail describing how the organization words and monthly ie for the organ trade" "Did you really believe everything they said?" "Of course not. When the mail came, I was already in the organ trade business. I tried my luck and it worked." "Where did you send the organs?" "I don''t know." "You don''t know?" "I was just told to throw the package I would deliver to a dustbin and move away." "I see. From what you''re telling me, it looks like your organization is a big deal. But what about the government? I''m sure you are the first one to be ''captured''. Why do I not hear from them?" "The mail just said that the government knows it exists." ''That''s weird. Why have I never heard of it then? Uncover operations?'' "What''s the name of your organization?" "REAL WAIFUS CORPORATIONS LIMITED. It''s more of apany than an organization. It had no underlying purpose. Thepany just gives the employees ie for doing anything odd." "What are ''waifus''? That''s a peculiar name." "I don''t kno-" "You''ve been saying that for a while." "One of the most popr theories says that ''waifus'' are mythical creatures that aren''t real. The fact that they aren''t real is thought to be the main reason why thepany is named so. You know, striving for the impossible." "usible. Anyways, what about ''X''? Is there someone like him?" "I''m afraid not." "Since you have knowledge of the ''theory of waifus'', I''m guessing youmunicate with the other employees. Is that right?" "You are correct. I talk with the other employees but that doesn''t mean I know them personally. Every day, several private temporary chat forums are made and sent via mail into my phone. We are neither allowed to reveal our identities nor our standing in thepany. The usernames are auto-generated and we can''t change them." "Hmm" Rewen mused for a couple of seconds. "Hey, bro." Rewen didn''t respond. "Hey." "What?" "Can you reduce my jail time?" "Do I look like awyer?" "Aren''t you a cop?" "No." "Really!?" "You have two options." "First. Go with me to the police station. In this case, I''ll report that I dragged you there while you were trying to run. Second, go to the police station yourself. Here, I won''t report that you were trying to run. Perhaps your jail time will decrease a bit." "I choose the second option." "Good. Send me your GPS location." "Ah, don''t worry. I won''t run." "You are not very convincing. Enough nonsense, give your location. Also, let me warn you. Don''t try to be clever. You are already captured. It''s impossible for you to attempt at doing something stupid. Do you understand?" "I-I understand." [Ding! ''Requested Mission: Find X'' updated!] --- Requested Mission: Find X Clues Unlocked: Mischief in the Slums Chaos at Green --- "Now, go. You have proved yourself very capable in giving exposure to the hidden plot." Chapter 37: Entry Chapter 37: Entry ''Why? Why did he have to get strong?'' Svety asked the exact same question to herself repeatedly. ''Should I ask for help from Father? I shouldn''t He might ground me.'' She remembered the look on her father''s face when she begged him to send her bodyguards to Rewen. ''Do I have an unhealthy obsession with Rewen? Probably. Will this fact stop me? Hell no.'' Although the words she thought were crazy, her face was solemn. She wasn''t a delusional idiot who couldn''t differentiate between rights and wrongs. She very well knew that she had a problem with her brain but rather than denying this, she epted it. ording to her, everybody has their own sense of justice. To her, it isn''t wrong to control their partner as long as he/she loves the other person. ''I have to be proactive but the question is how? Strength? For the time being, not possible. Although I don''t know the limits of his strength, he isn''t less powerful than a Ranked Mage. It would take at least half a month for me to be a Ranked Mage and by that time, he would have already be stronger than he is now. "What else? My connections? I have to visit Aunt in that case. Clearly, my family won''t let me do what I want'' "You still didn''t go back?" As she was brainstorming ideas, she failed to notice the arrival of Rewen. Svety lifted her head but remained silent. ''What is he even doing here? Why did hee here of all ces?'' Both of them stared at each other in silence until Rewen finally moved a step forward. Svety''s eyes flinched by the sudden movement, taking a step back subconsciously. With every step he took, her heartbeat increased. She kept moving backward until she came to a halt by car. ''What is he going to do? No! He loves me I made sure of this a million times. He can''t abuse me. Even if he did change, his feelings for me are too deep-rooted.'' This doubt didn''t take seconds to turn into a panic when she saw the unfeeling eyes of the crimson-haired young man. Rewen''s footsteps came to a stop when he came close enough and raised his right hand. Seeing the hand raised, Svety involuntarily closed her eyes. A secondter, she felt a sharp pain on her cheek. ''He didn''t p.'' She felt the area where she felt pain with her hand and saw some blood on it. ''Huh? What''s this blood?'' Then she recalled the scene of Rewen shattering the car''s window. Straightening her posture, she took a proper look at the young man''s face. Rewen wryly smiled. "Sorry." What Rewen hates about himself the most is that sometimes, he gets too caught up in the moment and fails to keep a cool head. ''How melodramatic.'' Rewen''s single word rang like thunderps to her brain but showed no signs ofcency. Sighing, she asked. "What are you doing here?" "I''m catching criminals." Rewen honestly replied. "That''s news," Svety replied in a sarcastic tone. "Mhm. What about you? What are you doing here? If you have followed me enough, please return." "What about you?" "I have some more criminals to catch." "Then I''ll stay here. You can catch criminals while I''ll keep them in check." Rewen closed his eyes, appearing to be deep thoughts. "Fine, but you have to listen to every single word I say." Svety readily nodded, a smile appearing on her face. "Alright, what will you do now?" "Go sit in the car, I''ll drive." "Why do you suddenly want to drive?" Svety aked, sitting on the front seat. As far as she was concerned, Rewen was the kind of guy who rarely drives preferring walking over driving. "I haven''t felt this baby for a long time." Rewen followed Svety sitting in the driver''s seat and started driving. "Where are we going?" "You''ll find out soon enough." A few minutester, a weird question was brought up by Svety. "What is your ideal female body type? You know, are you a b*obs-man or an ass-man?" "Don''t care. As long as it''s a female and has three holes." He answered crudely. "Spoken like a true loser virgin." "Except that I''m not." "You''ve changed, Rewen." "For the better." For the entire journey, she kept asking him questions ranging from basic questions like ''favorite color'' to obscure questions like whether he has a scat fetish or not. He figured out soon that she was checking how much he has changed. He didn''t mind and answered the questions truthfully. [A/N: And no, neither he nor the ''previous'' Rewen had a scat fetish.] *** "What is your favorite boxer brand?" "Uh, we''ve arrived." Svety who was too engrossed in asking questions one after another looked at her surroundings and suddenly found the ce very familiar. "Isn''t this the wild Restricted Area? Why are we here?" "It''s about time I make full use of you." Parking the car in the parking lot, he loosened his seat belts and got off the car. The area wasn''t crowded. Despite the fact that the cloud was gloomy, the ce was nothing short of lukewarm sunlight. Rewen enjoyed the feeling. It reminded him of his vige. Arge gate was ced with the words ''AREA 51'' hanging above the gate. Behind the gate were tall trees with only a single road. There were no signs of urban settlement. ''All green. Hopefully, my kindergarten level deduction technique would work.'' He dragged the confused Svety near the gate. "Show me your IDs." As they approached, a guard asked them politely. Rewen tapped on Svety''s shoulder. "Show him your ID." Svety, at this moment, understood everything. This was a restricted area. If any random Joe could enter, this wouldn''t be called so. ''He yed me?'' Anger rushed to her head. "F-" "Show. Him. Your. ID." Rewen repeated, his tone containing an unknown force. Svety took out her ID and showed the guard her ID remaining muted all the way. The guard realized that there was something going on but didn''t want to pry. "What is your rtionship with him?" Svety didn''t answer making the guard look awkward. The guard turned to Rewen hoping for an answer. Rewen smiled. "She''s my girlfriend, for better or for worse." Svety showed no reaction or emotion. After the gate opened, she followed Rewen. "Have youe here before?" "I did." "Which is the tribe with thergest members and where is it?" "Give me the map." Before entering the area, the guard gave Rewen a map. There is no wi-fi in the area making him unable to use ''Location''. He could only rely on the scribbled drawi-, urgh, map. "Jon Tribe in the East." "Where is the East? I mean, how do I go east? Do I directly go through the forests or are there roads?" "Of course, there are roads. Are you an idiot?" Rewen scratched his head with a troubled expression. In his vige, there was only a single road connected to the nearest town. As for going to the other towns near his vige, vigers can only go through the dense forests. "How much would it take to reach?" "At the current pace, four hours." "FOURF*CKINGHOURS!?" It''s currently noon. He can''t afford to lose this much time. He was already in a dire state and the busy schedule he had made for himself would fall apart. Hearing her reply, Svety sneered. "What else? Did you think this was your grandma''s garden where you can y around? This is a restricted area. Area 51 is particrlyrge." Rewen sighed after calming down, then nced at her. "This would be thest time I would say this. Go back. If you are still persistent, let me warn you that there''s no turning back. What do you want to do?" "I won''t go back." "Very well. Jump on my back." He bent his knees a bit. Svety''s eyebrows furrowed, understanding what he was trying to do. Musing for a few seconds, she decided to do what he said. "Hold my back tight and keep your face behind my back." "Uh, oka-" Famous Last Words. Chapter 38: Jon Tribe Chapter 38: Jon Tribe "Uuughkkkk! *Cough* *Cough* *Cough*!" Svety had been puking continuously for thest minute and still showed no signs of stopping. Rewen watched the miserable Svety and shrugged. Rubbing her back, he asked. "Are you better now?" Svety gave a slight nod. "Do you have water?" "Sure, which one do you want? Upper or lower? Ah, nevermind. We are quite close to the tribe." *** "Why have youe here, if I may ask?" An elderly man standing in front of dozens of tanned skinned people of all ages wearing leather clothes asked. The elderly man was the ''En'' of the Jon Tribe. ''En'' meaning a ''person who stands out'' in one of the most popr tribalnguages in Eastern Dream Kingdom. He is basically the Leader of the Tribe but due to customs and traditions, the head of the tribe is often called ''En''. Rewen was about to answer when the words he had prepared to say got stuck at his throat. ''How should I ask ? He might not tell me if I''m too straight-forward and perceive me as someone with hidden intentions.'' Quick making a n, he coughed lightly. "We were sent here to check the overall situation of the Restricted Area. Our superior has caught on some disturbing news originating from here so he sent us. We don''t know what the news was though and can only ask you." The elderly man didn''t speak anything for a while, and then slightly nodded. "I see. Very well,e with me. I''ll take you to the guest room. We can speak while walking." "Perfect." "" Svety was muted the whole time. "Um, so what is the present scenario of the Area?" Rewen asked. "Hard to describe. Recently, with the new ''En'' taking charge, the bnce has fallen apart." "The new ''En''? Of which tribe?" "Oh, my apologies. Since you aren''t from the Area, you don''t know of the matter." The elderly man then went off to exin the matter to Rewen. An ''En'' can''t be chosen randomly. There are four tribes Jon, Kun, Jun and Qan, each tribe having their own ''En''. There is only a single rule when electing an ''En'' "When a single ''En'' dies, the other three ''En''s must retire from their post within a month." The Kun tribe''s ''En'' died a week ago and the new ''En'' is being chosen. Unfortunately, the story didn''t stop there. Although the Kuns had an ''En'', there were two opposing factions. The leader of the opposing faction conspired against the previous ''En'' and killed him in order to be the new ''En''. "I have no problems with retiring. Rather it''s time for me to retire but the same can''t be said for the other two tribes Jun and Qan. The ''En'' of the two tribes are particrly young and they aren''t willing to step down. I have heard that the ''En'' of Jun visited the Kun with his men two days ago and hasn''t returned yet." "Did his men return?" "No." "Would it be rude to ask the strength of an ''En''?" "Strongest among the tribe but can''te close to Mages or Martial Artists. Rest assured, even if we summon the entire armies of the four tribes, we won''t be able to touch your hair." The elderly man chuckled, then added. "My racial ability is to gauge how terrifying a person is. It''s vague but I have lived with the ability for more than eighty years." Rewen didn''t show any reaction. ''Sure enough, the ''En'' of thergest tribe in Area 51 is not an ordinary man.'' "Any further questions for me?" Standing in the moderatelyrge guest room, the elderly man asked. "No, that''s all. Could you send some of your tribe members of all the age groups?" Rewen sat down on the bed in the room. "Sure. If there''s nothing else, I''m leaving. If you have anything to ask, call the servant you saw in the hallway and ask him to take you to me." Rewen nodded and watched the elderly man leave the room, and thenid down t on the bed. He then turned his attention to Svety who was sitting on the bed, her back facing him. "You have been unusually quiet all this time. Are you feeling unwell?" "... what''s going on? Would you answer this? No. You wouldn''t answer me anything anyway." Rewen sighed. "I have no idea. I just know that if I don''t do this, I would never be able to take responsibility for what I did." His mind drifted to the incident that happenedst night. ''If only not for my baseless pride, I wouldn''t have to face this day.'' He regretted what happened but if he was given the same choice again, he wouldn''t change his decision. From an outsider''s perspective, what Rewen is doing is very bizarre and call him oversensitive but he knew that the expression and demeanor of the devil woman when he was leaving was definitely bad news. "If you havee here not knowing what to do, then you have gone crazy. Anyways, when are we going back?" "Let''s see. By 4 in the evening, we''ll be back to our respective ces." "I see. I''ll be sleeping till then. Wake me up." Svetyid down on the bed and pulled over the quilt making herself veryfortable. Closely looking at the face in front of him, he sighed inwardly and got up from the bed. His attention then turned towards the open door. "Come in." A fair-skinned boy of around 12-13 years of age showed himself. "Umm, do you have something you want to do?" His hair was dirty blonde and timidity was evident from his expressions. "How many years have you been in this tribe?" "From birth?" "Then why are you a servant? Are you from the branched family or something?" "I''m an orphan, picked up at birth near the tribe." "An orphan, eh? What are your future ns?" "Ah? What do I n to do in the future? I do want to turn sixteen as soon as possible to be exempted from a servant''s duties but beyond that I don''t know" Just as he had finished answering, a lean man entered the room. The boy noticed his arrival and respectfully bowed, then turned to Rewen. "Is there anything else?" "No, you can go." At this moment, the lean man stepped forward. "I heard you have some questions for me?" "Yes, some. Why is your Jon tribe thergest tribe? Does it have anything to do with the tribe strength or just the poption?" "It has everything to do with poption. If the general poption is more, then the people who are suitable to join the Defenders Group are naturally more. In other words, we don''t have stronger people, we just have more strong people." "That makes sense. I hope you don''t mind me asking this since you''re the son of the ''En'' in the tribe but, how do you feel about the current ''En'' controversy?" "I think nothing of that. Everything''s too caught in this that I don''t even know what to think of this. Rather, I don''t even want to be an ''En''." The lean man groaned. "You don''t want to be an ''En''?" "Correct." "Why? Does it have something with your beliefs?" "Yes. I firmly believe in democracy. Nothing''s evolved since our ancestors arrived at this ce. Everything''s the same." "I understand where you''reing from but the world outside of the area is also not a demo-" He paused as a memory surfaced in his mind. ''This is what happens when a world doesn''t change.'' This was said by his elder cousin, Cal. Although Rewen couldn''t connect the dots between this and the incident that happened years ago, he understood one thing - the world didn''t change. Yes, the world had changed in many different ways but the fundamental nature of human beings didn''t change. ''Is it because the world had achieved moral perfection two thousand years ago? Is thew system wless?'' Rewen didn''t know the answer for the former but he wouldn''t be in this ce if thew system were perfect. ''Or is it because any more change would be detrimental to the world? ... forget it, there''s time and ce to be philosophical and now is not the time.'' Chapter 39: Kun Tribe Chapter 39: Kun Tribe "Um I-I um t-two." In the room, a small girl made ''two'' with her fingers with a face that was about to cry. Rewen patted the girl gently. "I see. I see. You have two siblings. Very nice! You''re already the big sister of two children. Soon, you''ll be an old hag!" Making an exaggerated face, he answered but soon noticed that the reaction of the girl was not what he had expected. Her face crumbled and was about to cry when Rewen realised his mistake. "Ah, no no. You''ll be the biggest sister of the tribe one day. Okay? Now, go and tell your Grandpa not to send more people." The girl nodded and left the room. "Puchi! Hahahahaha!" Just as the girl left, Rewen heard the sound ofughter. "I haven''t called you yet, why did you wake up?" Needless to mention, it was Svety. "You aren''t a fan of kids, are you?" Without answering his question, Svety asked with a bright smile on her face. "I like quiet ones." "You have to raise a kid well then. You know, most kids are annoying." Svety gave an ambiguous reply. "You are very confident." Rewen was a straightforward person and didn''t like people who y with words. The only exception to the rule was him himself. He just couldn''tugh it off. "I didn''t even mention yesterday''s matter till now. Do I have to or would you do the honor?" His voice went t. "I have no idea what you''re talking about-" *Pah!* "Answer." A cold voice rang beside Svety''s ears. Her expression was one of disbelief and anger. Gnashing her teeth, she opened her mouth. "Rewen, we can talk it out." Looking at the current Rewen, she felt powerless. *Pah!* "What a shame. Too bad I don''t want to talk it out." This time, it was a backhand p. "REWEN-" *Pah!* "Who told you to increase your voice?" "..." "Answer." "Yes. I was the one behind the incident yesterday in the cafe." Svety said in a heavy voice. Although Rewen didn''t really apply much force, her cheeks were red and had handprints. What affected her the most wasn''t the pain. Instead of the physical, her psychological damage was much more. "What were you hoping to achieve by doing so?" "I wanted to teach you a lesson." "A lesson? What for?" "For trying to break up with me." "Stay here. I''lle back." Rewen didn''t speak anymore. He left the room and approached the nearby servant. "Do you have some water?" "Ah? Please wait." The servant who was doing nothing quickly went somewhere. It didn''t take even a minute for the servant to bring a bottle full of water. Holding the bottle, Rewen crouched and directly poured the water contained on the bottle on his head. Secondster, he got up with his hairs covering his eyes. He then took out his handkerchief to wash off the water from his hairs. ''My head is still fuming.'' He bitterly sighed. ''I didn''t mean to hit her.'' Immediately after he thought this, his lips curved up to form a self-mocking smile. ''Am I that weak that I can''t even control my own mind? Have I be that twisted that I get personal satisfaction by abusing a woman weaker than me.'' Whenever he is around Svety, his mind bes very unstable and didn''t know why- no. He did know why but he didn''t want to acknowledge it. He hates her to his very bones. He hates the fact that she manipted the previous Rewen''s feelings. He hates the fact that she used her background to force him into a rtionship. He hates the fact that despite everything, her eyes showed no remorse or guilt. ''Out of respect for the previous owner of the body, I turned a blind eye but it seems I''m not half as tolerant as I expected.'' "Here''s your towel." While Rewen was engaged in thoughts, he failed to notice the panting servant. "Thanks." Rewen gave a polite smile. "You are wee!" The servant beamed. *** In the guest room, Svety silently sobbed. She couldn''t find any words to describe her current situation. She lifted her head when she heard the sound of footsteps. A few secondster, a decent-looking red-haired young man entered the room. "Rewen" She muttered in a tired voice. "What''s wrong with you? One second, you''re normal. The next, you are hitting me. Is interference really that bad?" Rewen didn''t answer immediately. He sat by her side and grasped her hand. "Yeah. It''s that bad. That''s why I said - for our own good, let''s end this. I don''t want you to suffer." "Do you think you can bluff your way out of this? I know and understand you more than your parents do." Rewen felt mentally tired. ''I don''t want to continue this drama anymore... nevermind, let''s focus on the matter at hand.'' He was at the prime of his youth. In regards to his romantic life, he wished he too could find someone significant to him. However, now was not the time. He had more important things to deal with. "Listen. I have some work in this area right now. It''s better if you walk back. Even better if you call your bodyguards to pick you up." After he said that, he expected a ''I''ll go with you'' but surprisingly, she didn''t voice any objections. *** Kun Tribe. Rewen hid behind trees and observed the two guards standing at the entrance of the tribe. The tribe was unusually quiet making him feel relief and suspicious at the same time. ''Whatever, I possibly couldn''t have any problems with my strength.'' He thought so but still cautiously activated his bloodline perk [Stealth] before running towards the guards avoiding their looks. Once he came near one of them, he swiftly chopped the guard''s neck causing the guard to fall. ''Huh? To think this would actually work.'' "Hey! Who did this?" The other guard cried out. Rewen simply crouched beside the fallen guard, wanting to see the effects of the [Stealth]. "Uh-uh... must have been the wind-" The other guard also fell. ''As expected, my [Stealth] isn''t invisibility. The guard probably saw me.'' He then directly entered through the gate. Not a single soul could be seen in the vicinity. ''Why? Where are the servants? Why is the ce so deste?'' He wondered. ''I should check the rooms.'' *Knock* "Hello? Anyone?" *Knock* "Can Ie in?" *Knock* "I''ming in." *Knock* "I''m breaking in!" Fueled with impatience, he kicked the door open. The room was small and messy. At the corner, there was a small bed upon which a person was sleeping peacefully. The person was about the same age as Rewen. "Wake up." "Hnnn" *Pah* "Wake up." "Ah! Wha- what? Just kill me!" "That''s a bit of an overkill. Who are you?" "Who are YOU!?" "I''m from the town. Answer me, where are the other tribe members?" "They are dead." The young man frankly answered. "How?" "A bunch of people appeared a week ago and annihted our tribe." "Why? And why are you so calm?" Rewen was rather surprised at the man''sposure. "What is there to be shocked about? I saw my parents, cousins and brothers get eaten in front of my eyes-" "Eaten?" "Bro, don''t interrupt. You should be considerate to someone like me. My tribe literally got annihted." "Right, my bad. Continue." Chapter 40: Punishment Chapter 40: Punishment "In other words, your entire tribe except for you and the two guards got eaten by a bunch of cannibals." "Yes." "Didn''t the cannibals, like, do anything else? For example, robbery, ****, etc." "No. They were quite dedicated to their profession. As soon as they arrived, they ordered the ''En'', err, the previous ''En'' to gather the tribe members and well, I''ll leave the rest upto your imaginations." "My next question, why are the guards and you spared? Were you hidden away for the purpose of preserving bloodline?" "Hah! Do I look like the son of the ''En''?" Rewen rolled his eyes and thought, ''All tribal people look the same'' but then realized that it would be rude and gestured to him to continue. "Actually, you might not believe it but the reason I got spared is to spread the information of their existence or so they said." "What? Do you mean they wanted you to ry the information to someone like me?" "Not ''someone like you''. It''s ''anyone''." Rewen took a deep breath. "What about the guards? Why were they left alive?" "They said that the tribe must look like it is the usual from the outside." "Why? Isn''t their intention to spread the information of their existence?" "If I have to guess, hmm, it''splicated to exin. It''s not that hard to guess though." Rewen got lost in thoughts. ''Let''s see They wanted to let others know that they were here but also they don''t. It''s indeed simple to guess.'' "They don''t want the news to be known too fast which means this was a precaution in case the others felt something wrong with the tribe while they were escaping. But there''s a hole. Howe were they so sure that you and the guards wouldn''t report the news as soon as you guys can?" "Because it would bring more harm than good. The fall of a tribe would bring disaster to the entire Area 51. You are from outside so it''s natural you wouldn''t know. Few hundred years ago, the respective ''En''(s) of the four tribes made a deal with the government which allowed the tribes to bepletely free of thews and obligations of the outside world. In turn, the government gave only a single condition - if a dayes where one of the tribes is wiped out, then the rest of the tribes have to get outside of the Area and serve the government for eternity. Naturally, the government also mentioned that they themselves would not associate with the tribes any further." "Wow. No wonder the reason you and the guards didn''t dare to report to the other tribes. They would definitely skin you alive. However, why didn''t you report to the authorities? Surely, it''s better to serve the government than getting skinned alive." The young man shook his head with a bitter smile. "You didn''t get the meaning of ''serving'' properly. The moment any one of us tribal people step outside our human rights would be stripped off and we would be seen as something less than ves. We could be killed by anyone, anytime, anywhere." "But why would any random person want to kill you? I''m pretty sure that people outside aren''t that bloodthirsty." "What if my own people try to kill me?" "Oh, sorry. Dumb of me to ask." "..." "Aren''t you afraid that I''ll leak this news to the authorities?" The young man''s eyes flickered and didn''t speak for a while. "I trust you." From his expressions, Rewen could easily tell that guy was somewhat dumb but he didn''t expose him. "Don''t worry. So? What do you n to do?" "What else could I do other than lying in this bed all day?" "What about revenge? Don''t you want to take revenge?" Rewen jokingly asked. He found the young man in front of him quite pleasant to chat with. "Ehm, sure. What is revenge? Can it be eaten?" "Nevermind. This is yourst question. What did you do with the ''En'' of Jun and his men?" "What are you talking about?" The young man stared at Rewen with a confused face. Rewen opened his mouth to reply but the words didn''te out as his mouth was left hanging open. Only a single thought came to his mind. ''The two stories aren''t simr!'' What the ''En'' of Jon told him was significantly different. Wasting no time, he exited the room activating the [Freestyle Knights Combat] technique. "Huh!?" The young man was shocked at the sudden departure of Rewen. "Geez, you should have at least asked for my name and give your name." Perhaps, his fate was forever to appear as a nameless person. He yawned as heid on the bed again falling in sleep. Meanwhile, Rewen was running as fast as he could. The reason he was in a hurry was because he was concerned about Svety. Figuring out that what the ''En'' of Jon said was most probably a big fat lie, he couldn''t keep continuing chatting. ''Wait, she probably has bodyguards around her'' Even though he thought that, he didn''t lower his speed. *** ''The room is empty.'' Rewen nkly stared at the guest room. Beforeing to the room, he had gone through the main gate of the tribe and everything appeared usual on the surface. ''Cool down. What if she just went outside?'' "You came back?" Rewen tilted his head. "Where did you go?" "Bathroom." Svety replied with an indifferent tone. It didn''t take a second guess for Rewen to find out that she was in a bad mood regarding the incident some time ago. "We''re leaving." He grasped her right hand dragging her along. "I can walk on my own." .. "What''s the hurry? We have already prepared meals for the two of you and I definitely won''t let go of you two. Hahaha! It''s been awhile since we''ve had visitors! I hope you won''t disappoint me." The ''En'' of Jon said as he saw the two of them leaving. "I''m afraid I''ll have to decline the offer. Don''t worry though, I''ll be visiting very soon. So yeah, prepare some strong poison next time." - which is what Rewen wanted to say but he knew if he said that, the guy in the Kun Tribe would suffer so he held back and politely declined. The elderly ''En'' turned back with a disappointed expression. *** "Drop me off here!" Rewen said to Svety as the car neared his home. "What about lunch?" Svety asked confusedly. It''s no secret that Rewen who can''t cook for himself usually has lunch in her ce. Living in an expensive apartment along with maids, her life was one Rewen could only wish for. Even the current Rewen was not particrly averse to having lunch at her ce. The only reason he didn''t visit her ce in thest two days was because of two reasons. One, unclearplicated rtionship. Two, Rewen was too preupied with his life. "I''m not feeling too well. Take care of yourself." He sighed as he got out of the car under Svety''s sharp eyes. Momentster, Rewen kept his bag in a corner after entering his room. Hisplexion didn''t look good. ''Increasing stats, daily missions, reaching Rank 0 quest, club, requested mission, unknown dangers, variables to ns, Svety, virtual world and several other social problems. Am I supposed to keep track of all this?'' He was only human. Granted most of the problems he listed wouldn''t be a problem if he didn''t want it to be but ording to him, they were necessary for his and his close one''s safety. ''I gave up on the mission half-way. Since when have I be thiszy and irresponsible?'' Ever since he arrived in this world, he never had the chance to focus himself on something. Something or the other keeps popping up. After a while, he calmed down. ''It''s just been two days. I''ll get used to it.'' [Ding! The ''Traveller'' system has merged with the Host!] "Huhhhh!? Where''s my consent!?" Even though he said this, he was quite pleased at his heart. [Ding! Punishment from the E+ Quest ''Damsel in Distress'' initiated] Chapter 41: World: #001 Chapter 41: World: #001 Staring at the ceiling of an unknown room for a few seconds, Rewen didn''t raise any questions. He was very positive that this was rted to the "punishment" notification he received a second ago. The reason he didn''t make any abrupt movements is because he was waiting for an exnation. Sure enough, a blue screen soon appeared above his face. --- World: #001 Description: Be patient and read the entire thing. Not sure if this would answer all your questions but here''s the story. You have sessfully transmigrated over to a different world and took over the body of the main character of the world. Rejoice! Quest: Find the twelve scattered "Gruer Crystal" fragments (0/12). <> (Tap to receive) <> Alter Points: 0 --- "..." Rewen felt a headache from this. He was already in a bad mood, now the current scenario made him worse. He directly tapped on "Gift" and again, a blue screen appeared. --- 1. [Boost] 2. [Appearance Grader] 3. [Balls of Steel] Note: The Host can neither use any of his skills nor ess his stats. --- Rewen had a neutral expression on his face. His attention wasn''t in the gifts. The moment he tapped on the "Gift", a stream of memories appeared at his memory all of a sudden. "Arai Atsushi seems to be my name. Has an unusual ring to it." He muttered under his breath and got up from his bed with some difficulty and went in front of the mirror and bitterly smiled. "I could say with ny percent certainty that this creature standing in front of me is the worst-looking thing I have seen." With a short stature, the current Rewen has an extremely obese figure. The untrimmed rough ck hair falling on his eyes made him look worse. ''Words couldn''t describe the beau- en, ugliness of this thing. I''ll probably be Z if I used the [Appearance Grader].'' "Anyways, looks aren''t important. Let''s look at the matter at hand." Saying so, he grabbed a notebook and pen and wrote down all the important details from his memory. --- The world I am in currently is called Gruer Landings. Simr to Earth''s mana, there was "Gruer''s code" which is basically the equivalent of mana. He, Arai Atsushi, was 15 years old and is the third son of an aristocratic family. Two months ago, he was sent here to the Sakura Garden Academy to be a sessful Gruer User. On the first day of the Academy, he was tested to have the weakest possible attributes possible. Till date, he is constantly an easy target for bullying. --- This is the basic overview. Of course, there were many details he didn''t include but he felt that''s enough to make ns. Taking out his smartphone, his eyes darted across the room and stopped at the table. There was a ck 15 cm long thick cylindrical rod ced. It was called "Gruer Detector". He grabbed it and a notification arrived on his smartphone. --- POW: 1 G.C.: 1 --- POW stands for "power" and G.C. stands for "Gruer''s Code". It should be known that average people had an aptitude of an average of 4. Even the worst of the worst has an average of 2. "What an underpowered character." Rewenughed in an unbridled manner. He was like this. One second, he would self-pity himself. The next second, he would regain his calm and think things straight. "Hmm from what it looks like, I should forget about the Gruer Crystals for the time being" Rewen stood in a daze for the next few seconds, then muttered in an audible voice. "Synchronize." Immediately after he said that, a female voice sounded from the Gruer Detector in his hand. "Synchronized sessfully." Then, he kept the Gruer Detector back in the table. For the next thirty seconds, he practiced the martial arts he learnt from his deceased father. Although the Gruer Detector is poprly known as the "Strength Meter", what it actually measures is the actualbat strength of the person. "Urgh, this body is the apotheosis of trash." Rewen was very ufortable adjusting in the new body. He stopped to look at the Gruer Detector. --- POW: 1.2 G.C. : 1 --- "Wow!" He was rather surprised at the negligible change. "System? What is this? How am I supposed to survive with my present strength? Give me something good." [Hah! You wish! You have toplete the World Quest if you want to leave the world on your own. System can''t help you.] A nasal male voice sounded which made Rewen dumbfounded. "Who are you? Wait, are you the one who appearedst time in the virtual world? Give me my emotionless and cold system back." [Can''t do. But fortunately, I have some pro tips which may help you.] "Will the system really not be able to help me? [No. Do you want to listen to the pro tips? Or maybe nah?] "Yes." [Good. First of all, tap on the ''Storyline''.] He did as he was told. --- Synopsis (Locked) - 5 Volume 1 (Locked) - 30 Volume 2 (Locked) - 60 .. Volume 24 (Locked) - 720 --- "I see. I suppose the numbers beside the volumes are Alter Points? What are these Alter Points and how can I earn them?" [Correct. They are Alter Points and they are what you call "Plot Armor". In simple words, the more Alter Points you have, the more powerful the "Plot Armor" bes. However, to store them would be extremely foolish as toplete your Quest, you must collect the "Gruer Crystals" and to find out their locations, you have to ultimately learn about the story.] "Aren''t I the main character? Shouldn''t I have an in-built plot armor?" [You aren''t. The original owner of the body, Arai Atsushi was. Answering your second question, you can earn Alter Points simply by interacting with the characters of the story. The more relevant the character is to the story, the more Alter Points will you earn.] "So this is a fictional world?" [What else did you think?] "No wonder the people in this world felt a bit unreal." He sighed, then continued. "What else do I need to know?" [Oh! By the way, in case you miss Earth, after staying in the world for a week, you would get a Return Ticket which would let you stay on Earth for three days.] Hearing this, Rewen heaved a sigh of relief. He didn''t know how long the storyline would be but judging by the situation, it could possibly take years. "Anything more?" [If you die, you die.] Rewen chuckled. "Howe I didn''t know that? Ah, everyday I learn something new." [There''s no use in faking calmness. Look deep into your memories, you are in an extremely grave position. One mistake and you might even die.] "If you think you are the only thing I have for myself, then you''re sorely mistaken." [For someone who''s sorry ass has been saved by this ''thing'', your confidence sure is off the charts.] Rewen didn''t answer back. Staring at the mirror, his ugly face contained a rare glint in his eyes. ''I had been indecisive and careless after to Earth. I can''t afford to do the same here. As far as this body''s memories are concerned, he has zero talent in anything. The only thing he was proficient in is eating and sleeping. He has absolutely no protagonist-like traits. Latent talent? Nil. Strength? Nil. Possibility of having a hidden talent? Most certainly, zero. Luck? Never mind this. The only thing he had was "Plot Armor". Sigh. In a way, you are more pitiful than my predecessor.'' A carefree smile hung on his thick lips. "Now then, I should get ready. sses are about to start." Chapter 42: Bullied Chapter 42: Bullied Sakura Garden Academy. Upper-left Quarters. Locking his room, a decent-looking boy smiled and passionately said. "Yosh! Looking forward to a brand new day!" He was usually a quiet and reserved boy so his loud voice attracted quite a bit of attention. ''I, Imada Yoichi, a first year student, am in a brilliant mood.'' Grinning from ear to ear, he took long strides and walked through the hallway. The reason for his bright mood was becausest night, his long-awaited senpai whom he had a crush on epted his feelings. ''Starting from today, I, Imada Yoichi, am a popr guy!'' When he reached his ss, he heard amotion. "Ugly will always be ugly. Hmph! Just because you have changed your hairstyle doesn''t mean we''ll stop bullying you." A red-haired tall man snorted looking at a fat ssmate opposite to him. He sat on the bench in a delinquent fashion. "What''s with the ruckus?" Imada tapped on his ssmate''s shoulder. His ssmate shrugged. "The fatass has changed his hairstyle." "So?" "So?" "..." "How dare he!?" "Eh-eh! Yes!!" As if finallying to his senses, Imada shouted towards the fat ssmate. "You''re looking good today, Fatso! Your charm has sessfully increased by a negative. HAHAHAHA!" "HAHAHAHA!" "HAHAHAHA!~ Good one, Imada!" "You hear that, Fatty? Learn to control yourself and not stare at my thighs from now on." "No way, Emi-chan! He stared at your thighs? What a disgusting pervert!" "Don''t worry. As long as I''m alive, I won''t allow that lowlife''s hair to reach you." "Aah~ Kiba-kun. Thanks to you, I can sleep peacefully." Imada chatted along with others briefly before noticing a strange thing. ''Why is that fatso smiling? What is so funny?'' Curiosity filling his mind, he sat on one of the nearest seats to his ssmate, Arai Atsushi. "What is so funny?" He took a good look at the ugly face and questioned with an intimidating tone. Rewen, A.K.A, Arai Atsushi was turning on the gears of his mind when he saw a face close to him. "I was thinking how childish the insults were and how unfunny the jokes were." He said without thinking too much, then realized that he misspoke. "U-uhm, etto, I-I.. didn''t mean th-that. P-please forgive me" At first, Imada was very angry but when he saw the look of absolute terror on the other party''s face, he waved his hands. "Hmph! It''s fine since you admit your mistake." Rewen inwardly smiled. Beforeing to the ss, he had already decided on the image he wanted to maintain - a boot-licking timid trash fatso. He knew his limits. This world wasn''t as kind as Earth. Like the system said, if he wasn''t careful, he could even die. To avoid that, he has to maintain a low-profile. ''Until of course, I get my main character cheat. If I don''t get that, then I guess I would really die beforepleting my quest'' He knew that there''s no way he could be stronger significantly. ''As for my other talents, maybe I could-'' "Oi, what are you day-dreaming about?" His train of thoughts got interrupted by an annoying voice. "W-w-what is it? I d-don''t have any money" "Who wants your dirty money! Take this and bring me two cans of juice." Imada took out four silver coins and flicked it over to Rewen. "I-I-I-I-I-uh" "Stop stuttering and go before I go berserk!" Rewen ran off with the coins gripped into his hands. His tottering with his fat body attracted a bit of attention. "Another errand? You don''t have any mercy, do you?" The guy who was bullying Rewen earlier pped Imada''s shoulders andughed. "Of course. Who does he think he is? Though he is an aristocrat, he is unworthy to attend this sacred academy full of elites. It''s only fair I use him." Imada snorted. His fellow ssmatesughed hearing him. *** Meanwhile, Rewen got caught up into quite a predicament. He had just grabbed the two cans from the vending machine when a maniac was sprinting towards his direction and bumped into him. If it was only bumping, Rewen would have let bygones let bygones. Having quite the trauma with bumping, thest thing he would do is do anything about it. Not to mention, his current situation wouldn''t let him boss around even if he wanted to. However, unlike thews of physics, the bumping didn''t cause the both of them to fall on the opposite side. Rather, the figure who bumped into him fell over him. ''I couldn''t see.'' This was his first thought. ''What is this soft thing on my cheeks? Ah, I see." He didn''t even need to think twice to know what the soft thing is. ''As expected, I''m a harem protagonist. This information is useful.'' Heid down still, not making movements. He wasn''t sure if making any sort of movements would produce some unfavorable sounds from the figure so he decided against it. ''I''ll just wait for her to get up on her own. Mm the smell is not bad.'' "KYAAAH!!" He wasn''t surprised at the shriek. ''Luckily for me, I didn''t touch them or do anything. I shouldn''t get a p-'' *Pah* "Pervert!!" Blood dripped from his lips. ''Three teeth? What a huge loss. Damnit! My right cheek stings!'' He spat out three of his broken teeth and stared at the figure over him with a look that was almost about to cry. Needless to say, he wasn''t actually about to cry but had to act like it. ''Weird. Normally, I would jump and curse at her totally disregarding time and ce but why am I not the least bit angry this time?'' "Kuhhh. S-sorry" He gulped before rubbing his eyes with the ground dust to produce tears. "I-I''m shhorry" "Look how ugly the pig looks." "Serves him right! Who told him to get into Asuka-hime''s way." "H-hey, don''t you think that guy''s luck is too bad?" "Don''t feel sorry for him. He is the lowest trash possible. Sympathizing with him makes you no different from him." "But isn''t he the son of an aristocrat? Why is he treated like this?" "Are you living under a rock!? Haven''t you heard of the promise the Head of Atsushi n made five years ago?" "Could it be rted to the President of Hot cial Foundations'' daughter!? Don''t tell me this is the guy!?" "It is him." Amidst the surroundingmotion, Rewen nced at the figure who fell over him and got a good look. Pigtails, blonde hair,rge rack, an oval face it wouldn''t be an exaggeration to call the girl the prettiest girl Rewen ever met in his 18 years of life. Her face was fuming which troubled him a lot and he instantly increased his volume of his sobbing and closed his eyes. The next second, when he half-opened his eyes, he noticed a hand nearing his left cheek. He didn''t have time to think as he hastily tried to block it with his hand. "..." The hand didn''t reach his cheek. But. His wrist twisted. His eyes slowly dimmed as he fell down. "Hm! Who told you to block! Aah~ I''m so bored." She got up and dusted off the dirt from her skirt and turned to the crowd. "Boys, can you take him to the infirmary? No matter what, I can''t be this heartless, right? Please?" """At your service!""" "Be grateful, trash!" Three boys carried Rewen at his back and carried him to the infirmary. [Imagine being ''not a superhero who''s useless without a cape''.] At this moment, the seemingly fainted Rewen weakly smiled. ''This is just the beginning. Besides, I had worse days.'' [Continue bragging. It''s both interesting and satisfying to see you get thrashed on. Where''s your pride and arrogance from earlier? Where did they go?] ''System.'' [What?] The system asked in a curious loli voice ''Show me her grade, just the grade and nothing else.'' [Huh? What grade?] ''Of course, her appearance. Don''t I have [Appearance Grader]?'' [...] Chapter 43: Again Chapter 43: Again Sakura Garden Academy. Infirmary. Rewen woke up to find himselfying down in bed. His hand wrapped with white bandage. He had really fainted beforeing to the infirmary because the pain in both his cheek and his wrist was too unbearable. ''The sses should have been over.'' He sighed. ''What a waste.'' He wasn''t particrly concerned over his injuries because it doesn''t really matter. He would get beaten up like this regrly regardless of whether he gets injured or not because at the end of the day, he couldn''t defend himself. ''It would take some time to get strong but if it''s just to protect myself, maybe there''s something I can do'' "Ex-excuse me, i-is anyone here?" He probed with a meek voice. "Hai, hai. Coming." A youngdy came through the curtains. "How many times does this make this month? Ten? And the month hasn''t even ended it. How many times do I have to tell you to not pick fights?" "Sorry" Lowering his head, he apologised. ''She should be the Infirmary Nurse, Maki Shinohara.'' Staring closely at her, he wondered. ''Why are people in the world so good-looking? The psychopath who thrashed me is an ''A'' Grade. I don''t think this Nurse would be any lower. Ah, nevermind. Since when did I be someone to judge looks?'' "Uh-hhmm A-Arai-kun" Fiddling with her fingers, her face showed signs of red. Rewen was taken aback by her behaviour. ''I''m most definitely a harem protagonist. Hold up, that''s too fast of an assumption. Maybe she is just feeling ufortable because I''m staring at her.'' "S-sorry for staring." He again lowered his head. Maki regained herposure after letting out a sigh. "If you have any problems, you cane to me. Though I can''t do much, I can help you with your injuries. Also, for the final time, don''t go picking fights." "B-but I-I don''t do anything they just hit me." He said with a face that was almost about to cry. To this, Maki helplessly shook her head. "You have neither physical strength nor a strong personality. You are bound to get beaten up if you are like this. Man up." She said so in a strong voice, then sat down beside him. Rewen paused for a while before asking. "Sensei, can I ask if you have any advice for me?" "Advice in what sense?" "To not get beaten up?" Maki pondered with her hand under her chin. "Hn I suppose there is a way. If you manage to be an Assist of any department, very few would dare to touch you." "An Assist!? T-t-that" Rewen frowned on the inside while maintaining a shocked exterior. ''To qualify to be an assist, one at least needs to be a third year having a score of above 90% in every field. It''s just theoretical though. I could definitely try for it.'' "I know what you are thinking of. That you need to at least be a third year, right? But I''ll tell you what. There is a separate procedure. Each year every faculty member is given one rmendation slot. Though the rmendations are usually taken from third years, there is no fixed rule. In other words, if a faculty member wants to, he/she can absolutely take you in as an assist." By the end, a smile appeared on her charming face. "But, but who will give me rmendation slots? I''m trash" He said in amenting tone but understood her words very clearly. ''Could she be? Very likely.'' Maki shook her head smiling. "Who says you''re trash. I''m also a faculty member. Who says you are trash? I''ll take you in as an Assist, okay?" She stretched her hand towards him. Rewen''s face showed surprise. He too stretched his hand for a handshake but midway, he hesitated. "T-this how will I repay you?" "What repay? You''re Arai-kun! I don''t need any favors. Hurry up and ept my offer!" Maki feigned anger. Rewen''s face showed hesitation. Eventually, he put down his hand. "I-I need to think about it. What is the time?" Maki groaned in displeasure. "I''ll give you two days to think about it. It''s 2 past five currently. Your sses are over. If you want the notes, I''ll send it by evening." She waved her hand and went back to work. Rewen nodded and rested while ying with his smartphone. ''Not a good sign. Anyways, it''s time.'' He got up with some difficulty and stretched his arms, then exited the infirmary. Room 285. Taking a shower, Rewen looked at the mirror. ''It would take more than seven months to get in form. There''s no shortcut to this.'' He then took out a baggy shirt from his wardrobe and wore it. --- Alter Points: 3 --- This was the thing that made Rewen interested the most. ''As I thought, both Asuka and Maki are relevant characters. After the matter with Asuka, the Alter Points increased by 2. Then, meeting with Maki increased it by 1. From this, isn''t it quite generous?'' He pondered a bit. ''Yes and no. The early volumes will be easy to unlock but I can''t say the same for theter ones. Well, as the main character, my influence should rise along with the time no, that''s wrong. I''m not the main character anymore. I just have his identity. I can only hope the events will be rted to me.'' [Hey, I have never asked this before, but what are your ns?] ''Simple. I originally nned to run away from the Academy and hide from society but as it stands, I need Alter Points to know the location of the Gruer Crystals. I can hide but for how long? Eventually, I have to get involved. Physical training won''t increase my progress beyond 4 POW. I need something different.'' [How do you know it won''t increase beyond 4 POW?] ''I''m a martial artist. I know the limits of my body very well.'' [So then, what do you n to do for now?] ''I have something nned but for now, I''ll just exercise.'' *** "Yah~ I can''t tolerate the ugliness of the creature. Somebody help me!" "Heh! To think he is actually running. Someone tell him it''s useless!" "That isn''t a chunk of meat, that is his baby." "Look at the way he is sweating. So disgusting!" "Look at the track he is wearing, can''t you see his dingdong bouncing? HAHAHA!" "Look at the shoe he is wearing, torn and low-quality. Never have I seen such a poor aristocrat." Rewen ran while hearing the mobs bing speechless as time passed. He had been running for more than ten minutes and the mob still hasn''t closed their mouth off. ''Would they stay for as long as I can? What''s their purpose? To throw jabs at me andugh? I don''t know if I should feel sad for them or not.'' Sure enough, he had been jogging for approximately thirty minutes and the mob was still there making unfunny jokes andughing at him for no reason. ''Aren''t they quite dedicated? Perhaps, in a sense, they are my fans.'' Under everyone''s gaze, he was about to go back to his quarters when a voice reached him. "Hahaha! Who would have thought that the fatty would actually jog? What a surprise, what a surprise." A red-haired guy pped and made his way to Rewen, then with a grin, he roared. "Kiss this fist!" A closed fist neared Rewen as thetter carefully observed the fist. If he wanted to, he could minimize the damage it would deal to his cheek but he didn''t. He let the fist hit him in the face. *Pah* Rewen fell down t on the ground and as his eyes dimmed, he remembered hisst thought. ''7 POW at best. He held back some so the damage I received should be around 4-5 POW. This time two teeth. Well, better than no improvement.'' Chapter 44: Angel Chapter 44: Angel Sakura Garden Academy. Under the moonlight, sat an ugly boy on the bench. He was unconscious after getting beaten up and woke up a few minutes ago. "Cruel world." He muttered under his breath. "It''s getting cold." Wearing only a thin baggy shirt, he was bound to feel cold at night. "Interesting how no one took me to the infirmary and let mey unconscious in the ground." He said with a wry smile on his face. ''Let''s see if there''s any change in Alter Points.'' --- Alter Points: 5 --- Seeing this, he wasn''t overjoyed because he had a feeling that Koyami Koyashi, the guy who beat him up was an important character, at least in the early story. --- Synopsis (Locked) - 5 --- He put the 5 Alter Points and unlocked it. --- Synopsis (Unlocked): Arai Atsushi, the third son of an aristocrat, after receiving something close to a death sentence from his family decides to enrol in the Continent''s most prestigious academy, Sakura Garden Academy in order to change his fate. What he didn''t know was that fate was not kind to everyone. On his first day of Academy, he was proved to have the worst talent possible. From then on, he started living while being constantly bullied and humiliated... Until the day the fated full moon shone brightly upon the world when an angel fell upon the world... --- "So I''m supposed to get a cheat from this angel? Good." He then looked up. "How convenient." There was a full moon. ''So where is this angel? I hope I didn''t change the plot too much, resulting in a butterfly effect. Whatever. I''ll sit here through the night.'' "Are you Arai Atsushi?" All of a sudden, a gentle and charming voice travelled into his ears making him almost jump out from the bench. He tilted his head to see a well-defined face close to him. When he saw her figure clearly, he noticed that she had been standing behind the bench. ''Again, why are people in this world so pretty?'' "I asked you a question. Do you not want to answer?" She asked him, showing him a brilliant smile on her face. Rewen didn''t need a second confirmation to find out that she was the "angel" in the synopsis. "I-I-I-I-I-I-" With a frightened face, he started stuttering. "If you say ''I'' one more time, you''ll die." "Me. Me is Arai Atsushi. Please don''t kill me" "Good." She smiled, reaching out her hands to caress his face. "I won''t kill you. Do you want to know why I came here?" Rewen shook his head. "I, no, I mean, me don''t know." The "angel" caressed his neck with her two slender hands, then her hands went below feeling his chest as her face got close to his ears. "To. Help. You." Her voice was seductive. "T-to help me?" He asked in a confused tone. ''Bullsh*t. Do you think I''m a three-year-old? And what''s with the sexual harassment you are doing? Stop right there. I''m physically underaged, you sick f*ck.'' Of course, these were only his inner thoughts. There''s no way he could say it to her face unless he has a death wish. "Do you know who I am?" Licking his neck, she asked with a sweet smile. "Fueh!" He can''t remain nonchnt on the outside when she licks his neck. ''I think that was a good reaction executed at the right moment.'' "No" He lowered his head as if hemitted an unforgivable sin. If he didn''t read the synopsis, he would have thought that she was a subus, for real. "Do you want to know?" "En" Giving a nod of acknowledgement, he groaned inwardly. ''I hate when characters go round and round withouting to the crux of the matter.'' The "angel" tip-toeding in front of him, held his chin with her fingers and smiled. "I am an angel. I can help you easily if I want to." "C-can you make me stronger?" The "angel" frowned deeply, then regained her trademark smile. "Don''t ask for the impossible. I can protect you for one year and I reckon by then, your problems would disappear. What do you say?" Rewen shook his head showing a determined expression. "This is my fate. I don''t want Respected Angel to help you. If Respected Angel has something to make me stronger, even by a tiny bit, I would do anything." His answer caught the "angel" by surprise. ''Is he is a kid? Does he not know that he would die if he didn''t have external help? I didn''t expect the situation to turn like this.'' After a few seconds, she nodded with a smile. "Fine. Although it would be a waste, I would give you twenty bottles of Fueled Gruer if" She didn''t continue. "If what?" Rewen knew what Fueled Gruer was. They were very expensive fluids used to push one''s potential depending ontent talent. ''If a person has an innate 5 POW, drinking one bottle of Fueled Gruer would increase his/her POW by 0.125. Since mytent talent is low, I would need arge supply of them but how can it be that easy? One bottle alone costs 2,500,000 gold coins.'' "If you do what I want you to. How does that sound?" ''Vague.'' He thought but showed a hesitant expression. "B-but I am trash." He wanted to know her motives. "Puchi!" The "angel" startedughing as if she heard the funniest joke. "You are so cute. No, you aren''t trash. Normal masses simply don''t know how much of a treasure you are." Rewen''s face flushed red. "T-that''s not true" On the inside, he was constantly creating theories regarding the situation. ''Do I have an unknown cheat? I probably do. If I don''t, how would I be the main character? But from what it seems, it isn''t rted to physical strength and I''m also positive I don''t have any special Gruer''s Code. Making a reasonable estimate, I have something unique to me. Something not rted to strength and unorthodox. Something which would stay relevant throughout the story Well, I would know soon enough.'' "It is. Alright, I''m going. See you tomorrow." Rewen didn''t speak. ''Would she get enrolled in my ss as a transfer student? Very likely. I guess it''s high time to take some precautions.'' He got up from his bench and started jogging. [Do you think you are very clever taking advantage of an underaged girl?] ''Me? Take advantage? She was the one who took advantage of me.'' [Ah, I didn''t mean that way.] ''She is dumb but smarterparatively than the others.'' [Do you not miss the real world?] ''Yes. Both the real and the virtual world. I guess I have to get used to it. 24 volumes are no joke. Do you know the time frame though?'' [Confidential.] ''Of course.'' [Last question.] ''Go on.'' [Why didn''t you ept her help?] ''Not needed.'' [That''s simply overconfidence if you had taken her help, you could have increased your chances of not getting killed. No matter how you put it to be, don''t you think it''s high time for you to take things seriously.] ''System.'' [Yes?] ''I do what I want to do. I have given you the liberty to question me doesn''t mean I''ll listen to you. You better not forget that had you not existed, I would not have to deal with all this. I would have lived an uneventful life in the town believing it to be the real world. I''m grateful for the benefits that you had given me but remember, you are not my equal.'' Stopping his practice, Rewen replied in his usual voice. [I-I w-was just trying to-] ''Uh, shut up. You are making me sick. Whatever, never mind. Tomorrow morning, I''ll wake up and forget about it. Don''t bring this up again." The system didn''t raise another word. Chapter 45: Luna Chapter 45: Luna Staring at the mirror with bed hair, Rewen brushed his teeth, asionally frowning when the brush brushed over the five missing teeth. "It''s about time. I should hurry up. Not like I would bete either. If I hurry up, I would be bullied by my ssmates usually. The teacher alwayseste. But if I don''t, they will get suspi- nah, that''s too far-fetched. I should take my time but people are pedantic when ites to main characters. Hmm" After thinking for a minute, he concluded that he would neither go too early nor toote. *** Rewen''s ssroom. Imada yawned, sleeping while supporting his head with the desk. He had gone on ate-night date with his new girlfriend. It went well but as a result, he rarely got any sleep. His eyes swayed across the ssroom before falling on an unpleasant individual. ''If I recall correctly, he was beaten to a pulp by Asuka-hime and Koyami. Forget it, I''ll not ask back for the silvers. He''s too pitiful.'' "Hehe, what''s cooking? Imada, you good?" A hand patted Imada''s shoulders as he turned back to see a tall red-haired guy of his age grinning. ''Speak of the devil.'' He was Koyami Koyashi, Arai Atsushi''s main bully. Not that it was a proud identity, just that his existence is of little significance outside of bullying his ssmate, Arai Atsushi. "Good. What''s up?" "Just looking at the idiot." The "idiot" he was talking about was of course, none other than Rewen who was quietly reading a book. ''Why? Do you love him?'' Imada always had this one question in mind but never really dared to ask. "Yeah, he seems to be reading a book." "Yes, he is." ''Wait, isn''t that obvious that he is reading a book? Why did I feel the need to mention that?'' "But his time reading a book hase to an end. Muahahaha! Oy, Arai! Whatcha reading!? Why don''t you tell me!?" "U-um, I-I''m reading the Gruer Shaping Rules" "You know what? I don''t care! How was that punch I gave you yesterday? Was it sweet?" "N-no" "Huh!? No?" "No! I mean, yes!" "Then take another one!" "No!! Pl-please forgive me!" "Haha! Can''t do." Koyamiughed and pulled his arm in for a punch while Rewen covered his face with his hands. "Stop right there!" Just as Koyami was about to hit him, he heard a pleasant female voice. Imada who was looking at the two with dead eyes turned his head to see a raven-haired beautiful woman with sses standing at the door. ''Who is she? I haven''t seen her around.'' "I-I-I was just p-ying." Koyami was so dumbstruck by the beauty that he fumbled while speaking. At this, Imada sneered at him in disdain. ''Where is the tough guy I just saw?'' The raven-haired beautiful woman frowned at him for a few seconds, before her eyes shifted to Rewen. "Student Arai Atsushi, may I ask you toe to my office for a few minutes?" Rewen stood up abruptly. "C-certainly, ma''am!" In the hallway. --- Alter Points: 1 --- Rewen looked at the meager amount and sighed. ''What a waste.'' He was certain that he would get another "Alter Point" if he got punched. It''s not that he is a M but rather, he figured that every bit of alter points were necessary if he wanted to survive. ''Nevermind, I have many opportunities (to get beat up) ahead.'' Shaking his head off the thoughts, he looked at the woman in front. No need to guess, she is indeed the "angel" that Rewen metst night. Looking at the curvaceous back and plump rear, he thought of Svety as she was technically the only person in his eighteen years of life he had sexual activities with. ''No. Definitely notparable. Like myself, Svety was also a ''C'' while this angel is an ''A''. Damn it. Isn''t it an insult to the whole reality that fictional characters are more beautiful than real ones?'' [Oh ho, trust me boy, you haven''t seen the world yet.] The system suddenly popped up with an old pervert voice this time. ''I know. I have watched some anime and read doujins.'' [Hmph! You call those trash anime and doujins!? Never heard such a naked insult! It seems like you don''t know the greatness of pre-apocalyptic Earth yet! Ah, the golden age...] ''What are you on about?'' [Seeing that you don''t know, I''ll graciously educate you on this matter. But first, I''ll ask you - how many anime have you seen?] ''22. Maybe 24.'' [Out of those 22-24, how many of them were movies?] ''17. Maybe.'' [Do you think you have watched less anime?] ''I don''t think so. Unless one is a hyper fan, no.'' [What about doujins?] ''They are memes. People usually poke fun at it. If I had to describe, they would be something which was made to show how bizarre something sexual can be, in fiction of course.'' [I mean, you are not wrong but the original doujins were ''bizarre'' in a good way.] ''Interesting.'' [So what happened is-] ''Info dumpter.'' In the small office, Rewen nervously nced at the breathtaking angel who was giving a meaningful smile to him while standing close to him. "Miss Angel?" The "angel" sweetlyughed. "Just call me Luna-nee chan." Rewen himself didn''t know why but he cringed inwardly. "Luna-nee chan?" "Good boy." Luna pped, then wrapped her hands around his neck. "How about I give you a reward?" She giggled, bringing her lips close to his. Meanwhile, Rewen frowned inwardly. ''This is some quick romantic development. I''m most definitely a hare- yes I am, I don''t need to repeat it.'' He then smooched his lips as if waiting for the kiss. Together with his "appealing" face, he looked absolutely disgusting. Needless to say, the lips didn''t make contact. "H-heh! Just kidding! I''ll give you the reward after you do something I want you to do." Luna said with an awkward face. ''You only amount to this.'' Rewen felt proud. ''So what if she is an ''A''? Is there a rule that I have to like every beautiful thing?'' Of course, these were only his thoughts. On the outside, he made a red face. "Oh-okay what do you want me to do?" Luna fixed her attire and looked straight at him. "First, let me ask you. Do you know what you are?" ''Oh! Will I finally be able to get a straight answer?'' Rewen shook his head. Luna heaved a sigh of relief. "That''s good." ''Of course not. The exposition must be done well. If she didn''t reveal the secret even I don''t know of, the ''mystery'' element of the story would increase, i.e, if this is really a fictional world. Though I''m sure there''s an actual reason behind her not telling me my own secret.'' Not waiting for his reply, Luna continued. "Have you heard of the graveyard located at the back of the academy?" "I have." "We''ll be going there." "Eh? Why?" "To rob a grave." "B-but" "Are you not going to do it?" "No! I will! I''ll do anything for you!" "Good. I''ll be waiting for you at midnight at the graveyard." Rewen nodded. "If there''s nothing more, can I leave?" Luna waved her hand. Rewen exited her office. ''A surveince camera?'' A smile formed on the corner of his lips as he went back to his ss. Chapter 46: Channeling G.C. Chapter 46: Channeling G.C. Sakura Garden Academy. Weaponry Department. A stern-looking middle-aged man was observing the students as they were shaping their Gruer weapons. ''Hm Sachi, Shinji, Dai have excellent stability over their shaping skills. Imada is also not bad. That scythe''s pointed edge is perfect others are slowly honing their shaping skills. The only problem child being" He moved his eyes to look at a small crowd. "I have heard you got thrashed by Asuka-hime yesterday? You dare!" Koyami Koyashi roared to the fallen Rewen. ''It''s not like I have made a move on her or anything. She just beat me up. Why are you acting like you are jealous? You want some of the thrashing too?'' "I-I shorry" Rewen apologised with a runny nose and tears in his eyes. "Urghh!! Stop crying or I''ll beat you so hard" ''Yes.'' Koyami cracked his knuckles but just as he was preparing for a hit, one of hisckeys came up to him. "Boss, I think we should stop here. We''re inside a department, after all. It would be bad if teachers heard of us causing trouble." Hearing this, Koyami''s eyes showed hesitation. ''No!'' At this moment, another of hisckeys stepped forward and patted his chest. "No worries, Boss. We''ll be guarding you." ''Yes, yes.'' Koyami was about to speak up when another voice reached his ears. "If I may ask, what are the bunch of you doing?" ''Who is the c*ck-blocker?'' Rewen got very annoyed when he saw Teacher Mitsuhara walking towards him. "We were just ying around, aha!" Koyamiughed uneasily and ran off with hisckeys. Rewen got up with a fearful look. "T-thank you, Teacher!" Teacher Mitsuhara took a look at the ugly creature in front of him and sighed. "How''s your progress in shaping?" "I-I''ll make some progress very soon!" "That''s what I have been hearing for thest two months. Are you even interested in shaping? If you have any problem, I could transfer you to some other department." Mitsuhara meant well. Havinge from a humble family, he was often subjected to discrimination and had some grudge against the nobles but somehow, he couldn''t bring himself to hate this wealthy aristocrat''s offspring. If anything, he only had pity for him. Rewen nodded vigorously, then asked uneasily. "Teacher, I have a question. Do you think I could shape a decent weapon?" Mitsuhara felt the urge tough but himself held back. "W-well, I suppose you could shape a tiny arrow. That is, if your shaping skills are good." He demonstrated the length of the arrow using his hands. It was less than 20 centimeters. "Aa-h, I see." Mitsuhara, not knowing what to say, went back to his spot. Rewen wiped off the dust from his shirt. ''A tiny arrow, huh? With my one Gruer''s Code, that''s my limit. Not really the most convenient weapon but at least there''s something. As the old saying goes - there are no useless weapons, only useless people. A single arrow is what I need to escape death.'' He smiled inwardly, then walked towards a treadmill and started running. ''1.5 meters per seconds. Not a bad start.'' *Pat* *Pat* Someone close to him pped but Rewen''s eyes were fixed to the treadmill. It''s not that he didn''t hear it, just that noticing the origin would possibly give him more problems. ''I''m just going to mind my own business.'' "Oh? Interesting. Your courage has grown. Did you not remember the p from yesterday? Are you itching for one again?" Rewen didn''t particrly have any reaction when he heard the voice, neither on the surface nor inwardly. It was the infamous Asuka-hime. He had a few guesses in mind and she happened to be one of them. ''What did I even do to her? Forget it, it''s useless to question the fate of a tragic protagonist.'' He kept running, not minding her. "So you want to feign ignorance?" Asuka sneered, then moved closer to the treadmill and saw the speed. ''What? This fatass can unexpectedly run in 1.5m/s? Hmph! Let''s see how fast you can run when I do this?'' She instantly increased speed to 4m/s. Rewen who was engrossed in burning fat noticed this and didn''t know what to say. ''Which drunkard invented this childish treadmill? Isn''t it meant for the exact purpose for others to pull some mischief on you?'' *Baam* He fell straight on his face. Bruises appeared on his already-ugly face. The sound also attracted the crowd''s attention. "Look. A giant copsed." "How can someone be this much of an idiot?" Asuka snickered and watched him with an interested expression. She had already nned to insult him the moment he looked towards her. However, out of her expectations, Rewen got up and ran back only to run towards the treadmill again. ''Is he a retard?'' She lightly smiled ready to watch his misfortune but the next second, her smile became stiff. ''Hoo I''m surprised that this body can handle this.'' Rewen thought while running on the treadmill. At the same time, he felt his body burning as if he would explode and his blood bing vigorous. Despite all this, there was a small curve on his face. ''It''s time. I just need a small push now.'' Coincidentally, Asuka who was dissatisfied with the current scenario stepped forward and again increased the speed of the treadmill to 5m/s. "..." However, unlikest time, Rewen didn''t fall. She noticed that he had increased his speed, shocking her again. Her dissatisfaction increased and simrly did the speed of the treadmill. It went from 5m/s to 7m/s. *Baam* Rewen fell again, greatly satisfying Asuka. Few more bruises appeared on his face as he got up with a terrified face, then went to Teacher Mitsuhara. "C-can I leave early?" Mitsuhara shot a look of pity at him and nodded. *** Rewen stared at the mirror and applied medicine on the bruises, then smiled. "At least the bruises were worth it. I have finally learned how to channel G.C." [What? You did? When?] "I did. When I was running on the treadmill, I subconsciously grasped the G.C. string revolving around my legs. I couldn''t really have stretched the string had the speed not been increased then. The next part is, well, I pushed my legs to the limits." [Isn''t that like super dangerous? To carelessly stretch the G.C. could potentially damage your legs. A single mishap and you would be lying in the infirmary for at least two months. What did you even think when you tried this? I didn''t expect you to be one of those reckless sort.] "It was indeed reckless but I had the capital to be reckless." Rewen shrugged. "If you really want an answer, let''s just say that Luna would certainly not let me lie down in the infirmary for two months." [How could you- urgh, you know what? Nevermind. Just answer me how the G.C. appear in the first ce? It''s not a coincidence right?] "No. It''s not. It had probably appeared due to my negative emotions." [Makes sense. Makes sense. Emotions are the easiest triggers for any starting operations with G.C. but no! It doesn''t make sense! Why would you have negative emotions when you were running on a treadmill?] Rewen rolled his eyes. "Do you think I''m a block of wood? Or a person who sees his own bullying as an inferior sort andughable in his eyes? I wish though." [So, at the end of the day, it''s a coincidence?] "Yes, in a way." [I don''t believe it!] Rewen no longer paid attention to the system and left his room. Chapter 47: Deal Chapter 47: Deal Sakura Garden Academy. Infirmary. Maki was sitting on her chair in front of her work desk, her hand holding a cup. The window was left open so the warm air along with the lukewarm sunlight fell on her desk. It was very pleasing to look at. Opposite to her, an equally unpleasant boy sat while scratching his head. He was naturally Rewen, A.K.A., Arai Atsushi. Maki took a sip from her cup and stared at him. "You made a decision?" Rewen nodded his head. "I want to be an Assist. What do I need to do?" Hearing his response, Maki revealed a smile and took out some papers from under her desk. "You just need to sign this." Rewen carefully looked through the papers and signed it. "Done." Maki took the papers from him, then stared at him. "Congrattions! You are officially an Assist! Here, take this badge and wear it. With this, your days of getting bullied are over." "Thank you so much" "Before thanking me, you need to remember that you do need toe to the infirmary once a week and learn a few things. After all, you are an Assist. Ah! You don''t need to worry about that though. It''s just some trivial stuff. Anyways, now that you are my subordinate, I wish to learn a few personal things from you. Is that ok?" "Yes! It''s alright! Please don''t hold back!" Makiughed seeing his energy. "Haha, I won''t then. Let''s start from zero. First, who are you??" "I am Arai Atsushi, the third son of the Head of the family!" "Tell me the status of your family." "An original extremely high-ranking Noble Family. In the continent, there are only a few organizations or groups that could contend with my family." "How does the military strength of your family rank among others?" "Among the big leagues." Rewen had an uneasy expression on his face when he answered this. "Eh? Sorry if I overstepped my bounds." "I understand. I understand." "Hm, that''s good then. Ever since you came to the academy, I have been hearing several rumors about you. How much of it is true?" "Which rumours?" Rewen asked in a confused tone. "T-that beforeing here, you were a big lecher and constantly fooled around with girls." Maki fiddled with her fingers ufortably. "Th-this" He lowered his head revealing a guilty conscience. But he lied. These were merely rumors. ''I''m not hoping for this to destroy the g but at least contribute something to the factor.'' Maki was quiet for a few seconds, then continued. "What about the deal between the Atsushi Family and Hot cial Foundations I have been hearing for the past few years? Is it really true?" "It is true." Everytime he thinks of the ''deal'', he receives a major headache. The deal made between the two behemoths dates back to the year he was born. Back then, his mother who was the mostpetent candidate for the next President of the Hot cial Foundations fell in love with his father, a low-ranking member of the Atsushi Family. This matter not only pped the face of not only the H.G.F but also the Atsushi Family because his mother was also the fiance of a youth from the family. After many discussions, the both families eventually reached a conclusion. They won''t get between the love life of them given that Arai Atsushi''s father, Hain Atsushi, bes a son-inw of the H.G.F. Hain readily agreed and a grand marriage was eventually held. However, who would have thought that he would disappear right after injecting his seeds onto her? After months of search, not even a corpse of Hain could be found making the H.G.F. beyond mad. Only after the Atsushi Family cated the H.G.F. with treasures did the madness die down but the fire still remained. Fast forward to Arai''s birth, a deal was made that in case he failed to be a strong person, he would get executed by the H.G.F. ''In a non-vagueful and straightforward manner - if I couldn''t defeat the current H.G.F. President''s daughter in the wedding ceremony of my own mother that is to be held five months from now, it would be game over for me.'' Rewen smiled wryly. "I wish I could help." Maki said softly. *** Graveyard. Cold wind brushed past Rewen''s overweight body making him wonder if fat people really feel hotter than normal. He then looked at the stars. ''I know I''m not supposed to think this but howe the constetions are the same as Earth. Could this be an alternate Earth?'' He paused his line of thoughts for a second. ''Maybe I''m thinking too much. This is a fictional world. It''s already enough that some amount of logic existed in people. If I question the logic of nature, wouldn''t that be a crime?'' "I see that you are looking quitefortable. How was your day?" Rewen looked back to see the "angel" smiling mischievously at him and shot a look of surprise. "It was good, Miss Luna." He thought about ending the shuttering business once and for all. The current him got a determined look on his face. People grow and change. No one would think that he was, in fact, not the original Arai Atsushi. Even if people did manage to find him suspicious, it would not go to the level of ''Ah, so he was a transmigrator all along.'' This is what we call a character development. Luna feigned an angry look hearing him. "Big Sis will get angry if you don''t call me Luna-nee-chan." "T-then I''ll do that." Rewen awkwardly coughed, then changed topics. "So which grave are we supposed to rob?" His eyesight lingered on the dark graveyard for a long time. It had a creepy feel to it. ''Not that I''m scared. Ghosts don''t exist. Yes, ghosts don''t exist.'' "...A-....Ar.ur" Instantly, goosebumps rose in his hands. Luna vigntly looked around. "Did you hear what I heard?" Rewen innocently replied. "Eh? What sound?" "Nevermind. Must have been my imagination." Letting her guard down, Luna smiled and continued. "Follow me." Rewen followed behind her. ''System, why is she here?'' It didn''t even take two seconds for him to find out what the weird sound was trying to say. [Who knows~ Maybe it followed you here.] ''Followed me here? Do you think that''s possible?'' [Anything is possible.] ''Just say you don''t want to answer if you don''t know.'' [Heh! That kind of provocation isn''t going to work.] ''Alright, sorry. Why is she here? Is it confidential?'' [It''s not like it''s confidential] ''Then?'' [Think it this way. You are a Level 1 existence and you are trying to obtain information of an existence of Level 50.] ''Oh?'' "We are here!" Looking at the normal looking grave, he felt disappointed. "Should I dig the grave?" He wasn''t a professional grave digger nor did he have any professional grave digger tools. ''Even so, with these hands, I''m confident that I could be a pro soon.'' Rolling his sleeves, he was about to get into action but was stopped by Luna''s hand on his shoulder. "Stay back." She smiled, then stepped forward and bent over above the grave and suddenly chopped on the grave lightly. After that, she got up and moved away from the grave unhurriedly. A second passed. *Hush* The grave copsed. "Woah!" Rewen eximed. He was genuinely impressed. "How did you do that?" He asked curiously. Luna chuckled after seeing his expression. "It was just brute strength." Chapter 48: Skeleton Soldier Chapter 48: Skeleton Soldier Sakura Garden Academy. Graveyard. Rewen peeked in the grave only to find it was dark and hollow. ''It''s arge hole. I wonder how deep it is.'' He thought, turning to look at Luna. "A-are we supposed to go down?" He faked gulping. "Don''t worry. As long as Big Sis is with you, nothing would happen to you I suppose?" "What''s with the pause!?" "Ahaha, look at you. I''m just teasing you." Luna came near to him and held his hands. "Hold tight, okay?" Her emerald-green eyes glittering brightly as she looked at him. At this moment, Rewen felt something he couldn''t exin. It had nothing to do with attraction, something more profound. He could understand yet can''t exin. He blinked his eyes. The next second, he felt a soft sensation on his head as his lower bodyid straight on the ground. ''Here we go...'' He carefully positioned his hands so as to not touch the forbidden regions and got up looking at the surroundings. "Cave?" Unlike the graveyard he was in seconds ago, Rewen found himself in the middle of a closed cave with a path ahead of him lighted for unknown reasons. He looked up and his eyes gleamed in realization. "We came from up? How do we leave?" Luna, who was still lying on the ground, stood up but didn''t answer his question. "I have my ways. Forget about that for the time being. Follow me. From here on, it''s dangerous-" {Grrr.} ''Uh oh.'' Rewen''s eyes sharpened as he looked straight. There was a naked skeleton bare-handed towards their direction. "How strong is the skeleton?" His question startled Luna who was preparing to make a move. She raised her eyebrows. "A little stronger than you with a POW value of nearly 1.5." Rewen didn''t reply for a while before directly running towards the skeleton again startling Luna. "Wait, what are you doing?" As Rewen got extremely close to the skeleton, he threw a punch he had prepared. With the inertia from the run, the punch was faster than normal. However, it missed by a centimeter''s worth of width. ''Still slow? No problem. I''ll try ag-'' "Kukk!" The skeleton didn''t give him time to pull for another punch striking Rewen''s abdomen with it''s leg. ''I need to find an opening.'' His face was grim. Unfortunately for him, the skeleton didn''t stop there. Face Abdomen Abdomen Face Abdomen Face Abdomen The flurry of attacks continued in no pattern or order. Luna watched the one-sided from a distance with a frown. ''He is too frustrated about his life but this is not the way to go about it. He is clearly not a fighting type. This would be a good lesson for him. I''ll go save him when he reaches his limit.'' Few secondster, her eyes narrowed. Meanwhile, Rewenughed blocking the iing kick on his face. His face was filled with blood, a few teeth broken additionally looking horrifying. "Had enough of this." All of a sudden, his whole figure gleamed in an white aura, pushing his palm towards the face of the skeleton. Luna eximed in surprise. "Full-body channeling!? When did he get that?" Like the name suggests, it is an advanced application of G.C. Channeling but the difference between the two is akin to heaven and earth. G.C. Channeling is a simple exercise while the "Full-body Channeling" is an unique skill exclusive to only those whose G.C. is pure without a single impurity. Also, to fully learn the skill, one needs to have all the "Five Points" (each located at the brain, right hand, left hand, right leg, left leg) on their body open. "Huh? What happened?" She saw the palm that was about to hit the skeleton stopped and Rewen fell on his knees. "I guess that''s his limit." She sighed and prepared to strike the skeleton. Just as the skeleton again pulled in for a punch on the fat youth before it, the uneven white aura gleamed again as Rewen pushed his palm and this time, it hit the skeleton and instantly the bones fell apart. Rewen got up panting, the white aura still there. "Even as a skeleton, you should know that you shouldn''t let your guard down." Then, looked at his own condition. Currently, he was happy beyond bounds. ''My current POW should be around 2.2. Not bad. I got a strength boost in my first fight and I''m sure there''s more toe in the future.'' "Do you know what this aura is?" Rewen turned back to find Luna smiling and shook his head. "This is a premature state of Full-body Channeling. Have you heard of it?" "I did but I''m not sure if this is the legendary Full-body Channeling. The POW boost is only a single unit." Rewen asked in a confused tone. "That''s why I said it is a premature state. Look at your aura, it''s still fluctuating. If you manage your aura, your POW would increase four times its base strength permanently." Rewen nodded with an excited look. ''Perfect. I was just missing [Freestyle Knights Combat] technique.'' Unknowingly, he smiled. Luna noticed that. "Why are you smiling?" "Isn''t it obvious? I''m happy to have such an overpowered skill." Luna giggled. "You suddenly sound so confident. I''m missing the timid Lil Bro Arai." Rewen forced a smile. He decided to behave in an usual manner with her. Part of the reason being he was getting tired with his stupid acting. Even so, he wouldn''tpletely show off his personality. It''s more like - ''Since I got stronger and am special, I can show my confidence.'' Of course, this was only exclusive to her. He still can''t act unbridled in front of his ssmates. Throwing away the trivial thoughts, he pondered about his newly awakened skill. "Which rank is this Full-Body Channeling? I have only heard about it before." "It is an unique skill, not a ranked skill." Luna answered briefly. Ranked skills are skills which uses G.C. as a medium for various purposes. There are broadly three known types of ranked skills - Healing, Combative and Sealing. There are further several subcategories of the three types and are divided into - Bronze, Silver, Gold, Diamond and Enum - ranging from low to high based on their effects. There are also unique skills which don''t fall into any of the three types of ranked skills. "If I have to answer, it''s capabilities are at least high-Gold rank but then again, it is an unique skill and can''t be ''learned'' which increases its value." The most distinctive difference between ranked and unique skills is that unique skills can''t be learned. Every unique skill has their own criteria and automatically appears. Till now, not a single unique skill has been written or grasped. Rewen nodded, then looked at the road ahead. "What do we do?" "There should be a room of sorts." Luna bitterly smiled. She herself had very little knowledge about the ce. Beforeing here, she thought she would directly see the thing she is here for. "Come, let''s go." "Wait, there is something important I forgot to ask. Who are these skeletons? I have never heard of them." "Oh, they are skeleton soldiers." "What? I mean, I didn''t ask for the name. I was wondering where they came from and how?" "I think it''s pretty obvious where they came from. It''s a graveyard after all. As for where they came from, I honestly have no clue." ''She is a bit unreliable.'' Rewen started guessing on his own. "Could this be the work of necromancers or Dark Mages?" "Pfft, this is not a fictional novel." ''I beg to differ.'' Chapter 49: Mature Skeleton Soldiers Chapter 49: Mature Skeleton Soldiers {Grr} {Grr} {Grrr} Looking at the several horrifying "Skeleton Soldiers" in front of him, Rewen sighed. They hadn''t even walked for a minute and a slightly bigger obstacle came in their way. ''It''s like those dungeon hunting games I have yed. Initially after entering the dungeon, there would be a single non-human creatureing for him but slowly as I got deeper into the dungeon, the numbers and their levels increased.'' "Step back. I''ll take care of them." Luna ced her hand on his shoulders. To her, they were no different from ants. "Let me go first. I''m nning to stabilize my aura. Will that be too hard?" "You might want to see for yourself." Luna answered with a faint smile. She was surprised seeing his determination and courage. ''After constant humiliation and defeat, he developed an inferiorityplex and must have had suicidal thoughts. No wonder he charged to the previous skeleton soldier. He knew there was no way he could defeat it but still he charged disregarding any fear of death. Now that he has an unique skill, he must have gotten more confident. Well, not that it matters to me anyway'' Rewen ran towards one of the "Skeleton Soldiers" without any words. ''Good thing, the skeletons are scattered.'' He saw the skeleton who was wandering dumbly suddenly adopting a fighting pose as if it still had some fighting instinct remaining. ''Interesting.'' Rewen decided to change his approach. <> His speed elerated and in less than two seconds, he came in the vicinity of the skeleton and threw a kick. Dodged! "How is this possible?" Rewen had an incredulous look on his face for a while but after some time, he regained his calm and moved away from the skeleton without any dy. He stared at the skeleton wondering how to attack when Luna''s voice sounded from behind. "You can''t deal with that. He is stronger than the ''Skeleton Soldier'' you fought." "Stronger? Is it not a Skeleton Soldier?" "It is a Skeleton Soldier but stronger. The one you have fought with seems to be a newborn skeleton. The ones in front of your eyes are matured. As for their POW, it shouldn''t be any less than 3. Do you still intend to fight? Remember that if you intend to continue fighting, even if you are half-dead, I won''t step up to help." Luna said in a in voice. Rewen didn''t say anything. Seeing him ignoring her words, she continued. "Bravado isn''t a positive quality to have and retreat isn''t a shameful thing to do when you are outssed. We are living in an era where the strong decides everything And to be strong, you need to survi-" "You are being too noisy. Don''t tell me things I didn''t ask for." Rewen interrupted her with an annoyed tone. Luna didn''t reply but her eyes shed with coldness. ''Maybe I should dispose of him after I get that. Conceit and arrogance has filled his mind.'' Despite how she behaves and acts, she had a very cold and calcting personality. If she didn''t like someone, she would directly go for the kill. To achieve her goals, she is willing to go through any lengths. Rewen was not normally a rude person to someone who was willing to help him but right now, he was in no mood to manage his behaviour. ''Alright, calm down. The first step is to control the aura. It''s too far-fetched for me to think I could stabilize the aura.'' Taking a deep breath, he sat down cross-legged. ''What is this kid trying to do?'' Luna looked sharply. "Haa" Rewen could sense the vigorous G.C. strings travelling in his body. The key to control the aura is to control the G.C. strings running amok across the body. ''Breathe 1...2...3'' Slowly, the vigorous G.C. strings slowly settled down. Rewen got up smiling. ''Although this didn''t increase my POW, my trembling muscles which I had very little control over turned normal. Oh? They still didn''t reach me? How slow can they be?'' <> As if not learning his lesson, he again ran towards one of the Skeleton Soldiers beside the wall. The Skeleton Soldier like a robot took a fighting pose waiting for him for strike. When Rewen reached the skeleton, he didn''t pull any punches. Seeing him not taking any action, the skeleton itself pulled for a punch on his face. Rewen''s face didn''t have any emotions as if he had already anticipated this. Dodged! ''I may not be as strong as you right now...'' In the next second, Rewen was standing on the wall beside the skeleton. Luna''s eyes widened. The skeleton from Rewen''s point of view was as good as defenseless. Taking advantage of its stretched arm, he grasped its skull. *Crack* "But that doesn''t mean I can''t defeat you" The skeleton fell. ''How can he have such an extraordinary battle sense?'' Luna couldn''t believe her eyes. The entire action looked simple but she knew better than most that it wasn''t as simple as it looked. One slip-up and Rewen himself might have been the one kissing the ground. ''Interesting. This kid has potential.'' After some thoughts, she smiled then saw Rewening towards her. "My, if it weren''t for the face, I would have considered bing your lover." Luna teased. Rewen waved his hands panting heavily. "Huff is that so? I wouldn''t huff...be against it." He fell down on his butt. "Anyways, could I ask you to take care of the rest of them?" Luna was a bit surprised at his attitude, then beamed. "You can count on me." "No, you can''t." A male voice sounded and a figure appeared in front of their eyes. The man was good-looking with a light blonde hair and a height of 1.8 metres. He didn''t have any kind of special aura around his body but had a mysterious air to him. "So you finally showed yourself." Luna had a serious look on her face. "What do you want?" Rewen didn''t abruptly do anything. ''Don''t mind me. I''m just recovering my stamina.'' He didn''t need to be smart to know that the guy was a bad deal. "You know very well what I''m here for." The man calmly answered. "He is mine. I found him first." ''Trouble. It looks like I''m someone special.'' Rewen made a logical guess. "I''ll take that as the end of discussion." The man''s figure flickered and took a step forward. "Let me see how much you have grown. You owe one for the incident that year." Lunaughed and a huge katana appeared in her right hand out of nowhere. "Hey, hey, hey! Don''t start fighting! How many times do I remind both of you to not fight every time you meet!?" Another figure appeared from the darkness. This time, it was a female. Her facial features again dumbfounded Rewen. "Oh, Elise! I didn''t start the fight." "No, she did." "Shut up, Tanizaki. You were the one to start." "Both of you, shut up or I''m going to get really angry." Rewen had a hard time trying not tough because the neer Elise had a really small and childish face. ''I shouldn''tugh. I shouldn''tugh. It might be mystugh.'' Looking at the three mighty-looking people bickering with each other, Rewen sighed. ''It looks like it''s going to be a long night.'' Chapter 50: Sudden Developments Chapter 50: Sudden Developments Sakura Garden Academy. Arai Atsushi''s room. "Err my room isn''t big. Hope you don''t mind much." "There is nothing to mind. Ah, can I lie on the bed? I''m kinda tired." The good-looking tall man directly leaped on the bed without any reservations. "Please don''t- never mind. Luna, what are you doing?" "Wow, you don''t even have drinks in your refrigerator. Evenmoners have that much provision. To think that you are the son of an aristocrat. Tsk. Tsk. Tsk." "Well, sorry for being broke." "Mm aha! Elise-chan! Look what I just found!" From who-knows-where, Luna pulled out a bunch of ero magazines. "Eh? Eh!! That''s immodest!" Elise hurriedly covered her red face. Looking at the scene, Rewen frowned. If possible, he wanted to drive these people away. If possible, that is. He knew that these three people were definitely big deals. "Can we start?" He asked, sitting cross-legged. "Mou, what''s the hurry?" Luna pouted yfully but eventually, sat beside him followed by Elise. "Umm from where should we start?" "Just saying the actual relevant point will do. I''ll ask the backstory if I get curious." Rewen answered. "I see! Then umm we want your help to receive our Master''s inheritance." Elise said thoughtfully. "Oh? And how can I help?" "Only you can receive the inheritance." "And I would then give it to the three of you?" "Correct!" "And why is that only I can receive the inheritance?" "We cannot answer that," Luna answered before Elise could open her mouth. "Out of topic, but aren''t you acting a bit of character for a few minutes?" She had never seen or heard anyone change their attitudes this quick. At first, she thought that the reason his way of talking changed is because of his newfound confidence but gradually, she found it quite weird. It''s natural for a person to change but the general style and manner cannot change in a few minutes. "That''s quite weird. I was always out of character." Rewen lightlyughed. Luna squinted her eyes. "So your frail and weak attitude was always a disguise. Congrats, you have even managed to fool me. However" She paused, then brought her face closer to Rewen smiling. "I don''t like smart boys." Rewen shrugged. "You can do what you want. I''ll die in a few months so it doesn''t really make a difference to me." "My, quite stoic. Aren''t we?" "Um, c-can we continue?" "You can continue, Elise. I was just teasing him." Luna grinned. "So my next question, how and where do I receive the inheritance?" "This we don''t know." "Huh?" "Let me exin. The inheritance was originally supposed to be in the cave but for some reason, it wasn''t there. Currently, we don''t know where it is but starting from tomorrow, we''ll start the investigation." Luna exined. "Hmm so is there anything I could do for now?" "Not at the moment. We''ll call you when we are ready." *** ''So it''s morning so soon'' ''Yesterday, ah no today, I sleptte. No wonder my eyes hurt.'' ''Thankfully, the three of them didn''t stay long. It''s not like I have a schedule for sleeping or anything. I just don''t like waking up with my eyes half-closed for the next few minutes.'' ''Enough bullsh*t. Let''s get up.'' 1. 2. 3. Failure. Again. 1. 2. 3. Sess. "Another day. I hope it will go well." Not that I''m really expecting a normal day. As the main character, if I don''t get involved in trouble, who will? Got up. Brushed his teeth. Looked at the mirror. "..." "Hahah!" Rewenughed seeing my own reflection. ''Maybe not my own but still. I wonder if I would have an inferiorityplex had I been born with this face. If I was born on Earth originally, maybe. I don''t know.'' Rewen locked the room, then looked around to see if anyone''s there. ''Nope, none.'' "Excuse me, do you know this address?" A tall good-looking man appeared in front of him showing him a piece of paper. He had long white hair with a ck robe on his back wearing the Academy''s uniform. He had a gentle smile on his face. Compared with his good looks, the sight looked extremely dazzling. "Hm? Second floor, opposite to room 47." Rewen pointed towards the second floor stairs. ''Is he a transfer student? Why, at this time of the year?'' At the same time, the white-haired man stretched his right arm around Rewen''s back which immediately alerted him. *Screech* "Huh? What are you doi-" A gush of blood spurted from Rewen''s neck as his entire body fell. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. Making my clothes all dirty. How am I supposed to exin if someone spotted me?" The white-haired man licked his fingers covered in blood. While shaking his head, he walked unhurriedly towards the second floor. Rewenid there still, his vision blurred. ''What a shitty way to start the day. Dammit, it hurts. Ah! Ou! Ou! Ouuu! Don''t move. Stay still. System! Start self-recovery!'' [Denied!] ''Figures my consciousness is slowly floating away I wonder if I would really die if I close my eyes. Not possible, right? Maybe my consciousness will no longer be present but I would at least be alive for a while. Let''s see how much my will can carry.'' ''Ah-hh, I''m hopeless. I''ll die. I''ll fucking die. System, save me. Where''s my dues ex machina?'' [Where''s the ''I''m not the only thing you have'' now?] ''Don''t mind small matters. I was just, you know, in my phase. Now, hurry up and save me!'' [Sigh, I just can''t understand you. You are too weird and hard toprehend. Do you have a mental disorder or anything?] ''Shut up! I''m perfectly normal. You can''t understand a normal person like me, there must be something wrong with YOU. Not me.'' "Well, well. Who do we have here?" A deep voice entered his ears. "T-Tanizaki as you can see, I''m in quite a predicament. Would you be so kind as to-" Tanizaki patted his back as thetter''s consciousness faded. "Trouble arrives." Carrying the pig on his shoulder, he disappeared. Bright Ind''s Main Port. A boy and a middle-aged man were walking towards a ship. "Papa, why do we need to leave? I was just about to y with friends." The little boy pouted. "You wouldn''t understand even if I told you." The middle-aged man wiped off the sweat from his face and tightly held the boy''s hand. "How am I supposed to understand if you don''t tell me?" The little boy was dissatisfied with his father. He had so much fun with his friends for the past month that he wouldn''t want to leave for his hometown even if the academy gave a vacation. The middle-aged man got impatient but couldn''t bear to be angry at the current time and ce. "If we don''t go back to our hometown, the whole ind will sink into the water." "The entire Bright Ind along with our academy will sink?" The boy became terrified and hurried his pace. "Hurry up, Papa or else we will drown." The middle-aged man smiled and heaved a sigh of relief. He didn''t like to lie but was forced to do so. "What about your friends?" He asked to see his son''s reaction. The boy was stumped as if he had thought about this before. "I eh" The manughed and patted his head. "Don''t worry, their parents wille to pick them up." The boy nodded with an uneasy expression. He was only a eight-year-old. He couldn''t think too deeply. The man, at this moment, spotted two people. A man and a woman. Both incredibly good-looking people.The port was rtively scarce. But what really attracted him was the person in the man''s shoulder. ''The boy looks injured. Was it them?'' Out of interest, he decided to check it out. "Are you sure you want him to leave him on his own?" The woman asked. She looked to be in a bad mood. "The injury would heal very soon. My work stops here. If you are interested in him, you can babysit him all day." "Nothing ever goodes out of your mouth. Did that one victory that year really made you so confident?" "You can say so. If you have nothing else important to say, I''m leaving. I''ll quibble some timeter." The man turned around. "Wait." "What is it?" "Do we really have to kill him?" "Hoho, have you grown fond of this boy?" "Just answer my question." "We have to. There''s no other way around. Even Master-" "Don''t talk about him." The woman''s voice went deep. She was about to continue when she saw a person approaching them. "Is something the matter?" The middle-aged man asked looking at the young man who was carrying an overweight boy covered with his head in blood in his shoulder. "What does it look like?" The young man chuckled. The middle-aged man frowned. He approached them bearing kind intentions. What''s with young people these days? Are all of them like these? "Uncle, could you take care of him?" The young woman suddenly found the solution to her worries and smiled. The middle-aged man didn''t answer immediately. "He had received quite a severe wound. I could guess where this came from." Pausing, he drylyughed. "I''m afraid unless we have a Certified Healer, this would be difficult." The woman became a bit embarrassed. Sensing the atmosphere, the young man sighed. "Don''t worry about his injury. What she wants you to do is give him shelter and food." "Wha" Chapter 51: Two options Chapter 51: Two options "Cough, cough, cough!" Rewen violently coughed before opening his eyes. He found himself in a dark room. He tried moving his arms but felt a severe pain on his neck. "Don''t move recklessly. Rest for a while." A blonde haired middle-aged man who sat beside him said in a low voice. Rewen had no idea who this person was but guessed that the man treated him. "Umm, where is this ce?" It didn''t seem like he was in the Academy. "Are you a student from the academy?" Before the man could answer his question, a little boy suddenly appeared in front of his eyes. Rewen nodded. "Are you also from the-" "Yes! I am a genius from the academy. Big Brother, what is your name?" "Ryu, let him rest. You go and eat something. I have to have a private chat with this brother." Ryu showed a dissatisfied face but left without another word. Rewen awkwardlyughed, then turned to the middle-aged man. "Thanks for saving me. If there''s something I could do, you can ask me." "I was not the one who saved you. Most likely, a couple saved you. Do you know them?" "They should be my rtives." He had an idea to whom the man was referring to. ''Luna and Tanizaki? What is this ce though?'' "I see. Well, I can see that you are not in a very good situation to answer some questions but it''s very urgent." "No, it''s fine." "Alright. You must at first understand your situation. This is a ship headed towards the Maind." "This is a ship? Where in the maind?" "North-west of Nation of Bandits, the main port of Zcan State." "Nation of Bandits, huh. I have heard of the nation before." Sakura Garden Academy is located on an ind. Naturally, to leave ore to the academy, one must use ships. Airnes were not developed in the world yet. As for the continents, there is only a single continent - the Maind. There are other small nations spread across the world in inds but the technological developments of the ind nations are far too low. There are six Maind Nations - Jordnia of West, Olpio of East, Avim of Extreme North, Windbane of North, Nus of South and the Central Nation. The Nation of Bandits, also known asAvim of Extreme North, is a moderately developed nation. It is called the ''Nation of Bandits'' because it is founded by a group of rogues and bandits. It is also a rtively "calm" nation. "Why?" He had a lot of questions bottled up. "Why, you ask? I live there." "No, I understand that but why am I in this ship? Did I get kidnapped or something?" "You don''t know? Don''t tell me you are unknowingly boarding the ship." "I am. I was in my academy, then I got my neck sliced by an unknown person and lost my consciousness. How am I supposed to know?" The middle-aged man was stunned for a while before he eventually let out a sigh. "Now, I understand what they meant" "Excuse me? Do you know something?" Rewen frowned. "The couple said to give you food and shelter" "What?" "You really don''t know why you are here?" "I don''t." Rewen shook his head with a bitter face. "It''s difficult." The middle-aged man fell into thoughts. Although he is rich, he just can''t take any random person into his house. "Hnn, do you have any rtives in the nation?" "I live in the Central." "In the Central? Hah" Rewen also became a bit depressed. He had juste to this world and was already homeless. "Can I not go back to the academy?" "Not for the time being. You aren''t prohibited from going to the academy but I advise you to not." "Then is your house recruiting servants?" The middle-aged man received quite a shock. "Aren''t you a Noble?" "I am but what other option do I have?" The middle-aged man didn''t answer immediately. ''I don''t know if this would be a good idea. If his family finds out that he is working as a servant, they would definitely not swallow the fact in a polite manner. They are from the Central after all'' After thinking for a minute, he reached his conclusion. "You have two options." Rewen became attentive. "What are the options?" The middle-aged man stared at him sharply. "You can be a servant in charge of my son''s academics. Your position in the family would be neither high nor low but you aren''t allowed to go outside of my vi until I take you back to the academy. You would be given a room and three meals a day." "What is the other option?" "Assist my nephew in his shop. You would have no position in the family but you would be given a room. You have to take care of your daily meals on your own. Here, you have freedom. You can leave anytime." "If I choose the second option, how am I supposed to take care of my meals?" "You would be paid daily depending on how much time you worked in the shop." "I choose the second option." "Good." The middle-aged man nodded with a smile. "I have some work to do. If you need anything, my son would be there." "Sure and thank you!" *** "Wah, Big Brother looks so ugly" Ryu spread Rewen''s fat cheeks and grinned happily. ''Are all rich kids like these?'' "Little Brother, my neck is hurting." "Ah! Sorry!" "It''s okay. What is your name?" "Terio Ryu. Big Brother, what about yours?" "You can call me Big Brother Rewen." "Big Brother Ruwen?" "It''s Rewen." "Rewun?" "Fine, whatever." "Hehehe, I''ll call you Big Brother Piggy. You are so fat." Ryuughed and rolled on the ground. *Baam* *Baam* *Baam* "Terio! Open the door!" A young voice came outside from the door. "I-I am not here." Ryu replied timidly. *Baam* *Baam* "Terio, you b*stard! You better open up!" "Alright, fine. I''m opening but you have to promise to not hit me." "I promise!" "What do you promise?" "To not hit you." "Say it properly." "I promise to not hit you! Now, unlock the door." For some reason, Ryu was still dissatisfied. "Promise in the name of your mother." "Little sh*t! Are you ying with me!? Are you going to open or not? I''ll count to three." Ryu panicked. Not knowing what to do, he looked in Rewen''s direction. "W-what should I do?" "Do you want to hear my advice?" "Three!" Ryu nodded. "Hn!" "y fire with fire. Just say what''s on your mind." "B-but" "Two!" "Do you want to get bullied for the rest of your life? If so, you can do as you like." Ryu vehemently shook his head as if someone had struck his soft part. He looked towards the door with a determined look. "One! Get out unless you want to get pummeled into the ground!" "Keep barking!! Eri-chan would never like someone like you!" Rewen couldn''t hold back augh. No more sound came from outside. Ryu patted his chest which was beating fast and sat down beside Rewen. "Big Brother Piggy, will hee for me again?" His tone was extremely pitiful. "Of course, he would. Prepare some medicines in advance." "Then why-" "Did that not feel good?" "Yes but-" "That''s what matters the most, right?" "No" "Ah have more spirit. When I was your age, I used to tussle with men in their 20s." "You talk like an old man." "Listen. Do you really not want to fight back?" "I want to but they will hit me harder if I do that." "Think after you act. Fight back and don''t care about the consequences or are you still willing to look like a loser in front of your Eri-chan?" When he said that, Ryu didn''t appear bashful. He had a new pair of eyes which looked forward to the future. Rewen thought that the world was really interesting. ''My thoughts and actions directly affect a person. If this was Earth, I don''t know how much of this is possible but to change a person''s outlook with just words is something extremely umon. It''s not to say that people here are somehow less intelligent or are unreal to an extreme degree, it''s just the closest word would be ''dramatic'' but not exactly. I guess some drama is necessary in life else it''s just boring.'' [Keep the tough act. You were on your death''s door a few hours ago.] Rewen ignored the system''s snidement. ''How many Alter Points do I have?'' --- Alter Points: 32 --- A grin formed on his face making him look even more hideous than he already was. *** "Ryu, don''t run off! Stay with this Big Brother." "Where are you going?" "The driver should have arrived by now. I''m going to look for him. Both of you stay here." Ryu held Rewen''s hands as his father disappeared in the crowd. Rewen was casually looking around when he spotted a suspicious-looking figure amidst the dense crowd and smiled helplessly. ''I''m truly a damned protagonist.'' Chapter 52: Hase Chapter 52: Hase ''This is an assassination attempt against the youngest son of the Noble Terio. Yeah, that''s a long story short. I only have so much time to think. Is it not a game over if I gloss over the entire situation?'' He spotted three ck-robed people who were slowly but steadily making his way towards him and secretly observed them. ''I don''t know if it''s racist to tell that the three of them look more or less the same. Probably the author of this story didn''t bother making them look different. Seriously, why am I thinking about useless things now? Hah running isn''t an option.'' Rewen took a deep breath and calmed his nerves. ''Now or nah now or nah now or nah now or nah now or'' "NOW!!" Within a second, Rewen jumped off from the spot holding Ryu tightly and just as he was about to fall on the ground, he noticed a small dart flying off from the previous spot Ryu and him were in. "What are you doing?" Ryu whined, depressed that his clothes got dirty. Rewen wasn''t in any situation to answer his question and he hurriedly got up, keeping Ryu behind. *Swish* Just as he suspected, a figure abruptly appeared in front of him. The figure had his two hands gripping daggers and had no expression on his face. Rewen knew that the moment the assassin swung his dagger, his head would roll. He knew that the other party was a Bronze-ranked Combative Gruer User. Let alone his G.C., his POW would be at least 30. It is practically impossible to expect a win when he (Rewen) is possibly the weakest Gruer User, no, he wasn''t even a Gruer User. Despite this, Rewen wasn''t panicked or had any fear of death. He saw a dagger approaching his neck and tried to dodge it but the dagger was ten times faster than his movement. One-twelfth of a second passed away and a small cut appeared in his neck. Blood hasn''t started pouring from his neck yet but it''s only a matter of time. However... *BOOOM* ''At longst'' Looking at his left, Rewen found an unconscious bloodied man in ck crashing onto a nearby wall. "What''s just happened?" "You didn''t see!? A daylight assassination was about to happen! Do you see that man in blood? He was the assassin who was probably out to assassinate that overweightd over there. Fortunately, that young man appeared in time and blew the assassin away." The passerby pointed to a neer blue-haired young man. "That actually happened!? Did anyone record that?" "There are surveince cameras." Another passerby grinned. He had a friend who works in the Local Security Unit. The passerby started talking among themselves. Meanwhile, the newly arrived blue-haired young man came to Rewen and Ryu. "Ryu, are you alright?" He himself was shaken and hadn''t anticipated this to happen. Ryu quietly nodded. "Thank you, Brother. I heard about your situation from Uncle. I will help you to the best of my abilities. Now let''s go and talk in the car." Rewen smiled and nodded. He didn''t necessarily save Ryu for goodwill from others or even future benefits. It''s not like the thoughts didn''t cross his mind but ultimately he is a person who would not think twice for saving a person if he can. [Enough of your BS. If you really are as good as you think you are, then why didn''t you go together with Ryu''s father? Surely you could have avoided the entire event, right?] ''Wow, I didn''t think of that.'' [Sure.] The blue-haired young man led the two of them to a four-wheeler. Ryu''s father sat in the front seat. He was looking at his smartphone when his attention got diverted when Ryu waved his hands. "Come, get inside. It''s a bit congested with the three of you but my vi is not far away." Ryu''s father gave a lightugh. The three of them - Ryu, the blue-haired young man and Rewen, sat with Ryu in the middle. Adding on to Rewen''srge belly, it was very difficult for them to feelfortable. "Big Brother Piggy, you should lose your weight" Ryu felt stuffed. The blue-haired young man also had an ufortable look. "Ryu, don''t be rude." He was normally a polite and well-mannered person. Also, keeping in mind that the other party was a Noble from the Central, he had to show some respect. "How may I call you? Oh, forgive my rudeness. I''m Hase Shichiro." "For now, I go by the alias of ''Rewen''. Nice to meet you, Hase." He wanted to stretch his hand for a handshake but obviously couldn''t. "So it''s Rewen. Nice to meet you too. I hate to make it awkward but I have some questions regarding the incident that happened a few minutes ago." Ryu''s father''s ears perked up. "What incident?" "Regarding this" Hase looked at Rewen, wanting him to narrate the whole story. "Umm, how should I put it in simple words a person, probably an assassin attacked me and Ryu." "Huh?" Ryu''s father felt that he had heard something wrong. "An assassin attacked? Is this some kind of prank?" "Unfortunately, it is true," Rewen responded. "What? How?" "I have no idea. I was standing along with Ryu when I saw a dart flowing towards us." "A dart?" Ryu''s father suddenly felt that the matter was very serious. "Nevermind that, are both of you alright?" "If it wasn''t for Hase, this would have been myst day." Rewen honestly replied. "I will remember this." Ryu''s father nodded, then turned to Hase. "Give me the details when we get home." "By the way, Hase." Rewen had an important question. "Yes?" "What is the thing you did to blow the assassin away?" "You mean the <>?" "Probably." "It''s a simple silver-ranked skill. Look here." Hase opened his palm and kept it on his eye level. "Oy, oy. Don''t blow the car away." Ryu''s fathermented while Rewen''s and Ryu''s eyes shone with light. "Don''t worry. You have to condense your G.C. instead of channeling and" *Ssh* A sound akin to a bucket of water poured directly into the ground sounded around Hase''s palm. Dropping his arm, Hase gave Rewen a small smile. "Although the demonstration looked simple, the actual process is much moreplicated. I think it would be better if I thoroughly tell you the steps afterward. Sounds good?" "You have my gratitude." It didn''t take more than fifteen minutes for the car to stop. "Have we arrived?" Rewen looked outside of the windows out of curiosity. What came before his eyes was a grand gate with its sides filled with ten-meter walls. Rewen and the others got out of the car. A guard who was standing right in front of the gate came forward and led them inside. The vi was two-story, stretching to almost two football fields. Rewen estimated that there were at least two hundred rooms. Perhaps even more than two-hundred-and-fifty. "If I may ask, how many people live in the vi?" "Excluding servants, around six," Hase responded. "Including servants." "Let''s see we have eleven maids including the Head Maid. Three butlers and 126 servants in charge of caretaking, gardening, finance, cooking, and others who oversee the working servants." "I kinda expected this." It wasn''t like he was blown away. No, he did get blown away at the beginning but then, he remembered his own house. Meanwhile, Ryu''s father was conversing with a butler. "Alex, give him a room and treat him well. No need to worry about his meals." "Understood." Alex was an experienced butler. He had been working in the Terio Household for over twenty-five years. When the House Master says "treat him well", it means that the other party was a guest. "Hello, you can call me Rewen. I''ll be staying here for a few months. Sorry for freeloading. If I do something rude or wrong, don''t hesitate to criticize me." Alex was surprised when he saw an ugly kid appearing in front of him. He immediately had a good impression of thed when he saw that he was quite polite. "Hoho, how can that be? You are our precious guest." Rewen didn''t say anything more. After a while, Alex led him to a room. "If you need anything, just tell a servant to call me." Standing at the door, Alex gave him a spare key. "Sure." Alex walked away and Rewen closed the door. ''Today was a rough day.'' [Which day isn''t?] ''Days when you had not appeared yet.'' [I''m not that good] ''It''s not apliment. This should be an example of tsukkomi, right?'' [An elementary level tsukkomi but still. I see that you are progressing quite fast.] ''Enough jokes. Let me just destroy the g.'' Rewen knocked on the bathroom door inside the room. "Fueh!? Who is there?" A female voice came from the bathroom. "I''m a stranger to you but I just want to let you know that you have not locked the door. It would be quite a scene had I not listened to the sounds from the bathroom clearly. Please lock it and sorry for interrupting, take your time." Chapter 53: Reza Chapter 53: Reza "Eh? Ehhhhhhhhh!? W-who is there? I''m the eldest daughter of a Noble. If, if you dare to do something f-funny-" "I am a guest invited by your father. I''ll be waiting here. When you are done, we can talk all we want. Also, do you have the clothes inside? If you don''t, I''ll get outside the room." Rewen took no chances. He had to destroy the so-called "g". Not only because he wasn''t the sort of person who actively pursuits romance in a fictional world but also because ording to the original plot, Rewen or more urately "Arai Atsushi" gets forty-seven punches and kicks from the gentledy in the bathroom. ''First of all, I''m no pervert. Maybe I am but not someone who doesn''t know how to measure the risk and benefits and second of all, if I still enter the bathroom knowing that there is ady inside, how much of a scum does that make me?'' "A-ah you are a guest? Papa returned?" "Correct." Rewen found the fact that the gentledy still calls her father "Papa" quite cute. "Who are you? Why have I not heard from Papa? Answer me this instance! Are you an intruder? If so, as long as you admit your mistake, I''ll plead for your behalf to lower your crime sentences." The gentledy said in a stern tone. "Like I said, I really am not lying." Rewen awkwardlyughed. ''She really is a headstrong and stubborn woman.'' Even though he had read only a single volume, he had a clear grasp of her personality. Being a first-born daughter of the Terio Household, she was often undervalued and many despised her for simply being born leading her to develop a stubborn personality. ''You''d expect her to have an inferiorityplex or carry a bit of hatred against the patriarchal system but she is surprisingly haughty and is supportive of her brother.'' "Really? How are you going to prove it?" The gentledy asked in a doubtful tone, not believing his words. Rewen was speechless. ''Do richdies in this worldckmon sense?'' "What? You can''t? I should have known." The gentledy hurrumped and stopped the shower. "You didn''t even give me the time to think. I already told you I''m a guest. Why don''t you believe it? Is it really that unreal?" "Enough nonsense! You are an intruder. Let me just get out" "No! I''m bringing the proof within a minute." Rewen started running and got out of the room. "Running is useless!" The bathroom door opened and a long ck-haired girl wearing a bathrobe came out. She is the infamous eldest daughter of the Terio Household, Terio Reza. Reza''s eyes appeared very angry. "Where is that intruding b*stard!?" She saw the open door and immediately got out of the room. When she looked around, she saw no one suspicious. ''Weird, who is he? Shit, I should have seen his face.'' She again checked the surroundings. There were several servants cleaning the hallway. Among them, there was one overweight fatty polishing a painting with his handkerchief smearing with his saliva. "You right there! What the hell are you doing!?" The fatty didn''t have a reaction and was engrossed in his job. "Didn''t you hear me? I asked what the hell are you doing!?" Reza got angrier. Finally, the fatty looked at her and pointed his finger to his body. Reza nodded. "I''m just cough doing my job." "That''s not how you do your job. You''re tarnishing the painting!" "Sorry cough." "Nevermind that, what''s wrong with your voice?" Reza asked suspiciously. "I... cold." The fatty lowered his head and coughed a few more times while rubbing his nose. "You look like you''ll cough blood in a few minutes. You can go home." Rewen lightly nodded, then started to walk away. "Wait. Did you see anyone running away?" "If you are talking about the tall good-looking man, I saw him running in that direction." Pointing to his opposite direction, the fatty said in a perfectly clean voice. "That way? I see." Looking at the back of the fatty, she felt that she was missing something. "Big Brother Piggy!" "Ryu? When did you return?" Reza was stunned by the sudden appearance of her brother, then recalled the words of the "intruder". Ryu smiled happily and ran over to hug his sister whom he had not seen for a long time. Reza returned the hug but her attention was somewhere else. "Wait." She said, turning her head to the fatty''s direction. "Huh? Big Brother Piggy?" Reza almost instantly figured out everything and ran towards Rewen. "So you were the intruder! Stop right there!" The fatty kept walking at a steady pace. "I said STOP!!" Within two seconds, Reza already caught up to the fatty and pushed him down. However, this didn''t lessen her rage. She prepared her fists. But. In the next second, she was stunned. "You are scared, aren''t you?" The fatty opened his mouth and spoke without any hint of fear. Reza who was preparing to throw dozens of punches and kicks had an incredible expression on her face. Not understanding what he meant, she bellowed angrily. "What do you mean? Why should I be scared of you?" The fatty gave an exasperated sigh. "Do I really need to spell it out for now? Use that brain of yours a little." "What did you say!?" "Not my problem if you have hearing problems. I''ll give you one piece of advice. Stop thinking that you deserve better than others when you are, at the end of the day, a rebel thinking you are some kind of hot shot of something." "Shut up.." Reza''s face waspletely red. She felt raging boiling in her head. Never had someone''s words hurt her this much. "You are no different from the ''garbages'' you despised. It''s not a matter of two wrongs cannot make a right. Just now, you subconsciously realized that I am no intruder but didn''t want to believe it. You are scared that your conviction will fail as you had always believed that no matter what, you cannot be wrong. Seriously, what are you? Some grade schooler?" "SHUT UP!!! YOU DON''T KNOW ME! DON''T TALK LIKE YOU KNOW ME!" She could no longer control herself and punched the fatty. Blood sipped from the corner of his lips but his expression hadn''t faltered. "Of course, resorting to violence when you can''t reason is the correct way to go about it. I bet you stillin why the house favors yours brother over you in your heart. Instead of reflecting upon your own behaviour, you med the system." "No I don''t think so! Stop spreading lies!" "And here I foolishly thought you would be an honest person. It''s perfectly normal to have these thoughts. It''s all part of human behaviour. The fact that you didn''t even try to recognize your own feelings and tried thinking that you arepletely devoid of those thoughts while also subconsciously acting upon it is truly disgusting. Do you really think that by projecting the image of a rebel you would let people view you as some sort of the ''more appropriate heir'' to the house? You really thought that by acting domineering and stubborn, with this little bit of self-satisfaction you think you are entitled to act entitled?" Reza felt her vision darken as she fell on her knees. Tears rolled from her eyes as she silently sobbed. She was only a 13 year old. Even though she had no idea how, the fatty seems to have an urate idea of her personality better than herself. If it was any other time, she would have rampaged with her fists but now, she felt somehow powerless. ''Am I really what he says I am? Indeed. I had a feeling that he was not the intruder from the beginning yet'' Before long, she got lost in her thoughts. ''Did I ever truly regretted the fact that I''m not supposed to be the heir. Now I think about it, I thought about this matter a million times. I even considered the possibility of of how good it would be if Ryu didn''t exist and felt strangely happy?'' Her sobs got louder, pulling her brother who was closely watching the entire drama unfold into her embrace. The fatty, A.K.A, Rewen got up from the floor, brushed off the dirt and went back to his room without any words. ''Is this considered good character development?'' [I have no words maybe? But what I can say for sure is that the original plot showed a much better character growth as she learns of her ws on her own one-by-one. Slowly and steadily, she ovees her ws. I think it''s a lot better than someone forcing her to swallow and ept her weaknesses down her throat. She might even fall into depression.] ''Is that so? I should help her out then.'' [What? I thought you didn''t care.] Rewen smiled. ''How can I possibly hate her? She is very much to my liking, as a character of course.'' [Don''t you find her attractive? Why don''t you use the ''Appearance Grader''?] ''As a mentally eighteen-year-old, I think it would be really scummy if I sexualize a thirteen year old.'' Chapter 54: Ikeda Chapter 54: Ikeda Rewen cleaned his face, wore a new set of clothes given by a servant and walked down to the living room. He saw Hase and Ryu''s father sitting down on a sofa and talking with each other. "Are you sure it''s a Silver-ranked?" Ryu''s father asked in a low voice. "I''m sure." Hase answered. "Oh? Rewen, you came." Ryu''s father noticed Rewen approaching them. He had heard of his name from his nephew, Hase. He figured that ''Rewen'' probably wasn''t his real name but didn''t care much. All he needed to know is that he is a Central Noble. Rewen took a seat beside them. "So if I''m not pushing my bounds, who were the assassins?" "We deduced that they were local assassins. Professionals would not be this dumb." "Dumb? Uh, I see. But my question is, howe you are so sure that the assassin wasn''t after me?"It was indeed dumb for the assassins to attack them at daylight and that too, in a crowded ce. Hearing the question, both Ryu''s father and Hase looked at each other. It wasn''t that this thought hadn''t crossed their minds, but they simply felt that it would be too direct to ask this. Not to mention, the dart which the assassin threw was towards Ryu and not towards Rewen. "I didn''t get the chance to ask this but what do you think?" Hase directly asked. "It''s not me. I personally don''t have any enemies that would want to kill me. My family? Eh, maybe but trust me, no one would want to assassinate me." Ryu''s father nodded. He decided to trust him not because of this reasoning but because he had shown enough sincerity. "It has to be a trap" Hase muttered, lost in thoughts. "I have had the same thoughts but" Ryu''s father didn''t continue. "But retrospectively speaking, what if I didn''t happen to be there? The purpose of the assassination would have been attained. But then again, if I wasn''t there you would have taken Ryu along to search for the car. Now that I think about it, maybe the assassination was indeed aimed against me. Right, I forgot to ask. Did you interrogate the assassin?" Ryu''s father shook his head. "Not yet. I''ll visit the Investigation Bureau this evening. Don''t worry about our household matters. Hase, take him to your shop and show him what needs to be done." Both Hase and Rewen stood up. *** "The air here is quite nice." Rewenmented. "I don''t know about the Central but it''s a whole lot better than the Ind." Hase chuckled. "I have always wondered why." "There are some theories. One says that it is due to the fact that G.C. gets released into the atmosphere." "How? G.C. isn''t an energy source." "What if it is?" "It would be interesting but it is a widely known fact that it isn''t. Our bodies are like vessels for storing G.C." "This is the first time I have heard this logic but it makes sense." "Technically, it is. But what bugs is the <>? How can G.C. suddenly be produced?" "Some say it sucks their life force. It is a bit dubious to believe this because since the start of the Primordial Era till the Current Era, life force is a vague concept. Some also say that the reason an <> happens to have arge supply of G.C. is because of the nature of G.C.." "Even more unbelievable. Are you sure the one writing these theories isn''t sitting in front of their PC and writing stories?" Haseughed. "We have arrived." Both of them came to a stop beside a small shop. Going inside, Rewen''s gaze shifted from one ce to another. "A potions shop? Are you an alchemist?" "I''m not. I buy them from a merchant." Hase replied. "Hmm what is the overall condition of the shop?" "Below average." Hase said without any hesitation. He didn''t know what he ate that day to suddenly open up a Potions Shop. It''s not that very few buy potions these days but the location of the shop is not a good location from a business standpoint. "Why don''t you shift to another ce?" Hase shook his head. "I have an emotional connection to this ce." He stopped and Rewen didn''t pry further. "You have all kinds of potions, huh?" Rewen started checking out the potions. L-Healing Potion [L=Low], H-Healing Potion [H=High], Boost Potion [10%], Boost Potion [25%], White Skin Potion... "What does this White skin Potion do?" "It''s used in disguising. It makes skin moldable." "I see." He asked a few more questions about potions. After patiently answering his questions, Hase came to the point. "You will get 20 gold coins per hour. Do you have any problem?" "I don''t." It was a fairly high wage. To ask for more would be inappropriate. "Good. You will start from tomorrow." "Onest question." "Go on." "Is there a Fat-Reducing Potion?" "There isn''t but if you are really dedicated, I can rmend you some meds. Remember, they are very potent. If you don''t do heavy exercise after having them, your body may suffer. And by heavy exercise, I mean it. A few push-ups or sprinting won''t do much. Do you still want them?" "I want them." "Alright. I''ll send you a box by night. You don''t have to pay me. Take them as a congrattions." "By the way, aren''t there less potent meds?" "There are but they can''t reduce fats in a sh" "They can''t reduce fats in a short time, right? Why did you think that I''m nning to reduce my fat in a short time period?" Hase smiled. He didn''t say anything more. If he wanted to, he could have easily made a reasonable exnation. *** Rewen returned to the vi and was heading towards his room when he caught sight of an ass. Wait, what? Focusing his eyes, he saw a maid on all fours reaching out her hand under a table. He tapped her shoulders. "Can I help?" The maid tilted her head and saw an unfamiliar boy. "Who are you?" "I am a guest." "You are the new guest?" "Yes. Let me help." "No! I''d rather die than let you help me. You are the one who made Young Miss Reza cry." She was extremely nonchnt when she said this. Looking at her closely, Rewen eximed. "Are you the Head Maid?" "It is me. I wonder what does trash- cough, forgive my rudeness. What does Fatty wish of me to do?" "I was just lending my helping hand. If you don''t want my help, it''s fine." Rewen didn''t particrly mind her words. She was known to be very loyal to the eldest daughter of the Household, Reza. "Pa, manners." A woman who just came said, standing behind Rewen. She then turned to Rewen. " I hope you don''t take offense to her. She is like this." Rewen knew who she was. He had caught a glimpse of her when he had first entered the vi. She was the mother of Ryu and Reza. The middle-aged woman smiled. "I have heard of your circumstances. Think of this as your own home." Rewen gave a light nod. He chatted a bit more with her before parting ways. During their conversation, she had not mentioned the incident with Reza. He could deduce that she also wasn''t fond of him and was perfunctorily talking with him. After all, which parent would like someone who bullied their daughter? Because of him, she was locked up in her room for an hour. The Head Maid, Pa gave him a cold eye before walking away. Rewen smiled. ''Well, there''s nothing I could do at this point.'' He went back to his room and fell asleep. *** In a closed room, a man was tied to the chair. He neither struggled nor had any spirit left for him. Opposite to him sat the most important in the Rover City, the Head of the Noble House of Terio - Terio Ikeda! "I''m asking you again, why did you attempt to assassinate my son?" His voice carried force and aggression,pletely different from the friendly and warm father. "For the fifth time, I DON''T KNOW!!" The assassin yelled with thest bit of strength avable. Ikeda had no change in expression and turned to the nearby officer. "Torture him. If something happens, I''ll take responsibility." The officer nodded and approached the assassin. "Wait, what are you going to do?" The officer took out a pocket knife. "I''ll just slowly peel off your skin with this knife. You think this small knife is enough to pierce your skin?" "Y-yes Please believe me I swear I''m telling the truth." "What a surprise. I don''t believe that this small knife is enough to pierce your thick skin. How about we try this?" "No, no, no, no, no" The man broke down in tears. "I am just a normal businessman. I don''t know why I did thatplease believe me. I have a wife and son at home." The officer pretended to pay no heed to the man and proceeded toy the man on his bare back. "Stop. Leave him be." Ikeda suddenly said. Chapter 55: Return Ticket Chapter 55: Return Ticket Few dayster. It was Sunday. Rover City was bursting in excitement because of the uing news. An envoy from the Central would being. Not only is it a huge honor for the entire city, the envoy would also benefit the city financially. The markets were more active than they were ever before. Michi yawned and opened her groceries store. She had recently took over the store after her grandfather passed away. She was a simple girl. Coming from a middle-ss family, she had no hopes and dreams. All she was interested in is running the store and get her life going. She thought about her future many times and whether this is her fate or not. ''My fate or not. I have to keep moving forward.'' "Ah? Michi, you are up early! You would have a good harvest today." An old man opening up his shop opposite to her waved his hand. "Why did you note to my house yesterday? My daughter just came back." A middle-aged woman from another shop asked. "Aunty, I had customersing tillte." "You shouldn''t overwork, Michi." Michi smiled. She was very fond of the neighborhood. Each and every one of them is caring and takes care of each other. "Old man, did you hear about the Envoy?" "I did. Stop dreaming, the help won''te here." "How could it be? The Terio Vi is located in our colony." "How does that matter? We are not part of the main market of the city." Hearing the conversation, Michi sighed. ''If only there was some way to be a part of the main market.'' Her financial condition was stable but she wanted better. She didn''t want to hesitate when she saw a pretty but expensive dress. Same goes for other things. She was neither money-hungry nor had any obsession to be rich. She just wanted a morefortable lifestyle. "Yo!" As she was lost in thoughts, a boy suddenly appeared in front of her. He was covered in sweat. The first word that came to her mind was - ugly. Even though she had seen him twice before, she was always taken aback by how ugly a person can get. She heard that he was a guest of the Terio Household and works in the shop of Hase which made her feel a bit envious. "The usual?" She asked. "The usual." The boy nodded. Michi took out a bag filled with green vegetables and handed it over to the boy. The boy had already paid for two weeks. "You already prepared?" The boy chuckled. Michi gave a smile and made a fist. "Fight! Don''t give up!" Although the boy was not pleasing to the eyes, she had a good impression of his personality. ''Even though he is so fat, he is still fighting. Just what the hell am I doing? Is this life?'' The boy gave a lightugh. "You too!" *** Rewen took a shower andid down on the bed. He woke up in the morning, did heavy exercise for two hours, managed the shop and practiced <> at night. "I''m slowly getting the hang of it but I''m not sure how long it would take for me to fully master this." He currently has a POW of 2.7. A huge increase from his original 1.2 but not enough. Average student in the academy has 4 so he was still on the lower end. "It''s also bing a bit boring. ording to the original plot, the next event will happen in two days. Not rted to me though but it''s pretty sad. I wish I could help." [You can''t even help yourself.] ''Why do you pop-up at random times? Are you bored?'' [I''m not. I just like to spite you.] ''Do you have idea how I learned <>.'' [It''s an unique skill. If I knew, it wouldn''t be one.] ''That means, without any exnation I''m given this awesome skill?'' [Technically. Maybe it''s due to the fact that you are the main character.] ''I''m not actually.'' [By the way, you might want to take a look at your system interface.] ''What do you mean?'' --- World: #001 Description: Be patient and read the entire thing. Not sure if this would answer all your questions but here''s the story. You have sessfully transmigrated over to a different world and took over the body of the main character of the world. Rejoice! Quest: Find the twelve scattered "Gruer Crystal" fragments (0/12). <> [Return Ticket ] (x1) Alter Points: 17 --- "..." Because he was so engrossed in the happenings of the world, hepletely forgot that he even something called [Return Ticket]. Bitterly sighing, he tapped on the [Return Ticket]. *** Eyes opened. Rewen looked around and found himself in his room. He touched his body and let out a smile. He was very ufortable when he was in the body of "Arai Atsushi". After all, he had lived eighteen years on his body and to suddenly adapt to a foreign body needs some time and effort. "Rewen, are you back?" He heard Denny''s voice and leaped from his bed. Going to the living room, he found her in her uniform looking at him with a frown. "Why did you not go to the academy?" "I was not feeling well. Do you have anything to eat?" "Eat me. I''m only responsible for dinner. Go to your girlfriend''s ce." Denny said without any reservations. Rewen didn''t say anything more and checked the refrigerator. "Why is it so empty? Not even eggs? What am I supposed to eat?" He sighed and fell down on the sofazily. Denny shot him a look. "You can eat in the virtual world, if you have any coins." "That''s a good idea Right!" He got up as though he remembered something. "Speaking of the virtual world, give me your VA." "Why do you need my virtual address?" Even though she asked, she took out her smartphone and sent her VA to him. "I''ll show you my family and friends." "You chose to be an NPC?" "Yup. Now, hurry up!" Rewen said, then went to his room. Denny thought about his behaviour for a while. ''He seems to be more cheerful and open. It''s a good thing. I should tell this to Aunt.'' *Ding* Her phone buzzed. It was Bianca. "Hello?" "When are youing?" "Coming where?" "To the virtual world." "Oh, I''m about to log in. Although I''m not sure if I can y with you guys." "Why?" "Rewen told me to y with him. Let''s see, I''lle at night." "When is that assh*le going to pay for my smartphone?" "I''ll talk to him regarding that." Denny wryly smiled. She had heard what happened that day. "Okay, I''m hanging up." *Beep* She hung up and to her room. ''Hm maybe I should take a shower before going online. Yes, that''s for the best.'' With her bathrobe, she entered the bathroom. As she was showering, she noticed bite marks above her chest. ''That guy'' She smiled helplessly. Unbeknownst to everyone, she has a boyfriend which she had told no one about. Not Cal. Not Rewen. Nor Bianca. It''s not that she wanted to purposefully hide the fact that she has a boyfriend but rather, the current situation is not favorable for her as well as her boyfriend. As top students, they are both under strict supervision from the higher-ups. No, they don''t prohibit students to form rtions but the reputation of a popr top student is very quick to fall. The second anyone got word that two top students are in a rtionship, their private life would be destroyed and unhealthy rumors will fly. As neen year olds, this is something they absolutely don''t want to happen. Five minutester, Denny turned on her PC and logged into the game. *** She found herself in a forest. She had been leveling yesterday since midnight and forgot to teleport back to the nearest city. ''Ding.'' ''Ding.'' ''Ding.'' As soon as she got here, she received several notifications. --- Rewen0624879klofarfuckthisgameanotherwordandillfuckyou: Where are you? Come soon! Here''s my coordinates - 146.223.346.127. Rewen0624879klofarfuckthisgameanotherwordandillfuckyou: How much time are you going to take? Rewen0624879klofarfuckthisgameanotherwordandillfuckyou: Are you sleeping? --- Denny was not amused by his name. --- RoundaboutMageTooLazyToTalkDontDM: What''s with the name? Are you trying to be funny or edgy? Rewen0624879klofarfuckthisgameanotherwordandillfuckyou: Hurry up ande here! There''s a problem. RoundaboutMageTooLazyToTalkDontDM: Okay, I''ming. Hold on. --- She tapped on the given coordinates. ''Are you sure you want to teleport to the given coordinates?'' "Yes." *** Outside Rewen''s house. Sam and Master Kaf were watching the drama unfolding before their eyes. "Like I said, not today. I will go with you some other day. I give my word for it." Rewen pleaded standing in front of his mother. "What value does your word have?" Chapter 56: Arguing Chapter 56: Arguing "M-my heart is not ready" "Stop speaking like a young maiden. You areing with me. End of the discussion." For the first time in his life, Rewen saw his mother as some merciless demon. Her face was stone cold and showed nopromise. When he arrived here, he saw his mother preparing to go somewhere. He asked out of curiosity. His mother caught his hand and told him that she was going to visit the Baron of Darkhood. --- "Eh? Why visit the Baron?" "You will be surprised to know that the Baron has a really pretty granddaughter." "Is that so?" At this time, Rewen was still unaware as to why his mother would make friends with a young woman. ''Maybe she is just trying to get back her lost youth.'' "Yes, she''s the perfect wife material." But the next statement made him freeze. "Sam, you are so lucky!" He tried to deny reality and congratted Sam who was next to his mother. "It''s not for Sam. He is dirty and a country bumpkin. He doesn''t meet the lowest of requirements for being a husband." "How could you say that, Aunty!?: --- And so, the drama unfolded. "What? Are you trying to be a rebel!? Is this what your father taught you to do? Going against your own mother after he died?" Her voice sounded emotional. Rewen was constantly getting guilt-tripped after guilt-tripped. ''That day, I only told her that I''ll marry because I thought I could easily avoid the scenario of me being married. I thought if I could bring Svety into this world and somehow make her my ''wife'', Mother would dispel the thoughts of me getting married. Who would have thought she would take action this soon?'' As he was desperately thinking of a way to get out of the situation, he spotted a familiar person looking at him in a daze. "Denny, why are you standing there? Come here." Denny woke up from the daze and approached Rewen out of everyone''s confused eyes. "Rewen, who is she?" His mother directly asked. "Ah, she is my cousin. We have been living together since childhood." Denny was shocked at his answer. "Rewen?" In response, he smiled. "Don''t worry. It''s alright." His mother eyed her from top to bottom, then smiled. "So you are his cousin. We already know this is not the real world but I am d to have him as a son. Thank you for taking care of him all these years." Her sarcastic tone was hard to notice but it was there. Denny felt a bit embarrassed. "No, it''s nothing." Of course, she didn''t get the hint of sarcasm. "Denny, help me. She is preparing to get me married." Rewen secretly whispered to her ear. "What!?" "Exactly. Tell her that I already have a girlfriend." Denny stared at his mother. "Umm, he already has a girlfriend" Rewen''s mother had a nonchnt expression on her face. "So what?" "So it would be an unfaithful act." "I don''t care." Denny was tongue-tied. "Rewen, just agree." Sam couldn''t watch anymore of the awkwardness and tried to persuade his friend. Rewen took a huge breath and his expression became stiff. "I already said I''m not going to marry. I have nothing more to say." It''s not that he was against the act of marriage but he knew once he took one step, he cannot turn back. He knew that this was a virtual world. Perhaps even his future lover would not me him for having a virtual wife but his thought process is different from others. He had grown up in this world and perceived the world as ''real''. To him, this world was no different from Earth. For Rewen, the reality is a vague term. If he perceives something as ''real'', it is real. Which is exactly why he doesn''t want to live his life carelessly. If possible, he wanted to live in both the worlds in his own way. He too wanted to have a family in this world in future but then, what about Earth? He was someone who believed in monogamy at a young age. When he arrived on Earth, his belief strengthened. It would hurt his conscience if he were to start a family. "Why are you being so stubborn?" Sam was angry on Rewen''s mother''s behalf. "You already promised her that you would listen to her, didn''t you?" He had grown up with him and knew him from head to toe. Because their personalities match, they got along very well.Rewen''s mother was the only mother figure in his life so he was very grateful for her. She was a gentle and caring mother. Never had she demanded anything and always did what her son Rewen said. This is precisely why he was angry at his friend. Rewen saw Sam staring at him angrily and responded in disbelief. "You really don''t think that there is something wrong with her? Do you honestly think that I should get married at my age?" "What''s wrong with your age? If anything, you are the one who is being unreasonable." "Nevermind, you won''t understand me." Rewen sighed in disappointment. For some reason, Sam was ticked off by thisment and furiously grabbed his cor. "Bastard, you are looking down on us?" "Get your hands off my cor," Rewen spoke in a terrifyingly calm tone. Deep down inside, he was very arrogant. It didn''t have anything to do with strength or knowledge. It was just his innate nature. "Besides, what are my matters to you?" Sam loosened his grip and went back to the house. He was both angry and disappointed at Rewen but knew that it was not his ce to say anything. Rewen''s mother watched Sam''s back and grabbed her son''s hand. "You better reconcile with him after youe back." Rewen shook off her hand and walked towards Denny. "I want to level up. Create a party and invite me." Denny watched everything in astonishment. She never actually thought that NPCs would have suchplex emotions. She was even more shocked that Rewen would have a family drama in this world as well. She saw that his mother was not looking good but couldn''t do anything. ''Hopefully, Rewen won''t invest his emotions upon them.'' She was somewhat worried for him. On top of having interference, he also had to deal with emotional issues. ''Till now, apart from having that who-knows-what strength, he is pretty normal. Of course, his attitude had changed but it''s probably for the better.'' *** "HOOWWWWWWWW!!!" A beastly roar sounded throughout the entire forest. It originated from a 2-meter tall wolf who let out a howl after locating two strangers. --- Houndwolf HP: 1500 --- As it was about to leap out, an arrow shot out from behind the trees. ''-45'' It was an intelligent beast. Instantly after being alerted, the beast headed in the direction of where the arrow came from. Just then, another arrow shot out from another direction. ''-52'' It directly hit the neck of the beast. The beast howled and again headed towards the direction of the arrow in rage. When it got close, a barrage of arrows shot out from both sides. ''-39'' ''-43'' ''-45'' ''-34'' .. After a few seconds, the beast which was furiously grinding its teeth and howling fell down. Among the arrows, a dagger shot out and hit its torso. ''-127'' Thest hint of consciousness left in the beast faded away. Confirming it was indeed dead, two figures revealed themselves. They were naturally Rewen and Denny. Beside them was a medium-sized sized box with a hole on two opposite sides. It is used to make hunting easier and less risky. "The device is really very convenient," Denny stated. Rewen agreed, then looked at his stats. --- Level: 20 [Capped] ss: None Social Status: Peasant Strength: 7 Dexterity: 8 Constitution: 9 Intelligence: 8 Charisma: 7 Luck: 7 --- Both his and Denny''s level had capped. The only way to remove the cap is to activate a [ss]. "You have any idea how to obtain the [Pdin] ss?" "You want to be a [Pdin]?" "Yeah." "Why not be a [Simplified Mage]? It would help in improving your magic techniques. One of the main purposes of the game is to help young mages." Rewen wasn''t opposed to the suggestion. He only wanted to be a [Pdin] because he thought the armors looked cool. "So, how do I be a [Simplified Mage]?" "For that, you need to request for your [ss] in one of the official CHAOS chat groups. Don''t write anything unnecessary though. You might get banned." "I see." Both Rewen and Denny requested to be a [Simplified Mage]. "What now?" "Be patient. A [ss] quest will arrive." As soon as she said that, a blue screen appeared in front of Rewen. --- Quest: Learn [Fireball] on your own. Reward: [Simplified Mage] ss. --- Rewen read that and frowned. Secondster, he could feel warm currents flowing through his body. ''This feels like mana.'' He looked sidewise and saw that Denny was in deep concentration. ''Now then, how should I learn this childish magic?'' Chapter 57: Variant Fireball Chapter 57: Variant Fireball Rewen wasn''t sure how difficult this is going to be. He could feel the difference between the magic power flowing through his body and the G.C. that flowed through his body. Magic power is like blood. It has no specific rhythm but has direction and dominantly travels throughout his entire body, except for the brain and stays active all the time. G.C., on the other hand, is like thin current which appears once in a while and is directly connected to the mind. If the mind wants it, G.C. will appear. The direction and pattern can both be manipted if trained enough. Compared to the two, the Earth''s mana is apletely different species. It has no pattern or direction and it''s amon saying that "mana flows" but it doesn''t exactly. It jumps from specific body points using mana strings, quite simr to G.C. currents. It is directly connected to the brain but to what degree, nobody knows. The key difference is the process to execute skill. Right now, Rewen could only feel the magic power flowing through his body. When it reached the tips of his fingers, it flowed back. ''Maybe I should take advantage of the time it reaches my finger but what exactly should I do? Visualisation?'' He visualised a ball of fire appearing at the palm of his hands when the magic power reached his palm. Nothing happened. ''Let''s try again.'' He concentrated on visualizing harder this time. The result was the same. ''Again.'' Failed. ''Again.'' Failed. ''Nope. This is not going to work. The miniscule amount of magic power that is appearing at the palm of my hands every 2 seconds isn''t enough to condense. I need at least ten times more magic power if I want to make a palm-sized fireball. But then again, what should I do? I could feel that my entire magic power is enough to execute a palm-sized fireball four times. Will condensing work?'' He tried to condense but the magic power flowed like usual. ''So the magic power couldn''t be condensed how about control?'' The magic power which was dominantly flowing halted. ''Yup, this works. But it''s going to be quite a chore to direct all the magic power towards the palm. No wait, why should I direct all the magic power when only a quarter is needed?'' Thinking so, he let three-fourths of the magic power go and brought the remaining magic power near his palm. ''Now, I think it''s probably the time to visualize.'' Just as he was about to visualize, the maig power which he brought near the palm escaped making him speechless. ''Just stay still ah, nevermind. It ought to have happened.'' The magic power is rted to the concentration. The moment his mind wanders off about other things, the magic power will escape. ''Alright. Let''s review from the start. First, I felt the magic power. Second, I controlled the flow of the magic power. Now the third step should have been visualization but it appears there''s an extra step in between. I have to somehow trap the magic power but how exactly? I could make a barrier around it but won''t the barrier copse when I start to visualize? No, how about I condense the barrier?'' He wasn''t too optimistic but he nned to try it anyways. Rewen took a deep breath and again brought some amount of magic power to his palm. He brought a little more than one-fourths because he needed to make a barrier. ''Here goes nothing.'' As soon as he brought the magic power to his palm, he immediately started coating the entire wrist area not letting any of the magic power escape. ''This worked.'' Sweat dripped from his forehead as he thought about the next step. ''Now. Condense. But how? Focusing on the barrier doesn''t exactly condense it. Hmm maybe condensing isn''t the right word, it''s more like freezing.'' ''Yes. Freezing.'' He connected the magic barrier with the wrist muscles. ''It fucking hurts. Of course, it would hurt. But this is worth it.'' The magic power could no longer escape and remained trapped in the palm. ''Next, visualization.'' Closing his eyes, he imagined a ball of red fire appearing on his palm. As seconds passed, he could feel his palm getting hotter and heavier. It eventually came to a point where the heat couldn''t be tolerated anymore. At this moment, he opened his eyes and saw an uneven fire revolving around his palm. ''It''s hot but it isn''t harming my body.'' He stared at the fire for a few seconds before he realized. ''What do I do with this? Eat it? I mean, how should I release it? Or is it the carry-type? I''ll just try to throw it.'' Meanwhile, Denny who was beside Rewen was panting hard when he saw the fire that had lit up in her palm disappearing after a few seconds. ''As expected, it''s difficult. The guide book was overly simplified. I''ll try it after a few minutes again. Oh, shit! I haven''t instructed Rewen.'' "Rewen, I''m s-" Her words halted when she saw him stretching his right hand in which the fire was lit and *Boom* A loud sound reverberated across the forest. When the dust settled, four trees which were standing tall copsed. "Not bad. Not bad at all." Rewen smiled with satisfaction while also feeling a bit of pity for the ecosystem. "How did you do that?" Hiding her shock, Denny asked. It must be known that [Fireball] wasn''t exactly a destructive skill. If downyed, it could even be called a party trick. At most, it could cut the branch of a tree deep but to destroy several trees at once is unheard of. "Wait a second." Rewen saw a blue screen appearing in front of his eyes. --- Quest: Learn [Fireball] on your own. [Completed] --- Rewen then checked the stats to see if anything changed. --- Level: 20 (0/100) ss: Simplified Mage Social Status: Peasant Strength: 7 Dexterity: 8 Constitution: 9 Intelligence: 8 Charisma: 7 Luck: 7 MP: 20 Passive Skills: None Active Skills: Variant Fireball Lvl. 1 [0/20] Equipment: Tier 1 Middle-Bronze Ranked Unnamed Daggers, Unranked arrows. --- "It looks really cool!" Rewen eximed. Denny got interested. "Where? Show me." Rewen showed her his stats proudly. "What is [Variant Fireball]?" She asked in confusion. "How would I know?" "Wait, did you not read the guide?" "There was a guide? No wonder!" Denny didn''t know what to say for a while. "You probably created the [Variant Fireball] using your own ways. It''s not rare for people to do so but people who create variants are usually knowledgeable about the original skill. So for you to create a variant is beyond impressive." She was not stingy in praise. At the same time, she also realized her own narrow-mindedness. Time and again, she looked down on him for having a bad academic record and constantly let himself be bullied. She always felt that being bullied would make him stronger. At some point, she realized that it was just an excuse, because to see him throwing away hisst bit of pride when getting bullied satisfied her greatly. She knew that she should try to help him instead of watching him through the sidelines and abandon her twisted thoughts but couldn''t. She didn''t want to admit it but deep down, she knew the source of her satisfaction. As kids, her and Rewen were verypetitive but no matter what the subject or field was, Rewen was always on top of the ss which created a small grudge inside her. Apart from that, she also didn''t want to be the odd-one-out among her friends. She thought that she would likely be ostracized by her friend group if she helped Rewen. ''What''s this? Why am I reflecting upon myself when I did nothing wrong? I''m not the one who bullied him. Maybe it''s my fault for not realizing that he had interference when his grades dropped but that''s his fault for not telling me in the first ce!'' She defended herself in her mind. The reason she is thinking all these is because she felt pressure from Rewen. "What are you thinking about?" Looking at his bright smile, Denny''s thoughts became even more muddled. An emotion called ''guilt'' made a small mark on her heart. "I was just thinking about your marriage." Rewen''s face instantly went down. "Sigh, tease me all you want. I have to apologise to both Sam and Mother." "You don''t feel embarrassed to call her mother?" "Why would I?" "Because she isn''t your real mother?" "Sure, but she is ten times more responsible than my real parents." "You shouldn''t be saying this." Denny said sternly. "Take it as me seeking parental affection since I never got that." "..." Denny didn''t doubt his words but she thought it was a bit "You think it''sme, right? It''s no different from renting a girlfriend to seek affection from her because you don''t have one." "But you have" She couldn''tplete it. "Anyways, the point is that I am somewhat fond of my family here and don''t want to let them down. What do you think I should do?" Chapter 58: Baron of Darkhood Chapter 58: Baron of Darkhood Denny thought about his question a bit, then answered. "I think you should reconcile with them." "Exactly." Rewen agreed. "But the problem is about my marriage. I doubt Mother would let it go." "How about you bring Svety to meet her?" "That won''t work. Mother is very stubborn about me having two different identities." "That''s you shouldn''t have told her the truth in the first ce." "Now I''m regretting." He wasn''t but he had to say so. "Well, I hope everything works. If there''s nothing else to do, I''m leaving. I have to meet up with others." "Yeah, fine. Don''t tell anyone about this marriage thing though. You know how they are." "Okay, I guess." Within a few seconds, Denny disappeared. Rewen looked around the forest. ''Should I farm EXPs? Not needed. I''m bing too impatient.'' *** Rewen went back home and saw his Mother knitting in her room. Seeing her, he didn''t feel right. "Mother? Where are Sam and Master?" Rewen''s mother stopped knitting, her eyes squinted. "Are you sure this is your home? I don''t have any memory of bearing a child like you." "Look, I''m sorry" "Meaningless words." "Is there really no other way?" Rewen tried onest time. "Not that I know of." "You are being awfully stubborn about this. What''s wrong?" "Most people get married under the age of eighteen." "It''s not like people don''t after eighteen. Just give me some to think. Within three years, I''ll settle myself." "It''s too long." "I know but please understand that I have to deal with three worlds. I have to take care of my studies, social activities, find a purpose in life and many more. I just don''t think that I can get a happily married life right now." "Anything more?" "Yeah, I believe in monogamy in every sense and term. I have two identities." "So you won''t marry in one of two worlds?" "I won''t. If I find someone I like in any of the worlds, I''ll just settle down." "And if you don''t find the ''someone you like'' here, what are you going to do?" "She can live here." "That''s your n?" "Pretty much." "If I still intend to do what I want, what would you do?" Rewen didn''t reply immediately. He stared at her for a while before opening his mouth. "Sigh, I''ll do what you want but one condition." Rewen''s mother smiled. "What is the condition?" "You have to give an appropriate reason." "Okay." "So?" "So what?" "The reason?" "I''ll tell youter." "I''m trusting you." "Go, get changed." Rewen went back to his room wryly smiling. ''I wanted to persuade her but got persuaded instead. I wonder how my fianc is'' Of course, he was talking about her attitude and temperament. He himself didn''t know why but he had very little interest opposite sex''s beauty. For Rewen, it''s alright if his wife is ugly and doesn''t matter if her personality is boring. ''Maybe it''s because of my low requirements that I''m still single.'' *** Darkhood Baron''s Estate. The Baron of Darkhood looked to be a middle-aged man with a few white hairs but he was in fact over seventy. With a sharp moustache and hisrge but dignified stature, he gave a ''noble'' feeling. Behind him stood two young maids. He took a small sip of his favorite wine and stared at the person sitting opposite him. "Master Kaf, are you sure that your disciple will be a good match for my granddaughter? It''s not that I''m doubting the validity of your words but he is, after all, a country boy. He might be humble and honest but I need him to be strong, wise and capable." Master Kaf had no change in expression. "In eighty years of my life, I dare say that my disciple has an outstanding personality. You can see him for yourself." Master Kaf knew Rewen from head to toe. "Hm? For you to give such praise, I''m bing more and more curious now. Tell me an outstanding quality about him." "He is a very understanding individual who looks at things objectively." "To what degree?" "It was around the time when his father recently passed away. He was often teased by the other kids by how his father had died." "Indeed. It was very sad for a man like him to die like that." The Baron of Darkhood rarely interrupted between conversations but he couldn''t help this time. Master Kaf wasn''t offended and continued the story. "He had the strength to beat the kids up but he never did so. When I asked him about it, he said that they were not wrong. At that point, I thought that he had developed a deep lifelong guilt but his next statement proved me wrong. He said and I quote: ''Neither am I. If anyone were to be at fault, it would be their parents for teaching their kids to gloat over another''s misfortune.'' Keep in mind that he was only five or six years old at that time." "That''s impossible. A five-year-old cannot tell that." Master Kaf sighed. "I thought the same but he said so many things as a kid that shouldn''t be said as a kid" The Baron''s expression tightened. "If that''s the case, could he be-" "Sir! Young Sir from the House of Klofar and Mrs Klofar has arrived!" A servant came inside along with two people behind him. The Baron and Master Kaf both looked at the iing people. Especially the Baron who was scrutinizing every single detail on his future grandson-inw''s body. With a loudugh, he got up from his seat and patted Rewen''s shoulders. "Good. Neither too muscr nor too effeminate." Rewen couldn''t find any words to say. He just shed a polite smile. "Oh? You must be Mrs Klofar. I have known your husband since he was small. He was quite a man." Mrs Klofar''s eyes lit up with the mention of her husband. "This must be fate then!" "Haha, it is indeed fate. Why are both of you standing? Come sit down." The Baron of Darkhood guided the two of them to seats and then turned to one of the maids. "Get some more wine" Not finishing his sentence, he looked towards his newly arrived future grandson-inw. "My son is of age." Mrs Klofar replied, not giving the chance for Rewen to reject. "Excellent! Bring two bottles." The maid hurried off. "So Rewen." The Baron''s expression turned serious all of a sudden as he sharply looked at the young man opposite to him. "Yes?" Unlike Mrs Klofar, he didn''t tense up. "Do you want to marry my granddaughter?" "I do," Rewen answered without any hesitation. "Why is that? You never met her and you don''t know any of her qualities. What in her made you so fond of her?" "I am not fond of her." "Then are you here for my riches?" The Baron of Darkhood directly asked. "I''m not." The Baron''s eyes squinted. "Why do you want to marry my granddaughter?" "I was told by my mother to marry her." Rewen shrugged. Silence. There wasn''t a single person in the room who wasn''t shocked by his reply except for Master Kaf who was calmly drinking his wine. Mrs Klofar''s face turned pale. The Baron didn''t say anything but his face was grave. Sensing the atmosphere, Rewen sighed. "Truth be told, I already argued with my mother once about this. Only after her repeated insistence, I agreed. The reason I''m saying this is because you are the family of someone who I''m supposed to marry. I''m not a charmer and am very awkward around women so even if I find her to my liking, the same could not be said for her. Therefore, I could not bear the responsibility of her happiness." It was silent and the Baron just stared at the young man for a while. Nobody knew what he was thinking about. Half a minuteter, a small smile appeared on his face. "Then can you take the responsibility of looking after her?" Mrs Klofar''s heart which had almost stopped started beating. "Excuse me?" Rewen thought that there was some problem with his ears. "I asked if you are willing to look after her?" The Baron had an amusing smile on his face. "Sure" Rewen''sst resort failed. Right now, he hadpletely epted his face. "What do you think about my city?" There was no City Lord in Darkhood City, only a Baron. So it could be said that the entire city belonged to him. A bad premonition came over Rewen. "It''s good. From what I have seen, the market trading is smooth. The atmosphere of the ce is also nice I just arrived in the city so I don''t know much." "Hmm." The Baron appeared satisfied with his answer. "Let the adults discuss now. You can go chat with my granddaughter. She should be in her room" At this time, the maid chimed in. "Young Miss is not in her room. She is practising her sword with Lunov." The Baron''s face turned dark. Chapter 59: Vinia Chapter 59: Vinia A sword made a beautiful arc in arc and struck down another sword. *ng* The two two figures - a young woman and a rtively old man instantly got away from each other and stared. "Your swordsmanship is still the same. It has strength butcks dignity." Lunov, the butler in charge of taking care of her, said in a disappointed voice. "Enough of your bullshit. There are no dignified sword fights in wars. It is a weapon to kill or spar. Nothing less, nothing more." The young woman sheathed her sword. She was very pissed at her sword instructor always saying the same thing over and over again. Hearing herin, Lunov didn''t appear angry. "This is where you are misunderstanding, Young Miss. A dignified sword can be both ruthless and strong." "Then what makes my sword not a dignified sword?" "Itcks dignity." "..." The young woman said nothing. She unsheathed her sword again and went for a strike. *ng* "Listen to the sounds of the des. What do you think it is?" The young woman grunted. "What else? Just the sound of metals." She said closing in on Lunov. "There''s more to it than the sound of metals. It harbours emotions just like humans." Lunov calmly dodged the sword aimed at his head and grabbed her wrist. The sword in her hand fell down. "What''s wrong? We could have continued." She was a bit perplexed because Lunov didn''t end fights this quick. Lunov sheathed his sword. "There''s a time and ce for everything and now is not the time. Unless of course, you want to keep a man waiting." He pointed to a young man sitting at a corner yawning. "Hm?" She looked at the direction he pointed and showed a shocked expression. "Hey." "Oh. Hi." Rewen got up and came to her. "Who are you?" Suppressing her shock, she asked vigntly. "I, uh, I am supposed to be your fianc." Rewen smiled awkwardly. "Fianc? I have no knowledge of having one?" Rewen was speechless. "Young Miss. Didn''t you remember what the Old Master said yesterday?" "What do you mean? He says so many things in a day." "At night." "Ah he said he''ll show me a good man. So that''s the case I thought he was talking about sparring partners." "I''ll excuse myself." Lunov walked away making the atmosphere more awkward than it already was. The young woman was at a loss at what to do. She nced at the man standing before her and thought he was pretty decent but as for marriage, she had never thought about it till now. She knew that she was at an age where most people get married but her heart was elsewhere. ''I don''t want to settle down. I want to'' She stopped her thoughts. "I don''t want to get married." Looking at Rewen, she made a bold statement. She didn''t care if he got mad at her. Contrary to her expectations, a smile lit up on his face. "Could you say this to your grandfather?" The young woman thought for a bit before replying. "I couldn''t." Rewen sighed. "Rewen Klofar." He stretched out his arm. "Vinia Wanigard." She shook his hands. "So uh I saw your sword style. It''s really good." "You know about swords?" "I am a cksmith. I know something of every weapon." "Shall we take a walk outside? I want to hear more." "Okay." *** Rewen and Vinia took permission and went to the market. "When did youe to the city?" Vinia asked in curiosity. "It''s been about two days. I used to live in the Ricewater Vige." "You are from the vige?" Vinia was surprised that her grandfather would make a man from the vige her fianc. "Right. Also, I think it''s about time to be more open about this." "Open about what?" "The marriage thing. If you have anything to say about it, don''t hold back." "I''m not really interested in marriage" "Do you have any goals?" "..." "If it''s a secret, then-" "It''s not exactly a secret. Everyone knows this more or less. I wanted to get enlisted at the Order of the Knights." "Which order?" "The King''s Order." "Very ambitious." "Um?" "Hmm?" "I''m saying this clearly. My grandfather won''t let me go unmarried. If I tell my grandfather I don''t want to get married, he will bring another man. So it''s useless. My point is, I want to continue to do what I want. Practicing the sword, sparring with skilled fighters and bing a knight. I don''t want to be a housewife taking care of kids." Vinia felt a little uneasy when she said this. She wasn''t great at conversations and had very little interest in love and family. At a young age, she was fascinated by the stories of the knights and wanted to be one. "You should do what you want. If I can, I would support you." "Thank you." Vinia''s eyes showed relief. Showing a bright smile, she continued. "I worried if you were chauvinistic" Rewen chuckled. "Do I look that bad?" Vinia lightlyughed. "No, you don''t. By the way, what is your goal?" "I''m not sure if you would understand but I want my family to feel real." "I''m not sure I understand what that means." "You sure you want to know? There''s no going back." "Now you''ve got me curious." "I''m serious. You are better off not knowing. I wouldn''t even have mentioned this if you weren''t my fianc." Rewen said with a grave expression. "Fine." Vinia pouted. ''He has a strong character and seems reliable. He doesn''t seem to be the overbearing or the henpecked type. Maybe he is right for me but what a dull way to get married.'' After talking with him a bit more, she finally made a decision. ''If I have to get married, he is a good choice but he is a bit boring.'' "Hey." "What?" Rewen tilted his head. "You are a bit boring." "That''s not the first time I heard someone call me boring. I know that my replies are too predictable and seem to be the most generic sort but believe me, I''m not masking my true self or anything. I''m just like this. Perhaps it''s because I came from the vige." Vinia somehow understood his exnation. "Do you think that the stereotype that the nobles are more interesting than a viger is true?" "I don''t know. It should be though. Nobles get more exposure to the outside world so maybe they think a bit differently. Take yourself for yourself. Do you not want to be a Knight? Would any other girls in this city aspire to be one?" "But that''s because they don''t have the resources to even aspire to be one." "That''s only part of the reason. You can try this. Bring any girl and tell her that you would give her resources and the girl has two choices - to be a knight with the resources and to live her life the way she wants with the resources. What do you think she would choose? I''m not saying all but an overwhelming majority would choose the second option. Now, what would you do if you were the girl chosen?" "I would choose to be a knight." Vinia answered without any hesitation. "This is the difference. As a noble, you never knew the hardships of amoner and don''t be mistaken, I''m not ming you for it. Themoners just want an easy life. They don''t have the determination to choose a path that leads to even more hardship after struggling for some part of their life." Vinia fell into deep contemtion. After a while, she looked at him with a smile hanging on her lips. "That was interesting. You know more things than you let on." "You make it seem like I''m hiding my actual personality." "Anyways, I have wanted to ask this for a while." "Which is?" "Why did my grandfather choose someone from the vige?" Vinia carefully asked. She was hesitating in asking this because it could easily be misunderstood. Now that she got to know him, she figured that he was not the sort of person who would take things the wrong way. "It''s probably because my Master has connections with the Baron." "Your Master?" "Yeah, Master Kaf. Have you heard of his name?" She shook her head. "I don''t but then again, I don''t know much of the city either. I rarely go out." "I see. Should we head back?" "Sure!" *** The Baron of Darkhood''s wildughter rang across the hall seeing his future grandson-inw and granddaughter chatting with each other. He rubbed his moustache indicating that he was very pleased. Mrs. Klofarmented. "How can such a perfect match exist?" Master Kaf nodded. "They have good affinity with each other. Your granddaughter still has the same grounded personality and that brat is also unrestrained and open." "Who is talking about their personality, Old Man? Look how they look so good together. Their offspring will definitely take the good genes from them just like how Rewen got his face from me." Mrs. Klofar had stars on her eyes. "What are you talking about? He looks nothing like you. If anything, he looks like a clone of his father." Chapter 60: Disappointed Chapter 60: Disappointed As soon as Rewen and Vinia stepped on the room, Mrs. Klofar hurriedly instantly approached them, scaring them a bit. "Calm down, Mother. We aren''t going anywhere." Rewen held her shoulders. However, Mrs. Klofar''s attention was elsewhere. "Your name is Vinia, right?" Vinia was a little nervous but she nodded. "Yes." "Why don''t you stay at our ce for a few days? This way, you can bond with my son quickly." Vinia was tongue-tied. She opened her mouth several times but couldn''t speak a word. Seeing her predicament, Rewen exined. "Wait, wait, wait. No need for that, Mother. I talked with her and it was decided that we would be in contact with each other frequently. There''s absolutely no need for her to stay at my ce." "Rewen, we don''t have much time. Your marriage is to be held at the 7th of this month. That''s why both of you need to bond quickly." Mrs. Klofar showed her stubbornness once again. Rewen and Vinia looked at each other and couldn''t hide the shock in their faces. Vinia peeked at her grandfather who smiled and nodded. Rewen saw the exchange and let out a sigh. "Do whatever you want." Rewen waved his hand and walked away from the room. He was disappointed and tired. At this point, he realised that no one could truly understand him. He had lived his whole life practicing the martial arts taught by his father and improving his skills as a cksmith. To be suddenly thrown into an unknown world, he was irritated at the beginning but then he learned to adapt. He assumed he would continue having an easy life but reality was often disappointing. When he was again sent into another world forcefully by the system, he tried to take it as a change of pace but he had the worst days of his life there. The only time he felt at peace was when he was his ''true'' home, i.e., in this world. However, this peace was destroyed today. ''How much more should Ipromise? Let''s suck it all up. Things will get better in the future. Karma isn''t all negative.'' He liked to be philosophical because he was in favor of the idea that there is a definite system with rules that governs nature. *** [1500 EXP gained!] "You have gained a ''Tier 2 Middle-Silver Ranked Unnamed Bow''." --- Stage: Rank 2 Upper Grade (887/8000) Proficiency: 53.376% Expertise: Spear Best Product: Rank 2 Unnamed Bow --- Rewen''s shirt was drenched in sweat as he let out a smile holding the medium-sized bow. "It took me four hours to sessfully make a middle-grade Silver-ranked product. The result is satisfying." "You achieved a breakthrough?" Master Kaf''s voice sounded from the door. Rewen smiled. "It won''t be long before I be a Gold cksmith." Unlike the system''s ranking of weapons, there were three known ranks of weapons Rewen knew and each of them also corresponds to the rank of a cksmith. For example, a cksmith who can make a Silver-ranked, i.e., Rank 2 weapon, he is called a Silver cksmith. Simrly, someone who can create a Gold-ranked weapon will be called a Gold cksmith. As for what is beyond that, he doesn''t know. "Hold your horses. It''s not good to be this arrogant." "Keep this on the shelf when it''s cooled down." He walked to the door and crossed Master Kaf. "Do you feel exhausted?" "Nah, I''m fine after I take a soothing bath." "I''m not talking about that. Do you feel exhausted as a whole for the past few days?" Rewen stopped. "It would be weird if I don''t. It''s been roughtely." "Don''t me your mother. She has her reasons." "I''m sure she has but that doesn''t solve anything." "So you do me her." "What am I supposed to do then? Be a pushover all my life and ept every unreasonable demand with a smile?" "Rewen, she is your mother." "It is exactly because she is my mother and also my closest rtive that I''m not doing anything. I''ll make sure that this will be thest thing I listen to her obediently when she requests something unreasonable from me." Master Kaf looked at his back. ''The energetic and passionate youth from a week ago is now looking like a lone and depressed man. Everyone grows in some way or the other. Some grow from their mistakes, some grow gradually learning from their environment. People like to think that it''s better for a boy to turn into a man quickly is a good thing. Maturity is not about the things youe to know when you be an adult. It is about constantly reflecting upon the things you are doing. Not about debating if what you are doing is right or wrong. But about if it''s worth the risk or not as you begin to feel responsible for the people around you.'' "I''m only an old man who has failed in life. It''s hard for a failure like me to understand what you are going through as in my eyes, you are a sessful man. However" Master Kaf''s voice was filled with emotions. "If I pat your back and say it''s going to get better, would you feel better?" Rewen gave a subtle nod without turning back. *** Before evening, Sam came back home. "Aunty, did you see Rewen? Huh? Who is this?" As soon as he went to the living room, he saw an unfamiliar woman who Mrs. Klofar was enthusiastically talking to. "Oh, you came back. Meet her. She is the one who got bethroted to Rewen." The unfamiliar girl nodded to him. Sam smiled in return. "So where is Rewen?" "He should be on the balcony." Sam hurried off. Few secondster, he saw his friend sitting on a chair nkly staring at the sky. Sam scratched his head awkwardly and approached him from behind. "Rewen, I''m sorr-" "It''s fine. I''m sorry as well." Rewen replied in a nonchnt voice, still staring at the sky. "What''s up? What are you doing here? You sure you should be wasting your time here?Your future wife is not bad at all." Sam was vocal and open-minded. Unlike Rewen who makes things awkward every once in a while, Sam is good at conversations. "I know. Say, what would you do if you were in my position?" Sam sat cross-legged on the floor. "I can''t answer that. I''m sure you have many situations in the other world. Sure, if I have to answer whether I would be happy with the decision of getting married before I got thrown into an unfamiliar world, I would most likely be okay with the marriage." "What if you were asked that after you got thrown into the unfamiliar world?" "Like I said, I can''t answer that. How about this. You list off your difficulties in the other world and I''ll try to think ordingly." "A minute after I got thrown into Earth, I encountered a bitch in heat." "Woah." He wanted to ask if Rewen did ''something'' but he knew the answer. "On my first day on Earth, a person attacked me for no rhyme or reason. No, there was a reason. To put it bluntly, she was mentally ill. She was also stronger than the City Guards. If it were not the system, I couldn''t protect myself." "Go on." "I learned that I was the ything of an obsessive woman." "What?" "That''s an exaggeration but the truth is not from that. Continuing, there were troubles in my social life. A random person I met on the bus, a public transport, ended up being hostile to me.I also met a ghost who I first met in my room in this world. Oh, and my rtionship with my family in the other world was quiteplicated but that''s all minor things. But these are all issues I decided to take care slowly." "What is the big deal then?" "My life along with my close friends and family may quite possibly be in danger." "What? Why?" "Because I didn''t f*ck the bitch in heat. It''splicated but you get the point. That''s pretty much one of my main sources of worry." "One of your?" "Right. I again got thrown into an unfamiliar world." "Eh? A different world? Why?" "Because I rejected my first quest." "Which was?" "To f*ck the bitch in heat." "Manners, brother. You told Aunty about this?" "I mentioned that I went to another world but I guess her mind was too preupied to pay attention to me. Now that I have wasted my breath, you better give me a satisfactory answer." "My answer won''t change. You and I are different people. Even if that''s the reason you are asking, I can''t irresponsibly give an answer. I won''t understand you unless I''m in your shoes. Even so" Sam paused to get a good look at Rewen. "If I have to take a guess, then I''ll probably break. You are stronger than me and since we were kids, we were rivals in a sense. So I guess I should say; Rewen! You better not fall before I defeat you with my Excalibur!" Rewen smiled. He didn''t care that the joke was old and overused. He got the emotion. That''s what matters to him. Chapter 61: Letter Chapter 61: Letter It was night. Rewen had dinner with his family. His mother, as usual, kept on talking with Vinia. He could see that she (Vinia) was already very tired, having a forced smile on her face. ''Come to think of it, I don''t know a thing about her.'' Rewen was not thinking about her goals or what she does but her personality. While chatting with her, he found her rather quiet and reserved but he knew that it was only a part of her personality. ''After all, who will open up to someone she met just today? It''s fine though. I''m pretty sure she too sees this as a marriage of convenience for the time being.'' "Rewen? Ah, Rewen." His mother called him. "Hm? What?" "The guest room is dirty so why don''t you sleep-" "Hold up. I''ll sleep in the living room." Rewen interrupted before she could finish. "Yes. I was going to tell you that. Why did you interrupt me? Could it be you were thinking something else?" Mrs. Klofar asked with a teasing smile. Rewen rolled his eyes and continued eating. "Tsk, this boring guy. Where was I, Vin?" "You were talking about how you and your brother met" Vinia had dropped eyebrows but still responded. "Yes. We were talking about me and Eldest Brother met Rewen''s father. Back then, he was still very young but had a face full of beard. He looked funny but not unpleasant. Rewen had inherited his beard genes from his father because he already had the beard outline when he was fourteen." Having listened to her story for over hundred times, Rewen was not interested in staying in the chair after finishing his dinner. He got up. "I''m going outside. Don''t lock the main door." "Come back quick." *** Cracking his knuckles, Rewen stared at the trees in front of him. A palm-sized was thrown towards the trees like a pitcher. *Boom* Another! *Boom* --- Active skills: Variant Fireball Lvl. 1 [5/20] --- He used the [Variant Fireball] a total of two times and used up 10 MP. "It''s not that hard to level up my skill if I have some Mana Replenishing Potions. They cost a bit but it''s worth it." He had a few questions so he contacted his cousin Denny. --- Rewen0624879klofarfuckthisgameanotherwordandillfuckyou: Do you have some Mana Replenishing Potions? RoundaboutMageTooLazyToTalkDontDM: I do but I won''t give you. Rewen0624879klofarfuckthisgameanotherwordandillfuckyou: How did you get it? RoundaboutMageTooLazyToTalkDontDM: Trigger "Lost Items" quests. Most of them would give Mana Replenishing Potions. If you have money, you can buy them for 30 Jmir. Rewen0624879klofarfuckthisgameanotherwordandillfuckyou: What''s the conversion rate? RoundaboutMageTooLazyToTalkDontDM: I''ll tell Aunt if you use real world money. Rewen0624879klofarfuckthisgameanotherwordandillfuckyou: I''m just asking for the conversion rate? RoundaboutMageTooLazyToTalkDontDM: No means no. --- "Lost items huh. I''ll see to it tomorrow." With that in mind, he returned home. *** Rewen found the main door open but found that the lights were out. He tapped his leg on the floor two times and the lights returned. One thing he found really amusing is the mechanism of electricity in this world. ''Unlike thews of physics on Earth, there was no such thing as physics in this world. I mean, there is physics but it''s not realized yet. The lights in this world function differently.'' Just as he was another step, he saw Viniaing down the stairs in her pajamas. "So it''s you" Rubbing her half-opened eyes, she said softly. "Sorry to wake you up." Vinia nodded, then turned around to leave when Rewen called out. "Hey. Sorry for my mother. I know you already hate her but I give my word that it will get better." "I don''t hate her." She firmly denied. "It''s just I am not used to a person like her. Her interest in me overwhelmed me." Aside from her grandfather, she didn''t have any close rtives. It was the first time that she had met someone who showed this much genuine care and interest in her aside from her grandfather. "Although it was a bit annoying" Rewen smiled. "That''s good. By the way, the General Knights Recruitment Group - A Exam is just around the corner. Are you preparing?" Vinia was about to nod with a smile when her face stiffened. "What''s wrong?" He inquired. "Today was supposed to be thest day the forms for the exam registration were given out. I-I" Biting on her lips, she didn''t want to continue. "Don''t worry, I have the form." He took out two papers. "Hn? Why do you have them?" Vinia approached him. Her face that turned gloomy seconds ago had relief written all over her face. Rewen shrugged. "I thought that trying to be a knight counts as an aim. I can''t possibly stay in the home doing nothing. I just want to do something worthwhile. I brought one for myself and the other for Sam but now that I think about it, I never mentioned this to him. I don''t know if he wants to be a Knight or not so it''s better if you take it." [+5 Favorability] Vinia took one of the two papers and had no expression on her face. "Thank you. If you are serious about the exam, I''ll help you." She bowed and walked away. Looking at her back, Rewen let out a smile. ''How mysterious. If I didn''t receive the reminder, I couldn''t possibly have known that her liking for me increased. Also, system. What''s with this?'' [Isn''t it nice?] ''It''s neither good nor bad.'' He went to his room and fell asleep soon. When he woke up in the morning, he logged out. *** Rewen took off his helmet andid on his bed. It was currently 5:02 p.m. "I should finish my daily missions, then I''ll go to the Club." This was his n for the rest of the day. *Knock* *Knock* "It''s open." The door opened and Denny entered the room. Rewen send a questioning look towards. "Svety is here." "Why now? Nevermind, bring her in." Rewen''s mood was not good hearing her name. If Rewen had to name someone whom he hated the most other than the devil woman, then it would be Svety. She left an extremely bad taste in his mouth regarding women. So much so that he thought that it would be better to remain single for the rest of his life. Secondster, Svety entered the room. She was wearing a blue one-piece dress. Contrary to her beautiful dress, her face looked very pale. With a single look, Rewen could tell she had cried some time ago. "What''s wrong? Did you cry?" He couldn''t imagine anything that could make her cry. Svety''s body jolted and she suddenly grasped his hand. "Rewen, you have to help me. I''m being dragged down with you." Her voice was full of panic and fear. "What happened exactly?" Rewen asked, still confused. "Read this." Svety took out a paper and handed it over to him. --- Greetings, Mr. Klofar. I had hoped to meet as an amazing man myself but work prevented me from doing so. Who I am doesn''t matter. Think about what you can do at this point. Still confused? Read the next part. Your girlfriend Svety currently has a magic explosive of sorts inside her. It may sound hard to believe but trust me, if I wanted to - I could right now destroy the entire Travil Town within seconds using the explosive inside her. I think it goes without saying but take this as a request from this poor man. Don''t try anything funny. I have ced a tracker as well as a microphone inside her. You also cannot inform anyone other than you and your girlfriend. If someone even overhears mistakenly let''s notplete the sentence. Why am I doing this, you ask? There are two main reasons. One. You crossed paths with our men. Two. I want to see the depths of your abilities. Question: How would I see the depth of your abilities? Answer: Oh it''s nothing. Fight some tough men I send and you''ll be done. Every time you defeat my men, the next men would be stronger than the previous. This would help you in your self-development. I''ll contact you through a one-way mail and tell you where to go and what to do. Question: How long will thisst? Answer: It depends on you. There is a time limit however. You cannot take more than three days to defeat a group. Question: How powerful would my men be? Answer: At the beginning, there would be some Rank 1 Mages. Then as you defeat more and more of my men, I''ll send you stronger men. Just like those Big Bosses in RPGs. Don''t sweat up though. You aren''t an RPG game protagonist so I''ll go easy on you. At most, you will fight a Rank 3. Believe me when I say this, I truly didn''t intend to pick a fight with you. If possible, I wanted us to be friends. Well! I still hope to reconcile after all this. Best of luck! Regards, X. --- Chapter 62: Outburst Chapter 62: Outburst Svety looked back and forth from the paper to Rewen''s face. There was not a single thing she could deduce from his facial expressions. Unlike her, he did not show any shock or panic. ''He''s too calm. Could it be that he had predicted this?'' She wanted to confirm her suspicions so she pushed his shoulder. "Rewen, you have to help me." Rewen tilted his head. "How do you know you have the explosive inside you?" "I was reading some books when I suddenly copsed. Next thing I found was this letter." She then went on to undress. When she had her undergarments on, she pressed on her belly. A red light engulfed the entire area below her chest and above her lower abdomen. Rewen sighed. "I didn''t tell you to not to follow me for no reason." His voice sounded nonchnt but Svety could tell that he was really angry. Svety herself couldn''t keep her calm when she heard him say this. She never expected that he would find fault in her because the entire thing stemmed from him. Gritting her teeth, she opened her mouth. "Rewe-" Only to be interrupted. "I won''t bother to deal with this crap. You came prepared, right? Yeah, just leave the city." Rewen directly said. Svety froze. Momentster, she tried to push Rewen but failed. "Are you fucking serious!? No, I''m not leaving this city!" "Fine. Don''t leave. Let the city go down with you. Do what you want. I don''t even care anymore." Svety calmed down a bit but her eyelids fluttered. She could not imagine dying just like this. "You could try to beat the men thate after you." "Sure and die trying. Do you even have any idea of what you are saying?" "I know. You can fight Rank 2 on an equal footing." "The one I fought wasn''t even a Primary Rank 2. At most, she is just a stronger Rank 1. There''s a big load of differences between her and actual Rank 2. And not to mention, there''s also supposed to be Rank 3. Alright fine, tell me this. Even if I did manage to miraculously defeat Rank 2s, do you actually fucking believe that I could defeat the Rank 3?" "Yes you can." Svety sluggishly looked at Rewen and put her arms around his head. "Use your head, not your feelings. Don''t hold anything against me. I''m only doing what''s the most logical course of action. Call me an irresponsible jerk, bastard or anything you like but if I act, it would get worse." "N-no. No. No. No! I don''t want to die! Please help me" Holding him tight, she said in a hoarse tone. Tears started to flow from her eyes. She couldn''t hold back any longer. Rewen couldn''t deny that he still hated the girl embracing him for what she did but even he himself felt that he was a real bastard for dragging an innocent into what he was doing. Putting her back, he brought her face closer to his. ''No matter what. She is still the girl I had the closest rtionship with. Am I actually doing the right thing?'' To this question, he knows the answer. ''It isn''t right but I have to keep moving forward.'' ''What would I do if she died? Is it my obligation to take revenge for her? No. I''m not the kind of person to seek for revenge. It hurts to think this but I''ll probablyment over myself for a day or two and get over it. I''m a simple man from the vige. To think that I was proud relying on the system. ''If I could have helped, I would have -this is a lie. I have the system. The system would definitely not give a quest that I could notplete. Along the road, I''m positive the rewards would increase. The only reason I''m not taking things into my own hands is because I''m afraid for my life. Also, it would be good if I don''t have to deal with the rtionship drama once she is gone. ''I better stop. I might begin to hate myself if I continue. Seriously, why did I not realize that I am this ugly? Guess it''s true that humans show their true self when their lives are in danger.'' Svety was at a loss when she saw the face in front of her staring at her firmly without blinking. Without any reason, droplets of tears again started pouring from her red eyes. "Why are you so indifferent to me for a while?" Sobbing, she asked the question she had been meaning to. "You really don''t know?"She asked. Her voice was soft. After that, she fell into his chest. Svety shook her head. "Why did you not report my state when you found out that I have interference?" "I didn''t know that you have interference" "Don''t make me look down on you anymore. You hadn''t confirmed it but did you truly not never think of me having interference?" "..." "You did, right?" Rewen asked with a voice as gentle as possible. Svety nodded her head timidly. "SO WHY THE FUCK DID YOU HIDE THE MATTER FROM OTHERS!?" All of a sudden, Rewen pushed her down with his body on top of her. From the sudden outburst, Svety was shaken. She hadn''t imagined that he would be this angry. She wanted to struggle but seeing the look in his eyes, herst bit of strength was gone. "Let me go. I''m sorry." "What if I tell you sorry after I do all the things you did to me? Three years ago, when I found out that you deceived me, what did you do? Do you remember? You did the same thing over again like one time wasn''t enough. You very well knew that my state of mind wasn''t right and I couldn''t muster up the courage to be against you, no, against the entire ss. When I was getting bullied by my ssmates because I did some things due to the influence of interference, did you stop them? You stood there and chatted with your friends without any care for me. I could list off more than ten incidents that I vividly remember were directly or indirectly rted to you. My state of mind got worse and worse every single day. If it weren''t for my middle school friends, I would be in the mental asylum. Not right here. "After all this, you still think I should let you go with a sorry. Not to mention, you have the nerve to ask for my help?" Svety''s eyes widened by his words and was tongue-tied. She closed her eyes. "Okay. I''ll just die. Let me go." "Yeah, and blow up the city in the process." "What do you want me to do?" Unlike the Svety from seconds ago who was emotional, the current Svety was emotionless. "All you do is grumble about what happened in the past. Oh cry me a river. You are weak. Interference is an excuse. You can''t fight against your ssmates because you were weak. To think you wanted me to save you, are you for real? Know your ce." Rewen released her hands but was still on top of her. Not saying anything, he grabbed her cheeks and squeezed. "Wab ah you doiing?" He kept squeezing her cheeks. A tear slowly slid down her eyes. "You might not know me the best but I know you the best." After he released her cheeks, Svety covered her eyes with her hand. With her teeth biting her lips, it was very clear what she was doing. "The reason you hid the fact that I had interference was because you didn''t want me to go far from you. It was selfish to the core. You didn''t do anything to stop me from getting bullied because you wanted me to fight back on my own. It was absurd and stupid. There were many times you used your maniption to have your ways around me. It was scummy. Despite that, it seems that I''m not heartless enough to continue hating someone who genuinely cares about me." Rewen said what was in his mind. ''Damnit. So corny. I''m not saying things like this again.'' While he was praising himself for saying what he said with a straight face, Svety''s mind was in aplicated mess. A minuteter, Svety removed her hand from her eyes and saw Rewen sitting beside her. "You can read me like an open book, huh?" "Not really." "Is that so? Say, do you want to break up with me for real?" "I do." "Then let''s break up." Svety said without any hesitation. She took out her text and typed something. Secondster, she showed him what she wrote. -> There is a tracker inside me. So if we go anywhere, X will be alerted. What is the n? "There is no n. I''ll fight the men sent by him head on. Earlier I said I won''t out of rage but I couldn''t endanger the lives of people because of my own decisions. It seems like an borate suicide but it''s not. I have got my ns." Chapter 63: Damien Chapter 63: Damien Svety suddenly got the feeling that she can''tprehend the man beside her anymore. ''One moment he said he wouldn''t, the next minute he changed his statement.'' A thought struck her mind which made her stiff. ''He still had interference. Because he appeared strong, I neglected this fact. What am I even doing? Asking a person with interference to fight for my own life.'' Surprisingly, what she was thinking was not that far from the truth. Rewen had a bitter smile on his face. ''Soul is a mysterious thing. I never imagined that there were leftover soul remains from the previous ''Rewen''.'' During the entire conversation with Svety, the soul remains kept interfering with his will leading him to turn indecisive. -> Don''t you have interference? It would be better if you don''t involve yourself with me. "I am not doing only for your sake. I dragged you and the entire town into this. Also, there''s no guarantee he won''t choose someone else as his target after you. He wants to deal with me." Rewen made a decision and was firm about it. Svety didn''t say anything more. She pulled him in. Rewen knew where this was leading to but he didn''t hold himself back and went along with it. *** [Tsk. Tsk. To think you lost your virginity to this mid woman.] ''Mid?'' [Exactly. Aside from her family background, she is nothing special. Her looks aren''t top-notch. At best, she could be called pretty. Her thoughts and views are normal. If you really wanted to lose your virginity that badly, you could easily find yourself a good woman.] ''A good woman, huh? You mean those 2D women?'' [2D or not. They are still of better quality than her by miles.] ''Wow, you speak as if they are some kind of product.'' [You get the point.] ''Not really. I mean, I get what you are trying to say but I''m not the type of character who finds and judges good women. To put it in simple words, I don''t care if it''s 2D or 3D. As long as I like someone and she likes me back, that is enough. Why are saying this though? I''m pretty damn sure I don''t like Svety.'' [Did you forget that you broke up with her before losing your virginity?] ''Shit. I forgot. Thanks for reminding me.'' "What are you thinking of?" Svety''s voice rang beside my ears. "This would be thest time we sleep together." "Yes." Svety responded with a dull look in her eyes. "Ding." A message came in Rewen''s smartphone. He looked at it and showed it to Svety. -> Get ready tomorrow at 12 noon. The first wave will begin. Svety and Rewen both fell silent. "Rewen?" Denny''s voice came from outside. "Wait, I''ming." Svety hid her body in the quilt while Rewen hurriedly put on a boxer and opened the door. Denny looked at him from head to toe. She wasn''t bothered by his bare body but a weird stench came from him which made her frown. "Take a shower ande to the living room. A guest hase." "What guest?" "He is from Grand Ultine Kapile Club." "Ah is he called Damien?" "Apparently." "Okay, I''lle." Denny went back to the living room. Rewen looked at Svety who was also looking at him. "Do you want to go back?" "Not right now." "Then take a shower after me." "Hmm." *** "What''s wrong? Why did youe? I would have gone to the club tonight." Rewen took a seat opposite to Damien. Damienughed. "Did you check the mail? You were supposed toe in the afternoon." "Oh? I apologise for the inconvenience." "No worries. Here are the papers. Take your time to go through them and sign them to be an unofficial member of the club." "Alright." While Rewen was looking through the papers, Svety came to the living room and sat beside him. "What are these?" She asked in curiosity. "I didn''t tell you. I''m selected to be a member of the Grand Ultine Kapile Club." "Oh? Congrattions on bing one. I''m going now. If there''s anything you need to talk about, call me. See you in the morning." Rewen nodded. When Svety walked away, he raised his head to look at Damien. "Hmm? What''s the matter?" "I don''t understand the function and purpose of clubs very well. Can you exin it to me in simple words?" "Clubs are just like martial arts dojos. The main purpose of clubs is to create Martial Artists who have no background." "What about State Officials?" "Regarding that as expected, you joined the club to be a State Official, didn''t you?" Rewen didn''t deny it. "I did." "Very well, then listen. When you hear the word ''official'', whates to your mind?" "A fat middle-aged man with a hairy chest." "Haha. Good sense of humor. Unfortunately, they couldn''t be more opposite to what you are describing. To be a State Official, you not only have to have foresight, you also have to have the strength to stand at the peak." "I see" "To be a State Official, you have to umte the most amount of contributions and be a Top Eight Fighter in the Club. Do you think you can be one?" For the first time in his life, Rewen felt a growing ambition inside of him. As if a chill went through his body, his hairs stood up. ''What am I so afraid of? All my life, I have remained reactive. It''s about time I don''t hold myself back anymore.'' [Ding! ''Basic Knights and Magic System'' issued a chained quest! Would you like to see it?] [Yes] [No] ''Yes.'' --- Quest: Be a Fighter. Grade: E Goal: Go to the Club. Rewards: Unknown Failure: None Note: This is a chained quest. Instead of "details", "goals" are targets ofpletion. Chained quests update itself after the current goal is achieved. --- [Would you like to ept it?] [Yes] [No] ''Of course.'' epting the quest with a smile, Rewen stood up. "Is the club open right now?" "You want to go to the club right now?" Damien was a bit surprised at him being this enthusiastic. "Yup. Denny!" "What?" Denny replied from her room. "I''m going to the club!" *** In the car. "I forgot to ask but what do I need to do as a member of the Club to climb up thedder?" Damien who was driving replied. "You have topete against your peers. There are three divisions - Rookie, Junior and Senior. Right now, you are a Rookie so naturally, you willpete against other Rookies. To be a Junior, you need to have about 300 contribution points and be the Top Fighter among the Rookies." Rewen fell silent. "Haha, don''t worry too much. The Rookies are Grade F Martial Artists. With the strength you disyed yesterday, it''s just a matter of time for you to be the Top Rookie." "What about the Top Eight Fighters you were saying before?" "The Top Eight Fighters of the Club are not among the divisions. They look after the divisions. Every one of them is a State official. To be a Top Eight Fighter, you simply need to challenge one of the Top Eight, defeat them and rece them." "Isn''t that a bit cruel?" "Haha! It is. But the defeated Top Eight can also make aeback by defeating another Top Eight. It''s constant chaos." "But aren''t they officials? How can the position of State Officials fluctuate so much?" "This is one of the disadvantages of bing a State Official through clubs." "Oh?" The car stopped. "We''ve arrived." Rewen looked out and saw arge building. "Worthy of the most influential Club in the city." Rewen eximed. "Let''s go inside." Damien took Rewen to the receptionist after entering the building. Seeing a new face, the receptionist looked at Damien. "Is he a neer?" "He is. Due to some difficulties, he couldn''te in the afternoon." The receptionist nodded, then turned to the new face. "What''s your name?" "Rewen Klofar. Nice to meet you." "Nice to meet you too." The receptionist smiled sweetly. "Here''s your ID. Don''t lose it." "Thank you." Rewen received the ID. --- Name: Rewen Klofar Division: Rookie Grade: F Rank: 331 Speciality: Unknown --- "Rank?" "Yes. Your rank is probably not urate though because you just entered." The receptionist answered. "To increase my rank, I have to challenge and defeat other rookies." "Exactly." "What if someone rejects my challenge?" Rewen asked seriously. Hearing that, both the receptionist and Damien burst out inughter. "Kid, you don''t need to worry about that. People heree to fight. Even if the opponent is overwhelmingly stronger than someone, he would not reject the challenge. Keep in mind though. If someone does something which feels like a personal attack, talk to the Seniors." "So there are no bullies in the club?" "As far as I''m concerned, no. There aren''t." "What a nice environment." "It''s not the most influential Club in the city for no reason." Chapter 64: First Club Fight Chapter 64: First Club Fight Damien followed by Rewen came to a stop at the door of a certain door. ''Room R-2'' was written beautifully at the top of the door. "This would be your name. I''m afraid that I could get you till here. It''s an unofficial rule in Club to let the newbies introduce themselves. You have my number. If you are in trouble or have any questions, call me." Damien left. Rewen looked at the door and opened it. What he expected to see was a bunch of hot-blooded men sparring with each other. What he actually saw was a bunch of skinny men around his age ying cards sitting in a circle. "..." "Hn? Who are you?" A short-haired man looked surprised at the neer. "I-I am the newbie. I arrived a littlete. Sorry for that." Rewen didn''t know what to do. "You are a newbie as well. Take a seat. I am Ivan. That blondie is Denver. The huge guy sitting opposite to me is Rac. The guy with the pink hair is Lavin. All of us are the so-called pampered rich kids. To teach us a lesson, our parents forced us to join the club." The short-haired guy, Ivan, answered casually as if it was a very normal thing to happen. Rewen processed what he just heard and looked at the remaining guys who paid no heed to him. Perhaps seeing through his thoughts, Ivan waved his hands. "They are just like this. Who are you though? Are you one of us?" "No. I am a normal-" "Anyone who says they are normal are definitely not. What are you still standing there for? Don''t be shy and sit." Ivan moved his butts a bit opening up a spot for Rewen to get into the "circle". "Oy, move a bit. We have a new friend." He pushed the hips of the two guys who were beside him with his hands. Rewen stood at the door thinking if he was in the wrong room. Ultimately, he got into the "circle". Ivan took the deck of cards and shuffled them. The other guys had no visible reaction which made Rewen a bit concerned. "Are they?" "Yes. They have interference." Ivan answered frankly. "In fact, I have interference as well. My case is just a bit better than them." "Then why were you sent here?" "To hide from the public eye. Both me and my family don''t want the headlines to be - Shocking! The XXX Family''s sole heir turned out to have interference!" Rewen wasn''t sure if he got the entirety of what he was saying. "Is it that worse?" "Holy crap. You haven''t heard of the popr theories? Were you living under a rock?" "I don''t know what you are talking about." "There is this extremely popr false theory that''s been going over the inte that bad parenting and child abuse causes interference." "No way." "I know right. Unfortunately, it''s the truth. People these days are skeptical of everything. It''s like they don''t want to live in the truth that''s been lived for centuries. They always want something modified, different and literally anything that induces a narrative that creates controversy." "I don''t believe that people actually believe it." "They do. ording to a survey, it''s been said that over 40% of the people in the kingdom believe that it''s the truth. It''s just crazy man." "They aren''t even ignorant. They are in stupid." "Exactly. So that''s our backstory. What about you? What is your motive in joining the club? You don''t look like you are one of us." "I came here to be a State Official." "Aha! Way to go man!" Ivan pped his arm. "I have yet be one." Rewen said with a smile. Even though he had just met him, he quite liked him. "How should I challenge other Rookies?" "You want to challenge? I can take you to challenge different people but before that I have to know your urate strength." ''Without using [Freestyle Knights Combat] technique, my average stats are 9.5. Even though it''s a bit ridiculous, the difference in stats between Martial Artists and Mages of same stages are negligible. From what I have seen, peak Rank 1 Mages have 15. To think that to be a Rank 1 Mage, you need 3000 MP nevermind, I''m going off tangent.'' "I have the strength of a Mid F-Grade." "Mid F, huh. Come with me." Ivan got up along with Rewen and took him to another room. [Quest Updated] [Do you want to continue the quest?] [Yes] [No] Rewen tapped on ''Yes''. --- Quest: Be a Fighter. Grade: B Goal: Defeat your first opponent. Rewards: +1 Agility. Failure: None --- Room R-5. A half-naked handsome man was practicing his martial arts in an empty room when the door suddenly opened. "Laura, how many times do I have to tell you before entering? Uh, hello Ivan. How are you? Is that a neer?" "Yes, he arrived just now. Spar with him." The half-naked handsome man shrugged. "Sure." Turning to the neer, he asked. "What''s your name?" "Rewen." "Rewen. I''m Zero. Yes. That''s my name. Come to me with all you''ve got." Zero adopted a fighting stance. ''Let''s see how he attacks.'' On the surface, he seemed to be eyeing his opponent but he was taking a sharp nce at his opponent''s legs once every two seconds. ''Left or right. From his stance, it should be right'' As he had expected, Rewen''s right leg moved first and within a second he (Rewen) came within his "zone". ''A punch probably?'' "Kukk!" It was an uppercut. Zero wasn''t angry because of his misjudgement. He rather smiled. "You can do good feints." Rewen who moved away right after hitting him smiled in return. "I have even more good moves." He again approached Zero and threw a punch this time. Blocked. He was perturbed that his punch was blocked and threw a kick at his torso. Blocked. Rewen again pulled in for a punch. This time, however, Zero who was being passive moved. "Gotcha." Rewen grinned. He was waiting for him to move and when he finally did, he grasped his neck and crashed his face on his knee. Zero fell on his knees with his head lowered. Blood dropped from his face and he looked entirely defeated. Rewen, however, didn''t let his guard down. Standing by the side, Ivan was shocked at the neer''s martial arts. He had seen his fair share of techniques but something like this was unheard of. ''His moves are nothing special but how should I put it it''s like he can predict his opponent''s moves.'' After a few seconds, Zero got up with a serious face. "Let''s continue. I won''t hold back this time." With that, he quickly moved towards Rewen and went for a punch in his face. Rewen timely grabbed his hand and pulled his body towards himself. ''If he punches or kicks me, I could defend myself.'' Zero thought making preparations to defend his face. However, what came for him was neither a punch nor a kick. It was an elbow strike. Caught off-guard with the elbow strike, he couldn''t prevent the next punch that came straight to his face. A crisp sound came after the fist hit the face. Zero fell t on the ground and lost his consciousness. [+1 Agility] [Quest Updated] --- Quest: Be a Fighter. Grade: B Goal: Defeat your second opponent. Rewards: +1 Endurance. Failure: None --- While Ivan was spraying some kind of liquid over Zero, he looked at his stats. --- Host: Rewen Klofar Bloodline: Human (100%) (Yellow) - [Perks] Age: 18 Strength: 10 Agility: 10 Endurance: 9 Dexterity: 10 HP: 97/97 MP: 23/23 Skills: [Freestyle Knights Combat Technique (Initial Stage)], [Observe], [Lunge] Features: [cksmith], [Mission to Doom], [Boost], [Appearance Grader] Path: [Knight] Unique Property: [Balls of Steels] Note: When using [Freestyle Knights Combat Technique], physical stats immediately get 4x boosts. --- ''It''s interesting to note that my HP is still the same. There''s also this Average Stats*10 form that is being used. I don''t think that my four stats have anything to do with my health. It is rted but not this direct. Why is that so?'' [It is advised that the Host doesn''t ask wrong questions. The reason it is like that is because it is supposed to be like that.] ''Oh, long time no see. How are you doing? I was seriously missing you.'' He was tired of talking with the weird system and very much preferred the emotionless one. [...] ''So both of you are different, huh.'' No answer came but Rewen was quite sure about his guess. "Damn it, Rewen. Howe you are so adept in fighting?" Zero woke up. His face lookedpletely fine without a single hint of scratch. Rewen chuckled. "Would you believe me if I said that I only came into the fighting scenario two days ago?" "You are a prodigy. I believe you because that''s the only way I can exin your monstrosity." *** "Here''s your updated rank." --- Name: Rewen Klofar Division: Rookie Grade: F Rank: 124 Speciality: Unknown --- Chapter 65: Completing Daily Missions Chapter 65: Completing Daily Missions Rewen took the update ID and stared at the receptionist. "Can I have your number?" It was so abrupt that the receptionist needed to double-check if she had heard what he had said correctly. She didn''t think too much and took out a card. "Here." [Ding! Daily Missions from ''Male God System''pleted! Would you like to receive the rewards right now?] [Yes] [No] [Ding! The Host has received a Tier 1 Bronze Lottery Ticket! Would you like to use it right now?] [Yes] [No] ''Nope. Not now.'' The daily missions from the system were the same as yesterday. ''I could rely on daily missions but they probably won''t give me stats which I need the most. The chained quest is the only way I could get stronger. Let''s see, system. Give me something through which I get strong in a short period of time.'' [The Host is advised to use the resources avable.] ''Not that I didn''t expect this. The system gets active when it doesn''t need to be and bes passive when it needs to be active. Nevermind, this is enough assurance that the system believes that I could pass the obstacle on my own.'' While having such thoughts, he came in front of a vending machine inside the Club building. He inserted a few coins and two canned drinks came out from the bottom. After that, he didn''t waste any time drinking the entire thing in one gulp. Then, he drank another. *Burp* "Hagver really is the best." Tossing the cans to the nearby dustbin, he left the building. ''It''s 9:10 right now. So I have got a lot of time toplete the remaining missions. I should just run the way back home. It''s not that far.'' *** [Ding! Daily Missions from ''Bloodline System''pleted! Would you like to receive the rewards right now?] [yes] [No] Rewen didn''t give any response. Only after he home did he tapped on ''Yes''. [Ding! There are three rewards presented for the Host but the Host can only pick one of them. 1. Chaos Bloodline (0.01 mL) 2. 5% Bloodline Activation 3. 2x Power Spike] [What would the Host like to choose?] ''3.'' Rewen picked the ''2x Power Spike'' this time without any hesitation. [Ding! The Host has received a temporary ''2x Power Spike'' for a time duration of 45 seconds. Would you like to use it right now?] [Yes] [No] ''Wow. Temporary. Of course, what did I expect?'' He pressed on ''No''. [The ''2x Power Spike'' stored at the Inventory.] ''Still a good thing. With this, I could temporarily reach the level of Instructor Xovin who has stats over 80. I gotta say that [Freestyle Knights Combat] technique is one heck of a hack. For people with low fighting prowess, this is a godsend. System, what''s the cap of the technique?'' [100.] ''Does that mean that when I have an average of 101, the stats after using the technique would be 400?'' [After Host reaches an average stat of 25, the stats after using the [Freestyle Knights Combat] technique won''t increase beyond 100 no matter how many original stats the Host raises.] ''I see.'' *** Cal, Rewen and Denny sat for dinner. "I heard you got selected to the Grand Ultine Kapile Club." Cal asked. "I did." "Are you nning to be an official or something?" "I am." "Why?" "The pay is good." "Indeed." "Uncle called you." The ''Uncle'' Denny was referring to was Rewen''s father. "Father?" "Yes. Call him before you go to bed." "Sure." "Oh right, Denny. Be careful when you are out at night." Cal suddenly warned Denny. "Why?" Denny was a bit confused. She wasn''t weak to protect herself. "Word got out that the perpetrators from the Red Tragedy Incident did a jailbreak." "For real?" Rewen recalled what the Red Tragedy Incident was all about. ''It was a terrorist group that got infamous in Travil Town five years ago after dying an entire street in blood during the time of a festival. Before that, nobody had heard or seen them. They were caught immediately. To think that after five years, they would jailbreak'' "Why did they do that though?" Rewen asked. "Do what? Jailbreak?'' "No. Killing people." "Rewen, there are all kinds of psychopaths over the world. They didn''t necessarily have to have a reason to do something like this. Perhaps they thought that by doing this, they could leave a mark in history." Cal casually said. After having dinner, Rewen went to his room and called his father. "Hello?" "It''s me." "Rewen. I heard you have refused your mother''s invitation to stay with us." "Yes." "I also heard that you have grown ridiculously strong." "Yes." "Good for you. Any ns for the future? Or are you still without any ambitions?" "I''m nning to be a State Official." "A State Official, huh. A good starting point. By the way, your little brother has already learned how to walk." Augh came from the other side. "..." "Why did you suddenly be silent? Is something wrong?" "I have a little brother?" "..." "..." "Wait. You seriously didn''t know?" "I didn''t. How many days has it been?" "It''s been ten months. I remember informing this to Cal. Did he forget to tell?" "No. I probably forgot because I had interference. I''m a lot better than I used to be." Rewen''s father didn''t say anything for a while. "Wait a moment, I''ll video call." *Beep* *** In a ce far away from the Yellow Contient. It was early morning. Viviana was ying with her newborn son. Once in a while, a small smile crept up on her face when the newborn did something interesting. The door opened and a refined middle-aged man entered with aptop on his hand. Viviana looked at her husband. "What did Rewen say?" She knew that he was talking to her eldest son a while ago. "That kid wants to be a State Official. Nevermind that, he doesn''t even know that he had a little brother." "What?" Viviana received a shock. "I''m serious." The middle-aged man set up a video call on hisptop. Sometimeter, a young man with dark crimson hair came into view. It was naturally Rewen. He was awkwardly looking at his parents when he suddenly spotted a little guy in his mother''s thigh. As if he found something amusing, the little guy pped and started jumping on his mother''s thigh. Viviana held him up. "Ron, this is your Big Brother." "Waaa!!" The little guy wasughing non-stop. "Show him how you walk." Viviana adjusted the little guy''s feet on the floor and retracted her hands. The little guy tiptoed a bit and was about to fall when Viviana caught him. "I''ll send some pictures of him. I''m surprised you didn''t know about Ron." Rewen''s father looked at his son and eximed. "Yeah, my condition was really badst year." Rewen replied from the other side. Everyone fell silent. Two secondster, Viviana chimed into the conversation. "You want to be a State Official?" "Yes. I found myself to be a Martial Artist rather than a Mage." "You are something big from us." "I am." Surprisingly, Rewen didn''t deny. "It''s okay. Everyone has secrets they don''t want to tell others." Rewen''s father said in an understanding manner. Viviana didn''t say anything more and continued to y with Ron. After a minute, Rewen''s father ended the video call and let out a sigh. "We have failed him, Vivi. On the surface, he looked perfectly normal but I could sense he was very tense, awkward and had a lot on his mind." "A lot on his mind?" "Hmm. His disposition also changed. Maybe it''s because he got better but I feel there''s more to it. On second thoughts, you should have brought him here." Viviana snorted. "Who was one who said to ''let him do what he wants''?" "Let''s visit him next month." Viviana nodded. *** Closing his PC, he went on to the garden while thinking about his little brother. ''To think I have a direct sibling in this world'' He had always yearned to have a little brother or sister. He shook his head and threw the thoughts at the back of his head. "The only thing that''s left to do is practicing [Freestyle Knights Combat] technique for 10 minutes. Don''t know what''s the purpose of practicing but I ain''t gonna let the 10 MP reward fly away." Ten minutester. [Ding! Daily Mission from ''Basic Knights and Magic System''pleted! Would you like to receive the rewards right now?] [Yes] [No] ''Yes.'' [+10 Mana Storage Capacity] "Good." He took a shower and went back to his room. "Now the lottery" [Confirmation needed to use ''Tier 1 Bronze Lottery Ticket''.] [Confirm] [I take it back] ''Confirm.'' One second. Two seconds. Three seconds. [+2% Mana Resonance] ''Alright'' Rewen was neither sad nor happy with the oue. He had already predicted that he wouldn''t receive a Legendary ranked property like the previous time because he used up his luck on that. ''It would be useful, I guess.'' Not much concerned about it, he turned off the lights and fell asleep. Chapter 66: The Culprit Chapter 66: The Culprit "Wake up." Rewen rubbed his eyes and opened his eyes. He looked at the person beside his bed, then to the clock. "Why did you wake me up so early?" It was 6:15. The Academy starts at 9:30 so it was definitely very early. The person who woke him up, Denny, yawned. "Tell that to your girlfriend. She had been standing outside our house for about thirty minutes. Did you call her?" Rewen turned over his quilt. "I told her toe in the morning. My sleep has been destroyed now I can only sleep in the ss now." He has to sleep 8 hours a day or else, he would feel drowsy the entire day. Getting up from his bed, he asked. "Where is Cal?" "He went to work." "He has it rough. I just don''t understand why Uncle or Aunt and even my parents don''t support us financially." "It''s because they want us to be independent." "Isn''t that stupid?" "I don''t know." Denny refused to give a proper answer. Rewen went to the living room and saw Svety sitting on the couch in her uniform. "Why did youe this early?" Svety looked up. "I couldn''t sleep the entire night." Rewen went closer to her and inspected her eyes. ''Certainly. There are bags under her eyes.'' Seeing his action, Svety pouted. "Did you think I would lie?" "Can''t say. You did lie more than you told the truth. Anyways, wait here. I''ll wash myself. If you feel hungry, there''s a dessert in the refrigerator." Rewen walked towards the bathroom. Ten minutester. Rewen came out of his room wearing his uniform with a light bag and a book in his hand. Going to the living room, he let his body fall on the couchzily. Svety''s attention went to the book he was reading. "That''s a good book." Rewen nodded. "It is. Written in simplenguage." "Have you ever wondered why there is a huge difference between a Rank 0 and a Rank 1?" "You are asking the wrong person. Despite not even being a Rank 0, I defeated a Rank 2. Ranks don''t mean much to me." Rewen low-key bragged. "That''s because you are a Martial Artist. Martial Artists don''t pay attention to MP and only focus on training the body. The reason why there is a huge difference in MP in Rank 0 and Rank 1 is primarily because of skills. Unlike what you have seen in the virtual world, the skills in the real world need much more mana to use." "Only because of skills? What a letdown. I thought there would be some interesting reason." "Unfortunately, we have yet to reach the stages where things be interesting." "For example?" "For example, Rank 3." "What happens there?" "I wasn''t told any specifics but I heard that from Rank 3 onwards, the power system bes very diverse." "Interesting. Ah" Rewen remembered something important and took out his phone. -> Did you talk to the family using your smartphone or by writing. Svety also took out her smartphone. -> I didn''t. I didn''t want to take the risk. Rewen didn''t say anything more. He went back to read the book. *** "Hope you are good today." Rewen was greeted by Zaplin and Vin as soon as he stepped into the ssroom. Rewen chuckled. "I''m good. I hope you got the notes ready." "We showed our care for you only for you to care about our notes. A true friend, indeed." Vinughed lightly. "Of course. What good is a friend of if he didn''t have notes?" Rewen alsoughed. "By the way, did something eventful happen? There''s this curse I was inflicted with. Every time I didn''t go to school, something eventful happened." "Nothing of that sort happened. A few second years dide to our ss but it''s nothing too serious." "I''m relieved." At this moment, Zelic came from behind and pped his arm. "What was wrong with you yesterday?" "Can you not hurt me before asking?" "Okay! What happened?" Zelic was as energetic and yful as ever. "I was not feeling well." "Eh? Were you not having an extremely painful headache?" "I wasn''t." "You didn''t go to the hospital?" "You wanted to see me in the hospital bedridden, didn''t you?" "How can you say that!" Rewen proceeded to ignore her and went to his seat. Just as he kept his bag and was about to lower his head to take a nap, a voice reached him. "Good morning." The woman sitting beside him gave a bright smile. Needless to say, it was the devil woman. Seeing her made him frown. "What''s wrong? You look tense. Have you been well?" The devil woman asked with a concerned tone. "It was your doing?" Although Rewen couldn''t connect all the dots, his instincts told him that the culprit behind the letter was the devil woman. "What could you be talking about? Also, I think you might want to turn off your smartphone''s recorder. It''s rude, you know." Rewen had no expression on his face. "It was you." "So what if it was me." "You don''t feel anything endangering the lives of millions who have nothing to do with you? And that too because of a stupid game." "I don''t. Take it as me being edgy but millions of deaths mean nothing to me. If I want, the entire kingdom can rot in hell as if I care." The devil woman''s voice was casual. "Why don''t you live with the beasts then? I suppose they will be a good match for you." Rewen said without looking at her. The devil woman didn''t show any signs of anger. Instead she smiled. "I admire your courage. You seem like you have an idea of who I am. Despite that, you are still the same. I''m surprised. Where did you get the confidence? It doesn''t look like you are an idiot." "Enough nonsense." Rewen looked straight at her. "Say, if I kidnap you disregarding thews right now won''t the matter be solved?" The devil woman blinked her eyes, then her lips curved up to form a smile. "Why don''t you try? Here." She lifted her hands towards him. Rewen grabbed her two hands. All of a sudden, the devil woman''s eyes turned cold. "Haha. Look how serious you are. Couldn''t you tell that I''m just messing around with you?" Rewen grinned. As someone who had a deep grudge against her, he of course wouldn''t joke around with her. Previously, he used [Observe] and saw that her average stats was 8. Due to the reason of - ''Could she be hiding it?'', he wanted to confirm it. From her reaction, he was seventy percent sure that she isn''t a big deal. Only her identity is. The devil woman''s eyes twitched. It didn''t take long before she made a guess or two about his action and gave a chilling smile. "Do I look like a friend you can joke with?" "I don''t know. You tell me." Rewen shrugged. He had gotten what he wanted. ''Hopefully, not many variables wille up with the n. No, that''s the wrong approach. I got my time. I can''tze around wishing everything will go ording to n when I have an ample amount of time to make remedies for the potential variables.'' "How is it going everyone? Good?" Alrocit Dominic, the homeroom teacher, made his entry. Rewen rather liked him. He was a strict teacher. While asionally chatting with the students, he never strays from the subject matter. ''Totally different from the racist teacher.'' Day before yesterday, when the elderly History Teacher was ''disrespecting'' his race, he took it personally. "Today we''ll be learning the different way how you can effectively use the "alpha" stage of the skill. Yes, you heard it right. Not the "beta". With just the "alpha", you can do things you can''t even imagine. You can even create your own way through which we can use the "alpha" stage of any skill. However, we have to stay true to our sybus. I can only teach you what''s given in the book. Haha "Anyways, there are three primary ways you need to learn before you touch the Rank 0 Skills. "First. Static. As the name and it''s meaning suggests, you can do several tricks by just getting into the "alpha" stage of any skill. Before I further exin, can anyone tell me what the "alpha" stage of an skill means?" No one raised their hands. Alrocit pointed to a guy sitting at far left. "Can you tell?" "Urgh the primary stage of any skill?" "Anything else?" Alrocit didn''t appear satisfied with the exnation. "It''s you know the stage where mana gathers up natural energy" "From where?" "The surroundings." "And? What else?" "Trigger infinite chain reactions." "Exactly! Now, back to the topic. You might be wondering how it would help in anything? Well, of course. It wouldn''t help in anything if you just reach the "alpha" stage. To actually make clever use of it, you need to" Rewen was listening to the lecture attentively when someone kicked him in the legs. Chapter 67: Alrocit Chapter 67: Alrocit Rewen turned his head to the side and saw the devil woman looking at him. ''This bitch'' He cursed under his breath but didn''t do anything other than throwing a questioning nce. The devil woman half-covered her mouth and lowered her head so as to hide her face from the teacher teaching. "You are going to pay for what you have." ''It looks like she had figured out what I had done to her minutes ago. I thought she would be dumber.'' Rewen was in no mood to y with her and ignored her. ''The lecture is more important.'' The devil woman wasn''t too pleased with the reaction and kicked his legs again. Rewen couldn''t hold it anymore and was about to get up and tell her to the teacher. "Heh! Now you willin to him. If I kick you outside the ss, who will youin to? Your Momma?" Somehow this struck a nerve in him. He grimaced while looking at her. "For someone of your stature, you are unexpectedly childish." The devil woman grinned as if her plot seeded. "As expected. You do know my identity." Rewen didn''t know what face to make. He wasn''t particrly hiding the fact that he knew of her identity. He yed along. "For a fallen devil, you sure took a lot of time to confirm the fact that I know of your identity." The devil woman''s eyes twitched. "That''s only because I''m in my human body. Speak, how do you know of my identity?" "I have no obligation to tell you. Take out the explosive out of Svety and I might be willing to tell you." "Do you take me for a fool?" "Yes. Who else other than a psychopath ns to destroy the entire city just for a little game?" "If you hadn''t rejected my invite to the ''little game'', this wouldn''t have happened in the first ce. In a way, all of this is your fault. Choose. y the little game with me or the lives of millions. From your words, you seem to be a righteous person so I''m hoping the choice would be pretty easy." "Young man and woman sitting at the back. This isn''t a lover''s caf. If you want to chat, I suggest you go outside. The air and weather is also decent." Rewen was about to open his mouth when the teacher''s, Alrocit Dominic''s, voice sounded from the front. Rewen unnaturally got up from his seat while the devil woman remained seated without any expression on her face. "I''m sorry for disturbing the ss." Rewen apologized. He wasn''t a narrow-minded rebel and respects seniority. He knew he was disturbing the teacher so there was a need to apologize for his actions. Alrocit nodded, and then turned to the devil woman. "What about you? Do you not feel the need for an apology?" "I don''t. My voice didn''t even reach you. Why would I apologize for disturbing the ss? Rather, don''t you think that you are the one disturbing the ss making this into an issue? I give you money to teach, not to get scolded." The devil woman replied, still sitting in her seat. Amotion arose in the ss. All of them were bewildered by her audacity. ''This woman sure enough, girls do take their self-respect seriously.'' Rewen didn''t want the matter to escte and signaled her to get up. Which she ignored, of course. Alrocit couldn''t have imagined that he would get this sort of response. He wanted to get angry andsh out but felt very tired. Eventually, he sighed. "Let''s continue." All the years of trying not to be a pushover got wasted in this single instant. Rewen sat down on his seat. The devil woman showed him a smile. "You are pathetic. Where is your pride now?" Rewen was toozy to bother with her and focused on the lecture. "To actually make use of the "alpha" stage, all you need to do is ''let go''. You all probably don''t know what I''m talking about because you have never tried to use a skill. When you are in the process of reaching the "alpha" stage, your body bes very tense and rigid. Long time ago, there was a bold im made that if you be rxed in the "alpha" stage, your body would explode. That, of course, turned out to be false. "In reality, when you rx in the "alpha" stage, the natural energy you have gathered up gets released. Now, what use of that is? "If you are thinking it would blow your opponent away or something, you couldn''t be more wrong. The natural energy is not physical which is why even so when it gets released extremely fast, it couldn''t deliver a physical blow to your opponent. What it actually does is disturb the 81 Mana Points making it difficult for the opponent to perform a skill for the time being. "That''s it. That''s the only known Static Way in which the "alpha" stage could be useful." "Any questions?" "No? I''ll continue on to the Dynamic Way then." "Again, as the name and its meaning suggests, it''s got to do with movements. I wonder. What could Movement + "alpha" stage exactly mean? The mana is moving? The natural energy?" "" The students, as usual, stayed silent. "I''m afraid it isn''t as simple as that. Here, you have to move the Mana Points." "The Mana Points? How?" "It isn''t that difficult to move a single Mana Point. Transfer your mana to the particr Mana Point and visualize it rotating either clockwise or counter-clockwise. It''s simple. You could do it right here and now. The real challengees when you have to move more than half of the Mana Points. For that, you need to transfer mana from one Mana Point to another within a fraction of seconds." "Couldn''t we just move it if we transfer mana to the Mana Points and visualize?" "It isn''t that you couldn''t but it''s immensely difficult. Controlling more than 40 Mana Points is way more difficult than you think. "Alright, now that you have moved the Mana Points, the next thing you need to focus on is the "alpha" stage. Your body which is already tense due to the sudden movement of the Mana Points would be even more tense and stiff because of the "alpha" stage. You will be as stiff as a rock. You couldn''t move or anything. What you can do is take a small amount of mana and move it around your body touching all the Primary Mana Points and you are done." "What does it do?" A confused student asked. "It would heal. Naturally, don''t expect to regenerate your arms that got torn up or anything. It would remove your fatigue and exhaustion and also heal small wounds." The word "disappointed" was written all over the students'' faces. Sensing that, Alrocit coughed. "If you could sessfully use the Dynamic Way, it would be an actual skill. It could healrger wounds the greater your rank is. Now. Questions please. If you don''t ask, I''ll ask instead." The ss discussed back and forth. Rewen too involved himself in the discussions as this was a subject he was interested in. Ten minutester, Alrocit picked up his pen. "That''s it for today. Submit the assignments in time. Also, you and the girl beside you. Follow me to my office." *** Rewen and the devil woman sat opposite to Alrocit. "So tell me. What should I do with the two of you?" "Let us go." The devil woman blurted out without any hesitation. "What is your name?" Alrocit wasn''t too pleased with her. "Luciana." "Luciana what?" "I have no surname." "Are you an orphan?" "Something like that." "Sorry to bring this up but I''m not sure I can digest any more of your attitude. Look. I''m saying this very politely. Please don''t disturb when I''m teaching. You can do whatever you like after Iplete what I had to say but don''t talk in between. Sounds good?" Surprisingly, the devil woman didn''t say anything rude now. She just nodded. Alrocit gave a small smile, and then turned to Rewen. "You should be Rewen?" "Yes, Sir." "Don''t forget. A good partner has to support her in his academics." "Sir, we aren''t-" "I understand. I''ll pretend I didn''t know." Rewen was speechless. He turned to look at the devil woman. She had the same neutral face. "You both may go now. If you have any difficulties in the future regarding my subject, you cane here." *** "Onest time. You sure you don''t want to regret this in the future?" Rewen asked with a cold face. "Make sure that you don''t regret your decision in the future." The devil woman wasn''t someone to keep quiet. As they came near the ss, Rewen saw Vin and Zaplin standing by the door. "Did he scold you?" Vin asked with a grin. "Let''s go. It should be P.E. now. Was I toote?" "Nah , everyone left just now." Chapter 68: Ludwin Chapter 68: Ludwin 4th Grade Training Ground. Instructor Venitt was looking over the cadets, asionally going to them personally to give instructions. As her eyes were passing over from one student to another, she caught sight of an amusing person and she slowly walked to him. When she neared him, her eyes squinted. "Are you trying to try out the Static Way to use the "alpha" stage of the skill that you probably learned in the ss?" Rewen''s immersion broke apart when he heard a voice. Turning around, he saw Instructor Veniit. "What? I mean, I didn''t hear clearly." "I asked, are you trying to try out the Static Way to use the "alpha" stage of the skill?" Instructor Venitt repeated. Rewen was a bit caught off-guard. "Huh? Yeah, exactly. How did you know?" "I know what I know. You just have to know that your time here is precious. Better not waste it." Although Instructor Venitt wasn''t particrly fond of this person, as a Instructor she felt the need to help him. ''He has a good style with a spear. He could have a great Martial Artist if it wasn''t for the fact he came from a normal family background.'' "Oh, alright." Rewen himself didn''t like the Instructor but he had to show some amount of respect towards her. Instructor Venitt nodded. "How far are you?" "In terms of storing mana and reaching Rank 0?" "Yes." Rewen didn''t answer immediately. He thought about how to answer for a while. "Say, Instructor. Let''s assume you had a low percentage mana resonance but for some reason, stored and absorbed mana extremely fast. Would you reveal this to the public or keep it hidden?" Instructor Venitt looked sharply at him. "I would hide it. It would do more harm than good." Immediately after she said that, she grabbed his right hand. "Pretentious." Two secondster, she snorted and left. Rewen looked at the departing figure and let out a smile. ''[Boost] has multiple uses.'' Before asking the question, he temporarily sacrificed some of his mana making it look like he had 15 MP. Altogether, he had 40 MP. Yesterday night,pleting the daily mission gave him 10 MP storage capacity. Today, in such a short amount of time he had already gained 7 MP storage capacity. ''The more skills, properties, paths and stats I have, the faster will the speed be when using [Boost]. It''s certainly overpowered. Now that I think about it, I got it just by asking. In my current situation, I tried asking the system for some benefits but the system is as stubborn as ever.'' Thinking to this point, he realized the root cause of this. ''Was I too naive when I thought that strength will only be secondary in my life? Why do I feel ambitious all of a sudden? I don''t think ambition is necessarily a good or bad trait in life but for someone like me, why? The system certainly isn''t an idiot. It won''t choose an unworthy host. What did it find in a vige kid like me?'' He got no response from the system. Rewen sighed and shook his head. ''Overthinking is a sin. Let''s get back to work.'' --- Quest: Starting Up Grade: C- Details: Be a Rank 0 Mage within this week. Completion rate - 40% Failure: None --- ''Where did thepletion ratee from?'' [The system decided to add it.] ''Don''t change things so abruptly.'' Rewen went on to calcte. ''I only have two more days, excluding today. I have more than an hour left. I can expect 30 MP from the daily mission. As for the rest thirty it''s easy.'' He had full certainty that he couldplete the quest. *** --- MP: 52 --- The session ended. Rewen was satisfied and left the training grounds with other cadets. Zaplin: "The sophomores are throwing out a party to wee us. You should go." Vin: "Go? Why would he go? To get bullied? Let''s be honest. The only reason almost the ss is even going is because of the good-looking seniors. Why would Rewen who already has a partner want to go?" Zaplin: "What? No. I''m going there as the ss Leader." Vin: "Yeah, keep lying." Rewen: "Zaplin. You better start being honest. Which one of them caught your ''respected'' and ''disciplined'' eye?" Vin: "HAHAHA! He acts so pure but we all know that he is secretly a closet pervert." Zaplin: "Fine. I''m going there to marvel at the seniors'' bountiful chests." Vin: "That''s my guy! Everyone listen up! Our ss Leader here has boldly proimed that he wants to see bou-" Zaplin hurriedly caught his mouth. "Why are you still acting like a kid?" Vin: "Everyone is a kid at heart." Rewen: "Enough about Zaplin. What about you, Vin? You have someone you like?" Vin: "Hmph! Of course, I do." Rewen: "Who is it? A senior or from the ss?" Vin sneered in disdain. "Not enough to catch my eye. The one who resides in my gold heart for eternity is Goddess Autumn!" Zaplin: "Who is that?" Rewen: "If I''m not mistaken, that should be the popr Niece of the esteemed King Vin. Listen to me, it''s not that I''m looking down on you but aren''t your ambitions too fucking big!?" Zaplin: "Holy shit! Bro, you don''t even have the qualifications to lick her shoes and you dare to proim your love for her!? Hm she is probably good but you better change your target. It isn''t good for your health." Vin: "You both are looking down on me too much. When I would be marrying her, you both better not bleed your eyes out. Hmph!" Zelic: "Hm? Who said anything about marriage?" Rewen: "Zel, leave. We are having a boys'' talk." Zelic: "So childish! Let me in!" She acted willful and spoiled. Rewen stretched her cheeks. "You look so-not-cute when you pout. Let Big Brother fix it for you." Zelic shook his hands off. "No need for that." Vin: "Right. Do you have someone you are interested in?" Zelic put her hand on her chin. "I have no one who I''m currently interested in a romantic way but if I have to say, it would be Ludwin. M-make no mistakes though. I''m only interested in him as a person." Vin: "Ludwin? That loner? If I recall correctly, he is also a" His gaze turned to Rewen. Rewen: "There are many families with the name ''Klofar''. Just because we both have ''Klofar'' in our surname doesn''t mean that I''m rted to him. As a New World Surname, there''s hardly a chance that we both have the same ancestors." Zelic: "Correct. Also, don''t call him a ''loner''. It''s disrespectful, rude and not funny. Just because a person has a problem to engage socially doesn''t mean you can make fu-" "I admit that I''m socially weak but damn, please don''t pity me." A white-haired pale skinned tall guy suddenly approached the group. "A fellow Klofar, I see." He stretched his hands towards Rewen. Rewen shook his hands. The newly arrived guy, Ludwin Klofar, smiled. "We may not have the same ancestors but I''m sure our ancestors had the same thoughts in mind when they named them ''Klofar''." "Couldn''t have said it better." In one of the earliest post-apocalyptguages, ''Klofar'' meant someone who has a just heart. Ludwin: "So what were you talking about?" No one took the initiative to speak. Zaplin, who had always been a person with somewhat low EQ, was confused. "Zelic seems to be in- mhmhm!" Zaplin''s mouth was closed off by Zelic. The group chatted for a few minutes before Rewen saw Svety standing at the entrance of his ssroom. "Svety! How have you been?" Before he could speak anything, Zelic tip-toed her way to Svety. "I''m excellent. How have you been?" Svety replied with a smile. "I''m the best I have ever been!" Zelic energetically answered. They were childhood friends. Till middle school, they were together. When they separated in high school, Zelic took an entire month to get used to her best friend''s absence. "That''s good to hear. How about we go to a party together? Fix a date and I''ll invite all my friends. I have missed you so much!" Svety wanted to agree but when she saw Rewen looking at her calmly, she discarded the idea. She knew that he was thinking along the lines of ''I''m fighting with my life on the line and you are partying somewhere?''. "Cough, how about a few weekster. I''m preupied with something important." Zelic appeared a bit dissatisfied but reluctantly agreed. "In the first of next month, then. Don''t you dare forget!" "Okay" She nodded, then turned her eyes towards Rewen. Rewen understood the meaning of her eyes. *** Central Canteen. Rewen and Svety sat opposite to each other at a table for two people. "What''s the time?" Rewen took a sip from the cold drink and asked. His smartphone on the table. Svety nced at her wrist watch. "It''s about time." Her face looked calm but her heart was turbulent. She couldn''t force herself to remain calm. *Beep* Chapter 69: Blood Squad Chapter 69: Blood Squad --- -> Target: Blood Squad (C-15) - 4 Members Location: Area 51 Maximum Level: Peak Rank 1 Mage Tips: Better not rely on brute strength too much. --- Looking at the message, Rewen took a deep breath and remained silent. Svety nervously stared at him, wanting to ask if anything''s wrong but held herself back. After a while, Rewen suddenly asked. "What is the significant difference between a Martial Artist and Mages?" "Martial Artists have to rely on pure techniques while Mages uses skills. Strictly speaking, Mages are supposed to be much stronger than Martial Artists because the former has both the physique and skills while thetter can only rely on body techniques." "But that''s not the case, is it?" "No, it isn''t. I don''t know why but Martial Artists are on the same level as Mages." "It''s surely got to do a lot withter ranks. For instance, we only know Mages and Martial Artists would have the same physique if their ranks are simr. However, what about the fact that Martial Artists get a greater head start. They can start training from any age while we have this rule to not touch anything rted to Mages until the age of eighteen." "Yes. It''s very unfair" "I''m not deciding whether it''s fair or not. I''m just thinking, even if Martial Artists get a head start they are still at a disadvantage. Howe they are treated as equal to Mages? Maybe there''s something that happens in theter ranks that makes them equal." "It is possible." "Yes. Anyways, I went too off-topic. Coming to the main topic, do you have anything to add or should I start?" Svety narrowed her eyes. "Don''t worry. He won''t do anything even if discuss how to defeat him. Let him listen. He wanted to see my self-development." "How can you be so sure?" "Because even if he did act ordingly to the n, I have another counter-n." "Stop with the stupid act." "Alright, is there anything you want to say?" "I want to ask. Can you defeat a Peak Rank 1 Mage?" "I don''t know." Rewen shook his head shocking her. With his confidence, she had expected him to reply positively. "Y-you can''t? Didn''t you defeat a Rank 2 Mage?" "A Rank 2 Mage who went berserk due to interference. I haven''t actually fought a calm Mage." Svety went silent. She understood the difference. It wasn''t small by any means. Ten secondster, she raised her head and looked straight at him. "Will two Rank 0 Yellow-ranked Skills suffice?" Rewen smiled but the smile went stiff soon. "Um, what is a yellow-ranked skill? Is it higher than purple or lower?" "..." If Svety hadn''t confirmed the fact the man in front of him had defeated a Rank 2 Mage, she wouldn''t believe it. "Ranked Skills are in the order of - White, Blue, Red, Yellow, Purple, ck. White being the lowest ranked and ck being the highest ranked. Purple-ranked skills are off-limits even for me. I''m giving you the chance to choose a Yellow-ranked skill. Do you want it?" "Of course." Rewen wasn''t going to refuse the offer. "But are you sure your family would give their skills to an outsider like me?" "You aren''t an outsider." Svety said with a straight face, then realized that she misspoke. "Um, at least to them." Rewen felt pretty bad for taking advantage of the situation but there''s nothing he could do. ''Not gonna lie, conveniently taking advantage of my rtionship with her while also not having any real rtionship is making me feel kinda scummy.'' "Okay." In the end, Rewen agreed. "Good. Do you want to go now?" "Sure." Both he and Svety got up and exited the canteen. [Heh! I used to look at you highly. To think you would fall this low. You are not a righteous person. At best, you are a hypocritical goody-two-shoes.] ''Why did I never notice that you looked up to me?'' Rewen appeared unfettered by the words. [You can use all sorts of reasoning to justify your actions but the fact of the matter remains that you are NOT the ''previous'' Rewen. You are Rewen from Ricewater Vige and all the horrible things you have done to her doesn''t make you innocent. If she herself is scum, then you too are a scum for misdirecting your anger onto her from time to time.] ''...'' [And don''t bring me the crap of - ''As I have taken the identity of his, I must live for him.'' It''s a load of crap. You only did that because when you had transmigrated, you had lost an identity for yourself and didn''t know what to do with yourself. Bing a lonely person, you can only seek the warmth from the ''previous'' Rewen''s family and friends. Irritation and anger clouded your mind and whether you agree or not, you had misdirected your anger towards her. You seem to think yourself as a perfectly righteous person when you are not. You cry when things get tiring. You me someone else for the responsibilities you shoulder. You are nearly not as good as you thought yourself to be. What excuse did you get?] ''You know what? You are absolutely fucking correct.'' Rewen inwardly smiled. [Oh, you believe all of this is natural human behaviour?] ''I don''t. I believe there are countless people better than me who would do way better than I''m doing.'' [Interesting. You finally realized how much of a hypocrite you are. I guess that''s the first step in growth. Although from your attitude, you seem to not care.] ''I really don''t. There is no such thing as being perfectly righteous. No matter how fair and just a person is, there is no way for him/her to get away from the curse of hypocrisy. It''sughable but perhaps only people who don''t care about righteousness and evil could be free from hypocrisy and I''m clearly not that kind of person. Every person has an image in their mind which they want to be and to a certain extent, think that they are identical to the image they have in their minds. In a way, yes. Everyone except for psychopaths are hypocrites. And if I have to be a psychopath first to get rid of the hypocrisy, then I''m good being a hypocrite.'' [So you believe anyone who doesn''t care about righteousness and evil are psychopaths?] ''That''s the only term I could find. Perhaps not the kind of psychopath people would think when the word ''psychopath'' is said but they are potential psychopaths.'' [You sound as if you know about everyone. Just when I thought that you had grown, you came up with all this bullshit.] ''It''s not that hard to understand.'' Rewen rubbed his nose and got into Svety''s car. "Svety." "Hm?" Svety got into the front seat and was about to put on the seatbelts when she saw Rewen very close to her face. She raised her hands to push his face. "Wha- mmm!" "Two more." [Somehow, I feel you are bing more of a scumbag as time passes.] *** Sunrise Apartments. A man seemingly his mid-twenties was talking with another woman of about the same age. "Are you sure that Young Miss and Rewen are approaching this way?" "I''m positive, Tervon. How many times are you going to ask?" Yeri was extremely annoyed with her bodyguard partner. Simply put, he was a perfectionist. He needed to be in control of everything. When something unexpected happens, he loses his cool. "Better safe than sorry." Tervon frowned. He took out his smartphone and dialed his colleague. Yeri shook her head, then heard the familiar sound of a car. "They arrived." Parking in the garage, Rewen and Svety got out of the car. As soon as they came out of the garage, they were greeted by two people. Svety came forward. "I need two Rank 0 Yellow-ranked skills." Yeri and Tervon looked at each other. "Why do you need them so soon? You haven''t even reached Rank 0." "I need them for Rewen. Do you have them?" "It''s not a matter of whether we have them or not" Yeri was hesitant to make the decision. "We can give them but make sure the person whom you give the skills doesn''t spread the skill around and unt the skill in the academy." Tervon said after some thoughts. Rank 0 yellow-ranked skills are beginner-level skills. He doesn''t care much about them but he just can''t hand them out without conditions. "Thank you." Rewen stepped forward. Seeing that Tervon had made the decision, Yeri also agreed with what he had said. "Let''s go to the room first. You''ll be vaporized if you continue standing here. It''s too damn hot." The group walked towards the elevator with Yeri and Svety in the front talking with each other and Rewen and Tervon at the back. "Hey. You are doing great. Don''t worry. No one would look down on you." Tervon whispered into his ears. Rewen understood what he was talking about. "It''splicated." He could have left him thinking that Svety had be his Sugar Momma but he didn''t want to. Chapter 70: Tervon Chapter 70: Tervon Tervon shed a mysterious smile. "Ho I see. Why do you need the skills? I got knowledge that your Martial Arts isn''t too shabby so I would definitely see why you would be willing to learn body techniques but skills?" "I thought of trying to see how I would fare using the skill. You know, some cool stuffbining Martial Arts and skills." Rewen used the excuse he had thought of while driving here. Tervon nodded but didn''t appear to bepletely satisfied with the answer. "I bet it would be cooler than you expect! Haha!" "I hope so," Rewen replied with an optimistic tone. "Have you decided which type of skill you want to use?" "No. I''ll see the options and hopefully, be able to pick the best one." "I like the spirit. Just a heads up though, there are no ''best'' skills. Only suitable skills." "You say that but aren''t there skills which have the best offense?" "Of course, there is." Tervonughed. "However, you made a verymon misunderstanding of the phrase." "You meant that the skill with the strongest offense may not suit me, right?" "Not exactly. When I said suited, I meant suited for the scenario. Not trying to brag about me or anything but look at me. As a Rank 4 Mage, I have an unimaginable number of skills on my mind. If I want to, I can easily defeat a person without using any Rank 4 Skills or the physique upgrade when I went from Rank 3 to Rank 4. All I need to do is do a showcase of my skills." "It''s hard to believe you aren''t trying to brag." "The point is when I said that there are no ''best'' skills, only suitable skills. Rather than an individual''sprehension skills, I was talking about the scenario. You might be feeling that an offensive skill is the best cause it''s offense and all that but my guy, no. That''s not how fights work. It depends on the scenario. Let''s say for example, how do you feel about evasive skills?" "Evasive? You mean skills that can be used to dodge?" "Yes. How do you feel about them?" "I don''t know. I didn''t know that there was a category solely dedicated to dodging. It could be useful for all I know but learning a skill just to dodge doesn''t exactly sound profitable." "Oh, you have no idea. Evasive skills are one of the highest-selling skills." "For real?" "For real. I know this would disappoint you but sorry to say, hot-blooded fights rarely happen. Most of the time, it''s just like who would pull out the gun first. In this case, who would be the first one to disy the skill would be at an advantage. I have seen battles at the borders it''s cruel. Honor doesn''t exist in this cold world. No, the world doesn''t deserve the honor." Tervon paused. Rewen was shocked at the sudden jump of topics but decided to stay silent. A few secondster, Tervon let out a shortugh. "Hah, sorry if I made you cringe. Anyways, yeah. Skills are solely dependent on scenarios you are facing. By the way, I never got the chance but why do you always dye your hair red? It does look good on you though." "I don''t dye my hair. I was born with it." For Rewen, his red hair had be an identity in itself. Be it in the virtual world or on Earth, he always stood out due to his hair. "Father or mother?" "None. My father and mother both have pitch-ck hair. I don''t think it''s heredita wait, my brother has the same hair color as mine. It''s probably a gene mutation." "Your brother is the same? Damn, that''s rare then hold up. You have a brother?" Rewen bitterly smiled and went on to narrate the story. "Man, that''s just" Tervon''s face was iprehensible. "How long are you both going to talk?" Yeri stood inside the apartment and sighed. "And they say girls talk too much." Svety wryly smiled. *** "Slurpslurpslurp! Damn, the tea hits hard." "Manner, Rewen. Manners Pftt..." Svety found it hard to restrain herughter. Tervon grinned while Yeri had no expression on her face as she was scrolling through her smartphone. "Have you decided which skill you want?" Yeri asked with a bored look. "I haven''t." Rewen looked at Svety. "Bring yourptop nevermind, bring me to yourptop." "Why?" Rewen didn''t answer. He couldn''t and also didn''t need to. "Okay." Svety and Rewen got up and went to her room. Yeri was still scrolling through her smartphone but she had not missed the weird interaction between them. ''They are hiding something!'' "My intuition is telling me that they are up to something," Yeri concluded and voiced out her thoughts. "Let them be. At most, it would be pranks. Nothing too serious." Tervon yawned. "When did you be soid-back?" "I was always like this. Just because I''m a perfectionist doesn''t mean I can''t bezy." *** "Did you get any information on them?" Svety anxiously spoke from behind Rewen. "Nope." To be honest, Rewen expected this. ''A colossal evil organization Why would they leave out their information on the open?'' "There''s got to be some information about them somewhere." "There is surely information about them in the Dark Web," Rewen replied without much thought. "Then go to the Dark Web." "You think the Dark Web is some kind of website? To find out about the Blood Squad, we need to hire a professional. Give him a load of cash. And then, maybe we can find out something. Do you want to take the risk of informing another person?" "What should we do what should we do" Svety fell on her rear. Grabbing her hair tight, her entire body trembled. Seeing this, Rewen let out a sigh. ''Her mental state finally copsed. It''s better than holding back.'' After all, which normal person can remain calm after knowing that an explosive is fixed on her body? She is a teen. Everyone has their psychological limit. Some could suppress their emotions well, some couldn''t for long. Svety is a fairly normal girl. When she saw the letter in her room, she was ovee with shock. She felt scared but didn''t think too much to feel grief. Later, she realized the severity of the situation and felt hopeless. Even so, seeing Rewen''s confidence, she steeled herself to fight for the hope avable. Now that she saw that Rewen may not be as confident as she thought he was, hopelessness filled her mind. To the most extent, the phrase - Greater the hope, greater the disappointment - is very true in a negative case. "Don''t cry." Rewen softly said. Svety acted as if she didn''t hear what he said. "I''m not saying this tofort you. If you cry, your bodyguards will most certainly think something''s weird. It would be extremely risky if we let them be suspicious that we are onto something." "I won''t cry." Svety bit her lips. "It sounds cruel but this is also a kind of opportunity to grow as a person. I have known you for years and you are particrly the reliant type. It''s not necessarily bad to be reliant but it''s beneficial to not be reliant in many ways.Look, I understand your circumstances and I''m trying to say you are weak or anything. If anything, the fact that you hold your emotions for so long is worthy of praise. I, uh, just look at things in an optimistic way." Svety gave a small nod. After a while, she raised her head. "Will it be difficult?" "As long things go ording to n, it won''t be too difficult." Rewen could only give a vague answer. With the microphone inside of her, he couldn''t directly say anything too shocking. Svety wasn''tpletely satisfied with his answer but he decided to trust him for the time being. "Let''s not dy." Rewen and Svety went back to the living room where Yeri was still scrolling through her smartphone and Tervon wasying down. "Finished your little talk?" Yeri raised her head. "Yes. Can I see the skills?" "Sigh, just don''t do anything stupid." Yeri showed her smartphone to Rewen. "Here''s a list of skills for Rank 0 Mages. Since you want yellow-ranked Here''s the list. Do you have any particr skill in mind?" Rewen scrolled through the list of skills. There were several sections - [Front-Attack], [Mid-Attack], [Ranged-Attack], [Long Ranged-Attack], [Front-Defense], [Mid-Defense], [Ranged-Defense], [Evasive], [Low-Regenerative], [High-Regenerative], [Magic], [Spiritual], [Search], [Strategic], [Shape-Shifting], [Custom]. "Isn''t there quite a few?" Rewen said in a sarcastic tone. "That''s because the capabilities of a Rank 0 Mage is very limited. There are more sections and subsections in Rank 1 Skills." Yeri seriously said, not catching the sarcasm. "..." Rewen looked through the skills for about a minute. ''It''s difficult to make a choice. In the first ce, I don''t even know what I want. The tip was to not rely on brute strength I don''t think that I should have any problem if I wanted to defeat a Peak Rank 1 Mage but just to be safe, I should increase my possibilities of victory as much as I can.'' Chapter 71: Sequences Chapter 71: Sequences "Having some problems in choosing skills?" Yeri asked in an amused tone. "Hmm" Rewen nodded. "Do you have any rmendations?" "Definitely! But you didn''t choose a section yet. Choose a section first, then I''ll help in choosing a good skill." Rewen tilted his head to look at Svety who shook her head. ''This is really difficult. Whatever, I''ll just go with this.'' He mused, then tapped on [Custom]. --- Are you sure you want to buy this skill? [Y/N] --- "What the fuck! I didn''t even choose a skill." Tervon chuckled. "[Custom] is [Custom]. It is a skill. Not a category of skill." "Ho is it like, I can customize my skill however I want?" "Short answer, yes. Long answer, you can''t customize however you want." "What do you mean?" Rewen and Svety appeared confused. Yeri coughed, trying to bring their attention towards her. "[Custom] is an one-of-a-kind skill which lets you create your own cool skills with no limitations. Well, there are limitations but to some extent, you can create whatever you want if you have a in creating the skill." "By , you mean that I have to have some sort of motive to create the skill?" "Indeed. The shouldn''t be half-hearted and you must be extremely single-minded when trying to create the skill." "With just a purpose, we can create any kind of skills?" Svety found it a bit hard to believe. "Of course, it''s not that simple. There are also which needs to be triggered after having a fixed . Then, the "alpha" stage followed by the "beta" stage which you should have learned about." " sound difficult." Rewen honestly said. He felt like he was knowing things too quickly that his brain couldn''t keep with the information. Yeri sighed. "Have you heard about Mana Points?" "Oh yeah, I know of it." "How many Mana Points are there?" "Five Primary Mana Points, thirty-six Secondary Mana Points and 40 Auxiliary Mana Points." "What is their purpose?" "They store and carry mana." "How does mana travel from one part of the body to the other?" "Mana jumps from one point to another." "Why is it ''jump'' and not ''transfer''?" "Because the speed at which mana ''jumps'' from one point to another is three times the speed of light making it impossible for low ranked Mages to see the transfer with naked eye." "What is the difference between Primary, Secondary and Auxiliary Mana Points?" "Primary Mana Points arerger in size, always hold the maximum amount of mana. Their locations aren''t fixed. Secondary Mana Points are smaller in size, holds some amount of mana. Their locations also aren''t fixed. Auxiliary Mana Points are the smallest in size, holding leftover mana and their locations are fixed." "Why do you say that Primary Mana Points arerger in size. Is it a physical quantity?" Rewen wanted to answer with the ssic ''Teacher said so'' but when he thought about it, the question wasn''t difficult to answer. "It''s like mana. It''s a spiritual quantity. Nobody can experiment with it but we know that it is present." "There is more to it but your answer isn''t wrong. Now, what are Innate Mana Strings?" "They are threads which connect every Mana Point which are used to execute a skill. The thicker the thread, the better would be the execution of the skill." "Where do theye from? Could you feel your Innate Mana Strings right now?" "I don''t know where theye from. Innate Mana Strings miraculously appear after the "alpha" stage of the skill. Why are you asking me questions though? Are the such a subject that I need to understand Mana Mechanics properly before I try to understand it?" "Not really. I thought you were dumb." Yeri didn''t even twitch when she said that making Tervon and Svety burst out inughter. "Not cool." Rewen wanted to speak against it but it was indeed true that he was dumb a few days ago. He could barely score 10% in the finals of highschool. Even now, he didn''t know how he passed highschool. "Rewen, you remember when Mr. Pokovic asked you the difference between one and one?" Svety giggled non-stop with her hand on her stomach. "Y you said that it''s hun-hundred!" She started rolling on the ground. Tervon and Yeri were new to the tale and they showed their interest. Rewen couldn''t help but smile. ''Being the butt of a joke sometimes doesn''t hurt.'' He wasn''t a sensitive person and didn''t feel the need to get angry over the matter because he knew that they wereughing in good humor. "So what are ?" Rewen asked after theughter died down. " are forget it you won''t understand it anyways." Rewen frowned. "What''s with that? I would understand. As it''s used in a Rank 0 skill, it is surely in my sybus. Even if you don''t tell you, I could surf the." "You misunderstood. It''s not that I''m not willing to tell you but you wouldn''t understand it. It''s not in your sybus. [Custom]s are neither included nor rmended by the Academies. It''s because ording to various surveys, once the sybus includes [Custom], arge number of periods are needed and that too, to understand a single skill. Not to mention, students themselves would waste too much time on this skill." Rewen didn''tpletely have his questions answered but decided to be reasonable. "Then how should I learn [Custom]?" Yeri gave a small smile. "Just because you don''t understand doesn''t mean you can''t use [Custom]. How about it? Will you buy [Custom]? As a Rank 4 Mage, I won;t rmend it though. Not only is it difficult, it is also risky." Hearing the word "risky", Rewen had second thoughts. However, at this time, Tervon opened his mouth. "Certainly not rmended by me but I regretted not learning this skill. I''ll just say that." "Fuck it. I''ll buy it. Being indecisive isn''t being me." He tapped on ''Y''. --- Thank you for your purchase! [Custom] will begin downloading shortly! Please wait 5...4...3...2...1! File downloaded sessfully! --- "Cool. Could you send the file?" Rewen asked, looking at Yeri. "It''splicated. I''m sending you a form, fill it up right now and send it to me." "Why do I need to fill up a form?" "Did you honestly think it''s that easy to transfer skills from one device to another?" "Yeah, that makes sense." *** "Oh? It''s a text file." Completing the required procedures, Rewen opened the file with bright eyes. --- Starting Sequence: P-2, S-30, P-1, A-34, S-11, P-3, A-25, P-5, S-22, A-17, S-18, S-13, P-2, P-2. [Attack-Type Sequence] [Defense-Type Sequence] [Stealth Sequence] [Evasive Sequence] [Regenerative Sequence] [Magic Sequence] [Spiritual Sequence] [Search Sequence] [Strategic Sequence] [Shape-Shifting Sequence] Training Sequence: S-22, S-4, S-1, S-23, A-8, P-1, P-4, A-12. --- "What is this?" Rewen''s eyes narrowed. This wasn''t what he had expected to see. "P stands for Primary, S stands for Secondary and A stands for auxiliary. To create a pattern visiting different Mana Points is what a really is." "What about this is hard to understand? Forget it. There are 5 Primary Mana Points, 36 Secondary Mana POints and 40 Auxiliary Mana Points. If prefixes denote the type of Mana Points, the suffixes denote the number of the particr Mana Point. You are telling me that to start the activation of the skill, I have to visit every single Mana Point given in the ''Starting Sequence'' one-by-one and after that, I have to decide what kind of skill I want to use?" "Yes. You think it''s too difficult." Seeing Rewen frown, Yeri couldn''t help but ask. Rewen''s frown slowly turned into a grin. "Not at all. It''s easy." "That''s the spirit." "I have an unrted question." "Go ahead." "Can anyone channel mana without having a single MP?" "That''s not possible." "I thought so." Rewen was confused as hell. ''Then howe my [Freestyle Knights Combat] technique works?'' [Did you forget that your body is yours? You just took the identity of the ''previous'' Rewen.] ''Sure but why mention this could it be Magic Power?'' [Unravel the mysteries on your own.] Rewen didn''t think too much about the matter and put the thoughts at the back of his head. After that, he went through every kind of skill. Meanwhile, Svety, Yeri and Tervon started ying cards. "Look at him. He''s like a kid who got his new toy." Yeri was amused by Rewen''s enthusiasm. "Well, we were the same. I still remember the first day I got to learn a skill." "Is it that big of a deal? I was a bit like ''okay, and then?'' People overreact." Coming from an economically well-off family, there weren''t many things that surprised her. "You wouldn''t understand." "You like to overreact to things." "By the way, Svety. Why did he suddenly want to learn a skill? I''m not really convinced at the answer he gave. Surely there must be something." "He says that he is nning to be an Official and he ns to start preparing for it early." Chapter 72: Anime Chapter 72: Anime "There is a pattern in every kind of skill. [Attack-type] starts with connecting the first three Primary Mana Points. [Defense-Type] starts with connecting the first three Secondary Mana Points and the first Primary Mana Point. [Stealth-Type] starts with connecting the bottom five Auxiliary Mana Points and two mid Secondary Points. [Evasive-Type] starts with" Only the pattern to begin the skills have been given. As for customizing a skill, Rewen needs to do that on his own. "How should I create a skill? I don''t know very little about ?" Rewen turned around and asked Yeri who was still ying cards. "Like I said, you need to have a . As for the , it will automatically ur to you depending on the . Remember, don''t make the too long though. It might do temporary damage to your system." "System?" "Have you not learned about the Mana System? You''ll learn it soon." "Cool" He turned to Svety. "What''s the time?" "2:15. Why? Are you going?" "Yes, I have some work to do." "I''ll drive you back." "No, it''s fine." Rewen got up. "See youter." *** ''I have three days to defeat the Blood Squad. Peak Rank 1 Mage huh I don''t know how I will fare. I also don''t know if I''m ready to have a death match. From the location, they are probably the cannibals. As for who they work under, it''s fair to conclude that they are from the REAL WAIFU CORPORATIONS LIMITED. Never heard of the word. Maybe it''s a word from the pre-apocalyptic age.'' "Rewen?" "Hm? Gill?" "What are you doing here?" "I was visiting Svety. What are you doing here?" Gill showed him a stic bag. "Running errands." Rewen, Gill and Svety lived in the same neighborhood so they met each other quite frequently. "Thought so." "Do you have any ns for the day?" Rewen thought about his ns for the day. ''Go home, eat, virtual world,pleting daily missions, go to the club, practice [Custom]...'' "I will log into CHAOS. Why don''t youe to my continent. I''ll show you my family in the virtual world." "That doesn''t sound bad. The reason I asked was because I thought you might be interested in the Weing Party thrown by the sophomores." "You too? Why bother going to the party?" "Everyone is going. Why should I be the only one to be left out? Are youing?" "Nope. Not interested. Tell Junar and the others to not shout for me standing outside my house." Rewen''s friends had a really bad habit of shouting his name from outside disturbing the neighborhood instead of just ringing the doorbell. "Okay. I heard that you didn''te to the Academy yesterday." "That''s right." "Why?" "Now that I think about it, I didn''t tell you Look, I had interference for the past two or so years." "Huh?" "Yes. I hope you don''t spread the matter too much. Telling Junar and the others would be enough." "W-wait, I need time to process. You had interference for the past two years!? And you kept quiet about it till now?" "Till recently. Didn''t you notice my grades? As a top student in middle school, how can I score so low?" Gill scratched his head. "This doesn''t make sense are you good now though?" "I''m fairly good." Gill had an uneasy face. "Rewen. Look. I-I''m not the brightest person. My EQ is also below average. I-I-I I don''t know how to put it in words." Pausing, he inhaled and exhaled. "I''m sorry. I have no excuse." Rewen''s eyes widened. '''' Rewen didn''t have any close friends in his eighteen years of life. Sam was more than a brother than a friend to him. He had a couple of friends who he talked to asionally but none of them could be called a ''close friend''. He himself didn''t think too much about friends. Not to mention, the memories of ''previous'' Rewen from highschool made him a bit averse of people his age. After a while, Rewen shed a rare genuine smile. "It''s not like I have med you for that. No need to awkwardly apologise. It was my fault for not confronting about it in the first ce." "Are you fine now?" "I''m fine Hm do you have your Sister''s number?" "Of course, I do. She is my sister." Gill was confused at the out-of-context question. "Give me her number and before you say anything, do I look like a pedo? Rest assured, I''ll delete her number right after you give it. You can bear witness to it-" "It''s alright. I understand. Some people are just born different."Gill had an understanding face which soon turned serious. "But you are not allowed to cross the line. She is only sixteen this year. Keep it in your pants for two more years." "..." On this day, Gill developed a goofy misunderstanding. [Ding! Daily Missions from ''Male God System''pleted! Do you want to receive the reward right now?] [Yes] [No] *** Rewen''s House. "Denny! Do you have something I can eat?" Rewen shouted from the kitchen. "Make something on your own and eat! I''m not your maid!" "Whoever marries you will be the unluckiest man on Earth! Eat shit!" Rewen was furious at this difficult cousin of his. ''I should have eaten at her ce." Rewen took out his smartphone and ordered food. Fifteen minutester. Rewen was browsing through the inte while sipping from his drink. "Wow, memes about me are still present. Hm?" He noticed a message hase from --- Richard123: [Understanding and Speaking Fluent English in 5 Easy Steps. PDF] Richard123: [Simple Guide to Japanese. PDF] Richard123: [100 Most Popr Sites of 2020. PDF]. There is also a list which I have sent in the email. If you have any doubts, go to the list. I have exined things in details there. Rewen: Thanks. I appreciate it. Richard123: Anytime. Rewen: Can I really ess all the pre-apocalyptic websites? --- Although he knew why he knew why it happened, he still found it unbelievable. --- Richard123: Haha, of course. Rewen: That''s just awesome! Do I need to know anything before I dive into the forgotten history? Richard123: Yes. Don''tment. Also, if you meet anyone of the 34 people, don''t tell anyone your nationality. You know how the world is. Rewen: Makes sense. --- With that, Richard123 went offline. Rewen looked at the three files. "For now, I''ll look through the sites." He opened the [100 Most Popr Sites of 2020. PDF]. Not only were the sites mentioned, there were descriptions written beside each of them. "First, the search engine. I''ll check out Youtubeter." Rewen visited the most popr search engine. Looking at the site, he felt a bit overwhelmed. "Everything starting from pre-apocalyptic humans to the details of every single event that happened in history that happened is written here" It must be known that modern people don''t have any extensive knowledge about the pre-apocalyptic humans. Even Historians only know a little more than an ordinary person. "To get curious about the unknown history is good and everything but what exactly should I search?" [The Host is advised to watch anime.] "Fuck you. I just dived into a whole new world and am allowed to know anything. You think the first thing I''d want to know about is about some cartoons?" Rewen couldn''t help but rebuke the system. [Warning! The Host is advised not to insult anime.] Rewen never imagined that the emotionless system would get so offended. "Since the system is advising me to do so, it can''t be a waste of time." He went ahead and typed ''good anime''. The first thing that came into his mind after the results appeared was - the animation is he good. Instead of clicking one of the links, he went to the ''Images'' to see more of the animation. "What''s with this level of animation bruh Maybe I should actually watch it but where should I start from let''s see." He typed in ''animes which are good for starters''. He visited several links and decided to settle himself to watch ''Death Note''. One hour passed by. "It''s interesting." Two hours passed by. "Damn man, you are too cold-hearted. You shouldn''t have done that to the innocent girl." Three hours passed by. *Knock* *Knock* Rewen paused the video and went to the door. "What is it?" It was Denny. "You want to y?" "Why now? It''s just what''s the time?" "6:32. Why?" "No way!" Rewen couldn''t believe that three hours had passed while he was watching Death Note. "I''ll yter. I have to go to the Club." He quickly turned off his PC and picked up his Club ID. "See youter!" Svety stood there in a daze. ''He is bing more and more active. It is a good thing. His attitude and temperament changed overnight. Cal told me that it''s probably because he had a much worse condition a few days ago. Only after his condition became better for some unknown reason did he get back his original personality. Is it his original personality though?'' She thought back to the cheerful boy from a few years ago and subconsciously smiled. "Forget it. Everything happens for the best." Chapter 73: Laura Chapter 73: Laura Grand Ultine Kapile Club. Rewen found it difficult to catch his breath as he slumped down on a public seat. He had been running for over ten minutes without using [Freestyle Knights Combat] technique. Sweat oozed out from his shoulders to his shirt, cooling his back. He was the kind of guy who sweats too much. This wouldn''t bother him for too long. "I should get a drink first." Entering the Club building, he went to the same vending machine and inserted two coins. A drink came out soon from below, which he drank almost instantly. [Ding! Daily Missions from ''Bloodline System''pleted! Would you like to receive the rewards right now?] [Yes] [No] ''Yes.'' [Ding! There are three rewards presented for the Host but the Host can only pick one of them. 1. Luvin''s Star Ticket 2. Amulet of Misfortune 3. 5% Bloodline Activation [What would the Host like to choose?] ''Are there details of the two unknown items?'' --- Artifact: Luvin''s Star Ticket Grade: High Gold Type: Consumable Effect: ??? --- ''Quite helpful. What about the other?'' --- Artifact: Amulet of Misfortune Grade: Mid Gold Type: Wearable Effect: Generates bad luck to the wearer and the being around him. --- ''No, thanks. My life genre is already set on tragedy. Let''s not make it even more tragic.'' With that in mind, he chose the third option. [Ding! The Host has achieved 10%pletion in activating the "Pure Human" bloodline!] [Stealth Leveled Up!] --- Race: Human (100%) (Yellow) - [Perks] --- Rewen observed that the yellow got a little darker. Not enough to make it ''dark yellow'' but the color looked more apparent. He checked the [Perks]. --- Stealth (Advanced Mastery) --- ''Great. I have to try out this.'' Greeting the receptionist, he made his way to the room assigned to him. Room R-2. Ivan was, as usual, ying cards with the other three. "How''s your day been?" Ivan asked. "Not too bad." "d to know. Will you be fighting or practice your Martial Arts?" "Fight." Rewen wanted to waste no time. Today, he came here with the goal of defeating at least two opponents. ''Chain quest, you better give me adequate rewards.'' --- Quest: Be a Fighter. Grade: B Goals:Defeat your second opponent. Rewards: +1 Endurance Failure: None --- "Come with me." Ivan got up and led outside the room. Just as they stepped outside, they saw Zero walking down the hallway. "What''s up?" Zero asked. "I''m taking him to fight. Do you think Laura is free?" "She is free." Zero nodded, then turned to look at Rewen. "You want to fight Laura?" "Apparently. Is she strong?" "She has the potential to reach Junior within this year." "What''s her rank?" "She is within top 100 among the rookies. I don''t know her exact rank." "You think I can defeat her?" "Probably not, at least not now." Zero shook his head. "Although she is not from any prominent families, she has the will and instincts of a natural fighter. A genius, if that''s one of many ways to describe her. Aside from that, she is also a High F while you are a Mid F. Strength difference matters a lot." ''A High F is the same as having an average stat of 14 or 15. Nope, I can''t defeat her. Not without using [Freestyle Knights Combat]. Should I use it though?'' "What took you so long?" As the three approached Zero''s room, a tall woman standing beside the doors shouted. She was Laura. "What''s up, Ivan?" She noticed a familiar face, then her gaze moved towards an unfamiliar one. "Are you new?" Rewen stretched his right hand. "Rewen." Laura shook his hand with her own. "Laura. Are you here to fight?" "Yes." "Are you sure you want to fight me?" Laura naturally won''t refuse to fight someone but she wasn''t optimistic about the young man putting up a good fight. Before Rewen could answer, Zero said from the side, "He was the one who defeated mest night." *** Rewen''s eyes rotated around the room. It was almost empty and wasrge enough to make free movements. He then stared at his opponent. ''She is strong.'' He made an useless observation. "Rewen, is it? I like to keep fights short and quick. I''ll go all-out from the start." Laura said with a small smile, before jolting off from her spot and towards Rewen. ''She''s fast. From her movements, it would probably be a round punch below my ear.'' Making quick judgements, he prepared to take a step back. *Swish* Just when a fist at an astonishing speed went past touching the tip of his nose. Rewen was surprised but Laura was even more surprised. "Che, misse-" While she wasmenting about her miss, a fist closed in on her face. ''I don''t have the luxury to give her time to speak and again pull up an attack like that.'' Rewen''s fist was stered on her face but there were no movements from thetter. Secondster, a chuckle sounded. Rewen was in no mood hearing her speak and pulled off another punch on her face. This time, his fist was caught by her hand. "You aren''t bad. It''s a pity that you need to improve bat...strength...." Laura wasmenting on his style while holding his fist but in between herment, Rewen did a back-flip and shot out towards her again. Her hands were in random positions. Her legs together. Her whole body was wide open. Even so, there was a small smile on her face. ''It''s not overconfidence. I''ll try this although it''s likely to fail.'' He approached her with the intention to punch. Laura''s hands which were in random positions and still suddenly sprung up. ''Not fast enough, Rewen.'' She saw the fisting close to her hands but just when she was about to grab it, the fist stopped. Her eyes moved downwards and saw him ducking. "Shit." She realized what''s going on and hurriedly attempted to move away. Unfortunately for her, Rewen''s leg had already disrupted her bnce. She fell on her back, wide eyed. Rewen didn''t stop there. He sted a barrage of punches against her defenseless face. A secondter, she guarded her face and got up with a jump. Rewen figured it''s time to create a gap between him and her when the guarding Laura appeared in front of him in a sh and saw an iing kick on his abdomen. He didn''t panic. He had no chance to dodge this kick. If it hit him, there''s a 70% chance that he would be rolling on the floor but there''s also no way to avoid this. ''Now I see why [Evasive] skills are so sought after. Well, there''s only one thing I could do now.'' He smiled. It was not the smile of a man who knew that a severe pain is along the way to reach him. When the kick was at a distance of a mere few centimeters, he confidently met his opponent''s gaze and softly grabbed her neck. Rewen flew away from the impact of the kick and fell on his back. "Hurry up Ivan." Ivan and Zero had not yet recovered from the fight. Only after hearing Rewen did Ivan woke up from his daze and went to him. Rewen opened his mouth with some difficulty. ''Blood doesn''t taste that bad when swallowed in arge amount.'' Hemented on his mind, then a few drops of liquid fell to his tongue. ''Hm, not bad.'' He felt a stinging pain on his abdomen which slowly subsided. After a while, he managed to get his upper body straight and leaned on the wall. He looked towards Laura who was staring at him with a nonchnt gaze. Knowing what she was thinking of, he smiled. "It is my lo-" "It''s my loss." Laura said, then turned to Zero. "I''m going. If there''s anything, text me." She left the room, leaving Ivan and Zero dumbfounded. [+1 Endurance] [Quest Updated.] --- Quest: Be a Fighter. Grade: B Goals: Defeat your third opponent. Rewards: +2 All Physical Stats Failure: None --- Rewen looked at the screen in front of him in satisfaction. A whileter, Ivan turned to Rewen. "Why?" Rewen shrugged. "She didn''t like the way she won." "Huh? Wasn''t the victory fair and square?" Zero got even more confused. "I''m not talking about whether it was fair or unfair. ording to her, her pride wouldn''t let her take the win." ""Why?"" Both of them asked in unison. "Well, both of you did see the instance where my hand was on her neck, right?" Rewen didn''t need to give any more exnation. "..." Both of them couldn''t decide whether they should praise him for his quick thinking or scold him for using such an underhanded method. No wonder Laura''s face wasn''t good when she left. "Don''t look at me that way. I usually don''t use tactics like this. I''m kind of in a pinch." Rewen sounded hypocritical but he wasn''t lying. If it wasn''t for the fact that he needed to increase his stats quickly, he wouldn''t do this. Chapter 74: Mana Manipulation Chapter 74: Mana Maniption "Here''s your updated ID." The receptionist handed over a card to the young man with crimson hair standing in front of her. --- Name: Rewen Klofar Division: Rookie Grade: F Rank: 48 Speciality: Agile, Hand-to-Hand Combat, Deceptive --- Rewen was surprised by the new words on the ''Speciality''. As if seeing the surpriseing, the receptionist smiled. "We have cameras in every room. There are several supervisors who would check on you from time to time." "Understandable, but what''s with this ''Deceptive''? I''m not sure whether this is a speciality or not." The receptionist couldn''t hold back a chuckle. "Don''t mind too much. It''s just ament from one of the supervisors." "They have a good sense of humor." *** Klofar Residence. 8:45 p.m. After Rewen came back, he immediately started practicing [Freestyle Knights Combat] technique. [Ding! Daily Mission from ''Basic Knights and Magic System''pleted! Would you like to receive the rewards right now?] [Yes] [No] "Yes." [+10 Mana Storage Capacity] "Good." Rewen wiped off the sweat from his forehead and sat down on the chair of his garden. ''I don''t know how many days it would take for me to learn [Custom]. I haven''t even decided what skill I should make with [Custom].'' [Ding! An immediate quest has been issued. Would you like to see it?] [Yes] [No] ''Now that''s I like to see.'' Rewen smiled, then tapped on ''Yes''. --- Quest: 45th Way To Learn [Custom] Grade: D Details: Complete the entire starting under fifteen seconds. Rewards: [Mana Maniption]. Failure: None --- ''Would this [Mana Maniption] help me learn [Custom] faster?'' [Yes.] Rewen instantly got up from his chair and took out his smartphone. "Alright, first P-2 which is the second Primary Mana Point there it is. Oops, it escaped." He tried to locate and catch the first Mana Point almost ten times but failed. "There has to be some kind of trick. A pattern or something Right. Whenever I try to approach the Mana Point from the left, it pushes itself back. From the right, it pushes itself front. How about the middle then?" A few secondster. "Nope. Not working but my observation was almost correct. Aside from the sides, it also depends on the angle and speed. For instance, if I approach the Mana Point at a fast speed making an angle of forty degree with the Mana Point from the left, then it pushes itself back approximately at an angle of eighty degree with a speed a bit faster than the speed in which I approached it." "What about the back?" "Yup, it''s the same." "I think I get the hang of it. To sessfully locate and catch the second Primary Mana Point, I have to approach in such a way that the Mana Point moves the bare minimum. I can''tpletely stop the Mana Point no matter what I do. After that, when I get close enough, I''ll increase my speed and catch it. Let''s try it." Taking a deep breath, he made his consciousness approach the second Primary Mana Point at an angle of zero degree with a moderate speed. However, just as he was about to increase his speed, the Mana Point made an unnatural movement and escaped! Rewen''s face turned dark. He had thought of giving up. He was never a patient person. If something doesn''t work the way he wanted it, he would give up unhesitantly. The only thing he did manage to hold on to was crafting weapons and that too, because of how strict his Master was. He closed his eyes. ''Calm down. Now''s not the time to be like this. I can''t give up here even if I want to. I have to do this. Think. Think. Think. If this could happen, then it possibly means that angle and speed doesn''t change shit. I still couldn''t catch the Mana Point. What could I do to catch up to it? What could I do to stop it'' An idea shed by his mind. ''It''s crazy. No, I shouldn''t try this. But then again, I was indeed told that this would be risky. Is this the risky part?'' Rewen was very hesitant because he knew that with this ''crazy idea'' of his, he might get lethally wounded. "Fuck it, I''ll try it." Rewen decided to be brave. He poured some mana in the second Primary Mana Point, then ted the inner shell of the Mana Point with mana. "Here goes nothing." The next thing that happened was - blood erupted from his right arm. "Cough, cough." Coughing violently, he fell on his knees. Red blood fell on the ground from his mouth. Despite that, there was a small curve hanging on the corner of his lips. He was sessful in catching the second Primary Mana Point. "Condensing really worked. Though coughing blood everytime I catch a Mana Point isn''t a very effective solution. The key of the method is to freeze up the Mana Point using the adhesive nature of mana just like I condensed Magic Power while trying to learn [Fireball]. What I did kinda expect is that the aftermath of letting mana get contact with the physical body is much more lethal." Rewen already had a solution to the problem. "If freezing too much is a problem, I''ll freeze up only a bit. I don''t need topletely stop the Mana Point from moving. I just want it to move too quickly. I''ll need the help of angles and speed though. It''s a pain to do an urate calction. If only I could see the insides of my body" Sighing, he stood up straight and tried to catch the second Primary Mana Point again with new methods. "Don''t freeze up too much and here it is." Catching the Mana Point, he didn''t waste any time and immediately made a thin thread, which is known as the "Innate Mana String", using mana and attached it to the surface of the Mana Point. "Next step. I''ll have to grab on to this thread and catch the next Mana Point which is the thirtieth Secondary Mana Point." *** Fifty Minutes Later. Denny arranged the dinner table while her Elder Brother brought up the food from the kitchen. "Where is Rewen?" "Who knows what he''s doing. He went to the Club in the evening. He should be in his room right now." Denny answered. Cal nodded, then sat on the chair. "Do you not feel that he is a little different from what he used to be?" "Yup. I have noticed. It''s either due to interference or because" "He isn''t Rewen." Cal didn''t have any expression on his face. Seeing the look on his sister''s face, he realized that he hasn''t phrased his words well. "I was just continuing what you said. There''s no need to worry about ''Invasion''. He was checked in the hospital. The reason he is like this is because we never really knew what kind of person he really is. Till middle school, he was an outgoing and diligent student. When he went to highschool, I got my new job and failed to check up on him from time to time. I was always confused why he was so so gloomy. Always holed up in his room. Getting bad grades. I did have the thought that maybe, it''s because he had interference. After that thought, I tried tomunicate with him several times but he would stay quiet with his head lowered the entire time. Eventually, I gave up on him. I also thought that he wouldn''t be this much of a fool or strong, whatever you want to call it." Cal wasn''t a person who liked to speak much but this time, he felt the need to address it. After Cal finished, Denny had an indescribable look on her face. "I stood there and saw him get bullied by my friends. I carried a childish grudge against him because Mother and Father always praised him turning a blind eye to my efforts. If you are regretting for simply not looking after him, then where should I start listing off my regrets!?" *Bam!* With her emotions out of control, Denny smashed her hand on the table and walked to her room. Cal had the same dropped eyebrows. He knew his sister very well. *** "P-2. P-2 Done!" Rewen fell on his butt. "I really am a genius. Hm? Where are the rewards? It should not exceed fifteen seconds." [Total Time Taken: 15.62 seconds.] "Ohe on" He whined, then got up. P-2 S-30.. A-25 P-5 P-2! "This should be enough!" [Ding! Quest sessfullypleted!] [''Mana Maniption'' Skill Book acquired! Would you like to learn to learn the skill right now?] [Yes] [No] "Yes." Loads of information suddenly appeared on his brain. ''What''s with this? It surely isn''t afortable feeling.'' Despite his grumbling, he was more or less with the function of [Mana Maniption]. "I''ll check the detailster." Practicing for so long, he was bound to feel hungry. Washing his face, he went to the dining table. There, he saw Cal sitting with a nk look on his face. Chapter 75: Spar Chapter 75: Spar Rewen looked at the dining table, finding Denny missing. "Where is Denny?" "She is in her room." Cal turned to Rewen and stared at him for a while. "What? Is something wrong?" Cal shook his head. "Nothing''s wrong. I was just thinking how tall you have grown." Rewen let out a smile taking a seat opposite to him. "Of course, I have grown. However, it doesn''t sound quite right because you are still taller than me." "In time, you will get taller than me." Cal sounded very confident and certain. "How did you get the cut?" As he was close to Rewen, he was bound to notice the cut Rewen while he was trying out the Starting Sequence. "This I wasing out of my room in a hurry to go to the Club and my arm brushed past a pointy thing. I can''t recall what it was and didn''t notice the cut until I was halfway into the Club." Rewen had no problems with letting Cal know that he was training but he couldn''t really say that he got this cut by falling down, can he? "Did it bleed too much? The cut isn''t small by any means." "Nah, nothing much. It bled a bit but after washing my arm, it looked as good as ever." Cal gave a nod, then changed the topic. "How is the Academy?" "It''s fun," Rewen answered honestly. "It''s just a single ss every day and there''s something weirdly satisfying about raising my MP every day. The atmosphere isn''t too toxic." "Good. Are you personally having any problems?" "For the time being, no." Cal didn''t speak anymore while Rewen gulped down the food in front of him. A few minutester, Rewen got up and went back to his room. Looking at the back, Cal sighed. ''Rewen you are getting increasingly difficult to understand.'' *** Rewen wore only loose trousers, leaving his upper body bare. He was feeling excessively hot. Adding on to that, the air conditioner isn''t working for the past two months. Sitting in front of his PC, he was thinking about what he should do. After a while, he sent a video chat request to his father. He felt that his little brother that he got to know yesterday was very cute. A minuteter, his father''s face came into view. "Rewen? How are you doing?" "I''m good. Where is Ron?" "Wait a minute, I''m showing him." His father took theptop to the living room. The living room was wide. With a room-sized TV and transparent sses allowing the light toe. On the sofa, Viviana was sitting with a little guy who was jumping with his legs. "Ron? Look who it is. It''s your Big Brother." Rewen''s father kept theptop on the table making it possible for Rewen to see Viviana and the little guy closely. The little guy made some noises and jumped even more. Rewen simply watched the little guy without saying anything. "Do you not know how to talk?" Viviana was as strict as usual. Rewen couldn''t deny that he was indeed awkward at conversations that aren''t face-to-face. "Um, how was your day?" "It was okay. What about yours?" "Not bad." "I see that you have gotten plenty well. How about you put some effort into your academics for a change? Simply being strong is not enough to be an Official. The first thing after you are chosen to be an Official Candidate the higher-ups would do is check your academics. I''ll keep it that way, lest my mind turns spinning remembering your grades." "..." Viviana turned to the little guy and said in a strict tone. "Don''t be like your Big Brother." "Aaaaaa." The little guy made a noise. Rewen''s eyes twitched. He didn''t bring up interference because he knew that his mother was notpletely serious about what she said. "Speaking of which, I could send a letter of rmendation to the Club that you are in." Rewen''s father suddenly interjected into the conversation. "What would the letter of rmendation do?" "It could help you be an Official once you be one of the top-ranking members of the Club." "Not needed." Rewen declined the offer. In the beginning, he joined the Club with the motive to get the political benefits butter, his mind changed. Political benefits are just one of the reasons. ''I want to be a person of high standing.'' All his life, he rarely felt the feeling of wanting to be someone. Even as a kid, he only admired the heroes in the fairy tales. Never wanted to be one. ''I have always prided myself as an ambitionless person. What a load of nonsense. The only reason I kept telling myself that is because I don''t want to give up trying to make me look pathetic. I kept lying to myself to feel better. No more, though. I will try to reach the stars. If I can''t, that''s just my destiny as if! If I fall, I''ll get up again.'' Rewen couldn''t hold back hisughter seeing his hot-blooded nature which is probably short-lived. "Why are youughing? Did he say anything funny?" Both Viviana and Rewen''s father looked at each other. "Nothing. Nothing''s funny. To be honest, a lot is going in my life that I can''t share at the moment. I''ll try to call from time to time if I get the time." Rewen ended the video chat abruptly. "This brat he has grown bold." Viviana had aplicated tone. Rewen''s father gave a meaningful smile. "Aaaaa" The little guy started crying. *** Rewen knocked on Denny''s door. "What?" "Hm? Why are your eyes red? Did you cry? Did something happen?" "Just tell me why you came here." "You want to y?" "Not now." "Figured as much." Rewen was about to leave when he suddenly said. "You know, there isn''t much difference between yourself and Zelic right now," Rewen remembered. When they were kids, she hated beingpared with Zelic because thetter was incredibly childish. Contrary to what Rewen had expected, Denny lightlyughed, then waved her hands. "Shoo shoo." A bit disappointed, Rewen went back to his room and logged in. *** Darkhood City. It was early morning. Rewen was in a cheerful mood. He got up from the bed and went out of his room. "Seems like everyone''s still sleeping." It was just six in the morning. His mother usually gets up at seven. On Earth, he trained in his garden. Coincidentally, in this world too, he had arge garden. He had seen it but never got the opportunity to practice there. "I should check it out." With that in mind, he walked towards the garden and saw a familiar figure. Vinia was diligently swinging a stick when she heard footsteps. Turning back, she saw a red-haired tall young man with a bare upper body walking towards her. "Rewen?" She felt a bit ufortable because of his bare upper body but obviously didn''t want to make it awkward. Rewen smiled. "What style are you practicing? Ah, sorry if I happen to appear like a pervert." Seeing her fidgeting eyes, he realized that he wasn''t in the most presentable condition. Vinia shook her head and changed the subject. "I''m practicing my family''s style - [Lascivious Art of Three Swords]. Have you heard of it?" "I did. I have never seen the style in person. I just know that it''s quick." "Quick is an oversimplified way of describing it. Although I won''t deny it, it is indeed quick." Rewen bent down and took an uneven stick that was in the ground. "How about we spar?" Vinia nodded vigorously without a shred of hesitation. "Allowed to use only weapons?" "Yes. No brawling." Rewen was confident that he wouldn''t take three seconds to defeat her if he went all-out with brawling but since it was topare sword styles, he wasn''t confident. On one side was a few generations-long sword style. On the other side was a self-made sword style created by an eighteen-year-old. Both of them came close and took a basic stance. "When the leaf falls, the spar will begin." Rewen pointed at a free-falling leaf. Two secondster, the leaf fell on the ground. Vinia was the first one to make a move. She took a step almost closing the distance and swung her stick on her opponent''s neck. Unfortunately for her, almost as if her opponent predicted the move, it was parried by the other stick. ''It''s bad. His sword ising closer. Should I step back? No, he will probably catch up to me.'' Vinia was someone who had trained since a young age and knows how to think rationally. She flipped her body and again tried to strike her opponent. This time, on the face. ''He couldn''t dodge it! To avoid getting hurt, he would have to use his sword, which is from his face.'' Vinia saw victory. However, just as the stick was about her opponent''s face, her stick changed its trajectory colliding with a stick missing the target. ''How? He threw the sword?'' The next moment, Rewen grabbed the stick again and swung it at her neck lightly. Chapter 76: Anger Chapter 76: Anger Vinia''s body froze. Just as the stick was a centimeter or two away from her neck, the stick stopped. Rewen smiled, then took back the stick. "Do you know why you lost?" "Because you made an unorthodox move. That wasn''t a real sword style." Although Vinia waspelled to admit her loss, she felt a little indignant. "Neither is this stick a real sword. Let me tell you why I won. I won because I knew my limits. I couldn''t possibly defeat someone who has practiced the sword for a decade." "Does that mean that you have to use underhanded means to win? Are you content with the win?" Vinia said in a passive-aggressive tone. She was praised as a genius. She had lost countless times but only to Master. Against her peers, she subconsciously believed herself to be invincible. Rewen didn''t get angry. He instead stared at her calmly. "Do you really believe what I did was underhanded? You yourself said it was unorthodox. How about this then? My sword style is such that I can switch my sword from one hand to another and use it in any way I like." "Swords aren''t meant to be used that way." "May I know who you are to set up rules for swinging a sword?" "..." Vinia bit her lips and calmed down. She started to loath herself. Never had she thought that she would be this much of a sore loser. "Alright. Tell me. What are you carrying?" "A stick." Vinia answered in a low tone. "No. I meant, what do you think you are carrying?" "Of course, a sword." "Do you know what I am carrying?" "A sword?" "Yes, but I''m also carrying an arrow, spear,nce and a dagger." "Huh?" "You perceive the stick only as a sword. Your perception is limited and that''s the main reason why you lost. I, on the other hand, can use it however I like. If I want it to be a spear, it will be a spear." "The purpose of the spar was topare two sword styles." "Exactly. The fact that I used the stick as weapons doesn''t matter. What matters is that the weapon in question is supposed to be a sword. Whatever I did was only part of my sword style. There is no definite way to use a sword. Give me an actual sword and the result will be the same. The only reason you appear to be indignant is because you broke your perception of a stick being a sword. You used it like a sword but never actually believed it to be a sword." "I understand." Vinia said in a heavy voice. After a while, Rewen sighed. "Take my words with a grain of salt. I am, after all, someone from the vige. If I''m appearing as someone ignorant, excuse me. This is simply what I feel as a cksmith. When I''m in the process of creating a weapon, I''m always thinking always thinking - what would be the most logical and effective way to use this? When could the blunt parts of the weapon be used? "At the end of the day, a sword to me is nothing more than a tool. I truly wish there would be a day in the future where I can hold on to my weapon as something more than just a weapon." [+1 Favorability] "I''m sure you will." Vinia had a smile on her face. *** Rewen, Vinia and Sam appeared for breakfast. "Where are the others?" Rewen addressed the issue of missing members of the house. "Don''t know." Sam looked like he didn''t care and started gobbling down his food. If Mrs. Klofar were to be present, she would surely say - The food isn''t running anymore. Vinia ate quietly sitting by the side. "Sam. I will look for quests after breakfast. Do you want to go with me?" "Sure." "Quests?" Vinia raised her head. "Uh, yeah. I''m feeling good so I decided to go around the city helping people in need while also gaining something in return. Do you want to go as well?" "Why not? In the process, I''ll buy you some books regarding the uing General Knights Recruitment Group - A Exam." "Damn, Ipletely forgot about that." "What''s with that?" "I''ll tell you some other time." *** The market was busy and the roads were filled with people. Not to the point of being overpopted but it is lively. The trio - Rewen, Sam and Vinia were wandering off aimlessly. "When is this quest of yours going toe out?" Sam asked with some impatience in his voice. "Just a bit more." Rewen replied, looking around. Vinia didn''t say anything. Eventually, Rewen spotted a thin dark alley and went towards it. "Where are you going?" "To the alley. There''s surely a quest waiting for me." "Don''t be crazy." "Both of you stay here." Stopping the two, Rewen entered the alley alone. ''The guide said that ''lost items'' quests have a high probability of being on alleys and desertednds.'' Beforeing here, he downloaded the guide online and read a bit. As expected, there was an old man in ck robe. He looked like a beggar. "Old Man, is there anything I can help you with?" The old man raised his eyebrows and looked at the young man in front of him from head to toe. "Are you sure you want to help me?" Rewen nodded. "Very well, don''t regret itter." The old man paused, before continuing. "Have you heard of the Sstan Kingdom?" "Isn''t that like, the kingdom we are in?" "Do you know of the Sstan Royal Family?" "Who doesn''t?" "Do you know of the royal family that existed before the Sstan Royal Family?" "I don''t." "They were called the Sstan Royal Family." "Umm." "I know it''s confusing. The kingdom was always called the Sstan Kingdom. The original royal family, i.e., the previous Sstan Royal Family were wiped out by a group of rogues. It''s no secret that the current Sstan Royal Family are not of royal blood." "Then why does nobody rebel? As far as I''m concerned, the Kingdom has been at peace for ages." The old man snorted. "It''s not that people don''t rebel, they can''t. Do you know the most distinctive trait of the Sstan Royal Family? It is those rings they wear." "You want me to find the rings and give them to you?" "You are a sharp one but no, I don''t want you to find the rings. I want you to find a ring." --- Quest: Find the lost ring. Rewards: Unknown --- [ept] [Decline] Rewen epted the quest, then looked at the old man. "Do you know where exactly can I find the ring?" The old man shook his head. "Then how am I supposed to find the ri-" He suddenly caught sight of a golden object. He dropped down to receive it. It was actually a ring! "Holy shit. Is this the ring? Huh?" When he raised his head, he saw the old man in ck robe had vanished. "A golden ring received! Tap the ring to check the properties!" "..." Rewen had no words to describe the feeling. --- Item: Golden Ring Effect: Unknown --- "You aren''t less useless than the system." Hemented, then turned to observe the ring carefully. Aside from the dragon mark, it was an ordinary ring. "Should I throw it away?" ''This is probably careless framing.'' He deduced that the old man in ck robe was one of the rebels and gave the ring to him just to get rid of it. ''However, if that''s the case, why did he not throw it away? There is more to it. Whatever. The ring seems highly dangerous to carry. It''s true that I can be revived but am I willing to bet on it? I registered to be a PLAYER but turned out to appear as a NPC while having all the features of a PLAYER. The only reason I haven''t reported this yet is because I want to stay with my family. What if I die and there are too many possibilities. ''The point being, the ring is too dangerous to carry. Even if it does give me some unknown powers in the future, I don''t care. I''m not here to get stronger. I''m here to spend time with my family. So yes, I should probably throw it away for my and my family''s safety. [Ding! A quest has been issued! Would you like to see it right now?] [Yes] [No] ''What? The system gives quest here as well?'' He tapped on ''Yes''. --- Quest: Ring of the Dead Grade: A Details: Uncover the secrets of the ring. Rewards: +20 All Physical Stats. Failure: Chances of the Darkhood City being wiped out. --- [Would you like to ept it?] [Yes] [No] Rewen''s eyes were calm without any ripples. "Is the failure condition rted to you or?" [Replying to the Host, we just give quests. We have no hand or say in the world. Our job is to provide you with quests along with appropriate rewards.] It was the emotionless system. Rewen didn''t open his mouth for a long time. Chapter 77: Evans Chapter 77: Evans In front of a small shop, three teenagers and a man with a cat in his hand were talking. "Thank you for finding my cat. As promised, I will give you this Potion." "Received ''Mana Replenishing Potion''!" "30 EXP gained!" Two screens were disyed in front of Rewen''s eyes. "Thank you, Good Sir." He smiled, then walked away from the shop along with Sam and Vinia. "Are you done?" Sam asked with a tired voice. "We have been walking all day. The sun is about to go down. Let''s go home." Vinia also agreed. "Yes. It''s gettingte." "I was nning to do that anyway." Rewen had a good harvest today. He hadpleted three "Lost Items" quests which had given him three Mana Replenishing Potions as well as 90 EXP in total. *** [1500 EXP gained!] "You have gained a ''Middle-Silver Ranked Unnamed Spear!'' --- Stage: Rank 2 Upper Grade (2387/8000) Proficiency: 53.601% Expertise: Spear Best Product: Rank 2 Unnamed Spear --- ''How am I supposed to name it?'' [You haven''t reached the level high enough to name it.] ''Good to know.'' Rewen went to the nearby forest without telling anyone. It was night. "Let''s light up this ce." A palm-sized ball of fire shot out from his hands. *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* Dust was all over the ce. --- Level: 20 (90/100) ss: Simplified Mage Social Status: Peasant Strength: 7 Dexterity: 8 Constitution: 9 Intelligence: 8 Charisma: 7 Luck: 7 MP: 0 Passive Skills: None Active Skills: Variant Fireball Lvl.1 [15/20] Equipment: None --- Rewen drank a bit of a Mana Replenishing Potion and tried out [Variant Fireball] again. "MP restores itself after midnight. I feel a bit wasteful using the Potion right away but well" *Boom* *Boom* Rewen stopped. "This should be enough." --- Active Skills: Variant Fireball Lvl. 2 [0/40] --- He wanted to try out the Level 2 [Variant Fireball] but he didn''t have any MP left. *** When he got back home, he saw his family sitting in the living room. "Rewen, where did you go?" "I went out for a stroll." "That''s nonsense." Mrs. Klofar snorted. "Right, I heard that you are going to take the General Knights Exam?" "Yes." "When did you ever want to be a knight?" "I thought it would be a good idea." Rewen casually said, taking a seat beside Vinia who was studying a book. "Which book is it?" With the help of her, Rewen had bought some of the books to prepare for the exam. He looked at some of the books but the one Vinia was reading was never one of them. "This is an advanced book." "Advanced? I have to go through this book after I finish the other books?" "Exactly. Bing a Knight is not as easy as you thought, right?" "I thought it''s just physical strength and skills." "General Knights Exam is one of the hardest exams in the kingdom. For the papers, you need to learn Geography, History, and at least two of the Old Era Religions. If you pass, you will go through the selection process which changes every year." "Sounds like a lot of work. I better start preparing. However, do you think that at this stage I could do anything?" Rewen was serious. There''s only a month left for the exam and he hadn''t even touched a book in his entire life. The only reason he knew how to read was that it was deemed as necessary education by his mother. Vinia didn''t answer immediately. She stared at his eyes and got a glimpse of his determination. "You could." After saying that, she giggled. Rewen didn''t take offense to it. He merely smiled. "Was that mockery? I''ll have to be serious." "Good to see both of you get along." It didn''t take two seconds for Mrs. Klofar to destroy the atmosphere. Rewen sighed, then headed back to his room and started reading one of the books he had bought. "Peoplee to the virtual world to get rid of the stress in daily life. Childrene here to y. Adultse here to y. Teenagerse here to enjoy and y. I, on the other hand,e to the virtual world to study for the exam. A sad life." Studying for about four hours without rest, Rewen felt sleepy and fell asleep. Early in the morning, he woke up and logged out. *** Rewen looked at the time. "11:17 p.m." "It''s prettyte. I should sleep." He yawned. Even though he had just woken up after a long sleep in the virtual world, he was still sleepy in the real world. "Hm? The PC is still running." He went to turn off the PC when he saw the screen. It was the anime he was watching before going to the Club. He hesitated to turn off the system. "I''llplete the episode that I was watching." Eventually, he gave into temptation. A few minutester. "I can''t possibly sleep on a cliffhanger. I''ll turn off my system at 12! It''s decided!" Time passed. *** Denny yawned while wearing her uniform. "I didn''t sleep wellst night." She exited her room and went to the door. ''Rewen didn''t go yet?'' She saw his shoes were at their ce. "Rewen!" She shouted. Not getting any response, she went to the door and knocked. "Rewen! Are you still sleeping?" A few secondster, the door opened and she saw a red-eyed young man staring at her. "W-why are your eyes red?" "I didn''t sleep," Rewen answered with a straight face. "Go wash yourself!" Denny couldn''t believe him. Is he still a child? Rewen gave no response. Seeing him, Denny got even more furious. She grabbed his hands and pushed him out of the room. "When will he ever grow up!? I always need to push him. Aunt should have taken him." Despite raging, she went into his room and started arranging his uniform. As she was packing his bag, she noticed a piece of paper. "Huh? What''s this?" She picked the paper and started reading it. "..." Denny froze up. Just then, she heard light footsteps and hurriedly kept the paper at its original ce. "Hurry up!" She raised her voice. "Don''t shout. I''m getting ready." After washing his face, Rewen finally got his senses back. ''I stayed up all night just to watch anime. What''s wrong with me?'' "What were you doing all night? Did you not sleep?" "I was watching anime." "You were what? Please don''t tell me that you stayed up the entire night just to watch some silly cartoons!?" "Hey. They aren''t cartoons." "I don''t care! I''m telling this incident to Uncle and Aunt." "Okay, let me wear my uniform." Denny mmed the door. "Why is she so angry?" Rewen shook his head. ncing at the bed, he saw a paper and did not react. A minuteter, both he and Denny got out of the house. "Denny! What took you so long?" A female voice came. Rewen recognized her. She was Bianca, the girl whose smartphone had been broken due to him. Behind her stood two men and a woman of simr age. They were Alfred, Evans, and Mel. "Isn''t this Rewen? How have you been?" Seeing Rewen, Bianca didn''t say anything and ignored him but Evans stepped forward with a bright smile. "I''m good." "I''m sure you are. Who would have thought that you would have sudden newfound powers and even beat up Alfred?" "Yeah, do you want me to beat you up as well? I haven''t forgotten what you did." Evans'' smile faltered. He had heard from Denny that the current Rewen was very different from what he appeared to be a few days ago. He also heard that he had defeated a Rank 2 mage. Due to this reason, he hade here to make amends peacefully. "Rewen, people can change. While there were negative emotions involved, the main reason I bullied you is that I wanted to see you grow strong. We bullied you, sure. But we never went over the limit." Rewen didn''t say anything and walked to Denny. "Let''s go." He was toozy to waste words on waste like him. He felt that Evans was a very ugly human being. If possible, he wanted to use violence but what could he do with violence? Sure, he could make Evans submit to him but even if it is fully justified, how is he any different from him? He firmly believed that two wrongs do not make a right. Of course, if the other party doesn''t let him go and continues annoying him, he wouldn''t be polite. Denny nodded and walked towards the academy with Rewen by her side. Looking at the back, Evans had various emotions but he couldn''t put them into words. "This much should be enough, right?" Alfred asked him in an uneasy voice. "I don''t know." Evans shook his head. Mel rubbed his hands. "You have done enough." She and Evans were childhood friends and this was the first time she had seen him speaking so humbly. Chapter 78: Famin Chapter 78: Famin My name is Famin. An orphan with no surname. I didn''t know that I was one. Growing up in an orphanage, I always took the caretaker as my mother. That is until the day my fellow seniors in the orphanage thought I was too dumb and showered me with the cold hard truth. I felt lost. Disappointed. When I woke up the next day, I thought I got over it. But some of the unwillingness to ept the truth remained. As time passed, I got even more insecure about it. My fellow seniors "teased" me about it. I had always wondered how they were any different from me. Was it their confidence? Attitude? Or were they too insecure that they need someone to vent their feelings on? I was four years old back then. A boy with stars in his eyes and naivety all over the face. I wouldn''t consider me from that time as cute but I was passable. Although my fellow seniors seem to disagree. I met one of them a few days ago and asked for the reason they "teased" me. "Your face was kind of punchable." Or so he said without a shred of hesitation. Being the wimp I always was, I had tough it off. Anyways, continuing the story. I was a studious and diligent boy. As the youngest in the orphanage, I was too "uncool" to hang around with the cool kids. All I could do to pass my time is read books. However, soon enough I came to know that reading books and knowing too much is also a taboo in the orphanage. The caretaker used to take monthly tests. Being the youngest kid, I was always at the bottom when the results were out. So one day, I courageously decided that I would be at the top in the next monthly test. I studied with no care for day or night. Eventually, I became the top score not. But I was still in the top 10 so I was plenty satisfied. Later that day in the evening, I was skipping along the hallway when I met my fellow seniors. Without saying anything, they beat me up. Iid there the entire night thinking what did I ever do to them. Following months onwards, I scored at the bottom of the lists. They say kids who suffer early mature early. It was true in every sense. Unfortunately, I wasn''t too pleased with my maturity. Time passed and I turned six. On my birthday, I saw people whom I have to call "Mama" and "Papa". At first, I was confused. Later, Mama hugged me. I don''t remember what she said but I was sure that she was trying tofort me. Papa touched his head and looked at me with a smile. Even when my fellow seniors broke my nose, I didn''t cry but at that moment, I couldn''t hold back my tears. Happiness and sadness are two sides of the same coin. I was happy that I finally have the gift I wanted the most - parents. "Hehe, we can now run away with the money, Miss Caretaker. Who would have expected that kid Famin to have such wealthy parents?" "Tch. Now you see why I doted on him so much. When are we leaving then?" Butter that night, I also learned that the person that parents may not be the best thing to have. When I went to a ce called "home", I came to know that I had an Elder Sister. "Wow, you are so cute!" "Haha. Of course, he is. He is my son after all." I was embarrassed by Mama''sment but that was the warmest I ever felt in my life. But. Nothingsts for too long. The short happiness was abruptly ended when I went on a "holiday trip" to an unknown ce with a friend of Papa. Initially, I was very excited about the adventures that were about toe. They say - the greater the expectations, the greater the disappointment. I was taken to a coffee shop near a construction site and was told - "Work if you don''t want to die." Too overwhelmed by shock, I asked questions. The man didn''t answer. I didn''t stop asking questions though. Eventually, I was thrown away to the ground by a single p. Grief and indignance filled my head as I couldn''t stop my tears. Without the man exining anything, I understood everything. When I was seven-year-old, I swore to take revenge against my so-called "Papa" and "Mama". The next day, I started working day and night. Time passed and I became the Manager of the Coffee Shop at the age of ten. It was only a small coffee shop. Even if people dide, they never cared or noticed why an underage boy was working. One day, I asked for my freedom. The manughed. He punched me as usual. A few dayster, I was suddenly transferred to a middle school and given a small room at an apartment to stay. I didn''t know why this had happened but I was d anyways. Excited to go to school, I dressed up to look as good as possible. "Children. This is Famin. Greet him. He will be in your ss from today onwards." "Why isn''t it a girl?" "Look at his dressing sense. He''s such a dork." "Are you getting the same stench as I am?" "Eww." I didn''t know why my ssmates were so mean to me. All I could do is show an ugly smile. When the bell rang and the first ss ended, I expected people to approach me and ask me questions. None of that happened but I was still content. ''So what if I am alone? Wasn''t I alone till now? Why do I even need friends?'' I voluntarily worked in the Cleanliness and Management Society to not starve to death. As an eleven-year-old, there were no part-time jobs avable for me. "Hey, did you hear that Famin works in the Cleanliness?" "You mean the Cleanliness and Management Society? No wonder, he smells so much." "Mom told me that all the creeps are from the Cleanliness Society." I, who was ostracized by the ssmates, fell into the lowest bottom of the ss. Seniors and even my ssmates started picking on me. I retaliated and fought back for a couple of days but I was met with an even greater force. I gave up fighting. ''I don''t even know why I''m still alive.'' When I was in the greatest despair of my life, I met Nina. "You dropped your pen." The moment I saw her, I immediately realized that she was my so-called "first crush". She was gorgeous beyond words and her elegance drew me into her even more. I stopped caring about my bullies and came to school with the sole purpose of seeing her. A year passed by. The bullying never stopped but I worked up the courage to talk to Nina. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" "What is it?" "I''m having some problems here I heard you score the highest so uhm.." Unlike others, Nina wasn''t judgemental of me. That day, I realized what happiness is. Days passed and it was soon the final year of my middle school. I was thirteen and the bullying haspletely stopped. Of course, I was still ostracized by my ssmates. In the graduation ceremony, I gathered up the courage to confess to Nina. "So that''s the reason you tried to talk to me." "Yes" "Anything else?" "No." "Farewell then." This went exactly the way I predicted. I went home with a smile on my face but as soon as I came back, I cri not. I held back my tears. ''What did I even expect?'' Because I was good at my studies, I had received a schrship from the school. The bullying had stopped but the scars had remained. He used the schrship to get home-schooled. The next three years were the best years of my life. I was on my own and did what I wanted. "Here''s your certificate. Do you want to enrol in the Eastern Dream Academy? I can guarantee that you would be ced in the 1st Grade ss and be treated like a celebrity within the Academy." My mana resonance was high. I thought for a long time about what I want to do. There are two ways open for me. I could either live the entire life as a normal person or I could opt to change my destiny. ''I have fought my entire life. I could fight for a few more years." With that, I enrolled on the Academy. On the first day of the Academy, I was greeted by my middle school seniors who bullied me. They first approached me and asked me a few questions. I don''t exactly remember what but they said something which ticked me off. I went up against them but was ultimately defeated. Later that day, in depression, I went to the rooftop. I don''t know if I dared to jump off but I certainly had the energy. As I was halfway through, I suddenly fell and a barrage of attacks came upon me. "No! I was just there to take a piss." This is my story. And I''m not going to give up fighting for my sake. Chapter 79: Revisiting the Jon Tribe Chapter 79: Revisiting the Jon Tribe 4th Grade Training Ground. ''Just a bit more. A bit more'' Rewen gritted his teeth to make the most out of the time. The bell rang. Rewen was forced to stop as he couldn''t feel the natural energy from the surroundings anymore. --- MP: 78 --- ''The 2% increase in mana resonance is a significant increase.'' As he was exiting the training ground, he met with Zaplin and Vin. "How was the weing party?" Rewen asked curiously. He didn''t get the chance to go to the party as he was busy. "It was better than expected." Zaplin replied. "The sophomores seemed good." "Did you seriously expect the sophomores to bully us? Come on, they aren''t that dumb." "By the way, have you heard of [Mana Maniption]?" "I have no idea." Zaplin shook his head. "My brother has mentioned it to me a couple of times. I remember it was rted to sequences or something." Rewen was in a dilemma. When he tried to see the details of [Mana Maniption], he couldn''t. That means, he had to find out the details on his own. While pondering about the matter, he saw Svety standing in front of his ssroom as usual. *** Central Canteen. "I''ll be going to Area 51 today." Rewen calmly said. "Why today? You can go tomorrow." Svety''s heart was not calm. "I have my reasons." "What reasons?" "You''ll find out." "I will go with you." "You want them to hold you captive and threaten me with your life?" "They can''t kill me." "How can you be so sure? X might not expect his subordinates to go crazy and kill you." "I won''t get killed. If anything, I can help you if I threaten to kill myself in front of them." "It''s a gamble but since you insist, fine. With that out of the way, have you heard of [Mana Maniption]?" "Hold on." Svety took out her smartphone. After a few seconds, she replied. "It''s an advanced skill and is used toplete a long sequence within seconds." Rewen felt a little dumbwhen he realized that the details of [Mana Maniption] was avable online. "How does it work?" *** Area 51. Jon Tribe. "Is something the matter?" The ''En'' of the Jon Tribe stepped forward to greet familiar guests. Svety looked at her right where Rewen was standing. ''What is he going to do? What has the Blood Squad got to do with Jon Tribe?'' "Where are the cannibals?" Rewen didn''t mince any words. "What cannibals?" The ''En'' of Jon Tribe looked confused. "Cannibals? Wasn''t that practise abolished by our ancestors long ago?" "Yes, but what if cannibals from outside came?" "That''s horrifying." Few people behind the ''En'' also looked confused. "Is your Tribe really important to you?" Rewen asked in a calm tone. "It is important!" The ''En'' of Jon Tribe answered without any hesitation. "I don''t think so." "What do you mean?" "If the Tribe was really as important as you im to be, then you would have answered my question truthfully." He paused. "Sigh, I didn''t want to do this." A mor instantly rose from the Tribe. "Who do you think you are to threaten our Tribe!? Previously, we treated you with the utmost hospitality and this is how you respond?" The son of the ''En'' was furious about his deration. "Leader! Please give us permission to drive them away!" "Yes, Leader. We can''t kill outsiders but it doesn''t mean we can''t drive them away." "Filthy outsiders! Go back to yournd!" "Filthy outsiders! Go back to yournd!" "Filthy outsiders! Go back to yournd!" It has to be said that tribal people are very united and defensive about themselves unlike normal people. If Rewen said what he said to a normal group, he would be met with passive aggressiveness, not outright insults. "Rewen, is this right?" Even Svety was shocked. ''Has he gone mad? To directly threaten the entire tribe with annihtion? I''m not doubting that he is doing this without any reasons but this is too much. If word gets outside, he would have to exin himself in the court.'' "It''s alright." Rewen gave a reassuring smile. Svety wanted to say something but eventually decided to stay quiet. ''I''ll see what he does.'' The ''En'' of Jon Tribe had no expression on his face. Hearing all themotion, he raised a hand. The Tribe got quiet. This is the power and prestige of the ''En''. "Respectful guest, I am caught between two rocks. I can only beg of you not pressurize me like this." In front of everyone''s shocked eyes, the ''En'' of the Jon Tribe bowed his head. "Father, how could you do this!?" The son of the ''En'' was frightened. As an ''En'', bowing to someone is a taboo. "Old Man, raise your head!" A child shouted. The other members of the Tribe looked dismayed and lost. They didn''t have the strength to speak a word. They might not have seen the outside world but they aren''t stupid. They understood the meaning of his statement. The respect they held for the ''En'' was slowly washing away. "Does he really know where the cannibals are?" "He probably does" "How can you both talk like that!? He is the ''En''. The King of our Tribe! Do you seriously believe the words of an outsider?" A bald-headed young man raged against his tribemates. He was the nephew of the En. "It''s not that we are believing the words of the outsider but the ''En'' himself admitted" "From which ear did you hear that the ''En'' admitted? He is only being polite." "There''s a difference between being polite and directly bowing his head to some outsider!" "All of you, shut up!" The son of the ''En'' couldn''t continue listening to it. This was the worst time they can have an inner dispute. "Believe in En!" "I don''t want your bow, old man. I just want to know the location of the cannibals. If you tell me where they are, I''ll leave the tribe without leaving a scratch on your tribe." Rewen wasn''t intimidated by the tribe. His voice and tone was the same as earlier. The ''En'' of Jon Tribe raised his head. His face was difficult to read. "Are you going to do anything if I don''t give you what you asked for?" "I would." The tribe members got enraged. They were about to raise their voice when the ''En'' raised his hand again. "No need to say anything more. They are our respected guests. Both of you,e with me. Let''s talk inside." "Fine." Rewen nodded, then followed the ''En'' to a room along with Svety. Seeing their backs, various members of the tribe had various thoughts. "Our entire tribe was threatened and he just let them inside?" "The matter is not simple as it sounds. The ''En'' has quite possibly hidden the existence of cannibals. Do you think that it is a matter that can be solved just like that? In fact, we should be d that they didn''t bring authoritative figures in." A rational middle-aged answered. "But why would ''En'' hide the existence of cannibals?" "Isn''t it because they are cannibals? Now that I think about it, the matter regarding the Kun Tribe is too weird." "Don''t tell me the Kun Tribe was annihted by the cannibals?" "Not only that, the Jun Tribe may quite possibly be" "Why do you say that?" "Use your head. The ''En'' of Jun along with some members visited the Kun Tribe but they didn''t return. What does it mean?" People aren''t stupid. When a little information is given, everything could be figured out. *** In a moderatelyrge room. Rewen and Svety were sitting opposite to the ''En'' of Jon Tribe. Between them was a small table upon which three cups filled with ck tea was ced. Svety held the cup and was about to take a sip when Rewen grabbed her hand. She understood his meaning and ced the cup down. The ''En'' of Jon''s eyes twitched as he immediately exchanged her cup with his own and took a sip. Svety was relieved to see this and held the exchanged cup to take a sip when Rewen grabbed her hand again. "What now?" Rewen took the cup from her hand and signalled a child who was hiding by the door toe in. "I-I" Getting caught, he had a fearful expression. Rewen gave a smile. "Drink this. It''s good." The child nervously got hold of the cup and took a sip. After a while, Rewen waved his hands indicating the child to leave the room. The ''En'' of Jon watched the entire thing in silence. "I''m surprised." Rewen eximed. "No, I''m surprised. To think a man like you is terrified of poison." Rewen shrugged. "Do I look dumb? Anyways, get to the point. I don''t have all day." "What do you want to know?" "I want to know the location of the cannibals. As if you didn''t know that already." "You must first answer some of my questions if you want to know that." Chapter 80: Eyes of Fear Chapter 80: Eyes of Fear "If it is within my capabilities to answer, then sure." Rewen chuckled in a casual tone. "Then I want to know, who are you?" The ''En'' of Jun had a serious look on his face. "Me? I''m a normal everyday guy who is caught up in some big mess." Svety flinched when she heard him say ''a normal everyday guy''. Which normal guy can defeat a Rank 2 Mage when he hasn''t even reached Rank 0. The ''En'' of Jun didn''t speak for a while. "Why do you ask?" "You do know that we tribal people are a little bit different from outsiders, right?" "Yeah, different from normal people." "Do you know why?" "Racial abilities." "Correct. However, to tell you the truth, not everyone has a racial ability. In thest century, I was the only one in the whole Area who has a racial ability." "I see. So what''s your point? I''m sure you aren''t trying to brag by bringing this up." "My racial ability is [Eyes of Fear]. Every living being has some amount of fear. Even newborn babies have fear. There is simply no living being that doesn''t exist in fear. You might find it hard to believe but I''m fully blind. I can''t see." "What? No, like what!?" Rewen didn''t expect himself to get hit by the sudden plot twist. Svety''s mouth was left hanging open. The world isrge. There are all kinds of people but it could be generally concluded that people who are blind have to carry a stick around. Vision is the most important of the five organs. Some heightened their senses over their senses over the years and somehow manage living without light in their life but even they have to carry a stick around. ''Each of this old man''s steps are unhesitant as if he precisely knew where an object is. Maybe the reason he doesn''t carry his stick around is because he was too familiar with his residence but what about the fact that he perfectly knew what was happening when I called the boy. How is that possible?'' "What fear could that boy have?" Rewen couldn''t suppress asking questions. "I don''t know. I could only see there was some fear within him. If I had to guess, it would be you." "That makes sense." Rewen paused, then thought about a few more things. "What about non-living beings? Could you see them as well?" "I can''t, but I can see the living beings within them." "Ah microorganisms but what kind of fear could they have? They don''t even have a brain to think!" Svety let out an exmation. "How would I know about science? All I know is that they too have fear." "Like I said, how is that possible!?" Svety got heated. "Svety, calm down. It''s not thatplicated. What do the mosquitoes do when you try to kill them? They run away. Why? Is it because they are fearful? They don''t have the capabilities to have emotions. It''s the primal instinct of a creature." "Even microorganisms have that?" "Apparently. It''s very interesting." He then turned to the old man. "Is there some kind of color that allows you to distinguish between different objects?" The old manughed. "Even if you ask me, I can''t exin. I know the concept of colors but don''t know what is what. I can distinguish between objects, both living and non-living beings. Everything has their own uniqueness. When I see something new, I ask others what it is." "Oh, sorry. That was a dumb thing to ask. It''s an amazing racial ability to have but what does this have to do with anything?" "You have no fear." ""Huh?"" Both Rewen and Svety raised their voices in unison. "Right now, I certainly don''t feel any fear but since you can see anyone''s fear, it''s unusual for you to not see mine." "That''s why I asked who you are." "Even if you ask me I have no idea if I''m anyone special. At most, I''m just a guy who is a bit stronger than his peers." Rewen lied. He did have an idea. ''What if the [Eyes of Fear] have a restriction like - It only works against real people? Technically, I''m not real. I just have the fake identity of a real person.'' The old man turned to look at Svety. "Is what he is saying the truth?" "It is the truth. I can confirm." "You can also see when someone''s lying, huh. Your ability is a lot more useful than it seems." Rewenmented. "I''m ttered. Fine. ording to the condition, I will tell you the location of those cannibals but" "What?" "You aren''t allowed to tell the outside world about our affairs." "That''s a bit difficult. I''m going to fight the cannibals. What do I do after I defeat them?" The old man snorted. "You just threatened the annihtion of my tribe and now you are scared to kill them?" "You do know how I was going to ''annihte'' your tribe, right?" "Enough of your wordy. When you defeat them, hand them over to us if you feel too scared to kill them." "I can''t do that. I want to gain information about them. For interrogation, I have to hand them over to the authorities." "In that case, I''m not telling. The result stays the same. Even if I tell you now, the outside world wille to know about affairs and if I don''t, you would do the same." Rewen fell silent. After a while, he opened his mouth. "Alright. I won''t tell the outside world about this." The old man nodded as if he had already expected the answer. "They are in the Qan Tribe." "Wait. How are you so sure that I would keep the promise?" Rewen was a bit shocked at the old man''s eptance. "If you break the agreement, you wouldn''t have descendants." *** Qan Tribe. For the past three days, the entire tribe was in chaos. A man was lying t on the floor with blood streaking from his missing left arm. Beside him was his wife and son. "Father, I have treated your arm." The son looked about fourteen-years-old. His eyes were dead but still had an outward calm appearance with stark contrast to his mother who had not spoken for thest three hours. "Those cannibals will kill every single one of us..." The man with the missing limb couldn''t help but sob. He couldn''t care less about his home. If possible, he wanted to run away with his wife and son but he couldn''t. "Right. How many people are left?" "Twelve." The man''s eyes went wide. "...only twelve?" The son nodded. At this time, a lean man wearing ck entered the room. Ignoring others, he calmly walked towards the man. "Your arm is not bad at all." The lean man had a wide grin on his face. The man with the missing arm didn''t have any expression on his face. The lean man''s gaze turned to his man''s son. "You look fresh. How about you give your arm tomorrow?" "Not my son!" The man with the missing arm red up. "Haha, look at you. So fired up. I was only kidding." The lean man patted the man on his back and left the room surrounded by everyone''s terrified looks. "What are you doing, Banci? Didn''t Boss tell you to patrol the residence?" A green-haired half-naked man approached the lean man. "Aben, you are too tight. Girls won''t like guys like you." "My name is Asen!" "Yeah, yeah. I heard you." The green-haired man, Asen, felt it was too tiresome to talk to this guy so he changed the topic. "What were you doing?" "You should have seen their terrified faces." Banci had a look of ecstasy on his face. "Stop with the act." "Tsk. You are a cannibal so act like one." "I don''t want to and why are you forcing yourself to adjust to the role of a cannibal?" "Because it''s more fun that way!" "You are just crazy." "Thanks for thepliment." While they were chatting, another man approached them. "Oy, Asen, Banci! Boss is calling!" "Oh, Muniba. What''s up?" "Boss is calling." The three went inside arge room on the second floor of the Qan Residence. "Sit." A middle-aged man sitting in a chair said with a serious face. "Why do you always look like we murdered your family? Learn tough and smile!" Banci unrestrainedly scolded him. The three seemingly ignored him. "What''s wrong?" Asen asked. "I got news that the target has entered the Area." "That''s quick." Munibamented. "So, how are we going to deal with him? ording to the information, the target has defeated a Rank 2." The Boss pointed to Banci. "At first, he would scout." "Eh why me? I wanna fight!" "Boss, are you sure? We could just ambush him." The Boss shook his head. "It has a high chance of failing. We can''t afford to be careless and have to kill him as soon as possible. Whatever happens. Don''t give him the chance to retaliate. Even better to not let him notice us!" Chapter 81: Vs Blood Squad (1) Chapter 81: Vs Blood Squad (1) Entrance of Area 51. Rewen ran the entire way out with a person on his back. "This should be at least half-a-mile, right?" "Longer." Said Svety who was sshing water on her face. Surprisingly, she didn''t vomit. Rewen went to one of the guards standing and asked, "Excuse me, is there any vending machine nearby?" The guard pointed to one of the shops nearby. "There aren''t any vending machines nearby but that shop has what you needed." "Thanks." Rewen jogged his way to the shop. "Do you have Hagver?" "Youngsters'' favorite. Of course, I got that." The shopkeeper opened his refrigerator and took out the drink Rewen asked for. "Here it is." Rewen took out his wallet and handed over 5 Credits to the shopkeeper. As usual, he finished the drink as soon as he opened the lid of the can. [Ding! Daily Missions from ''Bloodline System''pleted! Do you want to receive the rewards right now?] [Yes] [No] ''Yes.'' [Ding! There are three rewards presented for the Host but the Host can only pick one of them. 1. 5% Bloodline Activation 2. Brown Fruit 3. Luvin''s Star Ticket [What would the Host like to choose?] ''Show me the details for that brown fruit.'' --- Item: Brown Fruit Grade: High Silver Type: Consumable Effect: Ignites the blood of the consumer resulting in increased attributes. The increase in different attributes will be depending on how pure the consumer''s bloodline is. Side-effects: -5% Bloodline Activation --- ''I''ll pick this then.'' Rewen unhesitantly picked the ''Brown Fruit'' for obvious reasons, then went back to the entrance. "What do we do now?" Svety asked, looking anxious. "Svety, stay here." Rewen bluntly said. "What about you?" "I''m going to take a stroll around the Area." Svety surprisingly didn''t say anything. She opened her mouth several times but couldn''t bring herself to say the words she wanted. In the end, she just sighed. "I''ll be waiting here." ''With this out of the way, what should I actually do? Should Iplete my daily missions? I got a lottery left. Or should I just jump the gun? For the time being, I shouldn''t worry about my MP. Even if I can use [Mana Maniption], I still can''t use any skills. What about the lottery?'' Rewen carefully considered as to what he should do. ''Use the lottery.'' [Confirmation needed to use ''Tier 1 Bronze Lottery Ticket''] [Confirm] [I take it back] ''Confirm.'' Four secondster. [+2 All Physical Stats] Rewen grinned widely. Perhaps this may not be a "good" prize to win in a lottery but to him, it is the one he needed the most. ''Using [Freestyle Knights Combat] would give me the stats of an Early Rank 3 Mage.'' [Ding! Main storyline quest has been issued. Would you like to see it?] [Yes] [No] ''What the heck is the main storyline quest?'' [Replying to the Host, the main storyline quests are quests which are directly rted to the Host''s destiny.] ''What''s the difference between this and normal quests? Aren''t they also rted to me?'' [The Host has many paths to choose. Depending on what you choose, a quest is issued. However, there are instances where the Host can''t avoid an event to happen in his life. A main storyline quests are quests that appear in those instances.] Rewen nodded, then tapped on ''Yes''. --- Quest: Blood over the Blood Squad Grade: C- Details: Kill the four members of the squad. Rewards: Four ck-ranked Rank 1 Skills. Failure: Forbidden to use [Freestyle Knights Combat] for the next week. --- [Would you like to ept the quest?] [Yes] [No] ''Which means I can use [Freestyle Knight Combat] today?'' [The Host can use it today.] ''Then I reject the quest.'' [Wait, wait, wait! Are you sure you want to do this!? How foolish can you be? The cannibals would get killed regardless of whether you killed them or not. You are destined to be a great figure. You are beyond naive if you actually think that you can get to the top by being a saint.] ''I understand. Also, I rejected the quest. So why is it still in front of my eyes?'' [Rewen. Think twice. I know you don''t want to follow through what we tell you to but this is for your own good. Your life may very well be in danger.] ''It has nothing to do with you. Since you have given me the [Freestyle Knights Combat], you can of course take back what you gave. Human lives are fragile and I''m just a vige kid. Who am I to dictate the lives and death of others?'' [This isn''t the time to be philosophical. How long are you going to follow your ideals of ''not killing''? Not everybody deserves to live. Those cannibals destroyed hundreds of lives. Do you think they still deserve to live after what they have done?] ''They will get killed anyway. However, I just don''t want to be the one to do it.'' Rewen had aplicated expression on his face. [Since you insist so much.] The screen in front of him vanished. Rewen had a smile on the corner of his lips. "It feels good to reject quests Crap, I shouldn''t make it a habit though." "Creepy smile +3." Svety''s voice rang from beside. "Shut up." *** Activating [Stealth], Rewen brushed past by the wind and between the trees. He didn''t know if anyone had seen him or not but he was pretty confident of not being instantly seen. ''What kind of [Stealth] user am I if I got tracked by a Rank 1?'' *Swish* An arrow narrowly passed by Rewen. ''Huh?'' He was confused for a while, then took cover near a tree. ''I''m a special kind of [Stealth] user.'' He bitterly smiled. ''Nevermind, how many are there?'' When he peeked from the tree, he saw a long-face thin man in ck sitting over a tree nearly five meters apart from the tree he was taking cover under. ''Just one? It must be sent here as a tracker.'' He made a reasonable deduction, then let out a breath and watched the man carefully. Carrying a bow and several arrows, the long-faced thin man rubbed his neck. "I thought I saw someone. Was I wrong?" He asked himself with a frown, then turned back after a while. Rewen saw this as an opportunity. He was about to strike with the dagger in his hand when the long-faced thin man turned around all of a sudden. "JUST KIDDING!" With a crazedugh, the long-faced thin man jumped from the tree and rushed towards the tree Rewen was taking over. When he reached the tree, there was no one. ''Where is he? If I was him, what would I do? Shit!'' As soon as he realized something, he tried to get away as fast as possible but he was a little toote. By the time he had noticed that Rewen was on top of him hanging by the tree, a dagger pierced his left palm. Rewen didn''t stop. He wanted to again strike but the long-faced man got away. "Ahhh! It hurts! DAMN IT!!" The long-faced man cried out in pain, slowly taking out the dagger that had pierced. When he took the dagger out, fresh blood covered his entire palm. His eyes were red, like a hungry beast. Needless to say, he was very angry about this. "What are you going to do now? Run away? Sorry to say but that''s not possible. I''m way faster than you. Which means the only reason you are standing here and not running is because you are stalling for time. In some way or the other, you definitely notified your fellow squad mates." Rewen took out another dagger from his pocket and made a stance. He now had two daggers, one each on his hands. The long-faced thin man didn''t reveal any kind of surprise or emotion hearing him. "You aren''t bad. How about you join us?" Rewen mirthlessly smiled, then dashed out towards him. "You think I have the time to listen to your nonsense." However, as he closed in the gap between them, he noticed his opponent''s right hand move from his pockets. A smoke erupted from near the long-faced thin man. "As I expected." Rewen snorted. Luckily, he didn''t want to take the risk and backed off. "If I may ask, what exactly is the purpose of the bomb?" No response came. Soon, the smoke cleared up but there was no sight of the long-faced man. Rewen''s eyes squinted. ''Where is he? Did he run away? No. That''s not possible. I would have seen him if he did which means'' He suddenly moved from his spot. Just then, another arrow shot out from an unknown ce and grazed past his arm. His arm bleeded a little but he rxed because it wasn''t a deep cut. Moving his eyes to the origin of the arrow, he found the long-faced man looking down at him from a tree. "What was that?" He asked. The long-faced man made a wide grin. "Before that, you might want to check your arm and see if it''s poisoned or anything." Chapter 82: Vs Blood Squad (2) Chapter 82: Vs Blood Squad (2) Rewen''s face didn''t change. He had the same cold eyes he had from the start. "It turns out that bluffing is the only way out for you now." He sneered, sprinting off towards his opponent. When reaching the tree, he had a huge jump directly reaching the branch Banci was standing on. Banci''s eyes were wide and he hurriedly put his hands under his sleeve. But how could Rewen give him any change. With the two daggers in his hand, he swept through Banci''s body like a butter. His shirt tore revealing a deep cut emerged from his chest. "Off you go." Rewen pushed him off from the tree and saw him fall. However, just as his body was about to touch the ground, his body immediately disappeared as if he had never existed in the first ce. "Where did he go?" He questioned while looking around vigntly, failing to notice a ck figure creeping upon him from behind. *sh* A sword sliced through his back. While being dumbfounded for a while, Rewen recovered his calm and immediately jumped from the tree and made some distance. ''Fortunately, I noticed his shadow. If I didn''t, that would have possibly been my end.'' He let out a deep breath, trying to control the pain that wasing from his back. ''Huh? Where is he again?'' He tried to spot Banci but couldn''t see a shadow of him. ''Now I''m scared. So this is what a life-to-death battle really is, huh.'' Unlikest time, he didn''t want to get caught off-guard so he turned out and maintained a defensive stance. ''Maybe I should go to the top of the three to get a clear view.'' Deciding to not waste any time, he sprinted off to a nearby tree. *Swish* An arrow immediately struck the ce he was at a second ago. ''An arrow this time? I need to be more careful.'' Rewen, however, didn''t stop. He knew if he did the chances of getting hit by an iing arrow would increase. He could only make his way through the top of the tree running haphazardly. "Kuh!" He grunted, taking a huge leap from the ground. With another jump from the branch, he came to the topmost branch of the tree. He then squatted. ''Now then, where is he?'' As soon as he questioned that, he heard the rustling of leaves. Alerted, he moved away from his spot. An arrow brushed past the tree. Heaving a sigh of relief, Rewen took cover in a ce with a lot of leaves. "This should be safe." "AFRAID NOT!" Banci let out an unrestrainedugh as he made his through with arge sword on his hand. When he approached close enough, he did a vertical swing targeted at Rewen''s head. Supported by his two legs while squatting, Rewen didn''t hesitate to jump from the tree from the back. ''Even if I fall, I could get up.'' He thought so, but an incredibly strange thing happened before his eyes. Banci who swung therge sword again disappeared from his spot. Getting a bad feeling, he backflipped in the air and saw the same Banci standing below him with a sword pointing towards his body. ''I would surely not live if therge pierced his body.'' He now understood the difference between ranks. The small amount of pride he felt while defeating an actual Rank 2 Mage vanished. Then, his eyes turned decisive. He flicked the dagger on his hand and stretched his arm. ''Face it, Rewen. Life-to-death battles are not only between you and your opponent. It''s also between your body and your mind. If you have the strength but not the ruthlessness, you can never win. Not only do you have to be ruthless to your enemies but also to yourself!'' As he got closer to the sword, Banci''s expression changed. "Shit!" He lowered his sword and made a gap between himself and Rewen. Rewennded on his legs safely with his two daggers glued to the ground in order to lessen the impact of the fall. Standing up straight, he gave a carefree smile. "Coward." It was only one word. But it managed to tick off Banci. "What a brat" He snorted. Rewen seemingly didn''t take any offense, still smiling. "Do you want to exin what your skill is?" "Why do you think I''ll exin my secret skill to my opponent?" Banci raised his eyes. "Are you new here?" "Fuck off!" Banci raised hisrge sword and sprinted towards him. "Did you seriously think" Rewen took an offensive stance and held his breath, not getting bothered by the iing man with a sword in his hand. When he got close and was about to swing his sword, Rewen quickly closed in the distance giving Banci a fright. Not giving him the time to think, he immediatelyunched a dagger against the man''s face. "...I''m a pushover?" However, the dagger passed through the man''s body as if the man wasn''t even present. "Ah?" Looking at Banci''s hollow eyes, Rewen instantly figured out what it was and was about to take a jump back from his spot. Unfortunately, he noticed the sword was heading towards him and had no time to dodge it. *ng* His two daggers made contact with the sword but he still flew over shing on to a nearby tree. "Oh my fucking God! What''s with that transparent body of yours? ording to the script, there should be your real body nearby, right?" Rewen winced in pain while getting up. His back still had a wound which he got earlier and now, another impact on his back had been made. "I''ll be lucky if my spine didn''t break." He chuckled. Even in the face of an enemy whom he had no idea about, he managed to crack a joke. Banci looked over the young man with a grim face. His normally crazy look was all-gone. All that remained was a cold frown. "Kid. You are going too far." Somehow, he didn''t like the young man''s sense of humor. Rewenughed. "By the way, I have always wondered. When you cannibals get diarrhea, do you pop out an eyeball or teeth from you-know-where?" "..." Banci''s eyes sharpened. Without saying anything, he dashed towards his grinning opponent wishing to cut off the grin from his face itself. Rewen didn''t stay on his spot unlikest time. Turning around, he made a run for it. "Haha! To think that a brat higher ranked than me is running away. Thank you for making me feel proud!" Banciughed in a crazed manner while still chasing after him. Rewen paid no heed to the words and continued running until he reached a huge tree and turned back. "Come." Again, taking a stance, he waited for his opponent to strike. "dly!" Banci thought the previous lesson of getting into close quarters with him had not taught him a lesson. The gap was three meters. Rewen looked as if he was soaked in rain but in reality, it was his sweat. Holding back his pain in the back had taken a huge toll on his body. However, his eyes still had spirit. His posture was bent, with two daggers crossed on his eye level. He looked like he was ready to strike whenever he wanted. Two meters. Rewen tightly gripped the daggers and stretched both his arms. At this moment, Banci found a massive opening. One meter. Banci was about to swing his sword towards his opponent''s body but just as he was halfway through, two hands grabbed his sword. He raised his head and couldn''t believe what he was seeing. ''This kid h-he dropped his weapons?'' Rewen snatched the sword but didn''t let his guard down. Immediately after he snatched the sword, he made a swing. Not towards where Banci was standing. He was useless without a weapon. But towards his side where an arrow was iing. The arrow made contact with the sword and flew off. "Turns out my n worked." Rewen smiled towards Banci who was staring at him nkly. "Why don''t you hit me?" He asked with a provocative smile. He knew that the Banci standing before him was basically a hologram who could do nothing to him. The real Banci was still hiding somewhere. "Yo! The real Banci!" Rewen turned to where the arrow was shot out. "You have two options. Either get your fellow cannibal mates to deal with me ore deal with me yourself." He got no response in return. "Come on bro, don''t be so uncooperative" Rewen shook his head disappointedly, then went to sit on a fallen tree. "I''m waiting!" With the sword in his hand, his eyes were fixated in the direction of where the arrow came from. ''Damn, the sword is heavier than I actually thought.'' "Hey, who the fuck made this garbage?" Turning to hologram Banci, he asked. Banci''s eyes twitched. "Ah, forget it. It''s useless to talk to cannibals like you. It''s my fault that I saw you as a human being who knows how to speak. Sorry." Chapter 83: Vs Blood Squad (3) Chapter 83: Vs Blood Squad (3) "You can say all the nonsense you want. However, you can never deny the fact that your end is near. Even if you tried to run away now, you can''t. Do you know why? Because my three squad mates areing from three separate directions. It would be a miracle for you to escape." The hologram Banci said from behind. When Rewen was about to open his mouth, he sensed somethinging and swung the sword. "ng* Rewen got up and picked the arrow. "Wow, this is garbage as well. Do you buy weapons from the gutter?" As a cksmith, he has the right to criticize weapons. Another arrow flew off towards his direction. Rewen was wondering what to do with this when it missed its target! "Looks like I overestimated you. I''m counting to three. If you don''te, I''lle to you myself." Rewen said, then sat back on the fallen tree. "3." "2." As he was about to say "1", the hologram Banci raised his right arm which had an arrow towards Rewen''s head. He had missed the arrow on purpose. He knew that his opponent had let his guard down so he had to strike while his guard was down. When the arrow was about to hit Rewen''s hit, it was suddenly grabbed by a single hand. He saw his opponent turn around with a carefree smile. "I have got a question to ask. Can you not pick a stone or anything to hit me? Why do you always need to have a weapon? Wait, perhaps not exactly weapons. It''s like you are allowed to touch only a fe-" *Swish* Another arrow flew towards Rewen''s direction which he effortlessly dodged. "Damn it, don''t interrupt. Where was I? Ah yes, it''s like you are allowed to touch only a few things. Is that right?" Banci let the arrow go. "It''s right." There was no point in lying. He knew that his opponent wouldn''t believe him if he lied. Rewen took the arrow and threw it in the ground. "I have another question. Why did you seem so frightened while I was falling from the tree? You are like a hologram who can only carry certain things. In that case, even if I tried to cut off your neck, I couldn''t. Why were you so frightened? There is only one reason I can think of." The hologram Banci''s eyes squinted. ''That was a miscalction from my part. I should have stayed in the original'' "You could switch bodies with the original! Not only could you make an empty clone of yourself that could carry certain things, you can also decide which body you want to go, which also means that you don''t have two consciousnesses. Since you seem to be actively listening to me a few seconds ago when the arrow came, that should have been enough to prove that my hypothesis of you not having two consciousness is quite possibly false" The hologram quietly stared at him. He didn''t shoot another arrow because he knew it was useless. "However, what if your body and consciousness are two separate entities? While you were paying attention to me without saying any words, you had secretly transferred your body to your hologram self for a short while to shoot an arrow by sending your consciousness to the original body. This way, your hologram, no, clone self could still appear to have consciousness. Of course, these are all hypotheses." After fighting with that weird skill for a while, Rewen had somewhat figured out how that worked. "Are you still going to hide after all this?" He then turned to Banci''s clone and smiled. Banci''s face twisted, bursting out in loudughter. However, thatugh didn''te from the clone. It came from behind. Banci''s clone was already disintegrated. Turning back, he saw Banci standing seven meters away from him with a crazed smile on his face. "To figure out everything of my [Weeping Ghost], you are a worthy opponent. Since it''s a fight you want, a fight is what you get. Don''t regret itter though!" He sprinted off towards Rewen''s direction with not a single weapon on his hand. Rewen dropped the sword and arrow on his hand and he too, dashed towards his opponent''s direction. As they neared each other, they began to analyze their opponent''s body movements. ''What will be the first strike? No matter if it''s a straight or a kick, I have to take the opportunity'' Banci, having faced many battles, calmly made a decision to opt for defense. Rewen, on the other hand, decided to go for offense. ''What should I do? A punch is too predictable and a kick won''t work because he seemed prepared to face a kick." He had long noticed that his opponent''s movement on the right leg was a bit unsynchronized with the left which means that he was either nning to throw a kick or nning to step back immediately if he sees a round kicking to his ears. ''Which means that I can only do this.'' Banci came to a stop when the distance between them was less than a meter. ''His legs are tight and hands are raised he is going for a punch.'' He grinned inwardly and made preparations to block his punch. ''The arm has not yet folded. What is he nning?'' Rewen took his left leg forward, pulled his arm like he was nning for a punch ignoring the block his opponent made on his face. By the time Banci realized something was wrong, it was toote. ''It isn''t a punch. It''s an elbow strike!'' His left side of the head was hit by it. In pain, his guard with his hands fell down. Taking a step back, he clutched the part where he was hit with the elbow. ''Oh no!'' Realizing his guard was down, he quickly tried to take another step back. Unfortunately, a tight fist appeared in front of his eyes. ''I couldn''t dodge it. It''s possible that I might even lose the fight if I get hit by this.'' Rewen''s punch went through his body as if his body was a smoke. He took back his punch, chuckled, then jumped a few steps back. "As a Rank 1 Mage, you should have never picked a closebat fight with a F-grade Martial Artist." Hemented, before looking around only to find that Banci''s body had disappeared again. An arrow flew past him. "Are we still ying this game? Just when I finally thought I could get to fight for real, you pussied out." He went back to sit on the fallen tree taking the sword he dropped earlier on his right hand. *ng* Yawning, he didn''t even have the mood to say anything funny. However, his eyes suddenly became bright when he saw Banciing out and staring at him without any expression. "So you decided toe out again? What are we doing this time? Oh, huh." He noticed a saber on his opponent''s hand and his smile widened. He himself didn''t know why but he was very much looking forward to fighting. "A saber this time. Good choice. It''s effective against a swor-" He couldn''t finish speaking because he saw the Banci who was staring at him suddenly dashed towards him. Rewen didn''t waste any time and got up taking a stance with his stance. ''Horizontal or vertical? It''s an empty clone so I could only snatch the saber from him. If it''s a horizontal strike, it would be difficult but I think I can manage if it''s a vertical strike. From his body movements, I''m seventy percent certain it''s a vertical.'' He prepared to do the same thing. ''Dropping the sword, then go for the hand of the Banci.'' When the clone Banci neared close enough, he struck down the saber over his opponent''s head. Having seen thising, Rewen went to grab the saber but Unlike thest time, he could feel Banci''s hand gripping the saber. ''Shit! He transferred both his body and consciousness into this clone.'' With a side movement, the saber barely missed his body. Banci''s expression was the same. After missing the strike, he didn''t pull in for another strike. Rather, he dropped his Saber and punched Rewen''s abdomen. "Kuh!" Clutching his stomach in pain, he quickly tried to think of an idea. ''Huh? An arrow? Where did ite from?'' Looking at his side, he saw an arrow iing. ''I can dodge this. If the arrow ising, that means that the clone doesn''t have the consciousness.'' However, he soon found himself in an iprehensible situation. The clone that was expected to be still had stretched his arm for a punch. ''Could it be that the body and consciousness got transferred to the clone right after the arrow was shot? That''s impossible. I can''t dodge it. If I try to dodge the arrow, the punch wille and I''ll possibly be hit by the arrow. If I try to dodge the punch, I will get hit by the arrow nevertheless.'' Rewen found himself in a predicament. Chapter 84: Vs Blood Squad (4) Chapter 84: Vs Blood Squad (4) ''My experience is not up to par with the cannibal in front of me. Nor do I have any skills. All I could do is rely on my punches and kicks. Maybe swing a few weapons but that''s it. The man standing before is six to eight years old and had possibly engaged in life-to-death battles countless times. What experience do I have? Compared to him, almost nothing. ''But if you think I''m going to fall, then you couldn''t be more wrong.'' A small smile hung on the corner of his lips, seemingly oblivious to the fact that a two-way assault is heading right towards him. He didn''t have the time to dodge by taking a step back nor could he think of jumping over his opponent''s body to dodge. He simply didn''t have enough time to do that. ''In that case, I''ll move forward.'' Like a reckless madman, he moved his body towards Banci. The punch fell right on his face. From the impact, he was pushed away and fell on his butt. The arrow missed his body. He was sessful in holding back the impact from the punch for a fraction of seconds and that''s what he needed to do. What he did was simple but it required a lot of guts. Banci had the same nk expression. Rewen got up and instantly made a gap while there was still time. His nose was bleeding, his eyes were cold and his hands gripping two daggers. He lost the mood to joke around. He knew that the situation had turned serious. ''It''s impossible for him to transfer his consciousness this quick. If he could do this, he would have already done it way back instead of hiding it till now. Not to mention, he himself said that I have understood everything of his skill - [Weeping Ghost] so it''s out of the question to think that he could transfer his consciousness within a fraction of second. ''If I had to guess, it''s probably another skill that''s simr to [Weeping Ghost].'' Rewen thought of all the possibilities, then took a deep breath. ''It''s useless to think too much. I have to act. Time to let it all loose'' He rxed his muscles. The defensive stance he was taking while crossing two daggers copsed. *Swish* He noticed another arrow heading towards his direction. This time, he didn''t step back like he usually does. He dashed towards Banci who picked up the saber that had fallen on the ground. He didn''t go to Banci straight. He curved from the right to get the momentum and when he was near to Banci, he suddenly jumped. *Swish* An arrow went past under his legs as soon as he jumped. Banci got alerted when he felt two hands on his shoulder and raised his shoulder to defend. However, Rewen made no offense.With a side-flip, hended on the ground and struck the dagger on his right hand towards Banci''s chest. *ng* Banci blocked the iing dagger with his saber. ''All ording to keikaku.'' Rewen''s lips shed a grin and striked his opponent''s chest with the dagger in his left hand. The dagger pierced deep into Banci''s chest but not deep enough to touch the heart. Rewen was about to heave a sigh of relief when he noticed a strange thing. "Where is the blood?" Piercing Banci''s chest chest made him feel as if he was piercing a rubber. ''Something''s wrong again. I shouldn''t linger in the spot any longer.'' Having learned from his mistake, he adopted the "hit-and-run" strategy. Jumping a few steps back, he put a considerable distance between him and Banci. He was expecting some arrows toe but not a single arrow came saving him the trouble to dodge. He then raised his head to look at Banci. He was shocked to find that his opponent still had the same nonchnt expression he had since he came out. ''I think I got this.'' Rewen rxed his muscles which had be tense again because of the strange thing that happened. It wasn''t particrly hard for him to guess that the man who he was fighting for the past few seconds wasn''t the real Banci. ''Since he doesn''t bleed, he can''t be human.'' As he was guessing, the man looking like Banci rushed towards him. Along with him, three arrows were simultaneously shot out. "Well, no time to think too much." He had a single dagger on his right hand. He stood at his spot still as if Banci and three arrows didn''t exist. ''My stamina is running low. After him, I have to fight with three others. I don''t know if I''llst or not but'' Rewen squatted. *Swish* The three arrows went past his hair. Banci came to him like a raging beast let loose and swung his saber vertically towards the squatting Rewen. Rewen''s face had a frown but eyes were still burning with no hint of fear. The saber approached his body slowly. He felt as if time had slowed down but logic told him that it didn''t. ''Is this my potential?'' He asked himself, not expecting any answer. When the saber was a few inches away from touching him, Rewen''s body moved. His body flowed like water, parrying the powerful saber strike with his dagger. The sound of metals shing sounded. *Jizz* Sparks appeared at the shing point of the two sharp weapons. Rewen himself didn''t notice but his eyes had turned indifferent. From the previous excited eyes filled with burning passion to indifferent as if nothing worthy coulde to his sight. His body slowly went upwards, gradually overpowering his opponent. A secondter, hepletely stood up standing on Banci''s eye level. *Swish* Another arrow shot out. Rewen didn''t move away immediately. He exerted the maximum force he could on the saber and jumped back from the impact. He didn''t stop there. He turned around and climbed on a tall tree and coldly looked at his opponent. ''I''ll see how much sense you have.'' Banci, still expressionless, ran up to the tree Rewen had climbed on and jumped to reach a branch and was about to take another jump when an overwhelming force struck his chest and fell down t on the ground. Rewen, sitting above Banci, sneered. "You are a puppet." Not giving the other party to retaliate, he shed off his neck. ''Not enough.'' He went ahead and cut off his limbs. Because this was happening behind a bunch of trees, no arrows came. "Even if this is a puppet, it''s still disgusting." Rewenmented, after cutting off the puppet''s body into twenty-eight pieces. The puppet was made up of an unknown substance. "Do you still have any more tricks?" Rewen spread his arms and sat down at the same fallen tree. He was back to his yful mood. "I underestimated you." A rough voice came from where arrows were being shot out. The real Banci came out again. Unlikest this, not a hint of craziness could be seen on his grave face. "So did I." Rewen honestly admitted. "So? How do you want to y? I''m still waiting for your squad mates. Where are they?" Banci snorted. "You better start worrying about yourself. Also, I think that it''s time to put an end to this game." "Wait. Before that, can you tell me what was the skill you used? It''s basic etiquette to at least let your opponents know the name of your skill even if they didn''t know the purpose or how it works." "[Spirit Puppetry]." Banci casually replied. ording to him, only killing the person in front of him mattered. "Do all Rank 1 Mages have these dangerous skills?" Rewen was very skeptical of Rank 1 Mages being this strong. It''s not that he looked down on them. It''s just that he thought that Rank 1 Mages are supposed to have low-key pathetic skills. ''No wonder why Mages are more respected than Martial Artists.'' "Did you forget where Ie from?" "Real Waifus Corporations Limited? The name isn''t domineering but from little I have heard, it''s a big deal." "It is." Banci started stretching his arms and legs. ''He looks like he is preparing for something.'' Rewen''s eyes squinted. ''What will it be this time? Damnit! I should have waited for a day, practice [Custom] using [Mana Maniption] the entire day ande tomorrow. Not that I think a day is enough for me to create a skill.'' Although heined, Rewen had a calm expression. Facing constant life-and-death situations many times in thest few minutes made him numb to surprises. ''I am growing too quick. ''I don''t even know if what I''m feeling is normal. I never faced a crisis like this in my entire life yet I never panicked. Is this what it means to be born for battles?'' He sighed. ''Now''s the right time to think things like this.'' He focused his gaze and got up. Opposite to him, approximately ten meters away, stood a long-face thin man. Chapter 85: Vs Blood Squad (5) Chapter 85: Vs Blood Squad (5) Rewen wasn''t sure what Banci was about to do but he had to be ready for what was going toe. All of a sudden, Banci started running towards him. Rewen was confused. ''Why is he again trying to go on close-quarters with me? Is there a hidden weapon?'' Nevertheless, he took a stance with the single dagger in his hand and analyzed his opponent''s movements. ''He ising at me with no rhyme and reason. He is full of openings. I don''t know what he''s trying to aplish this way. Wait a minute, what if he ising towards me to get hit by me?'' A crazy thought passed through his mind. ''It would make sense but what exactly would be his benefit if he does that? Could there be a skill which activates when he gets hit by me? Or is it suicide? Maybe he has a bomb inside him which no, that''s not possible. This man is a self-centered cannibal. He doesn''t have the determination or guts to sacrifice himself. Even so, I have to do what he doesn''t want me to do.'' He turned his head and started running in a random direction. Seeing this, Banci was dumbstruck. ''What''s with him? Is he running away? Does he not want to kill me? It''s possible he doesn''t want to take the risk so he''s running away.'' He guessed, then chased after him. *** Near the Qan Residence. The Boss and Muniba were solemnly standing looking at the trees in front. Both were quiet. "Boss, Banci should have returned by now. Could he be involved with the target?" Muniba raised the question he wanted to raise for a long time. The Boss had a tall and broad stature. He frowned when he heard his subordinate''s question. "Maybe." "Then isn''t it about time to get involved?" "Why?" The Boss asked in a questioning tone. "Why, you ask? To help him, of course." Muniba answered in a matter-of-factly voice. "Hahaha!" The Boss startedughing all of a sudden, then turned to his subordinate with a dangerous smile on his face. "Since when have cannibals like us cared about fellow humans?" "But Boss, he is your subordinate." Muniba knew how his Boss is but he still tried to reason with him. After all, he had been with Banci since childhood. Even if he is a cannibal, he isn''t devoid of human emotions. "Did you forget, Muniba? We are the scums of society. People hate and fear us. That''s also the main reason we pride ourselves as cannibals. Cannibals have no friends but every single human being are our foes. Do you understand that or are you forgetting your identity as a cannibal?" The Boss'' tone was strict. "I understand." Muniba could only nod his head. He understood. He both understood and loathed the fact that despite being a cannibal who has destroyed countless lives, he had human emotions. "Boss, two of them started ying a game of cat-and-mouse. Should we follow?" Asen suddenly emerged before them and reported. "Interesting. Who is the cat and who is the mouse?" The Boss rubbed his beard. Asen smiled. "You would be happy to hear that Banci is the cat while our target is the mouse." Contrary to his expectations, the Boss frowned at this development. "The report said that the target is at least a E-Grade Martial Artist." "Indeed. We overestimated our target." Asenughed. Muniba heaved a sigh of relief. The Boss, however, kept a frown. "How long were they fighting? And who had the upper hand?" "For the most part, it was Banci revealing his cards and the target oveing his difficulties using his quick wit." He paused, then for some reason, startedughing. "I should mention this as well. Although the target doesn''t seem very strong, he is very witty. He had pushed Banci into using [Red Death] but who would have thought.... Hahaha! I can''t Hahaha! Oof sorry Boss. While Banci was trying to activate the [Red Death], the target had seemingly figured out something was wrong, thus starting the game of cat-and-mouse." The Boss snorted. "It''s that dimwit''s fault. He was probably very obvious about it. Nevermind that, how strong did he look?" Asen thought for a bit, then answered. "He is a Mid F-Grade Martial Artist, at most a High F who is very adept in using weapons." "Any skills? The report mentioned that he was a student from Eastern Dream Academy." "Not that I know of. He hadn''t revealed the slightest trait of a Mage. Even if he is a student from the Academy, he is a first-year." "Could he be hiding his true ability? The reports have rarely been wrong." The Boss asked the question he was the most curious about. "It didn''t look like he was. He was at the front of death''s door more than three times. Either he is a madman or someone who is extremely confident in his abilities." Asen shook his head. He was normally a paranoid person but even he had absolute confidence that the target wasn''t hiding his abilities. As someone who had seen life and death countless times since he was young, he knows the bodynguage opponents give when they are hiding their abilities. ''Besides, there''s no fucking way he could restrict his strength the entire time.'' "However, Asen. The more you say that, the more uneasy I''m feeling. Imagine the instance where we reveal ourselves and he suddenly reveals that he was hiding his strength." The Boss sighed. "I can''t continue on like this. We need to take precautions even if the disaster I''m thinking of doesn''t exist." Asen and Muniba looked at each and didn''t know what to say. They could only nod their heads. *** Meanwhile, Svety was sitting at one of the public benches near the entrance of Area 51. ''I know that nothing could possibly happen because Rewen is a Rank 2 and all that but I''m still uneasy. I-I nearly ain''t as tough as I expected. He had changed. I also need to change and also apologise to him.'' Her resolve hardened, her eyes shining. In the process, her eyes also fell on a particr person she felt quite familiar with. When the figure got closer, her whole body shuddered with horror. Quickly getting up from the bench, she stered her index finger on her lips. The figure that she saw was a medium-heighted woman with long hair. She was Denny Klofar, a popr student in the Academy. Denny was very confused as to why she made the gesture and was about to open her mouth when she saw that the other party was getting hysteric with the "please keep quiet" sign. ''Okay, Teacher.'' Denny decided to obey for the time being and approached her. Svety took out her smartphone. -> Why did youe here? She sent a message to Denny. -> I read the letter. -> -> Don''t worry about it. He probably wanted me to see it. -> Why do you say that? -> If he really wanted to keep it a secret, why would he leave it out open in the bed. Isn''t that suspicious? -> I suppose but did he ever tell you that there is a microphone inside me? -> Huhhhhhhh! Denny gulped a mouthful of words. -> Yes. -> Did both of you confirm the letter? There is a chance that this is a high level prank -> I don''t think a person who can bypass both of my bodyguards without them noticing and insert an explosive that can apparently glow would be a prankster. -> Is he inside the Area? -> He is fighting a squad consisting of four members with the strongest being a Peak Rank 1 Mage. -> That''s bad news. -> Don''t worry. He was confident. -> Confident, my great-grandmother''s as*. You are sweating bullets yourself. Who are you trying to kid? Denny couldn''t digest the entire information and slumped on the bench. -> That guy how did he even implicate the entire town!? -> Day before yesterday, he visited one of the tribes inside the Area. I followed him because I was worried about him. He interrogated the Jon Tribe and sometimeter, he hit me and went to some ce. When he returned to the Tribe, he was in a bad mood and immediately left. -> Why would he visit the Tribe? -> I don''t know. Before going to the Area, he was in the slums. From what my bodyguards told me, he captured dozens of people who were involved in the organ trading business. Later, when I came in a car, he refused to tell me anything. I got curious and overheard the conversation between him and a man who, Iter found out, was the organ trader. Rewen then interrogated the man who revealed that he was from some secret organization. -> An evil organization? -> I''m not joking. It sounded like an evil organization. Not the name, I mean. -> Okay, what''s the name of the organization? -> Wife something? -> Hold up. Wife? Ah! I''d get mental issues if I chat any further. It is dangerous here. I''ll text you when I reach home. Chapter 86: Vs Blood Squad (6) Chapter 86: Vs Blood Squad (6) Rewen''s breathing was ragged. He was running continuously non-stop for thest ten minutes. He looked back and saw Banci, who wasn''t in much better condition, chasing him relentlessly and snickered. ''Previously, I felt that I was being a little rash. Now, it seems like I had made the right decision. If he didn''t have something hidden, why would he rush towards me with full of openings?'' At the same time, he observed that he didn''t have much strength left. ''It''s about time I stop. After defeating him, I also have to fight with three others. There''s no doubt that the squad is keeping a close eye on me. Even if I do gain the upper hand in the fight, the other three surely won''t sit still and try to ambush me. What can I do at this point?'' He knew that he waspletely cornered but not a hint of panic could be seen on his face. ''I have to do what I can.'' He made the decision and came to a stop, then stared at Banci. Banci was also running out of stamina. So seeing his opponente to a stop made him grin. He stopped for a while, then dashed towards his opponent recklessly. ''Hit me all you want!'' Soon enough, Rewen was standing at a distance of a few meters from him. ''He wants me to hit him. I don''t want to but I also can''t not hit him. Running away won''t change shit.'' His eyes were focused and he pulled his arm. Banci''s face was twisted by the intensity of the punch. This was the most satisfying punch Rewen had given. No guards and extreme uracy. ''Just like from the movies.'' Rewen again used the "hit-and-run" strategy and put some distance between him and Banci. ''Shits about to go down.'' Banci stepped back with his staggering footsteps and fell down on his butt. ''This really hurts. I have to pay it back!'' The blood that was running down from his nose turned into a string of blood. Rewen wasn''t extremely surprised. He had already presumed something like this would happen. ''This should be his ultimate skill.'' Banci got up. His face was pale. He pulled out the string of blood from his nose with a grunt and started shaping it. Two secondster, the string of blood transformed into a long red stick. "How much of your blood is that?" Rewen asked in curiosity. "About two-and-a-half litres?" Banci himself wasn''t sure so he weighed the stick in his hand and made an estimate. "Two-and-a-half litres!? How are you still standing?" Rewen voiced his thoughts out. ording to science, it isn''t possible. "I can''t stand for long though. At most half-an-hour. Before that, I have to drink the blood of a human. Since you are near to me, I might as well spare the work to run back to the Qan Residence." The crazed smile resurfaced on Banci''s face. "Why the fuck did you say the greatest disadvantage of your skill to me, your enemy!?" "Hehe, I don''t really care much because whether you again start running or fight, the result would be the same." Banci''s eyes shone with confidence. "Okay, great. Show me what that stick could do." Rewen was skeptical about him. Banci didn''t say anything. He swung the stick in his hand to a tree behind him. The stick went through the tree like butter. *Baam* "Is that sufficient?" With the blood stick in his hand, Banci sprinted towards his opponent. Rewen''s expression turned serious. ''I can''t allow myself to get hit by that. Now I see why [Evasive] skills sell well in the market. If I can, he might throw the stick towards me. I can only face it.'' *Swish* He narrowly dodged the blood stick and took a few steps back. "What''s wrong, Kid? Where''s your confidence from earlier?" Banci grinned savagely and again ran towards Rewen. ''I can''t just keep dodging. I have to do something.'' He took a step back and found that there was a tree. Suddenly, an idea struck his mind. He jumped towards a branch and calmly looked at Banci. "Did your brain crack?" Banci wasn''t afraid of schemes. To him, absolute power is undefeatable. He went in front of the tree and swung his stick between it. When he looked up, he was about to open his mouth when he saw Rewen heading down straight towards him with the dagger pulled at the back of his neck. ''The same thing, again? I''ll chop his neck off before he could swing his dagger. It''s my win.'' Banci wasn''t overly panicked. However, in the next instant, he panicked. What he didn''t expect was for Rewen to throw the dagger towards him! ''Is that brat crazy!? If the dagger hits me, I''m dead but what about him? I''ll swing my stick no matter what. Does he have no regard for life and death?'' For the first time in his life, Banci felt as if he had met a truly crazy opponent. He hesitated, then jumped back. The dagger fell right into the spot he was previously standing. Rewennded soon after the dagger. Without wasting any time, he pulled out the dagger and shot it towards Banci. Normally, Banci had the ability to dodge it but currently, he had low strength. Compared to the fact that he had let his guard down after he jumped back, he couldn''tpletely dodge it. The dagger struck his right arm, tore some amount of flesh and went past his body. Banci couldn''t help but hiss out because of pain. The flesh that was torn off was not little. Hot blood was overflowing from his arm. ''I can''t feel my right arm. I shouldn''t have let my guard down!'' He learned his lesson but he was toote. His right hand was the dominant hand and he couldn''t feel at the moment. Obviously, he no longer held the upper hand. Deep down inside, he knew he lost the upper hand but didn''t want to acknowledge it. He understood that he, who had ruthlessly eaten countless humans, was nearly not as ruthless as his opponent was. When Rewen was falling from the tree, he knew that this was an opportunity but he feared his own death. ''Whatever''s done is done. I have to kill him anyhow! The others should being by now. I only need to hold on for a little longer.'' Determination returned to his eyes. He was someone who faced countless life-and-death battles and this wasn''t his first time he was pushed to a corner. "You got me good. However, don''t be mistaken. This isn''t over." Gritting his teeth, Banci transferred the stick to his left hand and raised his head only to see a ck shoe. "Guh!!" Banci rolled back and fell t on the ground. The blood stick was still on his hand but his body quivered. Rewen took out the dagger that was stuck to the ground and lightlyughed. "Now get up. A cannibal like you doesn''t deserve an easy death." "Y-you" Banci pushed his body and raised his upper body. His face looked hideous and his eyes turned red. "You think you can look down on me!!" Forcing himself to get up, Banciunched a frontal attack towards Rewen. "I can. You are a cannibal, after all. Undeserving of the slightest of sympathy." Rewen coldly answered and easily dodged the strike. "Here''s what you deserve!" He pulled his right arm for a punch. "Kukkk!" Banci stepped back staggering and fell on the ground again. His nose waspletely broken now. "... just because you had the luxury doesn''t mean everyone HAD THAT!" He screamed while lying t on the ground. He had no strength to get up. "I understand." Rewen casually responded and went to sit on the fallen tree. He had no ns topletely kill his opponent at the moment. ''He can still be used. It would be rash if Ipletely killed him. He should be immobile for now.'' "No, you don''t. Someone who has seen the light of society would never know what it means to be in the dark." "You still had the strength to talk? Whatever, I don''t really care. I know that you are a cannibal and that''s enough." "Do you think I became a cannibal because I want to? I was raised in a ce where there was no "normal" food. Everything was human-something food. Growing up, I didn''t even know what I ate. Every once in a while, I noticed that the limbs from my parents slowly went missing. I still didn''t know what I was eating. At the age of seven, my parents died due to some reason. After a few days, I was introduced to cannibalism. I wanted to run away but I can''t." "So you started eating humans after that. Did the Real Waifu Corporations Limited force you to do that?" Rewen was bing interested. Banci silently nodded. Rewen burst out inughter. Chapter 87: Vs Blood Squad (7) Chapter 87: Vs Blood Squad (7) After a while, he stoppedughing and chuckled. "Sure, you lived a sad life but why are you telling me this? Are you hoping to get some sympathy? Sorry, but you have gone too far. No amount of redemption is enough. That''s the harsh truth." Banci''s eyes were calm. He had a feeling that he would die soon. "This is the problem with normal people like you. They get defensive real quick when your values are threatened. You people live under the assumption that people should lead a good life andmit no crimes when you don''t even know half of our circumstances. I''m not trying to gain any sympathy or any sort of emotions from you." "Then why are you saying all this?" Rewen abruptly asked. "It''s a necessary evil thing. I hate the way you look down on me for being a cannibal. Let me ask you, what would you have done if you were in my shoes? Don''t bother giving answers if you half-assed." "Assuming that what you have said is true" "It is the truth." "If it is true, I would fight my way out of the organization and maybe die trying." Banci wasn''t surprised by hearing his reply as he already expected this. "Okay, answer me this. Take out a random person from the people you know and try to put him/her in my shoes. Do you think there''s the slightest chance for him/her to not do what you did." "Extremely likely." Rewen gave a nonchnt answer. "Is the person you picked not a morally good person?" "Good." "Would the person you pickedmit suicide because he couldn''t kill humans like I did?" "Not really." "He would try to do everything to survive, right? Then where in the world am I someone who is a scum? Right now, I can eat whatever I want to but I have to be involved in cannibalism to save my own ass!" Rewen shook his head. "I never said that you are a scum. I was looking down on you because youcked the guts to fight against the organization and are a cannibal, no matter what you say or do. Someone who couldn''t be redeemed by the society. Even if you survive today, you will be someone''s dog and work for him your entire life. In my eyes, death is better than being someone''s dog for life. I feel sorry for you for life but I can never feel sympathy if you die. I would even say it''s deserving." "I see. Thank you for your answer." His eyes closed as he lost his consciousness. The blood stick on his hand got mixed with the grass. Rewen walked to him and pierced the dagger into Banci''s left arm, then pierced again in his right leg. After that, he picked him up on his shoulder. ''Even if he regained his consciousness, he can''t make a move.'' "Now then, where are the others?" *** "Boss, I got the Pehmen Liquids." Muniba returned from the Qan Residence to the ce his Boss was stationed at. The Boss turned back. "How many bottles?" "Six." "That''s enough. Asen, go and check if they are fighting. Just check. Once you spot them, immediatelye back! Don''t involve yourself no matter how dire the situation is!" The Boss solemnly said, then turned to Muniba. "Give him a bottle." Muniba tossed a bottle to Asen. Thetter nodded, then disappeared in the woods. "Is this alright, Boss?" Muniba nervously asked. "It''s fine. Asen has always been a better scout than Banci." "Then why did you send Banci to scout first?" Muniba was confused at his Boss'' decision. "He was a bait." The Boss calmly answered. *** Rewen was hiding behind one of the bushes surrounded by trees while activating [Stealth]. Beside him was the unconscious Banci, a giant sword and two daggers. After some thoughts, he understood why he got caught by Banci. ''I was too near and made too many unusual noises. But then again, I''m doubting the credibility of the [Stealth].'' He was quietly observing everything. ''How many woulde? Best case, one. Worst case, three. Even if only a single onees, it''s probably to scout and report the situation. However, it''s still better than three at once. Whether it''s one, two or three how can I still carry an advantage before eventually fighting them? Location!'' ''If I was them, where would Ie from and observe one of my squad mates fighting? I know where.'' He shed a smile. He carried the two daggers and came out from the bushes. Few secondster, he came to the ce he had previously fought and looked at his surroundings. ''The north is too empty and has only a few number of trees. Not a good ce to hide and observe. The south is filled with trees. Even if it''s a good ce to hide, I couldn''t make out what''s happening. The west is opposite to the Qan Residence. So it''s unlikely that I would go out of my way to hide there. The most likely ce where I would hide is the east. It has a moderate number of trees and the ideal ce for scouting.'' Rewen gripped his daggers and moved to hide in one of the trees in the East. Activating [Stealth] again, he quietly waited for his prey. Meanwhile, Asen just arrived near the spot his squad mate and his target were fighting. ''Huh? Where are they? There are three possibilities. First, Banci won. But if that''s the case why has he not returned yet? Second, they changed their location. The Area is big but this is one of the few ces where it''s most suitable to fight because of the few number of trees and an even ground. Besides, from what I have seen, they aren''t in a condition to switch locations far from here. Third, the target won and fled.'' His face turned grim thinking of thest possibility as it seemed to be the most likely event. ''I should report.'' Just as he turned around, he saw a dagger flying towards him. Out of reflex, he raised his left hand. "Urghhh!" The dagger passed through his palm. ''I must go back quickly!'' He jumped from the tree, took out the dagger while grinding his teeth and was about to leave when he heard a voice. "Haha! You can go back. My harvest for the day is done." Asen saw a red-haired young man on a tree near to him. ''Why did I not notice him?'' He saw the man get off the tree and rush to the way that leads to the exit and turned uneasy. ''Should I follow him?'' He gulped. His palm was still stinging with pain. ''No. I should report. Yes, I should first report. Even if he goes back, he is bound toe back tomorrow. Yes. He wille back tomorrow. I''m sure that''s what he nned. But if I do chase after him, there''s a high chance that he would fall. I can see that his movements are sluggish. Obviously, he has very little stamina to spare.'' Within a second, Asen made the decision. ''I will chase. If it gets difficult, I will flee.'' He didn''t chase after him immediately. He first took out a bottle and poured the liquid over his palm. ''This is enough. It''s still stinging and I''m not sure if I can grab something but better than nothing.'' Asen sighed, then chased after the target. *** Meanwhile, Rewen grinned seeing his n seed. He obviously wasn''t nning to go back without defeating the entire squad. He turned back to see a moderately short guy behind his back. Thetter was about five meters away from him. From the looks of it, the moderately short guy would catch up to him in a matter of a few seconds. Despite all this, he had very little emotions regarding this. Two meters. Rewen was still running without slowing down. One meters. "Gotcha!" Asen caught his opponent''s shoulder with an impatient expression. ''As expected, his stamina is almost empty.'' He was less agile than Banci and since Rewen had the capacity to outrun thetter, he hoped to catch him relying on his better condition. Rewen abruptly stopped. "We can talk this out." He said without turning back. "Sure we can." Asen sarcastically said before forcefully turning his opponent around. However, as soon as he did that, he was momentarily stunned when he saw a daggering close to his eyes. Not getting the time to think something, he lowered his head making the dagger go through his forehead and making a cut. Making use of the situation, Rewen made some distance between him and the other party. Asen was silent. He was insanely furious yet no such emotion could be seen on his face. Blood from the forehead trickled to the eyes, to his chin and then to the ground. ''When did I get so careless? First, my palm and now my forehead. If it wasn''t for my instincts, I would have lost my eyes.'' Chapter 88: Vs Blood Squad (8) Chapter 88: Vs Blood Squad (8) Asen''s expression turned grave. Wiping off the blood from his forehead, he stared at the red-haired young man. "You aren''t leaving?" "Why would I leave? At first, I thought that you were some hot stuff. Turns out you only amount to this much." Rewen provocatively said. Hearing that, Asen didn''t show any expression of anger. He bent down and took out a knife that was attached to his socks. "Pretty weird ce to keep weapons but hey, it''s cool." Rewen couldn''t help but say a few words. "Do you know what this is?" Asen asked in a strange tone. "Kitchen knife?" It was very obviously a kitchen knife. Rewen couldn''t understand why he would ask such an obvious question. "No. It''s a chicken knife!" Asen startedughing crazily for a while, then dashed towards Rewen. ''I don''t get the joke. Is this supposed to be some kind of TV show reference?'' It was his first thought after he saw his opponent rushing towards him. ''It should be easy. A kitchen knife can''t do shit to me but but I shouldn''t underestimate.'' He decisively took a stance with the dagger in his hand and moved a few steps back until his back reached a tree. By the time he was there, Asen caught up to Rewen and shed his knife towards thetter''s face. Rewen calmly watched as the knife approached him and was about to dodge when the knife suddenly stretched itself and grazed through his skin. ''What the hell'' Immediately kicking the other party in the guts, he again put some distance. Asenughed again. The kitchen knife in his hand now had a long sickle attached to it. Rewen observed the weapon calmly and started running. He had to get to the spot where he previously fought with Banci. Normally, one would expect him to have an advantage because of the packed location. ''I am at a disadvantage. That weird weapon is the most efficient in an open ce rather than a packed one. It''s much easier to strike in ces where there is little room to move. While the weapon is tough to handle at packed ces but once you be an expert, it bes a nightmare for the opponents.'' "Interesting." Seeing him fleeing, Asen let out a smile and chased after him once again. Few secondster. Rewen sat by the fallen tree and calmly analyzed his opponent who was leisurely standing opposite to him. "You might want to start the fight while you still have the time. My other two squad mates would be arriving shortly." Asen swung the knife attached to a sickle in a clockwise direction. Rewen didn''t say anything. ''How am I supposed to defeat him? I can gradually direct him to a tree and no, that won''t work. He fought more than me. He has more experience with fights than me. If it were to be that simple to trick him, he would have died by now. What else can I do? Well, nothing.'' He bitterly smiled at the end of the thoughts. ''I''m almost out of options.'' Rewen got up from the fallen tree and made a reckless decision. ''I have to move forward.'' He then rushed towards Asen with a dagger in his hand, not wasting any time. ''The sickle is a little more than a metre long. Adding on the knife, the entire weapon around 1.2 metres. If I rush forward, he''ll swing his knife at me. If I jump towards him, he''ll swing his knife at me. If I throw my dagger, he''ll block it using his weapon and I''ll also lose my only weapon at the moment. Then there is only one thing I could do.'' Asen saw his opponent approaching him and prepared to strike directly at his neck. ''Not yet not yet not yet Now!'' When Rewen entered his range, he swung the sickle aiming at his neck the fastest he could. *Swoosh* Blood dripped on the soil. Rewen barely managed to avoid his death. He touched his neck which had a small cut and he felt Fear! He now understood how it feels like to be really on the edge of death. ''I''m brave? What a load of bullshit. I''m shaking right now. I''m ruthless towards myself? I wished. It was narcissistic of me to assume that I''m a brave warrior who is ruthless when it needs to be. Right now, I''m nothing more than a man who''s scared of death.'' "Impressive." Asen was honestly impressed with the dodge. He then went on to notice his opponent''s shaking legs. "Is it the first time facing a life-and-death battle aside from fighting Banci? I''m not going to look down on you but you should havee here with the preparation to give up your life if you are going to take one." Hisst line resonated with Rewen. ''That''s why I rejected the quest. I know that one day, I have to kill but that day is not today. I''m not prepared to gamble with my life. If I think about it, my words and actions are very hypocritical. I did gamble with my life and I have no excuses for that. By telling that I was being ''ruthless to oneself'' is just another way of saying ''I care little about myself''. ''But I obviously do care about myself. The fear I felt was very real. So why is it that I had the audacity to gamble with my own life? The answer is simpler than you would expect. It''s only because I was confident in myself. Maybe even overconfident.'' Self-realization dawned upon Rewen. He stared at the smiling Asen, his legs still shaking. ''I could use this.'' "What''s wrong? Are you ready to give up your life? Do you want to wait for my squad mates to arrive?" Asen asked, his voice brimming with confidence. Rewen took a few steps back and coldly looked at his opponent. "You are going to die." Hearing that, Asen couldn''t help butugh out loud. "First, calm yourself down. Your legs are still shaking." Pretending to not have heard him, Rewen ran towards Asen. His speed this time was much slower than the previous due to his seemingly never ending shaking legs. When he reached Asen''s range, thetter swung his knife towards the former''s neck but it missed by a hair''s breadth. Shocked by this, Rewen fell on his butt. His legs started shaking at a faster rate. "Get up. Try again. Maybe you can seed." Asen said, swinging his weapon. Rewen got up with a grim face. "You will regret this." He again went back a few steps and rushed towards his opponent. This time, even slower thanst time. When he approached his opponent''s range, Asen smiled coldly. ''Time to end this.'' He swung his sickle towards Rewen''s neck. However, an unusual thing happened. Just as Rewen was about to enter his opponent''s range, he suddenly backed off. Then, all of a sudden, entered the zone after the weapon went past him. ''Oh shit. This guy was ying me.'' It didn''t take more than a second for him to figure out his scheme. Snorting, he swung it reversed. *Swoosh* Seemingly knowing that this would happen, Rewen ducked but didn''t stop approaching his opponent with the dagger in his hand. Asen''s expression turned serious. Within a fraction of seconds, he shortened his sickle and was about to swing his weapon again when he felt a sharp pain on his palm. "Ahhhh!" The dagger had pierced his palm once again. Rewen took the dagger out from the palm and struck his abdomen. He didn''t stop there. *Swish* *Swish* *Swish* Asen fell down t on the ground with a painful expression. His shirt was torn. His face was unrecognisable, his palm was bleeding as if it would never end and his belly had a deep wound. Despite all this, he was still alive. His vitals weren''t damaged but he was in a pretty serious condition. Rewen looked at the face that was full of confidence a while ago andughed. "I''m having thestugh! Hahahaha!" "Cough." Asen spewed out blood from his mouth when he tried to speak something. Rewen didn''t care about him. He went and sat back on the fallen tree again. ''Hm I''m strangely attracted to sitting on fallen trees. Nevermind that, looks like I still won. Too bad, I didn''t get to see his skills but man, I''m beat. I couldn''t take another step without my legs aching. I also have my back wound ''Speaking of wounds, how did he heal his palm? I''m pretty sure my dagger went real deep but if that''s the case, how could he still move his weapon so effortlessly?'' Rewen went towards the bloodied Asen and searched his body. Asen wanted to retaliate a bit but unfortunately for him, he couldn''t move a muscle. "Oh? What''s this?" Rewen found a ss bottle. The clear sky blue color of the liquid was something he was extremely familiar with. Chapter 89: Vs Blood Squad (8) Chapter 89: Vs Blood Squad (8) ''If I''m not mistaken,this should be the healing healing liquid that was sprinkled over me when I got injured in the Club.'' Rewen observed the liquid once more and took some of the liquid in his hand and applied it in the back. ''It stings a bit but it should heal sooner. Hm I wonder if I''ll restore my stamina if I drink this? Nah, better not try it.'' Keeping the bottle in his pocket, he thought about what he should do with the bloodied guy in front of him. ''Previously, I thought injuring him would be enough but I can''t take the risk now. Since he has a bottle, the others must have had it too. I''m not sure about Banci though. I have to check. But the problem is, what should I do with him?'' Three secondster, he let out a sigh and took out his bottle from his pocket again. Bending down, he saw Asen''s terrified eyes. "Sorry dude, I gotta do it." *Chop* *Chop* *Chop* *Chop* Before a scream can sound, Rewen inserted a rock inside his mouth. Thereid Asen. His four limbs cut off. His eyes seemed dead. ''I will die. I guess this is what Boss called the death of a cannibal. It''s painful and hellish. Even so, I will finally die so I guess that''s a good thing.'' His blood was losing at an rming rate. It''s only a matter of time before he dies. Asen''s eyes were slowly closing. However, just before he could fully close his eyes, another pain inflicted him. It was the pain he was very familiar with. ''C-could it be?'' Rewen calmly poured some of the liquid over his limbs and got up. Looking at his opponent, he opened his mouth. "Good luck." Then, out of Asen''s resentful and terrified eyes, he left. ''I have to take cruel measures or else, it wille to bite meter on.'' Rewen wasn''t really sad about what he did to Asen. ''This is what he should have expected when he opted to be a cannibal. I''m sure he is involved in cutting off limbs of humans every day. But even so, is he really irredeemable? Both he and Banci were more or less following the orders and became the fucked up shits known as cannibals. In a way, everything they did was out of their own concern for survival. ''They were normal humans who got twisted. No, they aren''t twisted. They are also like normal people. They talk and act like normal people. However, their actions SHOULD make me feel like they are twisted. They are the definitions of psychopaths yet Why am I feeling pity for them? Is it because their actions made sense when I came to know about their circumstances?'' Human feelings are mysterious. In one moment, he was cruel and disgusted by the cannibals'' actions. In the next, he is thinking how their lives would have gone if fate didn''t y a joke on them. Rewen shook his head, putting the thoughts at the back of his head. After a few seconds, he reached the ce he was hiding previously. Banci was still unconscious and the giant swordid on the ground at the same ce. ''There is no way I can fight one-on-one anymore. The remaining two members of the squad wille together. I have no choice but to fight them. Their strongest squad mate, who is at the Peak Rank 1 Mage, is still left. I definitely can''t fight them head on. Will arrows work? Nope. Even if I catch the strongest off-guard, the arrow would still be dodged. Not to mention, there is also another guy who would be with him. ''Think. What could I do in this situation?'' He went on to formte a n which has less than twenty percent chance of seeding. ''That''s the most I could do.'' Smiling bitterly, he picked the unconscious Banci up but just as he picked him up, he heard a whisper. *** "Boss, Asen has not returned yet." Muniba gulped a mouthful of air. The Boss looked straight ahead without a hint of emotion in his cold eyes. "Then it can only mean two things." "Two? Ah. Impossible! Asen can''t die. He he was supposed to flee as soon he spotted the target. How can he get defeated?" Muniba''s eyes shook as he couldn''t begin to imagine the scenario. "It''s not certain. I said it meant two things. Asen could also be fighting with him right now." "Yes. Shouldn''t we move?" Muniba was getting more anxious every second. The Boss looked at the bright sun. "Indeed. It''s about time. Follow me." *** Rewen wiped off the sweat from his forehead as he threw the person whom he carried on his shoulder. "Ban- Banci? He''s still alive!" A moderately short guy leaning on a tree with no limbs shouted out. With the help of his knees, he approached his squad mate but as he neared, he noticed a strange thing. Not believing his eyes, he looked towards his enemy. "You cut off his limbs as well?" His voice was trembling. Rewen gave a light nod with an indifferent face and sat down on the same fallen tree. "Why?" Asen asked with an ashen face. "Isn''t it obvious?" Rewen didn''t bother to give aplete answer. Asen slumped on the tree near him nkly and startedughing foolishly. "Haha this much was to be expected for a cannibal. GODDAMMIT! WHY DON''T YOU KILL ME!? I BEG YOU! I beg of you please" By the end of his statement, tears started leaking from his eyes. Rewen quietly listened to him while sharpening the giant sword with his dagger. "I wanted to be redeemed. Unfortunately, thews of the society weren''t to my taste. I don''t want to rot in jail or die so young. I had special circumstances so I had expected for thew to show somex but turns out I was wrong." "Did you think you were the only one special? There are tens of thousands of people who were a victim of special circumstances-" "AND I DON''T WANT THAT! Why won''t they look at the pain and suffering when I asked that I wanted to be redeemed? Yes, till this point. I don''t necessarily think that what I did was wrong. I did that only to survive." "You sound entitled." Rewen let out a tired sigh. "Anyways, like I said, good luck. For your next life." Asen fell quiet. "Ha? Where am I?" Banci''s eyes opened. He raised his arm to rub his eyes to see clearer. "Ah!! Where is my hand!?" Shocked, he lifted his other hand and fell silent for a while. Soon, a face emerged above his own. "Asen? W-what''s going on? Where are my hands?" "Can you feel your legs?" "..." "The target did this." Forcing himself to calm down, Banci opened his mouth. "Why didn''t I die because of blood loss?" "Because he healed you after cutting off your limbs." It took a full minute for Banci to understand the entire situation. He looked towards the red-haired young man who was sharpening his own sword. "You are going to kill us today, right?" Compared to Asen, Banci was much more calm towards the development. "How did you sleep?" Rewen dodged the question. "You will likely not live past today. Unless you got something hidden." Banci was quite surprised at the courage of this young man. "Of course, I got something hidden." Rewen got up with the giant sword in his right hand and the dagger on his left. He then walked to Banci. "It''s you." "Me?" Banci didn''t get what he was trying to say. His eyes moved around and all of a sudden, his face lit up. "They came?" Rewen guessed seeing Banci''s face. Banci nodded without looking at him. Rewen went on to pick him up which confused all of the squad. "What are you nning to do?" Banci was enraged. ''Could he be nning to'' "Boss, both of them are alive!" Muniba grinned widely. The Boss, however, had a grim face. Rewen looked towards the two new squad members and put his dagger around Banci''s neck. "Take a single step and I''ll kill him." Muniba couldn''t believe what was happening. He turned to the Boss. "B-Boss, what should I do?" Asen was simrly shocked. Contrary to everyone''s expectations, the Boss startedughing. "HAHAHAHA! If you want to kill him, kill him. Do you think that we cannibals have human emotions? In fact, taking a hostage is the worst thing you could do when the squad is full of cannibals! I can''t believe this stupidity." Hearing that, Muniba got nervous but Asen''s eyes brightened. Unlike the former, thetter can see the deeper side. ''We are already crippled. I don''t think that there''s any point in living any longer. Even if the Boss does save him, he wouldn''t want to live." Looking at the dagger near his neck, Banci gave a hollowugh. Chapter 90: Vs Blood Squad (9) Chapter 90: Vs Blood Squad (9) Rewen had a calm expression on his face. Nearing the dagger closer to Banci''s neck, he smiled towards Boss. "Then why aren''t you taking a step?" Asen''s expression changed. He looked at the Boss who had the same emotionless face. ''That''s right. If Boss acted ordingly to what he himself said, he wouldn''t be standing there. Something''s wrong.'' The Boss'' eyebrows twitched. The next second, he rushed towards Rewen with a terrifying speed. Rewen stayed calm under the pressure of an iing assault. "Look close and remember. Your Brother never hated you." He whispered into Banci''s ears. "Bastard!!" The Boss grabbed Banci. ''Got him. I should step back for now. I''ll deal with-'' A giant sword pierced two bodies. The sword went through Banci''s abdomen to the Boss'' heart. Silence. The birds that were making noise turned silent. Dark clouds covered the sky. The rustling of leaves stopped. Everything went quiet. Both the Boss and Banci died within seconds. Currently, their corpses were hanging by the giant sword. Asen''s mouth was left open. "HAHAHAHA! This is the fate of a cannibal! THIS IS THE ULTIMATE FATE OF A CANNIBAL!!" He turned hysteric before losing his consciousness. Muniba fell on his knees with his eyes nk. "W-why did this happen? How" He failed toprehend the situation quickly. Secondster, he got up and looked towards Rewen with red eyes. "I will not rest until I kill you!!" Muniba prepared to dash forward with the will to avenge his dead squad mates. *Swish* However, before he could take two steps, a dagger prated his skill and soon lost his consciousness falling t backwards. "It''s easiest to strike when your opponent is not right in his mind." Rewen didn''t bother taking out the giant sword that was in two bodies and fell down on the ground on his face. *Drip* *Drip* It started pouring. He felt tired. ''Despite rejecting the quest, I already killed three people.'' ''What the fuck am I even doing?'' He questioned his own subconscious. ''Ah yes, I remember. Saving my own ass.'' ''If the ones I killed also killed others to save their own asses, how am I different from them?'' ''I had to do it.'' ''They also had to do it.'' ''They killed countless.'' ''I can also kill countless to save my own life.'' ''Was I always this selfish?'' ''Yes.'' ''Is it normal?'' ''I need to find it out for myself. I''m also you. So there''s no point in hating oneself.'' Rewen bitterly smiled. ''I am crazy.'' [Where''s yours self-righteousness now? Why can''t I see it? Do you regret rejecting your quest?] ''I don''t regret rejecting the quest. I did what I needed to do. If I epted your quest, I would feel bitter after I killed the four but now, I''m d that I killed out of necessity and not out of advantage.'' [You sure are a stubborn one. Right now, the entire city''s life is dependent on you and you just gave your ultimate skill away just to not kill four humans, no, four cannibals at that only to kill three of them ultimately. What do you have to say for yourself?] ''The next time you give another quest to kill people, I''ll reject it again.'' [I can''t. I can''t reason with you. Okay, tell me why you didn''t use ''Freestyle Knights Combat'' technique in the fight. If I recall correctly, you still have it right? Then why did you endanger yourself?] ''Because if I can''t defeat the entire squad with my own prowess without using [Freestyle Knights Combat], how can I expect my mental condition to be stable when I fight with men stronger than them?'' [I understand. I really do understand your logic. But answer me this. Was it worth going against your ''principles''? You know, I''m a pussy I can''t kill but then you really killed. I mean, if you used your skill, you could have defeated the four of them in seconds and not go against your principles.] ''It was necessary.'' Rewen got up. His uniform was dirty. There were stains of blood in his coat, shirt and pants. He looked at the sky. "It''s pouring hard." His gaze turned to the two bodies connected by a single sword. He remembered the words whispered by Banci - ''Brother, please don''t hate me.'' "Both of them were people with stories. Not only them. The guy I killed with a dagger didn''t look much of a cannibal with his baby face and expressions. Even Asen''s story will soone to an end." Rewen chuckled with various emotions. "I must say though. I didn''t like it. I should go now" *** Two bodiesid in front of the ''En'' of Jon''s legs. "One of them is dead." "Yes. Take the other." "What are you going to do with the other?" "I''ll bury him." "That''s honorable but don''t forget the condition." "I get it. By the way, how exactly did youe in contact with the cannibals?" "I suppose there''s no harm in telling you. The cannibals'' target was never our Jon Tribe. They came here to ask the locations of other tribes. It shocked me to no end and I still think about why would the cannibals be so kind as to spare us?" "There''s someone protecting your tribe." "One of the possible exnations." *** Area 51. Entrance. "Miss, are you still waiting? Do you need me to check him out?" One of the guards'' eyes turned to the young woman who was standing near the gate. "Pleasee to the guest room. It''s not good for your health." Svety''s uniform was wet. She had been standing in the rain for about fifteen minutes yet her eyes were fixed towards the gate. Finally, she saw a figure approaching. "Rewen!" She cried out. She was so ecstatic that she forgot to notice the figure above his shoulder. The guards were rmed seeing two figures covered in blood. "Hold on! Who is that man on your shoulder?" Hearing that, Svety also noticed. "Who is he?" She ran to him. Rewen dropped the body and sighed. "He''s a cannibal." *** An hourter. "Can you give me a brief summary of what had happened in the Area?" The cop observed the red-haired young man''s expression. It was the same cop who came during his fight with Ruby andter on, arrived when he was kidnapped. He was a hard-working and honest cop. "I had some business with the Jon Tribe. On my way out, I found him. He hunted for me but I won. Acting in self-defense, I killed him. Later on, when I consulted the ''En'' of Jon Tribe, I realized that his man was a cannibal." Rewen answered with a straight face. Beside him, Svety was sweating with nervousness. The cop wrote something on my short notebook. "Alright, that''s it. You may go now." Rewen and Svety looked at each other and heaved a sigh of relief. "If he doesn''t have any rtives, can I bury him?" Rewen suddenly asked. "Hm? You want to bury him? I don''t mind. Come to this hospital." The cop took out a card and handed it over to Rewen. With that, they exited the guest room and went into Svety''s car. "Why did the cop let us leave so quickly?" Svety was very confused about this. It has to be known that even if it''s self-defense, one can''t easily act like nothing happened and has to go through several court proceedings. But in Rewen''s case, it''s so simple. "What happens inside, stays inside." Rewen said with a clever smile, then remembered a certain matter. "Can you kiss me three times?" "Why? I mean, you and I are as far as I remember not together." Svety was somewhat angry about this. ''Did he think he is some sort of Boss who can order me around?'' "Look, Svety. I know you still like me. I might not reciprocate your feelings but I''m giving you the chance to take advantage of me." "You are a sicko!" Svety couldn''t believe what he was saying. ''How can I fall for such a man?'' She was strongly disgusted by his words. "Yeah, I''m a sicko for wagging my tail for you for thest three years. You still think you have the audacity to say that I''m a sicko after literally r*ping me?" "I didn''t r*pe you." "I had interference and my mental condition was worse. You took advantage of that and r*ped me. Phrase it however you like but that''s the truth." Rewen didn''t know why but he was pointlessly irritated and angry over her. "I I thought we were over this." Svety started reflecting on what she did. Although she was still mad, that little emotion was overpowered by guilt. "We are. Now, if you would. Kiss me three times. I know it sounds ridiculous but the scope and range of my powers increases if you kiss." Rewen wasn''t even lying. "Are you serious?" Svety appeared shocked. Rewen didn''t expect her to believe him. "Yeah, why would I lie? Do I look that thirsty to you?" Chapter 91: Talk Chapter 91: Talk Klofar Residence. "You sure you don''t want me to stay at your ce?" Svety was worried about Rewen when thetter recounted the details of the fight. Rewen waved his hands and got out of the car. "It''s fine. I''ll call you if something''s up." As he entered his house, Svety kept staring at his back. ''I have taken this too lightly. This is not only his fight but also my own. I have to do everything I can!'' She changed her gears and left. *Ding* Rewen rang the doorbell and was about to press it another time when the door sprang open. In front of Rewen appeared a dark-haired young woman wearing a light T-shirt and shorts with her hair wet. It was naturally Denny. "How how are you? Come in." Denny had a lot of things in mind but couldn''t phrase it very well. Her gaze went from his face to his toes. "Why-" "Let me take a shower first. I''ll exin everything." Rewen interrupted her. After a heavy physical and mental exertion, he couldn''t bother to have QnA. Without saying anything more, he walked towards the bathroom. Cold water fell on his red hair. His face was grim. ''I can''t continue like this. I have to get stronger. I thought I could be counted as someone fairly strong. Only today I''m nearly not as strong as the enemies I fought. The only way I won is through underhanded methods. If the enemies next time are too strong, my underhanded methods won''t work. In front of absolute strength, everything is useless.'' He didn''t feel a speck of joy or pride by defeating the cannibals. "Killing isn''t fun." He blurted out subconsciously. *** "Exin." Denny sat opposite to Rewen. "Before that, give me one." Rewen noticed two packs of chips near her. Denny tossed one of the packs to him without a word. "Alright, thanks. Where should I start?" "From the beginning." "Do you remember the night before the 1st April?" "You didn''te home that night." "Yes. That night, I encountered a horny b*tch." "What?" "She was probably drugged with aphrodisiac. She tried to pounce on me but I ran away. Are all women this shameless nowadays?" Denny rolled her eyes. How was she supposed to answer this? "What''s this got to do with what was said in the letter?" "Do you remember I took a leave?" Denny nodded her head. "I got involved with a strangepany or organization." "I heard it." "From whom?" "Oh she didn''t tell you. I visited the Area and conversed with Svety." "Through messaging, right?" "Yes." "So yeah, that''s the whole matter. Don''t ask why I did certain things because I can''t answer. The matter with the girl I met that night is one of them." Denny went silent. After a while, she raised her head. "Why did you decide to tell me? Do you want me to inform this incident to your parents?" Rewen nodded while eating chips. "That''s right." "What about the risk? Did you forget about it?" Denny felt that his cousin''s decision was very reckless. ''I''m also in potential danger of this.'' At the same time, she also felt ashamed because of her thoughts. ''He is putting his life on the line to save countless. If he wanted, he could have fled. But he didn''t. Even if this was brought up by himself, he is taking responsibility while I couldn''t get past the thoughts to save myself.'' Rewen chuckled. "Do you really believe that there is an explosive inside Svety that can destroy the city? This isn''t a video game. Try being more realistic." Denny had this suspicion for a while but never voiced it out because she didn''t dare to be careless. "How can you be so sure? From what I have heard, the organization is not small and even has something called "quasi country-level squads". How can you ignore something this important!? Besides, if you really believed what you are saying, why the heck did you even go to fight today?" "I said there is most definitely not an explosive that can destroy the city but I didn''t say there isn''t an explosive inside Svety." "What do you mean?" "I''m fifty percent certain that there exists an explosive inside Svety that can only kill her." "Where did you get the numbers? Not to mention, fifty percent is really low." "Oh? Would you be d if I said that there doesn''t exist an explosive that could destroy the entire Travil Town?" "Have you gone mad? There obviously exists explosives that could destroy cities." "Have you seen them?" "I did." "Can you describe their appearance for me?" "There are various shapes. The most dangerous and wide-ranged explosive is M-0124. It is a cylinder with a diameter of 35 centimeters and a height... of two meters" Denny stopped speaking. "You get what I''m trying to say?" Denny quietly nodded. "The only explosives I could find that fits her belly are ZETA and ON-09. Of course, there is also the possibility that the explosive inside her could have been made by the organization itself. Yes, the FUHW (Federal Union of Hard Weaponry) only allows licensedpanies to build explosives and other ammunition but what if the organization has some connection with one of the licensedpanies who makes their own original explosives?" "It is impossible. FUHW is strict in it''s checking." "I''m just stating that it isn''t an impossible event. Of course, with all these exnations, I''m sure you now understand why I think that the explosive in her body is only meant to destroy herself. Even if it isn''t, nothing too outrageous should happen. Maybe her apartment will blow up but that''s it." "That''s not little." "Compared to the city as a whole." "What are you going to do then? Let her be?" "I''ll try my best to do what I can. The reason I got you involved is in case I''m in a dire condition, call my parents and ask for help. Only when I''m in danger." "Why only in ''dire'' condition?" "There''s still a risk." "I see." "Don''t worry though. Nothing would happen to you. By the way, what''s the time?" Denny looked at her wrist watch. "2: 15." "Hm I''m going to the Academy." *** Eastern Dream Academy. With an umbre in his right hand, he walked towards the hallway. Ms. Cutlin''s Office. "On what purpose did youe here?" Ms. Cutlin asked while going through some documents. Behind her was the braided girl he met previously. She was the Ms. Cutlin''s secretary. Rewen rubbed his nose. "I was wondering if I can borrow a weapon." "No. You won''t get one." "It''s important." "Nope. Now, if that''s all you had to say, you can get out." Rewen frowned, then got up and left the office. He had half-expected this conclusion. "Please wait!" As he was walking towards the elevator, he heard a high-pitched voice. Turning around, he saw the green-haired braided girl. "Is something wrong?" He asked. The green-haired braided girl came to a stop. "Do huff.. you huff really need a weapon?" "I do." Rewen nodded with a straight face. "Why do you need it?" "All I can say is that I won''t use it to y around in my garden." "Puchi!" The braided girl giggled covering her mouth. Rewen''s eyes twitched. ''Is my sense of humor that good? Why did I never notice it? Could it be because of [Male God System]?'' After a few seconds, the braided girl coughed, then looked towards Rewen."I can lend you one." "You have weapons?" The braided girl smiled. "Follow me." Both of them went to the elevator. "Right, what''s your name? I''m Rewen." "I''m Kalisa." Kalisa went ahead and pressed ''6''. After some time, they stood in front of a ce Rewen was familiar with. "First grade training ground?" Rewen tilted his head. "Let''s enter." Kalisa opened the door. 1st Grade Training Ground. Francesca was packing up her bag when she saw two figures entering. "Kalisa? What''s up?" She smiled towards her friend, then the smile froze when she saw the other person. "I''m good. Where are the others?" "They already left." Francesca answered, asionally shifting her eyes towards Rewen. She had still not forgotten about the ''rule'' Rewen broke the other day. Very often, she thought about reporting to the Academy but she couldn''t bring herself to. Rewen smiled. "How are you doing, Francesca?" "Eh? You two know each other?" Kalisa jumped out. "I met her recently." Rewen answered honestly. "Yeah. I''m good, Rewen. What are you doing here?" Rewen was about to open his mouth when Kalisa spoke out. "Francesca, can you lend him a weapon?" "A weapon? Why?" Francesca stared at Rewen with a suspicious expression. ''Could he be up to some trouble?'' "I''ll practice with it. You do remember how I created a ''Weapon Skill'', right?" "I remember. So you want the spear?" Francescaplied with what he said. ''He is too mysterious. Better not get too deeply involved with him.'' "Huh? You created a weapon skill?" Kalisa gasped. Chapter 92: To Club, To Increase Stats (1) Chapter 92: To Club, To Increase Stats (1) Rewen walked side-by-side with Kalisa carrying a long spear at his back. There was a ck cover covering the spear. Some students saw him and wondered what he was carrying. "It looks odd, doesn''t it?" Rewen gave a wry smile. "It doesn''t. You look very cool!" Kalisa firmly denied what he said. After finding out the person beside her has already created a weapon skill, she felt admiration towards him. ''No wonder he is called the Future Strongest Man on Earth!'' "Haha!" Rewenughed, then remembered a certain matter. "Why don''t you give me your phone number?" Kalisa''s expression went stiff. She opened her mouth but couldn''t say anything for a while. "It''s fine. You don''t have to." Rewen saw her difficult look and realized that he can''t keep asking the numbers of random girls. ''I have to though. There''s no other option.'' "No, it''s not like that. I don''t have a smartphone." Kalisa lowered her head, seemingly embarrassed about it. "You don''t have a smartphone?" If it was any other person, he/she wouldn''t buy her words but Rewen how much of a "freak" she was when he first met her. ''She thought that I was literally the Future Strongest Man on Earth.'' Kalisa nodded, her head still lowered. "No worries. By the way, howe Francesca''s attitude was so weird? Do you know something? I met her only once so I don''t know much. Is she usually like this?" Rewen shifted the topic. "I know right. She was behaving weirdly around us." Kalisa put on a thoughtful expression. *** Klofar Residence. "You came back? Ah? What''s that?" Denny noticed the spear he was carrying on his back. "That''s a spear." "You know how to use one?" "I do. Anyways, give me any of your girl friend''s number. Don''t worry. The moment you send the number, I''ll delete it right away in front of your eyes." "Why specifically a girl?" Denny raised her eyebrows. "Because it has to be a girl." Denny took out her smartphone and sent a number. [Ding! Daily Missions from ''Male God System''pleted! Would you like to receive the rewards right now?] [Yes] [No] ''Yes.'' [Ding! The Host has received a Tier 1 Bronze Lottery Ticket! Would you like to use it right now?] [Yes] [No] ''No.'' "Hey, why did you go silent? Why aren''t you deleting? Are you memorizing her number? I should have known-" "I get it. Chill. Here you go. Deleted." Rewen showed her his screen and went back to his room. He changed into a hoodie and light trouser and went outside the room. "Where are you going?" Denny asked. "To the Club." Rewen banged the door after he walked outside. "No time to waste." *** Grand Ultine Kapile Club. The receptionist was bored after working all day. ''Why am I the only receptionist in thisrge club!?'' She found it a little ridiculous. *Swoosh* Her eyes lost focus by the sudden movement that happened at some distance from her. ''Who is this fast?'' When she focused her eyes, she saw a familiar figureing to her. "Good evening. Hope you are doing well." Looking at her, a red-haired young man smiled brightly. The receptionist didn''t know what to say. "You this?" "You''ll have to work hard today, Miss." Rewenughed and left, leaving the receptionist puzzled. Room R-2. Ivan was lying down closing his eyes when the door suddenly opened. "What''s up, man? Why are you so early?" "You think I can go to Juniors today?" Rewen came inside. "You on drugs?" Obviously, Ivan didn''t buy his words. "Don''t believe me? Fine. Show me my opponents for today!" Ivan got upzily, then came to him. "Follow me." Ivan took him to a room. "I heard you defeated Laura? I''m d to find you as my opponent." A big muscr man said while facing Rewen. "The pleasure''s all mine." "Are both of you ready?" Both of them nodded. Rewen activated [Freestyle Knights Combat] as soon as the fight began. The big muscr man took a single step and closed the distance between them. Rewen didn''t move a single inch. He stood there observing everything in slow motion. The big muscr man couldn''t care less about the opponent''sposure and swung his fist towards Rewen''s face. Rewen struck his arm deviating the punch that was about tounch on his face, then took a step forward and threw a kick at the man''s shoulder. The big muscr man was alerted by his opponent''s sudden movements and immediately raised a guard. Unfortunately for him, the speed of the strike was too quick and failed to properly guard. *Pah* The kick hit him in the shoulder and made a sound. Making a grunt, the man fell down on his back. Just from the sound of it, Ivan could already feel the pain of the man but the thing that shocked him the most was Rewen. "No fucking way!" He refused to believe that Rewen had improved this much. ''He was most likely hiding his true strength.'' "Hey, are you sure you want to keep this man in pain?" Rewen woke him up. Ivan hurriedly went to the big muscr man and sprayed some liquid around the region he was hurt. Meanwhile, Rewen got a string of notifications in his mind. [+2 Strength] [+2 Agility] [+2 Endurance] [+2 Dexterity] [Quest Updated] --- Quest: Be a Fighter. Grade: B+ Goals: Defeat your fourth opponent. Rewards: +3 Agility. --- Rewenughed lightly. ''The system is a great fucking cheat. Howe I was sleeping on this? You are too cute, system.'' [I-It''s not like I like hearingpliments or anything! Baka!] ''Eh, what''s this? Some kind of anime joke?'' [Correct.] ''Tell me about it.'' [You need to watch it.] Rewen stopped talking with the un-cute system and turned to Ivan. "Not done yet? Take me stronger opponents." "Just wait a bit. At this rate, I''m slowly turning into your agent." Ivan smiled bitterly, then treated the big muscr man. "What''s wrong with being my agent? It''s a lot better thanzing around in the room all day." Although Rewen said that, he himself envied Ivan''s lifestyle. "Hey. Not like I have a choice." Ivan reminded him. "Yeah, keep using the excuse." Rewen sneered. His eyes then went towards the man he fought seconds ago. "What''s his name? I forgot to ask." "I don''t know myself." Ivan shook his head. The muscr man was unconscious a few seconds after he got defeated so he obviously couldn''t answer. A few secondster, Ivan got up afterpleting treating the muscr man. "Let''s go." "Are you just going to leave him like that?" "Yes. What do you want me to do? Stay? Sure, have luck finding challenges by yourself." "How can this be? I was asking out of curiosity." Rewen dragged Ivan out of the room. Ivan then took him to the receptionist. The receptionist, as usual, was looking bored when she saw two young men walking towards her. Her bored expression immediately disappeared and a thin smile reced it. "Hello. What can I do for you?" "Update my card." Rewen ced his ID on the receptionist''s desk. "He already defeated one?" The receptionist turned to Ivan. "Yes, it seems like this guy was ying around thest two days." Ivan nodded. "ying around?" "Yesterday, he could barely stand toe-on-toe with Laura and today, he defeated a guy stronger than her without breaking a sweat." Ivan himself couldn''t believe what he was saying. Only by thinking back to the events that happened could he confirm his words. "Oh?" The receptionist was surprised. She had worked here for two years and she had met a few people who liked to hide their strength only to show offter. In her mind, Rewen was one of those people who cares more about others'' feelings and reactions rather than self-improving. Even so, she didn''t particrly hate the guy. ''He looks simple and has a good attitude. If he could curb his narcissism, he could improve more.'' "Here''s your updated ID." Rewen took the card. --- Name: Rewen Klofar Division: Rookie Grade: F Rank: 33 Speciality: Agile, Hand-to-Hand Combat, Deceptive --- "I''m moving up in the ranks quicker than I expected." Rewen had a smile on his face. "What''s your actual strength though? It would be helpful if I just take you to the opponent who you can contend with evenly. Are you E yet?" "You mean E-grade Martial Artist?" "Well, how urate is strength division between a Rank 2 Mage and an E-Grade Martial Artist?" "Very urate. At least until Rank 3 or D-Grade, the strength between the two is very simr." "Then I suppose, I''m not E." Rewen answered with some thoughts. He then turned to the receptionist. "Can I ask you something if you don''t mind?" "Sure. What is it?" The receptionist''s smile faltered a bit. ''Is she nning to hit on me?'' Later that day, she realized that she had given him her number. Although he didn''t text her, she had a faint thought that was along the lines of - ''He is interested in me.'' Chapter 93: To Club, To Increase Stats (2) Chapter 93: To Club, To Increase Stats (2) Rewen looked around, scratching the back of his neck. "I''m wondering if it would be too personal to ask" The receptionist''s eyes widened. ''Is he really nning to hit on me? What should I do? I have misjudged him.'' She nned to outright reject his advances if he really hit on her. As a receptionist, she has faced these kinds of situations every once in a while. While at first, she wanted to give the guys some hope and herself considered to see if the guy is good enough butter, she got tired of it. "You can tell me if something''s bothering you." Straightening here back, she asked in a clear voice. "No, it''s not bothering me a lot but per say, there''s something I have been noticing for the past two days" Rewen didn''t continue, giving a vague answer. ''Something he has been noticing? Could it be me? He is so shy. Maybe I shouldn''t reject him too harshly.'' The receptionist followed through her guess and her mood changed seeing him hesitating. "It''s fine. You can tell me anything." She gave a bright smile while looking at Rewen. "Then, why is it that you could increase my ranking? Ivan hasn''t even told you who I had defeated yet you seem to know that. Why is that? I''ll take back my words if it''s a secret." The receptionist''s smile froze. "Is that it?" "Uh, yes." Rewen didn''t know how to respond. "I seemed to have told you that there are supervisors." The receptionist''s voice was indifferent and cold. "Ah, yes. Sorry for asking such a dumb question." Rewen figured out there was something wrong with her so he walked away along with Ivan.'''' *** "Why did she look so cold at the end?" Rewen asked Ivan. "There are trillions of people in the world and you decided to ask a guy like me?" "What''s wrong with asking you?" "I''m an absolute loser with women. Do I look like a chad to you?" "I suppose you don''t." "Yes. So you better ask normie questions like that to me. Not only does it make me seem like an idiot, it also hurts my self-esteem." "How does it hurt your self-esteem? You are just exaggerating." "That''s because you aren''t a virgin like me." "How did you know?" "See? I was right." Rewen rolled his eyes. "Look, bro. Are you really dedicated to getting a girlfriend?" "No. I am only interested in losing my virginity." "No wonder you are a virgin." Making small talk, the duo reached a room in the 11th floor. "Yo, you aren''t taking me to the Seniors to curb my arrogance, right?" ording to Rewen, the higher the floors the stronger the people. "Dumbass." Ivan said only a single word, then stood in front of a door. "Is this it?" "This is it." Rewen stepped forward and knocked on the door. *Knock* "Who is it?" A young male voice sounded from inside. When the door opened, Rewen saw a blonde-haired young man appear. "Oh, are you a challenger?" The man asked. Rewen felt that the man was too good-looking. Even his voice was gentle. "Wow, you look very good." Rewen blurted out. He didn''t know why he said that. Even in the face of As in the fictional world, he didn''t make anyments. As soon as he said that, Ivan''s head made aedic turn to look at Rewen. ''Does he swing that way?'' "Haha! This is the first time a man hasplimented me." The blonde-haired young man gave a smile. Rewen smiled in return. "Is that so? I thought you had heard it countless times." "Not from a guy. Anyways,e in." Rewen entered the room while Ivan followed behind. "I''m Kelin." The blonde-haired young man stretched his hand. "Rewen." Rewen shook his hand. "What''s your rank?" "33." "Oh? I''m 18. You sure you want to take this big of a jump?" "It''s fine." Rewen shrugged. Both of them got into their positions. "Ready? Start." Rewen activated [Freestyle Knights Combat] while watching Kelin approach him slowly. Kelin''s movements weren''t slow but neither too fast but his footsteps were light. If Rewen was blind, he wouldn''t have sensed him at all. Rewen could have struck first but he didn''t. He waited for his opponent to make a move. He used the same strategy he used in his previous match against the big muscr man. ''Wait for the opponent to strike first. Block it. And swiftly counter-attack.'' However, it didn''t happen like he expected. As Kelin was about to prepare for a strike, his expression changed and took a step back making Rewen a bit puzzled. ''Why did he suddenly take a step back?'' "You are dangerous." Kelin raised his head. ''Maybe he has some special ability that lets him gauge someone''s power.'' Rewen made a reasonable guess, then stared at Kelin. "You want to forfeit?" "I won''t." The moment Kelin said that, he sprang up towards Rewen. ''Oh? His movement speed increased.'' Rewen analyzed his opponent while not moving an inch. Kelin approached him and this time, pulled his arm for a punch. Unfortunately for him, Rewen easily dodged it. "You are a bit too stiff." Hemented in between the fight. Kelin again took a few steps backward and panted. "You could have defeated me easily. Why am I still standing?" He thought that Rewen was mocking him. "I came here to fight and improve my techniques. Winning is only a part of my goal." Rewen calmly responded. He himself wasn''t sure if what he is saying is the truth or not. "Good answer." Kelin burst intoughter. "Now,e. You have yed enough." "You asked for it." Rewen took a step forward. It was only a single step but Kelin could feel a huge mountain in front of him. ''The strength difference is huge.'' He saw a punch iing and his whole body petrified. *Pah* The punch was met with Kelin''s forehead. Thetter staggered to and fro before eventually falling on his face. At the end, Rewen had originally nned to strike his opponent''s face but seeing him not move, he changed the target of the punch and instead struck his opponent''s forehead. "Why are you looking like a fool? Hurry up and cure him." Rewen saw Ivan looking at him absent-mindedly. [+3 Agility] [Quest Updated] --- Quest: Be a Fighter. Grade: A Goals: Defeat your fifth opponent. Rewards: +3 Strength, +3 Endurance, +3 Dexterity Failure: None --- ''The system likes to keep things bnced. I wonder how long this would continue though.'' *** The receptionist, as usual, was bored. ''No, I''m not bored this time. I have actually misunderstood him.'' Lazily resting her chin on her hands, she thought about Rewen. While thinking about him, she saw a familiar man appearing. "What''s up, Rewen?" "Update my ID." Rewen ced his ID on her desk. "Again?" The receptionist voiced her shock. "This guy is a freak." Ivanmented from the side. The receptionist took the ID. "Let''s see who he defeated oh!? Rank 18! Way to go!" In her two years of work, this is the first time she had seen someone go up in the ranks this quick. "Here''s your updated ID." Rewen took the card and walked away with Ivan. ''He has a bright future ahead of him.'' *** Five minutester. Rewen looked at the fallen man and got a string of notifications in his mind. [+3 Strength] [+3 Endurance] [+3 Dexterity] There was no quest update this time. Rewen sighed. ''There is a stopping point after all.'' While not exactly willing, he decided to stop moving up the ranks. If he wanted, he could easily reach the top of Juniors but he won''t. ''Now isn''t the right opportunity. The chained quest hasn''t yet finished and I don''t even know if I''ve be a Fighter or not. I can safely assume that there would be more quests in the future.'' *** "Here''s your updated ID." The receptionist couldn''t hide the look of shock both on her face and voice. Rewen looked at the ID. --- Name: Rewen Klofar Division: Rookie Grade: F Rank: 5 Speciality: Agile, Hand-to-Hand Combat, Deceptive --- From Rank 48 to Rank 5 wasn''t a small increase. It was rare even in the entire kingdom. "Who will fight next? 1 or 2?" Ivan asked. "I will go home." Rewen chuckled. "What? Didn''t you tell me that you want to reach Juniors today?" "I''m tired." Rewen said, then ran off in front of Ivan''s and the receptionist''s dumbfounded eyes. While running to his room, he wondered what he should do. ''First, I''llplete the daily mission from [Basic Knights and Magic System]. Oh, right. Activate [Missions to Doom].'' He had nned to make maximum of the two Tier 1 Bronze Lottery Tickets. "One second." He was very vignt. ''Who knows. Even a meteor can fall from the sky.'' ''Two." "Three." .. "Ten." ''Stop." Rewen quickly deactivated [Missions to Doom]. Weirdly enough, nothing happened to him. [Ding! The Host has gained 10x luck for 10 seconds! Would you like to use it right now?] [Yes] [No] He tapped on ''No'' while still pondering about the matter. A sudden thought struck as he anxiously increased his speed. Chapter 94: Selecting Skills Chapter 94: Selecting Skills Klofar Residence. In the living room, the television was turned on. It was the local news channel. Opposite to the televisionid a young woman on the sofa. She wasn''t a breathtaking beauty but could be counted as someone pretty. She was wearing loose clothes and appeared to be asleep. A fly sat on her cheeks and her eyes slowly opened. "Ha howe I fell asleep at this time?" Supporting her hands on the sofa, she straightened her back and raised her back. "The television is still running ah, I forgot to switch it off." She searched for the remote in the table in front of her. ''What''s this paper?'' Along with the remote, she also found a piece of paper. Just as she was reading what was written in the paper, the door opened and Rewen appeared in the living room. "Are you alright?" He walked up to her and asked in a concerned voice. *Pah!* Rewen was pped across his cheeks. He could have easily dodged it but he didn''t. He knew how irresponsible he was. "You said that NOTHING WOULD HAPPEN TO ME!!" Denny turned hysterical. After that, she threw the paper in the face opposite to her. Rewen grabbed the paper and read it. --- Good day, Mr. Klofar. I got recent news of your victory. To be honest, I am surprised. This is the time I both overestimate and underestimate someone. I overestimated your strength and underestimated your methods. Overall, I found your victory very entertaining and fun to watch. Now, I''lle to the point. By now, you should have known what is the purpose of this letter. Yes, your cousin Denny also has an explosive inside her. We have already strictly warned you regarding this. No more needs need to be said. I''m sure you understand what you need to do from now on. With regards, Travil-Branch Secretary, Real Waifu Corporations Limited. --- Rewen''s face was the same. He tore the letter and tossed it in the dustbin. "You''ll be alright. Nothing would happen to you." He took a seat beside Denny and patted her shoulders. Hearing him, Denny didn''t calm down. Tears slid down through her face and she turned to look at Rewen with a tired voice. "What more could happen? My life is already over." "Sorry." Rewen could only give an empty apology. "No, I''m sorry." "Why?" Rewen was puzzled by the sudden apology. Denny bit her lips. "This is all revenge, right? You don''t need to exin anything." After a moment of being furious, she cooled down and thought carefully about certain things. "What revenge?" Rewen, still confused, asked. Denny didn''t answer. She took a good look at his face and went back to her room. Rewen was a stubborn person. He wouldn''t letrge misunderstandings stay as misunderstandings. He went to the door of her room and knocked. *Knock* *Knock* "Please open the door." No response came. Rewen sighed. "Listen, Denny. I''ll be honest. You have given me a lot of bad memories. I could speak about it all day and I don''t like you for that. However, do I really look like the kind of person who would put your life in danger because of that? What happened today ispletely my misjudgement andck of understanding of the matter. You have no part in this. Nothing more than just a victim." Denny looked at herself in the mirror, silently listening to Rewen. ''He isn''t lying. Everything can''t work out well. I am just someone who got caught up in this. Instead of supporting him and fighting alongside him, I''m too obsessed with my life to care about others.'' With a bitter smile, Denny went to the bed. ''Can I even support him? Even if I wanted to, I can''t. Not because I''m not strong enough but because I''m a coward.'' *** After a while, getting no response, Rewen went back to his room. "I''m a dumbass." Clutching his head, he muttered to himself. ''Not only Svety, I also brought Denny into this. No, I can''t continue like this.'' He got up from his bed and went to the garden. Taking a stance, he activated [Freestyle Knights Combat] and started practicing it. There was ''correct'' way to practice it nor were there any specific moves. Any movement while activating [Freestyle Knights Combat] is considered a move. This is also one of the reasons why he doesn''t hate practicing it. ''It''s easy.'' Ten minutester. [Ding! Daily Mission from ''Basic Knights and Magic System''pleted! Would you like to receive the rewards right now?] [Yes] [No] ''Yes.'' [+ 10 Mana Storage Capacity] "Great." After a few minutes to practice, Rewen''s gloomy mood turned back to positive again. Reeking of the smell of sweat, Rewen went to the bathroom to take a shower. While showering, he noticed that his figure has changed a bit. His abdominal muscles have be more well-defined. No change could be seen on his face. "It''s interesting to note that even though the change is primarily because of increased stats, it won''t continue changing. Maybe a bit more and then it would stop. Why does that happen? I have yet to know." Washing his body with a towel, he wore light clothes and went to his room. He turned on the PC, then took a notebook. "I have defeated the first squad. The information about the next would arrive most likely tomorrow or day after tomorrow. A clue has not yet been unlocked in the [Requested Mission]. While I still have some time, I should create an easy skill with [Custom]." After over five minutes of inte browsing, he jotted down a list of yellow-ranked Rank 0 skills --- [River of Right Hand] - [Front-Attack] - Functions: Sharpens the fingers and hardens the hand. MP Cost: 50 MP - [SEQUENCES. PDF] [Giant Leap] - [Evasive] - Functions: Gives a temporary strength in both legs. MP Cost: 12 MP - [SEQUENCES. PDF] [Petal Dance] - [High-Regenerative] - Functions: Heals lethal wounds. Restrictions: Only Rank 1 and lower. MP Cost: 100 MP - [SEQUENCES. PDF] --- These were the skills out of thousands that had caught his eyes. "It''s not like these are the best of what I saw but these are what I require." "With [River with Right Hand], I can hold my ground even without a weapon. [Giant Leap] could help me put up some distance and improve my ''hit-and-run'' strategy. There is no need for exnation regarding [Petal Dance]. Despite it''s high MP Cost, it''s a life-saving technique. And it''s even like it''s too high. In fact, I could easily restore my MP within two minutes." Rewen paused. "No, that''s not the right approach to go about. Two minutes to more than enough in a fight. Most fights end under a minute. Even my battle with the Blood Squad didn''t take more than ten minutes. A life-and-death isn''t like those in books where you wait for your opponent to cast the spells. It''s gruesome and cruel. I was dumb enough to let Banci as he pleased but my opponent won''t be dumb like me." Rewen wrote down several points in his notebook. "In other words, I need to learn all the three skills and cast it as quick as I can." Rewen stood straight in the garden. His eyes were not focused as if he was thinking something. ''In the very beginning, there is the starting sequence which takes around 15 seconds usually but I haven''t tried using [Mana Maniption].'' He focused and tried to feel his Mana Points. ''Let''s try moving the P-1.'' He put some extra mana into the First Primary Mana Point filling itpletely. It is important to note that there is a difference between ''catching'' a Mana Point and move it around typing an Innate Mana String and ''filling'' the Mana Points with mana. It''s fairly easy to fill a Mana Point. ''And then'' He tried to control the specific Mana Point and He seeded! "Damn! No wonder it''s an advanced skill!" Rewen was overjoyed. He remembered the pains he had to go through when he first tried out the . ''ording to what I have read, I don''t even have to connect an Innate Mana String to one another. As long as I ''try'' to control each and every Mana Points that are required in the , it would be enough. I don''t know the reason and while I have some curiosity in knowing how it works, now is not a good time. Maybe when everything''s over, I can research a bit into it.'' The same way, he tried toplete the that he had already memorized. In his first attempt, he failed to control every single Mana Points. In his second, he seeded. In his third, hepleted the within three seconds. "From fifteen seconds to three seconds, if this isn''t a huge leap, what is?" After that, he didn''t go and try one of the skills immediately. Hepleted the more than twenty times. His best record was two seconds. Chapter 95: [Memorization] Chapter 95: [Memorization] Rewen stood straight in the garden. His eyes were not focused as if he was thinking something. ''In the very beginning, there is the starting sequence which takes around 15 seconds usually but I haven''t tried using [Mana Maniption].'' He focused and tried to feel his Mana Points. ''Let''s try moving the P-1.'' He put some extra mana into the First Primary Mana Point filling itpletely. It is important to note that there is a difference between ''catching'' a Mana Point and move it around typing an Innate Mana String and ''filling'' the Mana Points with mana. It''s fairly easy to fill a Mana Point. ''And then'' He tried to control the specific Mana Point and He seeded! "Damn! No wonder it''s an advanced skill!" Rewen was overjoyed. He remembered the pains he had to go through when he first tried out the . ''ording to what I have read, I don''t even have to connect an Innate Mana String to one another. As long as I ''try'' to control each and every Mana Points that are required in the , it would be enough. I don''t know the reason and while I have some curiosity in knowing how it works, now is not a good time. Maybe when everything''s over, I can research a bit into it.'' The same way, he tried toplete the that he had already memorized. In his first attempt, he failed to control every single Mana Points. In his second, he seeded. In his third, hepleted the within three seconds. "From fifteen seconds to three seconds, if this isn''t a huge leap, what is?" After that, he didn''t go and try one of the skills immediately. Hepleted the more than twenty times. His best record was two seconds. Fairly satisfied with the results, he took out his smartphone and looked at the of [River of Right Hand] and became dumbfounded. The sequence list was two pages! He checked out [Giant Leap]. Again, two pages! "What about [Petal Dance]?" Five fucking pages! "No no, this can''t be happening. Do I seriously need to memorize this for the skill to work? I always thought that [Custom] is too good of a skill to use." Rewen bitterly smiled. He now understood why it isn''t popr. Unless one has [Picture Memory], [Custom] is a perfect skill. It is the only skill known that doesn''t follow the norms. To use it, you only have to memorize and you are done. No need to go through the "alpha" stage and "beta" stage nonsense. However, it''s main disadvantage lies in it''s long list of . Even if one sessfully memorizes a skill, he couldn''t use it in battle because it takes too long to cast. "Nevermind. I have [Mana Maniption]. I can''t let it go to waste. Before I fight another squad, I have to try to memorize one of the . [Ding! An immediate quest has been issued! Would you like to see it?] [Yes] [No] ''Did I ever tell you that I want to take you as my wife?'' Rewen''s depression vanished within seconds when he saw a quest. Before even taking a look at it, he was certain that the quest has something to do with his current predicament. --- Quest: Training Brain Cells Grade: D Details: Break down the into pairs of ten andplete them one-by-one. The quest will be consideredpleted only the Host manages toplete the entire one of the skills. Rewards: [Memorization] (0.001%) Failure: None Time Limit: 30 minutes (The timer will start as soon as the quest is epted) --- [Would you like to ept it?] [Yes] [No] "System, I don''t know about you but the 0.001% sounds really low." [Cut your bullshit. You want it or not.] "Of course, I want it." Rewen tapped on ''Yes'' and started looking at the of [Giant Leap]. It has the shortest sequence. "Let''s see A-5. S-23, P-2 .. "... P-1, S-9, A-25. Finished!" [Total Time Taken: 19:45] [Ding! Quest sessfullypleted!] [''Memorization'' Skill Book acquired! Would you like to learn it right now?] [Yes] [No] ''Yes.'' Rewen waited for some information. However, unlike the time he learned [Mana Maniption], this time nothing of that sort happened. He didn''t feel anything. "Yes. Sorry to repeat but I really don''t feel anything different." Rewen already had a guess how and why this is but decided to ask the system anyways. A few secondster. "How cold." Rewen frowned when he didn''t get any response from the system and decided to take a look at his stats. --- Host: Rewen Klofar Bloodline: Human (100%) (Yellow) - [Perks] - [Activation] (10%) Age: 18 Strength: 17 Agility: 17 Endurance: 17 Dexterity: 17 HP: 170/170 MP: 88/88 Skills: [Freestyle Knights Combat Technique (Initial Stage)], [Observe], [Lunge], [Mana Maniption], [Memorization] (0.001%) Features: [cksmith], [Mission to Doom], [Boost], [Appearance Grader] Path: [Knight] Unique Property: [Balls of Steels] Inventory: Tier 1 Bronze Lottery Ticket (x2), 2x Power Spike --- "Not bad. Not bad at all." Rewen smiled in satisfaction after seeing his stats. "Now then, let''s test [Memorization]." He went through each of the Mana Points in the list of [Giant Leap]. Ten secondster, he tried to recall the Mana Points he had just read. "Nope. Not working. Oh wait, I get it." --- [Memorization] (0.012%) --- Rewen nodded his head. "As expected. This is the kind of skill which increases the more I try to memorize something. Interesting skill. I''ll call it a growth-type skill. Not that it actually matters how I call it." He looked at the and tried to memorize the first fifteen Mana Points. In his first try "Still can''t do it." --- [Memorization] (0.03%) --- "Again." Rewen read and tried to recall the fifteen Mana Points again. "A-5, S-23, P-2, S-11, S-5, A-17, S-6, A-9, P-5, A-32, A-39, S-22, A-1, A-2, S-11." Rewen checked whether he remembered them right or not. "Seems like I was right." A small smile emerged on his face. --- [Memorization] (0.08%) --- Rewen read the next fifteen Mana Points and tried to recall them. Just like this, an hour passed by. --- [Memorization] (10.67%) --- Rewen went to drink some water, then came back to the garden. "Damn. My mouth feels tired." Why wouldn''t it? He had been speaking continuously for over an hour. "But thanks to that, I more or less memorized the entire of [Giant Leap]." ''I''ll try it. No, wait. There''s another thing I need to do before I try the skill. If I remember well, there was a basic for every type of skill. [Giant Leap] is an evasive-type skill so it''s basic is'' He took out his smartphone and went through the file sent by Yeri. It didn''t take more than ten seconds for him to memorize the consisting of more than twenty-five Mana Points. "Done. Now, focus your mind. First, the ." Two secondster. ''Basic for [Evasive] type skills.'' Four secondster. ''[Giant Leap] sequence.'' A minuteter. Everything looked normal but Rewen could feel his legs bursting with energy. A grin emerged on his face. ''No, still not done. Thest step is left. Jump!'' He jumped a few steps back. *Swish* It was a sixteen-metre long jump but Rewen''s face didn''t look too good. "Failure." It was a failure. After all this work, it was just a failure. "Where did I exactly go wrong?" Rewen questioned himself. His expression was annoyed but he nned to see through it till the end. The Rewen from a few days ago would never stick to something for this long but the current Rewen has the sense of urgency and determination. "Wait a second, wasn''t there something like Yeri mentioned?" Rewen suddenly remembered the conversation he had yesterday. ''What exactly is ?'' He took his smartphone and browsed it. "Literally what it means. To use a [Custom] skill, all I need to do is have a purpose before using the skill. It sounds vague and ambiguous but that''s it. Well, at least ording to the inte." It''s not that he was being doubtful but he had the tendency to not believe in things which are too mystical and out-of-the-world. "Nevermind, I''ll see it goes." He decided to give it a try because he had nothing to lose. ''What should be my ? I''ll go with - To Defeat My Opponents! Sounds corny but let''s go with that for the time being.'' ''First, the .'' Two secondster. ''Basic for [Evasive] type skills.'' Four secondster. ''Lastly, [Giant Leap] .'' A minuteter. Rewen again felt the same energy in his legs. Hoping for it to seed, he took arge jump backwards. *Swish* "Still a failure." Rewen muttered with an absent-minded expression. "It should have faster." After a few seconds, he had a small smile on his face. "I see now. isn''t a thing that should be taken lightly. It should be believable and direct. My - To Defeat My Opponents - is nothing more than a joke." Chapter 96: Chapter 96: "Even if I want to believe, I can''t because I subconsciously know that I could never defeat my opponents just with [Giant Leap]. A is something I could fully believe. In that case, how about - To Dodge?" A minuteter. "Still a failure but I could see myself soon using the skill effortlessly. If even - To Dodge - didn''t work, then what should the be? It''s true though. I myself don''t believe that with [Giant Leap], I could dodge anything. Let''s be realistic, it''s just a yellow-ranked Rank 0 skill. What most could it do other than taking a few steps back? In other words, I have to be specific how about - To Dodge a Frontal Attack?" A minuteter. Rewen wasn''t even disappointed with failure this time. With a smile hung on the corner of his lips, he seemed a bit excited. "So - To Dodge a Frontal - isn''t working, huh. How about - To Dodge a Frontal Attack Three Centimeters Away From Me?" A minuteter. *Swoosh* Unlike his previous tries, this time, Rewen was swifter and hisnding from above was smooth. "Smooth, indeed." Grinning from ear-to-ear, Rewen went back to his room. It''s not that he didn''t want to learn the other two skills but he could feel his mental state a bit exhausted. It''s probably due to the use of . "How mystical." Hemented. His PC was already turned on so he logged in to CHAOS. *** Darkhood City. It was early morning. Lukewarm sunlight fell on Rewen''s body making him feelfortable. *Knock* Someone knocked at his door. "Wait, I''ming." Getting up from his bed, he went to the door. Opening the door, he saw a familiar young woman in front of him. She had light gold hair. "Aunt called you for breakfast." Rewen could certainly see that she wasn''t exactlyfortable with this. ''Mother probably told her to wake me up.'' "I''ming." Rewen came to the dining room with Vinia. In the dining room, he saw Sam and his mother sitting at the table. Sam was yawning with a tired look. "You are unusually early." Turning to his mother, he couldn''t help butment. "It''s in good health and spirits." Mrs. Klofar promptly said, then looked at her son''s bed hair and frowned. "Is that a new type of fashion?" "Something like that." Rewen was toozy to correct her. Taking a seat near Sam, he started gulping down his breakfast. Simrly, Vinia also sat down beside him. "So what''s your n for the day?" "I''ll just smith for today. Lately, my life is getting so hot-blooded that I even forgot that my life was in the slice-of-life genre a few days ago. It''s too much. Although my physical self is more or less alright, the same couldn''t be the same for my mental self. That''s why for today, I''ll just take a rest. Or rather, am I even allowed to take a rest?" Rewen sighed. Even though none of thempletely understood what Rewen had said, they understood the message he conveyed. Sam wanted to console his friend but didn''t know to. Mrs. Klofar was silent. Sensing the awkward atmosphere, Vinia spoke up. "How about I teach you what you need to learn for General Knights Recruitment - Group A?" "That sounds good." Rewen really thought so. ''I only have a month left so if I''m really serious, I should take this seriously.'' "I can see that both of you are getting along very well." Mrs. Klofarmented with a blissful smile. ''Lately, that''s been the only thing your eyes could see.'' Rewen scoffed. He didn''t know what happened to his mother all of a sudden. ''Why is she so persistent with my marriage? I mean, when has she not been? But she never went to this extent. Something definitely happened and she''s not giving me answers. Or maybe her persistent nature just acted up and I''m just a fool for believing otherwise.'' After breakfast, Vinia led Rewen to her room. "Where should I start?" Sitting on her bed, he asked the first question that came to his mind. Vinia thought about how to answer the question. "There are basically three subjects - Geography, History and Old Era Religions. Which subject are you most familiar with?" "None." Rewen said without blinking. Vinia felt a bit of a headache. ''How am I supposed to teach someone who doesn''t know the first letter of the subject?'' "Which one do you want to learn then?" "Let''s start with Geography." It''s not that he was particrly interested in the subject. He just picked one randomly. "Do I bring my books?" "No, it''s useless. Even if everything''s clearly exined in the book, you wouldn''t understand even ten percent of it because your knowledge is very limited." "That makes sense." Vinia walked to her shelf and took out a map, then sat opposite to Rewen. "Should I start?" "Yes, but I have a request. Can you not dump information all at once? I''m not a fast catcher and I take time to process when I''m learning something." "Okay. Do you know the country we live in?" "You mean, kingdom?" "Kingdom, country, whatever you want to call it. There is also amon misconception among the masses that kingdoms can''t be called a country. Do you even know what a country is?" Vinia gave him an ''annoyed teacher'' look. Rewen''s eyes twitched. Her personality changes when she teaches? "A country is something that has its own government andws while a kingdom is a territory that is ruled by a ruler and the ruler is called a king." "Correct. Can you tell me why the masses felt that it''s wrong to call this a country?" "Isn''t that obvious? Because it''s ruled by a king." "Can you call the King the President of the Country?" "I know I can''t but I don''t know why." "You can''t. A king is a king because he has more powers in his hands than a dictator." "Then isn''t it different from a country? No, wait. Even so, it is still awful government but then again, it feels a bit wrong to call the kingdom a country." "It is a country and a kingdom. My point in bringing this up is, you can call it whatever you want." "I see." "Back to the question, do you know what our country is called?" "Sstan Kingdom." "Correct. Our country is divided into three regions - Perilia Range in the East bordering an area of more than 5.678 kilometers, Capital in the central region which upies more than sixty percent of the country andstly, the Commoners'' District which is spread throughout the country." After finishing that, she spread the map and pointed to a small area near the centre. "We live here." "Is that it? What about the Nobles?" "Nobles live in the Capital. Baron is the lowest nobility rank so we don''t live in the Capital." "Okay, so you''re telling me that Viscounts, Earls, Marquess'' and Dukes live there? How many Noble Houses are there in total?" "An off-topic question but I''ll answer. There are 72 Viscounts, 36 Earls, 18 Marquess'', 9 Dukes, two Princes and the Royal Family." Rewen was quite surprised at the numbers. "By two Princes, you meant second generation Princes?" "Yes. Continuing on, let me tell you about the Knights. Before that, can you tell what exactly is the purpose of General Recruitment - Group A exam?" "Passing the exam would qualify you for a [Knight]?" Vinia''s face twitched. A secondter, she burst intoughter, not managing to hold herself back. "Sorry cough, cough. Listen carefully. The purpose of the exam is not to qualify you for a [Knight]. It makes you eligible to be a City Guard." Rewen could have never imagined that those drunken City Guards are a poor man''s [Knight]. "Are you serious?" "It''s hard to believe, I know but it''s the truth. Of course, bing eligible to be a City Guard doesn''t mean you''ll have to be one. You just need to be eligible. Anyways, forget it. Let''s return to the topic. Geography. I''ll tell you what you need to study. First, learn topography. It''s a simple thing. If you have even a quarter of an average human brain, you should be able to understand." Vinia roasted him without holding back. "Topography? I know it." "You do? What is it?" "It''s basically like an advanced map. Generally, maps can only have limited details. Topography is the study of geographical features in much more details. Using it, you can find out the features of a particr area just by looking at the topographical map." "Oh? You do know what topography is. Is it just the basics or do you have an in-depth knowledge about it." Vinia''s face showed surprise. "In-depth." Rewen answered confidently. "Very well. I''ll move to the next topic - An Overview of the Kingdom." Vinia grabbed a book from her shelf and started listing off important details to Rewen who quietly listened without raising any voice. Chapter 97: Bitter Truth Chapter 97: Bitter Truth An hourter, Vinia got up and drank some water, then looked at Rewen. "Do you understand?" "You can teach well." Rewen answered while going through the book. "ttery won''t get you anywhere. Do you think your brain can handle more than this? I can teach you as long as I want but can you keep feeding off information? I don''t want to make my jaw tired." "What are you talking about? I''m just getting started." From there on, a full-blown study sessionmenced. The next topic was - Soils. In the kingdom, there are four kinds of soils - Light, Hard, Sticky and Wet Soils. The entire Capital only has Hard Soil whereas the Pirilia Range only has Light Soil. The Commoners'' district has all the four kinds of soils. [A/N: I''m stopping it here coz I think it would be filler-ish. What are your thoughts about it? Should I add more geographical features to it?] *** Three hourster. Rewen got out of the room. His mind was still energetic but the same couldn''t be the same for Vinia. After speaking non-stop for over four hours, she couldn''t maintain her manner of speaking and managed to spit out saliva every once in a while. Recalling the scene from earlier, a smile emerged on his face. ''Can''t deny that she isn''t cute.'' "That''s quite a creepy smile you got there." Sam''s voice sounded. "What are you thinking about?" Rewen shook his head. "I was just thinking that her throat has be quite sore." "Huh!?" Sam yelped in shock. Seeing his shock, Rewen instantly figured out what he said was extremely misleading. "That''s not it. Don''t let your imaginations run-" "Bastard! I''ll remember this betrayal." Sam''s face was extremely grave as if his dear friend hadmitted a war crime. "What betrayal?" Rewen was quite amused by him. "When we were kids, remember how you told that you would marry me when we grow up-" "Stop! Stop! I didn''t!" ck lines covered his forehead as he hurriedly rebuked his friend. "Of course, you don''t remember. Now that you got a beauty by your side, youpletely forgot about me." "I swear, Sam. Another word about this and I''ll beat the crap out of you." Seeing that verbal arguments aren''t working, he resorted to violence. ording to Rewen, everything else can not work but not violence. Sam scurried off. *** [1500 EXP gained!] "You have gained a ''Tier 2 Middle-Silver Ranked Unnamed Sword!" --- Stage: Rank 2 Upper Grade (3887/8000) Proficiency: 53.834% Expertise: Spear Best Product: Rank 2 Unnamed Sword --- Keeping the Sword he created among his collections, he exited the basement. ''Although I had said I want to rest, I want to level up quickly. I''m sure there are quests avable when I go to the market but do I really want to waste a day without working up my muscles?'' A whileter, he sighed. "Not my fault. My gamer instincts are not letting me rest." Without telling anyone, he went to the market. "Good day, Sir. Do you need any help?" "Sorry but I''m enough to manage the grocery." "What about you, Merchant? Did some bandits steal your items?" "I have two guards with me." "What about you, youngdy? Are you in need of a ssy man?" "My daughter is only ten. I suggest you move away or I will not hesitate to call the City Guards." "Hm? Why are you crying, little boy? Are you lost? I can take you to your home." "Mom, this Big Brother is acting creepy." "You seem like a wizard? Are you in search of an apprentice? I could fit the box." "Disappear within ten meters from my range lest you want an incurable curse to descend upon you." Rewen wasted the entire afternoon going from person to person in the hot sun to find a quest. Dejected, he returned home and went to his room. Then, he slept. In the evening, he woke up and went to the nearby forest to practice [Variant Fireball]. *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* .. --- Active Skills: Variant Fireball Lvl. 2 [20/40] --- He wasn''t in that much of a hurry to raise the skill. He was plenty satisfied so he went back home. "What am I even doing?" He felt a bit weird and at the same time, also felt a bit weird for feeling a bit weird. For the past few days, he got used to eventful things that he even felt ufortable when he was leading a normal life. After returning, he met with Vinia and studied with her. Later that night, he visited his mother''s room. *Knock* "Come in." "Oh, it''s you." Mrs. Klofar seemed a little disappointed when she saw the person entering. ''Does she even recognise me as her son anymore?'' Rewen wasn''t sure what kind of face he should make. "Are you still knitting?" He tried to strike up a conversation. "What does it look like?" Mrs. Klofar showed him a piece of cloth she was knitting. Her voice was annoyed. "What happened?" Rewen straight-forwardly asked. "What do you mean by that? Everything''s normal." Mrs. Klofar answered, still knitting. "Then why are you behaving this way?" Mrs. Klofar stopped knitting, then raised her head to look at him seriously. "How old are you?" "Eighteen." "Do I still have to babysit you all day? Rewen, you aren''t a boy. You have be a man. I can''t look after you like I used to. You have your own life. Enjoy your life the way you want to." "I want to enjoy life my way but you didn''t let me do so. You forced me into marriage. What did you n to aplish?" Rewen couldn''t understand what his mother was trying to clearly say. Mrs. Klofar''s eyes went from easy-going to indifferent to cold. "Yes. Give me grandkids and then, you can do whatever you like. I won''t hold you back. You want to be a [Knight], go ahead. You want to adventure, go ahead. Even if you want to die, I won''t stop you. However, before that. Give me a grandson." Her voice was t and neutral. Rewen dumbly looked at the figure that painstakingly brought him up and didn''t know how to respond for a while. "What are you saying?" He wanted to believe that everything he heard was a mistake. However, reality was often disappointing. "Could you not understand simplenguage?" "Did youe from a rich family?" Rewen abruptly asked. Mrs. Klofar''s eyes squinted. She hadn''t expected to get asked such a random question. "I am. What of it? Do you not remember me telling you stories about your Uncle?" "Why did you marry Father?" "He was the only option left." Rewen''s eyes seemed to have figured out everything. "I see. Sorry to disturb." He got up and went back to his room with heavy footsteps. When he reached the bed, he let his upper body fall. His eyes didn''t have much life in it. ''Maybe it''s all just a big scheme and everything I''m thinking of is what she wants me to think.'' He tried to imbue some hope within himself but ultimately failed. ''Which means that the session to the House of Lenvin is about to begin, huh. If it only wasn''t for my red hair no, that''s not the right train of thoughts. Do I not have self-respect?'' Mrs. Klofar was from the Capital. Although he didn''t know why she hade here, he was quite confident that she had fled from the Capital and married his father. When he was a kid, he used to hear heroic stories about his Uncle who was a Count. At the age of seven, he met that Legendary Uncle of his and was quite fascinated by his demeanor. [He is a bright kid. Unfortunately, he has the red hair which I don''t know whom he inherited from. It''s a silly tradition but like this, I can''t prove to the Elders that he isn''t half-blooded.] Those lines from his Uncle struck with him till now. Maybe it was because it was too impactful but he clearly remembered the day his Uncle said those words to his mother. ''Mother is dark-haired and Father also had dark hair. Mine''s red. Vinia''s golden. So why exactly did Mother think it''s a good idea to pair me up with Vinia? Obviously, it''s because I am a special case. I''m a result of gic mutation. Mother should know about this and is desperately better for the so-called ''grandson'' to have normal features.'' As much as it sounds ridiculous and doesn''t make sense, Rewen was quite certain about his hypothesis. ''It''s not that I overlooked the "good" memories I shared with Mother but it is what it is. I can''t outright deny that she doesn''t like me as a son. In fact, this also might be some sort of protection towards me.'' Even so, he realized that he can''t look at his mother the same way he did yesterday. "I want to think that I''m overthinking. Hopefully, my brain will refresh itself when I wake up." With an exhausted mind, he drifted off to sleep. Chapter 98: New Message Chapter 98: New Message It was morning. The sky was gloomy. It looked like it was about to rain. Rewen woke up. He remembered fromst night that he hadn''t had dinner and was quite hungry. "Rewen? Did you wake up?" He was preparing to logout when he heard a familiar voice. "I''m up, Mother. Do you need something?" Rewen''s voice was nd. "Listen, son. Forget about our talk fromst night. I had an argument with one of my friends and wasn''t feeling well" Mrs. Klofar had an uneasy expression behind the door. "It''s fine. I never actually thought too deep about it. Anyways, I need to go now." "Rewe-" He logged out. *** 7: 03 p.m. He let out a mouthful of air as he took off his helmet. "I was better off not knowing that the closest person has been closest with me for a reason." Bitterly smiling, he decided to watch anime. He was in no mood to train. He wanted a good break from all of this. Two hourster. "Haa, to think he would really die. Deserving but I''m not satisfied." Just like this, Rewen realized the fascination in pre-apocalyptic Earth. "This is different from the anime I have watched." [It''s because what you watched isn''t anime. They are animated series about a bunch of mages, fantasy and whatnot. The new Era tried creating the new phase of animation and failed miserably. They forgot that anime worked not necessarily because it was rtable but also as a medium of escapism. It used to be fun but the new Era ridiculously wanted to base it upon a particr and special niche.] "I agree. Most anime I watched are based upon real-life settings where a person directly or indirectly gets into the world of magic. It''s not bad but very nd and boring. This is also the reason why there are so few anime these days. Because it doesn''t work anymore." Rewen didn''t think too much and picked out another anime. "Let''s watch Code Geass. It has high ratings and used to be quite popr." *** "Rewen,e for dinner." Cal''s voice sounded from outside the room. Rewen paused the video that was ying. "I''m not hungry!" "Stop the nonsense. Come out for dinner." If it was Denny, maybe he would have gotten away but not with Cal. "..." *Knock* *Knock* "Rewen?" "Fuck, I''ming." Rewen eventually gave up and went to the dining room. *** "What''s wrong, Rewen? Your face isn''t looking good." "It''s nothing." Cal stared at the young man opposite to him and sighed. "Rewen, this isn''t going to work. You have a serious condition. If you don''t tell me if you are facing any problems, how am I going to help you?" "Where were you in the past two years?" Rewen''s mouth blurted out whatever he was thinking. He knew that while his predecessor was at fault not confronting about it, his legal guardian Cal was too preupied with his work that he failed to notice that the abnormalities he had was from interference. "I''m sorry." Rewen was vividly shocked by the unexpected apology. ''He actually apologized without making excuses?'' He waspletely speechless for a while. Finishing his dinner within a minute, he went back to his room. His whole body trembled. A single tear slid down from his face. ''Huh? Why am I crying? Why am I so affected by the apology that I''m actually crying?'' He sat by the bed and stared nkly on the walls for over ten minutes. Slowly and gradually, a smile surfaced on his face. ''It was the remnant of my predecessor. Seems like when I inherited his memories, a soul remnant went along with the memories. ''He gave up on everyone except for Cal. Cal seems to be the only person that he cared about before he passed away. Why is it so? Because Cal has the closest family member to him. He was closer to him than his parents were. His middle school friends didn''t bother to look too much into him because they had their own lives. Cal was the only one who even bothered to check up on him once in a while. ''My predecessor is quite a sad guy but I feel his emotions and respect him.'' Rewen also figured out his unstable emotions for Svety. It stemmed from the soul remnant. His predecessor hated her to his bones. In the beginning of their rtionship, he was optimistic and hopeful. However, it all changed when he felt that she wasn''t doing anything to prevent him from getting bullied despite having known of the fact that he had interference. ''She isn''t worth it.'' Rewen sighed. It was quite ironic for him to say that because a few hours ago, he was risking his own life to save hers. He knew from the time he read the letter that an explosive that could destroy an entire city was nothing more than a joke. Svety was too conscious about her own life that she neglected logic and reasoning. Even so, Rewen decided to get involved in a behemoth-level organization because he was the one who got her involved. He is a hypocrite, overconfident, quick-to-judge and many things but irresponsibility is not one of them. Because of his rash actions, not only does he have to take responsibility for endangering Svety''s life but also Denny''s. ''I''m never using [Missions to Doom] again.'' He swore in his heart. "Whatever, I''ll just watch anime." On this day, Rewen became an extreme case of escapism with anime. *** Just like that, he watched anime the entire night. When he looked at the time, he realized that he didn''t have any time for breakfast. Wearing his uniform, he went to the Academy. He didn''t see any of his friends or Denny. ''They must have already gone.'' *** 6th April, 4017. Saturday. 11:45 a.m. 4th Grade Training Ground. --- MP: 100 --- [The Quest ''Starting Up'' has been sessfully Completed!] [Generating two random Purple-ranked Rank 0 skills] [Ding! The Host has received ''[Grappling] (Elementary)'' Skill Book! Would you like to learn it right now?] [Yes] [No] ''I thought that the system would only give out the skill. To think that it would actually give a skill book, the system is being unusually generous.'' Without any hesitation, he tapped on ''Yes''. A secondter, Rewen understood the skill. If he wanted, he could demonstrate it right now. That''s how important and beneficial a skill book is. As soon as he was about to think about how and when he should use [Grappling], another notification rang in his ears. [Ding! The Host has received ''[Circuit]'' Skill Book! Would you like to learn it right now?] [Yes] [No] ''I don''t know what it is but I do want it.'' Rewen tapped on the '' Yes''. "..." "What are you staring like a fool for? You think you have all day to practice here?" Rewen woke up from the daze through Instructor Venitt''s voice. Looking at her annoyed expression, he wanted to tell that he had reached Rank 0 so bad but he managed to hold it in. ''I seem to have got on her bad side. I wonder if my marks will be affected?'' A few minutester, the session ended. --- MP: 104 --- Needless to say, Rewen was quite satisfied. He chatted with Zaplin and Vin until he saw Svety and went to the Central Canteen with her. *** Central Canteen. --- Greetings, Mr. Klofar. Hope you have been in good health. I had received word from my subordinates that you had managed to defeat the Squad I sent in quite a fashion. For that, congrattions! Also, excuse me for not appearing in person or send my heartfelt congrattions earlier. Rejoice, you have passed your first hurdle. Your first hurdle had tested your unfamiliarity with life-and-death battle and throughout the battle, you grew. It made me very fascinated. Unfortunately, your second hurdle won''t be as simple as the first. Without spoiling anything, just use every single resource avable to you to win. Eh? Am I forgetting something? Ah yes, I didn''t forget anything but as an upright man, let me reward you with something. As far as I''m concerned, both your cousin and (ex-) girlfriend have explosives in their bodies. Those explosives are connected to a five-way remote. I won''tpletely destroy the remote but I can definitely destroy one of the connectors. Sounds good? Enough chit-chat. Take a rest for today and tomorrow I''ll send you the location and details of the next Squad. Take care. With regards, X. --- Rewen read the entire message with a frown. Seeing his expression, Svety felt the need to question. "Is something wrong?" "No. I just had an unlikely thought rted to this Mr. X." "Is it because he seemed kinda generous? Don''t be deceived by this, Rewen. Even if he did cut off one of the connectors, the city would still be in danger." "I know that better than yourself. I''m forget it, I''ll see when the timees. Drop me home." Chapter 99: To World #001 Again Chapter 99: To World #001 Again Klofar Residence. A car stopped right beside the entrance. "Thank you." Rewen said his thanks and opened the door. "Should Ie in the evening? To discuss our next step with Denny?" Svety proposed the idea. Rewen thought about it a bit, then shook his head. Svety grabbed his hand with a stubborn expression. "We have to do this. I can''t just leave you to fight a bloody battle. We have to do something about this." Seeing she was insisting so much, Rewen didn''t outright deny. "I''ll see if I have time." A smile bloomed on Svety''s face, then pointed towards where Rewen was sitting. "Ah, something''s down there." Rewen''s gaze went down. He looked left and right, not finding anything. Just as he was about to open his mouth, he felt a soft sensation of lips over his right cheek. "..." "Hopefully, you will get some powers from this." Svety grinned, shing her white teeth. If it was Rewen from yesterday, he himself didn''t know what he would do. The current Rewen could only see her off with a wry smile. ''This woman'' Now that the soul remnant has left, that little hatred and irritation he felt towards her vanished without a trace. He did however feel that she should have some redemption for what she did to his predecessor. ''System, what is her favorability towards me?'' [Favorability: 79] ''That looks kinda high.'' Not giving too much thought, he entered his house and went to the living room. As usual, Denny was watching television but as soon as she saw a person appearing, she switched the TV off and got off the sofa. Not giving her the chance to let her run away to her room, Rewen grabbed her wrist. "Could you at least listen to me?" Denny flinched. After a while, she nodded. Rewen heaved a sigh of relief, then took a seat beside her on the sofa. "Look, I''m not the best person at conversations like these but I''m sorry." Denny had her head lowered. "..." Seeing her silent, Rewen continued. "I admit what you did to me at times was beyond awful and I don''t think ''Rewen Klofar'' is ready to forgive you for that but this time, it''spletely my fault. I let you get involved in a matter you had nothing to do in the first ce an- and I''m sorry for putting your life at risk. I will try my best" Rewen couldn''t make promises he wasn''t sure if he could fulfill. Just then, Denny made a "Kek" sound. Closing her mouth, she couldn''t hold back her tears. "You... better take responsibility" "Yeah." Rewen wasn''t sure what happened to her all of a sudden but knew it wasn''t necessarily a bad thing. ''Sometimes, it doesn''t feel bad to make empty promises.'' After a few minutes, Rewen''s stomach grumbled. "Hey, do you have something I can eat?" Immediately after he said that, he expected a ''I''m not your f*cking maid!'' but surprisingly, Denny got up from the sofa and went to the kitchen. Twenty secondster, she returned with a te on her hand. Rewen was ecstatic when he saw this but then his eyes went to the contents. ''Two pieces of bread?'' Denny ced the te in the table in front of the sofa and bowed with a respectful expression. "Anything else, Master?" ck lines covered his forehead. Eventually, he burst intoughter. 6th April, 4027 was the first day Rewen Klofar recognized a person from Earth as his own family. *** The rest of the day, Rewen watched the new anime that he started - Code Geass. [Ding! The Host is advised to get ready to return to World #001] [Initiating transference in] [3] [2] [1.] *** Terio Vi. "Please." Alex respectfully showed the way to a tall man seemingly in his mid-twenties. The man had a casual smile on his smile. While asionally greeting the maids and servants along the way, he made his way into the living room. As soon as the man entered the living room, he was greeted by a middle-aged man. "It''s my pleasure to entertain the Envoy to the fullest of my abilities." The middle-aged man was Terio Ikeda, the Head of the House of Terio. "You surely jest." The Envoy smiled. "Please take a seat." Ikeda guided the Envoy to arge sofa. He then turned to his wife who understood her husband''s look and served the guest tea. The Envoy took a small sip and the corner of his lips hung upwards. "The tea has a beautiful fragrance hmm is it only me or does the air around here have the same fragrance?" Ikeda gave a heartyugh. "I must say, you have quite the nose. The tea leaves are grown in our garden which is just beside the room." "Oh? No wonder. By the day, Mr. Terio. You are lucky to have such a refined woman as your wife." "I''m ttered." Ikedaughed again. After a while, when Ikeda''s wife left the room with only Ikeda and the Envoy remaining, the atmosphere turned serious. Ikeda''s eyes sharpened as he looked straight at the man sitting opposite to him. The previous friendly-neighbourhood-Uncle vibe was all gone. What remained a cold unfeeling man. "I''ll ask this straight. Did you send assassins to assassinate my son?" The Envoy has the same casual smile on his face. "I don''t understand your words." "Cut the bullshit. You knew very well that in case my son were to have an idental death, you could have the entire Terio Vi for yourself." "That''s quite a big im that you are making." "It''s not a guess. It''s a fact. My daughter is betrothed to your brother. If the heir of the Terio dies, then my daughter would be chosen as the next heir for the family" "HAHAHA!" While Ikeda was exining, the Envoy burst out inughter. "I-I never expected your intelligence to amount to only this much. So what if your son gets killed? Are you at an age where you can''t reproduce anymore? I know for a fact that even if the earth copses, you still won''t leave the family in the hands of your daughter." Ikeda''s face was grim. "You won''t get away with this, Mr. Envoy." While he was certain that the Envoy was behind the assassination, doubts began to appear in his mind. "Enough, Mr. Terio. How old am I? Do you think that I still have the time to y childish games with you? Let''s get down to business. How much are you willing to donate?" "Not a single penny until you give me a straight answer." The Envoy sighed and slumped on the sofa. "Come on I didn''t do it. I might be a greedy bastard but why would I take the risk of killing the heir of a Noble? And that too, sending assassins in an open street? What kind of professional do you think I am?" He then got up from the sofa. "Nevermind, I''lle at ater date. Also, if you are really serious about catching the perpetrator, instead of searching out of the box, why don''t try staying limited to the box? Not that I really care. Take this as advice from a future rtive. You don''t need to see me off." With that, the Envoy went out of the room. Ikeda didn''t stop him and was left pondering about hisst words. "No, it can''t be." Denying the conclusion he reached, he sighed. *** Meanwhile, Rewen was getting the urge to curse the system. ''I was just about toplete the episode. Why? Damnit, why did you have to transfer me here so quickly? Now, I''m left with a cliffhanger.'' [If you want, I could tell you. So Lelouc-] ''Ah, stop! Not a single word. Or else, I''ll terminate you.'' [Big words.] *Knock* Rewen was about to retort when he heard the knock from the door. "Pleasee in." A girl in a maid uniform appeared. "Master is calling you." "Oh, alright." Rewen fixed his shirt and followed the maid. "Why have I not seen you before?" Rewen asked, trying to start a conversation. "I was sick." "No wonder. Are you fine now?" "Thanks for the concern. I''m okay." The maid was incredibly stoic. "That''s good, that''s good. What''s your name?" "How is that your business?" "Cough." Rewen knew that the short lived conversation with the stoic maid hade to an end. *** "Rewen,e and sit." Ikeda gestured to his guest to take a seat. Rewen did as he was told. "What''s the matter?" "Haha, don''t look so serious. I just want to listen to how you are doing." "I am doing perfectly fine. All thanks to you." "d to see that. How''s the shoping around?" "It''s interesting to say the least. I''m having my fair share of fun learning the potions and talking with the customers and haha, losing my weight." "You lost a lot." "Please stop jesting." "Did Hase teach you the <>?" Chapter 100: An Invite Chapter 100: An Invite Rewen shook his head. "I haven''t asked that of him yet." "Haha, that''s good. Learn to take things slow. Aside from that, how do you feel about Hase?" Ikeda casually asked with a friendly tone. "He is... a good guy?" Rewen answered with a bit of uncertainty in his tone. "Of course, I have watched him since he was small. I was asking how you feel about him." "How do I feel about him? Let''s see he is a quiet guy but interacts with regrs every so often. He also answers my nonsensical questions about potions with patience. There''s not really a lot of negative points I could say about him. There is one thing I noted though. He doesn''t stay in the shop after I go. He goes somewhere, probably to talk with his friends, and returns in the morning." "Yes, he visits his friends." Ikeda didn''t seem to have received a shock from his words. "I thought so." Ikeda and Rewen talked for a few more minutes after which the former told him to go back to his room. "Just wait a minute," Ikeda called Rewen who was about to leave the room. Rewen tilted his head. "Is something the matter?" "Can you take this to my daughter''s room? I know that both of you are not on good terms but it''s urgent." Ikeda took out an envelope from his pocket and handed it over the Rewen. ''I''m sure the servants would have done the task faster.'' Rewen didn''t know why Ikeda wanted only him to do so. ''Maybe it''s because her room is close to him and I''m overthinking.'' Rewen nodded, then walked to Reza''s room. *Knock* "Miss, there''s a letter your father sent for you." Rewen made his voice bolder in case the gentldy would recognize his voice and not even open the door. The door creaked as it revealed a ck-haired fair girl. As soon as the figure saw the person standing in front of her, she grabbed the door. "Here''s the letter." Throwing the letter on the floor, Rewen made a run to his room. He looked at the time. "2:30 p.m. Not yet." Jumping on the bed, he took a short nap. *** "Sir, your quota is still left. Why don''t you give it to my son?" A middle-aged bearded man suggested to the Envoy. Both of them were sitting on a public bench. "How can that be done? Your son is only fifteen." The Envoy got hold of the spot after much hard work. How could he give it away this easily? "My son will surely get what you asked for. He is a very capable person." The middle-aged bearded man didn''t give up. "Please stop it. It''s not a matter of whether your son is capable or not. It''s about whether he''s worthy or not." "How could the son of a City Lord be unworthy? He is a hundred times better than the daughter of Terio." "I didn''t give away my quota to her. The Terio Head did. He and I have different requirements." The middle-aged bearded man let out a mouthful of air. His eyebrows were sharp, as if angry. "How much?" The Envoy smiled in a carefree manner. "No amount of gold couldpensate for this one quota. You know that very well so it''s better not to unt your wealth in front of this envelope." The middle-aged bearded scoffed hearing his words. "It isn''t even confirmed whether the artifact you are searching for is there." "You said it yourself. You don''t believe that there''s an artifact I''m searching for in that ce? Then why should I give the quota to your son? Your son could y around in that ce and when returns empty-handed, you are just going to say ''oh, there''s no such thing in that ce.'' How would that work?" "You don''t understand my words, Mr. Envoy. In the entire city, I doubt you''ll find someone more capable than my son. He awakened with the blessing of a Goddess from the Lower Order. Take my word for it. He would be regarded as an outstanding man in the future even when taking the entire Nation of Bandits into consideration." "I never seemed to have said that your son isn''t talented. What I want isn''t someone talented and capable, I want someone worthy." The Envoy rxed on the bench as his gaze circled the surroundings. It stopped when he saw a certain boy. The City Lordughed angrily. "Well, I can only say ''good luck'' in finding someone worthy." The Envoy gave a deep smile. "Thanks to your ''good luck'', I think I have found my candidate." He got up from the bench and approached the boy. The City Lord was left dumbstruck. ''Is that fatass his candidate? The Envoy is a lunatic!'' Meanwhile, Rewen was exercising his feet when he was approached by a good-looking man. "What can I do for you?" He asked, seemingly confused. "Do you want to be a great figure?" "Yes." Rewen gave a straight answer. "But you look kinda shady." "I''m not." The Envoy smiled, then took out an envelope from his suit pocket and handed it over to the boy. "Here''s your ticket to bing a great figure." Rewen''s hands showed hesitation but he eventually epted it. Not saying anything more, he went back to the Terio Vi. The Envoy gave a meaningful smile while looking at his back, then went back to the public bench. "Finally done." Stretching his arms, he yawned. The City Lord didn''t know where to start hisints from. *** Coming back to the room, Rewen didn''t waste his time opening the envelope. He knew what this was and was excited about it. When he opened the envelope, there was a paper inside with words written on it. Before he could read it, he heard a voice inside his mind. [Hello. You have been invited to Exquisite Immemorial Pce as a respectful guest to my humble Pce] [However, before you enter the Pce and even before you start reading the contents, please answer some of my questions which are a result of my curiosity] [Note: There is no correct answer.] [Question 1: Do you feel like your life is too nd and boring?] If Rewen was being honest, then he would say "Hell No!" but that is not the "correct" answer. Yes, there was no correct answer but ording to him, there was a correct answer. "Yup. It''s too boring. I want something more exciting and adventurous in my life." [Question 2: Do you think you are worthy to enter the Pce?] "I am not." [Question 3: What powers do you want if you were allowed to choose?] "A power of an average fifteen-year-old Noble." [Very well. You have satisfied my curiosity! You are now allowed to read the contents. I will be waiting for your arrival.] Rewen did as he was told even if he didn''t need to. --- Good day, Gentleman/Lady. Every year, our Exquisite Immemorial Pce hosts a special event for the most outstanding of young generations. The events conducted are different every year but the prize remains the same. There is only one prize given to only one person - Are you that person? If you are confident enough,e to our Exquisite Immemorial Pce to find out what lies in your hands! --- "Literally the same thing that I read." *** Ikeda sipped the tea from the cup and stared at the boy sitting opposite him. "So you are telling me that you got an envelope?" Ikeda asked in a suspicious tone. ''How could anyone hand over a previous quota to a person like him? It makes no sense.'' Rewen understood his suspicions. Not saying anything useless, he just took out the envelope and showed it to him. Ikeda didn''t speak for a while, as if he was tongue-tied. A few secondster, he nodded. "That will do. Sorry for doubting." "It''s alright. It was right for you to be suspicious, to begin with." "Hm, you should go with Hase and Reza. They are also participants." "I expected Reza to be a participant but Hase?" "It''s personal." "I understand." "Thanks for your understanding. Two dayster, be ready. You have to leave for the capital early." "How many days would it take though?" "It shouldn''t take a day. Maybe around twelve hours." *** For the next two days, Rewen practiced the <> wholeheartedly. Wearing a neat suit, although he still looked ugly, he looked clean and proper. He also lost a bit of weight, though his height remained the same. --- POW: 2.9 G.C.: 1 --- Rewen sighed, holding the "Gruer Detector" that he borrowed from the family. "Quite a long way to go before I be ''normal''. Anyways, it''s about time.'' Exiting the room, he headed outside the vi. There, he saw four familiar people standing beside a car. Hase, Reza, Ikeda, and his wife were all merrily chatting with each other. ''Let''s not disturb them.'' Looking at them, he got reminded of my own family. Chapter 101: Aftermath of a Tragedy (1) Chapter 101: Aftermath of a Tragedy (1) Sakura Garden Academy. The entire academy fell into chaos when three humans, no, three entities attacked the academy premises. There was bloodshed with no apparent end. Headless corpses lying on the floor. The scene was straight out from a horror movie. Heart-wrenching cries of despair could be heard from every corner of the academy. Even the teachers of the academy were not spared. The ones who are alive already have dead eyes. They have lost their voices and could only give in to fate. Among them, a white-haired good-looking young man spread his gaze in the scenery and a smile appeared on his face. He walked up to a girl nearby him. The girl was on her knees but as if seeing a devil approach her, she tried to summon thest bit of strength in her and wanted to flee. s, her mental state had already copsed. Her quivering chin was lifted as her eyes looked at the devil in front of her. Frightened, her eyes moved from his face. "Do you know why I left you alive?" "Hnn n-no." She replied as soon as she could. "Hm? You don''t know?" The devil''s demonic voice rang in her ears. "I..I" The devil grinned, then patted her cheeks. "Why are you leaking? It''s okay if you don''t know the answer. Let me tell you." He suddenly got up and looked at the survivors. "Let me tell all of you! The only reason you are alive is that all of you are evidence!" Evidence? The surviving people couldn''t properly understand what the devil was saying. "Evidence! All of you are the reason that we could spread the knowledge of our existence!" Knowledge of your existence? Every survivor nked out. They couldn''t digest the fact that the entire Academy broke out just because of a matter as simple as that. "Pitiful idiots." At this time, a beautiful woman walked out from one of the buildings under the Academy. Unlike her partner-in-crime who looked like a crazy psychopath, she had an arrogant and prideful expression. "Elder Second! Did you finish? How many did you kill?" The crazy devil stared at the woman with an eager look. "None of them left." The beautiful woman snorted. "Why bother leaving them alive? They would die anyway." "There''s no fun in that, Elder Second." "Whatever. Twelfth already left. I''m also leaving. How long are you going to stay here?" The crazy devil''s eyes dropped. "She left? Without telling me? How inconsiderate! I''m going with you." *Swish* Just like that, the two mass murderers disappeared in thin air. "Wha- what was that?" One of the nine survivors spoke out. He was Imada Yoichi. What shed before his eyes for the past few hours was in horror. It all started when he was, as usual, chatting with his ssmates when the crazy devil entered the ssroom and Imada''s head hurt when he thought about the incidents. He turned his eyes around and saw familiar people. His eyes fixed on one particr girl who seemed traumatized. It was the same girl who got ''interrogated'' by the crazy devil a moment ago. He got up, his legs shivering. He was about to move forward when he heard a long sigh from nearby. "This is sad, problematic, and most importantly tiresome." Hearing the voice, everyone''s gaze turned to a tall brown-haired young man lying on the ground. It was a third-year student from the academy. Someone can still y a joke at this time and ce? The survivors wanted to retort but were too exhausted to open their mouths. Ignoring him, Imada walked to the traumatized girl and rubbed her back. "We should be lucky that we are alive." "I-Imada" The girl started crying. "Imada, can you think of any way we can contact overseas?" Following Imada, a fiery red-haired boy also stood up. Imada shook his head at his ssmate, Koyami Koyashi. He was d to find out that he still had two of his ssmates he was familiar with - Asuka and Koyami. "Then what do we do?" Asuka asked her eyes towards the ground. As a princess-like figure, it was hard for her to adjust to the sudden developments. Imada fell quiet. *p* *p* "Why don''t we check the campus to see if anyone''s alive? In times like these, we have to stay together." The infirmary nurse, Maki, spoke out. The rest eight had no objections. "Then I''ll do the checking." A middle-aged man walked to the nearby quarter. Imada could feel the man''s emotions by just looking at the way he was walking. ''Out of everyone present, the one who suffered the most is undoubtedly Teacher Mitsuhara. Not only had he lost his own daughter, as a teacher who failed to protect his students, but he will also lose his standings as a teacher. It''s unfair but that''s how life is. What value does nine of us have that the thousands of others simr don''t have? Nothing.'' "It''s all just fate in the end." Imada sighed. "You sound pretty sad? Did something happen?" Turning back, he saw the third year who wasying in the ground with his bright eyes looking at the sky and bitterlyughed. He didn''t even have the energy to be angry at this lunatic. "No, nothing happened." "You are sad about the death of your friends?" "I shouldn''t be sad?" "No, you should. It''s just that now isn''t the correct time or ce to mourn." "Whatever happened had happened." "Are you an idiot? Did you not hear what that woman said?" The third-year student''s words woke the seven who had fallen too deep into philosophy and life up. "She said that we would die anyway. Why is that?" Imada finally took the third-year student''s words seriously. "I don''t know? How about you try guessing?" "Dying of starvation?" Asuka was the first one to make a guess. "What if the sea transport route is blocked and we starve to death?" "Not likely. There are plenty of edible things on the ind itself. Besides, her tone suggested immediate death and not something like starving." The third-year student calmly proved her guess wrong. Everything fell silent. A few secondster, Koyami finally broke the silence. "Do you have a guess?" "I have, in fact, several of them." The seven people looked at each other. "Then please tell your guesses." Koyami was easily angered but even knew his limits. "I can talk about it all day but we don''t have the time. Just keep in mind that all of them have one thing inmon - we are going to get killed if nothing''s done." "Very insightful." Imada drylyughed. The others also had sullen looks. "Did the recent event make you turn your five senses off? Look at the wording, idiots! I''m saying we will get ''killed'' and not die randomly." The third-year student couldn''t hold it any longer and berated them. "Who is going to kill us?" As if suddenly enlightened, Asuka asked. Imada, Maki, Imada, and the other second-year students also turned to look at the only third year. "I don''t know. Whoever it is, we just have to get away from it. Or do all of you just want to die?" "Of course, we want to live but how are we supposed to fight an enemy we don''t know anything about?" Imada reasoned with him. The third-year student smacked his lips in frustration. "Certainly, we can''t fight an enemy we don''t know about but" "What''s going on?" At this moment, Teacher Mitsuhara came. Maki initially wanted to ask about the teacher''s sess in finding anyone but seeing his dejected look, she got her answer. ''How are we going to continue like this? No matter how much we try, it''s obvious that our fate is doomed.'' Remembering her family that lives in the Maind, her eyes turned moist. Imada went on to narrate the discussion to the teacher. "I think we should leave this ce." Teacher Mitsuhara calmly made his judgment. "That is if you guys want to fight for your life. None of you, and don''t trust me when I say this. Trust my experience as a Gruer User who went through several life-threatening missions before bing a teacher. None of you have the ability to charge towards a path that is filled with traps known as ''deaths''. I''m not looking down on you but people aren''t half as brave as they think they are." "We will do it!" Koyami was the first to raise his voice. Following him, everyone else raised their hands. Mitsuhara sighed as if he saw thising. "You still think that you are brave enough? Fine. Let''s do what the majority wants." "Teacher, do you have any idea about what the woman meant when she said that we''ll die anyway?" "It''s the beasts." Mitsuhara answered without any hesitation in his tone. "The beasts? There aren''t any signs of beasts anywhere on the ind." Imada spoke out in a puzzled manner. Chapter 102: Aftermath of a Tragedy (2) Chapter 102: Aftermath of a Tragedy (2) Mitsuhara gave a dryugh. "Do you know who the three mass murderers are?" "Aren''t they terrorists?" Imada and the others got a bad feeling. "Not even the terrorists could grow the balls to attack the entire Sakura Garden Academy. Do you know how many Nobles support it? Before terrorists attacks, they weigh the pros and cons of the matter. They dare to attack the academy and they''ll be skinned alive within minutes." Mitsuhara casually responded. "Then who are they?" Asuka asked, not holding back her curiosity. Mitsuhara looked at the distant sky. "Sub-humans." *** It was afternoon. The hot dry sun''s rays directlynded on Imada making him sweat buckets. He was in-charge of tying up some bags full of food. "How many have you finished?" Koyami approached him with a stack of packaged food. "Nine." Imada took the stack and carefully ced them in bags. "What are the others doing?" "Asuka and the second years are fixing the carriage. Maki-sensei is getting the essential medicines from the Medical Department. The third-years helping her." "What about Mitsuhara-sensei?" "He is checking the area." "By the way, Koyami. Can I share a thought?" Imada appeared hesitant. "Um, what is it?" "You know since the academy is broken down, can''t we just take the resources? To live, I mean." "What do you mean? Aren''t we taking the resources?" Koyami pointed to the bags of food, appearing confused. "Not this, idiot. I''m talking about weapons, potions, and also coins." Koyami''s eyes widened. "T-that''s basically stealing I-I can''t support you in this!" Despite being a bully, he had his morals. "That''s not stealing. We are just doing this to survive." Imada put emphasis on the word ''survive''. "Why would you need coins then?" Koyami was not that much of an idiot to not understand his ssmate''s intentions. "W-we need coins because when we reach somece, that might not be Capital. It''s travel expenses." "No. If you want to do it, then go ahead. I''m not with you on this." Koyami was stubborn. "Come on, stop being a p*ssy" "What are you guys doing? We don''t have all day." At this moment, Asuka approached the two of them. "Oh, it''s Asuka-hime." Imada''s eyes looked disappointed. "It''s me. How many bags?" "Ten." Koyami answered for him. "That''s enough. Gets the bags on the carriage." Asuka said in amanding tone. Imada looked at Koyami. "Carry half." *** "Are you done?" The third-year student looked at the people beside the carriage. "We are done with the carriage." A second year student, Sakai, responded. Beside him was another second year student, Oshima. "Where are the other two?" "I''m here." The second year girl came outside the carriage. She was Aya, the same girl who was ''interrogated'' by one of the sub-humans. "Aya, are you feeling well?" "I''m good." Aya forced a smile on her face. "You have to be." The third year responded in a grave tone. "Where''s the other girl?" "I''m here." Asuka appeared. Behind her were two guys who were carrying the bags. "You are really narrow-minded. Could you not have carried one from each of us?" Dropping the bags, Imada caressed his shoulders. "It wasn''t my job to do so." How could they dare ask Asuka-hime forbour work? Do they not know their ce? Koyami was too tired to respond. He went and took a seat in the carriage. "By the way, it''s good that you have fixed the carriage but where are the horses?" "..." Koyami''s question silenced everyone. "Wait, are you telling me that the four of you fixed the carriage without knowing if there''s horses present or not!?" Koyami was stunned. Till now, he believed that his idiocy was high but it turns out he wasn''t a match for the truly high-level idiots. Seeing everyone panicking, the third year student replied. "Calm down. Just because we don''t have horses doesn''t mean we can''t make the carriage run." "What? How could we run the carriage without horses?" Imada wasn''t sure what the other party was trying to say. "Come with me." The third-year student pointed to him and started walking away. "Hey, where are you going?" Imada caught up to him. "The Machinery Department." "Why?" "Ever heard of new generation engines?" "Those that are fueled by Gruer? The academy has that?" The third year student quietly nodded his head. "Then, where are we going to find the supply of Gruer?" "Isn''t it obvious?" *** After roaming the entire area around the academy, Mitsuhara had a serious expression on his face. ''We are surrounded from all sides. It is the worst possible scenario. If we want to leave the ind, then we have to fight all the way till we reach the coast.'' ''This should be the ce where they are fixing the carriage?'' Mitsuhara''s eyes were searching for the carriage. "Mitsuhara-sensei?" "Ah, Maki. How are the students doing?" He called her informally because he was an Uncle-figure to her. Maki gave a sweet smile. "The students are smarter than I expected. Because there were horses avable, they brought the new-generation engine from the Machinery Department." Mitsuhara''s eyebrows perked up in surprise. "Do they know how to fuel it?" "The third year student, Koshikawa, knows about it." "Koshikawa is an innovative student. He had always been at the top Five of his ss and even won quite a few awards." Mitsuhara wasn''t surprised that it was Koshikawa who gave the idea. "I didn''t know that. If that''s the case, why did the academy not sponsor him?" Mitsuhara shook his head with a bitter expression. "He is amoner." "Ah" Maki dropped her shoulders. "After all the world had been through, it''s sad and unfair that there is still a caste system in the world." "Don''t be ignorant, Maki. The world can''t strive to improve itself if everything is perfect." "I firmly refuse to acknowledge your argument, Mitsuhara-sensei. Perfection is a myth but we have to strive towards it. If, by any chance, we reach the height of perfection, what''s wrong with it? We would lose the thing we strive towards but in return, the world would be a better ce to live in." Mitsuhara didn''t continue to linger on the topic. "Where are they?" "At the main entrance." "In that case, let''s go." *** Koshikawaid down on the carriage and sighed asionally while looking at the sky. Imada and the others kind of felt weirded out by his behaviour. "Don''t care about him. He likes to act cool." One of the second years, Sakai, spoke out. His eyes then turned outside the carriage where he saw Maki and Mitsuhara approaching. "How was the situation?" Imada was the first to ask. "The worst." Mitsuhara said without holding back. Everyone fell silent. "We are surrounded by Zonal Lions from all sides. If we want to go the coast, we either have to be fast or fight through a horde of Zonal Lions, which is practically suicide. What do you want to do? Stay?" "That seems to be the best choice" Maki was fearful when she heard the name of "Zonal Lions". "Where did the Zonal Lionse from!?" Asuka asked, her tone was enraged. "The sub-humans, who else?" Koshikawa said in a calm voice. "How could the sub-humans bring an entire horde of Zonal Lions into here?" "Only Mitsuhara-sensei could answer that." Koshikawa looked at Mitsuhara from the corner of his eyes. "It doesn''t matter if you know how they did it or not. The fact is, they did bring an entire horde of Zonal Lions here. It would do you more harm than good by knowing certain things. I''m asking this again, do you still want to go?" "If we don''t, will something happen?" Oshima asked the most important question. "I forgot to mention that the horde is approaching the academy. Within tonight, they will enter the academy premises." Mitsuhara said in a nonchnt manner. "Let''s go, in that case. Continue dilly-dallying but don''t regret being the food of Zonal Lions." Koshikawa was the first one to support the decision to move forward. The six students looked at each other with an uneasy expression, "This is what I meant when I said that none of you had the courage to leave this ce. I don''t me you. This is natural. Since none of you are giving a proper answer, we''ll stay at the academy then." Mitsuhara knew this wasing. "Wait, we haven''t made the decision yet. I''m moving forward. Who else is with me? Raise your hands." Koshikawa didn''t want to surrender to his fate. Imada raised his hand. Few secondster, all the six of them raised their hands. Mitsuhara''s face changed."This is not good. The six of you shouldn''t force yourselves or the result would be worse." "We are going! We have already made our decisions." Asuka stubbornly said. The rest of the students nodded. "Teacher, we might be forcing ourselves to appear brave but it''s true that none of us want to die without trying." Koshikawa wryly smiled. Chapter 103: Aftermath of a Tragedy (3) Chapter 103: Aftermath of a Tragedy (3) Outside of Sakura Garden Academy. The survivors'' group had a calm expression on their faces but their hearts were anything but calm. Zonal Lions are incredibly ferocious beasts which were considered almost-extinct in the Modern Era. It was generally thought that only a few research subjects were left. However, listening to Mitsuhara changed their minds. After all, how can a species be extinct if there are enough of them to surround the entire ind. There were countless stories written in books which told the stories of how beastly Zonal Lions were. "Don''t worry. Mitsuhara-sensei is Silver. To defeat a single Zonal Lion, he alone is enough." Imada said, trying to console the traumatized second-year girl. The girl''s expression was the same. "What if more than onee?" Even Imada couldn''t bear to say - ''Nothing would happen''. He himself was very anxious and scared inside but had to keep a brave front. ''I could only sigh andment about my situation.'' "Are you scared?" He heard an annoying voice from behind. Turning back, he saw Koshikawa giving him a meaningful smile. He didn''t know why but the third-year looked very annoying to him. If Imada had to give a reason, it would be that - ''He had a punchable face''. "Well, of course. I am scared. Are you? I guess not, tough shit." Imada didn''t hold back. "That''s normal. I''m not mocking you being scared. At least you are honest about it." Koshikawa still had a casual smile on his face, then turned to Asuka sitting at the corner. "Unlike some people who would keep on pretending till the end." Asuka''s ear perked up but she didn''t clearly hear what the guy was saying. "Huh? Did you say something to me?" "Oh no, I was just talking about how beautiful" Before he could finish, Asuka had an arrogant expression on her face. "... how beautiful nature is around this ce." Asuka snorted. "Say that to the Zonal Lions." Meanwhile, Koshikawa again turned to look at Imada. "See her? She is the prime example of a Noble who acts like a Noble just because she is a Noble and she doesn''t even do that well. Seriously, most nobles are beyond my understanding." "I am a Noble as well." Imada wasn''t exactly proud of being a ''Noble'' because to him,petence doesn''t depend on one''s social status but rather, the person himself. "You are? Let me guess, you rarely lived in your parents'' house." "No." "You were bullied." "Not really." "Are you telling me that you were raised as a full-fledged Noble son?" "I don''t understand your definition of a ''full-fledged Noble''. Do you think that your personality is set when you were born as a Noble? I don''t think like that. I have met many Nobles who had an absolutely snobbish attitude with the typical arrogant Noble attitude. But retrospectively speaking, I have met an equally same number of people who are humble. It depends on how they are raised. Some parents are strict with behaviour and some aren''t. My parents were overly strict and that''s why growing up, I have been mistaken as amoner on many asions." "I understand that very well. However, even the humblest of Nobles have arrogance." "That''s just human nature. I could say the same for amoner. Amoner simrly bes arrogant when he has better aptitudes. Sure, there''s nepotism but I don''t think there''s actual difference between amoner and a Noble nowadays. Amoner can work his way up and be a Noble." "Although that''s not half as easy as you are saying, I appreciate your opinion." Koshikawa said, before closing his eyes. "This guy how can he take a nap at this time?" Imada was a bit shocked as to how casual Koshikawa could be. "When are we going to leave?" The second-year girl asked with an anxious expression. "Let me see how preparations are going." Imada got up and went outside the carriage. Mitsuhara and Maki were holding the new generation engine. Just as he came outside, Mistuhara noticed him. "What''s the matter, Imada? You need something?" "Can I help?" "You have to even if you don''t want to." Mitsuhara pped the rectangr-steel box which is also called the new generation engine. Seeing Imada didn''t quite understand what he said, Maki exined. "The new generation engine is fueled by G.C. and you along with the others have to help." "How much G.C. will it take?" Imada was up for it. "Thirty is the bare minimum to reach the coast." "Thirty!?" Imada was prepared for it but even he was shocked. It has been known that an average student only has 4 G.C. which consisted of the majority of students from Sakura Garden Academy. Outstanding students like Imada and Asuka have more than 7 but that''s it. It takes an entire five years to increase the G.C. by a significant amount and that is called the <>. However, before the <>, one has to reach Bronze. There is not a single student in the entire Academy who is bronze-ranked. This just goes to show how difficult it is to rank up. "I''m sure that the six of you have more than thirty." "Cumtively, we do but what do we do when we" Mitsuhara scoffed. "You guys are actually having thoughts about fighting? Don''t make meugh. You can barely stand on two feet and I doubt you can even do this when you see a bloodthirsty ferocious beast in front of you. It''s good to dream but you shouldn''t overestimate yourselves." Imada wanted to retort but couldn''t find words to. He knew that Mitsuhara was doing this for their safety. "In that case, I''ll try to help" *Howl!* ''F*ck!'' - was the first thing that came into his mind after hearing the soul-scaring howl. He rushed towards the new generation engine. "How should I fuel it?" Mitsuhara''s expression didn''t flinch when he heard the howl. He first turned to Maki who seemed to understand what he was trying to say, then turned to Imada. "Push the handle and pour your G.C. into it." Imada did what he was told. He poured his entire day''s worth of G.C. into the handle. "Good, now go back to the carriage." Meanwhile, Maki returned to Mitsuhara with the entire group. It took less than thirty seconds for the new generation engine to be filled. "How is this going to operate?" Koyami asked Mitsuhara who was sitting with them. ''What if the engine doesn''t start?'' "Oh, it''s the remote." Mitsuhara took out a remote from his pocket. "This" Not only Koyami, even the other members of the group except for Imada and Koshikawa were shocked. "Nevermind the small details. Now, let''s review the n. We are going to the coast through the long route. You understand why I''m doing this?" The others nodded. The short route was the most effective route because of how clean and short the route is. Simrly, the chances for Zonal Lions to be there was also high because of how in the slope is. Zonal Lions are never considered to be a beast which lives in high altitudes. Therefore, the safest route for them was the long route which goes through a fairly high peak. Chapter 104: Aftermath of a Tragedy (4) Chapter 104: Aftermath of a Tragedy (4) Red Autumn Peak. It has been an hour since the group started their journey to the coast. Since then, nothing has happened. Not a hair of Zonal Lions was spotted. However, the group didn''t rx. "How much is left?" Oshima looked around the surroundings vigntly and asked. "More than three hours if we continue at this speed." Mitsuhara calmly answered. He was a man with experience. Even if a Zonal Lion were to jump on his right now, he wouldn''t flinch. That''s how important experience is. "Before everything, I know we aren''t going to fight but we should at least know each other''s strength," Koshikawa suggested. "You mean you want us to tell you our POW?" Asuka had second thoughts about the question. "I don''t necessarily want you to tell me your POW. I want everyone to know of everyone''s POW." "I''m not against that." When she thought a bit deeper, she figured it wasn''t a bad idea. "I''m starting. My POW is 7." Koyami raised his hand. "Mine''s 10." Imada followed. Asuka: "I''m 9." Aya: "11." Sakai: "10." Oshima: "8." Koshikawa: "15." Of course, only the students answered. Maki and Mitsuhara didn''t because they were genuine Gruer Users and couldn''t just disclose their information. There were certain rules and regtions they had to follow for their own safety. Koshikawaughed as if he was very pleased. "So I''m the strongest one here." Others rolled their eyes. ''Well duh, you are a third year. Do you not feel ashamed when you areparing your POW against us?'' "Quiet," Mitsuhara said a single word but it was enough to shut everyone''s mouth. Imada went towards Mitsuhara and whispered in his ears. "Is something wrong?" Mitsuhara didn''t reply but seeing his expression was enough to get an answer. The student group went silent for the next few minutes. Not a single word was raised. A whileter, Mitsuhara stopped the carriage. "All of you, stay here." Looking at the students, he said in a strict tone. Turning to Maki, he said. "Come with me." Getting off the carriage, Mitsuhara parked the carriage in a ce full of trees. "Was it from the top?" Maki''s tone was grave. "It is from the top," Mitsuhara confirmed her suspicions, then jolted towards the top of the peak. His speed was so fast that all the students could see was a shadow. Maki followed the figure closely. "Our POW looks nothingpared to them," Koshikawamented with a dejected expression. The others nodded. *** Maki and Mitsuhara were sprinting to the topmostyer of the peak. "Mitsuhara-sensei, what''s the n?" "There''s no n," Mitsuhara answered, having a serious look. "We have to kill them head-on." "Them?" Maki looked as if she had received a shock. "You heard it right. There are at least three Zonal Lions." "How are we going to fight them?" Maki''s tone suggested that she was a bit afraid. "Support me from behind," Mitsuhara said before quickening his pace. A minuteter, the duo hid behind trees and kept a close look at the surroundings. "Are they hiding in the cave?" Mitsuhara chuckled. "They are living in the cave, not hiding." "How can you still joke around this time?" "Can you do <>?" "I can." Maki was a Bronze-ranked Combative Gruer User. <> was one of the first ranked skills to learn when one reaches the Bronze rank. "Good. I''ll lure one of the Zonal Lions here and you have to use <> in such precision so that the Zonal Lion gets hit by that pointed edge.. Can you do that?" Mitsuhara pointed to a sharp,rge boulder. "I will try." Maki was unsure if she could bring in such precision. "You can''t try, you have to do it." Mitsuhara patted her shoulders. Maki felt that the responsibility and pressure on her shoulders had increased. Not because Mitsuhara''s hand was heavy. "I I will do it." Forcing herself to convince herself that she could do it, she nodded her head. "That''s better. People find this hard to believe but your rate of sess increases when you force yourself to believe something that doesn''t follow a logical train of thoughts." Mitsuhara inhaled and exhaled air to regte his breathing and dashed off towards the cave. When he came near, he hid in a bush and observed. ''No signs of Zonal Lions here ites." A three-feet tall lion, standing on four legs with a single horn on its head came out. ''Where are the others?'' Mitsuhara didn''t immediately reveal himself. He carefully gauged the surroundings of the Zonal Lion and upon finding that there weren''t any other besides the Zonal Lion that came out, he shook the bush. The Zonal Lion''s terrifying gaze went to the gaze and without any signals, it jumped upon the bush. Mitsuhara came out from the bush and calmly looked at it without making any sound. He had to lure this beast to the particr spot and couldn''t fight till then. It''s not that he was afraid of a head-on fight with the beast but because he didn''t want to alert the other two beasts. His senses told him that the other two Zonal Lions were nearby. The Zonal Lion didn''t immediately pounce on him. It decided to make a move as soon as the other party makes a move. *Step* Mitsuhara took a small step back while cautiously looking at the beast. The Zonal Lion also took another step front. Slowly and steadily, Mitsuhara took a couple of steps back. The Zonal Lion still didn''t pounce on him. It simrly took a few steps forward, closing the gaps that were made. Mitsuhara took another step back. However, this time, as the Zonal Lion was about to take another step forward, Mitsuhara started running. The Zonal Lion didn''t howl and simply chased after the man. ''The beast is convinced that I''m scared of him. That''s why it didn''t call its familiars.'' Mitsuhara''s first step of the n seeded. Meanwhile, Maki was sweating bullets while preparing for a <>. ''Hopefully, this would be enough.'' She stopped pouring her G.C. and turned to look at the cave and immediately got stunned. ''Not so fast. I didn''t even prepare myself.'' Maki came out of the trees she was hiding behind and concentrated her mind over to the Zonal Lion that was chasing Mitsuhara. ''Can I do it from this distance?'' For <> to seed, one needs to be at a reasonable distance from the opponent. The closer your opponent is, the better the chances are that it hits your opponent. With some hesitation, she sprinted towards the Zonal Lion. The Zonal Lion, because it was chasing Mitsuhara, failed to notice a figure close to it. *Boom!* The Zonal Lion flew off and its back touched the sharp end of the boulder as red blood slipped from its body. Maki heaved a sigh of relief and smiled as her attack was sessful but Mitsuhara didn''t rx. He went near Zonal Lion and confirmed whether it was breathing or not. After a few seconds, he wiped off the sweat from his forehead. "Fortunately, it''s dead. Your attack was praiseworthy however" His voice slowly turned silent when he noticed two huge figures standing at a distance. Chapter 105: Aftermath of a Tragedy (5) Chapter 105: Aftermath of a Tragedy (5) Red Autumn Peak. The students had an anxious frown on their faces. Even the carefree Koshikawa was serious. They knew that they were threading between a thin line of life and death. A stretch? No. If a mishap urs, then their fate is doomed. "Shall I go and check?" It''s been over ten minutes and they still haven''t returned. Needless to say, as the oldest of the group, Koshikawa volunteered to survey the area. "No need. Mitsuhara-sensei told us to stay here." Imada raised his objection. "Imada''s right. What are you going to do if a Zonal Lion suddenly appears?" Sakai also raised his objection. The others were quiet. It was unknown what they were thinking. "Alright, fine. I''m taking a nap. Wake me up when they return." Koshikawafortablyid down on the carriage and closed his eyes. Imada didn''t know where to start hisint from. With a sigh, he also closed his eyes. "What''s wrong? Feeling tired?" Aya''s voice came from the side. "Heh, I haven''t even done anything so I''m not really physically tired but my mental strength is copsing." Imada said with a bitter smile. A few days ago, he was a young man with ambitions and looked forward to his life. However, with the tragedy that unfolded before his eyes, he felt himself maturing overnight and as a fifteen-year-old, he couldn''t keep up with that. "I''m the same. That devil he was too terrifying. I haven''t seen or heard of anyone who could so effortlessly destroy lives. Silver ranked Gruer Users were like babies in front of him. Maybe Dean could hold up against him. That''s right! Where was the Dean when all of this happened!?" Aya got furious when she thought deeper. Imada was the same. He couldn''t believe how irresponsible the Dean is. "Well, what did you expect? The Dean who barely visits the academy once a year to fly over here and act like a hero? No, this isn''t a story. This is reality. The Dean is probably preupied with personal life." Sakai let out a dryugh. "This is the biggest and most reputed Academy and you are telling me that the Dean doesn''t even live here? That''s bullsh*t!" Asuka wasn''t convinced of Koshikawa''s exnation. "Believe it or not. That''s the truth." Sakai shrugged. "Cough, cough." A figure approached the carriage. "Maki-sensei!" Aya was the first one to notice her but as soon as she came near to her, her expression turned into horror. "Wh-what happened to you? And where is Mitsuhara-sensei?" Maki''s current appearance was ghastly. Her clothes were drenched in red blood. When she coughed, a mouthful of blood was let out. "I''ll talkter." Staggering her feet, she touched Aya''s back and with her help, she reached the carriage. "What do you need, Sensei? Here''s your bag." Koyami''s expression was one of fright when saw her state but he calmed himself down and passed the bag to her. Maki''s bloody hands ran through the contents of the bag and took out a H-Healing Potion and drank the entire thing. "Apply some ointment on cuts" With that, she copsed on the carriage. The group looked at each other and didn''t know what to do for a while. Finally, Imada spoke up. "Aya, apply ointment around the cuts and take care of her." "Huh? Okay." Imada nodded, then turned to Koshikawa. "Do you have the remote?" "I do." "Please roll the carriage." Koshikawa nodded seriously. However, the other students weren''t very happy about this decision. Asuka: "Wait a minute, what about Mitsuhara-sensei?" Sakai: "Yes, Imada. Let''s wait for a few minutes. It might not be as bad as you think." "Can''t be done. We are moving. Koshikawa, please." Imada understood what he was doing. They were not in a position where they had the luxury to have a casual chat before Maki woke up and narrated what happened. ''Someone had to step up and make quick decisions. If we fall into a slump here, we are doomed.'' Surprisingly, the studentsplied to his request and didn''t raise any objections. An hour passed by in dreadful silence. By now, everyone has realized that their only moral and strong support - Mitsuhara is no more. Maki woke up but she remained quiet. Her eyes looked dead. asionally, she clutched her head and opened her mouth and said some inaudible things. "Imada, it''s about time." Koshikawa casually looked at the De-Facto Head of the group. Imada knew what he was talking about and turned to Maki. "I know it''s hard for you but could you try to exin what happened?" "Imada she-" Aya was about to raise a voice of protest when the person involved stopped her. "It''s alright I-I have a responsibility to exin myself." Her voice was hoarse. "Take it slow." Even Asuka''s heart softened when she saw her current appearance. "Mitsuhara-sensei fell from the peak along with two Zonal Lions" "..." Even though they knew it wasing, it was still a big shock to everyone. "How did it happen?" Imada steeled his heart and asked. "H-he protected me by luring the two Zonal Lions and then jumped off the peak." Imada slumped on the carriage. The rest looked at each other and stayed silent. Koshikawa, as usual, controlled the carriage in a carefree manner. *** Two hourster. "So this is the coast?" Aya looked at the beautiful ocean that seemed endless and felt peaceful in her heart. Thest two hours were apanied with cold silence. Although her mood wasn''t the best because of Mitsuhara''s death, she was d that her teacher''s sacrifice wasn''t meaningless. At the same time, she also realized her own selfishness. "What''s wrong? Depressed?" Imada came from behind. Aya nodded sadly. "Mitsuhara-sensei had a wife and family waiting for him. What would happen when they learn that he died to save us?" Imada didn''t reply. He didn''t know how he should. After a while, he dered. "I''ll take responsibility." "Oh? Responsibility? A brat like you?" Before Aya could reply, Koshikawa sneered. "What''s the big deal? I''m the Leader, ain''t I?" "Don''t think too highly of yourself. You are nothing but a kid. What could a kid like you possibly do?" Sakai alsomented from the side. Asuka snorted. "Your entire life isn''t worthy enough to take responsibility." Hearing the barrage of insults, Imada was speechless. "Then what do we do? Leave Mitsuhara-sensei''s family in the dark? That man lost his daughter. Even so, he didn''t give up and until the end, died protecting us. You all can do whatever you like but I''ll do whatever it takes for the news to reach his family." "When did we say we don''t want you to do that?" At this moment, Koshikawa smiled. "You just said" Imada was initially furious but he soon realized when they meant. ''They will take responsibility alongside me.'' A warm smile appeared on his face. "Enough chit-chat. We found the emergency ship. Today, we will take a rest as it''s almost dark and tomorrow we''ll leave for" Koshikawa didn''t continue. No, he couldn''t continue. "We''ll leave for the Central?" Asuka guessed. Koshikawa had a wry smile on his face. "I don''t know. As the ship engine." "..." Everyone once again fell silent. Chapter 106: Aftermath of a Tragedy (6) Chapter 106: Aftermath of a Tragedy (6) Darkness dawned upon the ind. By now, everyone was rxed in their respective rooms in the emergency ship. Imada brushed his hair and got out of the room. He slowly made his way towards the deck where he saw Koshikawazily lying down in a rest chair. Sensing the footsteps, Koshikawa turned around with a smile. "You are early." "So are you." Imadaid on a rest chair and thought about today''s events. This was the day he would never forget in his entire life. "Look at the sky." Koshikawa pointed his fingers towards the shining stars. "Uh yeah, the stars look beautiful." "No, I meant the sky is clear." "Your point?" "It won''t rain tomorrow." "Well duh, this ain''t the monsoon season." Imada replied, then his nce became fixed on a bottle in Koshikawa''s hands. "What''s that?" "Wine." Koshikawa smiled. "From the ship?" "From the academy." "Wow, while we were working hard, you were searching for wine?" "Don''t be a wuss. I''ll let you have a taste." "Taste of what?" Asuka''s voice came from behind. Koshikawa turned his head and looked at the neer smilingly. "Do you drink?" "O-of course, what do you take me for?" Imada wasn''t convinced by her flinching of eyes and therefore suggested. "How about no?" "Whatints do you have? The Princess herself gave me permission." Imada was too tired to continue dealing with this troublemaker and closed his eyes. "Wake up. Don''t sleep yet. Everyone arrived." Just as he was about to fall asleep, an annoying voice disturbed his peace. Needless to say, it was Koshikawa. Koyami was in the front, followed by Aya, Sakai, Oshima andstly Maki who didn''t have a good expression. "Everyone arrived?" Koshikawa confirmed. "What do you think?" Aya rolled her eyes. "Before I start, everyone please take a seat. The rest chairs are quitefortable. I also have a bottle of wine with me so please rx." Everyone obediently took a seat after which Koshikawa turned to Imada. Imada sighed, then opened his mouth. "I''ll mention the existing problems. First and foremost, the engine doesn''t have much battery left. We can definitely not reach the maind with this." Everyone''s expression fell but just as they were about to speak up, Imada continued. "However, we can definitely reach the nearest ind, charge the battery and go back to the Central." "You are a damn tease." Asuka couldn''t help but curse. Rest of them also had relieved expressions. Imadaughed lightly, then coughed. "Moving on to the next point, does anyone here know how to board the ship?" "Isn''t it a remote control?" "Is it really? Has technology advanced to this level?" "Maybe it is because it is convenient." "What do you mean?" *** The group chatted with each other untilte night. Someid on the rest chair drunk. Except for Imada and Koshikawa, everyone heavily drank. Looking at the sleeping faces, Imada had a wry smile. "I wish I could be like them no that''s not going to do. I''m not at an appropriate age." "Who cares about age? Age is nothing but a number." Aya grinned standing behind him. "Even if no one does, I do. Now, go back to your room. I''ll talk to you in the morning." "Leave him be, Aya. He''s boring." Koshikawa handed over a bottle of alcohol to her. *** The next day. A soul-piercing scream came from one of the rooms. Imada instantly got up from the bed and went to the source of the sound. Along the way, he met up with Koshikawa and the others. "Where did ite from?" Imada asked in a grave tone. "Aya." Koshikawa answered briefly. Imada''s speed elerated. Coming in front of the door, he kicked the door open and saw a horrifying scene. "T-this how?" Imada had never been so stunned in his life after the incident that happened yesterday. Aya was standing there beside the bed looking at a bloodied headless figure. It didn''t take more than a few seconds to find out who that was for everyone - Oshima! His head was in the bed tilted with his eyes closed. The body was standing still leaning on the wall. After a few seconds, it fell down in front of Aya and a gush of internal organs came out. Aya stood there standing as if she was still in a nightmare. Not a single of the students could hold it in and threw up. *** An hourter. Everyone stood in a circle with grave faces. "I''m just going to ask, who did that?" Imada was strangely angry. "That''s not how things work. No one''s going to tell you anything. You have to find it out." Koshikawa shook his head with a bitter look. "It''s you, isn''t it?" Imada looked straight at Koshikawa. "I can''t move." Koyami let out a confused voice. "I can''t either. What''s going on?" Imada looked at the two who said strange things and opened his mouth but just as he was about to say something, Maki spoke up. "Someone paralyzed us!" "Huh? Paralyzed? How?" Imada''s gaze was that of shock when he noticed that his friends couldn''t take a step. A thought entered his mind and then he immediately turned to look at Koshikawa who was still carefree. "Don''t! Wait! Don''t hit me! I''m not the viin! Trust me." Koshikawa staggered backward and pleaded. Imada stopped. "Give me an exnation." Koshikawa wiped off the sweat from his forehead and sat down on the chair in front of everyone''s burning eyes. "Look, the alcohol contained a paralyzing drug." "How dare you, f*cker!" Asuka cursed out. Others also had simr thoughts but didn''t say anything because they wanted him to continue. "The reason I did this is extremely obvious." Koshikawa said with a carefree smile. "Before the carriage started moving, I had a chat with Mitsuhara-sensei Maki-sensei can testify to that." Imada turned to look at Maki, who nodded. "Continue." "Mitsuhara-sensei told us that sub-humans could attract beasts." Imada scoffed. "Did Zonal Lionse to the ind by swimming?" "They were underground, ording to Mitsuhara-sensei. He also said that when a sub-human is nearby, the beastse out of their hibernation." "I understand. Then?" "Then what? Could it be that you don''t understand a simple thing? Besides, did you really think that those three sub-humans were betting on the Zonal Lions to kill us? Didn''t you think that the woman''s tone was too confident when she said that we''ll die?" Imada was about to get angry but then decided to properly give a thought. A few secondster, his expression along with the others'' changed. "Why did you first suspect us? There could have been a sub-human on the ind." "Is it alright to leave it be?" Imada couldn''t deny this. Even if the chance of a sub-human appearing among themselves is slim, it''s not zero and that''s enough of a reason to do this. Even drugging five people doesn''t seem much. "Do you know who it is?" He had to be reasonable now. Koshikawa shook his head. "I don''t but I have a suspect." His eyes turned to the one at the extreme corner - Maki. Maki gave a light depressingugh. "It''s fine. I don''t me you for suspecting me." ''There is certainly a good reason to suspect Maki'' Imada carefully thought, then looked at Koshikawa. "Now that you have a suspect, how are you going to prove that she is a sub-human?" "Well!" Koshikawa smiled and took out a small bottle of colorless liquid. "You know what this is?" Imada and the others shook their heads. "It is a weak acid. Now, Maki. Could you tell me what Mitsuhara-sensei said?" Chapter 107: Aftermath of a Tragedy (7) Chapter 107: Aftermath of a Tragedy (7) "Every sub-humans have a spear-shape on their back that gets highlighted when an acid with low concentration is poured upon the back." "Everyone heard that, right?" "Start with me, then." Imada pulled out his shirt. Koshikawa poured a bit of acid into his back. Nothing happened. Even though Imada knew that he wasn''t a sub-human, he still heaved a sigh of relief. Koshikawa then turned to Maki who had a normal expression. "Show me your back." In normal times, Maki would have been embarrassed to show a whole group her back but now, she had no such thoughts. After some hesitation, she said. "See it." Since she was paralyzed, she couldn''t really show anything but she could give the "permission". The acid from the bottle poured into her back as everyone watched the scene intently. Nothing happened! Imada let out augh. "Who is the suspect now?" Koshikawa ignored the taunt and turned to the next person - Asuka. After some cursing, she ultimately let him see her bareback. Nothing happened! Then, Sakai''s turn came. Nothing happened! Koyami Nothing happened! Imada was feeling pretty good about the results and smiled. But in the next second, his smile froze. "A spear mark appeared in Aya''s back!" Koyami couldn''t help but exim. Everyone else''s eyes went to Aya''s back. Saying nothing else, Koshikawa slumped down on his chair. "I-I I didn''t know about this! Imada, you trust me, right?" Aya started crying. Imada''s head went nk for a second. "Imada, this is not the time to appear hesitant!" Sakai berated him. "Y-yes, Imada I know that she''s your girlfriend but" Koyami also couldn''t help but persuade him. Lastly, Maki also had something to say. "Imada, no matter what you do. Be decisive and don''t regret itter." Koshikawa said nothing, he just looked at him amusedly. A whileter, Imada reached his decision. "Aya. No matter how much I trust you, I have to do what I have to do. Even so, my guts are telling me that something isn''t right. Why would Aya shriek and bring the body to her own room? Couldn''t she just hide it after killing Oshima?" "Perhaps, it''s a misdirection." Maki made a reasonable guess. Imada frowned. It''s not that he hadn''t thought of this but it was too simple. "I don''t believe that she is a sub-human." Hearing his response, Aya cried even more but this time, her tears weren''t that of shock and sadness but of joy. However, the same couldn''t be said for the group. "Imada, this is not the time to think about feelings! Use your head, knucklehead!" Asuka went berserk. The others simrly looked very disappointed at his decision. Imada turned to Koshikawa and straightforwardly said. "I don''t believe this sh*t." He knew that he wasn''t being logical but as someone who thinks he knows Aya very well, he didn''t want to believe it. Unexpectedly, Koshikawa smiled. "I don''t believe it either." He got up from the chair. Others were confused at his deration. Could it be that this guy is also acting on his feelings? "Maki!" Koshikawa turned to Maki who had a confused look. "Do you know what Mitsuhara-sensei and I talked about after you left?" "I don''t." "Well" Turning to Aya, Koshikawa brightly smiled. "Briefly speaking, the spear mark you have on yourself is not a sign of being a sub-human." Sakai: "What?" Koyami: "Why are you contradicting yourself?" Asuka: "Say things properly." "Don''t get me wrong. It is indeed true that a sub-human can be identified when a weak acid is poured over his/her back. However, there are some limitations. The said process could only be true in the case of sub-humans who aren''t special." Maki frowned. "Then how is it wrong for us to assume that Aya is a sub-human. You said it yourself that sub-humans who aren''t special have this spear mark on their back. Maybe she is a sub-human who isn''t special." "Maki-sensei seems pretty adamant about Aya being the sub-human. Haha! Jokes aside, yes. What you said is damn true. Aya could very well be a sub-human who isn''t special. Forget that, I don''t even know what''s the thing about sub-humans that makes them special" "Then-" "However! I do know what Mitsuhara-sensei told me. Observe closely." Koshikawa walked to Aya and rubbed his thumb against the spot where the spear mark was made. Slowly, the mark vanished. "This is a temporary mark put out by a sub-human who has touched this ce once. I wonder who did that" Imada and the others gauged their memory and their gazes turned to Maki. Maki had a cold expression on her face. "Are you saying I did this the time when I was supported by her?" "Yes," Koshikawa admitted with a smile. "But, I''m a reasonable man. How could I me you without having any actual proof? Mitsuhara-sensei gave me another method through which I can find out who exactly is the sub-human." "That''s not possible. There''s only a single method." "Everything''s possible for a man who has seen and experienced countless things. This method is just one of his secret knowledge. Alright, enough chit-chat. Could you face your back towards me?" Maki had a grim expression on her face. "Oh sorry, I forgot you were paralyzed." Koshikawa stepped forward and pulled her shirt up. Her back was clean without any spots. "Now, observe. You might be thinking that sub-humans who aren''t special are harder to detect but that''s not the case. All you have to do is press your thumb against the spinal cord and press it. Yup, that''s all you need to do." Imada and the others closely looked at her back which was still the same. "Nothing happen-" Imada''s voice was cut short when he saw a small spear mark appear on the spot where he pressed. "Imada, you might want to check if it''s another mark or not," Koshikawa said with a sigh. Imada moved forward and pressed his thumb against the spot and rubbed it. The spear mark was still intact. Everyone fell silent. Maki gave a hollowugh but didn''t say anything. "Should I do it or do you want to?" Koshikawa asked Imada. Nothing else needed to be proven. "I''ll do it." With a heavy breath, Imada stepped forward. "Why?" He asked a single question looking at Maki''s face. Maki drylyughed. "You all are still young you don''t understand how the world is say ''Hi'' to my family for me." "Will do." Imada nodded, then a one-feet long scythe appeared in Imada''s hands and A head fell to the ground. Silence reigned in the entire ship. *** An hourter, the effect of the paralyzing drug wore off. Maki''s body was thrown in the ocean. "Can I trust you?" Imada suddenly asked the third-year sitting beside him. "You can try." Koshikawa responded with a carefree smile, then went to his room. Even in the room, Koshikawa''s lips had the samezy smile. He looked at the mirror andughed lightly. Momentster, he took off his clothes and went to the bathroom to take a shower. If anyone was here, they would have noticed a familiar small spear mark was marked on his back. Chapter 108: Angry Reza Chapter 108: Angry Reza Rewen stared outside the window of the car with a bored expression. He had already been sitting tight on his seat for thest two hours and it was enough to test his patience. Sitting beside him was a ck-haired cute girl who was fiddling with her phone. It was naturally Reza. In the front seat sat a blue-haired man in his early twenties. Beside the young man was the driver. ''It was boring.'' Rewen couldn''t help but yawn. He had expected the ride to be more fun and talkative. "Hase." With nothing else to do, he tried to initiate a conversation with the blue-haired young man in the front seat. "Hm? Anything you want to talk about?" Hase turned back and smiled at him. Rewen had to admit that Hase was a very patient and well-mannered man. He is the kind of friend you want to be best friends with. "Uh, nothing too serious. I was thinking about <>." "Oh! That reminds me. I didn''t properly demonstrate the skill to you when I promised I would." "It''s fine. I was just curious." The conversation was going smoothly but how could it continue to be smooth when the little brat beside Rewen scoffed. "Hmph! A fatass like you want to learn <>? Dream on!" "Why does me being a fatass have to do anything with learning <>?" "You are fat because you werezy when you grew up." ''Well, I can''t deny that. The previous Arai Atsushi was indeed a bit, no, veryzy and failed to take care of his own body.'' Rewen''s face had a bitter smile. "I am now working out." This was all he could say. "Lame." Reza spoke one word before turning her head away. Hase looked at the banter with a wry smile. He knew that his cousin was very unreasonable. He could only hope that his "guest from Central" wouldn''t get too offended. *** The car stopped to have a break near a restaurant. "What do you want to have?" Hase asked while looking at the menu. "Anything with less calories." Reza gave a straight answer. "Anything with meat." Growing up in the vige, Rewen was used to having meat of all kinds. Some might think that since he had grown up eating meat, he should have gotten used to it. However, Rewen was built differently. ''It''s an acquired taste.'' He answers when someone asks for the reason. "This is why you are this fat!" Of course, the gentledy didn''t forget to add her own personalment. Rewen knew how she was and didn''t want to banter with her. *** After the meal, Rewen was feeling sleepy and decided to take a nap. "Don''t you dare sleep!" "Huh? Why? What''s the matter?" "If you sleep, your head will fall on my shoulder. I don''t want to give any of my first time to a person like you." Reza said with a grave tone. "How pragmatic can you be?" To be honest, Rewen was getting annoyed by her annoying personality. "I don''t know and I don''t care. Just don''t sleep." Rewen didn''t care about her and took a nap. Time passed by. *** Rewen was quietly sleeping leaning by the window. He had already gotten used to the asional jumps of the car and sleeping peacefully. "Wake up." Rewen''s eyes slowly opened and saw a blue-haired young man standing on the other side. "It''s already night?" Rubbing his eyes, he looked at the surroundings. "Midnight. I booked three rooms." "We have arrived at the Capital? How fast was the car? How can it be so quick?" "It''s been twelve hours. The reason we arrived so quickly is because our city is close to the Capital." Rewen got out of the car. "Where is Reza?" "She is in her room." "I see. Can I ask what exactly this event is all about?" Even after reading the entire first volume, he didn''t know what the event was about. ''The volume ends after it was found out that Maki was the traitore to think of it, she should have been dead by today and the surviving group should be heading towards the nearest ind. "I''ll tell you about it tomorrow." Hase smiled. "Both you and I are mentally tired." "Okay, it''s better in that case." *** It was a bright morning. The Capital was in the tropical zone and needless to say, it was way too hard for Rewen toe out of the room full of air conditioners. "But there is no other option" Rewen brushed his teeth with dropped eyes. Next, he took a shower and wore new clothes. "I have to say though, these clothes are of far better quality than those I wore back at home." Obviously, he was talking about "Arai Atsushi''s" home, not his own. Brushing his hair all the way to the back, he felt like he had gotten a little better. "I guess pompadour suits my facial muscles." After exiting his own room, he went to Hase''s room. The door was open and he saw Hase packing up some stuff. "Everything''s ready?" Hase turned to look. "Good morning. Yeah, we are all set to go." "Where is Reza?" "She is having her breakfast." "Why is she trying to do things so differently?" "She has always been like this. Nevermind her, let''s join her." *** "Sost night, you said you would tell me about the event?" Rewen brought the topic up. "Haha, you are very curious." "I am." "What is it, Cousin?" Reza''s ears perked up. "He wants to know about the event." "He doesn''t even know something this basic?" "Don''t be rude. He isn''t from here. How is he supposed to know?" "Even so isn''t this event quite popr internationally?" "Let me start with Exquisite Immemorial Pce. Do you know what the Pce is about?" Hase thought it would be best to ignore his problematic cousin. "I don''t." Rewen honestly answered. "Hah! Of course, you don''t! A fatass like you doesn''t have the right to know anything." Reza sneered. "F*ck off! You don''t have to seek attention from me cause I''ll never give you any." Rewen finally reached his limits. He isn''t always this tolerant. When he first arrived in this world, he learned that if he doesn''t want to get his a*s beaten, he has to be humble and tolerant. In the beginning, he was very tolerant. Even when someone spits on him, he doesn''tsh out unlike what he used to be when he was in his world. The current him was a bit changed. He presumed that if his bullies (Koyami and the others) were to bully him right now, he would certainly do something. This is all because of the soul remnant of his predecessor. Not Arai Atsushi. But the Rewen Klofar of the Earth. His soul remnant had affected his own personality in some way he himself didn''t realize untilter. Reza''s face was red. Hase knew something would happen so he immediately turned to Rewen. "Let''s go and take a walk around the Capital." "Sounds good." Rewen also didn''t want to escte the matter and walked off with Hase. Reza, however, wanted to escte. Gritting her teeth, she swore all the curses she knows to Rewen in her mind. Chapter 109: Exquisite Immemorial Palace Chapter 109: Exquisite Immemorial Pce "Ah, where was I?" Walking down the fairly crowded streets, Hase asked in a soft tone. "The Exquisite Immemorial Pce." Rewen didn''t get how he could not remember something he started seconds ago. Not to mention, he didn''t even start talking about the topic. "Ah yes, the Exquisite Immemorial Pce" Hase had a nostalgic expression on his face. "First of all, it is a pce." "Wow, I didn''t know about that." "It is a Pce specifically made for the highest-ranking Nobles in the Nation of Bandits." "The King lives in the Pce?" "Excuse me, the second highest-ranking Nobles live there. In other words, everyone who isn''t directly rted to the King but is still in the family." "The former Princes, huh." "Exactly." "Interesting. So what''s this event all about?" "It''s too choose the most promising of the young generations. Apetition between the heavyweights of the young generations. There is only a single reward only given to the winner." "I have a fight? A tournament of sorts?" "Not a tournament. It''s not about to choose who''s the strongest, but rather the most worthy. I think you know this very well but being strong doesn''t equal being worthy. Since you received the invitation, there should be something special in you." All of a sudden, Rewen was very interested in thispetition. "Do you know how thepetition would be conducted?" "Every year, the event''s different. I''m sure this year will be something special." "Why do you so?" "Because it''s the fifteenth birthday of the Old King''s granddaughter." "Old King''s granddaughter? You mean the daughter of one of the first-generation Princes?" "Yes." "Is she a bigshot?" "She is an icon among the young generation. Not only is she extremely talented, she is also beautiful despite only being fifteen." "What does beauty have anything to do with anything?" Rewen didn''t understand the importance of a beautiful face. He did, however, he didn''t know how it was of any relevance. If she was an actress, he could understand but why does it somehow "amplify" her status as a personality? Hearing that, Hase''s face twisted and he soon burst out inughter. "HAHAHAHA! S-sorry but you are too funny" Rewen had a queer expression on his face. "W-wasn''t it a good one?" He had to act natural. "Yes. Cough,ing to the point. The event this year would be different because the granddaughter of the Old King is turning fifteen." "Have you heard of the slightest thing about the kind of event?" Hase didn''t answer for a while. "It''s probably hunting." "Hunting what? Beasts?" Hase shook his head. "Gruer Orbs." "What are those?" "Gruer Orbs are orbs that contain special skills once consumed. There are different kinds of Gruer Orbs namely - Azure Blue, Light Green and White." "That''s too vague." "Gruer Orbs are in the shape of perfect spheres. Has a diameter of five centimeters and glows depending on the kinds. An Azure Blue Gruer Orb glows in Azure Blue color. The skills that one learns when a Gruer Orb is consumed will have to be discovered by oneself." "Are the skills random?" "Random? No, not really. Azure Blue Gruer Orbs gives a Combative ranked skill, Light Green Gruer Orbs gives a Healing ranked skill and White Gruer Orbs gives a Sealing ranked skill." "Can we buy them or anything?" "Of course not. You have to find them on your own ord." "Find? Where exactly does it exist?" "You''lle to know." Hase''s eyes spotted a familiar figure in the crowd. "Hase!" The familiar figure also saw someone familiar and shouted. "You are also participating in the event?" It was a young man about Hase''s age. "I''m, well, still less than twenty-five years old." "So am I. So tell me, how have you been? Also, who is this?" The young man''s gaze turned to Rewen. "I''ve been okay. Neither bad nor good. As for him, he is a distant rtive." Hase replied before Rewen could answer. "A distant rtive, huh? Nice to meet you." The young man stretched his hand. Rewen smiled and shook it. "Nice to meet you as well." "I''m a bit busy. I''ll talk to youter." The young man waved his hands and walked away. Seeing his back, Rewen asked in curiosity. "Who is this man?" "He is one of the grandsons of the Old King." "To think I just shook hands with a Prince, I feel lucky. Not to mention, you even seemed to be quite friendly with him." "Oh yes, I know him and asionallyplete missions with him." Hase answered with augh. "Missions?" "I forgot. You are just a first-year student from the academy. Actually, when you be a Bronze-ranked Gruer User after the <>, it is mandatory toplete missions issued by the Council at least once a month." "Are the missions dangerous?" "Kind of. Even as a Bronze-ranked Gruer User, there are several missions where you need to risk your life toplete." Rewen''s face couldn''t be described at this point. He had always thought this world to be peaceful but turns out he was wrong. Hase chuckled. "Don''t worry, it''s only dangerous if youplete missions alone. When you hire an entire group of Gruer Users toplete a mission, it''s easy." "Isn''t that like cheating?" Rewen expected the Council to have strict rules. "There''s no such rule that you can''t take external help. The Council doesn''t care whether Iplete a mission alone all by myself or I take help from my family and friends as long Iplete the mission. The Council isn''t a school where they teach you to be fair. It is an anti-terrorist organization aimed to keep the Nations peaceful." "That makes a lot of sense." Rewen felt as if he had asked a lot of questions but he still had some questions in his mind. "Can I ask a non-rted question?" "Sure." "Is there any way I could increase my potential?" "Potential in what attribute? It is immensely difficult to increase G.C. unless you go through <> which can''t be done until you are twenty." "I don''t care about G.C., just POW." Hase pondered about it for about a minute while walking. Rewen didn''t disturb him and patiently waited for the answer. "Still difficult." Hase said in a serious tone. "However if you are really serious" Rewen''s eyes shone. "I''m serious." "In that case, you can try to win thepetition. You do remember that there is only a single reward and only one winner, right? Thatst reward is your own wish. Of course, the wish has to be reasonable." If it were any other person, they would have t rejected the ridiculous idea. After all, howrge is the Nation of Bandits? There are geniuses in every part of the nation. Even right now, Rewen himself is the lowest of the lowest. Thinking that he could win thepetition is not even a funny joke. It''s ridiculous to a scary level. Rewen had the same thoughts. No, he would have the same thoughts if it weren''t for --- Alter Points: 32 --- He chuckled inwardly. ''Sure, my golden finger isn''t much and I myself don''t amount to much but right now, I have the opportunity to use my golden finger in the most raw and efficient way.'' Chapter 110: Princess Ayame Chapter 110: Princess Ayame Exquisite Immemorial Pce. In a certain room of the grand Pce, an old man was watching her granddaughter with admiration and a doting look in his eyes. "Ayame is looking as great as ever." Looking at his angel of a granddaughter, he couldn''t help butment. "Really?" Hearing her grandfather''spliment, Princess Ayame has a sweet smile on her face. "Can I request something, grandfather?" The old man''s eyes became serious. "If you want to participate in the event, then I have to deny this request." Princess Ayame pouted her small mouth. She walked to her grandfather and swayed his hands. "Come on please?" The old man didn''t budge. "No. If you want anything else, I could give it to you." "You are so hateful!" Throwing a little tantrum, she went out of the room. Looking at the back of his granddaughter, the old man sighed. *Swish* Behind him, a tall man wearing ck with a mask appeared. He was the kind of guy who shouts - "I''m an assassin" without verbally telling anyone. "Your Majesty, is this alright?" The man in ck half knelt near the old man. "Follow her. She is one heck of a troublemaker. Make sure that she doesn''t enter thepetition by any means." The old man said in amanding tone,pletely unlike the time he was talking to his granddaughter. "As you wish." *** It was noon. The sun was ''Ah, forget it. I''m too tired to even narrate how tired I am.'' Rewen was someone who couldn''t handle heat. "Are you fine?" Hase didn''t know why the young man beside him was sighing from time to time. "I''m fine. Just a little heat intolerant. Can I buy an umbre?" Rewen''s eyes spotted a shop. "Sure." Hase nodded. Reza, who stood behind the two of them, didn''t like something. "Heh! A weak fatass like you would always be a weak fatass." ''Is that supposed to mean anything?'' Rewen didn''t want to retort because his mind was too preupied with the thought of heat. Some timeter. Holding an umbre above his head, Rewen felt a littlefortable. "Remember, you are not allowed to enter the Pce with an umbre on top of your head." Hase reminded him in goodwill. "What a bullshitw." Rewen cursed without any regards. Hase was about to berate him but then he remembered that the other party was a Central Noble. His family''s prestige might not be any lower than the Royal Family of the Nation of Bandits. Reza snorted. Ten minutester, the trio finally arrived at the Pce. Rewen wasn''t particrly shocked looking at the Pce. ''It looks good. Covers round three training grounds with three floors. Rather than a Pce, it looks more like a ce where government meetings are held periodically. But hey, who am I toin? Maybe it''s the culture. Come to think of it, I haven''t really visited my own family''s Pce.'' "Shocked, eh?" Seeing that Rewen didn''t say anything, Hase assumed that he was shocked and chuckled. "Of course, he is shocked. A fatass like him deserves to be shocked." The gentledy grinded her teeth. Somehow, looking at this fellow is enough to make her mad. "Uh, yeah. By the way, is everyone that ising here participants?" When Rewen looked around, he only saw youngsters entering the Pce. Not a single person from the old generation could be seen. "Indeed. Only youngsters at the time of yearly event and the Old King''s family are allowed to enter the Pce." "Why is that so?" "I don''t know." Hase shook his head. "So there are things you don''t know of?" Rewen said in a joking tone. Hase lightlyughed. "There are many things I don''t know about. The reason I could answer your questions is because they are basic stuff." "Are you telling me that I''m the one who is stupid?" "You only realized it now?" "HAHAHA!" "HAHAHA!" Seeing themugh and joke with each other made Reza frown. "Stupid. Laughter. Let''s enter. The celebration is about to start." "Why don''t you go first? Isn''t Princess Ayame your friend?" "Who''s Princess Ayame?" Rewen asked. "She''s the granddaughter of the Old King." "Oh, it''s a nice name." "Hmph! A fatass like you can never understand a name!" Reza snorted and walked away from the two. Rewen''s face wasn''t very good because of her annoying personality. He isn''t a saint. If it were not for the fact that he is living under her father''s roof, he wouldn''t have held back. "Rewen, I hope you can forgive her. She has always been like this." Hase could only wryly smile. On one side was his cousin. On the other was a Noble from the Central. "It''s fine. Let''s go." Rewen slightly nodded. *** Meanwhile, Reza made her way to meet up with her friends. "Reza!" Two girls waved at her from a distance. She recognized the two of them. The one standing at the right was the beautiful Princess Ayame and the one in the left was a Noble Lady she was close friends with. "You both look absolutely stunning." Unlike the time with Hase and Rewen, the Reza right now was full of smiles. "I''m the one who should say that." Princess Ayame smiled. "Listen, Reza. Did you hear what happened?" The other Noble Lady jumped with impatience. "What happened, Mari?" "The Old King wouldn''t let Ayame participate in thepetition!" "How can that be?" Reza''s face was full of disbelief. "After all the nning we did" It had to be known that Ayame and her group of friends had set up an alliance even before thepetition began. Coming up with all sorts of tricks, nning and strategies over the phone. It was even set that the winner of this year''spetition would be Ayame. "What''s wrong, all of you? Why are your faces looking so dull?" Another two girls who arrived just now joined the conversation. "It''s like this" Mari exined the entire situation to her friends. "This is a huge problem!" Her friends eximed. While everyone was stressing out, Reza suddenly said. "I have a n!" *** Main Hall. Rewen was asionally eating a bit of everything without getting embarrassed. ''I mean, I''m not the only one who is doing so.'' [How did the first volume feel?] All of the sudden, the system asked an abrupt question. ''The story was good. The reality wasn''t.'' [A good story is made out of tragedies.] ''I disagree. The entire Academy except for a couple of students shouldn''t have been killed. If the objective of the sub-humans was to spread the evidence of their existence, they didn''t have to kill absolutely everyone. Not to mention, they didn''t give the nine students a way out. If it wasn''t for Koshikawa''s quick wits, the group would have been dead. So that''s a plot hole.'' [Are you criticizing the story when you haven''t even read one-tenth of it?] ''A good story is one where it hooks the readers from the beginning. And no, it''s not like I hate the story or anything. If I want to make something of my argument, it would be nitpicking. All I''m saying that I have stayed in this world enough to consider this real and I don''t want to see illogical things happening.'' Chapter 111: Conflict Chapter 111: Conflict Exquisite Immemorial Pce. Main Hall. "Yo, when will be begin?" Rewen asked Hase. He had been doing nothing but devouring the food ced and taking a walk around the hall for the past two hours. "It will begin shortly." Hase gave the same reply he had been giving to Rewen for the past two hours. "Yeah, that ''shortly'' is too long for me." Rewen also understood the concept that since he is in a reputed ce, he shouldn''t be so impatient. ''I guess the nobles really are kind of self-centered people.'' "Hase. When did youe here?" This was the young man who met Hase and Rewen when they were talking. He was also one of the Princes. "I came not too long ago." Hase replied with a smile. "That''s great. By the way, I don''t know the name of this young man yet. How about you introduce us?" The young man turned to Rewen with a friendly smile. "My name is Rewen." "Rewen? That''s an odd name." "I hear that quite often." "Are you interested in joining my group after the start of thepetition?" "Isn''t there only one winner?" "There is only one winner. What I''m trying to say is, we stick together. Defeat other enemies who stick together and by the end, fight each other." "That''s clever. I''m interested. Is Hase joining as well?" "I am joining." Hase nodded. "Can I take your word for it?" The young Prince asked Rewen for confirmation. "Uh yeah. I will join your alliance but I''m afraid I won''t be of much use." "That''s fine." The young Prince shrugged it off. "Oh, I never seemed to have mentioned my name. You can call me Arata." "Your Highness Arata." "Just Arata will do." "Okay." "Then I''ll write your name on it. Meet me with Hase soon after thepetition begins." "Alright." After the young Prince, Arata, walked away, Rewen fell into thoughts. ''This should be the best course of action. If I wander around aimlessly, I would be defeated wait, why would I be defeated?'' "Isn''t this some kind of huntingpetition?" Rewen asked the blue-haired young man. "Yes." "Then why did it seem like we have to defeat people?" "Because we have to." "Why?" "Because others might not like what we have." "You mean Gruer Orbs?" "Yeah." "Isn''t there a rule like, you can''t fight others?" "There''s no such rule." "Then what''s even the purpose of hunting? At the end of the day, it''s just a test of strength." "You are not wrong." Hase appeared thoughtful. "This is stupid." Rewen was absolutely dumbfounded by the nature of the event. ''And here I thought, people are somewhat smart.'' [Stop nitpicking.] *** Soon after, an old man appeared. The old man had arge stature and was tall. "Ladies and gentlemen. Today, I have invited all of you here to my humble Pce to celebrate the birthday of my granddaughter. Please give me a huge round of apuse for her." The old man pointed to a beautiful girl standing alongside him. ''Oh? The Old King himself is the Host? Perhaps it''s the culture.'' Rewen thought while pping. "Today is a day of great joy to me. That is also the reason I conducted this year''s event on this day. As all of you are already aware by now, this year, I decided to do something different. I''m going to open up the entrance to the Forest of Michaile for all of you to hunt. The one person who hunts Gruer Orbs is the one and only winner of thispetition. "Remember. All of you are talented and worthy to be standing over here so you must produce good results. Therefore, I conclude my speech by giving everyone the best of luck!" *p* *p* *p* ''Why is the speech so modern? Wasn''t he a King? Is this how a King speaks?'' [Stop nitpicking.] *** Hase looked around his surroundings, then to Rewen. "Come. The entry has already started. You have the envelope, right?" "Yes." Rewen took out his envelope. As he was about to take a step, a figure rushed into Hase. "What''s wrong, Reza?" Hase was perplexed about this little cousin of his. "Quick. I have something to discuss with you. Quick! Come with me!" Reza dragged her cousin. Rewen immediately felt as if something was wrong and walked to the two of them. "I''ll go with the two of you. Don''t worry, my ears are sealed. In fact, I''m deaf. I can''t even hear anything." "You!!" Reza''s face was red. "This is our personal matter! An outsider like you have no right to-" *Pah* The hall went quiet. Even Rewen was shocked. ''To think Hase would p her'' However, he didn''t feel that it was wrong or undeserved. If she was someone rted to him, he would have already turned her into shape. He liked cute kids but simrly disliked entitled ones. "Y-you for an outsider like him" She had never been pped in her entire life. If her father or mother were to have done it, she would understand but her cousin? She isn''t going to take a single shit from him. With fast steps, she walked out of the hall. Discussions erupted in a full-fledged manner. "Rewen." Hase''s voice wasn''t good. "I''m sorry. Because of me" Rewen understood why Hase pped his own cousin. It was not because he was friends with him. Nor was it to teach her a lesson. It was all because he was a Noble from the Central. This fact alone changes everything. "Don''t sweat it. Now, I have some work to do." Hase said before walking towards the direction Reza left. This was a moment of self-realization for Rewen. ''I''m not on Earth anymore. I don''t have the liberty to act like I usually do. The Terio Family isn''t my own family. I''m just living with them. They couldn''t have cared less about me if it wasn''t for the fact that I''m a Noble and I don''t have any right to me them for it.'' He realized that perhaps he might be totally right for speaking up against Reza but this way, he was creating inner conflicts. ''I can''t continue like this. If only I had strength and resources nevermind. I will have it.'' As he was about to take a step forward, a severe pain erupted from the back of his head as he fell unconscious on the floor. *** "Your Majesty, I am stupid and ipetent." The masked agent in ck half-knelt before the Old King. "Forget it, I know how stupid you are. It was stupid of me to give you a simple task like this. You should have stuck with hardcore missions." The Old King sighed. He got word that his dear granddaughter had taken part in thepetition using a disguise and someone else''s envelope. "Please give me another chance!" The masked agent in ck pleaded. "For the time being, give the boy an envelope. As for thepensation let me take a look at him." The Old King got up from the chair and went to the room the unconscious boy was. "Hoho, he is an interesting one. Who dared to bet on him?" Chapter 112: Light Green Gruer Orb Chapter 112: Light Green Gruer Orb Rewen''s eyelids fluttered as he opened his eyes with some difficulty. His eyes were terrifyingly calm. Surveying his surroundings, he found himself in a room with a familiar old man staring at him. "How are you doing?" The old man crackled. "I''m good" When he tried to get up, he found out that his pain had subsided. "Forgive me for troubling you." The old man swayed his hands. "It''s of no big deal." Rewen nodded, then got out of the bed. "Did the event start?" "It started two hours ago." ''As expected.'' Rewen had a grave face. "Thank you for looking after me. Can I be allowed to take part in the event now?" "You can''t." "..." Although Rewen expected this, he was still disappointed. ''But why is the Old King''s face looking so odd?'' "You might want to check your pocket." Rewen frowned, then checked his pocket. "The envelope isn''t there." Calmly staring at the old man, he said. "I didn''t take it." "So it was the man who hit me." "Couple of men." "I see." "You aren''t angry?" "I''m not." "Smart kid. Because you aren''t sure who the perpetrator is, you can''t show off your anger carelessly." The old man had a thin smile on his face. Rewen neither denied or affirmed what the old man said. "Can I go back?" "You can but do you really don''t want to participate in the event?" Rewen''s eyes widened. "I want to." "Then take this envelope. The ones who stole your envelope were ordered by my granddaughter." The old man tossed an envelope to Rewen. "I will remember this kindness." Rewen lied. How can he so easily sway? ''Do I look like a pushover? Perhaps not right now, I will definitely remember this. Not the kindness, of course.'' "I know you still aren''t pleased with this. In case you want to do something funny, just remember that I exist." The old man walked to another part of the room and pulled out a drawer. "Take this aspensation." He tossed a small ball glowing in green over to the fat young man. "This is" Rewen wasn''t expecting this. "This is a Light Green Gruer Orb. It probably has some healing abilities. It''s a one-shot though." "By one-shot, you mean that this can only heal me a single time?" "Why the confused face? Do you not know that all Gruer Orbs are one-shot?" Rewen''s face fell. ''No wonder Gruer Orbs are avable like vegetables. It was stupid of me to think that Gruer Orbs give permanent skills.'' "For someone who got a Gruer Orb before he had even started hunting, you look pretty disappointed." "Ah no, it''s not like that. I''m ovee with joy receiving this uh, greatpensation from" "You can leave. As for the Gruer Orb, find it''s properties by yourself. It will be beneficial to you in the long run." Rewen nodded, then turned to leave the room. ''Beneficial to me in the long run? Even though it has temporary abilities?'' He walked out of the Main Hall and to the entrance of the Forest of Michaile. A single guard was standing here. "Halt! Where do you n to go?" Rewen rolled his eyes. ''Is the entrance to the Forest of Michaile leads somewhere other than the Forest of Michaile?'' He took out his envelope and showed it to the guard. "It''s a bitte but there''s no such thing as a person whoeste couldn''t enter the event. Very well, you may go." "If I may ask, how much long will thepetitionst?" "Do you not know something this basic? It willst for two weeks." "Two weeks!? Where am I going to stay? What do I have to eat?" The guard pulled out a long face and sneered. "From your words, you must be an arrogant silkpants who didn''t leave your parent''s shelter till now. You have to live in the wilderness out on your own. Do you still want to enter the event?" "Of course, I will." Frankly speaking, Rewen was indeed uneasy about his first adventure in the wild. He was confident while fighting against the cannibals because he was confident of his own strength. The current him is no different from a normal human. ''But wait, there should be supervisors around.'' Thinking this, his mind cooled down. Rewen took his first step into the Forest of Michaile and instantly felt a chill running from his body. "Why is my body feeling so cold? Whatever or whoever it is, thank you. I have not been in the best of condition after staying under the Capital''s hot sun. This is good." Rewen smiled, then walked to some distance before taking out the Light Green Gruer Orb. ''Steps to consume a Gruer Orb. First, peel off the outeryer'' He scratched out the outeryer with the help of his fingers. ''Then gulp it down.'' Rewen felt no changes in his body. ''I have to find out what this Light Green Gruer Orb does but before this'' The outeryer of the Gruer Orb was very thin and delicate. As proof that he had indeed collected a Gruer Orb, he must keep a single piece from theyer. Only a single piece. ''Now then, how''s the progress on this end?'' --- Alter Points: 51 --- To read the second volume of the story, he needs 60 Alter Points. Since he already had 51 Alter Points, he just needs nine more to get the second volume. Rewen had more or less figured out how the Alter Points worked. Factor 1: The more relevant the character is, the more would be Alter Points. Factor 2: The relevance of the character may not always depend upon the entire time period of the story but also on how relevant the character is in the particr volume or arc. Factor 3: The closer you are to a relevant character, the faster will be the increase in Alter Points. Factor 4: It is sometimes mysterious. As a person who questions and doubts in mystical things, Rewen felt the need to add the ''Factor 4'' because it really is as he wrote. Sometimes, it gets an abrupt increase while he was doing nothing. ''It surely doesn''t just happen out of nowhere.'' He stood in the spot for two minutes wondering what he should do. After that, he reached his decision. ''I should find Princess Ayame to farm Alter Points. As for the skill in the Gruer Orb, I will find it out in due time.'' "Hey! Hold there! Hand over all your Gruer Orbs and I might consider letting you go!" Rewen turned back and saw a boy looking at him with an arrogant smile. He felt a headache seeing this. "Eat dog sh*t." "What did you say!?" "Stupid. Are you deaf? I told you to eat dog sh*t and you are like a cat that got it''s tail stepped on. Do you really eat dog sh*t or are you scared of me?" "I''m not scared of you!" The boy shouted from a distance. "Then why are you standing there? Let me get a look at you properly. Nevermind, I''ming to you myself." Rewen felt the need to vent. Chapter 113: Bluffing Chapter 113: Bluffing Rewen took a step forward where the arrogant boy was standing. "You dare to threaten me! I will beat you up!" The arrogant boy grit his teeth. "Then why are you standing there? Come and hit me?" Rewen fearlessly said, taking another step forward. The arrogant boy''s heart was thrown into chaos. ''What if he is someone strong? No! He shouldn''t be strong! He''s so fat. B-but if he is really strong he would take the Gruer Orbs I have'' Thinking till this point, he went half-a-foot back. "Oh? Are you scared? I don''t like weaklings." Rewen said in an overbearing tone. "Stand right there! I''lle backter!" The arrogant boy ran off. Seeing his disappearing back, Rewen yawned, then started wandering around the forest. "Sometimes, confidence alone is enough to deal with a foe." *** "Princess, ording to the report, we have collected a total of 34 Gruer Orbs." Standing in front of Ayame, Mari said. Princess Ayame, who was sitting in a chair, frowned. "Is that too little?" Mari asked, her tone a bit ufortable. "No, it''s fine. I was just thinking about the boy." "You mean, the rtive of Reza?" Princess Ayame nodded. "For my personal reasons, I wasted away his chance to participate in thepetition." "Princess, you shouldn''t think about him. From what Reza told me, he is an absolute loser." "Then how did he get the invitation to thepetition? Only people who are worthy could participate. He was deemed to be worthy and that''s why he received the invitation." "I understand." Although Mari wasn''t satisfied with her exnation, she nodded along. "Princess! There''s a problem!" A girl of about the same age of them suddenly came forward. Princess Ayame frowned. "What''s the matter?" "Reporting to Princess, the Misceneous Alliance has touched our territory." The new girl half-knelt before Ayame. Ayame''s frown deepened. In the present scenario, the entire Forest of Michaile is conquered by three alliances, namely - the Princess Alliance which consisted ofdies from Noble Families and had Princess Ayame as the Core Leader of the Alliance, the Misceneous Alliance which consisted of men from Noble Families and had the Eldest grandson of the Old King as the Core Leader and the River Alliance with some of the men and women from Noble Families and had no one as their Core Leader. "Eldest Brother is nning to confront us this early?" Ayame felt like something was wrong. "How many people did you see?" "It was only one but he appeared very confident." "Huh? One?" Even the normally calm Princess Ayame was shaken. A whileter, she calmed down. "Did you fight with him?" "I-I didn''t use my all." The girl appeared to be very shaken. Ayame snorted. "How great. The guy was pretending and you fell for his act?" The girl didn''t speak anything but her body shook increasingly. Concerned, Mari approached her andid her hands on her shoulder. "What''s wrong? Why are you shaking so much?" The girl''s body shook at an ever-increasing rate. A few secondster, her body copsed. rmed, Mari went forward to catch her body. "Take care of her," Ayamemanded Mari who nodded and took the girl along with some other girls to somece. Ayame was left wondering. ''Who did this?'' *** Sometimeter. Rewen climbed over a tree and was surveying the area. ''Hm where are the others? They ought to be nearby.'' At this moment, a girl appeared below the tree who stared angrily at the fat young man. "Hey! Fatass! Get down from the tree and obediently give me your" "... your Gruer Orbs and I might consider letting you go in oneplete piece." Rewen cut off her midway and continued her words. He had mastered the art of countering arrogant people, only verbally. ''It''s simple. Simply say something more ruthless and overbearing than them.'' ''Let me go in one piece? I was considering letting him go but he wants to kill me!?'' The girl''s eyes widened. "If you have the guts, get down from the tree and let me beat you up." Rewen rolled his eyes. "If you have the skill, why don''t you get up here and let me beat you up? It spares me the effort to go down." He then went on to give a provocative gesture with his hands. The girl was furious. "Wait there!" With that, she started to climb the tree. It was evident that wasn''t used to climbing as she took a lot of time to reach Rewen. "Finally. What did you say earlier?" The girl showed a vicious smile and pounced upon the fat young man. Rewen gave her an emotionless nce, then jumped off the tree. "I''m tired. Did you have fun climbing?" If "priceless" was a face, it would the girl''s face at this point. Without saying anything, she jumped from the tree and onto Rewen. Rewen''s face was still expressionless. Not even taking a single step back, he stood in the spot like a tall mountain. The girl hesitated midair seeing the confidence and indifference on the man''s face. Just as she was about a half-a-meter away, she changed her approach but didn''t stop her assault. She just decided to not pounce on him but still pulled her hands for a punch. A thick grin appeared on his thick lips. ''Little girl, you are still too green.'' He wasn''t merely ying around with <> the past days. His predecessor, Arai Atsushi, was a person with a very low IQ and EQ. The reason he couldn''t craft his own weapon wasn''t due to his talent but because he was simply stupid. Just as the girl was about to punch him, her hand stopped when she saw a small arrow appearing in his hands. When Rewen experimented with the crafting, he surprisingly didn''t have any difficulty in creating a small arrow with his minimum G.C. "You are quite a coward, aren''t you?" The girl ground her teeth. "Stop the act! I know you aren''t half as strong as you are pretending you are!" "I''ve never said that I''m strong. Did I terrify you?" Rewen calmly answered back with a sneer. "Don''t be ridiculous." The girl burst out towards Rewen again. This time, she appeared determined. Rewen''s eyes also showed some seriousness. ''This is bad. I can''t do anything with this arrow. The most I can do is throw it towards her which I''m sure she would dodge. Should I run? No, that''s a bad idea. If I run, she would find out that I was bluffing and won''t leave me alone. Then this is the only thing I could do.'' He stood still on his spot. When he raised his head, he saw a fist approaching his right cheek. ''Shit, no time.'' *Pah* From the intensity of the punch, Rewen was blown away at a distance of about a metre. It was a terrifying punch. It broke five of his teeth along with his jaw bone getting dislocated. The girl felt extremely satisfied hitting the arrogant boy. "Haha! So this is all you amount to! I should have known." "HAHAHAHAHA!" A burst of maniacalughter erupted from the fallen Rewenpletely frightening the girl. ''So this is what it means to be the main character plot armor is really awesome.'' Chapter 114: Thinking Chapter 114: Thinking The moment Rewen was injured, a warm feeling invigorated throughout his body and he felt the mostfortable he had ever been. It was as if he was drowning in water without feeling any suffocation. The gentle water made his body float at his own pace. ''Cough, let''s cut this off. The only reason I''m feeling like this is because my body is being healed at a terrifying pace. Why? Because of the Light Green Gruer Orb that I consumed. It is definitely an interesting skill but most importantly, it is a necessary skill. System, can you describe the skill to me?'' [Can''t do.] ''Alright, fine.'' Cackling his knuckles, he stood up from the ground. The girl''s expression flinched when she saw him get uppletely fine. "Was that your best?" Rewen chuckled, then dashed towards without any preparations. At first, she was startled about the fat young man rushing towards her and went defensive but as he slowly approached, she realized that there were many ws in his movements. ''I have to try this'' With determination in her eyes, she threw a kick towards Rewen. Seeing the kick approaching him, he knew that he couldn''t dodge. ''I don''t need to dodge.'' *Pah* The girl''s feet hit his chest as thetter coughed out blood with wide eyes. However, he was still standing and had a thin grin on his face, provocatively looking at the girl. "You still haven''t learned your lesson!" The girl was originally a bit sorry for him as she never wanted to lethally injure anyone but that lopsided grin was enough to make her change her original decision. She again took a step forward. *Pah* This time, Rewen''s face was hit. His nose broke and blood rushed out from his nostrils but he was still standing. ''What is it with this guy?'' The girl was a bit frightened by him. "What? Is this all?" Raising his head, Rewen sneered. His broken nose was already healed. "You! Don''t get so cocky!" The girl pounced on him and started a barrage of attacks without any breaks. *Pah* *Pah* *Pah* After about ten seconds, she stopped. Her muscles started feeling sore but her heart was satisfied. The next second; that satisfaction crumbled when she saw the man whose face she should have destroyed was looking at her with a smile. "What? Is that all?" The girl''s face was filled with disbelief. "W-who are you?" She got up, her feet staggering and couldn''t stable her feet falling on her butt. Rewen got up without any difficulty. His face was bloodied but there was no trace of injury. Walking towards the girl, he asked. "Who is the strongest among your group?" The girl''s eyes gleamed with self-realization. ''I wasn''t worthy to fight him? That''s why he never fought me?'' If Rewen knew what she was thinking, he wouldn''t clear up this misunderstanding andugh. In fact, it wasn''t difficult for the girl to find out that he was merely using a Gruer Orb skill but that''s only on the condition that the other party is clear-headed and has a working brain. "Princess Ayame." The girl said after a few seconds. "Ayame, huh? Well, bring her to me." Rewen said in amanding tone. Surprisingly, the girl got up and walked away without saying any words. The corner of his lips lifted up. ''Let''s how much weight I have lost.'' He jumped a little. ''This is really effective.'' The Gruer Orb skill isn''t a skill which just heals whenever somebody hits him. It utilizes the fats in his body to heal the wounds. In other words, this is a skill made for overweight people. Thinking till this point, Rewen bitterly sighed. ''I don''t understand how this works. Forget it; science can go to hell in this world.'' *** "Did you find out who did this?" Ayame asked, looking at the unconscious girl. She was the same girl who fought Rewen. Mari, who was beside her, exined. "No. When she came back to the camp, she was already shaking. Seeing her condition, we didn''t hastily ask her what happened. Later, she came to you and" "When will she wake up?" "I''m estimating around an hour?" "Around an hour?" Ayame felt as if she had heard something wrong. "Princess, she is in a very sensitive condition. From the looks of it, the person who did this is a skilled and frightening person." Mari deduced. It was unknown what kind of face she would have when she sees the ''skilled and frightening person''. "Certainly. We can''t take the risk." Ayame deeply thought about the matter. "Mari, send Reza to see the appearance of the person. Remember to tell her to not engage in physicalbat. She is very unstable so make sure to tell her thrice that she isn''t allowed to engage physically with the person." Ayame was extremely clear about what sort of person Reza is. Furthermore, she also knows the appearance of everyone who participated in the event. ''First step to trap your enemy; know your enemy.'' *** "What? I have to go" When Reza was informed of her mission, she didn''t look dissatisfied with the task. Rather, her expression was that of tion and joy. ''Finally, I can show how strong and capable I am.'' Mari frowned upon seeing her friend''s overexcitement and decided to remind her once again. "You aren''t allowed to engage physically with the person. Look for him at a distance ande back. That''s it. That''s all you need to do." "Hm! I understand." Reza nodded her head with a smile. "Should I go right now?" "Yes, you may leave now. Be careful." *** Rewen sat on top of the tree. His eyes constantly moved from left to right. ''Did she even tell her group? Why aren''t the others alreadying?'' He was in a tough spot. Gruer Orbs aren''t avable like vegetables. To find them, one needs to search for it. ''What do I do? Search the whole Forest of Michaile? Yeah, right. In order to get hold of the Gruer Orbs, I needed to have a group of my own who would do the searching along with me and I don''t exactly have the capabilities to do that at the moment.'' --- Alter Points: 51 --- The Alter Points didn''t increase by a single point. ''The only way I could increase this is by getting involved with the Alliances who would not let me go if they see me. I could very well get involved with the Alliance Hase is part of but will getting involved with that particr group really increase my Alter Points? Debatable. Also, once I get involved with the group, I can''t switch groups which could potentially cut off my supply of Alter Points. Therefore, the only way I could get Alter Points is by staying close to either Princess Ayame''s Alliance or the Misceneous Alliance. I can''t ignore either of them because it could get me Alter PointsI obviously don''t have the qualifications to be an ally to either of them so I could only be an enemy to both of the Alliance but the question is, can I do it?'' Rewen pondered about the matter for a long time. Chapter 115: Beating Up Chapter 115: Beating Up West of Forest of Michaile. The West was a rtively calm ce in the forest. There were very few animals and there were a couple of free faces for setting up tents. It was captured by the Misceneous Alliance as they were the first to arrive. The Eldest Grandson of the Old King, although not a Prince of the main family, is of equal standing to the other Princes. "Sir, it seems like there was a person who scared off a member of our Alliance." Simr to Mari, a boy reported the situation to the Eldest Grandson of the Old King. The Eldest Grandson of the Old King, Seiji, had blonde hair. Adding on to his fairly long hair, tall physique and blue eyes, he gave off the princely-vibe from fairy tales. He was frighteningly calm and his eyes concealed some hidden wisdom. Unlike Ayame who was still naive in the ways of life, he was like a calm general. "Do you know who that person is?" His voice was gentle, not giving off the slightest of overbearing vibe. "Overweight and ugly face." Seiji smiled. "Doesn''t that narrow it down? Why are you still here and not looking after him?" "We do know who that person is but we were waiting for your permission. From our member''s description, the person isn''t normal. Furthermore, he is also the same person Princess Ayame ordered some of our members to beat up." Seiji nodded. "You did good. We are in no rush to catch that person. In fact, if I''m being honest, we don''t even need to catch the person. If he doese in contact with our Alliance, then do whatever you want. However, there''s really not a good reason to initiate a search just for him." "Understood." *** South of Forest of Michaile. Rewen hid behind the trees. This was not his first person hiding behind the trees. In the fight with the cannibals, he had repeatedly hid behind the trees without end. ''I think, at this rate, I might fall in love with trees. Anyways, that''s not the main point.'' He was distressed upon seeing a familiar person. With ck hairs, heroic eyes and baby face stood a girl a couple of meters away from him. She was precisely Reza. ''I''m pretty sure that she was the one who made the n to steal my envelope'' Reza''s face currently was full of arrogance and disdain. "Coward! Get out! You will pay the price for making a member of our Alliance faint!" ''Huh? She fainted?'' Rewen found it ridiculous. ''Wait I can use this.'' He took off his suit and quietly kept it down. Next, he took off his trousers and covered his mouth with a handkerchief. Then, he covered his head with the suit. ''Hopefully, she isn''t that smart to figure out that it''s me.'' Rewen was unsure about his n but hoped that it would work. Meanwhile, Reza''s eyes surveyed the surroundings. It stopped when she saw a body protruding from one of the trees. Her smile lit up in her face and she prepared to rush into the spot. "Halt." "I''ming!" Reza''s smile widened as she thought that the other party was scared. "Are you sure you want to hit the Ninth Prince?" "Hah? Are you that dumb or pretending to be one? The Ninth Prince didn''t participate in the event." Reza confidently said. Contrary to expectations, Rewen heaved a sigh of relief. ''Thankfully, she is as dumb as I thought she was.'' Despite saying that the Ninth Prince didn''t participate in the event, she stopped her rush. Reza looked at the protruding butt and considered his words. ''He can''t be the Ninth Prince! Even if I haven''t seen the Ninth Prince in person, he shouldn''t have such arge rear'' Her tiny face flushed red when she realized that her thoughts are shameful. "You can''t deceive me. I know you aren''t the Ninth Prince!" "To think this Prince would not be recognized What a huge disgrace to the Royal Family! Very well, I shall appear before you." When she heard this, Reza got tensed. ''Could it be that he really is the Ninth Prince?'' However, in the next second, her face twisted as she burst out in wildughter. "Hahaha you are the hahaha Prince hahaha!" No expression could be seen on Rewen''s face but his eyes were calm without any ripples. He took a single step forward. Reza stood thereughing clutching her belly. When she calmed down and raised her head, she again burst intoughter. "HAHAHAHA Did you really HAHAHAHA think that this would hide HAHAHAHA your identity?" Completely letting her guard down, she forgot that there was an enemy in front of her that moved at an extremely terrifying pace. ''[Boost]. All my strength on my legs.'' Within a matter of seconds, Rewen appeared behind her who was stillughing and calmly struck on her neck. Theughter stopped as the figure fell t on the ground. "Thank you for being such an idiot." Looking at her back, he said. ''She would be unconscious for at least an hour or two. My Gruer Orb skill will alsost for an hour at most. Before that, I have to finish up'' He was nning to leave the ce but then, decided to kick the fallen figure. "Ugh, take this!" A few secondster, he stopped with a frown on his face. "I can''t keep hitting her" He bent down and saw her front self. "I have to also hit the front." With regards for the opposite sex, he started kicking random ces. Secondster, he felt his legs growing tired. "Enough for today." Wearing back his clothes properly, he left the ce. *** North of Forest of Michaile. Ayame was in her tent. ''Eldest Brother should have started moving by now. Should I start moving as well? No, I can''t be hasty. The artifact can''t be taken away this easily. I''ll start moving at night.'' Just as she was nning for the future, a familiar voice from outside the tent. "Princess! There''s trouble!" It was Mari. "Come in." Ayame said. Mari entered the tent with an anxious face. "Princess, Reza got beaten up." "Take me to her." Ayame stood up. A minuteter, Ayame''s eyes squinted looking at her friend. She didn''t look furious but her silence and eyes showed that she was raging inside. "Princess, we tried several methods on her but she is still unconscious." Mari said with a bitter smile. She was also sad and angry because of the matter. "The person is very skilled." Ayame calmly said but anyone could sense the fury behind her words. "Did the other girl wake up?" "No. She is still unconscious." "I see. Previously, I was nning on letting this person go but I can''t force myself to not think of the matter that the person made two of my subordinates unconscious. He has to pay for it. I''ll go and see for myself how capable that person is." Mari''s expression brightened up. "How many should I bring?" "Bring everyone." *** "I walk a lonely road the only road that I have ever known~" Rewen felt particrly attracted to pre-apocalyptic rock songs. "Eh?" "Eh?" Chapter 116: Bluffing Again Chapter 116: Bluffing Again Rewen found himself staring at an unfamiliar face. The other man''s eyes squinted. He didn''t say anything but his intent was clear. ''Does this fatass have Gruer Orbs?'' Rewen nkly stared for a while, then smiled. "So it''s a brother from the Misceneous Alliance." He stepped forward as if the other party was a friend he had not met for a long time. The man didn''t let his guard down and took a few steps back. "Tell me the password." Hemanded in a serious tone. Rewen turned the gears in his mind. Within a second, he said without having any change in expression. "Come on, brother. Are you really going to do this? There is no such thing as password. Now, do you believe me?" ''I''m pretty sure that the Misceneous Alliance wouldn''t do something stupid as keeping a password. Incorrect, it''s not stupid but not needed at all. For a big Alliance like this, one can never be too sure that there doesn''t exist a double agent. That double agent will work for another Alliance but will know the ''password'' of the Misceneous Alliance. Of course, the password alone isn''t enough to defect an entire Alliance but it has its risk. For instance, knowing where the Gruer Orb (Gruer Orb scraps) are kept. This alone is enough to destroy an Alliance.'' The young man''s figure dashed forward. "So you are from the Misceneous Alliance, after all!" Rewen was confused for a second, then his mind went - Oh Sh*t! "Wait, wait, wait. I''m from the River Alliance as well. If you don''t believe me, you can ask Hase!" Rewen made a run to a nearby tree. ''I''m a f*cking idiot. Being a Light Yagami-wannabe doesn''t make me a Light Yagami. I actually forgot to consider the fact that the person might be from the River Alliance.''I can''t.'' Taking a deep breath, he decided to forget about the blunder he made a few seconds ago. ''Now, no matter what, I can''t convince him of the fact that I''m not his enemy. Even if I tell him my name, he will just think that I''m bluffing. In that case, I can only flee.'' Rewen started running. The person from the River Alliance chased him. The chase continued for a minute, after which the person from River Alliance lost him. ''Damn it! He is too good with his legs.'' Dejected, he could only go back to his camp. *** East of Forest of Michaile. A group of a dozen young men made a circle and were discussing. "In other words, you met with a fat and ugly man who proimed that he was a member of Misceneous Alliance?" Arata asked with a strange smile. After that, he turned to Hase. "Hase, doesn''t that description sound awfully familiar?" Hase nodded his head with a solemn face. "He should be Rewen." "..." The group went quiet. The man who chased Rewen was stunned. ''H-he really was from the River Alliance?'' "I was wondering what happened to him so he is still in thepetition? Didn''t you tell me that he was beaten up and his invitation was stolen?" Arata asked a person from his group. "Sir, that is what I have seen. Some men from the Misceneous Alliance stole his invitation. Did he get in by viting the rules?" "That''s not possible. Why do you think that the Misceneous Alliance would steal a random person''s invitation?" Arata asked everyone. "Because one of the people from the Misceneous Alliance didn''t have an invitation?" A man from the guess made an obvious guess. Arata shook his head. "Do you think a person would have the galls to enter the Exquisite Immemorial Pce without an invitation? Only a madman would do so." "Maybe the fat- err, Rewen pissed off a person from the Misceneous Alliance?" Arata didn''t immediately answer. He turned to Hase who shook his head. "There you have it. Hase has been with Rewen for almost the entire time they hade to the Main Hall." The River Alliance was at a loss. "It''s useless to make guesses. There are many possibilities. For now, leave Rewen be. If he approached any one of you, take him in. He is originally a member of our Alliance." *** Ida Kunio is a member of Misceneous Alliance. As a Noble, he had his own ambitions and wanted to join the River Alliance to get a chance at winning. However, he knew his limits. Not to mention peak members like Arata and Hase, even normal members are enough to destroy him. That''s why he joined the Misceneous Alliance after the Eldest Grandson of the Old King, Seiji, offered him a good reward if he joined his alliance. Originally, he was hesitant because in this way, he would lose the slim chance to win but after some consideration, he joined the alliance. He was currently searching for Gruer Orbs. ''They are avable in random ces and that''s the most difficult part about finding the orbs. Hm? What''s that?'' He noticed something unusual at one of the bushes and approached it. As he slowly approached it, his eyes went from calm to cautious. Suddenly, the bush shook and a head emerged out. "Who are you!? Stand where you are!" It was naturally Rewen. Rewen stood up behind the bushes and wryly smiled. "Are you from the River Alliance? If not" "I knew it! I knew that you were from the River Alliance!" Ida Kunio gave a victorious smile. "Haha! Good, good!" With an exaggerated sigh of relief, Rewen smiled. "Thank goodness, you are from the Misceneous Alliance. I don''t have to fight against you. Come, let''s go back to our base." "..." Ida Kunio couldn''t speak for a while. "Y-you, don''t lie to me. You were going to say i-if not-" "I was going to say - if not, there''s no need to engage inbat." "Bullsh*t! That''s not how conversations work!" Ida Kunio raged and was prepared to strike "Are you really going to go offensive on your own teammate?" Ida turned hesitant. He couldn''t be sure whether the person opposite to him was really from the River Alliance or not. "I have never seen you before!" "What a coincidence. I also have never seen you before. Let''s get to know each other." Rewen took a few steps forward appearing like a friendly fatty. Ida''s initial hesitation turned non-existent but he had still not let his guard down. "Let''s go to the base. If His Highness recognizes you, then it''s fine. Also, maintain distance between you and me." "Fine." Rewen obediently stopped. Ida Kunio nodded. Just as he turned around, an arrow appeared in Rewen''s right hand and he threw it towards Ida''s neck. *Swish* Suddenly, Ida turned around and narrowly dodged the arrow. "As I thought, you were not from the Misceneous Alli-" He stopped speaking as his body fell down. Rewen breath out. "This [Boost] is really quite effective." If the POW on his legs normally is 2.9, then after using [Boost], it bes 5.2 which is neither bad nor good. He could barely keep up with normal Nobles. ''I can''t continue like this. I am repeatedly being lucky because the people whoe after me are not too strong.'' Chapter 117: Encounter Chapter 117: Encounter Dragging the body of the man he had ''fought'' just now, Rewen walked between the trees. ''Damn. Although he doesn''t look it, he is probably heavier than me.'' Of course, he was lying. He felt better makingments about others to make himself feel better. ''Speaking of weights, I have to be fast'' His eyes gleamed as he hastened his face. *** West of Forest of Michaile. "Sir, we just got a report that Ida is missing from the post he was assigned." The one who spoke was the assistant of the Eldest Grandson of the Old King. The blonde-haired Seiji''s eyebrows wrinkled. "How long has it been?" "Ten minutes." "Did he defect?" Seiji asked. "He didn''t seem like he would." The assistant had a tone of confidence in his voice. "Could it possibly be the work of River?" "River Alliance is a bit away from where Ida was stationed. I think it''s the Princess Alliance." "How about an independent person?" Seiji lightlyughed after asking this. The assistant didn''t answer but the answer is obvious. Is there anyone who would dare to be independent? "Alright fine, send some men to look for Ida. Tell them to not immediately fight with the Princess Alliance in case they encounter them. First, send a message to me and make light talk with the Princess Alliance. We don''t know if it''s a person from the Princess Alliance or River Alliance for certain. It is also possible that the person who scared off the guy and this person are the one and same." Seiji carefully instructed. "Understood." *** "Princess, we found footprints!" Mari pointed to the footprints in the same spot Rewen was previously in. Ayame silently looked at the footprints, then nodded. Behind her were several dozens of young women. "Princess, is he nearby?" "Let''s hurry, Princess." "The one who beat up Reza to this extent must be punished!" "Must be punished!" "Must be punished!" It had to be said that the sisterhood was high. Ayame raised her hands to stop the mor. "I swear on myst name that I will definitely find out the perpetrator!" With a faint smile on her face, she appeared heroic and full of justice. Mari nodded and clenched her fist. She had been in contact with Reza from an early age and considered herself to be a Big Sister figure to Reza. ''Who else other than a scum can violently beat up a girl of thirteen-years-old? He is scum of both the nation and society!'' "Follow the footsteps!" *** ''Only f*cking five people!? That''s not nearly enough!'' Rewen roared in injustice in his heart upon seeing the number of men behind the bushes. ''Give me some big figures damn it, the Princess and others should also be arriving in any minute. Think. Think. Think. Think! Okay, calm down. In this situation, what could I do? No, that''s not the right question. In this situation, what can I do to bring the entire Misceneous Alliance here?'' After a few seconds, a grin appeared on his face. ''But this n has many variables and I''m not sure if this would seed'' [Stop setting up gs. You always say that your n wouldn''t work but it ultimately does. At this point, you just say that to reassure yourself.] Rewen rubbed his nose and pretended to ignore the system. A whileter, he wore Ida''s clothes and also wore a tight belt around his belly. It didn''t hide much but it did enough. From the previously overweight self, it is a huge difference. ''As for the face'' He went to a nearby wet area, took out the wet mud and rubbed his face and hair with it. ''I don''t have a mirror but I''m sure that if I look at myself, I can''t recognise myself anymore. Now then'' He picked up Ida''s body and carefully kept it hidden under bushes and trees. *** "The footsteps stop here, Princess." Mari turned to look at Ayame. Ayame turned to her friends who were at the back. "It means that he is nearby. Search for him." """Understood!""" Everyone went into different directions while Ayame and Mari stood there in silence. Mari looked at Ayame who seemed thoughtful. "What are you thinking of?" "Isn''t it very obvious for his footprints out in the open?" "Maybe he isn''t smart." "I hope so." Meanwhile, one of the girls who joined the search saw something unusual in a tree. When she tried to look closer, she felt a cold feeling on her neck. Sweat dropped from her forehead. As she slowly lowered her head, she saw a small arrow on her neck. Before she could raise her voice, the back of the neck was struck and she lost her consciousness. "First step can be considered done." Rewen smiled in satisfaction. Then, he walked out of the bushes and revealed himself. In his hand was the unconscious girl. "You! Stop there! Let her go!" "Hurry up and report it to the Princess!" "So you were that b*stard!" "If you have the balls, let her go!" In the presence of numerous insults, Rewen had few words. "Come any more closer and I may not be able to control my weapon." "You b*stard! How dare you!?" "Let the Princesse and then your punishment will be decided!" "Punishment? What kind of punishment?" Rewen thought about all the things he did to deserve punishment but nothing came to his mind. "Are you ying dumb? Or are you really dumb?" One of the girls sneered. "You deserve punishment for beating up Reza!" "You deserve to be punished!" "You deserve to be punished!" "You deserve to be punished!" "You deserve to be punished!" "Wow." Frankly speaking, Rewen himself was surprised at the hate he managed to gather. "Um, there must be some kind of misunderstanding because this is apetition and if I didn''t beat her up, she would beat me. All I did was self-defence." Rewen lied but he was interested in trying to have a conversation with them. "No! You beat up a thirteen-year-old without mercy! You deserve to be punished!" A girl coldly said. "Oh? Then what should I have done? Let her beat me up?" Rewen almost couldn''t hold himself back fromughing out loud. "That''s not true. You could have simply left." "Yes, you are making excuses." "You won''t be able to get away today no matter you say." At this point, a normal person would have stopped arguing because it''s useless to argue against an entire mob no matter how logical and reasonable your argument seems. Against a mob force, the more you fight, the more you drown deeper into the rabbit hole. However, Rewen wasn''t that kind of person. "I see. I understand your self-righteousness. It''s normal to have that at your age. Have fun growing up." Rewen calmly said before walking. "What did you say!?" "Heh! Let him run his mouth." "Are you looking down on us?" "Looking down at you? Of course, I am looking down on you, your friends and the Princess. You guys are simply trash. Hopefully, you''ll learn your lesson and grow up." Rewen waved his hands and continued walking. "Halt there. Exin yourself." This time, the voice directly came from the Princess herself. Chapter 118: Seiji and Ayame Chapter 118: Seiji and Ayame Rewen turned back and saw a beautiful figure. "Oh, I was just speaking nonsense." "No, you must exin yourself." Ayame''s face was firm. Her clenched hands showed that she is having difficulty not running up to him and beat him up. "If you really want to know then tell me, what is the purpose of thepetition?" Ayame frowned. She hadn''t expected to be asked such a childish question. "To groom the future generations." "Good answer. Then, are people here to fight andpete with each other?" "Naturally." "So what exactly did I do that deserves ''punishment''?" "Are you trying to tell me that it wasn''t you left Reza in such a sorry state?" Ayame''s face was cold. ''Is he lying?'' "Of course, it''s me. I left Reza or whatever her name is, in that pitiful state. My question is, does that warrant punishment? As far as I''m concerned, I only fought back to protect myself and even if I did go out of my way to fight her, does that warrant ''punishment''? I only did what I''m supposed to do at thepetition." "Who said I''m here to punish you?" Ayame figured out his argument and immediately changed her words to save her face. "Your subordinates did however" A sly smile appeared on his dirty face. "Are you here for revenge?" Everyone''s face changed. It has to be known that revenge was extremely frowned upon in this world. That obviously doesn''t mean that people don''t take revenge but do so in secrecy. Now, if someone from the reputed royal family proimed that she was seeking revenge, it would leave a bad name. "B*stard! We are just here to beat you up!" "Yes, we just happened to see you here." Among numerous mors, Ayame remained quiet. Even Mari was quiet. She knew that the situation had turned very bad. ''This guy his mouth can''t be left alive.'' However, when she thought deeper about what he said made a lot of sense. "Even so, did you really need to beat up a child!? Is ''ying by the rules'' your only justification!?" She couldn''t help but cry out. "A child who is strong enough to beat up four of me." "Nonsense!" Mari didn''t believe him. Which sane person would? ''He doesn''te off as some strong but he surely isn''t that weak.'' "Nonsense? Alright, tell me. How long is this arrow? Would you believe me if I said that this is my limit?" Mari''s face showed disbelief. "No. You are lying! You are pretending to be this weak to catch us off-guard, right!?" Before Rewen could answer, Ayame raised her right hand. "Enough chit-chat. Just go after him." After all this time, only now did she figure out that it''s useless to continue arguing back-and-forth. "Princess, what about her?" Some were hesitant because of the captive. "Don''t mind her. He isn''t that brave enough to kill a person." Rewen smiled and let the unconscious girl fall on the ground, then turned to Ayame "You guessed it right. You can do whatever you want with me but remember that the Misceneous Alliance exists!" With that, he jumped off an edge. Everyone: "..." Ayame frowned and was tomand the others to chase after him when a group suddenly appeared. There were five men. "Was that Ida?" "Yes, I''m confident that it was Ida." "Very well, quickly notify the Prince about this matter." One of the guys ran off. The conversation between the group was not heard by the others. However, seeing a group appear, Ayame suddenly felt a headache. "May I ask who the four of you are?" A tall guy stepped forward. "It''s my honor to meet the Princess, the gem of the Nation. We are from the River Alliance." "River? What business does the River have with us?" "Business? That doesn''t sound right. We just happen to meet you guys here." "So you have no problem if we were to chase that guy?" Ayame pointed to the area where Rewen jumped off. The tall guy''s eyes twitched but he calmly answered. "Why would I have any problems? Your Highness should do as she likes." "Very well then." Ayame smiled, then turned to Mari. "Chase him." "Your Highness, I''m afraid you are making things difficult for us." The tall guy finally realized that there''s no use in bluffing. "I don''t understand your words." "Let''s not y dumb and resolve the matter like an adult." "What could you possibly mean?" Ayame smiled. "Don''t chase after Ida and we''ll return to our respective bases." "Ida? Is he your alliance member?" "He is a member of our alliance." "What if I refuse toply?" "We''ll have to use force in that case." The tall guy said in an intimidating voice. Ayame seemed unfettered. "Do as you wish but do you understand the concept of numbers? There are a total of thirty-seven of us and there are just four of you. Do you seriously think that the four of you could possibly fight against thirty-seven of us for even a minute?" The tall guy didn''t answer and looked straight at her. The next second, aughter came from the back of the tall guy. "Hahaha, Dear Sister, I hope you have been well." It was Seiji along with dozens of men behind him. Ayame''s smile went stiff. "So it''s Eldest Brother. Could it be that you are nning to go all-out right now?" Seijiughed again. "Of course, it wasn''t my n to do so. With that being said, if you continue to act stubborn, I will have to use force." "For a single subordinate? Is it worth it?" "Well, I will lose my prestige as a Leader if I can''t protect my subordinates." Seiji wasn''t a saint but he has his own values. Since he took so many people under his banner, he had to be responsible for them. Not only because it would give him more trust from his subordinates but also because he believed it was his duty. "Princess, what should we do?" Mari was tense. Ayame looked around and calcted if she had a chance to win. ''It''s less than twenty percent. No, now''s not the perfect time to fight.'' She breathed in and breathed out. Eventually, she arrived at her conclusion. Looking straight at her Eldest Brother, she said. "We will meet again. Mari, let''s go." Seiji chuckled and was about to leave when a subordinate of his yelled. "Sir! Ida is here!" "What?" "What?" Both the siblings were confused. The subordinate carried an almost-naked person on his arms and walked to Seiji. "Sir, this is Ida. The other one was the imposter." "Huh?" There wasn''t a single person who could hold their expressions. Two secondster, both Seiji and Ayame had grim faces. "Everyone, initiate a search!" "Mari, tell them to search for the b*stard." "No need to thank me! I''m here." All of a sudden, a dirty man appeared from the ce he jumped off and looked at the two sides with a cool expression. The others, even Seiji and Ayame, couldn''t speak for a while. "Rather! Let me thank all of you for letting me see such an awesome show." *p* *p* *p* "What are you all standing there for? Aren''t you going to attack me?" Chapter 119: Second Volume Chapter 119: Second Volume "Kugh" A groan emerged from Rewen''s mouth while lying on his face. From the past ten minutes, he was treated worse than anything. Kicks and punches were never ending and not a single part of his body had not been not harmed. A few wicked guys and girls even kicked in his jewels. If it were not for the fact that he had something like [Balls of Steel], he could have possibly be an eunuch. ''It isn''t funny.'' Despite all this, he had kept all of this resentment deep within his heart and had an outwardly calm exterior. From the distance, Seiji and Ayame looked at the pitiful figure squirming around. "Quite a funny fellow, isn''t he?" Seiji burst out inughter seeing him. Even the calm Ayame''s face was unnatural as if she was about tough. "Cough, do you know of his identity?" "I have no idea." Ayame shook her head. Frankly speaking, she might have recognized the person if she saw him previously. Even Mari, who had seen Rewen at the entrance of Exquisite Immemorial Pce couldn''t recognize his face because of the amount of dirty mud on his face. Not only that, she had known Rewen to be "fatty" but the person she was seeing isn''t someone even close to "fatty". His height was short and his face was beyond ugly but he wasn''t fat. "What''s the matter, Mari? You are thinking about something?" Ayame found Mari dazedly looking at the pitiable figure. "Do you want tond in a few more kicks? You are allowed to." ''She must be really happy and satisfied now that she is joking.'' Mari smiled, then shook her head. "It''s just I was thinking of the rtive of Reza. That person from whom we stole the invitation from." Ayame''s eyes dropped. "Don''t worry about it. When I get back, I will properlypensate for the matter." "No, no! My meaning isn''t that. I just thought that maybe just maybe he looks a bit simr to that person." "Oh?" "Interesting." Both the siblings had curious nces. "Why don''t you check, Mari?" Ayame suggested. ''It would be very interesting if it turns out that he is the rtive of Reza. Though the chance of that happening is very slim.'' Mari nodded, then approached the fallen Rewen. Rewen watched her coldly approaching him pretending he was half-unconscious. ''As I expected, none of them know of my true identity.'' Just as she was about to bend down and take a good look at his face, she felt a sharp pain on the back of her knee. Shocked, she looked at the spot where she was feeling pain. ''Blood?'' After a single thought, she groaned in pain. "Aughh." Getting weak on her eyes, she copsed on the ground. Rewen calmly got up and dusted off the dirt from his clothes. He appearedpletely unharmed from the assault. Even Seiji would be harmed if the assault was done on him! "..." Ayame, Seiji and the members from both alliances watched the scene in disbelief. Rewen took a good look at each and every one of them, then crouched down to Mari who was whimpering in pain and patted her shoulder. "Remain strong. You''ll get over it." ''[Boost], on my legs.'' *Swish* He was much faster than before. Of course, the speed was nothingpared to Seiji and Ayame but they were still shocked. When he reached an edge, he jumped off. Seiji was the first to recover his calm. "Chase him!" Everyone, people from both the alliances, chased after the direction Rewen fled. Just as the first person reached the edge, he turned back to Seiji with a strange face. "Sir, t-this" "Why the heck are you shut-t-t-er-rin-ring" Seiji frowned, then went to edge himself. A gasp slipped from his mouth as he looked at the almost hundred-metre long edge. "Could he survive?" A man from the Misceneous Alliance asked. "I can''t." Seiji answered calmly. Ayame quietly helped Mari up who was still groaning in pain. Her eyes were zing. *** East of Forest of Michaile. *p* *p* *p* "That rtive of yours is really great!" Arata cheerfullyughed while sitting in his base. Hase couldn''t somehow wrap his head around that person. ''Well, he is a Noble from Central so it would be rather odd if he didn''t have a few tricks.'' "What do you n to do?" He asked after some thoughts. Arata smiled at his question. "What do you n to do?" "If he wants to join us, I want to let him join us." Hase straightforwardly said. Arata smiled and nodded. "Exactly. I was thinking the same." "Is is it alright?" A member of the alliance asked hesitantly. He wasn''t sure if letting a public enemy join their alliance was a good idea or not. "What? Are you scared? That guy literally schemed against two big alliances by himself and had the courage to not run off. Here, you are just scared to let him in?" Arata provocatively asked. "Of course not! I was just confirming your decision." The members of the alliance were all prideful in their own way. "But why did he feel the need to scheme?" Hase asked with a doubtful tone. "He wasn''t trying to scheme. Most likely, he had to scheme to save his ass." Arata personally observed the confrontation between Rewen and the two alliances from far. ''There is more to him than it meets the eye.'' *** Cold water droplets on Rewen''s forehead. His eyes twitched a little before opening slowly. He got up perfectly fine. His shirt was a bit torn but overall, he didn''t look like the kind of person who fell from a height of hundred metres. The first thing he did after getting up was touch his stomach. It waspletely t. His abdominal muscles were soft and looked skinny. "The fall consumed more fats than the assault." Rewen smiled in satisfaction. This was one of the results he wanted. The more he gets hurt, the more will he lose his fats. As simple as that. Of course, the Gruer Skill had a time limit. It wouldst for about fifty minutes after consuming. He only did the thing most needed to do. Sure, he got assaulted but at least it didn''t hurt. There was a small pond nearby. Rewen first washed his face, then checked if he had any chances. ''Nope. Still the same. I got a little taller.'' The reason why he was ugly was because there were too many spots on his face. His nose was erged. As for his height, he was 5''5'''' when he first came to this world. Now, he was 5''6''''. Rewen didn''t really mind him being ugly. To him, beauty and ugly were two sides of the same coin. Having one thing doesn''t make anyone a better person. His thoughts were not in line with the modern society but he wasn''t someone who cares a lot about society. "Now to the next part." --- Alter Points: 76 --- A wide grin appeared on his face. ''Buy the second volume.'' --- Alter Points: 16 --- A screen appeared in front of him full of letters. "Hm this time, there are more pages than the first volume." With that, he started reading the second volume. Chapter 120: Two weeks Chapter 120: Two weeks South of Forest of Michaile. Outside the tents, the Leader of Princess Alliance, Ayame sat in a chair. Behind her was Mari. In front of her were two girls. One of them was Reza and the other was the one who fainted after confronting Rewen. Her name is Aiko. They were standing confused looking straight at Ayame. Behind were members of the alliance staring intently at both of them. "How are you both right now?" Ayame asked lightly. "I''m feeling good. Thank you for your concern." Aiko bowed a little. "I''m as good as ever!" Reza grinned with energy. If it wasn''t for the cut marks on her face, no one would have thought that this girl got beat up an hour ago. Ayame nodded. "That''s good. Both of you should take a rest but before that, I need you to describe to me the appearance of the person who both of you fought." Both of the girls went quiet. The stares from the surroundings became more intent. Everyone was curious to learn of the identity of the scumbag. "I don''t know." Reza shook her head. "I fainted before I could properly see his face." Ayame''s eyes squinted. "Did he sneak attack you?" "Yes, I was careless." Reza lowered her head. "What about your wounds in your face? Were they done by him after you fainted?" Reza kept quiet. ''He was that ruthless?'' Ayame couldn''t believe that there was a person who could hit a thirteen-year-old girl after she fainted. Her hatred towards Rewen increased. Calming herself down, she turned to Aiko. "Do you remember his face?" "Sorry, Princess." Aiko lowered her head. Everyone''s face showed disappointment. Ayame was silent for a while before waving her hands indicating everyone to leave. Reza and Aiko looked at each other and walked away from the crowd. "Here. I have done what you said. You better give me a satisfactory answer." Reza looked at Aiko with a displeased expression. When she gained consciousness, she found Aiko beside her bed who repeatedly pleaded with her to not reveal the identity of the man who beat her up. At the beginning, she was headstrong and adamant about not changing her decision. Later, to her shock, Aiko started crying. Eventually sheplied with the condition that there should be a good reason. Currently, she was asking for the ''good reason''. Aiko''s face showed reluctance and hesitance which instantly annoyed Reza. "Are you telling or not!? Fine. Let me go back." Aiko grabbed her hand. "Please listen to me." Reza folded her arms staring at her with a displeased look. "Go on." "T-that that person''s eyes looked s-scary" "..." Reza''s head felt as if she was spinning around in circles. She let out a huge breath. "That''s all?" Aiko''s face looked miserable. "Please don''t reveal his identity to the Princess. Somehow, I''m scared of that person" "Scared? Why the hell are you scared of a person like that!? He is weak as hell!" Reza''s head was about to burst. Tears leaked from Aiko''s eyes as she bent her knees and lowered her head doing a full ssical dogeza. "Please" *** East of Forest of Michaile. Unaware of what he actually did, Rewen made his way to reach the camp of River Alliance. Unlike his normally neutral look, hisplexion was dark for some reason. "Halt!" Rewen stopped in his tracks. Raising his head, he saw a bald young man standing on a tree looking at him. "Why are you here?" "I''m here to join the alliance," Rewen said in a calm voice. He really was here to join the alliance. The bald young man frowned, then jumped to the ground. "Come with me. Don''t try any funny moves." "Lead the way." Rewenplied. A minuteter. "Rewen!" Hase waved his hands with a smile upon seeing Rewen. Rewen gave a small smile before approaching him. "How have you been?" "Not bad," Hase said before looking at the young man in front of him from head to toe and smiled. "You have gotten handsome." Rewenughed. "That''s hrious. You mean that I have gotten less ugly, right?" Hase alsoughed, then shifted the topic. "Was that sort of your revenge against the Misceneous Alliance and Princess Alliance?" Rewen understood what he was talking about and shook his head. "It''s because of this." He pointed to his stomach. Hase''s immediate thought was - ''Pregnant?'', then quickly denied the guess. "Could it be something to do with losing your weight?" "Bingo. The Old King gave me a Light Green Gruer Orb which helped me lose my weight. The moment I''m injured, I would heal myself using the fats from the body." "That''s really convenient." Hase wryly smiled. At the same time, he also took a mental note. ''Despite how he looks, he is quite shrewd.'' "Well, well, well." A gentle voice came from the surroundings. Rewen and Hase, both of them turned around to see a brown-haired man in his early twenties walking towards them. "It''s a pleasure to meet His Highness Arata once again." Rewen greeted with a respectful tone. "No problem. Also, nobody here calls me ''His Highness''. Stick with Arata." Arata reminded him with a gentle smile. "I''ll ask you formally. Do you want to join our alliance?" "Yes." "Very well. In that case, let me give you a bit of overview of how our alliance operates. First things first, although I look like it, I''m not the leader of the alliance. Like everyone else, I''m also a member. There is no leader in the alliance. "Now, you must be wondering how would that work? Does that mean that the Gruer Orbs collected by an individual goes to the individual himself? No, it goes to our collective treasury. By the end of the event, we all have a battle of strength. The one who wins gets all the Gruer Orb scraps. Any questions?" "How and where am I going to work?" "Since you are targeted by the other two alliances, it''s best for you to remain close to our base. Just take a round or two around our base. That will do." Rewen didn''t think too much because he knew that Arata was being generous. "Okay, got it." With that, Rewen officially joined the River Alliance. His days werefortable. In the morning, he would get up and search for Gruer Orbs. In the afternoon, he would chat with the fellow members from the alliance. They were surprisingly easy to get along with. In the evening, he has some fruits for his dinner and falls asleep in his tent. Just like that, two weeks passed by. The two weeks were very uneventful. Because his life was normally eventful, he took some time to adjust with the lifestyle. Today was the day to decide the representative from the River Alliance. "Are you sure you don''t want to take part?" Hase asked once again. "Yes." Rewen replied smiling. He no longer had the desire to win thepetition. His mind was somewhere else for the past two weeks. ''System, I did get two [Return Tickets], right?'' [Yes. The two [Return Tickets] are stored in inventory. Do you want to use them right now?] [Yes] [No] ''No. I can''t escape this'' A deep look appeared in his eyes. Chapter 121: End of the Event Chapter 121: End of the Event West of Forest of Michaile. It was night. Only two figures could be seen in the base. Everyone else was in the tent. "Sir, a total of four-hundred-and-fifty-eight Gruer Orb scraps are there." The speaker was Ida Kunio. After the incident with Rewen, he quickly recovered. On the other end stood a handsome blonde-haired man, Seiji. "That should be enough to beat my sister. I don''t know what trick that Third Brother of mine would pull though." Thinking of his siblings, the corner of his lips curved up to form a smile. "You can rest assured. Our number is high enough." Ida didn''t believe that the River Alliance had arger amount of Gruer Orbs scraps. "Nothing is for certain." Seiji advised, then his mind drifted to a certain person. "You do remember our deal, right?" Ida hurriedly nodded. "I swear I''ll not say a word about the identity of that person to the outside world." Seiji nodded seriously. That day, his men searched the spot ''that person'' fell but not a single trace of him could be found. He understood that ''that person'' isn''t a normal person and immediately made the decision to make friends with him. Getting back to his base, he interrogated Ida in person and told him to keep quiet about the matter. "But Sir, wouldn''t Princess be aware of his identity?" Ida couldn''t understand the logic behind Seiji''s actions. "That''s the catch. I met up with my sister alone and talked about the matter for a long time. From the looks of it, she doesn''t know the identity of that person." Seiji himself found it ridiculous. "How is that possible? Didn''t that person fight with two of Princess'' subordinates?" "Some people are just mysterious. For his personal benefit, he yed with two of the big alliances in the palm of his hand." Seiji was a smart person. When he figured out Rewen''s identity, it didn''t take much time for him to find out why Rewen did what he did. ''That Gruer Orb was probably given by Grandfather.'' Ida Kunio didn''t want to admit but Seiji was right. ''At the end, even though he was beaten up by dozens of people, he did get what he wanted.'' *** East of Forest of Michaile. Arata fell on the ground on his back while panting. Near to him stood Hase who was simrly out of breath. He walked up to him and stretched his hand. "It was a good fight." Arata grabbed his hands and got up with a smile. "I can''t deny that. However, I must say you are full of surprises." "What surprise? I trained super hard to defeat you." "Well, I''m d I could be your goal." Both of them startedughing at each other. The other members of the alliance also startedughing. Although they lost, they felt that their defeat was deserved. Not to mention, they knew even before joining that the representative of the alliance was to be either Hase or Arata. Rewen watched the entire fight with curious eyes. ''So that''s the prowess of Bronze, huh. I can confidently say that I''m far from reaching that level. I can''t even estimate their POW. That''s how far I am from Bronze.'' "Anyways, everyone! Line up!" Arata shouted. ''I guess it''s about time.'' Rewen mused. This was the time when Gruer Orbs were given out freely. Only the scraps were left behind for the representative to take. "Since I''m the representative, I should be first to choose." Hase was the first one to approach the treasury. "Nope. You''ll be thest to choose." Arata blocked his way. "Who agrees with me?" "I do!" "Me too." Just like that, everyone raised their hands. "..." Hase was speechless. After that, everyone took turns and chose the Gruer Orb they liked. Meanwhile, Rewen approached Arata who was smiling. "I have two requests." "Hm? What are they?" Arata frankly asked. "I want an invisibility-ability Gruer Orb." "Interesting. But you do understand I can''t really see which one of them has the ability, right?" "No, you can." Rewen pointed to the ring Arata was wearing in his ring fingers. Arata''s smile became stiff. After a few seconds, he sighed. "Fine, but you''ll owe me one. I''m not allowed to use these rings for purposes other than my own." "Okay." Rewen readily agreed. "I''ll do that for you but what''s your second request?" Arata curiously asked. "This request of mine is not limited only to you." Rewen said, before turning to the group. "Can all of you please gather here?" "Huh? What is it?" "Say it. No need to hold back." Rewen took a huge breath. *** Exquisite Immemorial Pce. "I thank you all for participating in this event. I hope everyone had their fair share of fun and enjoyment out of it. I''m sure you''ve made friends and memories. That''s all that matters. Therefore, let''s p for all of us present." The Old King heartilyughed. *p* *p* *p* In front of him were less than a hundred young men and women who participated in the event. All of them had looks of anticipation. They were waiting for the winner to be dered. Seiji, Ayame and Hase - the three representatives from the three alliances had looks of anticipation. "Nice to meet you. You should be the brother of Reza, right?" Ayame''s gazended on Hase as both of them were near. "I am. Did she trouble you?" No matter who it was, Hase liked to talk informally. Somehow, he cringed when forced to say words like ''Your Highness''. "Oh no, she is... um, a very good friend of mine." "I''m sure she is. She sees you as her idol." Ayame smiled politely, then her expression turned serious. "If I may ask, did that distant rtive of yours participate in thepetition?" "You mean Rewen? No, not really. He did in facte here to participate. Unfortunately, his day was bad and he went home." Hase recalled the words requested by Rewen. To be honest why Rewen even bothered to hide the matter because it was only a matter of time before he was discovered. "Oh that was done by me. Can you tell me where he is? I want topensate him for the matter." Even though Ayame didn''t fully believe his words, she found it highly unlikely for ''that person'' to be Rewen. "He, uh, went home." Hase smiled awkwardly. "Home? Ah, it makes sense." Ayame seemed to have understood. Since he wasn''t allowed to participate in the event, why would he even stay in the Capital? "In that case, please tell him the gates of Exquisite Immemorial Pce are open to him." Ayame briefly said before returning to her seat. Hase felt a massive urge tough but held himself back. *** "Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for waiting. We have decided on our winner for this year''s event. I request everyone to stand up before I call the name." The one who said that was a young man in his mid-twenties wearing a suit. He was the Host for the little ceremony because it was considered rude for the Old King himself to Host. Everyone stood up with anticipation in their eyes. "And the winner of this year''s Hunting Event is Hase Shichiro!!" Chapter 122: Back to Terio Villa Chapter 122: Back to Terio Vi Rewen was calmlyying on his bed. ''The effects of Invisibility aren''t too bad. From the term itself, it doesn''t seem to fit any of three - Combative, Healing and Sealing types but it''s color was Azure Blue which equals Combative. Can invisibility be used inbat? It is very useful to have but even so, I feel there should be a separate term for invisibility.'' As his head was filled with random thoughts, he heard footsteps. ''They arrived rather quickly.'' *Knock* "It''s open. Come in." The door sprang open and ck-haired girl aggressively entered the room. "You!! I''ll remember this!" If Rewen wasn''t feeling sleepy and tired, he would have bickered with her. Yawning, he looked towards Hase. "Did you get what you wanted?" "No" Hase''s eyebrows perked up in surprise. "How did you know that I won?" "Now I know." "What a shitty service. They said they''ll give anything the winner desires." "What I asked was kind of unreasonable so it''s fair." Rewen got up from the bed. "H-how did you get" Reza covered her mouth in shock after seeing his figure. After all, his growth was too abnormal. "You don''t need to know that." *** The rest of the day was spent in the car. Reza yed with her phone. Hase was as silent as ever. Rewen tried to fall asleep repeatedly by leaning on the windows but the asional jumps didn''t let him do so. "Hey." Reza called him "Hm?" Rewen asked with a disinterested look. It made her furious but she managed to hold herself back. "What did you do to Aiko?" "Who''s Aiko?" "My friend whom you met first." "Oh, her? What about her?" "I asked, what did you do to her?" "I scared her off?" "No, what did you really do to her? Answer me honestly." "I just scared her off by bluffing. Why?" "Liar. You did something outrageous, right?" "Woah, there. Hold your horses. I''m repeatedly iming that I didn''t do anything and you are still going on with your presumptions? What''s even the point of asking me if you don''t want to believe my answer?" "Shut up. I know you did something. I''ll find out very soon. Also, don''t think that I forgot what you did to me in the forest." Rewen made an exaggerated face. "Oh I''m so scared." Reza turned her head and continued ying with her phone. Rewen also went back to continue watching the streets. ''Come to think of it, Arai had mended his rtionship with Reza in this volume. He went through several pains to mend it though. And although he seeded, it cost his pride.'' He didn''t look down on his predecessor. He just felt that he was a very timid and cowardly person. ''Completely unfit for being the main character of a world like this. ''Well, I guess it''s too soon to judge. Maybe his character develops as the story progresses.'' Rewen could have mended his rtionship with Reza if he actually tried but in his words - ''If it costs something to make a friend, then maybe he/she isn''t your friend to begin with.'' *** Terio Vi. It was evening. The sun was just setting down. Ikeda and his butler Alex stood at the entrance. "Sir, it''s better to just sit inside. They will be arriving soon." Alex carefully suggested to the Head of the Terio Family. "I''m just too anxious. It''s the first time Reza went for so long. Besides, where is my wife?" "Mrs. Terio is with her son." Remembering something, Ikeda''s face turned gloomy. "How are the investigations going?" He was naturally talking about the assassins. "We are trying to find the location. If the location can be found, then the identity of the perpetrator is as good as being discovered." "That''s good news but what I don''t is the Envoy mentioning that there''s a traitor among us. Don''t worry, I know you. You aren''t that stupid to rebel against me." Alex was dripping with sweat when he heard the first half of the sentence. "You scared me, Sir. You shouldn''t give such valuable information to me." Ikedaughed. "You are still as cowardly as ever. Anyways, don''t take your eyes off your maids. I think there''s some kind of scheme going against our family. Who could it be" "Sir, why don''t you list off your potential suspects?" "The prime suspect is the Hanagawa Family from the north-east of our Zcan State. Our family had some conflicts with them every few years. Despite our family being fairly low-key, Hanagawas were one thing we couldn''t tolerate. Therefore, it would make sense if the assassination was a n of them." "Didn''t you say there is a traitor among us?" "I did but the traitor shouldn''t be more than a double agent to the family. The traitor alone doesn''t have the strength to contend against our family." "That''s relieving to hear." Alex smiled, before hearing the sound of a car. "Sir, they arrived." Ikeda smiled. "I can see that." *** In the living room. Rewen and Hase in one of the sofas. Opposite to them sat Ikeda and Reza. Unlike the usual time, Reza was glued to her father. Rewen found it very amusing and continuously stared at her. "What are you staring for?" Reza was displeased by his stare. "Don''t be rude." Ikeda patted her head, then turned to Rewen. "I''m sure that out of everyone in thepetition, you have done the most work." Rewen scratched his head. "It''s all because of a Gruer Orb." He didn''t feel the need to hide this. Ikeda conversed with them for a while, then his face turned serious. Nudging his arm, he instructed Reza to go to her room. Pouting, she did as she was told. Rewen also hesitantly got up. "No. Rewen, I have something important to show you." Ikeda took Rewen and Hase to a room. "Husband?" Mrs. Terio sat by the side of Ryu who was sleeping peacefully. She was gently caressing the hairs of her son. This scene reminded Rewen of his own mother. Growing up, he only had a single parent but he was thankful that wasn''t an orphan. He never got the love of a father but he got plenty of mother''s love. ''That love turned to be a mere act.'' Shaking his head, he put these thoughts at the back of his head and carefully analyzed the situation. Ikeda went near his wife and rubbed her shoulders. Mrs. Terio nodded to him, then her eyes turned to Hase and asked in a quivering voice. "Did you get that?" Hase shook his head with a bitter expression. Mrs. Terio''s face twisted and tears started falling from her eyes. Holding the hand of Ikeda tight, she sobbed. Ikeda sighed. He had expected this oue. After a few seconds, he turned to Rewen. "Do you know what happened?" "I don''t know." "Have you heard of Nirvana''s Break?" "Isn''t that a cognitive illness?" "Yes. Children who have Nirvana''s Break can''t live past the age of eight and die by a heart attack. It is an illness which is said to be incurable. It has been thousands of years but even now, the cure is yet to be discovered." "Are you telling me that?" Rewen gasped. "Ryu was born with Nirvana''s Break." Chapter 123: Revelation Chapter 123: Revtion "..." Rewen''s face was one that he couldn''t believe what was being said. "T-this" Ikeda raised his hands and approached Rewen. "Do you know why I''m saying this to you?" Rewen shook his head with a confused look. Ikeda stopped after getting near to him. "You are from the Central, aren''t you?" "Yes." "A Noble on top of that." "Yes." "Do you have the capability to help my son?" By the end of his question, Ikeda''s voice quivered. Even so, his back was straight and his eyes looked straight at Rewen. Rewen didn''t answer immediately. He went near the boy sleeping on the bed, Ryu, and sighed. "How many days does he have?" "Three days! He has three days left! Could you do something?" Mrs. Terio tightly grabbed his hands. When knowing that her son would possibly be dead in three days, how could her mental state be right? Rewen didn''t mind and sat on the bed. "Three days, huh" He paused, before continuing with a bitter smile. "My name is Arai Atsushi." "Arai Atsushi from the Atsushi Family!?" Ikeda was overjoyed at the revtion. Standing at the back, Hase was also shocked and re-evaluated the young man in front of him. Mrs. Terio cried tears of joy. Seeing the situation develop in this way, Rewen''s smile went even more bitter. "Listen to me first. Do you know how long it would take to travel from here to Central?" Ikeda''s body went stiff. After a few seconds, he answered. "I''ll arrange Sealing Gruer Users to connect the two locations. It would be very expensive but as long as my boy is saved, nothing else matters." Mrs. Terio nodded enthusiastically. "Child, please do this one favor for our family." Rewen sighed. "I''m the infamous child of the Atsushi Family. I''m sorry. Even if I beg them for help, they wouldn''t agree. Let alone him, even if I had Nirvana''s Break, they wouldn''t do anything." "W-why wouldn''t they? Aren''t you their family?" Ikeda''s footsteps staggered as he fell backward. He was a Silver-ranked Gruer User but even he couldn''t maintain hisposure when he discovered that his son''s future was doomed. Mrs. Terio''s eyes turned dark and fainted. Hase bent down to help his Uncle. "Uncle, have you not heard of the infamous child from the Atsushi Family?" "I didn''t," Ikeda said in a hoarse voice. Hase simply took out his phone and showed him the matter. Ikeda read it with half-closed eyes. A few secondster, he got up and approached Rewen with a grim face. All of a sudden, he grabbed Rewen''s cor and threw him out of the room. "Aren''t you ashamed to be freeloading at my ce?" His voice was grave and filled with anger. Rewen watched Ikeda slowly turning into a different person and no expression on his face. He wasn''t exactly hurt so hefortably stood up and started walking towards his room. "Wait." Hase''s voice came from behind. "Don''t mind Uncle''s words. He is just angry." "It''s fine." Rewen faintly smiled. "I have somewhere to go anyways." Hase''s face rxed when he heard the first part of the sentence but when he heard the next, his face twisted. "Rewen, don''t be foolish. You have nowhere to go." He tried persuading him to stay. "Are you sure that I have nowhere to go?" Rewen asked with a smile. "There are butfort is also a factor." "I feel like I would feel much morefortable there. By the way, what did Mrs. Terio asked you when you and I entered the room?" Rewen remembered an important matter. "That was ourst try in saving Ryu. I''m sure you have heard of a legendary artifact that was in the Forest of Michaile, right? Uncle consulted the King regarding this matter and the King stated the only way Ryu can be saved is upon having the mysterious artifact." "After winning, did you ask for the mysterious artifact as a reward?" "I did. However, I was denied." Hase''s eyes were cold. "Why didn''t you try to find the artifact on your own?" "You think I didn''t try?" "Right, sorry." *** Next day. It was afternoon. The Terio Vi was as quiet as ever. Rewen packed up his essentials and left the vi without notifying anyone. After that, he went to Hase''s Potion Shop. "Good afternoon." He greeted Hase who was cleaning his shop. "You are still dead set on going on your own? I could provide you shelter, y''know. My shop is almost-" "I have decided, Brother." For the first time, Rewen changed his address from "Hase" to "Brother" because no matter what the reason, he was rather overwhelmed by the goodwill shown by him. Hase smiled and patted his shoulder. "Fine, I won''t stop you. Where are you going though?" "I n to join the Homeless Association for the time being. I heard that the military is recruiting. Maybe I''ll be a mercenary or something." "I''m telling you onest time. Your idea isn''t the best for your safety." "I know but I have to do it. You know my condition. I''ll die after five months anyways." Running away and hiding in this nation wouldn''t save him. If he didn''te on the appointed day of the duel, the family would send men in his search. It wouldn''t take a single day for him to be captured and killed on the spot. "In that case, farewell!" "Goodbye." With a smile on his face, Rewen walked away. As he began walking, that smile faded, reced by a gloomy look. ''This is bad. I have lost the only shelter I had. I also don''t have too many coins. These coins are barely enough to rent a room for a month.'' [If you are this worried, why did you even leave the vi in the first ce? Did Ikeda''s words hurt your pride?] Rewen''s eyes were cold. He had no mood to talk with the system. He, in fact, didn''t leave because of Ikeda''s words. [Oh! I know why you left. You left because you felt guilty right?] "Shut up." Rewen''s voice was low but it contained anger. [I won''t. What are you going to do about it? If only you epted your own mentality, your mind state wouldn''t be this unstable. After reading the second volume, you unhesitatingly consumed the ck Orb despite knowing how precious it was for the Terio Family. Don''t get me wrong. I liked the fact that you did what you did but if you are going to do something, do it so that you don''t have any regrets.] ''There is no such thing as no regrets. The Terio Family gave me shelter and I''m grateful for that but in my mind, my personal gain tops the gratitude.'' Before joining the River Alliance, Rewen found that the so-called "Legendary Artifact" was a ck Orb. In the original story, Arai unknowingly got swept into the battle between the Princess and Misceneous Alliance. Later, he found the ck Orb and by the end of the volume gave the ck Orb to Ryu. [How much longer are you going to cry about it? Face yourself. You aren''t as righteous as you thought. Recognize your ws and improve yourself.] ''Yeah and pretend like I had nothing to do with Ryu''s death. Sorry, I know my priorities but I''m not at the level of being heartless. Anyways, I want to go back. Use two [Return Tickets] at once.'' Chapter 124: Back To Earth Chapter 124: Back To Earth Travil Town. Klofar Residence. After getting back, Rewenid on the bed and wondered about the events from that world. There was a feeling of deep-rooted guilt inside of him. It''s that he didn''t know that what he did couldn''t be considered evil or anything but after reading the original story where Arai Atsushi sessfully managed to save Ryu affected him somehow. ''I''m not getting anywhere thinking of this.'' He sighed. *Ding* His smartphone rang. It was close to him so he didn''t get up. "Who is it?" "Rewen, I presume?" Rewen recognized the voice. It was the voice of the cop with whom he was familiar. "Yes. Is anything the matter?" Rewen got up from the bed with a frown. He was ufortable holding conversations over the phone while lying on the bed. "Ah,e to the hospital. Everything''s ready." "Oh, thanks for calling. I''ming. Is it urgent?" Rewen remembered that he had suggested that he would bury Banci in case he had no rtives. "No, it''s fine. Take your time." Rewen hung up the phone and then dialed another number. "Should Ie now?" A female voice sounded from the other side. "Can youe in your car? I told the cop that came the other day that I would bury the person I killed." The other side was silent for a while. "Where is the hospital?" "It''s a couple of miles away from here. Near the Sanchos Hotel or something. Do you want toe?" "I''lle." Rewen hung up the phone and changed his clothes. He changed to a ck suit. Looking in the mirror, he really wondered if he is a ''C'' or not. With his hair properly trimmed uppared with his tall and tight physique, he felt that he deserves some recognition. ''System, why don''t you grade me on the basis of 1-10?" [6.5 out of 10.] ''Really now. That sounds about ''C''. Maybe it''s because I was Arai Atsushi for a long time that I suddenly feel that I''m better looking.'' Laughing to himself, he got out of the room. Living room. Denny who was, as usual, watching television saw a figure approaching. "Rewen? Why are you in that suit?" "I''m well, going to bury the person I killed." Rewen wasn''t best at phrasing something. "Wait, what?" Denny took a little time to process but she understood what he was saying. "You are just eighteen and you already killed a person" Rewen took a seat beside her and sighed. "I was forced by circumstances no, I wasn''t. I just thought it was necessary. Besides, I''m sure there are people who are much worse than me at the age of eighteen." "I called my mother," Denny said somethingpletely random. "How is she?" Rewen had seen his Aunt a couple of times. She was a little less strict than his parents and her temperament was kind and gentle. He was quite fond of her when he was a kid. "She is good. I talked with her for a long time. Initially, I was very scared of the thing inside me but after talking with her and crying a lot, I felt better. Now, I''m scared by the fact that I''m not feeling scared of something I should be scared of." Denny''splexion was neutral. Rewen understood what she was talking about. "That''s how fickle emotions are. One moment, you are scared that you might die very soon. The next, you are optimistic and looking forward to the future. Emotions are simply what you want them to be. There''s no correct emotion that you should feel while experiencing something. For example, you see your grandfather dying and feel sad and confused but at the same time, you also feel that the posture in which your grandfather died is very weird and youugh out. What do you make of it?" "I shouldn''t have done that?" "Yes, of course. You shouldn''t have tried to focus on the posture in the first ce and try to think about the good memories you had spent with your grandfather." "But isn''t that superficial and forceful?" "I said it. Emotions are simply what you want them to be. If you want to be sad, you would be sad. If you want to make something funny out of it, you would find it funny. However, even with all theseplex systems regarding how your brain works, you should rely on the rationale and not emotions. If your rationale is good, your emotion will correspond to that and make you feel the best-suited emotion possible in that situation." "Rationale, huh. If I think about it, whether I live or die all depends on you. Therefore, you tell me. Am I right to feel optimistic?" Denny looked straight at Rewen''s eyes. "You couldn''t be more correct." "With that being said, I never realized you were so philosophical." *Ding* *Dong* Rewen was about to respond when the doorbell rang. ''She should have arrived'' Rewen got up and turned to Denny. "See youter." *** While driving his way to the hospital, he took a quick nce at the person sitting beside him. "What''s wrong? You don''t look very bad." With her dull look, Svety''s face was enough to say the words - ''I just woke up''. "It''s because a certain person disturbed my hard-to-obtain peace." "I didn''t know you were sleeping. Do you like to sleep?" Rewen decided that it was better to change the topic. Svety rubbed her half-closed eyes and grumbled. "I have been sleep-deprived for the past few days for a certain reason." "I see." *** A certain hospital. A nurse stood in front of two young people. "Are you Mr. Klofar?" "I am. Where is the corpse? Where can I bury him?" Rewen, who isn''t the best in phrasing questions, asked. Svety covered her face and felt embarrassed for him. The nurse''s face twitched. "Pleasee with me." Half-an-hourter. "There we go, all done." Looking at the grave, he smiled in satisfaction. "Rewen I-I don''t want to die." Svety''s voice sounded behind him. She had also figured out that perhaps the entire city might not be in danger. Only she herself is. Rewen sat on the bench nearby. "Neither do I. I can only do my best." Then, heughed. "Instead of bitching about it, why don''t you do something useful?" "..." She felt a stab of pain in her heart because of the words. "I know right. That''s why don''t bring it up. It''s already very annoying to babysit an adult like you. On top of that, you have the audacity toin?" "I''m notining. Besides, if it wasn''t for you" Svety didn''tplete it. As if it had struck a nerve, Rewen got up from the bench and walked towards her. With dark eyes, he asked. "Did you say something?" Svety gulped a mouthful of words and looked at the man in front of her shivering. All of a sudden, she felt that the man she was familiar with was very unfamiliar. A secondter, she was pushed to the ground. Just as she was about to yell, Rewen came to her and helped her get up with a calm expression. "I''m sorry." For the first time, Rewen considered the system''s earlier words. Chapter 125: New Skills Chapter 125: New Skills "Does it still hurt?" Sitting in the car, he asked the person sitting beside him. "I-I''m good." Svety was still in shock for his behaviour a while ago. ''Is he taking me for granted? I seem to have be the perfect stress reliever for him.'' With a rueful smile, she thought. As she thought deeper, she thought that his actions made sense. Not only because he himself had the risk of dying but also because of herself. ''Come to think of it, I possibly did worse to him back then.'' "Svety. I''ll be honest with you." Rewen said as he calmly drove the car. "What is it?" "I don''t particrly like or dislike you. With that being said, I don''t think I can see you as a friend for what you had done." Svety lowered her head. "You have changed." She paused for a while, then continued. "You were so gentle, scored at the top of your ss and did everything well. My friends looked up to you and wanted to have you as their boyfriend. Every time I heard that, a smile bloomed on my face. Even after you had interference, I thought you would be strong and eventually ovee it. Now that you overcame it, you" "I didn''t be the person you hoped I would? When did you be the person I hoped you would? Why is it always my job to be the perfect person for you? When did you even support me? Did you mistake me for a prince charming in your mind? If that''s the case, I''m sorry. I can''t." "..." Svety''s lips were shut. She couldn''t bring herself to retort. If it was her from a few days ago, she would have retorted but currently, she realized what kind of person she is. ''He isn''t lying. I depended on him and wanted him to be stronger while I continue to depend on him. No wonder he dumped me.'' "I''m a vulnerable person just like you. You cry when you are sad. I don''t have the time to cry because dealing with X is not the only problem I have at the moment. Every day, I''m getting plummeted onto the ground with the new responsibilities that I have to deal with. My fundamental beliefs in life are breaking apart. All I could do is watch myself turning ugly." He drylyughed. His mental state had almost copsed. He was merely an ignorant viger a few days ago. Even with his strong exterior and interior, he couldn''t keep up with the changes. ''Looks like I''m not as strong as I expected. Perhaps I should really stop being so stubborn.'' "Anyways, why don''t youe to my ce and have a chat with Denny?" Svety couldn''t hear the question. Her mind was fixated on the words and expressions from him. As someone who had been by his side since childhood, she believed that no one knew him better than herself. But now, she is having second thoughts. In seconds, she understood that the man beside her is "You are not an ordinary person. If you try hard, you have the ability to change the world." Svety''s eyes were bright. The look in her eyes changed. Hearing her, Rewen couldn''t hold back the urge tough. "Yeah, right. First, let me change myself. I''ll worry about the worldter. " "You don''t need to change yourself." "You don''t understand." "Why would you want to change yourself? Change isn''t necessarily bad but are you that weak to let a few things change the way you perceive things!?" Svety herself didn''t know what happened to her but she felt all sorts of emotions in her head and released them. Rewen''s face was dark and he went quiet. Soon after, Svety recovered her senses. "I I''m sorry. Without knowing your circumstances, I said" "Svety." Rewen''s tone was grave. "You give some good advice once in a while." By the end of his sentence, the usualid-back smile resurfaced on his face. "With that out of the way" *** Klofar Residence. When Rewen returned to his home, Denny took Svety into her room. Feeling left out, he wanted to join but was denied entry. Taking a shower, he fell into thoughts. ''I have daily missions left. I''ll firstplete that.'' Standing in front of Denny''s door, he knocked. A whileter, it opened. "What is it?" "Give me the phone number of your female friend. Don''t worry. I''ll delete them right after you send it." Denny suspiciously looked at her cousin. ''Why is he even asking for the numbers if he doesn''t want to use them?'' She turned back and upon seeing Svety sitting quietly on her bed, she whispered to him. "You shouldn''t cheat on her. She is a good girl." Rewen had a strange face. "We broke up. Now, hurry up and give me the number." Denny nced at him as if she didn''t believe his words but eventually, messaged a number to him. [Ding! Daily Missions from ''Male God System''pleted! Would you like to see the rewards right now?] [Yes] [No] ''Yes.'' [Ding! The Host has received a Tier 1 Bronze Lottery Ticket! Would you like to use it right now?] [Yes] [No] ''No.'' [The item is stored in the inventory.] "Here you go, deleted." Rewen showed his smartphone to Denny who snorted. "Who knows? Maybe you memorized it." *** After that, Rewen jogged in his neighborhood for ten minutes, then bought a drink from a nearby shop. [Ding! Daily Missions from ''Bloodline System''pleted! Would you like to see the rewards right now?] [Yes] [No] ''Yes.'' [Ding! There are three rewards presented for the Host but the Host can only pick one of them. 1. 5% Bloodline Activation 2. 2x Power Spike 3. Luvin''s Star Ticket [What would the Host like to choose?] ''Option 2.'' Rewen picked without any hesitation. He returned home and practiced [Freestyle Knights Combat] for ten minutes. It seems that he could practice but not activate. ''It''s weird. It''s said that only upon activation would the moves be generated. But now, I''m practicing the moves even without activating the skill.'' [Ding! Daily Mission from ''Basic Knights and Magic System''pleted! Would you like to receive the rewards?] [Yes] [No] ''Yes.'' [+10 Mana Storage Capacity] ''I speedrun the daily missions. It feels awesome.'' His thoughts then turned to the ranks. ''If this continues, I might reach the requirement of having 3000 MP within this year. The problem is the skills no, they aren''t the problems. I''m too overpowered for my own good. If I get the time to grow, I''ll be strong within a short time period.'' He seriously pondered about a few things. --- [Grappling (Elementary)] - No MP required. Specifically designed for closebat. Can be used to grab the opponent''s neck. If used properly, it can even kill. [Circuit (First Stage)] - 100 MP required. Once used, any skill below Rank 1 can be used without using any additional MP. Time Limit - 120 seconds. --- "Interesting." Rewen made a motion with his hand to grab an imaginary thing in the air. *Swish* His hand was extremely quick. It practically disregarded his stats. "Not bad. If my estimate is correct, then this speed is at least 20% faster than my usual hand speed. Useful, very useful." For the next few seconds, he debated whether he should learn [Petal Dance] or not but then eventually decided to keep it forter. ''I''ll learn itter.'' He went back to his room and logged into CHAOS. Chapter 126: Plans Chapter 126: ns Darkhood City. Rewen''s room. "-n! Rewen!" Hearing his mother''s repeated shouts, Rewen was annoyed. He walked up to the door and opened it. "Why the f*ck are you still here?" He was dumbstruck by the sight of his mother. Her eyes were red, hair disheveled and her clothes were in a mess. "Are you, like, seeing someone?" In an instant, he voiced out the first thing that came to his mind. ''No. Mother is too devoted. She can''t do this.'' "I''m sorry, Rewen." Grabbing his broad shoulders, she apologised with an anxious expression. Rewen smiled broadly and grabbed her hands. "What''s there to be sorry about? It''s only natural that you expect me to be an heir maker. Nothing''s wrong with that." "It''s not like that! Rewen, you have to trust me. Do you truly believe your mother that raised you up painstakingly would say what she said yesterday?" "I don''t think I understand what you mean. Yesterday, I talked to you. Not some other person." Rewen asked in a doubtful tone. "Like I said, it wasn''t me!" "Who was it then?" "I can''t tell you that but that wasn''t me." "Does it have anything to do with you looking like you went on an adventure and came back?" "Yes. Since I had some work to do, I let her take my ce. Don''t hold a grudge against her. She is a good person and yesterday, she was merely ying with you." Rewen was a bit skeptical at the beginning but thinking again, he thought that what she said makes sense. ''I don''t know what she was doing but she is a Noble, after all.'' "Well, I''m not sure if I''ll like her. I guess it''s better for both me and her to not appear in front of each other again." Mrs. Klofar nodded with a smile, then turned around. However, before she could leave, Rewen grabbed her hands. "I have to discuss with you." Mrs. Klofar tilted her head. "Discuss what?" Rewen looked straight into her eyes. "Tell me what you are hiding." "Listen, Rewen. You are not ready for that." "I don''t care. I want to know. I don''t want to be kept in the dark." Rewen insisted. "No." Mrs. Klofar''s face was stern. "I''m doing this for your own good." "Do you think I''m weak?" "You are not strong enough. Besides, it''s not just a matter of strength. With strength alone, you can''t help me. You have to have a good social status with strong people behind your back." Rewen sighed, before smiling. "Very well. I understand. While the person from yesterday may not be you, that doesn''t mean her words held no truth. You are nning to usurp the House of Lenvin using my sessor, aren''t you?" Mrs. Klofar didn''t speak for a while. "It is not false but it''s also not the way you are putting it to be..." "Oh? Then, I don''t see any difference between you and her. No matter how you put it, it''s not eptable. Your apology served no purpose." "..." Tears streaked down from her face onto the ground. "I I''m sorry. I''m sorry. I''m sorry." "Would you take back your scheme? Look. Your apology doesn''t matter as long as you continue carrying out your schemes." Rewen felt he was a bit harsh on her. No matter what, she was still his mother that had raised him. "I can''t do that." Sobbing, she said. "Rewen!" Rewen was about to say something when he heard Sam''s voice from the main entrance of their house. He gave his mother onest look before heading towards the entrance. "What''s the matter?" He asked Sam, who was standing before the door. "Your friends are here." "Where?" "They are standing outside." Hearing that, he wanted toment about Sam''s manners but then realized it would be futile and went outside. "Huh? Howe both of you are here?" The "friends" that arrived were his cousin Denny and Svety. "Why can''t wee?" Denny grumbled, then with a teasing smile, she said. "Could it be that we interrupted your special time with your fiance?" "Fiance?" Svety looked as if her eyes lost color. "Don''t be silly. Do you want toe inside?" Rewen neither denied nor confirmed the existence of his fiance. He knew that Denny didn''t know much and was just teasing. ''Please, Vinia. Don''t appear in front of them.'' He unknowingly set a g. "Yeah, sure. We want to see the insides of your new house. It looks great from the outside." Svety didn''t say anything. *** "Mm this is very good." Dennymented on the Kiuran Balls she was eating, then her eyes went to Sam. "Is he your brother?" "Not blood-rted." Rewen briefly answered. "Not blood-rted? Is he an orphan?" "I am an orphan." Sam himself responded. "Sorry, sad to hear." Denny realized that her question was sort of inappropriate. "It''s fine." Denny nodded. "So what are your ns?" "ns here?" "No. With X." Rewen''s eyes widened. ''This how can I be so stupid? The microphone in their bodies cannot reach here because this is a virtual body. No one can hear what we say in this ce.'' "Are there any anti-terrorist agencies for the real world in this game?" Denny and Svety looked at each other and shook their heads. "Why would there be? Also, we believe it''s a huge risk to contact other people about this matter." "That''s stupid. If we contact people here, the matter would be resolved quickly." "But before that, we would lose our lives. Can you guarantee it won''t happen?" Rewen fell silent. Indeed, he can''t guarantee that their lives won''t be in danger. "Alright. What do you n to do?" "What do you n to do?" Denny asked back. "We don''t do anything. The one who would do something is you. First, tell us about your strength." "For now, I''m a tiny bit physically stronger than a Rank 1 Mage. Rather than a mage, I''m more of a Martial Artist." Denny''s eyes squinted. "Then, how did you defeat Rank 2?" She was naturally talking about Ruby. "Just know that I can''t defeat a Rank 2 physically until the 12th of this month. I can''t tell you anything other than this." "12th? Between this, you have to possibly fight two times and the enemies will be stronger. What are you going to do?" "I honestly don''t know. If it''s Rank 1, I have confidence that I coulde out as the victor but everything changes if it''s Rank 2." Rewen wasn''t lying. The gap between ranks isn''t there just for show. It is real. If it''s a Martial Artist, even a little difference in stats makes a huge difference in fights. In the case of Mages, people often misunderstand that mages equals ranged battles but in a life-and-death battle where both of them are at each other''s throats, physicalbat is unavoidable. "Do you have any skills?" This time, Svety was the one to ask since Denny fell silent. "I learned a skill from [Custom]. I have a few tricks in my arsenal. I can be considered strong enough topletely destroy a Rank 1 within seconds." "But you still can''t defeat a Rank 2." Denny blurted out. Chapter 127: Drama Chapter 127: Drama Rewen looked somewhat offended by the statement but didn''t say anything. Even with all the skills he currently has, there is very little chance of him defeating a Rank 2 Mage. "I have some work to do. Do you want to stay here or?" "We''ll stay here." Svety replied with a smile. Denny looked at Svety as if she expected a different answer. "Okay." With that, Rewen went to the basement. As Rewen slowly exited the room, the smile on Svety''s face turned stiff. "Hurry up and tell me. What did you mean when you said he had a fiance?" "Oh that" Denny wryly smiled. Looking at Sam, she asked. "Can I tell her?" Sam, who was in the middle of digesting the conversation from earlier, was stunned by the sudden question. After some time, he said. "Don''t ask me. What I can say is the matter isn''t really a secret." Staring at Svety''splexion, he had a sly smile on his face. ''Thisdy here is quite possibly his lover. I look forward to the troubles that guy will face. Not my fault though.'' Svety turned quiet. Denny knew that trouble was brewing and was helpless. She could only exin the matter to her and pray that she is reasonable. "So that''s the whole thing. It''s not really his fault. He was forced to do so." "He should just leave this ce." Svety said in an unnatural tone. "Why? Because of you? It isn''t worth it." Sam was initially expectant to see her reaction but listening to her made him mad. It had to be known that Rewen was someone who was originally from this world. Only after he transmigrated into Earth did he meet the people sitting with him. He couldn''t tolerate what she said. Denny felt a bad premonition. "Why is this NPC talking? Who are you to interfere in our affairs?" Svety was already very unstable after hearing the entire story. Her expression was neutral but her voice was cold. Sam snorted. "I''m not an NPC. Besides, Rewen looks much better with his own fiance. They stay in one room every night and she uses her throat to please him." Rewen goes to Vinia''s room to study. Vinia "uses her throat" to make him understand the topics. Of course, Sam knew all of this but he purposefully created a misunderstanding. "Huh!?" Denny couldn''t believe what she was hearing. ''Could it be that my cousin is a cheating douchebag?'' "..." Svety''s eyes were devoid of emotions. Just then, a figure walked into the room. "Sam, where is Aunt? Who are these guests?" The group''s eyes were drawn in to a good-lookingdy with blonde hair. It was Vinia who woke up just now. Sam had a funny face. "They are Rewen''s friends. They came from far." "Is that so? Please wait. I''ll be calling him." Vinia naturally thought that they were waiting for Rewen toe. "No. It''s fine. They had seen him. Rewen had some work in the smithy." Sam said, a sly smile hung on the corner of his lips. Vinia frowned. "How irresponsible to leave guests be. Is he always like this?" Even if she and Rewen met only a few days ago, she felt that the young man was decent and was someone who would make a good partner, at least for now. Being a victim of arranged marriage, she already considered Rewen as someone she could work with. "You seem to know him very well." Before Sam had the chance to answer, Svety replied with a smile that was not a smile. ''Ah, it was started!'' Sam''s eyes lit up. He had always wanted to watch a real-life cheating drama in front of his eyes. Denny''s premonition came true. ''This is bad.'' Grabbing Svety''s hands, she said in a pleading tone. "Come, let''s go." Svety didn''t budge from her spot. She quietly stared at the confused Vinia. "I have a lot to know about him. I only met a few days ago." Vinia truthfully answered. "Oh, trust me there''s a lot you don''t know about." Svety particrly emphasized on the ''lot'', then continued. "Did you do it with him?" ''She has gonepletely crazy!'' Denny finally understood the dark side of a jealous girlfriend. Previously, she had heard about it butughed it off as some exaggeration. Sam was on the verge ofughing out loud. ''This is what I wanted! THIS IS WHAT I WANTED!'' "What do you mean by ''do it''?" Vinia knew what ''do it'' means but needed to confirm it. "Such an innocent pure soul. Oh please drop the act. It''s sickening me." Svety had the word "disgust" written on her face. "Are you his mistress?" Vinia frowned. Her opinion of Rewen went down. ''In the end, he''s just a cheater. What should I do? Should I ept her?'' She was a woman who had never experienced love. As a woman with dreams and ambitions, she felt that rtions were too far of a matter to consider. The only reason she agreed on the marriage is because she knew there is no escape. If she rejects him, another one wille the next day. *** Meanwhile, Rewen was on the verge of creating a weapon. ''As I thought, smithing gives me the most peace of mind. It is the only time when I can wholly focus on one thing while not bothered by other matters.'' *ng* *ng* *ng* [1500 EXP gained!] "Ding! You have gained a ''Tier 2 Middle-Silver ranked Unnamed Spear!" --- Stage: Rank 2 Upper Grade (5387/8000) Proficiency: 54.021% Expertise: Spear Best Product: Rank 2 Unnamed Spear --- "I don''t understand the game notifications every time I create a weapon. Also, why isn''t my profession as a [cksmith] listed in the status? It''s ridiculous. Let me see if there''s any reason?" He went into the Query Section and typed out his query. After some time, he finally got the answer. The profession [cksmith] has not been implemented in the game yet! It is to be implemented in the future versions. "Then how did I get that? Does it have anything to do with me? Am I special?" Rewen thought a bit, then shook his head. ''It''s better not to think about it for the time being. Despite choosing to be a PLAYER, I became a NPC and that too, I''m back to my own identity. If such a ''coincidence'' can happen, anything can happen.'' Keeping the spear in his shelf, he exited the basement. Coming to the living room, he saw four people staring at each other without a word. "Hm? What''s wrong? Why are you all so quiet?" "It''s all because of you!" Denny looked at his cousin angrily. "How dare you cheat!? I''m telling this to Aunt." ''Cheat?'' At first, Rewen didn''t quite understand what she was saying but then he saw Svety''s menacing look and Vinia''s disappointed face and immediately understood the entire situation. He wanted to go with ''It''s a misunderstanding'' but figured it was too overused so he changed his approach. "Svety." Calmly taking a seat near Sam, he called out her name. His voice was filled with indescribable rage. "Did I not break up with you?" Svety''s face changed. "But you-" "Shut up. Just leave. Do you know why I didn''t like you? It''s because of your unhealthy obsession with me. Even going as far as to r*pe me. I can''t. I can''t deal with you anymore. Please leave. I''m begging you. Please." Chapter 128: FP Chapter 128: FP Everyone''s attention turned to Svety. They all had a single thought. ''If what Rewen is saying is true, then'' Denny had a grim face. R*pe isn''t a thing to be thrown just like this. It isn''t to be joked orughed about. Even though she had done some embarrassing things to him, she never crossed the boundary. A few days ago, when she found out that her cousin had a severe case of interference all this while, she was devastated with guilt. At first, she was in denial. Then slowly, she learned of her faults and eventually, improved her rtionship with him. She had always thought that Svety was one of the few people who supported Rewen during that time. ''But is it really r*pe? How did it happen?'' She didn''t want to change her opinion of Svety that quick. Vinia had simr questions. ''Was he r*ped? How?'' ''This guy he is tripping.'' Sam had a wry smile. Out of everyone present, he knew Rewen''s condition the best. He figured that even if he was r*ped, it was probably the previous owner of his identity of that world. At the same time, he also figured that Svety wasn''tpletely guilt-free. ''She should have thought twice before raging.'' Svety''s face was colorless. She felt betrayed and used. Getting up with her legs shivering, she walked away from the room. No one chased after her. Denny didn''t even look at her. Rewen figured her emotions but didn''t do anything. ''She must be pretty damn sad. Even after I cut off my rtions with her, I continued to take ''benefits'' from it. She saw this as a sign of - having a chance of getting back together but now, I havepletely cut her off. With all this, I can''t possiblyplete the daily missions from [Male God System] anymore.'' He wasn''t sad because he did this. He was sad because he can''t continue to reap benefits from [Male God System] anymore. As for her, he felt that she deserved it. He didn''t hate her but that didn''t prevent him from looking at things objectively. Surely, he had been bullied and she certainly had no part in it. ''But she took advantage of my predecessor. I''m no saint but it''s hard for me to look past the things she did.'' He shook his head, then turned to Vinia. "Are you fine? I''m sorry on her behalf." [+3 Favorability] Vinia silently nodded. "Rewen, you were r*ped?" Denny still couldn''t believe what she heard. Vinia and Sam curiously looked at Rewen. "Uh yeah, I didn''t consent that day so it can considered r*pe. I''m not falsely using. This is the truth." Denny knew his condition so she understood what he meant. ''He had interference. Although it might have been unintentional from Svety''s part, she did r*pe. What should I do? Should I call my parents?'' "Do you want to take this seriously?" Denny asked, not being able to decide. "No. I would have already gone to the cops if I wanted to." Rewen shrugged. "Anyways, you should go. I''m preparing for the Knights exam." "You want to be a [Knight]. Aren''t you" Denny didn''t speak further. ''He might be trying to live out here as a second life.'' Just like that, she got up and left. Rewen leaned back on the sofa while ncing at Sam with half-closed eyes. "I had no part in it." Sam denied with a serious expression. "I would be a fool to believe you." Rewen couldn''t help but give a couple of punches and kicks to him. As usual, Sam scurried off. Rewen then turned to Vinia, the only person left in this room other than him. "Do you have time?" *** Three hourster. "I feel like my head suddenly expanded." Rewenmented after cramming books continuously for three hours. "Your head should also feel satisfied. I''m sure she made proper use of her throat." Sam grinned widely. "You are on that joke?" "What about my throat?" Vinia suddenly appeared from behind. "He said that you are quite good with your head." Sam would be a fool to not use the chance. "Fuck off." Rewen felt like he had got the worst ''best-friend character'' avable. "My head? What''s with my head?" Vinia asked, appearing confused. "It''s when you" Devoid of any shame, Sam whispered into her ears. "What''s with this nonsense!?" Vinia angrily looked at Rewen. ''I expected her to be a little smarter.'' Rewen thought, before shaking his head. "He is fooling around. Look at him, he''s running away." "That might be true but why was the topic of ''throat'' even brought up? It''s so random." Vinia said in a suspicious tone. "Oh, yesterday I wasmending you for being able to teach despite straining your throat to Sam. Sam, being the guy that he is, took it to the worst possible way." [+1 Favorability] "I see. By the way, where is Aunty? I haven''t seen her since morning." "She is probably sitting in her garden." "Okay." Looking at her back, Rewen said in his mind. ''What''s my favorability for her?'' [Favorability: 4] ''That can''t be true. It is more than that.'' [You asked for ''your'' favorability for her.] ''Ah, so my progress to fall in love is four out of hundred. Show me her favorability for me.'' [Favorability: 16] ''Woah, I never recall farming so many favorability points.] [Notifications onlye when the Host gains favorability points by saying a dialogue. FP can be gained in several other ways.] ''Doesn''t FP decrease?'' [In normal cases, it does but since the Host has the ''Male God System'', FP doesn''t fall unless FP is rted to a quest.] ''No wonder that devil woman''s FP decreased so much.'' Rewen had a deep frown. ''I can''t y around with the system.'' He imagined a scenario where he maxed out FP of every single girl he met. What would he do at that time? Should he just be a gentleman and choose the one he likes the most or be a scumbag who wees all of them with open arms? ''Even if I be a ''gentleman'', since the other girls had their FP maxed out, it means that they can''t ''move on''. No, no, no. It''s a bad situation. [Male God System] is more of a curse. I definitely can''t get involved with women.'' He wasn''t a lustful person. Even if he was, having a harem is thest thing he would think of. *** *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* .. --- Active Skills: Variant Fireball Lvl. 3 [0/80] --- "Cool." After practicing the skill, he went back to his home. He saw his mother chatting with Master Kaf but didn''t linger on and moved to his room. After having his dinner in his room, he slept. In the early morning, he got up and logged out. ''This is bing a routine.'' *** Taking off his helmet, he looked at the time. "7:25." Stretching his arms, he went to the living room to see if his cousin was there or not. Denny was there, sitting on the sofa, staring nkly at the walls. The television which should be turned on was off. "Did she leave?" Rewen asked, approaching her. Chapter 129: [River of Right Hand] Chapter 129: [River of Right Hand] "She left." Denny said, looking at him. "You have kept the matter in the dark for so long. Would you even reveal it if it wasn''t necessary?" "I wouldn''t." Rewen truthfully said, then turned around. "Where are you going?" "To the garden. To practice." "I''lle with you." "Sure." *** Taking a deep breath, Rewen looked at the of [River of Right Hand] and started speaking the one-by-one. Denny looked at him from a distance. Her eyebrows were furrowed. She had heard that [Custom] wasn''t an easy and effective skill to learn. ''Since he is trying to learn a skill, he must have his own ns.'' Why is he suddenly so different? How did he suddenly get so strong? How and why did he get involved with a behemoth-level organization? These were all the questions she had in her mind. At the same time, she also felt emotional and strange. ''The boy-next-door had be a figure shrouded in mystery.'' "Denny." Rewen called out while looking at the phone. "What is it?" "Can you bring a piece of white paper?" "Sure." Denny didn''t ask questions and immediately brought a white paper. "Good. Now keep it in front of my face." "Should I hold it?" "Yes." Rewen figured that since he was getting distracted by the surroundings while trying to memorize the , why not cut off the source of distraction? Twenty minutester. "Done." A calm smile formed on his face. Usually, it would have taken an hour for him to memorize the entire thing but his memorization ability increases the more he memorizes. --- [Memorization] (25.12%) --- "What? You are done?" Denny''s face had the word ''disbelief'' written on her face. It has to be known that Mages are just strong. They don''t have superior intellectual capacity. People who are good at memory are just good at memory. It has nothing to with being a Mage. She had known since they were as small as four and although, Rewen had always been a smart student, that is, until high school, it wasn''t to the level of cramming up two pages worth of random letters and numbers within twenty minutes. ''This is absurd!'' Denny cried out in her heart. Looking at her face, Rewen guessed her thoughts andughed. "This is not even a fraction of my real talent. My meme of ''Future Strongest Man on Earth'' may not be a meme in the future anymore. You better get used to it unless you want to die from extreme shock." Denny scowled, then changed the topic. "Show me the skill." "Calm down. It''s not done yet." "Not done yet? What else do you need to do?" "There is also the basic sequence for [Front-Attack] type skills." "How long is it?" Rewen typed something in his smartphone, then showed the screen to her. "Not much big. About one-third of a page." "One-third of a page should take about three minutes" Denny calcted taking ount of his memory speed. Just then, a voice sounded beside her ears. "Done." "Huh? So fast?" Her face was doubtful. Rewen smiled. "You failed to take the fact that my memorization speed increases into ount." Denny stared nkly at him for a while, then started panicking all of a sudden. "There is a microphone inside. That''s not good. Think before saying something this secretive." "Don''t worry. Let them hear." Rewen wasn''t particrly worried about the organization learning of his skills and doing something to counter-attack while fighting him. ''I have hidden trump cards as well.'' "Enough of that. Now that I have memorized the two essential things required to use [Custom], thest thing left is a . What exactly should the be? Let''s see the [River of Right Hand] can serve as both [Front-Attack] and maybe even defense if used well. How about - Striking The Opponent Near To Me? Let''s try it." ''First, the .'' A secondter. ''Next, the for [Front-Attack] type skills.'' Three secondster. ''[River of Right Hand] ." Forty secondster. Rewen felt a cooling sensation on his four limbs. Not only his hands but also his legs gave a fresh feeling. The blood was undisturbed. However, his face was pale. ''This this is too heavy.'' Others might not be able to notice it but since he was the one trying out the skill, he understood that to use this skill, one needs endurance and strength. His legs were the same but his hands felt like he was carrying two buses of grown adults. Even with a stat of 17, it was difficult. ''Persist. Persist. Persist.'' Gritting his teeth, his right hand finally moved. *Swish* *Gurrr* The wind heavily blew over the garden. The electric wires that were running were cut off. "What''s this? Is a tornadoing?" "Close the doors! Don''t get out!" The neighborhood was disturbed. Meanwhile, Rewen and Denny both stared at each other nkly. --- MP: 0/100 --- Rewen couldn''t understand why this had happened. "A Rank 0 skill c-can''t possess such power." Denny said after a while. She was shaken by the might of the skill. Rewen nodded, then browsed the inte. "It turns out it''s like this" He wryly smiled after getting his exnation. "Everything depends on the . If I believe my , then no matter how ridiculous the might seem, the skill would be executed ording to the ." "But your wasn''t ridiculous!" "It was. Do you think that I could strike any opponent with [River of Right Hand]?" "You ca by any, did you mean" "Yes. By any, I mean any. I wasn''t aware of this. Nevermind. My would be - Striking A Rank 1 Opponent." A minuteter. *Swish* *Swish* *Swish* Swinging his hands, he feltfortable and satisfied. "It''s cool, right?" Denny couldn''t really understand anything since to her, he was just swinging his hands. His hands hadn''t changed one bit. ''It should have hardened.'' She thought. "Let''s go. I''m hungry." Rubbing his stomach, Rewen walked out of the garden. "Wait, what about the other skill?" "Let''s not be too hasty." *** Having his dinner with Cal and Denny, he went to his room and watched a few episodes of Code Geass before switching his lights off and hopping into the bed. ''I''m tired.'' ''I don''t want to deal with this anymore.'' ''I don''t want to go to that shitty world.'' ''I don''t want to deal with my family.'' ''I don''t want to deal with my parents from this world.'' ''I just want to take a rest.'' ''I''m tired.'' Rewen thought about all the things that happened today. The first thing that came to his mind was Svety. ''I treated her like trash.'' He grabbed his smartphone which was near to him and texted her. -> Sorry. Not waiting for a reply, he threw his phone. His eyes which were half-dropped turned bright. ''I would get nowhere by mourning about my life. I got a godly system which could take me to the peak of life. Of course, nothinges for free. Since I got the system, I am bound to be exhausted in both body and mind. That is the price I have to pay. If there''s one thing that concerns me, then why me?'' Chapter 130: Aunt Presilla Chapter 130: Aunt Presi 4th Grade Training Ground. --- MP: 125 --- Rewen frowned. Not because of the amount of MP he currently had. He walked to Instructor Venitt who was watching over his ssmates. "I have a question." "As long as it''s not stupid." Instructor Venitt turned to the young man whom she had already ck-listed. Rewen pretended to ignore herment. "How would I know if I reached Rank 0? It states in the books that one usually needs 100 MP to be a Rank 0 Mage but how do people know that they reached Rank 0? Is there some kind of equipment?" Instructor Venitt''s eyebrows perked up. This brat actually asked a good question. "Yes, there is equipment which keeps tracks of people''s progress with mana storage. Keep in mind, it only shows your mana storage. Not how much mana you currently have. Have you never seen Denny use it?" "I didn''t." He wasn''t surprised that she was familiar with Denny. Denny was a cadet from 2nd Grade ss - one of the two Special sses. If it wasn''t for her mana resonance, she could have easily been admitted into 1st Grade ss. It must be known that people in 1st Grade ss aren''t just in 1st Grade due to their high mana resonance. They have a physique simr to Martial Artists. Denny was a prodigy in closebat fights in high school. "Well, she wears a watch every time, right?" Rewen nodded. "That''s an expensive watch. Cal brought that on her 15th birthday. Don''t tell me that the watch is the equipment you are talking about?" "Yes and no. After she reached Rank 0, I gave her a sort of small chip which can be embedded into the watch. From there onwards, the watch gave her both the time and her progress." "Ah." "Now, if you would be so kind as to focus on your progress rather than bothering me." *** Zaplin yawned while walking down the hallway. "I don''t wanna be a Mage." Vin, who was talking with Rewen, suddenly turned his head. "What''s with you all of a sudden?" "There are so many professions. So many colleges and I had to pick up the path of the Mage." "The session''s just started and you are already bored of it?" Rewen had an amused look. "It''s not that. Today''s Sunday. Fricking Sunday. So why the hell is the Academy open?" Zaplin was someone who likes toy down on the bed on Sundays. Vin had a bewildered expression on his face. "Don''t tell me you didn''t know about it?" "I knew. But it still feels annoying." "Yeah. From what I have seen, except for Summer and Winter Breaks, there aren''t any holidays. Even in those breaks, there would be events which are mandatory." Just as they were chatting, Zelic skipped over to them. "Hm? What are you talking about?" She asked with a bright and cheerful face. Rewen grinned. "We were discussing about your crush." "Nonsense!" Zelic stomped her foot and looked at the trio. "You three pretend to be all serious and proper but are actually hidden pervs. Always discussing about girls." "Wait, how are we pervs? Like Rewen said, we were discussing about your crush." Vin had a lopsided grin on his face. He said the word "Crush" louder than normal. "Yeah, it''s very normal to discuss about crush." Zaplin also joined in. Zelic''s face turned red as she pushed the trio out of the crowd. When the group reached the ss, Rewen didn''t see Svety standing there like usual. "See you tomorrow." Zaplin and Vin took their bags from the ssroom and exited the First Year Campus. Rewen picked the bag while Zelic asked from behind. "What''s wrong? Did you have a fight with Svety?" "Correct. I''m shocked that you can actually make correct guesses." Rewen chuckled. Zelic pouted. "It''s a woman''s intuition. Ah! By the way, Mother invited you. You don''t have to eat in the canteen." "Aunt Presi?" Rewen had a good impression of her. Unlike his strict and rarely-smiling mother, Aunt Presi is the exact opposite of her. She is cheerful, funny and gentle. Zelic nodded. "Today, Mother is cooking the most favorite delicacy of Klofars - Steamed Chicken with Extra Toppings!" Rewen wryly smiled. ''That''s not a special dish at all but it''s true that it''s the most liked delicacy of Klofars.'' "What? You don''t want to go? Good for me. I''ll have your portion as well." Zelic whistled. "Of course, I''ll go." Smiling at the childish Zelic, he flicked his fingers on her forehead. *** Dte Residence. "Rewen! How tall you have grown!" A beautiful middle-aged woman hugged a red-haired young man at the entrance. "Uh yeah. You also look very beautiful." Rewen didn''t know how to deal with her. He was not used to receiving so much affection from a stranger. "My, our boy has a sweet tongue." Squeezing his cheeks, Aunt Presi gave a small peck on his right cheek. "Come inside. Your Uncle is also home today. Wait, let me just call him." Rewen stood there nkly. Zelic nudged his arm. "What are you thinking of? Let''s go." "I was wondering if my mother and Aunt Presi are even rted." Zelic sneered, then her face quickly turned grave remembering the incidents from childhood where Aunt Viviana basically tortured her because she was being mischievous in her studies. "She is scary as fuck!" "By the way, do you have pictures of Ron?" "Huh? Yeah, of course. He is cuter than you would ever be." While walking towards the living room, Zelic took out her smartphone. "That was unnecessary." Rewen also took out his smartphone and saw a bunch of pictures on his SmallTalk ount. Looking at the pictures, he smiled and set one of the pictures as his wallpaper. "Doesn''t this look like your house?" Rewen saw one of the pictures was identical to the color of the house. "Oh, I forgot to tell you that a few months ago, Aunt Viviana came here along with Ron." "They came here? I guess she never felt the need to visit me." Rewen spoke his mind. He had a sort of weird rtionship with his parents. To him, they were senior figures but a far cry from a parent. ''A parent is someone who stays close to their children and looks after them. Not some people who are self-indulgent overlords seeing their children as some sort of tools just there to live up to their expectations.'' Zelic had an awkward face. Just Rewen was about to say something, two people came out. One was Aunt Presi. The other was a middle-aged man. The middle-aged man patted Rewen''s shoulder. "Good to see you again, Rewen. I have heard of your condition. It''s true that there''s no cure to this but it doesn''t mean that you havepletely changed." "Yes, Uncle." Rewen seriously nodded. "Keep the serious talk forter. The food is getting cold." *** "Viviana taught me this few years ago. It looks like I forgot and messed up a little of the toppings." Aunt Presimented while chewing. "No, it tastes great." Rewen wasn''t a food critic and gave his honest opinion. "I''m d you like it." "Yes, this doesn''t taste half bad." Aunt Presi''s husbandplimented with a smile. Chapter 131: Thoughts Chapter 131: Thoughts After having lunch, Rewen chatted with his Uncle for a while. "Thanks for the food. I''ll be leaving now." "Why are you in a hurry? Zelic, bring him to your room and y something." Aunt Presi grabbed his hands. Rewen and Zelic both looked at each and felt speechless. "Mom, we are kids anymore." "Who said you are? I just Rewen? How about you stay for a single day?" "..." Rewen''s eyes twitched. ''Did she originally n to let me stay here for a week!?'' *** After lots of trouble, Rewen finally managed to exit the house. Letting out a sigh, he said. "There are all kinds of people in the world" ''The distance from here to my ce is close to a mile. Why don''t Iplete one of the daily missions like this?'' With that, he jogged the entire way. When he got home, he didn''t see Denny in the living room. ''Weird, where is she?'' Thinking so, he opened the fridge and took out a drink of Hagver. After gulping the entire drink, he smacked his lips in satisfaction. "The vor never gets old!" [Ding! Daily Missions from ''Bloodline System''pleted! Would you like to see the rewards?] [Yes] [No] ''Yup. Show me.'' [You have received Luvin''s Star Ticket! Would you like to use it right now?] [Yes] [No] ''You are being kinda forceful, you know.'' Rewen frowned deeply. Previously, he used to get three options from [Bloodline System] but now, he isn''t given any option. The system didn''t respond. ''Alright, fine. I''ll take this.'' He tapped on ''No''. Even if he didn''t want to, there were no other options. [''Luvin''s Star Ticket'' is stored in the inventory.] ''Great.'' *Ding* His smartphone rang. He took out his phone and looked at the number - Svety. He picked up the call but before he could say something, the other party asked in a cold voice. "What?" "What ''what''?" "..." "If you are talking about the message, then there''s no need for you to know." "Send it through SmallTalk." "Why do you need it? You wouldn''t even fight." "Send. It." "Look. The reason I''m telling you not to go to the location where I''ll fight next is because the organization can''t be trusted. There are so many possibilities that could go wrong if a mishap happens after you arrive at the location. I didn''t consider thisst time but I can''t let another victim like Denny appear." Rewen tried to reason. "Send. The. Location." Unfortunately, Svety didn''t want to listen to reasons. "Fuck off." Getting annoyed, he cut off the call. Rewen took a shower, then went to his room and turned on his PC. --- -> Target: Runic Arms Squad (C-9) and Metal Squad (C-17) - 8 Members Location: Winter Sun Apartment Complex Maximum Level: Peak Rank 1 Mage Tips: Try your best. --- Unlike the first time, it''s eight members this time. ''Fortunately, there isn''t a Rank 2. But I shouldn''t look down on Rank 1. Rank 1 Mages are difficult to fight. Just because I defeated four Rank 1s doesn''t mean that I can beat eight Rank 1 Mages all at the same time now that my strength has increased.'' "I''ll probably be saying ''Hi'' to my ancestors if I underestimate them. Oh, here it is." Looking at the building on the PC screen, Rewen sucked in a lot of air. "This is going to be difficult." A building is a closed space, not a free area. Even if there is a free area, it wouldn''t be much. If he gets cornered, it would be extremely difficult for him to get out alive. ''Just imagining myself surrounded by eight Mages is shivering.'' The apartmentplex mentioned in the message is old and empty. It previously used to be a HQ of a smallpany but after thepany got bankrupt, it became an apartmentplex ten years ago. Currently, no one lives there. "There are even some haunted legends about it?" Rewen read an article he found interesting. *Knock* "Rewen?" It was Denny''s voice. "Come in." The door opened and a young woman entered the room. Sitting on his bed, she asked. "It''s going to be in this building?" "Seems like it." Rewen nodded. "Where did you go?" "I was just in my room." "I was used to seeing you in the living room watching television so I found it rather odd." Rewen lightlyughed. "I don''t always watch television. Wait, are you logging in to CHAOS?" "Yeah, I don''t have much to do. In the evening, I''ll learn the skill. If Svetyes, tell her to not wake me up. Also, don''t tell the location of where I''ll fight. She will insist-" "The doors of our house are closed for Svety." All of a sudden, Denny''s expression took a sharp turn. Her neutral face turned cold. Initially, after hearing her "deeds'''', she was perplexed and confused. After all, they had been friends for many years. She just couldn''t believe that Svety would do ''that''. Butter on, she figured that her cousin''s words are probably true and started detesting Svety from the bottom of her heart. Rewen smiled but didn''t say anything. "Are you sure you want to leave the matter as it is? There is no shame in admitting that you had been r*ped despite being a guy. Also, no matter what her background is, the authorities are bound to take measures." Denny tried to push the matter forward. "Nah, court cases are a pain in the ass. Besides, my life is too preupied now. I''ll think more about the matter when my current situation is resolved." Rewen didn''t want to file awsuit against her because he personally doesn''t have any hatred against her. With that being said, if his predecessor''s close ones wanted to take any step against her, he would be okay with that. However, he was still a bit conflicted. ''Even so, would it really be alright for her? Although, yes, by all terms and definitions, it was non-consensual sex but how should I say it? She doesn''t seem that bad of a person. I''ll probably have different thoughts if it was me instead of my predecessor.'' He wrylyughed and gestured to Denny to get out of his room. ''Human emotions areplex. Sometimes, people don''t want topletely judge a person because of one bad thing they did. I don''t know if that mentality is right or wrong.'' Rewen had a couple other philosophical thoughts. After a while, he shook his head and logged into CHAOS. He had an uneventful day. In the morning, he studied for the uing Knights exam. In the evening, he practiced smithing. [1500 EXP gained!] "Ding! You have gained a ''Tier 2 Upper-Silver ranked Unnamed Lance!" --- Stage: Rank 2 Upper Grade (6887/8000) Proficiency: 54.562% Expertise: Spear Best Product: Rank 2 Unnamed Lance --- "Where are you leaving again?" Sam asked him. "I''m just taking a stroll around the forest." "A forest is not the best ce to take a stroll, you know?" *** *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* .. --- Active Skills: Variant Fireball Lvl. 3 [20/80] --- Like usual, he had dinner and fell asleep in his room. In the morning, he got up and logged out. Chapter 132: No Title Chapter 132: No Title Travil Town. In a certain area. It was night. A man wearing a leather jacket with rtively long hair standing leaning on the steel barriers. He constantly sighed while looking at the moonlight reflected in the water, perhaps reminding him of some past events. "David? Why are you still here? Let''s go." A young woman said from behind him. The man shook his head, still looking at the water. "Let me reminisce about the past. At this point, that''s the only thing I could do with my will." "You can reminisce some other time. The target could be arriving at any time. We can''t afford to screw this up." David smiled. "Do you actually think that the target would arrive at this time? Put yourself in his shoes and what would you do?" The young woman snorted. "If I was the target, I woulde here right now." David didn''t mind the non-typical answer andughed. "That''s because you are too crafty. Let''s take a normal strength of Rank 1 MageRank 1 Mage. Would hee here immediately after getting the message that there would be eight Mages at the same level surrounding him? Unless he isn''t reckless, he would bid his time, practice his skills, use every possible measure to higher the chances of him winning against us." "Why do you say so much nonsense? Juste to the building. There are spots where you can act cool and reminisce." "Is that so? Can I get a cigarette?" "That''s out of bounds. Also, how old are you when you still think cigarettes make you look cooler?" "That''s unfortunate." David had a deep look. "How are the others doing?" "Great. At the very least, better than you." The young woman pulled his hands and dragged him away. *** Klofar Residence. With his hand on his forehead, Rewen looked at the ceiling making ns. "Should I burst into the apartmentplex? It might startle them and I could gain a substantial advantage over the battle but at the same time, there are more disadvantages. I haven''t yet learned [Petal Dance] which could prove to be a deciding factor between my life and death. "I also have to practice the other skills. No one would give me an entire minute for letting me cast the skill upon them. I have to shorten it to as short as I can. "Lastly, the most important part. There is still five days left before I get back the [Freestyle Knights Combat] technique. ording to the letter, I have three days to defeat the two squads. Let''s see. Today''s one day. Tomorrow''s the next. Day after tomorrow''s thest. Let''s say that I manage to defeat the squads the day after tomorrow, I probably wouldn''t get another message on the same day. Therefore, this is thest time that I would be restricted by not being able to use [Freestyle Knights Combat] technique." An expression of relief came over his face. ''Can I defeat eight Mages of the same rank? If they attack me one-by-one, I could perhaps manage to survive but surely they wouldn''t be that stupid to let me do that, right?'' "Whatever. I could not rely on my opponents to win. If I want to do something about the oue, I have to do something for myself." A determined look appeared on his face. *Ding* *Dong* The main door bell rang. "I''ll take care of it." Rewen was about to go to the door when he heard Denny''s voice. ''Take care of it? Ah, it must be Svety.'' It didn''t take long for him to figure out who was at the door. Momentster, he could hear his cousin''s voice. "What do you mean by ''I''m not leaving''? Do you want me to call the cops?" "No. I don''t wee you here. If you have something to say rted to X, then message him." "What? Not going to happen." "Yes. Stay here then!" *Knock* "It''s open." Rewen said. Without even guessing, he knows who knocked the door. "That Svety should I call the cops?" Denny looked annoyed and frustrated. "No need. Let me talk to her." "No. You stay here. I know how she is. The moment she''ll see you, she would leap onto your chest and squeeze out some fake tears. Then, like an idiot, you would forgive her." "What? No. That''s just your head canon. Do I look that stupid?" "Love makes everyone stupid." "..." Rewen just got up and went to the door when he figured that it''s useless to argue against her. *** "Please leave." When Svety heard those two cold words, her body froze up. Why is the man suddenly so unfamiliar? If she had to describe the man in two words in recent days, it would be "chaotic" and "unfamiliar". Chaotic because the man is quick to anger andsh out but at the same time, shows regret for the action he does. Unfamiliar because ''Rewen wasn''t anything like this. This may not be him.'' She made a frightening guess. Her instincts told her that the man standing before her wasn''t the man she had feelings for but logic told her otherwise. "Where is Rewen!?" She asked out hysterically. Her eyes had already turned red. "Hahaha" She saw the manughing, deepening her suspicions about the matter. ''He really isn''t Rewen? Then who is he?'' Chaos invaded her mind. Her legs shivered. She couldn''t stand straight because of an unknown fear. The man, no, the devil took one step close to her. She felt as if her legs lost strength. She didn''t know why but the fear in her heart was growing every second. ''Why am I so scared?'' She wondered but never got an answer. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder and fell on her knees. It was not due to the weight of the hand. It was the weight of "fear". Her eyes fidgeted non-stop from panic. Her body couldn''t stop shivering because of the hand ced on her shoulder. "I...I I''m leaving. D-don''t mmm! Mhmm!" Her lips were sealed by another lips. Her mind nked out. "I''m sorry. I had to pretend. Let''s start over." The man said, looking straight at her eyes. Svety regained her rity. The "pressure" she felt from earlier disappeared without a trace. With the help of his hands, she got up. *Pah* Although she was scared, the disgust and loathing she was feeling towards the man overruled the fear. She looked at the man once again. There were bright five fingers printed on his right cheek yet the man had a strange smile on his face. "Let''s do that once more." With a strange smile, the man approached her. *Pah* "Stay away!!" Svety yelled but her throat was dry. "Oh? Now you want to run? Did you forget that I control your life and death? Did you forget that I can easily get you behind bars? Do you not care about your life?" Getting scared of his behaviour, she took a few steps back but the man continued to approach her. "Hehe, let me have my way with you. Maybe I''ll forgive you then." ''This is Rewen? Did I have affection for this guy!?'' This lowlife scum?'' Tears glistened in her eyes as she ran away frantically. The man didn''t chase after her. The strange smile on his face was no more. All that remained was a cold frown. Everything he did was obviously an act. He wasn''t fond of bing the "viin" guy but there are more than two reasons as to why he chose to do this. It wasn''t a spur of the moment love-hate drama act. ''First her.'' Rewen secretly located Denny looking at him through one of the windows. ''Not only her but everyone. ''I''m not Rewen'' - this has been on my mind for quite a while. It wouldn''t surprise if someone suspects that I''m not my predecessor. Acting isn''t going to work at this stage. It''s only a matter of time before everyone gets suspicious of my behaviour. It''s been only a single week and I''m supposed to have somewhat ''recovered'' from my interference, which is why the thought of me being someone else isn''t going to appear in their minds.'' ''In this world, everything is possible. If this goes on, I might be suspected of being a fully invaded soul. There is only a little difference between me and an invaded soul. I doubt people would listen to my exnations. I thought it would take some months before people start suspecting me but there is already someone suspecting me of not being my predecessor. This leaves me with a single option.'' ''System, what happens if my stat bes zero?'' [The Host loses his consciousness and dies.] ''In that case, [Boost]. Temporarily sacrifice all my stats to my life force and make me unconscious for an hour.'' [There is no such thing as life force.] ''You know what I''m trying to say.'' Rewen''s eyes closed as he fell on the cold ground with a thud. Chapter 133: Fabrication Chapter 133: Fabrication Branch B-3 Hospital. Rewen''s eyes abruptly shot open. The first thing he did was observe his surroundings. He was in a normal hospital bed lying down wearing the same loose clothes he had from earlier. The room was rtively empty with a few shelves filled with medicines. He looked at his hands. Upon seeing that he wasn''t injected with saline, hefortably raised his upper body. "Urgh" A groan came out from his mouth. For some reason, he has a terrible headache. ''Why is my head hurting?'' A secondter, the headache was gone without a trace. Just then, the door opened and three people came in. They were Cal, Denny, and a nurse with some papers in her hand. "Rewen!" Denny eximed and went near to him. Holding his arms, she asked in a worried voice. "How are you feeling?" She didn''t ask if he was feeling okay because she knew that he wasn''t. "I''m fine. How did this happen?" "That''s what I was about to ask you." Denny helplessly looked at Cal. Cal stepped forward and looked straight at him. "How did you feel when you fell unconscious?" "I don''t know I I remember talking shit to Svety, then and then" Sweat dripped from his forehead and he seemed extremely out of breath. "What, what''s wrong?" Seeing his condition, Denny anxiously turned to the nurse. "Please see him." The nurse quickly checked his pulse which appeared normal. But before she could say anything, a voice sounded in her ears. "It''s fine now. I think it''s because of interference. Can I do a check-up?" "You think you have interference?" The nurse didn''t know how to respond. As far as she was concerned, interference is rare. He just fell unconscious and that''s amon thing to happen. "Miss, he has been tested to have interference," Cal said from the side. "Ah" Realization dawned upon her face. "But then, why do you want to do a check-up once again?" Rewen had a grim expression on his face. "My condition possibly got worse." *** Half-an-hourter. A middle-aged doctor went through the reports in his hands once again and sighed. Rewen sat opposite to him. Behind him stood his cousins - Cal and Denny. Denny was quiet while Cal patted Rewen''s shoulders once in a while. "Rewen Klofar, I suppose?" The middle-aged doctor asked to confirm. "It is me." "Before I show you the reports, I want you to tell me how you are currently feeling." "I''m fin-" "Please be honest with me." The doctor seriously said. Rewen sighed. "It feels bad. Very bad. My limited vocabry isn''t doing justice to what I''m feeling. If there''s an analogy I canpare my condition with, it would be akin to red ants eating up my brain. Every time I make any movements, I feel like a red ant bits a part of my brain. The pain lingers on for quite a while but before I can get a chance to rest, I''m forced to make another movement because of the pain I felt because of the first. The cycle never stops." Cal and Denny flinched when they heard him. Although they didn''t know what it was like, it didn''t stop them from realizing that it''s the most inhumane pain they had ever heard of. The middle-aged doctor nodded. "That''s one way of describing it. Since when did you start feeling this sort of pain? ording to your previous report which was very recent, it looked like you had Stage 2 Interference." "Well, to be honest" Rewen showed a hesitant look. "I have felt this pain for the past two years." His cousins'' heart stopped when they heard him. ''He endured this level of pain for over two years!?'' Not only his cousins but the doctor himself was shocked when he heard this. "Why? Where are the previous reports? What about the painkillers? Did you not have them?" The doctor got agitated. He has been working in the profession for many years but this is the first time he had heard something this crazy. "I didn''t tell anyone." "Yes?" The doctor looked like he had heard something wrong. "Wait a minute, you hide the fact that you had interference for over two years? Why?" Rewen lowered his head and didn''t say anything. The doctor let out a long sigh before turning to his cousins. "I presume, you are his guardians?" "I am. It''s aplete negligence on my part." Cal admitted. "Unfortunately, that isn''t going to do anything. Here''s the report. Read it and understand what you have done." Cal silently took the report and both the siblings started reading it. "He did nothing wrong." The doctor said, taking off his sses. "I may not agree with it but I sort of understand the boy''s mentality. If he revealed that he had a Stage 5 Interference, he would probably have to drop out of his school and lie on his bed all day. What about his parents?" "They don''t live here." Denny said with a dry throat. She never expected Rewen to have Stage 5 Interference. "Hah!" The doctor scoffed but didn''t say anything. Denny''s pupils shrank as she went through the report. "Why does he suddenly have Stage 5 Interference? A few days ago, he was tested to have Stage 2!" "It''s called a Break. It''s amon urrence among patients with Stage 4 and 5 Interference." *** After getting out of the hospital, Cal looked at Rewen. "Rewen, drop out of the academy." "I''m fine, aren''t I? Do I look like someone who has interference?" Rewen grinned widely. Denny had indescribable emotions on her face. "It''s not something to joke about. Rewen, this is not the time to act stubborn." ''This is turning out to be more troublesome than I thought.'' Rewen finally decided to act seriously. "I promise that I''ll drop out of the Academy if I do something out of control." Cal didn''t appear convinced so he looked at his sister. "What do you think?" "Ask Uncle and Aunt." "Yeah, I should do that." "Wait, don''t do that." "Are you out of your mind?" Cal didn''t pay any attention to Rewen and simply took out his phone. "Can you wait a minute? I have something to discuss with Denny in private." Rewen pulled in Denny to a corner who seemed confused. "What?" "What if my parents decide to take me to where they live? Did you forget about X?" He didn''t bullshit and got to the point. Denny instantly understood what he was talking about. Few seconds, she smiled. "I''ll think of something." Rewen sneered. "You think you are very cool? Cut the hypocrisy. If you want to die so badly, thenmit suicide for all I care. But don''t be this sad of a hypocrite." "..." The response she got waspletely different from what she expected. She wanted to rage and argue but then decided against it. ''I can''t psychologically pressure him. It might worsen his condition.'' Aside from that, she also knows that what he said was not far from the truth but didn''t want to admit it. Momentster, they returned to Cal. "Cal, let''s give him some time." "Give him some time? Do you know what you are saying? His condition is extremely bad. I can''t say what would happen if his condition gets any worse." Cal used a rare aggressive tone. "I know but how about we watch over him for this month?" "No." *** Eventually, Rewen and Denny managed to convince Cal. "This is beyond crazy. Uncle would skin me alive if he knows that I''m hiding something this important." Driving the car, Cal berated both of them. "Tell them I forced you to do this." "It''s not that simple forget it. Tomorrow, I''ll be contacting the academy. Hopefully, they won''t dare to be negligent about him. Also, Denny. See that he doesn''t get bullied or harassed." Denny rolled her eyes. ''Is there anyone from the academy that can bully him? Speaking of which, how exactly did he be strong all of a sudden?'' This wasn''t the first time she thought of this. At many instants, she wanted to ask but was hesitant. ''He has his own secret. It''s better to not pry.'' "Give me your phone." Rewen suddenly asked. "Why do you need it?" Denny didn''t like others going through her phone. "Give me a number." "You are still on about that!?" "It''s essential." *** Svety''s Apartment. Yeri stood behind a door and knocked. "Svety, there is some important news about him." "I don''t want to hear it." - Was the voice that came from the door. After returning home, Svety was holed up in her room. Yeri, as her bodyguard, knows what happened. In fact, she knows more than what happened. She was there at the time when Svety visited Rewen and saw everything. At first, she was naturally disgusted by his conduct and wanted tond a few hits on him but she refrained from doing so. The reason being - ''This way, the toxic rtionship would end.'' Of course, if the situation escted, she would have stepped in. Chapter 134: Soul Space Chapter 134: Soul Space A few minutes ago. Tervon thoughtfully said. "I''m against telling her the truth." Yeri shook her head helplessly. "I''m also against it but she''ll find out anyway." They were naturally talking about Svety. After she had an argument with Rewen, they didn''t leave but quietly observed thetter. They decided that if he made any moves, they would immediatelye out and restrain him. But the young man copsed. Sometimeter, they came to know that he had a Stage 5 Interference which managed to baffle the Rank 4 Mages. It had to be known that interference in itself is umon to happen. Every one out-of-thousand is likely to have interference. Most people have Stage 1 or Stage 2 interference. They can appear perfectly fine and live their life with some painful headaches once in a while. People with Stage 3 interference are advised to stay at home. Ruby was a case of Stage 3 Interference. She is usually normal but once triggered by something, goes crazy. There is likely to be only a handful of people with Stage 4 Interference in the entire province. They are given special care as they can hardly speak or even thinkplex stuff. Even in an entire kingdom, there may not be a single person with Stage 5 Interference. That''s how rare it is. Their identities are usually hidden unless they or their families want to make it public. Tervon''s face showed hesitation. "Okay, say it. But advise her to not keep making his life difficult. He is already very pitiful." Yeri silently nodded. *** The door creaked open. "What is it?" Svety asked with half-opened dead eyes. "He has a Stage 5 interference." Yeri sighed and directly came to the point. Svety''s face changed. Within an instant, she understood what this meant. *Baam* She closed her door with a bang. She didn''t need to listen to anything else. Furthermore, she knows that her bodyguards were strong and capable, gauging her every single movement in silence. ''His behavior was due to the influence of interference?'' Of course, she still had some doubts. ''If that''s the case, why did nothing like this happen in the past two years? Why only now? Could it be that he is merely putting up a facade?'' Soon, she eliminated the thought. If he was putting up a facade, how could he have Stage 5 interference? At present, she doesn''t know of any methods or incidents where a person faked his/her test result. ''But then, how was he so clear-headed earlier? Didn''t he have a Stage 2 interference?'' After a while, she reached the conclusion and aplicated look appeared on her face. ''He must have been on a Break. Tonight, his mental state was stretched to the limits. He talked about his condition when we were returning from the hospital. Back then, he said that even aside from our current predicament, he had several other issues to deal with.'' All of a sudden, everything made sense to her. His behavior with her was influenced by the fact that he was on Break. Adding on to the fact that he had grudges against her, it is believable that he acted that way. His taking certain "advantages" from her could also be attributed to interference. ''This all was simple to understand. Aside from what happened tonight, his attitude and temperament are possibly rted to the interference.'' As she sank deeper into thoughts, she quickly realized several things she hadn''t in the past. ''He was just too clear-headed of a person that I subconsciously forgot that he even had interference. Starting from conversations to goals, he hasplete control over everything. Momentarily, when he did something out-of-the-blue, I failed to notice that it was due to interference.'' *** Klofar Residence. ''Interference is a magical word.'' Watching a drama on television with Denny, Rewen randomly thought. ''Becausemon people don''t have enough knowledge about it, to them, interference could turn out to be anything. To them, interference is very mystical. Even after knowing the cause and effects of interference, it doesn''t help, but the so-called effects aren''t always predictable.'' ''For instance, there was a person with Stage 3 interference who used to go out at night and burn random things. Every night, people gathered and dragged him to his ce, but he didn''t stop. He repeatedly tried doing everything he could do to burn things. Naturally, he was forcefully taken into a psychiatric hospital and was forced to live there. Two dayster, hemitted suicide.'' ''There were lots of incidents like this. While this particr case might sound something of an extreme case of OCD, but the cases aren''t necessarily rted to OCD. To put it more urately, it''s random things happening randomly. In my case, I obviously ain''t a victim of interference. Sure, there was a soul remnant of my predecessor that took up a single unit of my soul space, but that isn''t interference.'' There are two different soul spaces Registered and Unregistered. Registered soul space is an untouched part of the soul. There is no quantity unit in which it could be expressed but generally, a Registered soul space consists of 100 units. There are heavy barriers that restrict other entities to enter. Let alone invaders (wills), not even a soul remnant can enter under normal conditions. Then, there is Unregistered. It is an open soul space with no barriers making ''invaders'' easier to take up a portion of this soul space. The reason invaders do so is because of primal instinct. Like in horror stories, after death, many die with regrets and don''t want topletely disappear. In the same way, people who die with extreme regrets turn into invaders and hunt for possession in other bodies. Till now, there have been no records of sessful possessions, and it is considered virtually impossible. Unregistered soul space doesn''t have any barriers and protections while entering, but it doesn''t mean there are no barriers inside it. Depending on the regret of the invader, the soul space would be conquered. The fact that Rewen''s predecessor had a Stage 5 interference just goes to show how much regret the invader had. More than 95% of the Unregistered soul space was under the invader''s control. If it wasn''t for the fact that Registered soul space existed, the invader would have sessfully possessed the body. ''Soul is an interesting subject to study about. In my daily life, I hear people constantly chattering about the fascination of souls. Like them, I am not devoid of fascination but my fascination and curiosity start with something very basic and easy to understand where is the soul? Is it in the mind? Scientifically speaking, that doesn''t make sense. Among mana? That''s dubious because even though, unlike mana, soul space has a fixed quantity. So if mana increases, then the soul capacity also should increase which isn''t the case.'' ''There are a couple of hypotheses'' regarding soul which is popr, but there''s no conclusive argument and none of them are proven. However, that''s what ignites the passion for learning. If there''s nothing to learn and discover, it wouldn''t be interesting at all.'' "Denny." He nudged the figure who was absorbed in the drama. "How long is this going to continue?" Denny looked at him with the corner of her eyes. "Why? You don''t usually watch television but now that you saw me watching, you want to watch it?" "I wasn''t talking about that. I have yet to learn [Petal Dance]. Hold the white paper for me." Denny waved her wands. "Not today. You are in a bad condition. Do you remember what you did to Svety?" "That never mind, I''ll stick a white paper on my eye level." Rewen didn''t want to waste any time. Just as he was about to leave the living room, he tilted his head. "Also, see if Cal is going to the garden." *** Winter Sun Apartment Complex. One of the Halls. "Looks like the target isn''t going toe anytime soon tonight." A boyying on arge desk said in azy voice. There was an old man sitting cross-legged on the floor. "We must not let our guard down. For all we know, the target could be nning to infiltrate theplex thinking we are asleep." "I heard you, old guy." The boy knew that it''s useless to argue against oldies. The old man nodded, then initiated a conversation. "Would it be rude to ask why a child like you is here?" "I think it''s even more rude to call myself a child. I have regressed. Kind of?" "Regressed? Is that possible?" "What isn''t possible in this world?" The boy asked back. The old man didn''t ask anything further. He knows how to respect someone''s limits. "What about you, old guy? Why did an oldie like youe here? Shouldn''t you be ying with your grandkids?" The old man''s expression got dark. "Oh, sorry. You don''t need to say if it''s personal but like, you asked so I thought it''s only natural" Just at that moment, the door creaked open. Chapter 135: Preparations Chapter 135: Preparations "Well hello there. I hope you both are having a good time." A man in a leather jacket looked at both of them holding the knob of the door. The boy nodded with a neutral face. "We are good. What do you want?" The man in the leather jacket, David, had a sour face. "I havee to see what you were doing. Everyone has already fallen asleep disregarding their safety. Forced by circumstances, I was turned from a squad leader to a watchman." "There needs to be a change in life." The boy shrugged, then remembered something and asked. "Where is Owen? I haven''t seen him since morning. Is he evening?" "He I don''t know him. You are from his squad. You would know better." "I was just asking." The old man calmly got up and walked up to David. "Why did you ept this mission?" Davidughed out loud. "Are you asking this now? If you didn''t want to do this, then you should have told me before I epted the mission. It''s not like I brought you here. I consulted everyone and all three including you agreed." The old man didn''t say anything. Giving a deep look, he went outside the hall. *** The next two days were uneventful for Rewen. After a long while, he finally got the rest he was seeking for. Coming back from the academy, he practised the three skills - [Petal Dance], [River of Right Hand], and [Giant Leap] day and night. He finally understood the difficulty of using the skills. It wasn''t rted to time but rather - practice. Both are corrted but thetter has much more importance. You can take up an entire minute to cast the skill but not halt the process midway due to distractions. To not be distracted during a fight while casting skill is beyond difficult. A simple wind is enough to disrupt the casting. The reason is people''s mind is already preupied with his enemy during the casting, always remaining vignt. That vignce is reasonable to have but also leads to overthinking which can disrupt the casting. That''s why Rewen decided to make a note keeping track of his progress. --- [Giant Leap] Total casting time - 25 seconds [River of Right Hand] Total casting time - 27 seconds [Petal Dance] Total casting time - 1 minute and 11 seconds --- These were the best results he could achieve. The progress after this was non-existent. Even [Mana Maniption] has its limits. Although he did figure that this problem would be resolved if he "upgrades" [Mana Maniption]. Aside from the skills, he had also looked into the two new skills he had got afterpleting the quest to be Rank 0 Mage within a week. [Grappling (Elementary)] was an extremely deadly attack used in closebat. If sessful, it can basically kill the opponent. It takes up no mana and ording to Rewen, it also doesn''t take up a lot of energy and time. It was his favourite skill out of all. [Circuit (First Stage)], in his words, is beyond his level of strength, i.e., overpowered. Using this, he can easily save up precious mana while simultaneously using other skills. It is a trump card material. Being interested, he did research about the skill and found out that it was a Rank 1 [Special] type skill. Confused as to why he can use a Rank 1 skill while being at Rank 0, he researched deeper. Bu the failed to gain any knowledge. Not because the knowledge wasn''t there but because he couldn''t understand a thing. It was both funny and face-palming at the same time. Little did he expect that he would have insufficient intelligence to understand 0.1% of it. It''s like teaching calculus to a grade-schooler. That''s how big the difference is. With no choice, he decided to not think too much about it. To cast skills that are directly from the system requires a single thought of ''activation''. It requires no in-depth knowledge of the particr skill or the type of skill. For instance, usually before learning a skill, one needs to know the nitty-gritty of it. Starting from ''how to use'' to ''where to use'', everything must be thoroughly learned before picking up the skill to learn. That''s an academic procedure. Till now, Rewen hadn''t learned a single skill the "normal" way and he doesn''t n to do so anytime soon. At midnight, he would find some time to log in into CHAOS because he didn''t want to break the chain. No matter what anyone thinks, for Rewen, that ce had been his home for eighteen years of his life. Now that he has to live on Earth, he doesn''t want to discard the life out there. Regarding his ''Stage 5 interference'', he didn''t act upon it. He didn''t need to. The testing was enough to maintain a false image of him. As long as one isn''t overly skeptical, no one would suspect he isn''t Rewen. As to the reason he would give when people ask how he is so normal - who knows? In the entire kingdom, there might not be a single person who has a Stage 5 interference. There weren''t enough subjects to know what exactly it can cause urately. Thinking of this, a subconscious smirk appeared on his face. ''For all they know, it can even make a could. For all we know, it can even induce highbative abilities within the victims.'' He was mildly positive that his cousins had the thought more than once. "Creepy smile counter +1." A nonchnt voice sounded from across the small round table. The source of the voice was Svety and the ce they were in was the good old Central Canteen. After the incident with her that night, she self-reflected upon herself. With numerous considerations, she approached him the next morning to make up with him. While she was still hesitant about the matter, she saw the red-haired young man open his mouth. ''I''m sorry - was the best he could say and do?'' She weirdly felt anger rush to her brain. But looking at his guilt-filledplexion, she recalled the reason she came here for. That''s right, for an apology as well. Unfortunately, she didn''t get to do so for some reason. Later that day, they had a harmonious conversation. Rewen always wryly smiled when he thought of the matter. The reason doesn''t matter. He had no doubt manipted her in more than one way. He didn''t feel this way when he lied to his cousins because his cousins essentially don''t have much to do with it. At most, they are concerned about his well-being. By now, they probably have epted the change in him. Svety, however, is a different case. Time and again, he had been abusive to her for very little reason. He isn''t his predecessor. He couldn''t justify everything he does to her with "payback". ''This is for the best.'' He thought. His rtionship with her now could be considered as friends. He doesn''t hunt for the lottery from [Male God System] anymore. ''Should I go to the red light district and ask for smooches? I''m sure that the ''hot moms in my neighbourhood'' would do it for free. Then again, I''m not the cutest looking guy.'' Random thoughts covered his head as he grabbed the burger with his hands. Seeing him nking out, Svety curiously asked. "What are you thinking of?" "Do you think I look cute?" He blurted out without thinking much. Svety''s expression turned ufortable very quickly. Without even looking at her surroundings, she could feel the grins and gossips. shing an awkward smile, she stared straight at him. "Why do you ask?" "Well, I just asked. You don''t need to answer if you don''t want to." Rewen also realized that this kind of question wasn''t appropriate in public spaces. For some reason, a yful smile appeared on her face. "Are you seeing someone?" "Yeah. Something like that." Rewen unabashedly lied. Her yful smile turned strange soon enough. "Who? Oh actually, never mind. Regarding your question" She lowered her voice and moved her seat close to his and chose her words carefully. "Cute isn''t the best word to describe you how should I put it? You are manly yeah, you are manly..." Rewen felt that her tone was ufortable. "Don''t mince words. It''s alright. I can handle it. Where would I be if you were to describe my appearance out of ten?" Svety thought for a while then answered. "6.5 maybe 7?" Rewen smiled. "Wow, that''s way above my expectations. I thought that you would say numbers like 2 or 3. 6.5 is a good score." To be honest, he did expect a number like 6.5. Somehow, seeing him so gleeful didn''t sit well with Svety. "The score is based on normal people''s standards. It doesn''t mean that you are three levels below from bing the perfect looking man on Earth." "Why the sudden mood swing? Fine. You are a ten. Is that what you wanted to hear?" "That''s not it!" Chapter 136: Vs Runic Arms Squad And Metal Squad (1) Chapter 136: Vs Runic Arms Squad And Metal Squad (1) Winter Sun Apartment Complex. Near the apartment, a car was parked. "Is this it? It doesn''t look shabby at all." "Yes, but that''s not the point. The point is, go back." Rewen untied his seat belt and got out of the car. In his shoulder was the long spear he had borrowed. He also brought three daggers that are hidden in his waist. Svety stared at him. "Are you sure that the uniform won''t restrict your movements?" "It wouldn''t." "What are you going to do after defeating them?" "I''m not calling the police. If something troublesome happens, call your father and spare me the court proceedings." Svety didn''t say anything more and went away. Rewen had a calm expression but underneath that, he was nervous. ''Fuck it. If all my preparations don''t work, then it''s better to die. Yes, what''s scary about it? At most, I''ll just die.'' He regained his confidence, then looked at his stats. --- Host: Rewen Klofar Bloodline: Human (100%) (Yellow) - [Perks] Age: 18 Strength: 17 Agility: 17 Endurance: 17 Dexterity: 17 HP: 170/170 MP: 185/185 Active Skills: [Freestyle Knights Combat (Initial Stage)], [Lunge], [Grappling (Elementary)], [Circuit (First Stage)] Passive Skills: [Observe], [Mana Maniption], [Memorization (43.21%)] Features: [cksmith], [Mission to Doom], [Boost], [Appearance Grader] Path: [Knight] Unique Property: [Balls of Steels] Inventory: 2x Power Spike (x4), Tier 1 Bronze Lottery Ticket (x2), Brown Fruit (x2), Luvin''s Star Ticket --- He was satisfied. Including the skills from [Custom] and the inventory, he was pretty confident that he could even defeat Rank 2 Mages. [Ding! Main Storyline quest has been issued! Do you want to see it?] [Yes] [No] ''Show me.'' --- Quest: Annihte the two squads Grade: C- Details: Kill every single member of the squad. Rewards: Tier 1 Silver Lottery Ticket Failure: Forbidden to use [Mana Maniption] for the next 30 days. --- Rewen sank into deep thoughts. *** Rewen walked into the main gate but couldn''t decide which building he should check first. There are seven apartment buildings close to each other. All of them were more than twenty floors. ''I''ll just enter the first one.'' Making a decision, he calmly walked into the main entrance of the first apartment building. *Boom* The wall beside him broke apart revealing a boyunching towards his chest with his legs. Rewen didn''t have much time to think and tried to block his chest. The legs made contact with the spear making Rewen back off. "That startled me," Rewen spoke in honesty, then dashed towards the boy who quietly stood there. ''How is he going to attack? Could he be preparing a skill in secret? I should be cautious.'' His eyes turned cold as he ruthlessly plunged his spear towards the boy''s head. However, in the next moment, a strange thing happened. The spear went past the boy''s head as if the boy was never in that spot in the first ce. Shocked, Rewen squinted his eyes and tried to make sense of what happened when a hand touched his shoulder. "I''m here bro." ''This? What happened?'' Rewen sensed a figure behind him touching his shoulder and a chill went up down his spine. "Are you too scared to move? Tsk, such a disappointment." The boy looked dissatisfied. At this moment, Rewen chuckled. "You talk too much." Grappling! The boy sensed something dangerousing towards him and instantly moved away. "That thing it''s fast." "Of course it is." Rewen turned around and dashed towards the boy again. Dodged! Dodged! Dodged! Every strike he makes fails because the boy is too nimble and flexible. Even in a closed space, a long weapon like a spear is useful if the one using it is skilled enough. Conversely, the boy is also skilled in dodging deadly spear strikes in a closed space. A few secondster, Rewen stopped the barrage of attacks and took a few steps back. Seeing this action, the boy gave a mischievous smile. "What''s wrong? You decided to give up?" "Yeah, spear attack won''t work against someone as flexible as you." Rewen calmly admitted, then kept the spear on the ground and smiled. "Are you good at dodging in fistfights?" Without giving him the time to reply, he sprinted towards the boy with the clear intention to punch. The boy''s eyes went cold. ''His physical strength is greater than me. I''ll probably be on the losing end if I have a fistfight with him. But, how much could the difference be?'' Within a fraction of seconds, he went through all the possible chances of a counter-attack. ''I can do this.'' A small smile appeared on his face as he was preparing to dodge the iing strike. But. "Kuh!" A gush of blood went down from the boy''s nose. ''It was too fast!'' He hurriedly made a gap between the two of them. ''Not only was it fast, but it was also tricky. Who would have thought he would use his legs at thest moment? Punching gave him a lot of opportunities to guard. If I counter-attacked at the time he punched, he would have guarded it. However, if I dodged the punch and then counter-attacked, he wouldn''t have the time to dodge it. But what he did was beyond normal. If I knew he was going for a kick, I wouldn''t need to dodge anything. Kicking opens up a lot of openings. Not only that, kicking isn''tfortable while running.'' The boy analyzed the mistake he had made and wiped off the blood of his nose. "That was good." "Thanks for thepliment," Rewen said, then looked around the surroundings. At the present, he was in arge room. Looking at the counter, it was fair to guess that this is a room where receptions take ce. There were a few benches scattered around the room, tworge staircases and a single elevator. "This looks new. Did your boss kick out every single person who lived here?" Rewen asked in curiosity. "Yes. It was vacated three months ago when the Boss decided to give this apartmentplex as a gift to some squad." "That''s going overboard. For four people, he kicked out everyone?" "The Boss isn''t stingy with his rewards. How about it? Are you going to join our organization?" The boy asked with a casual smile. Rewen didn''t hesitate to answer: "I can''t say I''m not interested but you aren''t someone I could trust." "That''s a good choice." The boy nodded, then his gaze went to his opponent''s hands. "Now then, did you finish your casting or do you still need some time?" "It''s done." Rewen was unhinged about his ploy being found out and made his way to his opponent who was standing still. "You are quite generous, you know?" "You wouldn''t be saying that if you know me better." Rewen finally cast the [River of Right Hand] onto his hands. From the outside, his hands looked perfectly fine but it was bursting with strength. Its speed was out of the usual. The boy didn''t move and calmly watched a palm horizontallying towards his neck. He couldn''t dodge it. His physical strength was iparable to Rewen. He didn''t have any [Evasive] type skills. Despite all this, he had a terrifyingly stoic look on his face, as if he wasn''t afraid of death. *Swish* The hand made a swing without touching the neck. Shock and disbelief filled his mind. Without thinking much, he took a few steps back. ''How is that possible? I urately aimed for his neck so why is it that I missed? Did I grow some sympathy seeing that he was a boy? No, that''s not possible. I came here with the resolve to go back alive. Mercy and sympathy are things I don''t consider during a life-to-death fight. So why is it that I missed my shot?'' Rewen had a grave look on his face. Looking straight at the boy, he said. "Interesting. You have some mind control skills?" He was probing. If he was lucky, he would get the answer. The boy gave a small smile and slowly made his way to his opponent. "I don''t have any mind control skills." Rewen''s eyes squinted. He didn''t give any signs to show that he was bothered by his opponent approaching him but secretly made preparations. "Hah! I overestimated you. I thought you were better than this. Lying when your skill is found out is the most pathetic thing I have seen." The boy smiled and when he was at a distance of less than a metre, he opened his mouth. "I don''t have any mind-controlling skills. In fact, I didn''t even do anything." Pausing, he sighed and then continued. "What do you think I''ll do next?" Rewen''s gaze flickered. ''This guy he''s hard to understand. Better put up some distance between him and me.'' "What are you going to do?" He asked, cautiousness was the only thing in his mind. Hearing the question, the boy widely grinned. "Nothing! But I can''t say the same for the person behind you!" Rewen froze up. ''He isn''t bluffing.'' He could sense not one, not two but a couple of people behind him. Chapter 137: Vs Runic Arms Squad And Metal Squad (2) Chapter 137: Vs Runic Arms Squad And Metal Squad (2) Before he could take a single step, a loud shout came from behind. "Fire!" *Bang* *Bang* *Bang* *Bang* *Bang* Gunshots were fired from all sides. Giant Leap! Rewen used the [Giant Leap] he had been preparing for a while. He made a huge jump from the spot where he was to one of the staircases. Not bothering to pick up the spear, he made a run. As he ran, the boy was in a tough spot as he was near where Rewen was standing. "Hey, hey, hey. Friendly fire! I''m here." The gunfire stopped revealing a couple of men and women. Starting from the left, a man was wearing a leather jacket. He was David, the leader of the mission as well as a member of Runic Arms Squad. He stepped forward and looked at the direction his target had fled, then turned to the boy. "Seems like he had some tricks up his sleeve." "Wasn''t he saying that it would be easy? Strategic nning, my ass!" A young woman in hot pants snorted. "I told you that it would be better if we jump the gun and surround him. She was also a member of Runic Arms Squad and was familiar with David. "Urgh, all you can do isin. How about you give an actual good idea for once? Even in the discussion, you didn''t participate. No one would think you are mute if you don''t open your mouth!" Another young woman in her mid-twenties scolded with an annoyed look. She was from the Metal Squad and couldn''t tolerate someone insulting a fellow member from the squad. "What did you say!?" The young woman from the Runic Arms Squad had a fire in her eyes. At this moment, a middle-aged man from Metal Squad stepped forward and tried to dissuade the situation. "Ma, Jennifer. Now is not the time to banter. Let''s split up and search for him." "I agree. Let''s not escte the matter further. Ma, try to think ahead." The old man from Runic Arms Squad also suggested. The two women looked at each other, then moved their eyes away, not paying further attention. Ma then turned to David. "Should we split up or go together?" "We should go together," David answered unhurried but looked at the boy from the corner of his eyes. "What do you think?" The boy slightly smiled. "The target is not easy. He has at least the physical strength of an E-grade Martial Artist. On top of that, he also has hidden skills. Was it not mentioned that he has turned eighteen not long ago and is a first-year at Eastern Dream Academy. Does the academy teach skills to the freshers this quickly?" Everyone looked at each other in silence. A whileter, a female voice broke the silence. "I got word that he bought the skills." She was another member of the Runic Arms Squad. She wore traditional clothing and appeared very beautiful. The boy chuckled. "No wonder. So it''s the rich people''s way." "So? What do we do?" Ma asked. The boy didn''t say anything but stared at David. Thetter, being the leader, made the decision. "Split up seems to be the best way to deal with the situation quickly. There are many rooms and hidden spots in the apartment building so it would take a lot of time to find him together. If you encounter him, immediately tap the transmitter. Try not to fight until everyone arrives. If we sessfully corner him, even if he is twice as strong as he is, we can catch him." *** Third Floor. "Not in this room" Lane sighed after searching for more than thirty rooms. She was from the Metal Squad and the youngest of the eight. Life has not been smooth sailing for her. Being an orphan, she was tossed around from families to families. Eventually, when she turned eighteen, she was abandoned. Helpless and eager to survive, she somehow got the opportunity to enter the organization. ''After this, I''ll live the way I want.'' ording to the contract she had signed, this was herst mission. ''All these years, I have endured the disgust of killing a person. No, I don''t feel the disgust anymore. I have gotten used to it. I didn''t want to.'' *Swoosh* Feeling a figure near her, she grabbed her gun but before she could fire, her arm was grabbed by a stronger force. Her eyes went cold and instantly abandoned the gun and threw a kick at the figure in front of her. Holding the gun, the figure took a couple of steps back. "Decisive but foolish." Rewen snorted. Aiming for her head, he pressed the trigger. *Zek* ''The barrel is empty?'' Lane sneered. "You think I would let you take a full-loaded gun?" While talking, she reached out to her pocket and pressed the transmitter slightly. Rewen''s face turned solemn. ''Shit. She just did something.'' Not wasting any time, he ran towards her at the highest speed he could muster. Lane was expressionless. This wasn''t her first time facing these kinds of situations. She had hovered between life and death more than ten times. ''I can''t leave. He may not follow me if I run away. If I left, the transmitter would also change the location. Since that''s the case, I can only fight.'' Taking a stance, she calmly watched the red-haired young maning at her. ''From the looks of it, it''s a round punch. It may not be as he is disying but I''ll raise the guard.'' As she expected, a round fist came to her right ear. She raised her arm to block it but "Uh!" The punch brushed past her arm and made contact with her head. A groan emerged from her mouth. Staggering a few steps back quickly, she felt her vision going blurry. ''Not good!'' While running, she immediately took out a small bottle of liquid from her pocket and drank the entirety of it. Only after that, her vision got better. This time, Rewen was very straightforward. From the very first, he made it clear that he was going for a round punch on her ears. The reason it had a good impact is that he [River of Right Hand]. He didn''t chase after her and analyzed the moves. ''This is not a bad skill. Too bad that only a single hit can be made. She is probably heading towards her squad members. Not following her is the best option. I should change my location.'' He felt a bit of regret that he couldn''t defeat her properly but he wasn''t in any hurry to do so. Observing his surroundings, he saw that there was an elevator nearby and went near it. There were no staircases around the spot he was standing. The staircase that led him to the third floor was located in the direction Lane was heading. He casually pressed the button of the elevator. Meanwhile, Lane turned back to see if the target was chasing her. ''Huh? Where is he?'' She stopped when she saw him standing towards the elevator. ''I have to stop him.'' Putting all the strength into her legs, she sprinted towards Rewen. The elevator door opened and Rewen walked in. Just as he was about to press a button, he saw the woman he previously fought appear. Out of reflex, he kicked towards her face. "Kuh!" Lane had the opportunity to dodge the kick but didn''t do so because this way, she might lose him. Her nose bled but her legs didn''t stop. Eventually, she got on the elevator and calmly looked at the young man who was sighing. "You sure have a bad taste in picking locations to fight." As soon as hepleted his sentence, he threw a punch towards the face in front of him. ''I can''t let her take the time to breathe.'' Lane had no panic at the sudden assault. She saw the fist approaching but did nothing. Dodged! Rewen''s eyes widened. ''How is that possible'' A secondter, he figured out the problem. "So that''s how it is. Were you hiding in the room?" Lane coughed a few teeth along with blood. The kick was on point and did heavy damage. Raising her head, she sneered. "That''s right. Took you a while to figure that out." Rewen didn''t take offence to that and instead smiled. "Care to exin your skill? It is an interesting skill. Is it rted to changing vectors?" "..." Lane didn''t say anything and looked at the floor the elevator is supposed to go. ''7th floor it should take a while for them to arrive. Till then, I have to hold him off by myself.'' To test his theory, Rewen threw a couple of punches which changed direction at the crucial moment. "Why are you standing like a statue? Are you not going to fight?" Lane kept standing like a mute. ''I''m at a huge disadvantage if I fight at close-quarters with him.'' When the elevator finally stopped, both of them got out of the elevator at the same time. Chapter 138: Vs Runic Arms Squad And Metal Squad (3) Chapter 138: Vs Runic Arms Squad And Metal Squad (3) "The signal is showing that she is moving up." The boy said looking at the people in front of him. "Stairs or elevators?" David asked. "I''ll safely say stairs. How weird would it be to go by elevators while your enemy is chasing you?" "She is being chased?" The old man from Runic Arms Squad stepped forward with the intention to go after his ally. The boy smiled. "I assume that she is being chased. It could be the other way around but do you think that the target would let an opportunity to kill her go? Moreover, she is alone and the target has a high chance of going after her." Everyone nodded and showed signs of understanding the situation. "Then why are we not moving?" Ma''s tone showed impatience. "Let''s go." The boyughed and started walking towards the direction the signal was pointing. Seeing this action, the middle-aged man had a deep frown. "Is this a joke?" David and the others also didn''t have a goodplexion. The boyughed again. "Let''s walk. No need to run. Conserve your stamina." David was about to say something when the boy continued. "Think about it. The target is focused on fighting Lane and we sneak up to him" "This isn''t some kind of cartoon. Please be serious." Jennifer couldn''t help but speak. "Hehe, don''t worry. We''ll reach soon. Besides, fighting with Lane would consume his stamina for real." *** As soon as both of them got out of the elevator, they instantly put up some distance between them. Lane''s face wasn''t good. Her face was pale, devoid of blood. ''I forcefully used up too much natural energy for [Distinct Hide]. I can''t use any of my core skills for a while. To fight him, I have to rely on normal skills. From the looks of it, he doesn''t seem like he has arge mana storage. If he did, he would have used it in the elevator.'' Simrly, Rewen had his own thoughts. ''Why is her face so pale? Does using too much mana harm your body? I don''t think so. Anyways, now''s not the time to think critically. All I have to know is that I have some advantages over her.'' His eyes turned sharp. ''My first advantage is natural physicalbat. I''m physically stronger than her and I could possibly decide the fight if Ind one solid hit with [River of Right Hand].'' ''Second. She seems exhausted for some reason. Naturally, the skill she used isn''t omnipotent. At first, I thought that it''s a mind-controlling skill which freaked me out but thankfully, it''s not that. It''s probably a good [Evasive] type skill. Now that she is exhausted, even if she could cast the skill, she shouldn''t be able to hold it for too long.'' ''Third. She is in a hurry. Why was she running away when she confronted me? Because she knows she can''t defeat me? usible but then, why would she follow me to the elevator? That doesn''t make sense.'' A small smile appeared on his face. He had figured it out. ''She is waiting for her mates to arrive!'' Lane inwardly felt dread when she saw the smile but snorted. Taking out two des, she shot out towards her opponent. Rewen didn''t wait for the attack to arrive. He also dashed towards her. ''She wants to fight in close-quarters even though she knows that she has a disadvantage. Why is that? Those des aren''t enough. Therefore, there''s a skill involved.'' The two young people ran towards each other with not a shred of emotion in their eyes. ''For freedom I can do anything.'' Lane felt her body had be light. ''For survival I have to do whatever necessary.'' Rewen''s hands were empty and didn''t prepare for any skills. With only bare hands, he pushed forward to fight with his armed opponent. *Swish* One of the des narrowly dodged his nose. He wanted to counter-attack and grab her hand which was close to his face. But then, he saw another de swiftly rushing towards his eyes. As he saw that, he immediately abandoned his counter-attack and used his right leg to step back. In this exchange, he finally figured out why [Custom] is so poorly rated. If he had learned [Giant Leap] manually, he would have easily used it to jump over her and attack her from upwards. But he obviously couldn''t do that as it needs a lot of time to cast the particr skill via [Custom]. ''What a shitty skill. No wonder no one uses it.'' He cursed under his breath before regaining focus on the figure in front of him. *Swish* Again, a de approached his neck. Dodged! Followed by another. He took a step back. A de approached him. Dodged! Followed by another soon after. Dodged! ''I won''t go anywhere like this. Her moves are not profound and eye-opening but it''s fast and leaves no room to attack. Till now, I can''t detect the hint of a skill being used. So this is just her de-wielding capabilities.'' Taking a sigh, he made his decision. Lane, as usual, was swinging her des. ''They should have arrived by now where are they huh!?" Her eyes widened when one of her wrists was caught. After the initial shock, her eyes lit up. Her wrist being caught wasn''t a piece of bad news. Snickering, she swung her other de towards the hand that grabbed her. *Ssh* Blood gushed from the palm. A groan emerged from the owner of the palm. It wasn''t Rewen. Rewen had a nonchnt smile on his face. His gaze turned to his own that was pierced by the sharp de. He was holding another palm interlocking his fingers with the other. The other palm had an even worse condition. Half of its ring finger was lost. What remained was hot blood oozing out of the finger. The other hand belonged to Lane. She had cold eyes staring straight at the young man in front of her. What happened was fast but being one of the involved parties, she knew what happened. Just as her de was about to touch her opponent''s palm, thetter pulled her hand towards her. To make sure that she couldn''t back off, he twisted her twist making the de fall on the food and then interlocked his fingers with her own. In other words, she hit herself! Lane appeared distressed. Despite the overwhelming pain of one of her fingers being cut and her palm being pierced, she bit her lips and struggled to take her hands off. "Ah, I always wanted to hold hands with a prettydy such as yourself." Rewen couldn''t help but make an out-of-contextment. "Never mind, time is the essence." With that, he grinned and pulled his left arm, tantly showing that he was going to hit her face. *Pah* A clear sound of breaking teeth sounded. Lane''s mouth spewed out blood. Her eyes looked very sluggish as if she would fall the very next second. It''s not that she didn''t try to dodge or defend but she knew it was pointless. ''It''s better that I gather the remaining strength on my left arm.'' "Puhhh!" Another solid fist hit her face. ''It''s not good. It''s not good. I''m losing my consciousness.'' The strength she had gathered in her hand vanished away. Her knees were bent. The only reason she could remain standing was because her right hand was sealed along with her opponent''s. She slowly raised her head, only to see another fist heading towards her face. ''Should I just wait for my death?'' Her eyes appeared dead till thest moment when it turned decisive. The punch sessfully hit her face making her stumble a few steps backwards and fall. Rewen was dazed. He slowly looked at his hand which was still pierced by the de but the other hand which he had been grabbing wasn''t there anymore. All that was there were crumbles of muscles coated with blood. It''s the remains of Lane''s right hand. Just before the punch hit her, she pulled her right hand despite being pierced by the de. Her right hand was in an unusable condition. Rewen walked towards her and found her unconscious with a peaceful expression. He then grabbed the de and pulled it out with a straight face. ''If my expression changes with this amount of pain, I better go back. I have much worse toe.'' ''Now then just to be safe'' He bent down and was about to chop down both of her legs with the de in hand. But just then, a voice sounded from behind. "Quite the cruel fellow, isn''t he?" Rewen froze up. He recognized the voice owner. It was the boy he fought when he entered the building. ''Shit. It''s toote. Since he is here, others must be here as well.'' Within a fraction of seconds, he went through several possibilities to get out of the situation. "Haha! Give it up, bro! We have you cornered. Each of us has a gun. Since I''m kind, I''ll let you say yourst words." Chapter 139: Vs Runic Arms Squad And Metal Squad (4) Chapter 139: Vs Runic Arms Squad And Metal Squad (4) Hearing that, Rewen had no expression of panic on his face. Instead, a crafty smile appeared. Chuckling, he touched the body lying unconscious in front of him. ''As expected, they do care about her. But I''m not sure if it''s to the extent that they can take the opportunity to let me go. For now, this seems to be the best option for me.'' The boy''s eyes flinched when he saw him touching Lane and instantly shouted. "Shoot him right now!" The other members of the two squads weren''t stupid. Soon after he gave them themand to shoot, they figured out the ploy of the target. He wants to take their mate as a meat shield! "Oops, toote." Hiding behind the body he was holding, he slowly stood up. Looking at the boy, he smiled widely. "Thanks for alerting me." The boy''s face was neutral, not bothered by it. "What are you going to do?" Rewen''s eyes went through the members of two squads. "I want to know your names." "Huh? Our names? What good would our name do?" Ma didn''t understand the intentions of the target. Others kept quiet. All of them were thinking about how to catch their target off-guard. Eventually, they arrived at the conclusion. Nothing can be done unless Lane is released. It''s not that they couldn''t shoot because Lane was their mate but it would be a waste anyway. Even if they shoot, the bullets won''t touch the body behind her. At this point, the only thing they could do is shed all pretensions and rush towards Rewen. The only thing that held them off is themand. "I''m Kennard." The boy said. "David." "Ma." "Jennifer." "Gavin." The old man sternly said. "Violet." The beautiful woman in traditional clothing said coldly. Lastly, the middle-aged man said: "Brooke." Rewen nodded. "What about her?" "Lane. Is that enough? Just let her go and we''ll let you go. Equivalent trade offer, wouldn''t you say?" Kennard asked casually. ''Depending on his response, I''ll jump the gun.'' He had no problems in killing Lane to get the target. Even if she was a part of his squad, he had very little interaction with her. Not to mention, sacrificing allies is an essential part of his daily lives. Rewen let out a breath of turbid air and stared straight at the group without saying anything. A whileter, he smiled. "Thanks." The group was once again confused by the sudden gratitude. But in the next second, their eyes widened. The figure in front of them disappeared extremely swiftly. The next moment, the window in the hallway broke apart. He had escaped! "Is he crazy!? This is the seventh floor!" David lost his cool. He was this close to catching the target. "Gavin!" He shouted. No words were needed. Gavin looked through the window. Not a single trace of Rewen could be soon. When his gaze turned down, his eyes squinted. ''Unfortunate'' Then, he too jumped from the window. The others looked at each other and followed. "..." Silence reigned among them when they saw their mate Lane''s covered in blood. "She isn''t dead." Kennard examined his squadmate. "But unusable." "Unusable?" Brooke didn''t have a pleasant expression on his face. "You have the galls to call her unusable!? Weren''t you the one who made bad decisions? If it wasn''t for you telling us to go slow, this wouldn''t have happened!" Being from the same squad, Jennifer was quite close to Lane. "Oh, yeah. I take full responsibility." "It''s not your ce to take responsibility. As the leader of the mission, I let you take charge of the situation thinking it would be productive. All you have done is let me down. From now on, do what I tell you to do." David said in a cold authoritative voice. As the assigned leader, he shouldn''t have let others take charge of the situation but because he was an open-minded person, he let him do so. "Alright. What should I do?" Kennard leisurely sat cross-legged on the ground. Jennifer wasn''t pleased with just this. "You" David raised his hand. "Arguments can wait. For now, the target is the main focus." Jennifer could only nod. "Now then, where did the target go?" David looked at the surrounding buildings. "Shouldn''t he be in the nearest building?" "Not necessarily. Escaping into the nearest building is the most obvious choice." "Second nearest building?" "Yes, but the buildings aren''t linearly ced. Look, that is the nearest building if wepare the distance from here. It''s in the north and very easy to escape there. The second nearest building is a bit further from here and could be seen from the seventh floor. It''s highly unlikely that he would escape there." "Then" While the group were discussing, Kennard yawned. ''What a bunch of idiots. Why should we go after him? It was clearly mentioned that the target needs to defeat us, not the other way around. If we just sit here, the target is bound to appear because he has to defeat us within today.'' *** Meanwhile, Rewen was worried about that exact thing - the group may not chase after him! After some thoughts, he decided to wait here. The probability that the group may chase after him is more than not. Sighing, he sat down leaning on the walls of the hallway. He thought back to the recent incident. ''That Kennard guy isn''t simple!'' Asking for their names was only an obvious way to get some time to cast [Giant Leap]. Very few people use [Custom] and therefore have the idea that casting a skill doesn''t require much time. Previously, they saw him use [Giant Leap] but the [Giant Leap] he used recently to escape waspletely different from the normal. Everything in [Custom] revolves around . [Giant Leap] is normally meant to take a huge jump back in order to take a few steps backwards. What it essentially does is strengthens the legs. How it strengthens the legs, Rewen had yet to know but ording to him, it obviously has something to do with mana. If the is to dodge an attack and the user believed that the could be true, then the skill acts ording to it. Simrly, Rewen used the skill, not with the to dodge but to flee. This couldn''t be used if one learns the skill normally. [Custom] has its disadvantages but when used properly, ousts the disadvantages. But all of this wasn''t in his mind. He was thinking of one person - Kennard. ''If I''m not mistaken no, I''m not mistaken. When I asked for the names, from the look in his eyes, I can safely say that he had figured out his ploy. He didn''t know my exact intentions but he did know that I was bidding for time. The question is - why did he not alert anyone? Even though I can''t be sure, there''s something fishy about him.'' His mind then drifted towards Lane. ''Whatever. If she''s dead, good. If she isn''t, better. I have no time to think about it.'' Initially, he wanted to chop off her limbs but didn''t get to do so because he was found out. Helpless, he could only throw her from the seventh floor to not let him fight her again. [Ding! ''Requested Mission: Find X'' updated!] A blue screen appeared in front of his eyes and an emotionless voice rang inside his head. "So it finally arrived? Huh." Rewen was quite puzzled regarding the ''Requested Mission''. Usually, it should have been updated as soon as he defeated the Blood Squad. But it didn''t. ''Is it because it took this long for the ''Requested Mission'' to get updated? Or is it deliberate?'' --- Requested Mission: Find X Clues Unlocked: Mischief in the Slums Chaos at Green - Red Container --- "What the fuck is the red container? Is this some kind of riddle?" He thought of many possibilities and arrived at the conclusion. ''From the previous two clues, it doesn''t seem like the ''Requested Mission'' likes to give riddles. Especially considering that ''Chaos at Green'' was much more riddle-like. I don''t know why Area 51 was the first thing that came to my mind when I thought of ''green'' but it should be because the system knows my thinking process very well'' "If I follow my usual thinking process, then ''red container'', ording to me, is simply a red container. I imagine a somewhatrge red container with steaming out for whatever reason. It can''t be this urate though" A whileter, Rewen took out a small bottle of blue crystal liquid from his pocket and poured it into his pierced palm. It stung for a minute, then felt cool. He had a weird expression. ''To think I was so absorbed in thoughts that I even forgot that my hand was horribly injured. Anyways'' He stood up and picked up the spear near him. It was his own spear that he had left while fleeing. A dark smile formed on his face. "Let them search. In the time being, let me recuperate my wound in peace." Chapter 140: Vs Runic Arms Squad And Metal Squad (5) Chapter 140: Vs Runic Arms Squad And Metal Squad (5) "David? Wouldn''t it be better to split up and search?" Jennifer was exasperated after searching up an entire building with no signs of the target. Gavin frowned. He didn''t agree with what she said. "I hope you know that the target could be roaming anywhere. To split up and search for him is exactly what he wants." Brooke nodded in acknowledgement. "Indeed. A fool endeavours to repeat the same mistake again. Better be say than sorry. We have got all day to search for him." "I''m just saying that it would be productive." Jennifer still had the opinion of split up and search. David listened and considered the points beforeing to a conclusion. "It''s better to be together. How about splitting up in pairs? This way, we can increase productivity." "Not a bad idea." Ma nodded in approval, then looked at the others. "How are we going to decide who''s going with whom?" David thought about the others'' strengths and weaknesses. "Gavin should go with Brooke Brooke, you do have a reverse core skill, right?" "Yes, it''s" "No need to say it. You should know why I''m pairing him up with you, right?" Brooke nodded. "I understand." "Very well. As for Ma, you will be with me. We both are familiar with each other and that makes it easier for us to coborate." "Okay." "Jennifer you are going with Violet and Kennard. There are no advantages or disadvantages that I''m aware of but I''m sure you are going to work this out as all of you have worked with each other for a long time." Just as Jennifer was about to speak, Kennard spoke out from behind. "What about the baggage on my back?" Since Kennard was the one who got Lane into trouble, thus, it was mutually decided that he had the responsibility to carry her. David replied without blinking. "Of course, you have to take her as well." There were no other ways. If the group left Lane in any random ce, she had the chance of getting found out by the target. Being heavily injured, it would at least take an entire day for her to fully recover. "Why can''t we just leave her here? I''m telling you, it would be fine." Kennard argued. "Shut up. Have a shred of responsibility. You don''t need to care about your safety. I and Violet are enough to save your worthless life." Jennifer was already very angry with him. "Calm down. I have said this before and I''m saying this again. Now is not the time for arguments. It would be very detrimental for the entire group if you guys continue fighting among yourselves. Do you understand?" David''s tone contained a hint of anger. "I understand. I''m sorry." Jennifer lowered her head and apologized unwillingly. David nodded, and then turned to Kennard. "What about you?" "Ah yes, I''m sorry." "I hope you are." *** Rewen watched the group from the second-floor window. He couldn''t hear what they were talking about but he had an idea after they separated. ''They are splitting up and searching for me?'' He frowned and looked at his hand. Not a single scratch could be seen on his previously pierced palm. ''The effect is better than I expected.'' After that, he began to think of ways to counter the group. ''Making them split up is convenient for me. However, I don''t think I can defeat two of them at once. It''s impossible under normal conditions. But I can''t just sit here and hide all day. Eventually, if they don''t find me, I have to look for them myself. What can I do?'' Armed with the spear in his right hand, he had a frown on his face for a long time. *** Meanwhile, David and Ma were in a search for their target in one of the buildings. "I don''t think he''s here, David." Running up the stairs with David, Ma shook her head. "This is too far from the first building." David casually replied. "Well, we still have to search. Besides, he might have some stealth skill or something to maybe evade our eyes and hide in this building." Ma snorted. "Not even Rank 2 Mages can use stealth skills. Don''t smoke." "I''m just saying anything is possible. Since everyone is doing their jobs, it''s only natural we do ours." "Stop." For some reason, Ma came to a halt. "What''s wrong?" David asked in a puzzled tone. "I want to go by elevator." Ma pointed to an elevator. David rolled his eyes. Ma saw this as a sign of approval and swiftly pressed the button beside the elevator. Soon, the door opened and she went inside. "Come inside." David stepped forward but just then *Stkkk* The lights went off. Not even the light in the elevator was turned on. If it wasn''t for the lighting from outside, not a single thing could have been seen. Ma was confused for a while but that confusion turned into horror when she felt the elevator floor shaking. "Ah-" Her voice got cut off as the elevator fell. *DOOM* David nked out. Just as he was about to question what happened, he sensed somethinging towards him. Not thinking further, he immediately rushed from the spot. *Swish* A dagger went past his body. "No need to search for me, I''m right here." Within the shadow, a red-haired young man calmly walked in. *** A minute ago. 4th Apartment Building. Security Room. Using [Stealth], Rewen sneakily entered the security room. The reason he chose this building is naturally because he wanted to fight the pair of David and Ma first. He obviously couldn''t go after the group of - Jennifer, Violet and Kennard so he picked one of the two pairs. ''Hm they are normally searching Fighting two of them at once would be suicide. I need to separate them somehow.'' Looking at therge screen, he began to think of ways of how he could separate David and Ma. ''Nope. There''s nothing I could do. I don''t have any particr skills that I can use to separate them. The only way to do so is through contact. Maybe I can push one of them out of the building through the window but I doubt they would be so carefree. Not to mention, the moment I do so, I would be instantly targeted by the others'' "Hm? Elevator?" A grim smile appeared on his face as he thought of a n. ''I could trap the two of them for a short while. There are a lot of options I have if they are trapped within a small elevator.'' *Swish* Putting all his strength into his legs using [Boost], he rushed into the power office. *** ''Oh, well? Of course, not everything goes ording to n but it''s fine my primary objective was to separate the pair.'' Rewen nced at the man in front of him without saying anything. ''I need to end this quickly.'' With a single thought, he rushed towards the man twirling the spear in his hand with his fingers. Despite the sudden event, David was outwardly calm. This wasn''t the first time something unexpected happened while working on a mission. Years of experience taught him to remain calm and think clearly. ''First of all'' He put his hands in his pocket and tapped on the transmitter. ''Next'' His eyes turned serious as he saw the spear approaching his body. The spear was caught! Rewen was slightly panicked. "You think you are good at close-quarters?" David snorted. Taking a step front, he pushed his palm towards his opponent''s chest. The palm approaching Rewen wasn''t the fastest but he could not dodge it. ''Never mind. I''ll counter-attack after this.'' "Arugh!" Rewen flew off at a distance. His face was full of disbelief and blood spewed from his mouth. ''This how is this possible?'' He wasn''t narcissistic enough to think that he was the strongest in a close-quarters fight but being both [Martial Artist] and a [Mage], he felt that he wasn''t too shabby. Reality was often disappointing. Beforeing here, he had only fought with his peers and never someone who is considered skilled. David''s strikepletely baffled him. Not only because it was out of his expectations but also because the strike is not that of someone who is a Rank 1 Mage. ''Could it be that he is a [Martial Artist]?'' He got up with a pale face with a single objective in mind - ''Don''t get close to him!'' ''Another one of those and I''ll be in a serious condition.'' Rewen calmly took out a small bottle and drank a bit of it. He then raised his head to look at his opponent. "Hah! Righteous, aren''t you? Thanks though." David looked at him from the corner of his eyes. He didn''t go after his opponent not because he was righteous but because his natural energy that he had stored for a while had depleted. ''Four hours of natural energy all gone into waste.'' He expected his core skill to do some serious damage. Even if the other party didn''t faint, he expected him to get a serious injury on his chest. ''Kennard was right. He is stronger than a peak Grade F Martial Artist.'' Chapter 141: Vs Runic Arms Squad And Metal Squad (6) Chapter 141: Vs Runic Arms Squad And Metal Squad (6) Rewen noticed that something was weird but acted normal. ''There is certainly a reason why he didn''te after me after hitting me. Is his mana insufficient?'' A couple of possible reasons came to his mind but he soon stopped the train of thought. ''I''ll eventually find out the reason. Just to be safe, I''ll not get too close to him.'' Rewen calcted in his mind and rushed towards his enemy. David stood there unfazed. *Pah* The spear was blocked. Rewen''s eyes shed as he quickly found an opening when he blocked and swung the spear again. Blocked! For some reason, it was again blocked. Not hovering around in front of him any longer, Rewen took a few steps back. ''He is experienced!'' Only a single word - experience can change the tide of the battle. The people Rewen previously fought were mage-like. Although they had experience in close-quarters battle, it was their forte. However, the man he is currently fighting is experienced in both hand-to-handbats despite being a Mage. ''Damn it. My ten years of martial arts training isn''tparable to his experience.'' Rewen grumbled, then let out a breath of turbid air. ''If that''s the case'' His eyes flickered as bright light from the window fell on his face. He rxed his legs and took a moving stance with his spear. *Swish* "Huh!?" David was alerted. ''Howe he is so fast all of a sudden!?'' Not wasting any second to think, he quickly stepped back. Rewen smiled inwardly. This is what he wanted. His momentum was never to strike in the spot he was previously standing. He stopped when there was a distance of half a metre between the two of them. Lunge! David felt premonition and hurriedly tried to dodge it. But he was too slow. *Screech* The tip of the spear pierced his right arm and grazed past it with ease. A peel of outer skin tore off from his right arm. David groaned. It wasn''t a small injury. Even with the liquid, it would take some time topletely heal. ''It''s too dangerous to stay close. All of a sudden, his strength exploded!'' He was only half-correct. Rewen''s strength had not exploded, his speed did. Using [Boost], he put most of the strength from the other parts of the body to his legs and just when he stopped, he again used [Boost] but this time, he put most of his strength into his hands making an already terrifying skill - [Lunge] even more terrifying. ''This is too fucking exhrating!'' Rewen didn''t know why but he had never felt this level of adrenaline rush in his entire life. No matter where he had always been rtively peaceful. Even with his fight with the cannibals, he never felt what he is feeling right now. His body was vulnerable but he didn''t care about defense. All he wants to do is fight! For the first time in his life, a bloodthirsty smile appeared on his face. "Thinking of running, huh." How was it possible for him to let his enemy do so? This was his golden opportunity to defeat him. While twirling the spear with his spear, he swung the back of the spear to David''s face. *Pah* "Not enough." Again, he swung it to his face. *Pah* David had no time to recover. He was constantly getting beat up without getting the chance to strike back. ''I have to counter'' His eyes were sluggish, indicating that he was about to faint. All that remained was his determination to not faint. However, that determination didn''tst long "Blugh!" A mouthful of blood spurted out from his mouth. His half-closed eyes were wide. With his shaky hands, he touched a cold metal and lowered his head. Blood dyed his shirt. The spear went past his abdomen, destroying some of his internal organs. The light in his eyes dimmed as his body kept hanging by the support of the spear. Rewen forcefully pulled out the spear, watching his enemy fall. His eyes were cold with no hint of mercy. It''s not that he had no emotions for killing someone but he can''t afford to have other emotions at this stage. He lifted the spear and pierced David''s leg. ''Just in case, he is miraculously alive.'' He didn''t want to waste the liquid into healing him after chopping off his limbs. After that, he didn''t immediately leave. Squatting, he checked his pockets. ''If I recall correctly, he, for some reason, put his hand on his pocket before using that weird skill. Ah, what''s this?'' He found a tiny device. "AL Transmitter." He read the words written in the transmitter out loud. He doesn''t know what ''AL'' means but he knows what this device is. ''Shit. They know my location. No wonder the woman was chasing after me.'' He thought about Lane who foolishly followed him into an elevator. With a jump, he stood up straight. Taking up the spear, he walked away. As he was walking away, he failed to notice but for a split second, David''s finger twitched. *** "Hurry up! We have received a signal!" Jennifer shouted to Kennard who was trying to catch up to his group with Lane on his back. No matter how chill Kennard is, he couldn''t help but curse back. "Shut up! Why don''t you carry this fatass!?" "She isn''t a fatass. Manners." "I''ll call her a fatass. What are you going to do? You know what? I''ll call you a fatass as well!" "You dare!?" "Both of you, please." With a single sentence, Violet silenced the two. While she is not the leader of Metal Squad, she often acts like one. Being the most mature among the four, it could be said that without her, the squad wouldn''t have survived. "Which building is the signaling from?" Kennard''s tone also turned grave and he increased his speed. "It''s the fourth one oh? Another one came!" "Another? From the same location?" With the transmitter in her hands, Jennifer saw that the locations detected were close. ''Interesting. So they are together. Let''s see which floor they are on.'' She went ahead and increased the dimensions of the transmitter. "..." "What''s wrong?" Violet had a bad feeling. "Both of them are at different locations," Jennifer said with a dry throat. Previously, she expected the pair to be together because, in a 2-D representation, they appear to be close to each other. However, when viewed in a 3-D representation, one can see the difference. In reality, even though David and Ma are separated by floors, it wasn''t very apparent because when seen directly from the top, the difference between them in the X-Y graph isn''t much but in an X-Y-Z graph, one can see all kinds of separations. Violet and Kennard remained silent until they met up with the other group - Gavin and Brooke. "So that means David and Ma are separated." Kennard made the logical conclusion. Seeing everyone gathered, Jennifer said. "Apparently, Ma is standing on the ground floor while David is on the fifth floor." Gavin and Brooke nodded. "Are both of them standing still?" Violet asked. "No. Ma is constantly moving while ah! David started moving as well! He was still for a while." Jennifer had a face of relief. If the figures in the transmitter aren''t moving, it is an extremely negative connotation. There are two possibilities. One, the transmitter is not in the user''s pocket. Second, the user himself is not moving. "That''s a good sign. Since Ma is on the ground floor, let''s go after her. It''s better to not waste any time." Brooke suggested. Others didn''t raise anyints and ran towards the location of Ma. *BAAM* *BAAM* *BAAM* *BAAM* As they were approaching, they heard the loud sound of metals. "Ma?" Jennifer shouted she along with the group stood in front of the elevator door which was deformed. "What took you guys so long!? Never mind. Break this thing fast and leave! David is fighting the target alone!" Ma''s voice came from behind the elevator. Gavin and Brooke looked at each other and nodded. "Ma, take a step back." "Alright." Gavin and Brooke took a stance and... *BAAM!!* The metal door shattered into several pieces. Ma came out and saw the group looking at her for an exnation. "He got us. It was my fault. I shouldn''t have insisted on going by elevator." Ma had a guilt-filled face but that changed soon. "We need to hurry. David is probably fighting alone." The group nodded simultaneously. "Let''s make a n first," Kennard suggested. "We can discuss the n on the way," Brooke spoke out before he started running. Others simrly followed. "Jenny, what''s the exact location?" Kennard asked. "Fifth floor, north-west hallway." With the absence of the group leader, Kennard quickly took the role of a leader. "Violet, get ready. Your core skill is going to be of use. Immediately cast it as soon you see the target." "Got it." "Jenny, keep a close eye on the outside. Even if the target escapes, don''t avert your eyes." Several thoughts passed in his head. ''Although I can''t be sure, he has to have a stealth-like skill.'' Chapter 142: Vs Runic Arms Squad And Metal Squad (7) Chapter 142: Vs Runic Arms Squad And Metal Squad (7) "Gavin, Brooke. Assault the target as soon you see him. Don''t let him have the opportunity to escape!" Kennard shouted while running. First floor Second floor Third floor Fourth floor Eventually, they arrived on the fifth floor. "North-west, is it?" Jennifer pointed to a corner. "Yes, David should be there." Having been in the location previously, Ma felt familiar. The group sprinted. "..." When they arrived at the spot, no one could utter a single word. *** A minute ago. As Rewen was deciding on the best hiding ce, he failed to notice a figure behind him standing up. The figure''s entire body was dyed in red. He lookedpletely like a beast that broke free from a cage. However, the eyes of the figure were as calm as water. Not making a single noise, he walked towards Rewen and slowly stretched his palm to touch his opponent''s back. ''Dammit!'' It was thest thought of Rewen''s mind before he flew off and crashed into a room. *Baam* ''This is bad.'' Rewen could feel his blood reaching his mouth and slowly sipping out from his lips, making his face turn pale. ''I can''t feel my back but thankfully, none of my bones is broken.'' Even so, the pain is almost unbearable to him. It reminded him of the time when he fought Ruby and got numerous of his bones broken. This time, he was a little better. Biting his lips, he tried to get up. ''I have to get serious.'' He nned to use [Boost] even though he couldn''t control it very well. But just as he was half-kneeling and was struggling to get up, an excruciating pain enveloped his abdomen. "Kah!" He was to spit out saliva with his mouth hanging open. His hair was grabbed and lifted. "Do you have any idea what this is?" Rewen''s eyes were half-closed and apathetic. There was nothing he could do with his own strength. For some reason, David''s physical strength has increased by at least 50%. Even with his average stats of 17, the most he could do is fight on par with him. When [Boost] is used, the particr stats increased by 20-25% which isn''t nearly enough. "So you don''t know? Very well, eat shit!" Grabbing by the neck, David picked up Rewen''s body with ease. "Murgh" It was very difficult for him to breathe. *Baam* His body again crashed with a wall. This time, three of his bones broke. Two of them supported the back. He struggled to get up but every time he did, he would fall over because of his broken bones. David had no expression on his face. Takingrge strides, he approached Rewen. "Do you feel regret? Are you in pain?" He ndly asked. Rewen didn''t answer and held his pants to get up. However, it was not fruitful as he didn''t have any strength left on his body. David looked down with cold eyes and kicked. "Argh!" Groan leaked from Rewen''s mouth. He was on the verge of fainting. "Do you feel that your life is unfair?" Squatting down, David grasped Rewen''s neck. Rewen started struggling. David threw him again. "Resistance will only fasten your impending death." He then slowly walked to look at the red-haired figure. "What is this skill?" Rewen barely managed to voice out a muffled voice. "Is this yourst wish?" "..." David frowned slightly, then opened his mouth. "Well, listen carefully. This is a one-time use skill. I call it [Explodie] but it is referred to as - [Core Sacrifice]. The reason it is called so is because it destroys the core Rank 1 Mages have along with their core skill. In return, it lets one use an enhanced version of the core skill for some time. Speaking of which, you haven''t used your core skill till now. Do you not have it?" He paused, then took a look at his opponent''s expression. "From your expression, it looks like you don''t even know what a core skill is. I don''t have the time and patience to educate you on this but just know that not every Rank 1 Mages have a core but to progress in the [Mage] path, having a core is a must. Cores have many features. One of them being a "Core Skill". My core skill is [Pore Explosion] and when I use to break the core, it bes like this. "Of course, using this has side-effects. After using this, your body would be weak for a couple of hours and since your core is destroyed, you can''t use your core skill. To use core skill again, I have to rebuild a core. I hope that answers your question." David bent down and without any words, pulled in for a punch. "Not the best way to die but I don''t use any weapons so sorry, I guess." *Swish* David blinked. He saw his surroundings spinning. He tried to feel his arm but for some reason, couldn''t. Two secondster. He saw his body. But it was far away. By the time he came to his senses, his eyes were already closed. The body lying by his side got up. From the very moment, he had been hit, he had started casting [Petal Dance]. While David was telling him about core skills, he had already finished casting [Petal Dance] and thus, started healing. Fortunately, it is a [High-Regenerative] type skill that restored his HP and stamina within seconds. Rewen had a small de on his hand. He slowly walked over to David''s head and looked at it apathetically. "I know you aren''t dead yet but it''s only a matter of time for you to die. However" He lifted his legs. "Also, not the best to die, I know. I use weapons but I''m not going to use them so sorry, I guess." *Scruch* He stomped his right feet on the head without any hint of hesitation. His eyes were the coldest it had ever been. But this coldness wasn''t directed to the man he killed. He didn''t feel any joy or satisfaction in killing him, only boundless anger. He was angry about himself. He was angry about his circumstances. He was angry that he is still weak. He was angry that he had to go against principles to save himself. All of this anger had a single source - devil woman! ''For her own personal enjoyment, she designed this. For her, everything she is doing is a fucking game! Lives and deaths are simply a toy for her to y with! She doesn''t care if I live or die. She is so arrogant that she couldn''t tolerate someone who doesn''t agree with her. Since you have forced me to dirty my hands Luciana, don''t me me in the near future.'' Taking a deep breath, he shook off the thoughts from his mind and looked at the unrecognizable mess. "Thanks for teaching me to be decisive in killing." Rewen rotated his arms and stretched his back producing a couple of crunching sounds of bones. "Well then I should go back quickly." "That''s where you are wrong, kid." Startled, Rewen turned his head and saw the two entire squads standing at a distance while looking at him. ''It seems like I was toote. I''m not sure if it will work again'' As if knowing his thoughts, Kennard let out a sigh. "If you are thinking about jumping from the window and escaping, you should forget about it.'' Rewen had an indifferent expression. He went near the window and knocked it. *Ting* *Ting* "Doesn''t look like that." Kennard smiled. "Try it." Rewen punched on the window. *Boom* Not a single scratch appeared. Rewen had the same indifferent face. His eyes went past all the people in the group. There were Gavin and Brooke who took a stance. Rewen felt like if he took a single step back, he would be immediately caught. There was Violet who, for some reason, stretched her arms. ''She probably has something to do with the windows.'' There was Kennard who was carrying Lane with a small smile. There was Jennifer. She was at the farthest back standing still. Atst, there''s Ma who had no discernible expression. She quietly looked at the headless body lying on the floor. ''There is no escape.'' Rewen concluded. It didn''t require a genius to figure this out. If there were a single person, he could handle it. If there were two, he could manage and run but the story changes if there were three or more people after him. ''Of course. This is bound to happen. What did I expect? Defeating them one by one and leaving? Unfortunately, this isn''t a game or movie where I have the convenience to defeat my opponents one by one. If I want to survive, I'' Rewen''s gaze flickered. Kennard signalled the others with the wave of his hand. Gavin and Brooke stepped forward. Violet''s hands tightened. ''I can''t let him escape no matter what.'' "Let''s end this with a single fight, shall we?" Kennard asked with a broad smile. Hearing this, a smile crept up on Rewen''s face as well. "Nope." With that, he turned around and fled. Chapter 143: Vs Runic Arms Squad And Metal Squad (8) Chapter 143: Vs Runic Arms Squad And Metal Squad (8) The two squads were so shocked by the reply that they looked at each other''s face to confirm if they had heard right. Kennard was the first to recover. But soon after recovering, he got another shock. ''He is faster than he previously was. Was it a miscalction from my part?'' "Gavin, Brooke! Chase after him. We''ll be following behind." The group nodded. Gavin was the first one to start chasing the target. Brooke closely followed behind him. "Jennifer, Violet. Support them from the back. If anything unexpected happens, don''t hesitate to use core skills. Also, Violet. I trust that you would understand the situation and use [Core Sacrifice] if necessary." Violet went silent. To make up for the [Core Sacrifice], years were spent but even after that, it would never match up to the original core. At most, it would be an imperfect core. That''s why people don''t want to use [Core Sacrifice] even in a life-threatening battle. A secondter, Violet gave a small nod. "Let''s go, Jenny." Like that, Jennifer and Violet also joined in the chase. Kennard carefully ced Lane, who was in his back, leaning on the hallway and then turned to Ma who had a nk face. "Look after her." It was unknown if she had heard because she gave no response to it. Kennard didn''t say anything and left. He didn''t go after Rewen. As if lost all her strength, Ma fell on her knees. Her face mixed in confusion, disbelief, hatred and various other emotions. *** Making full use of [Boost], Rewen directly leaped from one staircase to another, then looked back. He saw an old man with a goatee wearing baggy pants chasing after him. Behind him was a middle-aged man in a suit. Not wasting any time anymore, he continued running with [Boost]. ''I have at least separated the two from the group. Still not enough to take them head on. I guess it''s about time'' His gaze flickered as numerous thoughts entered his head. Sixth Floor Seventh Floor .. Twentieth Floor Rooftop. At the edge of the rooftop, Rewen finally came to a stop and looked at the two men - Gavin and Brooke standing at a distance of a few metres. "Prepare yourself." Gavin spoke in a grave tone. He was a long time member of the Runic Arms Squad and seeing his squadmate dying in such a horrible manner didn''t sit right with him. Brooke stood behind him. He didn''t say anything but his eyes showed that he was preparing to do something. Violent wind brushed past Rewen''s body making him feel cold. He moved his eyes from Gavid to Brooke and carefully gauged the situation. He didn''t immediately make a move. He took off his coat and threw it from the rooftop, then pulled off his sleeves. *Crack* Cracking knuckles, he bent his knees. *Swish* His body was like a wind. Gavin, who had already prepared for this, still couldn''t believe the speed he was disying. He took out a long wooden stick that hung around his waist and waited for the defense. ''How is he going toe? Right?'' Deducing from the target''s body movement, he adjusted his stick to attack in the opening when he strikes. As he expected, Rewen''s palm met with the stick. Snorting, he instantly reversed the stick to strike his opponent''s abdomen but before he could do that, Rewen striked his neck with his left elbow. It was a clean and hard strike but the old man didn''t show any hint of pain. ''Endure it endure it.'' He rotated his stick and this time, targeted the head. Rewen narrowly dodged it. ''This should be easy.'' Seeing an opening, he was about to punch him when he felt something approaching him. Not wasting any second, he jumped from the spot and moved a few steps back. *Swish* A bluish uneven round "object" went past the spot he was previously standing at an extreme speed. It moved a few metres before getting mixed with air. ''What''s that!?'' Rewen''s eyes went roundas he failed toprehend the situation. But he couldn''t bear to remain shocked when he saw the old man rushing towards him with the stick. Brooke stood behind. His hands straight towards him, sped one after another. ''From the looks of it, Brooke was the one who used that weird trick. Is that a core skill?'' Rewen calmly contemted the matter while keeping a close eye on the old man. ''No matter what that was, I couldn''t make a move rashly. I''m not sure if I can hold against the both of them for too long.'' His eyes turned serious. [Boost] - Movement! Gavin was no longer surprised by the speed. In fact, he anticipated this to happen and beforehand took preparations. ''You are still too green.'' Light flickered in his stick as he effortlessly swung it towards his head. Rewen didn''t pay too much attention to it and tried catching it with his hands. Just as his hand grabbed the stick, burns appeared on his hand. ''It''s too fucking hot!'' Instantly he had figured that this was likely a skill and tried to move away. But, all of a sudden, Gavin coldly smiled. "Since you like this stick so much, take it." At first, Rewen didn''t understand what the old man was trying to do but as soon as the old man let go of the stick, he understood. ''The weight of the stick is insane. But why would he let go his weapon? Could it be'' *Boom* He flew off without a warning. His body took a few somersaults before taking a stop just before the end of the rooftop. Brooke rxed his arms and turned to Gavin. "You should go and finish him off. That kid is sly. Who knows what kind of tricks he would pull." Gavin nodded. "Prepare your core. He could be preparing to do something as soon as I am near him. We cannot afford to be careless." "Cough! Cough!" Blood spurted from his mouth. ''This is what the hell was that? Dammit. As I thought, I can''t defeat two Rank 1 Mages at the same time. Not only do they have way more experience than me, they also have a variety of skills at their disposal.'' His face was pale and his expression was grave. However, despite all this, not a hint of panic could be soon. He saw the old maning near him after picking up his stick. Both of them stared at each other for a while. "Oh? There you are. Where is the target" Jennifer and Violet arrived at the rooftop and saw a scenario which instantly put a smile on their faces. They went close to Rewen and had some emotions while looking at him. "This is sad that we had to gang up to catch him. It is sad, kid. But that''s the reality of the world." Jennifer sighed. Violet had a calm and cautious look on her face. Unlike Jennifer, she doesn''t let her guard down unless she saw her enemy dead with her own two eyes. Gavin picked up his stick over Rewen''s head. At this moment, Rewen let out a mncholic sigh. This time, he had truly been cornered. There is no way out for him relying on his personal strength. Gavin''s eyes shed, ruthlessly crushing down on his head. But. His stick was caught by a hand. For a second, the world turned silent. Brooke, who had prepared to use his reverse skill, nked out. Gavin himself couldn''t believe what was happening. It had to be known that he trained for sixty years with the stick. The stick wasn''t a normal weapon. It was a Grade 1 Magic Artifact that was his family''s heirloom. When he wants the stick to be light, it bes light. When he wants it to be heavy, it bes heavy. The heaviest the stick was recorded to be was three hundred pounds which was more than enough to crush the skull of a Rank 1 Mage. After training was sixty years, he could finally control the stick as he wanted to. Controlling doesn''t mean he could handle the three hundred pounds of weight. He could simply control the power of it. When he let go of his stick, that was when the stick was at its heaviest. Now, again. When he was stomping the stick to Rewen''s head, he made the stick the heaviest it could ever be. Rank 0 Mages/Grade G Martial Artists could lift an object of fifty pounds. Rank 1 Mages/Grade F Martial Artists could lift an object of one-hundred-and-forty pounds. No matter how strong the person is physically, as long as he/she is a Rank 1 Mage or a Grade F Martial Artist, he/she could never lift an object of three hundred pounds. Not just three hundred pounds. If gravity and force were taken into ount, then it bes more than three hundred pounds. Yet, it was stopped. By a single hand effortlessly. Everyone''s expression changed. Chapter 144: Vs Runic Arms Squad And Metal Squad (9) Chapter 144: Vs Runic Arms Squad And Metal Squad (9) Gavin expected many kinds of scenarios but catching his old stick with a hand was definitely not one of them. He knew his old stick better than anyone. It was not something that a Rank 1 Mage can block. Others were simrly gobsmacked. They never experienced the weight of the old stick but they heard about it. After being nked out for a split second, the group turned their eyes to Gavin. Gavin shook his head with a solemn expression. He made a ''stay at back'' gesture and himself stepped back a couple of steps from Rewen. ''Was this a skill or'' He didn''t have any time to guess. The body lying on the floor rushed immediately and rushed towards him at a terrifying speed. Gavin''s eyes shed. ''This I can''t dodge it.'' *Boom* Just at that moment, a bluish uneven round "object" hit Rewen. Gavin had an expression of relief but that soon turned into horror when he saw Rewen standing in front of him without showing any hint of pain. ''It didn''t affect him. Not only has his speed increased, his endurance and strength also increased. At this point, his physique isparable to a Rank 2 Mage.'' No matter what, he is still an experienced person who has fought all kinds of people in his life. Rewen leisurely pulled his arm for a punch. In a split second, he shouted. "Violet! Jennifer!" Although initially confused, the two women quickly figured out why he shouted their names. Violet took a bent-knee stance while Jennifer stood still. Rewen threw his punch with all the strength he could muster but just as he was about halfway through, he felt an invisible barrier. Break! The barrier broke down but the speed of the punch decreased. *Pah* The punch sessfully hit the old man''s face making thetter fly off into a distance. However, Rewen didn''t look satisfied. He turned his head to look at the two women. ''If I''m not mistaken, this should be the work of those two. That barrier and that'' Just when his fist was two inches away from the old man''s face, he felt his punch slow down because of some resistance. It wasn''t a barrier like the previous one. If it weren''t for these factors, the old man''s head would have bursted out. "Cough!" Gavin violently coughed while struggling to stand on two feet. He then walked towards Brooke and whispered in his ears. "We only have a single chance, Brooke. You can see how abnormally strong he had be. You have to use [Core Sacrifice]..." As he was speaking, he saw Rewening at them again. Why would he let his opponent take their time to n? He has to strike while the iron is still hot. Gavin and Brooke were startled at the beginning but regained their calm. "I''ll take the hit!" Gavin pushed away Brooke. *Pah* The old man again flew off. ''Dammit! Again!'' Rewen again felt the two forces slowing down his punch significantly. ''Nevermind, I''ll change the target.'' He turned his eyes to look at the two women and went after them. Jennifer panicked and was to run away when she heard a voice. "Don''t worry. Just stay." Violet said in a soothing voice. Seeing this, Rewen had second thoughts. ''This is definitely weird. Why are they not moving?'' Quickly thinking, he had a hunch that this had to do with Brooke. ''That old guy whispered something into his ears. It''s possible that Brooke would strike me with that weird thing once I get close to them.'' With that, he changed his target and turned to look at Brooke who had two of his arms stretched. ''But the question is, why? Why would they rely on something that didn''t work? Wait, could it be his core skill? If that''s the case'' He thought back to the time when David used [Core Sacrifice] and his expression changed. He wasn''t afraid of Brooke using [Core Sacrifice] but that doesn''t mean he would let his battle turn difficult. Wasting no more time, he sprinted towards him. Violet''s face turned pale. ''This is bad. We can''t afford to lose Brooke.'' The previous day, she heard about his core skill. It wasn''t a normal core skill. It was poprly known as a "reverse core skill". Unlike normal core skills which the mages learn after forming a core, a reverse core skill forms from a reverse core which forms when a higher ranked mage is forced to destroy his core. Destroying a core essentially cripples a person. He/ she has to start from the bottom again. When the person reaches Rank 1 and forms a core for the second time in their life, it bes a "reverse core". To use a core skill, one needs to absorb natural energy, not mana. For Rank 0 Mages, when natural energy is absorbed, it automatically turns into mana. Obviously, they couldn''t absorb the natural energy from the surroundings in normal ces so they practice at "Free Natural Energy fields" like training grounds. When one reaches Rank 1, they learn to absorb natural energy from the surroundings without needing "Free Natural Energy" fields. Reverse cores are usually more effective than a normal core because it contains the umtions of a higher ranked mage. Therefore, the core skill is also enhanced by a certain degree. Brooke''s core skill, or rather, reverse core skill was [Qi Ball]. When used [Core Sacrifice], it bes [Qi Wave] which is way more effective than a [Qi Ball], having the capabilities to push a Rank 2 Mage into a precarious situation. [Core Sacrifice] and destroying the core is not the same. [Core Sacrifice] doesn''t cripple a person. It exhausts all the vitalponents of the core but the core itself isn''t destroyed. If given enough time, it would restore itself to its former state. In case of a reverse core, if used [Core Sacrifice], the reverse core would no longer remain a reverse core. Even if it is restored, it turns into a normal core. Rewen naturally didn''t know any of this. He just knew that Brooke isn''t up to any good and wanted to stop him. But. He was stopped in his tracks. He didn''t stop by himself but his body couldn''t take a single step. "Faster! Brooke!!" From the behind, Violet''s voice came. She was on her knees and her face was pale white. She had exhausted all her natural energy to stop him. She had the property of "atomization". With "atomization", she can manipte the free molecules and tighten or loosen the bonds. She used her core skill - [Perfect Bond] to stop Rewen by bringing together the free air molecules. Rewen stepped back and again rushed towards Brooke. He was again blocked. ''This is bad. I don''t have time to go after the two women and neither could I reach him.'' Rewen saw a bigger version of the small bluish uneven round "object" hovering around the palm of Brooke. From having a diameter of a few inches, it erged itself into having a diameter of a metre! After a few seconds, it finally moved. The "object" went straight towards Rewen. *BOOM* A huge explosion pushed Rewen''s body out of the rooftop. Violet fainted. Jennifer also went on her knees. She also had a part in stopping Rewen by making five consecutive barriers. Brooke had an exhausted expression on his face. ''s. This was bound to happen.'' He was also bitter about losing his reverse core. Gavin took out a ss bottle and drank it whole, then turned to Brooke. "Thank you." Brooke nodded. "Check where he fell. We have to confirm if he''s dead." Even though he said, he didn''t believe that Rewen was alive. It''s difficult for Rank 2 Mage to survive after crashing from the rooftop of a twenty-storey building. Including the damage inflicted by [Qi Wave], there is very little chance of him being alive. "Huh!?" Gavin suddenly showed a shocked expression. "What''s wrong? Is he still alive?" Brooke asked, both puzzled and cautious. Gavin didn''t say anything and pointed to a hand hanging off at the edge of the rooftop. "Tough bastard." Brooke muttered under his breath. Gavin silently approached the hand and lifted his right foot targeting the hand. However, at that split second when the feet was about to touch the hand, the hand that appeared to be struggling suddenly grabbed onto the ankle of the feet. Gavin panicked but before he could do a single thing, his entire body was dragged down. *Sweeeh* Two figures fell from the rooftop of a twenty-storey building. *Bam* The first to touch the ground was the old man. Within a second, he was dead with his eyes wide open. His skull was crushed. Almost all of his bones were either dislocated or broken. Blood slowly oozed out from every part of his body, starting from his brain which turned into a mincemeat. Atop him lied another bloodied red-haired young man. He wasn''t in a much better condition but after a few seconds, color returned to his face. ''Fuck. It hurts...'' Chapter 145: Vs Runic Arms Squad And Metal Squad (10) Chapter 145: Vs Runic Arms Squad And Metal Squad (10) The reason he had the energy to curse out loud is because of his physique. In the final moment when the old man''s stick was about to hammer down on his head, he used ''2x Power Spike''. Even though he is stingy, he would never y around with his life. The ''2x Power Spike'' was not the only reason he could survive the [Qi Wave] as well as the fall. He also started casting [Petal Dance]before the [Qi Wave] hit him. All along the way, from the time when he was hanging by a hand to when he made contact with the ground, he was casting [Petal Dance] all along. To speed up the casting process, he used [Boost]. That is the main reason why he could cast a skill which would normally take more than a minute in less than forty seconds. ''Damn it. I should have used [Boost] in my durability.'' Rewen could feel his bones returning to their ces. It was horribly painful but in his circumstances, all he could do is endure. At the same time, he moved his shaking hand into his pocket and took out a ss bottle. *Gulp* He drank it whole. A few secondster, some strength returned to his body. As he fell on his chest atop the old man, he exerted strength on his arms to get up but as he was halfway through, he felt a cold metal on his head. "You were tougher than I expected." A chill went down his spine. He recognized the voice owner. It was Kennard! *** Rooftop. "Jennifer! Don''t lose him! Keep a close eye on him!" Brooke shouted while on his knees. As he had forcefully exhausted all his natural energy, his body was extremely weak. Violet had fainted. The only one who could keep standing was Jennifer. Jennifer panicked a little. She is young and has never been in a situation like this. ''Calm down'' He chanted this in her mind four times before going over to the edge of the rooftop and peeking over. She couldn''t see everything clearly because of the distance but she could make out vague outlines. There was only a single figure d in white. Rewen wore a blue shirt. That can only mean one thing - Gavin was dead! As for the target, he most probably ran away. Her throat went dry. ''So it was all meaningless'' Looking at her expression, Brooke had a bad feeling. "Is is he dead?" Jennifer shook her head. "God fucking damn it!" Brooke punched the floor. He used [Core Sacrifice] and that too, on his reverse core! How could he control his anger? ''That year, I was forced to destroy my core. Even so, my hopes to be a Rank 3 Mage didn''t die. I thought that by making use of my reverse core, I coulde out as someone stronger than a normal Rank 3. But it seems like everything went down the drain'' Brooke had a dead look on his face. "Oh uh, what about Gavin?" Jennifer cleared her throat. "He is dead." *** Fifth Floor. Ma stared at the headless body for a long time. Her eyes were fixated on the body without blinking as if there wasn''t anything else other than the body. She was so absorbed that she failed to notice a figure behind her. "Let''s go, Ma. Others are there. I''ll carry Lane." A hand patted here back. With that, she woke up from the daze and turned around. "Where were you?" Her voice was calm. "I was outside. In case the target somehow escaped, I had to chase him down." "Did you manage to catch him?" Wryly smiling, Kennard shook his head. "He was way stronger and faster than a Rank 1 Mage. All this time, he might have been hiding his prowess. I think we should forfeit the mission." Ma scoffed. "Forfeit? And then what? Do the same missions for five years all over again? Sorry, you can leave if you want to but I''m not going back." Kennard didn''t speak for a few seconds. After that, a grin emerged on his face. "All things considered, I think we still have a chance to kill the target" *** Rewen dragged his legs into the first building. His thigh had blood dripping from his trousers. "Argh" Groaning, he fell on a bench and leaned on the back. The effects of ''2x Power Spike'' had worn off so he no longer has the durability to sustain a gunshot wound. He has no more of the "Z-Vial" - the popr healing liquid which is carried in a ss bottle. ''I should have brought some more with me.'' He regretted being stingy and overconfident in his abilities. At the beginning, he entered the apartmentplex confident enough to defeat the eight Rank 1 Mages even if they cornered him if he goes all-out. But the resultid right before him. He went all-out and couldn''t defeat a single person out of four in a "proper" manner. If the old man Gavin approached him with caution, then the entire farce would have ended in a huge loss for him. This taught him an important lesson - Numbers do matter. There is no one-man-army in battles, at least in lower ranks. He didn''t know the power gap in higher ranks but within the lower ranks, there is no one-man-army. Even a Rank 3 Mage could be defeated when cornered by a well-maintained group of ten Rank 2 Mages. "So let''s see How many of them are left? Lane can be cut off. I doubt they have healing materials to cure her. Unless they bring a Healer, she couldn''t be useful in battle. That leaves Brooke who had used [Core Sacrifice], Violet, Jennifer, Ma and Kennard." ''Could a person use a core skill if he used [Core Sacrifice]? It''s logical to say he can''t. So, no more of that fireball of sorts. Jennifer well, I don''t know if it''s her core skill or not, but it''s pretty damn annoying but I can handle it. About Violet, she is a real deal. Her ability to slow down my attacks is a big disadvantage to me. ''One weird thing I noticed is that they don''t use normal skills and rely heavily on core skills. Why is that? ording to me, normal skills are just as important as core skills. Is there some kind of discimination against normal skills in the organization?'' He failed toprehend this. ''Forget it. It''s better this way. As for Ma and Kennard I don''t know a single thing about their abilities. Kennard is proficient in dodging against physical attacks I don''t know about his core skill and Ma, I don''t know anything about her but she is probably not going to be an easy target.'' *** Rooftop. The three people who fought Rewen recently had a ashen expression. Violet had woken up and when she heard what happened, she bit her lips. Suddenly, two figures arrived at the rooftop. "What are y''all doing?" Kennard said, then felt the cold wind. "I guess the weather is not bad but we have important things to do." Unlike the other times, none of the three humoured him. Brooke shed a bitter smile. "I request of you to not crack jokes, at least not right now. We are both mentally and physically tired." At this moment, Ma stepped forward. "Give me an urate idea of our losses." "Gavin died. Brooke couldn''t use his core skill. Violet had forcefully consumed too much natural energy. Her core is recuperating and it would take a few hours for her to use her core skill again. I guess I didn''t take any losses." Jennifer said. Ma deeply thought about the matter for a while, then turned to Violet. "How much longer would it take for you to use your core skill again?" "About five hours." Ma nodded, then looked at the sky. It was orange. In about less than two hours, the sun would fully set. "We don''t have enough time." Hearing that, Brooke appeared puzzled. "We have an entire day? I''m not sure how five hours is going to affect anything. After five hours, she could perfectly demonstrate her core skill again. I could get the time to choose a proper set of skills to execute. We could even make an borate n." Ma shook her head. "Under normal circumstances, we could. But let''s just say that there is a better option. What would you do?" "What is the option you are talking about?" "Well do you have strength left?" "I have some strength left but can''t use natural energy." "It''s fine." Ma then turned to the two women. "What about both of you?" "Same." Violet briefly replied. "Good. Now, which apartment building is the thing located?" The question was directed to Kennard who slightly smiled. "It''s thest one." "In that case, let''s not waste any time. Brooke, Violet, Ma - go to thest apartment building and stay there. The two of us would being there shortly." The three of them were puzzled by the sudden decision. Looking at their expressions, Ma knew that she had to give some exnations. "Look, I know it''s difficult to trust but I''m only doing this so that we can survive." Chapter 146: Vs Runic Arms Squad And Metal Squad (11) Chapter 146: Vs Runic Arms Squad And Metal Squad (11) Rewen''s eyes shot open. He wasn''t sleeping. How could he bring himself to sleep in such a time and ce? He was using [Petal Dance] again to heal the gunshot wound and restore his fully-drained stamina. He let out a groan of rxation as hezily leaned on the bench. ''I have to get my spear back.'' When he was confronted by the group, he didn''t have time to pick up his spear. He got up and stretched his arms. Next, he stormed out of the building. First Floor Second Floor Third Floor Fourth Floor Fifth Floor. He saw the bloodied spear lying on one of the rooms he crashed in at the time when David had the upper hand. His eyes observed the surroundings and found a headless body nearby. He gave a single nce before turning his head away. He bent down to pick up the spear just when felt a cold chill and suddenly raised his guard. *Boom* Rewen was pushed back along with his spear. He raised his head to see a female in orange kicking his spear. His spear was tough and didn''t break but he was pushed back till the window. Heaving a sigh of relief, he thought of ways to deal with the situation. But how could he get the time to breathe? As soon as he managed to gain a footing, another figure appeared in front of him and grabbed his face. Rewen was shocked and unsure how he should respond. ''He''s probably going to push me out of the window.'' His mind raced. Countless thoughts to avoid the worst-case scenario appeared and finally, he made his decision. He grabbed onto the hand that was grabbing his face tightly. "You seem to like my hand very much. In that case, just take it." The young boyughed. *Shiik* The ss window broke as Rewen was thrown out of it. The hand he was grabbing onto still remained intact on his face but aside from the hand, there was nothing else. It appeared to be cleanly cut off from the wrist but there was not a single sign of blood. While freely falling, in the beginning, Rewen was confused and panicked but slowly figured out the gravity of the situation. ''It isn''t the time to think about his skill. If I fall, although I wouldn''t die, I would get injured.'' *Baam* Rewen fell perfectly on his two feet, threw the hand that stuck in his face, and pointed the spear towards the two figures in the window. Ma and Kennard who were responsible for it looked at each other and could see the little shock on each other''s faces. Not wasting any time, they moved away but they were a tad bit slow. The spear grazed past Ma''s arm, a deep cut appearing on that spot. But she didn''t have time to groan in pain and looked outside the window only to find that Rewen was climbing the building rapidly. Looking at Kennard, she shouted. "Hurry up! Why are you taking so long?" "Alright! Alright!" Kennard casually touched his wrist and took out his hand like it was nothing umon. Next, he threw it out of the window. This was his core skill - [Body Dismantle]. As the name suggests, he can use it to dismantle different parts of the body. Of course, that doesn''t mean that he can''t be cut or be destroyed. His skill is severely limited. He can only cut off his four limbs. The other hand that was in the ground floated and came close to the hand that was recently thrown out. Both the hands wriggled and floated up to where Rewen was calmly climbing up. From the corner of his eyes, Rewen noticed the hands but didn''t pay much attention to them. He raised his head and saw one of the hands making hand signals and then His eyes were slightly poked. "..." Rewen had a neutral look and appeared to be focused on climbing. When the hand came to poke his eyes again, he lifted his chin and bit the fingers with his mouth. "Ahhhhhhh!" From the fifth floor, a heart-wrenching cry sounded. Hearing his scream, Ma couldn''t restrain her anger. "WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU PLAYING AROUND!? DO SOMETHING USEFUL!!" Kennard looked at her from the corner of his eyes. "You think I''m not trying? My hands aren''t enough to stop him. What should I do? Shoot out beams from my hands?" "You and your skill are fucking useless! Why are you even in a squad? Do you even contribute anything!?" Kennard coughed. "I''m more of a strategist. I''m not suited forbat." "Strategist your grandmother!" Ma hurled out curses after curses but in the next moment, she figured that hurling out curses is not going to help so she took deep breaths and calmed down. "Let''s go then. Our job was to draw him in any way." "I doubt the others have made their preparations. If we leave prematurely, the n wouldn''t work." "Do you have any better ns?" Kennard didn''t reply for a while. Then, a grin appeared on his face. "Do you know what''s the prohibited taboo part of a male body?" "Could you mean" Ma wasn''t dumb. Although it wasn''t honorable, she herself used such ''tactics'' in life-and-death battles. "Hehe, just watch this." Kennard grinned widely. Meanwhile, the hands hanging around Rewen moved to the part of his rear. ''Hm? Why am I feeling a tickle on my balls? Never mind, it''s probably a breeze.'' For the second time, a heart-wrenching cry sounded from the fifth floor. "Are his balls made out of diamond or something?" Caressing his wrist, Kennard spoke in a pitiful voice. Ma shook her head from the side. "Enough of thisedy routine. You have done enough. Stand back and support me." Kennard didn''t say anything but he brought his hands back and stepped a few steps back from the window. Ma looked at her surroundings. ''There is nothing I can make use of.'' As an experienced Mage, the first thing she takes notice of before fighting an enemy is the location. For a traditional mage, a closed space isn''t the best location but in this world, a mage isn''t exactly people who shoot out fireballs from their asses. Rather than Mages, it is more suitable to call them ''Ability Users'' but because of countless divergent paths that appear after Rank 3, it is fair to call them Mages. Ma had very low mana resonance but she had a [Enhance] type core skill which is one of the most popr types among the core skills. ''Hands, enhance.'' Staring at the window intently, she strengthened her right hand. Just as Rewen reached the window, her figure dashed towards him pulling in for a punch. Rewen calmly watched as a closed fist approached his cheeks. *Ting* A metallic sound came when the fist came in contact with the cheek. Ma''s eyes widened. ''This isn''t possible. Enhance! Enhance! Enhance!'' *Ting* *Ting* *Ting* *Ting* *Ting* Rewen caught her hands. Staring at her straight, he said with a chilling voice. "Are you done?" A single hand pushed her, making her fall after staggering a few steps. Rewen jumped from the window and came inside. The reason for his surge in power is due to ''2x Power Spike''. ''Now that I think about it, I shouldn''t have used it. Kennard has a useless skill and I could have handled Ma. Whatever I just have to make sure that it isn''t going to be a loss.'' His eyes turned sharp as he looked at the two people. Ma stood up and took a stance while Kennard was dumbly looking at him. As he was about to make a move, Kennard shouted. "Ma! Run! I''ll hold him back." "Huh?" Ma couldn''t quite understand the sudden disy of goodwill but soon, she took notice of his hand pointing towards his pocket. ''Transmitter so it seems that the preparations areplete. Good.'' "Okay!" She said, before going down through the staircase. Rewen snorted and was about to chase after her. "Woah, there bro. Chill." Kennard came in front of him. Saying nothing, Rewen swung his spear to his opponent''s head. His stats were two times as it was before. Obviously, Kennard couldn''t dodge it. ''But I could change the impact.'' One of the hands took the impact from the spear and changed the trajectory of it.'' "Ah, damn it. You don''t know how to hold back, do you? Look, my hand is bleeding." Rewen again swung his spear. Again, the trajectory of the spear changed as Kennard used the other hand to take the impact and deflect it. Rewen''s face didn''t budge. He didn''t swing this time. He went for a thrust straight for his opponent''s heart. Out of options, Kennard''s feet from the ankle got cut off and went to block the spear while he himself was on the verge of falling. At the crucial moment, the spear easily dodged the feet and *Ssh* A pool of blood erupted from the boy''s chest. Chapter 147: Vs Runic Arms Squad And Metal Squad (12) Chapter 147: Vs Runic Arms Squad And Metal Squad (12) The boy''s eyes were left open. Hanging by the spear that went through his body taking out his beating heart, blood spilled down his chin from his mouth. He could no longer be considered to be alive. Rewen gave a single nce before taking out the spear ruthlessly. He didn''t need to kill. He was in a different league from Kennard. He could overpower his opponent with ease without needing to kill. Didn''t he say that he isn''t going to kill unless it''s absolutely necessary? Why is that he killed then? Could he be just another self-righteous hypocrite who acts upon things he repeatedly said he didn''t want to? Or did he change? That is a question only he himself can answer. Rewen had no visible emotions on his face. He neither had a solemn look nor a frown. His expression was just natural. Secondster, a sharp headache engulfed him. Clutching his head, he couldn''t remain standing and got on his knees. Biting his lips, he tried enduring the pain but finally, couldn''t contain it. "Urgh" He didn''t know the reason behind the headache but felt a strong sense of fear from it. Ten seconds passed by and the pain slowly subsided. Those ten seconds were like an eternity to him. Rewen got up with the spear in his hand and wondered about the headache. ''The pain is simr to the time I was in hospital. System, what''s this?'' No response came. ''I can think of thister.'' Sighing, he walked down the stairs. His pace was normal and it didn''t look like someone who was supposed to be chasing someone. *** Ma gasped for breath as she reached thest apartment building. She looked back and upon seeing that there were no signs of Rewen, she heaved a sigh of relief. When she entered through the main door, her eyes immediately shined when she saw arge steel cylindrical container about the size of three meters that was red in color. Three figures were standing beside the container. There were respectively - Brooke, Jennifer and Violet. Before Ma could say anything, Violet opened her mouth. "Ma, is heing? Where is Kennard?" Ma''s eyes dropped. "He is blocking the target." "What? Is he even alive?" Being a member of Metal Squad, although she wasn''t very much fond of the guy, she knew that he was an importantponent of their squad. "I''ll tell the detailster. First, Brooke. The target could be arriving at any second. Take note of the main door. Double lock it immediately after he enters. We only have to force him to stay here for a few seconds." Brooke nodded. "I have made the preparations." "As for Jennifer and Violet I don''t expect both of you to do anything. Just properly wear the masks." Ma said before taking out a face mask with a small nozzle tube attached to it. Jennifer appeared dubious. "Is this going to do the work?" "This is a product of the Old Tech Era. Even if you don''t trust me, you have to trust the scientists of that time, right?" "I guess." "There he is." Brooke saw a figure from some distance. A red-haired figure walked to the main entrance with unhurried steps. Just as he was fully inside, a metal wall fell from the top. This was a mechanism designed to take precautions against terrorists. It isn''t very helpful if the terrorists themselves got hold of the system but it had it''s benefits. Rewen''s eyes swept past the four people silently. He didn''t seem to mind the fact that they were wearing masks. Ma looked at him with dead eyes, then turned to the red container behind her. "Jennifer, shoot." The red container was a piece put by their superiors. In case their mission has a critical chance of failing, this was ast resort. Inside the red container contained a poisonous gas which when inhaled can damage internal organs within a minute. Everyone''s gazes settled on Jennifer who took out a revolver from her waist and shot towards the red container. *BAM* With a loud sound, the red contained leaked a white gas which steadily moved in the surroundings. With this, a smile appeared on Ma''s face. "It was quite a chore to capture you but we have finally got you under control. Here''s my advice. Kill yourself before you die painfully." Rewen didn''t say anything. He moved his hands to his pocket and took out a face mask. Wrapping it around his head, he shook his head calmly. This action froze the smile on her face. Brooke, Jennifer and Violet also looked at each other. It didn''t take more than an instant to figure out that something is wrong. Rewen said a single sentence. "You have been betrayed." "..." The four people had many questions in their minds but didn''t know where to start from. Everyone had different thoughts but the one thought that remainedmon was - ''Would this face mask work?'' Soon, they got their answer. They tried to speak but found that they couldn''t. In despair, they copsed on the floor. ''Is this the end?'' ''Who was the traitor?'' ''That bastard Kennard!'' ''I guess this is it.'' Brooke was the first to close his eyes. He wasn''t dead but unconscious due to extreme shock. Needless to say that it was only a matter of time before he died. Just like that, within a few seconds, Jennifer and Violet also went unconscious. For some reason, Ma was still standing. Looking at the young man with bloodshot eyes, she approached him taking small steps. Eventually, she couldn''t walk anymore and fell on her knees. Her expression was aggrieved but her mouth was constantly moving and her index finger was pointed to her belly. Although she couldn''t make a sound, Rewenpletely understood what she was trying to say. He opened his mouth but his tone was cold. "Just like you, your unborn child is suffering. Even after you be unconscious, your senses to feel pain might be lost but the child might still suffer." After saying that, he lifted his spear and thrust it on her chest. He couldn''t afford to have pity. Ma eyes were wide open. Her expression was a mix of confusion, anger and pain. *** "That was anticlimactic." Rewen got out of the building through the primary exit and took off the mask he was wearing. [If you want to survive, then listen carefully. When you enter thest apartment building, wear this mask.] That was the only thing Kennard told him when he fell from the twentieth floor. After that, he shot him in his thigh. The bullet just grazed past touching his thigh. "It was a precautionary measure." Rewen lightly said and walked to another apartment building. *** "There you are. It''s fine. You can open your eyes." Lane, who was leaning on the hallway, opened her eyes. "Are they dead?" Rewen nodded. "What are you waiting for then? Do you need my invitation to kill me?" "Do you want to be killed?" Laneughed. "If I say no, would you let me go?" "No." He flicked his spear and thrust it on her face. *Ssh* It was the most brutal way to kill someone but it is also the most painless way. [Ding! A main Storyline quest has been sessfullypleted! Would you like to receive the rewards?] [Yes] [No] Rewen ignored the screen in front of him and fell on his knees. His whole body was trembling. The more he self-reflected on his actions, the more stifled he felt. Previously, he had repressed every single emotion because he knew that he can''t act upon emotions. With all the negative thoughts entering his mind, he could direct his thoughts to one single word - circumstances. But he didn''t want to. Because that would be oversimplifying what he did. However, despite everything, his beliefs weren''t in conflict because from the moment he epted the quest, he had already thought of not letting anyone live. He wasn''t interested in the rewards. He was more worried about not being able to use [Mana Maniption]. His survival heavily relies on it. ''To me, [Mana Maniption] is more important than eight no, nine lives.'' He was not a strong person. A couple of days, he was a normal vige man with no grand ambitions. Suddenly, he was brought to this world and encountered all kinds of different situations. It was too abrupt for him to adapt psychologically. The only thing he could do is bottle up his emotions and act with logic. This was the result of that. He wasn''t specifically feeling guilty for killing, neither did it hurt his conscience but there were emotions which couldn''t be exined in simple words. He was sad. Some timeter, he regained his cool. ''There''s no point in self-reflection. The more I do it, the more pity I feel for myself. Now that I''m thinking about it, maybe I am going through depression.'' Rewen was a person with extreme self-awareness. Although this was the first time he is going through something like this, it didn''t take him too long to figure out that he was going deep down the cesspool of depression. Chapter 148: Depression Chapter 148: Depression It was five in the evening. The sky was orange. Rewen got out of the apartmentplex. As the apartmentplex was in an old locality, there weren''t many people going through it. That is also the reason why there were no people at this time of the day. He saw an empty car parked near the apartmentplex and walked near it. Taking out a key from his pocket, he unlocked it and got inside. The car was not his. Beforeing here, he had already convinced Svety to go back home after dropping him. For some reason, she insisted on leaving the car. ''Now that I''m thinking about it, I couldn''t reach home without a proper rest.'' He didn''t immediately start the engine. He looked at the back seats and found a pair of tracks. The reason for the set of tracks was - could take the risk of driving the car with the red stains on his clothes? The reason is - No. It was difficult to change clothes in apact space but for a person with high dexterity, it was no problem. "All good, let''s go." *** Klofar Residence. In the living room, Denny and Svety silently sat across each other. They were quiet for the past hour. Denny obviously couldn''t continue looking at her the same way as she did when she heard what she did to her cousin. ''I have to talk to Cal about this'' *Ding* The doorbell rang. Their faces lit up. Denny was the first person to rush to the door. She opened the door to find a red-haired young man in ck tracksuit standing in front of her. "Hey how was everything?" Rewen wryly smiled. "It was fine. Let me enter. I''ll talk about itter." "Oh" Denny was a little disappointed but she made way for him to enter. Rewen headed straight towards the bathroom. Along the way, he saw Svety who was looking at him intently. He nodded slightly without saying anything, then continued walking towards the bathroom. ''His face didn''t look too good.'' Svety thought before sighing. ''Whose face would be good after possibly killing?'' In the bathroom. Cold water fell on his hairs. He did a swipe with his hand in the air. A screen appeared in front of his eyes. [Ding! A main Storyline quest has been sessfullypleted! Would you like to receive the rewards?] [Yes] [No] He pressed on ''Yes''. [Ding! You have received a ''Tier 1 Silver Lottery Ticket''] [Item stored in the inventory.] ''Use the cumtive luck from [Missions to Doom] and use all the lotteries at the same time.'' The system didn''t respond for a while. Three seconds passed by. [Sorry, the inventory is in maintenance. Lotteries cannot be used for the time being.] Rewen would have normallyshed out but he was too tired. ''How long do I have to wait?'' [Within two weeks, the Host would again be able to use the lotteries.] ''Can I use other items?'' [The Host can use other items.] ''So, how exactly is the inventory in maintenance?'' If he spoke out loud, his voice would be terrifyingly calm. The system didn''t respond. Rewen''s face had various emotions for a while but after a few seconds, heughed lightly and asked. ''Can I ask for side-quests?'' [Quests aside from Daily Missions can''t be issued for the time being.] ''Oh? Is the Quest Department in maintenance as well? Interesting Stop fucking with me. If you want to see me struggle, just say so. If you want to see me die, just say so.'' Rewen had an outwardly calm face but inside, he was boiling with anger. ''Show me the information about [2x Power Spike].'' --- Item: 2x Power Spike Grade: Type: Operable Effect: Increases the stats of the user by two times. Time limit - 120 seconds. Can''t be used to increase beyond 100. --- "I knew it." He had prepared to use the lotteries for a long time. He knows that he can''t contend against a squad full of Rank 2 Mages unless he uses ''2x Power Spikes'' which he specifically kept for the Rank 3 Mage that woulde atst. But even with [Freestyle Knights Combat]bined with ''2x Power Spike'', there was a high possibility of it turning out to be the same as the fight on the rooftop. Let''s say that the organization sends a single squad of Rank 2 Mages this time. By the time he goes to fight with the squad, he would get back his [Freestyle Knights Combat] and have a dangerous average stat of 68 when used. Yes, stats matter. It matters a whole lot but the importance of skills is undeniable. A peak Rank 2 Mage has an average stat of 45. Could four Rank 2 Mages contend with a Rank 0 Mage who happens to have a high stat? Maybe. Maybe not. No one could say anything. It depends on several factors. Therefore, optimistically speaking, it can be dered that if Rewen is smart enough, he wouldn''t have to use a ''2x Power Spike''. But the real problemes after that. What if the organization sends two squads of Rank 2 Mages? Could he contend against eight Rank 2 Mages with just [Freestyle Knights Combat]? The answer is no. There''s no argument here. If he was cornered by eight Rank 2 Mages, it could be said that it''s extremely difficult to survive with just his high stat. He had to use a ''2x Power Spike''. He may have to use another if he has bad luck. With that, he would be out of options. After that, he didn''t know if the organization would send a squad of Rank 3 Mages or a single Rank 3 Mage but either way, he would be in a tight spot. Even if he managed to save a ''2x Power Spike'', he wouldn''t necessarilye out as the victor. No matter how many ''2x Power Spike'' he got, his stats wouldn''t be greater than 100 - which is also the peak stat of a Rank 3 Mage. He didn''t know how effective the ''Brown Fruit'' is. If he had to guess, it was definitely useful but the fact of the matter is - he didn''t know how useful it is. This isn''t a movie where the main character uses a random item and expects it to work as a plot armor. He would never leave his safety to a thing he doesn''t perfectly know about. Everything carefully considered, his future is looking dark unless the system is cooperative. Rewen stopped the shower. His eyes didn''t contain a hint of emotion. ''If that''s how you want you want to y it, it''s fine.'' "Also" He looked to the west of his bathroom. "I don''t know how I should refer to you but I''m going with the ''secret perverted eavesdropper''. You might want to warn your Boss. I''m giving him an opportunity to stop this or else, I might go insane and do insane stuffs." It was unknown if anyone heard or not. Rewen wasn''t testing to see if anyone''s there or not. In fact, he knows that he is being tracked every single second. He can''t be convinced otherwise no matter what. Meanwhile, in the living room, Svety and Denny again engaged themselves in a staring game. In the middle of that, Rewen appeared with a towel wrapped around his waist. Two pairs of eyes turned to him. Without any awkwardness, Rewen looked at Svety. "Svety. It''s better if you leave. About today''s matter, I''ll text you. By the way, the key is in your car." Svety nodded hesitantly, then took her bag and walked out of the room. When she finally left, Denny sighed. "How was your day?" "I''m tired. I''ll talk to youter." Rewen was in no mood to narrate what he did. The after-effect of the battle is still lingering and ording to him, would linger for a while. Waving his hands, he went to his room. Denny frowned. ''Was it insensitive to ask this?'' For the past two years, she had been a horrible cousin to him. Now that she found out that whether she had done everything in good humor or not, she did indeed harm him. Regarding this, she had several conflicts with her mind about him. Self-ming was a part of it. She was also awkward on how to converse with him as they had rarely talked about a serious issue. *** Rewen wore loose clothes and turned on his PC. He had nned to start ''Naruto'' afterpleting FMAB but he had much more serious things that he couldn''t ignore. For instance, depression! For the past few days, he had been ''feeling'' it but today, he realized the reason why he was so negative. ''From what I understand, depression is not equivalent to sadness or grief. Thetter doesn''t stick around for long but depression does. It takes weeks, months or even years to get over it. I still can''t believe that I''m having something this childish. Damnit, it''s my fault.'' Chapter 149: Sudden Turn Of Events Chapter 149: Sudden Turn Of Events ''If I were in this condition in my vige, I would probably get over it sooner because depression doesn''t exist there. Even if I were worse, I could cope with it way better because I would know for a fact that - depression isn''t real, in that world. I would be forced to ''stop whining''. It''s the rough way but I prefer it because ''Now, I know that depression is real and rather than putting effort in self-improvement, I would seek sce in depression. It''s not a form of escapism but something simr to that. In cold words, I would me ''depression'' for my depression and that would make it harder for me to get over it.'' Rewen couldn''t help butugh when he researched a bit into the topic. ''So it turns out that I know myself too well!'' There were several studies that show that people with high self-awareness are more likely to fall into depression. They are more likely to critically think about things and concentrate on the "negatives'''' of things. Just like how Rewen''s mind is always preupied by several events from past, present and the future. He thinks. He tries to not overthink. But he never stops thinking. Coincidentally, almost all the things he thinks about are negatives. ''This isn''t necessarily my fault because my life at the moment is just hell. What positives am I supposed to think of? Alright, everyone has their tough times so am I supposed to see myself in five years? Let alone five years, I''m not sure if I''llst five days. What positives are there to think about? Fuck it, let''s see what else is there.'' ''Oh? Understanding the cause, huh. That''s interesting. What am I even depressed about? Couple of things. Short answer, life. Long answer - family issues, system, life-and-death crisis, Gruer''s Landings and killing. That''s the gist of it. What''s next?'' ''Talking it out with others? I would have already if I could.'' Rewen smiled bitterly. A few minutester, he leaned on his chair. It turned out to be a fruitless endeavor. Not only did this not "cured" his depression, this also added to it. He had one more thing to worry about. Curing his depression. ''Mind is a bitch.'' [That''s because you think too much.] ''You still have the audacity to talk to me?'' [Why not?] ''Your friend did dirty on me.'' Rewen said with a smile. After all this, he no longer had the energy to get angry. [It isn''t my friend.] ''Tsundere, aren''t you? Anyways, give me some quests.'' [I''m not in-charge of issuing quests.] Rewen didn''t reply. He got up from the chair and left the room. "Denny!" "Yes?" As usual, Denny was watching a drama in the living room. "I''m going out for a walk." "Okay! Don''t forget to lock the door." *** It was night. Sitting on a public bench in the neighborhood park, he nced at a couple of elementary schoolers ying ser. He came out here to take a fresh breath of air. Along the way, he decided to run toplete the Daily Missions of [Bloodline System] but it turned out that the Daily Missions are "locked" for some reason. ''Is my death somehow beneficial to you?'' He didn''t get an answer. "Can I sit?" He heard a male voice and turned his head. It was a tall orange-haired guy whom Rewen found familiar. "You aren''t you the suicidal guy?" The orange-haired young man made an unnatural expression. "I''m not suicidal." He said, before sitting on the public bench Rewen was sitting. "What are you doing here?" Rewen asked, attempting to start a conversation. "I''m just hanging around. I likeing here. This is the first time I have seen you in this ce." "I used toe to y here when I was in grade school. I never saw you though. I mean, assuming you live in the locality." "I came here for the academy." "I see. Where are you from?" "North Linin." "That''s quite far from here." Rewenmented. He lives in the heart of Travil Town which is located in the north-east region of Nat Province. Linin is a densely popted town located in the west border of Nat Province. The small talk stopped and the two went back to their own world. Rewen looked at his wrist-watch. "6:31 p.m." Tonight, he has an important event to attend. He got up and started to walk away. Famin looked at his back and sighed internally. ''Despite being the butt of a joke in the academy, he is so...'' His thought was interrupted when he heard a loud shout. "Kid!! STAY BACK!" Before he could think of something, he saw a man appearing in front of him who grabbed him by the neck. ''What''s going on?'' He questioned, feeling a chill on his neck. His body was restrained. When he lowered his gaze, he saw a de against his neck. Sweat dripped from his forehead as he looked at the middle-aged man in uniform in front of him. Rewen also halted and was dumbstruck by the sudden situation. Within a span of a few seconds, he saw a muscr mane up to the guy he was talking to and held him as a hostage. Chasing after him was a cop he was very familiar with. ''Is there only one cop in the entire town?'' Having useless thoughts, he shook his head and looked at the confrontation. The elementary schoolers who were ying ser had already fled. "You don''t dare to harm him." The middle-aged cop said with a solemn look. The muscr man who held Faminughed. "You want to see if I dare or not?" "Leave him and your sentence will be lowered. I have called the reinforcements and they would be arriving soon." "I don''t car- aghh!" For some reason, the muscr man was hit by a small stone, forced to let go of the hostage he was holding. "Who the fuck is it!?" He roared only to meet with a closed fist. It was the middle-aged cop. After hitting him, he held him down with his knee over his back. Then, he turned his head and smiled. "I must say, there is some fate between us. Thanks for that." Rewen, the one who threw the stone, smiled in return and approached the cop. "What''s with him? Is he a thief?" "He is." By the side, Famin wiped off the sweat from his forehead. ''I was this close to death.'' The thought made him shudder. "Sorry,d. I give my word to properlypensate you." "I-It''s fine." Suddenly, the muscr man spoke out. "HAHAHA! Just like this stupid government of yours, you are also stupid!" The cop, Rewen and Famin looked at each other. "Do you know what he means?" Rewen asked, looking at the cop. The cop shook his head. "Some criminals like this. They pretend to have a ''bigger n'' just to show that they aren''t defeatedpletely." Hearing that, Rewen couldn''t help butugh. "Yes! Laugh all you want! Because after that, you''ll see despair and forget how tough!" "What the fuck is your deal, man?" Rewen kicked the thief. At this moment, a white light came out from the spot where the man pushed against and enveloped the entire group. Instinctively, Rewen tried to flee but there was an unknown force that restricted him to do so. *** In a dark cave made of rocks lied three confused men. "This is crazy. Like, crazy beyond belief." Rewen was stunned by the sudden turn of events but he was even more stunned with how eventful his life is. A minute ago, he was wondering about life and future and now, he was transported into some unknown cave. How does that even make sense? Rewen was stillparatively calm because of his eventful life but the same couldn''t be said for Famin who was one step away from fainting from excessive shock. "Don''t panic." The middle-aged cop said, trying to ease the panicked atmosphere. "We''ll be out very soon." "You mean get out of this cave very soon?" "No. Get back to where we were previously." "Good. So how do we do that?" "I''ll exin but before that, both of you should" He couldn''t finish as his eyes fixed on a particr thing. Rewen followed his eyes and gulped. There was a two feet tall naked humanoid creature withrge canines staring at them. "..." Rewen was speechless. Famin fainted. The middle-aged cop seriously looked at Rewen. "Take him and hide somewhere." Rewen didn''t say anything. He took Famin on his shoulder and took a cover behind a bunch of rocks. ''This isn''t this quite a big jump? I am randomly teleported to some cave and a humanoid creature appears out of nowhere? This sounds like a garbage anime plot.'' When he found himself having useless thoughts again, he pped both his cheeks. ''Let''s see if [Observe] tells anything at all.'' He first looked at the cop. --- Strength: 41 Agility: 44 Endurance: 40 Dexterity: 43 Evaluation: [High E-ranked Martial Artist] --- Chapter 150: A Side-Adventure (1) Chapter 150: A Side-Adventure (1) ''Not bad. Not bad at all.'' A smile appeared on his face when he found himself in danger with a strong ally. ''I don''t want to use up my ''2x Power Spike'' as long as I''m not close to death. What about that humanoid guy? Can I see his stats?'' --- CP: 40 Health: 400/400 Evaluation: [Rank 1 ??? (Unknown Creature)] --- ''CP as inbat prowess or child p it''sbat prowess. If I have to make a guess, then the value in CP is the same as stats?'' No matter how much he thought, he couldn''te to a definitive conclusion. ''Let''s see how the cop fares against that creature.'' His eyes turned to the ''staring battle'' that was going on between the two parties involved. The middle-aged cop took out his handgun and pointed it towards the bloodthirsty creature. Honestly, a gun isn''t the most effective weapon against a Rank 2 but that is only for ordinary guns. The gun he was holding is operated by "Mana Bullets" which are deadly against a Rank 2 Mage. These guns are only for government personnels, especially police officers. A study showed that in the entire Eastern Dream Kingdom, there were only 35% of police officers who are mages. The rest are martial artists. It is a known fact that an E-grade Martial Artist is iparable to a Rank 2 Mage. To solve this, the International Bureau of Arms allowed police officers to carry guns operated by "mana bullets". *Swish* The gun was silently fired. A blue ray shot out from the gun and struck the humanoid creature''s chest. "GRRRRRR!!!" The humanoid creature roared in pain and frantically headed towards the cop. *Swish* Another shot was fired. This time, it hit the creature''s skull. Blood erupted from the spot where it was fired. "GRRRRRHHHH!" It roared even harder. *Swish* *Swish* *Swish* Three consecutive shots were made at it''s head. The roar stopped as the creature fell. Rewen, after watching the entire exchange, came out of the cover carrying Famin over his shoulder. "That was pretty one-sided." Hemented. Hearing that, the cop chuckled. "Well yeah, what did you expect? Me fighting that beast with my hands? Anyways, if you can joke around, then that means you have calmed down." Rewen responded with a smile. "I have always been calm." "We''ll see" The cop''s expression suddenly turned serious. "In a few minutes, you might have to fight a couple of them by yourself. Do you think you can do it?" "Do you think that I can do it?" The cop nodded confidently. "You should. The strength you demonstrated while fighting that idol should be enough." "Before that, why don''t you exin?" "Ah, right. I haven''t yet exined right? Could you wake him up first?" He pointed to the young man over Rewen''s shoulder. Rewen brought him down and gave him a couple of light ps. *Pah* *Pah* *Pah* After some ps, Famin''s consciousness came back. "Wha.. what! Don''t kill me! Oh it''s you wait, where are we!?" He took notice of the surroundings and cried out loud. Rewen had a half-smile on his face. "You are the most generic guy I''ve met. At least try to fake calmness." "Sorry about that but where are we? W-w-was that thing I saw not a dream...?" "I don''t know about your dream but if you are talking about that thing, then I believe that it''s not a dream." Rewen said, pointing to the fallen humanoid creature. "AHHH! What''s that!?" Famin screamed while moving back with his rear. The cop and Rewen looked at each other. "Why am I here!? What is this ce!?" Every secondter, Famin was bing more and more hysteric. "No offence but you are kinda annoying." "That is offensive! Rather, why the hell are you so calm about this!?" This was the first time Famin was this mad and angry. All his life, he had been suppressed but now, he was agitated beyond belief. "Uh, that''s because I''m the cool sort." Rewen answered with a straight face. The next minute was spent on calming down Famin. "Okay, I understand the gist of it. There was a weird white light that shed before we were suddenly transported here. The first we saw here was that disgusting creature which the respected police officer killed. And now, you are about to tell the backstory behind this incident?" The cop nodded at Famin''s question. "First. I''ll give you the short answer to make you feel better. This cave is not real. Only our bodies are." "..." "..." "Long answer. What we are in is the [Heart Domain] of a Rank 3 Mage. A [Heart Domain] is a personal space of Mages where they can rest and cultivate in peace. It''s not a material feature but rather something like a soul. If the owner of the [Heart Domain] willed, he/she could bring in people from outside. It is extremely beneficial for cultivating mana or natural energy as time here is slowed down significantly. A [Heart Domain] of a Rank 3 Mage slows the time here in the ratio of 6:1 approximately. " "So how are we brought here?" Rewen was slightly interested in the topic of [Heart Domain] but remembered his priorities. "That thief stole the [Heart Domain] of a dead Rank 3 Mage. Usually, they couldn''t be activated randomly. Who would have thought that the thief would have a way to activate a dead [Heart Domain]. Ah, I forgot to mention this but the time inside this dead [Heart Domain] is close to non-existent." "Non-existent!?" Even Rewen couldn''t keep his calm. "Yes. However, there is no natural energy or mana to absorb as the [Heart Domain] is dead." "So that''s how it is." If time were to be non-existent here, the value of a dead [Heart Domain] would be sky high. Even high ranking Mages would fight for it. It wouldn''t be something a random thief could steal. Rewen pondered about it for a while, then replied. "I have a lot of questions but most of them are unrted to my survival so I''ll not ask them. But the most important question is, how are we supposed to get out of this ce?" The cop raised two of his fingers. "There are two ways to get out of this. First, we need to activate the [Heart Domain] that is with the thief. This is not a feasible method because a [Heart Domain] especially a dead [Heart Domain] is not something we can activate just because we want to. The second way is to directly destroy the [Heart Domain]." Rewen: "I prefer the second way." Famin: "Me too." The cop had an awkward face. "How about we try out the first way first? If we were to destroy the [Heart Domain], I would be responsible and have topensate" "Fuck off! We are in a life-and-death crisis and you are thinking about your money!?" Despite being timid, Famin couldn''t restrain himself. Rewen had a simr expression. Upon seeing their faces, the cop raised his hand in defeat. "Alright, fine. We''ll have it in your way but you have to testify for me." "In the court?" Rewen looked hesitant. "No. A verbal statement from the two of you is enough." Chapter 151: A Side-Adventure (2) Chapter 151: A Side-Adventure (2) "With that being out of the way, I have further questions." Rewen stared at the cop. "Hm? Go ahead." "What is that thing? I have never seen a creature like that neither in life nor in books." A smile emerged on the cop''s face. "That''s because that creature is not real in the first ce." "What do you mean by it?" "They are called the Guardians of [Heart Domain]. They only have a single instruction - be hostile to intruders. Creatures like this are formed from the imagination of the owner of [Hear Domain]. Their strength corresponds to the owner, usually a rank lower than the owner. Generally, they disappear right after the owner dies but there are several ways through which the owner can guard his [Heart Domain]." Famin was puzzled. "Why would they bother guarding a dead [Heart Domain]?" "Because of inheritance!" Famin sucked in cold air from the surroundings. "That means-" He was interrupted by the cop. "Stop your wild thoughts. The inheritance has already been taken out. And even if we do find an inheritance, it would go straight to the government." "Just don''t tell them!" Rewenughed out loud hearing this. "You really think it''s that simple? Let''s just say that this officer here won''t tell a single word to the higher ups, do you think that the higher ups would let two young men who entered a [Heart Domain] go without any interrogation. You could lie but do you know the risk of being found out? Besides, we wouldn''t go unrewarded. Better not be greedy." Famin didn''t look too convinced. He was thinking along the lines of - ''If I could conceal it well, nobody would find out.'' After a while, he gave a reluctant nod. The cop also nodded, then looked at Rewen. "Do you have any more questions or should I start with the n?" "Let''s hear the n." "Okay. The overview of the n is we have to get to the thief and destroy the [Heart Domain]. The thief who was holding the [Heart Domain] is in the resting ce of the dead owner. Before you ask, no, I don''t know where the thief is but that doesn''t mean we can''t get to him. Every [Heart Domain] has some traps and obstacles which prevents any unwanted intruders from getting into the personal space of the owner. "Obviously, we have to go past that point and get to where the thief is. The traps and obstaclesid out by the owner of this [Heart Domain] is enough to stop several Rank 3 Mages but remember that this is dead [Heart Domain]. The power of the traps are weakened by a whole lot." "But how deadly are the ''traps and obstacles'' that you mentioned?" Famin asked. The cop straightforwardly replied. "It wouldn''t be difficult for several Rank 1 Mages to go past those traps and obstacles." "Rank 1?" Famin didn''t get the worst answer but he still looked afraid. His eyes went from the cop to Rewen. "What will you do?" Rewen smiled. "You might not believe me but I''m quite strong." "So you are going? Do you think that we can survive? Isn''t it quite reckless?" Rewen gave a light pat on his shoulder before getting up. "Reckless adventures are man''s romance. Where is your spirit?" Saying that, he looked at the cop. "I''ll go survey the area and look for possible routes." Looking at his departing figure, Famin had a nk look on his face. The cop chuckled after looking at his face. "Do you not want to go on a little adventure?" Famin forced a smile. "Don''t joke at this time. I''m not even a Rank 0." The cop lightlyughed. "Then it''s even better. With this, you would be ahead of everyone in terms of experience." Famin stopped talking. The cop stoppedughing and his face turned serious. "Look. I''ll properlypensate you as soon as we get out. If you are helpless, I''m even more helpless. If there is one thing you don''t need to worry about, it''s your safety. With me and him by your side, you can rest assured." Only then, Famin''s face got better. "Why do you have such confidence in that guy?" "Because... he is strong." *** *Swish* Like a wind, Rewen went behind the humanoid creature. River of Right Hand! -56 A number was disyed above the creature''s head. ''This is cool.'' Rewen was using [Observe]. He then punched the back of the humanoid creature and stepped back. -12 "Not much effective, huh. Well, I have all day to defeat him." Rewen noticed that the creature was panicking and running around in circles. It was to his advantage that it doesn''t have much intelligence but it was difficult to strike a moving opponent. ''I also can''t let it rest.'' He noticed that the HP bar of the creature was slowly but steadily filling up. ''Ok, done!'' Upon finishing casting [River of Right Hand], he used his useless perk - [Stealth] to sneakily approach the rampant creature. -72 "SCRREEEEE!!" ''Oh, a critical hit! Take one more!'' Rewen grinned as he lifted his legs to kick it. -13 He was about to again use the ''hit-and-run'' tactic when a blue light suddenly struck the head of the creature. -358 The creature fell. Rewen didn''t seem too pleased with the oue as he turned around to find Famin and the cop approaching him. "How long have you been watching me?" Rewen''s brows arched upwards. "The whole time?" The cop smiled. ''Isn''t the [Stealth] too fucking useless!?'' This wasn''t the second or third time he used [Stealth]. He used it countless times while fighting against the three squads. Sometimes, he thought that it worked a little. But now, he was skeptical of it. ''Advanced Mastery, my grandma''s asshole.'' The cop found the expression of Rewen a bit funny. "What''s wrong? Your face doesn''t look good." "It''s nothing. By the way, I have found two routes. One south from here and the other right there." He pointed to a narrow path carved with stones. "Now that''s quite a dilemma. Did you find anything weird?" "Interestingly enough, a word is carved in the stones of both the route entrances." "What are the words?" Famin asked with an interested expression. "Life and Death." Famin frowned. "Life and death which means one of them is safe and the other isn''t. If we go just by the meaning of the words, then the entrance which has ''life'' in it is more suitable however" Rewen continued Famin''s words. "However, is it really that easy? What if ''life'' leads to death and ''death'' leads to life? What if we are just overthinking and both the routes lead to life?" Famin nodded, then turned to the cop. "What is your guess?" "There is no guess. Do you think that a Rank 3 Mage would fool around with his own [Heart Domain]?" "How is that ''fooling around''? At the end of the day, no matter how we think, we have to choose one of them. Is there no intruder who could make the correct choice by fluke?" "They can''t." The cop said, before walking up to the entrance of the route nearest to him. "[Heart Domain] is not a yground." Chapter 152: A Side-Adventure (3) Chapter 152: A Side-Adventure (3) The route that the cop approached had the word ''Death'' written on one of it''s rocks to the left. "Man, I hope you aren''t just doing it just because you feel like it." Rewenined a little but still followed him in the route. Famin, being the hesitant guy that he is, looked right and left in anxiousness. After a few seconds, he decided to follow the two of them inside. "Mister Cop. Do you have a reason for going through this particr route? It''d be better if you could be clear what you just said earlier." He chose his words very carefully. The cop responded while walking. "There is no need for me to be clear. [Heart Domain] isn''t a yground where kids can juste and go. To make a decision, you have to be convinced that your decision is correct. [Heart Domain] has mystical properties. If you go in a route not convinced in your decision, then the route you picked is a trap." "That''s bullshit! How can something like this exist!?" Famin wouldn''t buy something this crazy and unusual. "Well, what you believe doesn''t really matter. The pre-apocalyptic humans didn''t believe in things like magic but here we are, surrounded by it." Rewen''s eyes twitched. He was fascinated by the wonders of this ce. Despite havinge from a traditional background, he was never one to believe in mystical things which doesn''t make sense. With that being that, he wasn''t a skeptic either. If he perceives things which are mystical and makes some sense, he would be more than willing to try and believe that it''s real. Aside from the fact that Rewen found it fascinating, he had a single question. "Did you mean that the route we pick doesn''t matter?" The cop shook his head while smiling. "I didn''t say that. Ultimately, the route you pick determines everything." "So how did youe to the conclusion that this route is the correct one?" "Do you think that a dead [Heart Domain] would have ''life'' as the correct route?" Rewen understood the reasoning but he didn''t get how the cop is so confident. "Okay, I think that makes a lot of sense but again, why not?" "This is where you are wrong. You are giving the benefit of doubt to a belief which I consider an undeniable fact." "Why do you consider it to be an undeniable fact? It is a deduction which you consider to be true. That doesn''t make it an undeniable fact." The moment he finished saying that, the ground shook. "I knew it!! I knew that this wasn''t the correct route!" Famin yelled, his legs shaking. Unlike him, Rewen was calm. He looked at his surroundings and took a stance. Secondster, the ground calmed down. He was puzzled by the development but then, he came up with a wild theory and looked towards the cop who had a small smile. "Do you now get why I consider it to be an undeniable fact?" "I do. Sorry." Rewen openly admitted his mistake. The reason the ground shook was because he challenged a person''s beliefs. At the same time, he learned an important lesson unrted to the subject. ''Questioning things are great. It leads to development on many levels but to shove your ideology and beliefs over someone who doesn''t agree with you is not the right way to go.'' Famin wiped off the sweat from his forehead. "What are the two of you talking about?" *** The cave, despite being surrounded by rocks with not even a hint of lighting, is notpletely dark. In fact, dark objects can be easily identified with naked eyes. Rewen and the others have been walking for about three hours through a single route. Rewen and the cop could easily do it but the same couldn''t be said for Famin who was being carried by the cop on his back. He was very ashamed of himself but more that, he was perplexed by Rewen. ''How is he still calmly walking? And how remarkably stupid is he to pick a fight with that disgusting monster?'' While Famin was analyzing him, he stopped. Then, he lifted his right leg and picked up a small white crumpled piece of paper. "Interesting." He muttered under his breath. "What''s written?" The cop went behind him to take a loop. In his back, Famin tried to peek. One begets one. Two begets failure. Three is the way "What does that mean?" Famin was the one to question. Rewen and the cop were simrly confused but then, something astonishing happened! The rocks in the two sides crumbled into pieces, colored rocks rose up from the ground slowly revealing three pathways. Two on the right and the other on the left. The two pathways that opened on the right had their rocks colored in red and yellow. The other that opened up in the left had green rocks. The trio looked at each other, taking some time to process what happened. "What do you think?" The cop asked, looking at Rewen. Rewen slightly nodded. "I have a general idea. It seems that we have to separate." Hearing this, Famin had anxiousness written all over his face. He knows that out of the three, he was the most useless. If it wasn''t for the other two, he might have been dead. No matter what, he cannot absolutely ept this oue. "Why do we have to separate?" Rewen turned to him. "If you know how to read, you would know the reason." "No! What if it''s a trap? Aren''t [Heart Domains] meant to be filled with traps and obstacles?" "Sure, it could be a trap. What do you think?" He turned to the cop. Although the point Famin mentioned sounded forced, Rewen felt that it had some truth. The cop didn''t answer. Releasing Famin from his back, he slowly went inside the yellow path. "Try entering now." Rewen tried to enter but was blocked by an invisible barrier. He pulled his arm for a punch. "Don''t bother. I''m not strong enough to break this. Unless it''s a Rank 3 or higher, one can''t defy the rules and regtions of [Heart Domain]." Rewen didn''t punch. "Well, it looks like we can''t go together even if we try to." Famin fell on his butt. His face was full of fear. "This can''t be happening." Something about him ticked Rewen off who then went on to him and forced him up. "Holy shit, man. You are the most generic guy I''ve met. Look, I know that not everyone could be calm in situations like this but at least try to. No offense but for thest few hours, you have been doing nothing. You have been dependent on us the entire time. "Even then, it''s fine. I don''t expect you to shoot out fireballs from your asshole or use your 200+ IQ to get us out of the situation but there is a difference between ipetence and stupid. Your stupidity is off the charts. Like, what do you expect from us in this scenario? Carry you inside? Are you that dumb? We might carry you if it wasn''t the case that we can''t. We are out of options and can only go separate ways. Can all you do isin?" Chapter 153: A Side-Adventure (4) Chapter 153: A Side-Adventure (4) Rewen''s words made Famin nk out for a while. "Fuck off. You don''t know a thing about me." Thetter shook his hands off his cor. "Yeah, I don''t know you personally but I do know that you are a fucking whiny coward." "I''m not a coward!" "In my dictionary, a person who can''t face life is a coward. Enough of that, I''m not here to give you life lessons. Just answer my question, what are you going to do?" Famin was enraged by his words. "Why do you care what I do?" *Pah* A backhand p fell on his cheek. "Y-you" *Pah* *Pah* *Pah* "I''ll ask this again. What are you going to do?" Rewen''s voice was cold. He wasn''t going to entertain a foolish person. Famin was on the ground, his cheeks swollen. There were even tears on the corner of his eyes. It was humiliating for him. Rage boiled in his heart. ''It has always been like this!'' Indignation, rage, humiliation were all things he had been very familiar with from his childhood. ''No matter where I go, there are always people who try to bring me down.'' ''Why should I bow my head and listen to them?'' ''Why should I not retaliate?'' He lifted one leg, then the other. On his knees, he lowered his mouth with his hands straight. "I''m sorry" Rewen was shocked by the sudden apology that he can''t muster up a single word in response. Just then, he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Rewen." The cop''s expression was serious. "We, humans, aren''t perfect. Does he look like he had a good life? While I don''t necessarily disagree with your opinion, your way is not correct. Violence can make people submit but cannot make them understand." The statement - "At a loss of words" - had never been truer for Rewen than today. *** Famin felt dejected as he looked at the ''green path''. "It''s my fault." He said lightly. As he stared at the dark route, he felt a cold chill go down his spine. It gave him goosebumps. At the same time, the threat for his life made him have a shback of his life. Kicked. Spitted. Punched. Humiliation. ''Is there really all there is to my life?'' He wondered. ''I''ll just die. What more could happen?'' All of a sudden, the threat he felt for his life vanished without a trace. He took a single step in the path. He didn''t feel any different from usual. One step. Two steps. Three steps. [Ah I have another visitor, it seems.] An elderly voice sounded from the surroundings. The voice wasn''t horrifying in any voice. It was gentle and has the dignity of befitting a respected senior. But that didn''t stop from Famin to fall on his butt. "W-who are you?" [Hmm? Did you enter this [Heart Domain] without knowing me?] Seeing that there were hostile intentions, Famin calmed down a bit and asked timidly. "M-may I ask if you are the Rank 3 Senior?" [I am. Who are you? You don''t look like my descendant. Answer me without shuttering.] Famin was scared. Before he could even speak, his throat was dry. Taking a moment to calm himself down, he said in a low voice. "A thief carrying the [Heart Domain] was being chased by a cop. I got unintentionally involved with the affair." [Who brought you here?] Famin was about to answer that he doesn''t know but then didn''t want to offend the figure. ''If I''m not mistaken, what he means is that'' [Yes, I''m talking about the one who activated this.] "H-how?" [You are literally in the [Heart Domain]. How can anything from the heart escape my notice. Answer my question.] "I-It''s the thief." A snort came from the elderly voice. [In that case, he ought to be my descendant. Laughable that he is called a thief when he is the rightful owner.] "I-If I may ask, w-why are you" [I''m not alive. This is my soul remnant. Didn''t you read story books? Young generations are so out of touch with the world.] "..." [What? Why are you looking dumb? Move along.] "Yes, yes." Famin got up and started walking again. After walking for about ten seconds, he felt that he saw a dead end. "Is that a dead end? It''s really unusual. Let me take a closer look." As soon as he took a single step, his whole body shook as if he had been electrocuted. In front of him, approximately at a distance of ten meters, stood a giant red-skinned naked creature with robust arms and legs feeding on a boar. The boar perfectly fit in hisrge hands. It initially squirmed and screamed as its legs were slowly teared out. Just as the bear''sst struggle fell, the creature pressed its stomach with its fingers, making the bear vomit blood along with intestines from both the upper and lower body. The boar cried out on the top of its lungs while the red-skinned giant casually cleaned his fingers ingesting the raw organs as if it''s honey. Slowly, the bear''s final cry fell when the crunches came from the mouth of the giant. Let alone Famin, even Rewen or the cop could look at this scene in horror. Famin''s afternoon meal came right to his throat. ''No. No. No. I can''t vomit at this time. It would attract the giant.'' With eyes widened and his hand on his mouth, he gulped and turned around to run. "Hng?" The giant made a sound. ''Shit.'' Famin figured that he had been found out but all he could do is run. When the giant got up, the ground trembled, making it difficult for him to continue running. He tumbled against a stone and fell down. "Why? Why me?" He felt a strong pain on his waist. He struggled to no avail. The giant effortlessly picked him up with his two fingers. Famin finally got the chance to see the face of the giant. It was the literal representation of - ''monster''. It''s face was disfigured. It had four teeth bulging out. ''This seems to be the end'' Weirdly, Famin didn''t feel anything while looking at the horrific face. He would normally get scared but currently, for some reason, he felt nothing. [What would you do if you had a second chance?] At this moment, the sound of the elderly man entered his ears. Famin''s dim eyes lit up but he didn''t answer. [Would you be the same?] ''...'' [Or would you take revenge on all those who had belittled you?] Famin was scarily quiet. He raised his head to look at the monster who seemed to be carefully inspecting him. ''Second chance?'' ''Who cares about that?'' ''Why should I be entitled to have a second chance?'' ''Is society really the me for my ipetence?'' ''I''m a student in one of two Special sses. Despite a rocky start, I had a great opportunity in front of me. I just didn''t have the courage to grab it.'' ''What do I do after I get out alive of this?'' ''I might get an awesome second chance but did I earn it?'' ''I might be a figure to be admired but will it be the result of my sess?'' Famin broke down. Chapter 154: A Side-Adventure (5) Chapter 154: A Side-Adventure (5) "HAHAHAHA!" A maniacalughter erupted. It was Famin. He wasughing like a madman along with tears on the corner of his eyes. It was hard to deduce the giant''s expression but he seemed to be nkly staring at the maniac. However, he did nothing to stop him. "Second chance!? No thanks! I''m ready to die." Famin spitted on the giant''s fingers. He wasn''t putting up an act. He had just been pushed to the absolute extreme. All his life, he had been scared to do anything. Now that he is destined to die, why should he continue to be scared? [Why? Do you not want to live? Do you not have ambition? Are you just going to live an ambitionless life? Do you like being trampled on by those arrogant fools?] Famin grinned widely. "Because I''m a fool who cannot distinguish between emotion and rationality. Rationally, I should take up your offer but there''s an emotion deep buried within me that wants me to defy one single thing. And that is you." The elderly man didn''t answer this time. "Kek! Kek! Kek!" Meanwhile, the red-skinned giant crackled inughter. Holding Famin with its fingers, the giant lifted him up and widened its mouth. Then, he let him loose. Famin''s expression didn''t change until the final moment when he suddenly roared. "You think I''m going to give up without fighting!?" Bncing himself within air, he perfectlynded on one of the giant''s frontal teeth, then without giving thetter to crush him, he jumped to catch hisrge lips. The giant quickly took notice of the sudden development and instantly stretched his hand but Famin was very agile. With the support of the lips, he ran across his face and went to his nose. He couldn''t hold on for much longer as he would soon be caught. Somehow standing on the giant''s nose, he pulled up hisst resort and punched on the giant''s left eye. "Damn it! Take this!" "Gurr!!" The giant roared and caught Famin angrily. Famin had no expression on his face. He knew that now, there was no escape. He looked at the angry giant bringing himself closer to his mouth. Just then, something unusual happened. He fell. On the giant. Not on the giant''s mouth. His body tackled the giant. As his knee was pressed against the giant''s face, thetter cried out in pain. The cry was mixed with confusion. He simply couldn''t figure out what happened in the split second. Like him, Famin was also confused. [People usually show their true faces in the face of death. Most people, no matter how brave they are, cower when they are sure they are about to die. You, however are very strange. You are cowardly. Iid a small trap for you which you didn''t fall. Not because of your intelligence but because of your moral beliefs. This was quite surprising even for me.] Famin had mixed feelings when he heard the elderly man. He came to his senses and saw the giant under him, his knees crushing his face. "How is" He looked at the surroundings and realized that he hadn''t be a giant but the giant wasn''t a "giant" anymore. It had be a red-skinned ugly creature with a height smaller than him but was still muscr than him. Shocked, he was about to pull his leg and run. [Are you sure you want to do this?] Famin hesitated. He didn''t need to ask what the elderly man meant. Will he take any action or run away like he always did? Three seconds passed by in utter silence. The red-skinned ugly creature was still under Famin''s knee. At this moment, Famin got up. [So this is your choice. I won''t look down on you-] *Pah* The red-skinned ugly creature''s face deformed when a foot stomped on it. *Pah* *Pah* *Pah* *Pah* *Pah* After several continuous stomps, the red-skinned creature fell unconscious. Famin''s eyes appeared weary and tired. He felt no emotions while ruthlessly crushing down the creature. It was unknown if he would have the same reaction in case the creature was a human but right now, he shed all of his morality and acted upon rationality. *** On the other side, Rewen had just entered through the red route. "Kekk!" And instantly spotted a monster soon after. --- CP: 32 Health: 320/320 Evaluation: [Rank 1 ??? (Unknown Creature)] --- [Boost]! He transferred all his strength onto his legs and sprinted towards the monster. Since the distance between wasn''t much, the monster instantly spotted him. "Gur!" Noticing that the monster was preparing tounch on him as soon as he got near, he jumped on the side walls. Running on the sidewalls for a second, he caught the monster off guard. -24 "Not enough!" He wanted to hit once more but he didn''t have much time as the monster recovered from the strike. *Swish* It swung its arms. Luckily for Rewen, he had already stepped back. ''I''m slowly mastering the art of hit-and-run. Of course, this would only work on half-retarded monsters.'' He saw the monster approaching him with a steady face. Rewen didn''t move from his spot. ''Fast. Fast. Fast.'' A ghastly look appeared on the monster''s face as it looked at it''s ''prey'' not moving. Rewen took a step back. The monster also took a step forward. Rewen took another step back. The monster came closer. Rewen couldn''t take another step back. He was cornered. When he saw the monster raising his hand, he still wasn''t finished with the casting. *Boom* The rocks beside his face shattered into several pieces. He normally couldn''t dodge a strike from the monster but upon analyzing the movements of the monster''s hands, he quickly figured out the most likely ce to strike and therefore, made preparations beforehand. "It''s good that you don''t have any intellect." Rewen said before charging onto the monster''s abdomen. [Boost]! River of Right Hand! Hebined both of them! -288 The monster was thrown off and fell. It squirmed around, green blood came out from his mouth. It looked like it would die any second. "Their defense is ridiculously low." Rewenmented before slowly walking on to the monster and giving the final blow. -24 The monster was now dead. He stared at a distance and saw some moving things. "Fuck hairs." He was not used to having bangs which restricted his vision so he usually carried a hairband around but fighting with a hairband was also troublesome for him. ''Again, why am I thinking about useless things?'' Brushing off his hair, he closely observed the moving beings at the distance. --- CP: 33 --- ''One.'' --- CP: 35 --- ''Two.'' --- CP: 36 --- ''Three.'' ''I''m fucked. Do I really need to use'' At this moment, he heard a voice from the surroundings. [You look like you have killed people before.] Rewen was shocked by the sudden voice. After taking a second to calm down, he replied. "I did. Are you the owner of the [Heart Domain]?" [I am him but also not him. Forget about me, your heart looks very troubled] "I have a question. Are you not seeing my brain rather than the heart?" [I am seeing your heart.] The elderly man gave a stern reply. "Whatever you say." Rewen wasn''t convinced with the mechanics of the [Heart Domain]. Regarding his thoughts, it has nothing to do with his heart. He thinks with his mind. ording to him, if anything, it should be called [Mind Domain]. ''Well, maybe people want to name this figuratively.'' [You have quite the attitude, young man.] Rewen smiled, shaking his head. "I''m quite well-mannered." Then, he sprinted off towards one of the creatures approaching him. [Boost]! It was the weakest among the three. The creature''s eyes lit up when it saw him running towards it. Rewen had a neutral face. ''So what if my strength isn''t enough?'' Just when he was about a meter away from the creature, the creature jumped at him. Seemingly having predicted this, he jumped back. Giant Leap! The creature collided with one of its kinds. The creature receiving the tackle was stunned and couldn''t hold itself back from tackling the other creature at its side. All three of them fell. -1 -7 -3 Rewen didn''t let go of this chance and started hitting the three starting from the strongest. -20 -21 -23 Not getting too greedy, he stepped back. "If my strength isn''t enough, I have to make up for it using other factors." Rewen panted heavily. After the sudden quick movements, he was bound to feel tired. Fortunately for him, his stamina recovers quickly. "Again!" .. A minuteter. -25 -21 -24 The three brainless creatures fell to their death. Rewen fell on his butt. "Hah Hah" He was physically very tired. It would seem that it''s illogical for him to get tired only after fighting for a minute but it makesplete sense if the intensity of the fight is to be considered. From the surface, it looked one-sided but it''s only because he made it seem like that. [What? Are you tired already?] Chapter 155: A Side-Adventure (6) Chapter 155: A Side-Adventure (6) Rewen was still panting when he heard the elderly voice. He didn''t answer but his expression turned grave when he raised his head. He saw several creatures identical to the one he just fought arriving. With his hands on the ground, he somehow managed to stand up. ''This is bad'' He said internally with a wry smile. A creature ran at him. Rewen sessfully predicted the angle and dodged. [Boost]! -19 He was about to flee when he felt someone behind him. "Shit!" The creature behind him hit his head with a metallic stick. Rewen staggered in his steps while clutching the back of his head. ''I need to do something.'' "Kek! Kek! Kek!" The several creatures delightfullyughed. *Pah* He was hit by the metallic stick along his cheeks. He could no longer stand anyone and fell on his face. Blood leaked from the corner of his lips, his eyes half-closed. Even so, his rationality remained. ''If they wanted to kill me, they would not have used the metallic stick. Is it amusing for them? No, they don''t seem intelligent. If there''s any reason they are keeping me alive, it is because of the owner. What does he want? That''s not the right question. What could I do to escape this? Using 2x Power Spike would only slow the process. If I use one of them, I couldn''t necessarily break out of this. ''Let''s say I defeat the creatures around me, what do I do when another wavees? Use another ''2x Power Spike''? I can''t. I can''tplete Daily Missions anymore which means there''s no chance of me obtaining the ''2x Power Spike'' again. At the moment, I only have two. If I use two of them, how should I save myself in the future?'' Thinking till this point, he gave a self-deprecatingugh. ''Is this really the best time and ce to be stingy?'' Somehow, theugh didn''t sit well with the creatures. They began to kick him violently. Rewenid in the ground without any retaliation. His head was covered with various thoughts. ''Am I this weak?'' ''What sort of miracle am I expecting?'' ''Do I really have to get up and fight these monsters?'' ''Is there no other option?'' [What are you hesitating for? Aren''t you quite the tough guy?] Rewen felt his backbone breaking from the kicks but his mind was somewhere else. [You didn''t hesitate to give a couple of ps to your friend so I thought that you were somewhat strong. It turns out I was wrong. You are weak.] Rewen moved his shaking hands. [Because of little strength, did you think that you had the world under your palm? How arrogant can you be?] He pressured on the ground using his hands. In the next instant, he was kicked down. [Where did your strength go? See. This is how much you amount to. Simply pathetic.] Rewen''s arms felt weak. Not only his arm but his whole body felt weak. Laying on the ground shivering, his eyes finally closed but for some reason, his lips were still moving. "Kek! Kek! Kek!" The creaturesughed among themselves surrounding him. They noticed that their prey was lying on the ground unconscious and started dancing in circles. What they failed to notice was that he was slowly recovering. Petal Dance! Within two seconds, his consciousness returned but he didn''t immediately open his eyes and make a move. He waited till he fully healed. ''Well, maybe not fully healed. I need another dose of [Petal Dance] to fully heal but this much is enough.'' Next, he sneakily opened his eyes and saw the creatures near to him going around in circles. Seeing this, he internally smiled. His right hand on the region of his back pocket which contained a de. He didn''t need to reach out for his back pocket. When he was kicked, he expected this scenario and prepared for it. ''Hopefully the suicide I learned in my fifth grade would work.'' He took out his de. *Swish* River of Right Hand! With the little stamina he had, he rotated on the rough ground while his de went through the creatures'' legs. [Boost]! Chop! -46 Chop! -51 Chop! -37 Chop! -43 Chop! -48 "Arghuuur!!" The creatures groaned in pain. None of them could remain standing after getting their legs chopped off. They crawled towards their ''prey'' with gazes filled with hatred. Rewenfortably jolted up with a jump and moved away from their range. There were five creatures. Seven limbs were cut off. In conclusion, none of them could properly stand. After all this, Rewen still didn''t dare to let his guard down. ''What if they have regenerative properties?'' The creatures crawled with whatever strength they could muster, slowly but steadily approaching the heinous intruder with tears of hatred in their eyes. Rewen wanted tough a bit seeing their expressions. "Enough ying around." He walked to one of them and thrusted his de on the creature''s left eye. The eyeball pierced, making the creature shriek in utter agony. -56 If one strike doesn''t kill someone, use another! Thrust! -59 Thrust! -45 .. Dead. One of the creatures was fully dead. It''s right eye was widened, the left was hollow with only blood flowing out of it. "Guh!" While Rewen was busy with one of them, another reached him. Rewen kicked it away, then pondered about a few things. This exchange also allowed him to learn things. Previously, he focused too much on his skills and offense. It''s not necessarily a bad tactic but his attention never went to his opponent''s features. For instance, the creature has very low defense and is vulnerable at several ces. He knew that but didn''t manage to take advantage of it because of his focus on casting the skills and somehow hitting. The next few minutes were spent on finishing off the creatures. Rewenughed. "You are right. I am indeed arrogant and weak but don''t think that a couple of brainless uglyass monsters are enough to bring me down." The elderly voice didn''t sound until a few secondster. [Very well. Since you asked for it] Thump! Thump! Thump! The ground shook, revealing dozens of monsters. "..." [Where did your courage go? Did you finallye to your senses?] Rewen scoffed, then dashed towards the horde without any hesitation. [That isn''t couraged. It''s recklessness.] ''Reckless? No, it''s determination.'' ''If it''s one, I''ll fight. Ten, I''ll fight. Twenty, thirty, hundred, doesn''t matter. Old man, you chose the wrong person to test.'' Rewen wasn''t devoid of fear. In fact, every secondter, his fear was increasing. The monsters that seemed funny from a distance now looked bloodthirsty and dangerous. But Rewen didn''t stop. He couldn''t. If he did, it would mean that he was giving up and everything he did until this point would fall apart. The horde of monsters roared and headed straight towards him. Rewen pulled in for a clear punch. He didn''t use [Boost] or any skills this time. It was just physical strength. Strangely, the punch made contact with the forehead of one of the monsters and went through it. Rewen couldn''t feel a thing. He felt his punch going straight through the monster''s forehead but just as it was about to make contact, the monster''s forehead copsed into several crystal pieces that flew out in the surroundings. It wasn''t just the forehead. Gradually, starting from the top, every part of its body turned into disintegrated into the surroundings. Chapter 156: A Side-Adventure (7) Chapter 156: A Side-Adventure (7) Rewen stood still in his spot watching every single monster around him disintegrating. [I''m impressed.] A smile appeared on his face. "Did I pass the test?" [This wasn''t a test from my part. Although I could interfere with it, I didn''t. This is just a route.] Rewen snorted, not inclined to believe his words. "Then what about those monsters? Did my punch obliterate them into nothingness? You obviously did some things behind the scenes." A chuckle sounded from the elderly voice. [It wasn''t me, kid. You don''t look very special for me to give you special treatment. You did defeat those creatures but not in the way you are thinking of. This is one of the three main routes that lead to the core of the [Heart Domain]. It tests your heart. The stronger your heart is, the stronger you are. With just strength, you can never go through the route.] "What else did I do then? I don''t remember having anything special." Rewen was quite puzzled by the words. Although it''s hypocritical, he doesn''t consider his systems as a part of his strength. [I said it, it''s the heart. Your courage was admirable.] "Just that? I had a hunch that you were testing my courage but did my courage defeat those dozens of those monsters? That''s kinda unbelievable." [Be proud. You aren''t as weak as you believe] The voice slowly faded. Clenching his fists, Rewen stood without moving for a long time. Arrogance was one thing he didn''t have, even while growing up and even right now. What should he be arrogant of? Strength that came from systems? He never worked to get the systems. He just got lucky. Is luck something to be proud of? Maybe but not for him. He believed himself to be a fairly normal young man. Ever since he came to this world, his beliefs on things didn''t change. What changed was his perception. From day one, he had to struggle his way out through several situations, be it social, psychological or the devil woman. Even though he never explicitly stated it, he wanted to be acknowledged. He wasn''t an unfeeling machine. Just like any other teenager, he wanted tough, cry, find love and have people by his side who acknowledge him for what he is doing. Unfortunately, before he could do any of those, he had to eliminate the obstacles that stand along in his way. He was never someone who had perseverance. But he was slowly inculcating the virtue. He was learning new things every second making him look at several things in different ways. On this day, he learned something. It may not be a legendary skill that he stole from some secret realms. It may not cost a whole lot but it was something he had earned on his own, without the need of any systems. ''Courage.'' He had learned the true meaning of it. Being courageous doesn''t necessarily mean that one can''t flee. Being courageous doesn''t necessarily mean that one always has to be brave. Couragees from within. Everyone has different definitions for it. For Rewen, it is the ability to stand tall in front of an insurmountable enemy andugh in a carefree manner. A genuine smile shed on his face, then looked at the route ahead. He walked for about two minutes beforeing to a dead end. There was a huge boulder blocking. ''Hm this can only mean that all three of us hadn''t reached this point.'' He deduced this connecting to the note he obtained before going into this route. ''I''m not worried about the cop. He is an experienced man. But that guy'' Regarding Famin, he didn''t look down on him. He was slightly annoyed by his weak attitude but he had no opinions of him. ''This is a problem. It''s highly likely that the guy won''t be able to reach this point. Do I really have to use-" Rumble! The boulder rolled to it''s right, revealing some light. It wasn''t much but enough to blind Rewen for a second. As soon as he got used to the light falling on his eyes, he observed his surroundings. It was still a cave but isn''t a dark one. In some corners, there were spots between boulders from where light wasing. ''It isn''t much different from before. Let''s just get out.'' He stepped out from the route. "Rewen." The voice eased his mind. It was the voice of the middle-aged cop. He turned back to see the cop. At some distance was Famin sitting on a rock. Rewenughed. "We are quite a team, wouldn''t you say?" The copughed along. "You should join my division! You are much better than thosezyasses." His eyes then went towards the other person in the group. "d to see you again." Famin raised his head. His face was indescribable. "I never expected all three of us to pass." The cop patted his shoulder. "Of course, who do you think we are? Still, the difficulty I had in my route makes it unbelievable that the two of you were able to pass." Rewen nodded. "It was indeed difficult. I survived because of a miracle. Forgive me if I''m being rude, but from what I could deduce, I don''t think that strength is a factor." "It is one of the factors. I''m not sure if you have heard about cores or not" "I did." Hearing the word ''core'', Rewen remembered the core skills that the Rank 1 Mages used while fighting. "Doesn''t it have something to do with natural energy?" The cop nodded. "One of the properties of having a core is that you can use natural energy and one of the applications of natural energy is that you can use it to empty your mind temporarily. Emptying the mind increases the efficiency to absorb natural energy from the surroundings and transform them into mana. Don''t get the wrong idea. "Emptying your mind doesn''t literally mean emptying your mind. It is simply to focus on one particr thing. I used it and it proved to be very useful in my route. I can''t say how useful it would have in other routes though." Famin who was silently listening spoke up. "Everyone went through something different?" "Well, I encountered a bunch of goblin-like creatures." Rewen shortly said. The cop touched his chin. "I encountered some bats who tried to do something with my mind but because of my core, it didn''t influence me." Rewen''s eyes twitched. He thought about some things, then looked at Famin. Famin opened his mouth. "HOW CAN THE THREE OF YOU COME TO THIS PLACE!?" A loud voice came from a distance. The three pairs of eyes went towards the source of the loud voice. It was the thief. Bang! Bang! Bang! Two secondster, the thief fell on his face. Rewen and Famin were in a daze at the sudden conclusion as they looked at the cop. Where was the promised boss battle? How anticlimactic can it get? The cop wryly smiled. "To endanger the lives of two students, I have every right to shoot him." Then, he walked to the corpse and turned him around. Even at his death, the thief was holding a wooden square object. The cop raised his foot and crushed it. Chapter 157: Birthday Chapter 157: Birthday Rewen stood in a daze as he felt his surroundings change rapidly. It was a very strange and ufortable experience. He tried toprehend the happenings but the next thing he knew was him standing on the same spot before he went to the [Heart Domain]. The grade-schoolers were still ying ser unbothered by the whole event. Rewen lowered his head. The thief was also in the same spot except that arge pool of blood was masking his head. "Everything there was fake except for ourselves," Rewen muttered slowly. The cop and Famin heard him and nodded slightly. The cop took out his smartphone. "Yes, we have captured him. However, in the process, two civilians were involved yes,e quickly." He cut off the phone, then looked at two young men. "Can both of you step back?" Upon realizing that they were standing near a corpse, Rewen quickly stepped back. Famin, however, was staring at the middle-aged cop with an intense expression. "What?" The cop was confused. Famin didn''t answer. He reached for his pocket and took out a finger-sized nk sticker. "Please take this. I got this on my route." Rewen became interested and came forward to look. He was a bit disappointed with how ''nd'' it looked. ''This doesn''t look like something that has special abilities.'' He thought but didn''t say anything. The fact that Famin was willing to give his findings was admirable. It would only be disrespectful if he went on to talk about how uncool it looks. The cop smiled, then took the small sticker. "Although I don''t think this is anything special, I thank you for this. We will surelypensate you." Famin nodded, then stepped back. "Uh, can I ask something? When can I go home?" Rewen wouldn''t have minded staying here if it wasn''t for the important event he had to attend. "Are you in a hurry?" The cop asked. "Yes." "Just give a verbal statement about how you were trapped in the [Heart Domain]. I''ll tell them that your mental state wasn''t good aftering out of the [Heart Domain]. But we do have to interrogate you some time." Hearing this, a smile appeared on his face. "Come to my ce tomorrow in the afternoon." Rewen recorded himself on his smartphone while Famin was sitting on a public bench watching him. After finishing recording, Rewen remembered an important matter. "By the way, I''m Rewen." He still hasn''t introduced himself to Famin. "I know. I''m Famin." "Famin. I should have said this earlier but I''m sorry about that time. I''m not the calmest person." Rewen was talking about the time he gave consecutive ps to Famin. "It''s okay." *** Klofar Residence. Rewen came back home. ''That was one hell of an adventure. Well, from the looks of it, this won''t be thest one. Better get used to it.'' He could feel himself slowly getting used to the chaos surrounding him. He rang the bell. *Ding* No one answered. Rewen''s face changed. ''Could something have happened?'' Under normal conditions, this definitely wouldn''t be the first thing he would think of when someone didn''t answer the bell. But because he was so this definitely wouldn''t be the first thing he would think of when someone didn''t answer the bell but because he was used to unusual things happening around him, he immediately made that assumption. ''Should I go from the back door? Never mind, I''ll just take some precautions.'' He stabilized his state of mind and touched the knob of the door. ''It''s open.'' His eyes turned cold. The main door is always locked no matter what the time. ''Since it''s open, that could only mean that something did indeed happen. Shit Shit. Shit. I made the mistake of revealing myself by ringing the doorbell. Do I go by the back door? But then again, the back door is cranky, makes a lot of noise and also located in an unfavorable ce. Not to mention, there''s also surveince cameras all around the house.'' He took a deep breath. ''No matter what I do, I would always be monitored. In that case, why not just charge straight? If something happens, it is easier to run from here.'' Mentally preparing himself, he slowly turned the knob of the door. ''It''s empty.'' His hallway was silent and empty. ''Nothing looks unusual.'' He slowly stepped inside. Tack! Something burst above him. Rewen was about to run away when he saw colorful papers falling over him. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, REWEN!" Several people revealed themselves from the guest room near the main door. Standing from the left, there was Junar, Gill, Evans, Salica, Denny, Svety, Kesha and Bianca. First, Rewen heaved a sigh of relief. Then, he confusedly looked at them. ''My birthday? It''s not today. Ah it''s my predecessor''s.'' At this moment, Salica chuckled. "Just look at him. He probably forgot his own birthday. I thought people like him didn''t exist." Junarughed and ced his hand on Rewen''s shoulder. "Team girls have specifically prepared your favorite cake for you. You likely won''t get a favor of this level again. Make full use of it." By this time, Rewen''s mind had calmed down. He smiled. "Team girls have given me a favor. What does team boys have in store for me?" Junar''s face immediately turned sour. "We are bros. The word ''favors'' doesn''t exist in the dictionary of bros." "Update your dictionary." Everyone startedughing. *** "Rewen, you have to have this. I wasted two hours to make this for you." Kesha had a piece of chocte cake in her hand and pushed it towards Rewen''s mouth who was sitting on the sofa. Rewen vehemently shook his head. "No, Kesha, I can''t. Keep it in the refrigerator. Who told the four of you to make different vored cakes? Why not just make one? Anyways, I can''t have this." Salicaughed from behind. "Leave him be. He fell in love with my vani." "Is that so?" Kesha''s face appeared downcast. Rewen was about to say something when the chocte cake in her hand sshed on his face. "Hehe! Just kidding!" Kesha said, before running. "Fucking hell. Just you wait!" Rewen picked up the entire cake and threw it on her face. "Wait! Rewen! That''s going overboar-" Ssh! "HAHAHAHA!" Gill approached her whileughing and swiped his finger across the cake on her face and then ate it. "Hm tastes of heavy make-up." "You seem to like the taste!" Kesha said before rubbing her face with his. The others looked at each other and smiled. No one was weirded out by this level of intimacy because they were a couple! Junar: "This isn''t your bedroom. Please behave!" Gill and Kesha awkwardly separated. "Ohe on, we were just getting into the good part." Salica sighed and seemed disappointed. Rewen againughed, then observed the others. Bianca and Denny were talking about something in the corner. Svety was preparing the beverages for everyone. Evans was chatting with Junar and Gill. The room was by no means quiet. It was as chaotic as it could get. Strangely, Rewen felt peaceful. "Right, where is Zel?" Looking towards Denny, he asked. Only now did he realize that someone was missing. "She would being a bitte." Chapter 158: Wedding (1) Chapter 158: Wedding (1) After talking for a few minutes, he stood up from the sofa. "Alright, everyone. I have an important event to attend. I woulde back in three hours." Everyone quietly watched him leave the room. They hade here tonight with the intention to not leave before tomorrow morning so they didn''t mind waiting for three hours. "Where is he going?" Gill turned to Denny. *** Rewen went to his room and logged into CHAOS. He got out of his room and washed his face before arriving in the living room where his mother along with a half-asleep Sam was sitting. Mrs. Klofar raised her head to look at her son''s face. "You arete, Rewen." "Hm." Rewen indifferently nodded. If it was a few days ago, he would have given a more ''cheerful'' reply but his mother had let him down. It was unknown if Mrs. Klofar was pretending not to notice or had she really not noticed. She pushed Sam''s shoulder. "Show him the clothes." Sam yawned and started walking. Rewen followed him. "Where is Vinia?" Sam grinned. "Excited already?" Rewen frowned and hit him on the back. "I was just asking." "Come on, you don''t have to be shy. Today is your marriage!" Yes, today was Rewen''s marriage. As opposed as he was to the idea of marrying early, he had no choice. "Here is what you would wear today." Sam pointed to a navy-blue suit and pants in the hanger. "Isn''t this father''s?" Rewen knew how protective his mother was with his father''s belongings. Even though his father was a hunter, he could be considered just by the sheer amount of clothes he had. After he passed away in the unfortunate incident, Rewen''s mother never let anyone touch the belongings. In the past, Rewen had always wanted to try on the good-looking clothes but his mother wouldn''t let him do so no matter how much he asked for. Today, unexpectedly he was allowed to wear one of the best quality among the suits his father had. A minuteter. Rewen looked in the mirror and a small smile appeared on his face. With the shiny navy-blue suit along with his moderately fair skin and tall stature, it wouldn''t be a stretch to call him good-looking. Moreover, his bright red hair and crimson eyes perfectly synched with the color making his charm enhanced. "I look like a third-generation noble, wouldn''t you say?" "You look like crap." Sam mercilessly responded. "Talk about jealousy!" "Your mom is jealous." "What about me?" Among their banter, Mrs. Klofar arrived. Sam immediately retreated. "It''s nothing." Mrs. Klofar ignored him and turned to look at her son. "You look good. Now go, the carriage is ready." Rewen nodded, then left the room along with Sam. Mrs. Klofar watched the two leave, then herself left the room and went to the basement. *Knock* *Knock* "Uncle. The carriage is ready." The door opened, revealing Master Kaf. "You are leaving this early?" Mrs. Klofar nodded. "I would take part in some of the arrangements." Master Kaf sighed. "Why not let them handle it?" "How can that be done? It is my son''s marriage and their daughter is entering my household, not the other way around." Mrs. Klofar is a traditional woman who believes that a man shouldn''t marry into a family. She would have cancelled the marriage if the Baron''s family demanded Rewen to enter their household. "I''m not talking about that. Whatever, is everything ready? Thoroughly check." "I have double-checked." "Check again. Did you forget the matter from when we went to the other city? Just before we were going to pass through the city entrance, you realized that you forgot to bring your pouch. For you, I had to break the gold coin." "That was only one time" Mrs. Klofar grumbled. Even if she is a mother, in front of Master Kaf, she is like a teenage girl. *** "Hm? Where is Vinia?" Rewen looked around the carriage and couldn''t find his soon-to-be-wife. "Did she run away?" "I got to say, you are getting very restless. Are you sure you aren''t overly thrilled about your marriage?" Sitting opposite to him, Sam teased him. "Yeah, sure." Rewen uninterestedly responded. "I just don''t want something random and eventful to happen. For instance - Alert! Your soon-to-be wife has been kidnapped! Go and rescue her from oblivion or something!" Sam''s mouth widened. "Your imagination sure is wild." Rewen didn''t reply. A few secondster, he saw his mother and Master Kaf approaching the carriage. "You are looking good." Master Kafmented upon seeing Rewen. Rewen grinned, then turned to his mother. "Where is Vinia?" "I have sent her to the vi." "Oh." The carriage started moving. The market which is usually bursting with vigor was strangely quiet. Let alone the market, not a single person could be seen on the streets. It was all due to the marriage of the Baron''s granddaughter. There were no rules that stated that the market shouldn''t be opened during an asion. People were just busy buying gifts and this marriage could also be counted as a gathering of sorts. It is an unofficial holiday for citizens living in Darkhood City. *** Rewen and the others got out of the carriage. "HAHAHAHA! Wee! Wee!" A dignified old man withrge stature appeared in front of them. It was the Baron of Darkhood himself. He appeared to be in a jovial mood. Mrs. Klofar smiled. "Is everything ready? I hope Sir won''t let go of his promise to let me take charge of the Food Department. The Baron of Darkhoodughed even more loudly. "Of course! But first, you have to see your daughter-inw." Mrs. Klofar nodded, then turned to Rewen and Sam. "Both of you should roam the vi and talk with people, especially you, Rewen. Several nobles from different parts of the kingdom havee." Rewen looked disinterested but nodded anyways. Except for Rewen and Sam, the others left. Both of them looked at each other. Rewen: "Where should we go?" Sam: "From the outer quarters." Rewen: "Okay." The vi wasn''t divided but the gatherings were. The outer quarters is where the servants and maids live. It was currently the "guest room" for the citizens of Darkhood City. The inter quarters is essentially the vi. It was currently the "guest room" for nobles and close rtives of the Baron. As soon as Rewen and Sam entered the outer quarters, everyone''s gazes turned to them. "That red hair should be the groom." "He doesn''t look bad." "I''ve heard hees from the vige." "He must have connections." All sorts ofments entered Rewen''s ears. Most were positive and some were negative. ''Being the center of attention sometimes doesn''t feel that bad.'' Rewen saw several stalls set up. "Oh? They are selling Kiuran Balls. Would the shopkeeper give it to me for free?" "I mean, she should" Sam weirdly paused mid-sentence, then continued. "No, we''ll buy." "Why?" Rewen couldn''t figure out the reason why this stingy guy suddenly decided to act righteously. He looked at the young woman selling Kiuran Balls and a meaningful look appeared on his face. "Is that the youngdy you had a date with that night?" Sam coughed. "Yes." It was the woman whose brother he saved a few days ago. Chapter 159: Wedding (2) Chapter 159: Wedding (2) It was a not-so-normal day for the caretaker of Delish Inn, Helen. Tasked with taking care of her sick father, brother and the inn, her life isn''t smooth-sailing. But she manages. Sometimes, sheins but eventually, understands when she considers the bigger picture. While she isn''t in a poverty crisis, she does want to make her situation a little better for her little brother. ''So here I am, selling Kiuran Balls at a marriage ceremony.'' Humming a tune, she saw two legs in front of her stall. "2 silver coins for 1. How many do you need?" She raised her head with a smile but that smile became stiff soon after. ''That red hair He should be the groom. I asked for coins from the groom himself?'' "Forgive my impudence." Profusely sweating, she bowed. Right then, she heard a familiarugh. "Look who it is, Helen." "Sam?" She was in a daze. Previously, she was so shocked by the sudden appearance of the groom that she didn''t pay attention to the man standing beside him. "What are you doing here, Sam?" "Because of this guy''s marriage." Sam grinned, pointing his finger at Rewen. Helen pouted. Everyone is gathered because of his marriage. I want to know why you are beside him but I can''t because it''s inappropriate. "I told you that I have a childhood friend living with me, right?" "Nice to meet you." Rewen stretched his hands forward. "Ah." Letting out a sound of exmation, she shook his hand. "Do you want to have Kiuran Balls?" "Two. One each." Sam answered. Kiuran Balls are simply a mix of steak beef and rice with added spices and vors. It is like a rice ball but with extra steps. It is very vorful and popr among all age groups. Even though it''s considered a fast food, that doesn''t lessen it''s poprity one bit. Rewen blew air over the Kiuran Ball and took a small bit. "Mmm the crunchiness is just right. Can I get some Greenwood Wine?" Helen smiled. This wasn''t a stall which sells wine but knew that Kiuran Balls and wine go hand-in-hand. Therefore, she had prepared several boxes of wines in store. Taking out a wine bottle from under the stall, she gently poured some of the wine into a wine ss. "Here you go." Rewen directly took a shot. "I feel refreshed. Here, you try it as well." Rewen pushed the wine ss over to Sam. Sam snorted. "Who would want to have your saliva? Helen, can you give me a separate one?" Helen nodded. A minuteter, both the men looked very satisfied with the small snack. "How much in total?" Rewen asked directly. Helen awkwardly shook her hands. "No. It''s fine." "Do I look like I take advantage of my status?" "Doesn''t take advantage, eat shit. You were shamelessly asking if she would want coins from us." Sam scolded him, then turned to Helen. "Helen, you don''t need to be courteous with this guy. Just say how much it is." Helen lightlyughed. "It''s ten silvers." Sam nodded, then put his hand into Rewen''s pocket. "Wait, why am I paying?" With how stingy Rewen is, simply letting others touch his pouch makes him panic. "I forgot my pouch at home. Besides, it''s your marriage." "Here, Helen. I''ll talk to youter." Sam handed over a couple of silver coins, then walked away along with Rewen. Rewen was looking at his surroundings, considering what to eat next. [RoundaboutMageTooLazyToTalkDontDM sent you a message!] Rewen frowned. ''Why is she here?'' "What?" Seeing his friend abruptly stop, Sam asked. "My cousin is here." "Cousin? Did your Unclee?" "Not this world." "Oh." "Let''s go to a quiet ce. I have to type words. I will be treated like a maniac if I do it here." Rewen went behind one of the big stalls, then opened the game interface. A fairlyrge transparent blue screen appeared along with a keyboard. He then went to the "Messages" section. --- RoundaboutMageTooLazyToTalkDontDM: Let me enter. Rewen0624879klofarfuckthisgameanotherwordandillfuckyou: Why? RoundaboutMageTooLazyToTalkDontDM: Because I want to. RoundaboutMageTooLazyToTalkDontDM: Just let me enter. --- Be it OFFLINE or ONLINE, yers from other parts of the world can''t enter other yer''s domains without permission. If yer A wants to enter yer B''s private territory, he/she would have to request an entry code from yer B. Also, after entry, yer B has every power to kick yer A out of his territory. This is such that a high level yer can''t bully OFFLINE yers. --- [Status] [Inventory] [Mode] (Can''t be changed) [Messages] [Features] [Settings] [Query] [News] --- This was his game interface. Rewen tapped on the [Settings]. --- [Volume] [BGM] (Off) [Sensitivity] (100%) [View] (Realistic) [Generate Entry code] [Log Out] --- Rewen tapped on [Generate Entry Code]. A random mix of letters and numbers got generated. He copied it and sent it to Denny. --- RoundaboutMageTooLazyToTalkDontDM: Cool. Send me your co-ords. --- Rewen copied the coordinates that were given on the top right corner of the game interface and sent it to her. Denny didn''t reply. [RoundaboutMageTooLazyToTalkDontDM is bringing in other yers. Allow?] [Yes] [No] [Let me see the details] "Fuck." Rewen cursed out loud, then texted her. --- Rewen0624879klofarfuckthisgameanotherwordandillfuckyou: Who else are you bringing? RoundaboutMageTooLazyToTalkDontDM: After you left, we were bored and everyone decided to log in. Rewen0624879klofarfuckthisgameanotherwordandillfuckyou: Fine. But don''t cause any ruckus. I''m attending an important event today. RoundaboutMageTooLazyToTalkDontDM: We aren''t kids. --- Rewen sighed pressing on [Allow]. The whole time Sam was watching his friend pressing his fingers on air. "What just happened?" "Come, I''ll show you my friends from the other world." "You have friends?" Sam appeared visibly surprised. Rewen wanted to punch him but thinking about it, Sam''s surprise was inevitable. While in the vige, he only had a single friend - Sam. It''s not that he didn''t want to make friends but rather, felt it was too troublesome. "Not mine. They were friends of my predecessor." *** Outside the vi, several young men and women gathered. "Wow, this is a vi, right? Does he live here?" It was a moderately tall skinny youth wearing leather armor. He was Gill. He chose to be a [Warrior]. "Learn something from Rewen. He had already built a vi. What about you?" Kesha poked fun at him. She was wearing a short skirt and a full-sleeved shirt. Wearing a heavy metal armor with a blue cross on the chest region, Junar asked: "Is today something important? Or is it always this way? Why is the market closed?" "No, it is an active market. I don''t know why it is so quiet today." Denny was also puzzled. She had a ck cape on her back along with a pointy hat. "Looks like today is an important event." Evans said while getting some sounds from inside the vi. He was dressed normally as he was a [Scout]. The brown-haired Bianca kept quiet. "He is so rude! How can he just disappear before I wished him for his birthday?" Zelic stood in the front while wearing a magical girl outfit. Salica looked amused at the whole thing and curiously looking left and right. Isted from the group stood Svety. Her face didn''t look good. After Rewen left, Denny revealed to everyone that she had raped Rewen. Svety tried to persuade others to not believe Denny but that ultimately failed. None of them berated or scolded her. But from then on, she was unanimously isted from the group. Chapter 160: Wedding (3) Chapter 160: Wedding (3) ''What if the matter is taken to the court? Should I call father? What about my reputation? What about my father''s reputation? He would kill me.'' Her father is an influential figure even considering the whole kingdom but even that isn''t enough to defy thew. The world changed after the apocalypse but thews didn''t. In fact, the loopholes of the previousw systems were remodelled in such a way that thatw only strengthened. It would be an overstatement and beyond optimistic to call it "perfect" but at the very least, everyone has the same human rights even though status can differ. A Collective Official, a post higher than the Marquis of a province, would be treated the same as amoner with no status. Of course, that doesn''t mean that oues would be entirely fair. To get a fair judgement, you would need fair money. To file a case in Town Courts costs no money but at the same time, they are busy and cases don''tst more than six sessions. Lawyers are also an important factor. However, Rewen''s family is not poor. He himself might not know much about his family but Svety does. She realized that she had fallen into a deep abyss that she can''t easily get out of. ''No. I can still get back on the track. I have mended my rtionship with Rewen. If he tells everyone to not spread the matter, then it can be resolved. I don''t think he would file a case against me.'' When she thought about her rtionship with Rewen, she felt a little better. "Oh! There he is!" Gill pointed to two young mening out of the vi main entrance. Gill and Junar were the first to approach Rewen. "Hey, who is the other guy?" Salica asked when she noticed a ck-haired young man around her age standing beside Rewen. "He is the childhood friend of his character." Denny answered while walking. Meanwhile Rewen was in a pinch as to what he should do with these people. He had several things in mind but before that, he was attracted to the magical girl outfit Zelic was wearing and burst out into fits ofughter. It was too goofy and cartoonish. Zelic didn''t know why heughed but she noticed that just before he startedughing, he nced at her. "What is so funny?" "Hahaha huff" Rewen continuedughing for a while. The others present gave him a meaningful look as if aware why he wasughing. "Where haha.. did you get this costume? Did you get this from Doormart?" Zelic''s face turned slightly red. "It''s a ss outfit! Just treat it like I''m cosying!" "What ss is this?" Rewen asked with a smile. "[Magical Girl]." "There''s even a stupid ss like this?" Rewen looked at the others for confirmation. Salica chuckled. "Trust me, Rewen. You don''t want to go into the rabbit hole." "Now I''m interested" "Before that, what are you doing? Why are you in a formal dress?" Junar asked everyone''s most important question. Rewen responded in a serious tone. "Oh, I''m attending an important event. Why don''t you leave? I''lle back soon enough." If possible, he didn''t want them to know that he is getting married. No matter how thick-skinned he was, he would still find it difficult to bear with the tease in the academy. The others looked at each other in understanding. By the side, Sam was slyly smiling. He can''t begin to imagine the torture he would have to suffer if he betrayed his friend but that doesn''t mean that he had no options for trapping him. He looked at others with a smile signifying that there was more to the matter than the guy is letting on. "What kind of important event?" Gill casually asked. "It''s marriage." Rewen didn''t lie. Salica''s eyes brightened, then jokingly said. "Whose marriage? Yours?" Denny ced her hand on her chin remembering that Rewen had a fiance but just as she was about to raise a question, Rewen spoke out. "The granddaughter of Baron is getting married. I''m in charge of looking after the guests and seeing if they get good reception." Rewen t-out lied with a straight face. Everyone seemed to think that the exnation was believable and nodded among themselves. "Ah, well, good luck with that." Junar said, before starting talking among themselves. Rewen beamed at the sight. ''Good. From the looks from it, they would leave soon wait, that''s a g. I shouldn''t have thought of that. Fingers crossed.'' "Haha! Is that my boy, Rewen?" A rough male voice came from a distance. ''Holy shit!'' Rewen realized that he had vited the rules of "fingers crossing" by crossing fingers a secondte. It was a middle-aged tall man with a moustache. Beside him was a beautiful middle-aged woman carrying a girl of about the age of two in her arms. The family just got out of the carriage Rewen couldn''t instantly figure out who the person was but after he did some digging through his memories. "..." It was his Uncle, Josh Lenvin. The middle-aged man walked over to Rewen and patted his back. "Haha! Caught you by surprise, didn''t I?" Rewen suppressed the shock in his heart, then asked. "I how are you doing, Uncle?" Josh Lenvin smiled, then ruffled his hair. "Forgive your Uncle for not being able to visit you. My boy has grown up so old, didn''t he?" He turned to his wife. Rewen looked at the closest person to his family after his mother and couldn''t bring out to say a single word. His wife, Veronica Jay Lenvin, came near to him with a smile carrying her two-year-old girl. "Do you remember the day where you said that my milk tastes better than your mother''s?" Instantly, Rewen woke up from his daze. "..." ''Did I really say something like that? No, that can''t be.'' Subconsciously, a small smile appeared on his face. He was awkward at conversations with his rtives so he couldn''t find a conversation topic. "Is this my cousin?" His eyes shifted to the cute two-year-old girl lying in his Aunt''s bosom. She had her eyes fixated on his hairs. What attracted him was that like him, she also had crimson hair. Slowly, she stretched her arms towards him. "Red! Like me! Mom! He had red!" She eximed in surprise and started jumping around in her mother''s bosom. "Call him Big Brother." Veronica helplessly pushed her towards Rewen who took her in his arms without any words. "Big! Big Brother! Yay! Red hair!" The two-year-old giggled and rubbed his hairs. It didn''t take long enough for her to mess up his hair. Rewen didn''t know how to deal with a kid so he could only smile wryly. Seeing this, Josh looked at his wife. "The red colors of both of their hairs look so simr. It''s really strange because our family never had anyone whose hair is red in color. Rewen''s case was understandable. We could somehow assume that it is a result of bloodline mutation but what about her? Two bloodline mutations at the same generation?" Veronica rolled her eyes. "There you go. Raising unnecessary topics of discussion. You can talk about these thingster." Chapter 161: Wedding (4) Chapter 161: Wedding (4) Meanwhile, everyone else other than Rewen and his newly arrived rtives were silently looking at the scene. Not wanting to interfere with a family reunion, they were whispering among each other. For some reason, Sam was also included in the whispers. "Is he really his Uncle? He doesn''t look that old." Salica asked Sam while looking at the youthful face of Josh. Her eyes then shifted to the child in Rewen''s hand. "Oh my god, I can''t. I would die just by looking at that adorable face!" "Insolence! That man is a Count! Obviously, a Count would be different from you country-bumpkins." Sam rudely answered. He already wasn''tfortable with "real" people. Now that he got a chance to berate their ignorance, he won''t hold back. Salica frowned. "Why are you acting so rude? We simply weren''t aware of it." Sam snorted. "Rude or not, I''m not the one to judge. What I do know is that there were people killed for being disrespectful to a noble. In a way, I saved your life. This is a fact." "You don''t need to care about us. We can''t permanently die in this world unlike a certain someone." Salica sneered. "Of course, people like you are no different from roaches." The banter between the two continued for a while until the rest separated them before something like a physical fight broke out. "So you are his childhood friend?" Junar asked. "Yes." Sam gave a disinterested nod. "How was his personality since childhood? Did you and his close ones not find it odd that he suddenly changed?" Junar and the others were familiar that Rewen had not concealed the truth from his character''s family. Sam had an amused expression when he heard this. "Not really. He is more or less the same." "That''s interesting. It looks like the game has gone all-out." Evansmented from the side. Back to Rewen. On top of his shoulder sat the cute two-year-old girl still busy ying with his hair. Josh had a pleasant smile on his face. Veronica stretched her hand towards Rewen''s head. "Baby,e back." The little imp shook her head, then patted her small hand on Rewen''s head. "This! This! I like!" Veronica held her child by her child''s shoulder and tried to drag her. "Don''t be stubborn, baby. Get back to me. Today is Big Brother''s marriage. Don''t disturb him." But the little imp was exceedingly stubborn today. She grabbed Rewen''s hair tight. "Mmm!" At the same time, the surroundings turned silent by the sudden revtion. Rewen''s friends: "..." Rewen: "..." "Hahahaha!" Sam burst outughing. He knew that this was bound to happen. "Huh? What''s the matter?" Seeing that her daughter is being stubborn, Veronica decided to let her stay for a little longer. For the time being, she was more at a loss as to why the atmosphere turned awkward all of a sudden. Josh also had a puzzled look. Subsequently, wide grins emerged among the group. Kesha and Salica tookrge strides and approached Rewen, then put their hands over his shoulders giggling for unknown reasons. "Would you not let us see your wife?" Rewen''s face was grim and he shook off the hands on his shoulders. Gill wildlyughed. "HAHAHA! This is the first time I''m seeing an overseer of marriage as the groom himself! Times have indeed changed!" Junar''s expression was incredulous. "How could you do this, Rewen!? In kindergarten, we promised each other that we would get married at the same time! Are you breaking the bond of brotherhood?" Rewen''s face was still grim. "..." Sam felt that Junar was a person he could get along with. Denny, Evans and Bianca looked at each other and also startedughing. Svety''s expression couldn''t be deduced. "Wait, he is getting married!?" Zelic was a bit slow in uptake. Only now did the Lenvin couple figure out the entire matter. Josh slightly smiled looking at the several young men and women. "Are you all his friends? If so, you shoulde inside. However, you people are wearing very strange clothes nevermind, juste in. You shouldn''t miss such an important event. As for clothes, I trust that you manage it, right?" He looked at Rewen. Rewen lightly nodded without a word. The little imp over his shoulders couldn''t care less about anything and started biting the hair in front of her face, while asionally patting the head. *** Gill looked at the mirror and adjusted his cor. He was wearing a red medieval era''s suit simr to that of Rewen. "How do I look?" He turned to his right to see Kesha simrly looking at the mirror. Hearing the voice, Kesha turned to look at him and frowned. "Why do you not button? It''s okay when it''s casual but this is a formal event. People woulde and judge us. Try being more self-conscious." Gill wryly smiled and buttoned his suit. He didn''t like to feel restricted. "How about me?" Kesha sweetly smiled, then turned around showing her bare back while holding the beautiful green gown. Gill approached her and looked at her from head to toe. "You would look gorgeous if it weren''t for the thick make-up." "Shut up." Kesha held his right arm and both of them then proceeded to leave the room. Outside the door, the others were chatting with each other. Theirical outfits were reced by good-looking clothes. Since all of them could already be considered moderately handsome or pretty, they looked especially great with the clothes. After the couple exited the room, Zelic was the first to notice them. "Ah! You guys look great!" Kesha chuckled, then pinched her cheeks. "Give me some of your baby skin." Junar: "Gill, you finally look like you have eaten something!" Gill retorted back. "And you look like you went on a fast for a year." "You guys, keep the chatter forter! This man is standing here for an hour." Salica pointed to a middle-aged man. From his uniform, he seemed to be a butler. "Oh, sorry. Let''s go." Junar scratched his head. "Please follow me in that case." *** In arge hall within the vi. In the middle of the hall was a stage painted in gold. Several noble families were gathered and were chatting among themselves. Unlike the public view of a noble, the nobles gathered looked amicable and friendly. Whether it is because they were gathered at an important event or because they were usually like this was hard to tell. One notable thing that wasn''t talked about was the groom''s status. Everyone in the city knew that the groom Rewen was just a vige kid. It was unlikely that the nobles wouldn''t know of this. Yet, the matter was never mentioned. It was so odd that Rewen himself was puzzled. ''This doesn''t sit right with me.'' Rewen tapped his finger on the table while sitting. "Big! Big Brother! You red!" His finger was caught by his two-year-old cousin as she swung it around as if it was a toy. "Yes, yes. I red." Rewen rubbed her soft hair to avoid letting his finger in her mouth. The little imp didn''t seem satisfied as she hopped up and down. "Up! Up!" Chapter 162: Wedding (5) Chapter 162: Wedding (5) Rewen seemed to understand what she was saying. He picked up and carefully ced her on his shoulders. Instantly, his head became a drum. "Babysitting is tough." Just then, a pat came on his back. "You bet it is." It was his Uncle, Josh. Aftering to the inner part of the vi, Rewen took him to where his mother and Master were. Rewen was still a bit ufortable with him and didn''t know how he should respond. Eventually, he decided to talk about the kid. "What is her name?" Josh took a seat near his nephew. "Shirley." "Shirley nice name." Josh didn''t respond. All of a sudden, his expression turned deadly serious. Staring straight at Rewen, he opened his mouth. "Do you dislike your mother?" Rewen was silent for a while, then shook his head. "Not really. I''m sure she has her own circumstances." Josh nodded, then continued. "But you do feel indignant about being dragged into an unrted business, right? I have heard about your current circumstances. I don''t fully believe that the world I live in is not real but I couldn''t care less about it. What I do care about is that my life, no matter what, would go in a single track. You, however, are different. You now have two, no, three routes and you have to tread in all of them. Do you feel that you have been treated unfairly by circumstances?" Rewen was a bit offended by the wording but then he lightlyughed. "Of course, I do. Unless you have an entire day to listen to me, you wouldn''t know a single thing about my circumstances." He was a straightforward person. If he was asked a thing, he wouldn''t sugarcoat anything and answer how it is. "Oh, okay." Josh''s eyebrows perked up. "You don''t need to tell me about your circumstances in the other world. Even if you do, I can only give an insensitive reply. However, what I can help you with is matters regarding this world." Rewen smiled a smile that wasn''t a smile. "Can you persuade your mother to withdraw this marriage?" "I can." Josh immediately answered back. Rewen hadn''t anticipated such a quick reply. "Then please do so. This marriage could possibly ruin both my and my partner''s life." "I won''t do that." "Of course." Rewen picked a sweet from the table and ate it. "But I can help you." "Well, I thank you for your kind intentions but I don''t really need any help." "You look like you do." Rewen scoffed. Josh adjusted his sitting posture and let out a sigh. "Do you know what responsibility means?" Rewen stayed silent. Usually, he would have spoken out but when he looked at Josh, he felt that he (Josh) was really serious. Josh paused for a while, then continued. "It was about when I was twelve. My ticket to get admitted into a reputed institution was cancelled because of her birth. Father had already died in the Antonio-Julian War back then and Mother too died soon after she was born. "Imagine a young man brimming with ambition was confusedly handed over a baby and told that his road to the future would be cut off. It was certainly tough to get by. Aside from physiological difficulties, I also had to adapt psychologically. I passed on my psychological burden to your mother. Just thinking of her cutting off my road to sess made my blood boil. Sometimes, I even tried to kill her then cried at night thinking how scumbag of a guy I am. "Years passed. Eventually, I overcame my difficulties and obtained strength, both literally and figuratively. Your mother grew up to be a splendid woman in my eyes. A part of me still believed that I hated her and the only reason I continued taking care of her is because of the responsibility. That all changed when your mother ran away from home. "I never panicked so much as I did back then. I went out to search the kingdom. It took nine days but I single-handedly searched every corner of the kingdom. I still couldn''t find her. Disheartened, I went back home only to see your mother having a friendly chat with a man inside my room. Even with all my willpower, I couldn''t hold back my anger and struck her. Did I bring her up only for her to run away? What if something had happened to her? "As soon as those thoughts came to me, I realized that I can''t possibly think that I hate her. I began to regret my decision and wanted to apologize but by the time I realized that your mother spewed out some rebellious sentences and ran away from home again. I sent my men to secretly follow her but didn''t chase after her. She was only fifteen back then. She certainly hadn''t grown old enough to make her own decisions. I let her be, thinking it would take a huge load off my chest. "Unfortunately, if anything, it only increased my unease. In the beginning, I looked after her because of my responsibility as a big brother. Time passed and I started to look after her because I just liked to. Responsibility, to me, is a friendly, forceful but equally powerful term. It held me and my sister close to each other but after a certain point, I no longer needed the help of ''responsibility''. Depending on what your definition of responsibility is, it can heal your heart but in the long run, you have to rely on yourself." Josh stopped speaking. He got up from his seat and went to talk with nobles nearby Rewen, who was listening attentively to him, leaned on the chair and looked up without saying anything. His respect for Josh as a person increased. He went back and forthparing his and his Uncle''s circumstances. ''Would taking responsibility for my action count as reasonable responsibility? Would following my mother''s words count as reasonable responsibility? There isn''t any reason why they couldn''t. So then Why does it seem so empty? Where did I go wrong?'' He thought about it for a long time but couldn''t reach a conclusion. "Dah!" The little imp halted his thought process by eating his hair. Rewen brought her down to his face level and made a scary face. *p* The little imp delightfullyughed and pped his cheeks with both her hands. "..." "Haha! Serves you right! Mister I-Look-After-Receptions." Junar''s voice came from behind. Rewen turned around and saw the group approaching him. "Who let these poor people in?" Salica came running towards him and snatched the little imp from his hand. "Aww, such adorableness is fatal for my heart. What is her name?" "Shirley." "A fitting name!" Bianca smiled and went near the little imp. Rewen''s eyes remained fixated on Bianca. He got up from his chair and slowly came near her. Bianca slightly panicked. In the past, she had made fun of his skinny physique and oftentimes extorted some money from him. A few days ago, she found out that he had been a victim of interference all this time. Tonight, she also found out that he had been raped. Adding on all the things she did in the past, she didn''t know how to face him. Chapter 163: Wedding (6) Chapter 163: Wedding (6) In the end, she slowly raised her head. "Is something wrong?" "Are you free next week?" Rewen asked with a neutral tone. The group was stunned by the sudden question. Looks were exchanged in a split second and the atmosphere turned silent. "Y-yes." Bianca sucked in a mouthful of air and answered. She didn''t know why he suddenly asked that but if she had to make a guess, it would be that - he was asking her out! "How about Monday?" "I am free." "Okay. Meet me at the Central Canteen at noon." Rewen said, before turning around. Shocked! Asking out a girl without even properly asking her out? How domineering is that? Everyone''s gazesnded upon Bianca who stood in a daze. As she slowly regained rity in her thoughts, she clenched her fist. "Wait!" Rewen looked back with a confused look. "What?" "I, I can''t go with you." "Why? Aren''t you free on Monday? I would buy you a new smartphone..." Rewen asked that before his expression suddenly changed. "Wait, did you think I was asking you out?" Bianca: "..." Rewen startedughing and didn''t say anything. Others also chimed in. Junar: "Rewen, you need to focus on your wording. Our heart almost skipped a beat when we thought you were asking someone out and that too, on your wedding." Salica, who was nearest to Bianca, heaved a sigh of relief. "I was about to instruct her not to reject you too harshly." Bianca lowered her head, her face was slightly red. She repeatedly med herself for directly assuming. Denny, Evans, and Kesha silently smiled. Sam, who was by the side, snorted lightly. ''This guy can surely act.'' If there''s one person who knows Rewen the most after his own mother and master, then it''s Sam. ''Even though he might not seem like it, he is a prankster.'' Gillughed out loud. "Man, if only Svety was here ah!" He was hit by Kesha with her legs. The cheerful atmosphere turned awkward. Rewen''s ear perked up. "Right, where is she? I saw her outside. Did she note?" It wasn''t particrly surprising that she didn''te. It was his wedding after all. With the amount of FP she had for him, it was already good that she didn''te and strangle him. Well, he didn''t know if 79 FP was that high enough but from his past rtionship, he could make an estimate. "She didn''t." Denny gave a straight answer. Looking at everyone''s faces, Rewen understood that matter of his predecessor''s rape had already spread out to them. ''I don''t know if it''s good or bad. Well, whatever. I''m not my predecessor. They are his close friends and rtives. If they want to ostracize her or even sue her, I''m no one to meddle in their business.'' "Ay! Red! Red!" The little imp wasn''tfortable in Salica''s embrace and wanted to go back to ''Red''. Salica''s face turned sour as she handed over the little imp to Rewen who had a smug face. "She is rted to me so of course, she would like me, isn''t it?" Rewen held the little imp by her shoulders and rubbed his face on her cheeks. "Wa wah!" As his sharp beard rubbed against her soft cheeks pushing her on the verge of crying. Zelic: "How could you do that? It''s hurting the baby!" Salica: "Be a little mindful of yourself." Kesha: "Learn to shave." Seeing this, the maternal instincts of these three women skyrocketed. As soon as Rewen loosened his grip over her, the little imp effortlessly climbed on his shoulders and started eating his hair. "..." *** Neither Rewen''s nor Vinia''s family were followers of any particr religion. That doesn''t mean that they were atheists but they just weren''t religious. The Darkhood City itself was a city where there were no churches. However, that doesn''t mean people didn''t pray to gods and goddesses. Rewen''s mother herself was a firm believer of Seven Gods of Destiny. It had norge churches around the kingdom, but it was often said that they were - Gods formoners. It sounded insulting but in practice, it wasn''t. The core belief of the Seven Gods of Destiny believers was that everything, no matter how trivial it is, is destiny. On the other hand. the Baron worshipped Olterio, Goddess of Time. Simrly, everyone had their own beliefs and rules set out by different gods and goddesses. What does this have to do with anything? Religions and sacred beliefs are major factors for determining the kind of wedding. For instance, weddings held in Darkhood City are usually simple. As long there are two willing parties of different sex involved, a wedding can be held soon after the most important person in the City, i.e., the Baron, is notified. The kind of wedding would be based on the beliefs of the two parties. Standing on one end of the stage, Rewen looked around. ''There is no ''kind''. Only a brief prayer to the gods or goddesses, whomever the fuck they pray to.'' He was neither religious nor did he pray. That''s not to say that he was an atheist. He just didn''t care enough about them. He shook his head to clear his mind of these thoughts, then turned to look where his family and friends were sitting. His mother, Master Kaf, and the Baron sat closest to the stage. Behind them sat his Uncle and Aunt with Shirley sitting atop her mother''sp curiously looking at ''Red'' with fingers on her mouth. The next row was filled with his friends casually chatting among themselves. p! p! p! A round of ps rang in the hall when the bride was apanied by four bridesmaids. The bride took light steps and walked over the stage. Her light golden hair perfectly synched with her fair skin. Wearing a white bridal dress, her figure enhanced her overall beauty. The veil over her face didn''t diminish her charm one bit. If anything, the sense of mystery only added to it. "Damn it!" Junar pped hisp. "This guy shouldn''t get a girl this good" Sam nodded silently. Evans lightly muttered near his ears. "Stop talking. There are people here. You would make us look disrespectful and rude." "She is so pretty! I would probably look like an ugly duckling if I were to stand beside her. To think that she is my sister-inw!" Zelic had stars in her eyes. "You are an ugly duckling, hehe." Salica teased while grinning. Out of her friend circle, Zelic was the easiest and also the most fun to tease. Zelic gave her a dull look. Kesha consoled her. "Don''t say that. You look just as pretty." Gill also appreciated the beauty of the bride. ''Rewen got himself a good catch, but with this, it would be difficult for him to maintain a rtionship in real life.'' Thinking of this, a small smile appeared on the corner of his lips. His EQ might not be best but he wasn''t dumb. He was rather good at critical thinking. Just then, he felt a sharp pain on his left thigh. Looking to his left, he saw Kesha giggling. "You were looking at her for too long." "Holy crap, Kesha. Now is not the time for the ''overly jealous girlfriend'' act." "Hehe ow, stop!" Gill''s revenge began when he pinched her waist. Meanwhile, sitting near them, Sam was disturbed by the amount of "love" they were generating. "Tsk, young people these days think of public ces as their bedroom." "s, my friend. Our generation is the worst." Junar cried out in an elderly tone. Chapter 164: Wedding (7) Chapter 164: Wedding (7) Rewen''s family also had broad smiles on their faces. Rewen also had a small smile on his face. ''This was worth the wait.'' He walked slowly until he was at a distance of a meter from her and looked straight at her. Vinia raised her eyes and simrly looked straight at her. There was no awkwardness. This can be attributed to one particr thing - FP! --- (You -> Vinia) FP (you): 16 FP (Vinia): 27 --- For Vinia, Rewen could be considered a friend. Although he was far from being a partner in her eyes, he was someone she could get along with. As for Rewen, he was puzzled as to why his FP was that lowpared to her. ''I''m pretty sure I treat her as a friend of mine.'' [You surely ''treat'' her as your friend but your emotions regarding her hadn''t reached that level.] ''Is that so? I kinda feel bad. By the way, can you tell me how FP works? It''s too unrealistic to conclude that emotions like attraction are quantifiable. But let''s say that they are for a while. How should I measure it? For example, I understood that when FP bes 25, he/she considers you as his/her friend but what about when FP bes 50? And after that?'' [Figure that on your own.] As Rewen was conversing in his mind, his eyes hadn''t moved one bit. He continued to stare intensely at Vinia who started to feel awkward. She tried to make him notice by fidgeting her eyes but he kept staring at her. Aside from the two, there was another person on the stage. He was an old man with a long beard wearing a ck loose robe standing between the pair. He was a priest from the Church of Olterio located in the nearby town. Noticing the awkwardness, he coughed. "Cough. You can look at her all day but marry her first." Chuckles sounded from across the hall. "This kid" Mrs. Klofar shook her head and smiled helplessly. "Haha!" The Baronughed delightfully and pped his knee. "Kaf, didn''t you say that this little guy has no regard for beauties? My granddaughter was too much for him to handle." Master Kaf wryly smiled. Rewen came back to his senses. Sensing everyone making fun of him, he wanted to correct them but then thought that it would be going too far. It''s not as if being attracted to a beautiful woman is a bad thing. "Uh, let''s start." Rewen nodded to the priest standing near to him. The priest grabbed both of his hands and ced them over Vinia''s hands, then looked at him. "Which belief do you follow?" Rewen shook his head. "I don''t follow anyone in particr." Facepalms! Almost everyone facepalmed! Vinia, being the closest to him, felt second-hand embarrassment from him. A God isn''t just ''anyone''. Mrs. Klofar covered her face. "I just want this to finish. When I get time, I''ll lecture him about basic etiquettes and mannerism." Veronica sympathized with her. "Dah! Dah!" The little imp sitting on herp joyfully pped her small hands. The Baron justughed like usual. Rewen''s friends sitting at the back, at first, couldn''t figure out why everyone had weird faces. After a few seconds, when they realized the matter, they were rolling on the ground. As someone very religious and devoted, the priest surprisingly didn''t show any signs of anger. He casually nodded, then turned to the bride. "Which belief do you follow?" "Sir, it''s Goddess Olterio." Vinia said without hesitation. "Good." The priest himself was from the Church of Olterio so it made things easier. "Hold both of your hands tight. However, don''t interlock your fingers." Vinia cupped her hands as she felt Rewen''s warm hands cupped over her hands. "In heaven and earth, only time is eternal." "Man is the limit. But Man is also limitless." "For here I stand, wasting just another day." "Trying to understand thee." "May thee watch over thend." "May thee watch over the Man." "May thee watch over the loyal pair." .. "By your virtue, I pray to thee!" "Long Live Eternal!" "Long Live Eternal!" "Long Live Eternal!" The entire hall except for Rewen and Vinia chanted along with the priest ''Long Live Eternal'' three times solemnly before falling silent. "Now, please disy an act of intimacy." The priest said, before getting off the stage. Rewen squinted his eyes. ''Wait, I didn''t ask for this.'' He watched as Vinia took a step and came near him. He could feel her breath. Inwardly sighing, he grabbed her slim waist on the back with both of his hands and slowly brought his face close to her. "Hug or kiss?" He asked in an extremely low voice. Vinia''s eyebrows fluttered. [+2 Favorability] "Hug." Rewen lightly nodded, then buried his face on her shoulders while she wrapped her hands around his neck. p! p! p! A flurry of ps sounded. Mrs. Klofar''s eyes went red. Some can sympathize with her but no one can feel her emotions. Due to an unfortunate incident, her husband, the pir of her household, died. She had just turned twenty-two back then. With her six-year-old son, she didn''t know what to do. Overwhelmed with sadness by the death of her husband, she felt the urge tomit suicide but she retreated every time because she was fearful. At that time, the only way she could find peace was by relying on her son. She found a purpose to live on. For herself as well as for her son. ''Ardie you can properly rest in peace. I''ll handle everything.'' "Dear Sister, did I ever tell you that you look very ugly when you cry?" Josh''s voice from beside her. Mrs. Klofar hurriedly rubbed her eyes with her sleeves. "Who is crying?" Veronica gently smiled. "Dah! Dah! Dah!" The little imp giggled and pped. Behind them, Junar shouted. "Salica! Quickly take a picture! You are in the middle!" The others also urged her. "Yes, yes. I know." Salica opened her game interface. On the extreme top-left corner, there was the [Screen Virtualization] which functions simply as a normal high-definition 180-degree camera. She tapped on it. Therge rectangr game interface disappeared leaving behind only a green border. Salica zoomed in by pinching the screen. "Hmm there we go!" She smiled and soon the game interface shortened itself to fit in two hands. Then, it materialized and fell into her hands. Holding the picture, she showed it to her friends. "That''s a good one," Evansmented briefly. He wasn''t exactly close with Rewen and the group. At most, he could be counted as someone closer than acquaintances. But since he was friends with Denny, he was called on her cousin''s birthday. "Good? That''s freaking awesome! The photo just exudes love and affection the couple has for each other." Junar, being the ''voice'' of the group, has to give a review. "You have to send a copy of it to me." The usually quiet Denny too expressed her desire for the photo. "Hm? Let me see, let me see! Wow! She looks so pretty!" The mascot character Zelic couldn''t contain herself. Seeing everyonementing, Bianca also felt the need toment. "The picture captures the chemistry between the two very well." Chapter 165: Wedding (8) Chapter 165: Wedding (8) On the stage. Rewen and Vinia separated and together moved down the stage. Vinia went to meet her rtives while Rewen went to meet his own. Rewen''s friends and family got up and walked up to him. Josh patted his arms. "How do you feel?" "Not much different from normal." Rewen honestly said. ording to what he had heard, both sides (male and female) seemed to agree that marriage wasn''t the best thing in their lives. Therefore, needless to say, he had to prepare for the worst. "Well, let a few days pass. Then, you''ll sort out your feelings." Veronica smiled gently. "Dah! Dah! Red!" The little imp in her bosom stretched her arms towards Rewen. However, this time her mother stared at her without a word. The little imp stared back at her mother with her mouth open, then quietly shrunk back to her bosom. Rewenughed, then brought his face closer to her. Shirley gave a light peck on his cheeks. Rubbing her hair, Rewen turned to look at his friends. "Why are you all still here? The food here is not for you." "Is this what brotherhood means?" Junar sighed with a distant look on his face. "Our brotherhood already ended when you brought Chicken Soup on your kindergarten lunch and didn''t give it to me." Everyoneughed except for Mrs. Klofar who gave a light p on his arms. "Kids, don''t mind his words. Eat how much you like." Rewen''s friends nodded with a smile. Salica then approached her with the picture in her hand. "Auntie, doesn''t this look good?" "Oh Seven Lords! How beautiful. Did you take this?" Mrs. Klofar received a huge shock when she saw her memory painted on a piece of paper. "Can you sell it to me?" Salica smiled. "You can take it, Auntie. I have a copy." Mrs. Klofar seemed ecstatic when she heard this. Then, she immediately turned to her son. "Quickly thank her." Rewen''s face was dark when he saw Salica having a smug look on her face. "Than-" "Rewen! Could youe here for a second?" The Baron called him while conversing with a noble. "Well, duty calls," Rewen said, before walking towards the Baron leaving Salica unsatisfied. *** It was night. Most of the people had already left the vi. The only people remaining were the Baron himself, Vinia, Rewen, his friends, and his rtives. A fire was lit in the garden with them sitting in a circle. Gill, who sat by Rewen''s side, whispered in his ears. "I have been meaning to ask you something." "What is it?" Rewen also lowered his voice. "What are you going to do in real life? It won''t be easy for you to make a rtionshipst." "I''ll think about it in the future." For Rewen, thinking about a rtionship would be the least of his concerns, especially with everything going on in his life. Gill nodded. "Rewen" Another whisper came from his side. It was the magical girl Zelic. Rewen looked at her with one eye. "What now?" Zelic went closer to his ears. "D-did you really get r-raped?" "Apparently," Rewen admitted with a neutral face. "Why did you not tell us?" "How would you know if I didn''t tell you?" "I mean, why did you not tell us before?" "I wasn''t in the best condition back then." "I see" Zelic seemed to have some things on her mind. She gave him ast nce before chatting with others. "Come, let''s tour the vi." Junar got up. "Good idea." Evans and the others followed. "Why don''t youe, Rewen?" Denny asked when she saw him still sitting. "I''m kind of tired," Rewen answered while looking at the fire. "Okay." His friends along with Sam who had integrated himself into the group left the firece. A few minutester. Mrs. Klofar looked at Josh and opened her mouth. "Brother, I have some things to talk about with you and Veronica in private." "Alright." Josh and his wife got up and also left the firece with Mrs. Klofar. Master Kaf hadn''t joined the firece. After the wedding, he immediately went back to his home. The only people left were the Baron, Rewen, and Vinia. "Haha!" The Baronughed like usual while looking meaningfully at Rewen. "Don''t leave for your home too early tomorrow. I need to have a chat with you regarding a matter. Ah, I''m probably being a bother. Haha! I''ll leave the two of you to chat." He too got up and left. Vinia looked straight at Rewen. "What do you think of us as a couple? Do we fit?" Rewen didn''t evade her eyes and answered back with a light smile. "It''s too early for me to answer." Vinia chuckled. "Not exactly the best answer after getting married." Rewen rubbed his nose and said nothing. After a while, Vinia got up. "I''m going to the room are youing now?" Frankly speaking, she felt a bit anxious and embarrassed while saying that. With them being married, she understood that she couldn''t be stubborn and had to progress their rtionship somehow. The faster the progress is, the better it would be for her. Rewen understood the meaning of her question and replied. "I''lle in a few minutes." Vinia nodded and left the firece leaving behind only a single man. Rewen nkly looked at the fire glowing intensely at a distance of two meters. ''If you want to shine bright like a sun, first burn like a sun - or so is one of the popr quotes in the pre-apocalyptic period.'' ''It sounds interesting and motivating but doesn''t make sense if one actually thought about it. The prerequisite of shining bright like a sun is to burn like a sun, that is, to achieve results you first have to suffer. However, that lies on the basic underlying premise that - everyone gets equal opportunity.'' ''Everyone is not equal. Sometimes, getting equal opportunity in life is not enough. We have to give something ''extra'' to those people but that, in turn, would be imbued inequality. Is there even any way to bepletely fair?'' ''Today, hundreds of nobles came from different parts of the kingdom just for my wedding. Am I worth it? Do I even deserve a pretty and elegant woman like Vinia? It''s not that I have an inferiorityplex but I just don''t remember doing anything notable in my life to deserve this. In a way, even though I whine about my luck, it is the only thing going for me.'' ''What about my predecessor''s family and friends? Why am I the one who is getting goodwill? What crime did my predecessormit to living such an unfruitful life? No, don''t get me wrong. I''m not trying to sound philosophical or something. I''m just wondering about obvious things like - life is unfair.'' ''Commoners work their ass up every day just to keep life moving and here I am, leisurely sitting in front of a firece and having the luxury to think several things. If one works hard enough, he/she can be a noble. So is it because they or their previous generations werezy that they couldn''t break through the chains of amoner?'' Chapter 166: Magic Artifacts (1) Chapter 166: Magic Artifacts (1) ''Maybe but isn''t it too easy to dismiss everything with zy''? If I take a walk in the city and ask why they aren''t working hard enough to be a noble, I would surely hear all kinds of different answers. Laziness might be one of them but it isn''t a definitive answer.'' Thinking till this point, he changed his line of thought. ''Forget about society. What would have happened if I was born in amoner''s family with my family being nothing more thanmoners? It would most definitely be different from how I am but to what degree? Would I have ambitions? If so, then how could I strive to reach my ambitions? Would determination and hard work be enough?'' As he thought of this scenario, he remembered his situation in Gruer''s Landings and a small curve appeared on the corner of his lips. ''That world is perfect to see my limits as a person." He said out loud, before letting out a sigh. "These days, I''m frequently going off to a weird philosophical tangent---" "Argh" His head hurt again. Unlike previous times, the pain didn''t subside this time. ''I have to do something about this headache'' Shaking his head, he got up. *** First Floor. Inside a room, Vinia was sitting by the side of the bed. Although her face was calm, the same couldn''t be said for her heart. No matter what, she was only an eighteen-year-old teenage girl. Even though she wasn''t the type who is into love and emotions, that doesn''t mean that she ispletely unaware of it. *Knock* "Can Ie in?" Vinia''s heart leaped when she heard the voice. "Yes." The door was slowly opened as Rewen walked in with staggering footsteps. Vinia frowned. ''Did he drink?'' She doesn''t have any opinion on drinking but drinking on the night of their marriage left a bad taste in her mouth. Her beautiful eyelids fluttered as she watched the man walking up to her slowly and gradually. With every step he took, her heartbeat increased. ''Do we have to do it tonight?'' Her face couldn''t help but hot. Not having the courage to continue looking straight at him, she looked down. She saw the pair of feet stopping when the distance between them was negligible. She saw his hand raised and immediately loosened her body. ''Here ites.'' Then. She felt a hand on her shoulder making her body stiff. "I''m sorry" It was thest thing she heard from him that night. After saying that, Rewen immediately copsed on the bed. *** Next morning. The sun was shining brightly. As the windows were left open, the bright sunlight directly fell on a red-haired young man''s eyes. His eyelids contracted and expanded a bit beforepletely opening slowly. The red-haired young man was naturally Rewen. Last night, because of the strange headache, he immediately fell asleep aftering to his room. Helping himself up with his hands, he found that he was half-naked. "Wait, I don''t remember taking my shirt off." He looked to his right and saw a golden-haired fair-skinned young woman sleeping next to him. Tugging on her arms, he tried to wake her up but it was to no avail. "Well, she seems like a deep sleeper." Rewen didn''t know if this was a valid word but with his limited vocabry, he could hardly do normal conversations well. "Anyways, Oh-haiyou myself." He opened the game interface and logged out. *** Klofar Residence. Rewen took off his helmet and looked at the time. It was a sharp ten. "I wonder if they are still here? Since they came into the game, then that means they must have gone back to their ces nope." Coming into the living room, he saw all seven of them peacefully sleeping on the ground while drunk. Only Svety was absent. "I guess it''s for the best." Rewen smiled before going back to his room. He sat down on his PC and researched magic artifacts. He knew that it was high time for him to realize that the situation he was in was extremely deadly. ording to his estimate, he dared to say that he won''t survive if he was cornered by eight Rank 2 Mages no matter how much he schemes. Another extreme disadvantage was the fact that the ''Daily Missions'' were locked. --- [Daily Missions] (Locked) --- ''What a beautiful sight.'' He sarcastically remarked. With this, he could no longer reap the minimal benefits, especially from the [Bloodline System]. From what he could tell, he was pretty confident that wouldn''t get any more quests for the time being. Now his power level boils down to three things - 2x Power Spike (x2) and Brown Fruit and most importantly, [Freestyle Knights Combat] - which aren''t even barely enough. In conclusion, somehow or the other, he has to raise hisbat prowess. That''s why he set his eyes upon magic artifacts. After experiencing the might of the old stick of Gavin, he realized that while it might notpletely help him win the battles in the near future, it would definitely increase his chances of winning by some margin. Besides, by profession, he is a silver-ranked cksmith. It wouldn''t be wrong to say that even if the basic principles of making a magic artifact were to be different, he would catch on to things much faster than others. "Let''s see mana collector enhancer, terminator, type slots, distributor, and watcher" He listed down the basic materials required to make a mana artifact. "They cost quite a bit." He muttered in a troubled tone. [Mana collector], as the name suggests, stores mana just like normal mana points. Ites in various shapes and sizes and for Rank 0 Magical Artifacts, they are basically ssified into three kinds - 5M MC, 20M MC, and 50M MC. MC stands for mana collector while M stands for mana and the numbers before M suggests the amount of mana. For instance, A 5M MC could collect a maximum of 5k mana. Out of all the basic equipment, it costs the highest. The lowest-priced 5M MC is more than 20k credits. His entire budget was only about 30k and generally speaking, 30k credits were enough for a middle-ss family to live properly for five to six months. It was way more than overpriced. [Enhancer], again, as the name suggests, enhances a raw weapon and makes itpatible to store and generate mana. It is avable in the form of semi-liquid. To enhance a base weapon using "Enhancer", one first has to apply the "Enhancer" all over the weapon and then heat it in high temperatures for at least four hours. It is priced low. The best-quality Enhancer in order to make a Rank 0 Magic Artifact isn''t more than 4.5k credits. [Terminator] is the most important material to make Magic Artifacts. It is an electronic machine, appearing like a traditional printer about the size of 1.5 meters. With proper materials, it can turn a simple spear into a spear that shoots out fireballs. What it essentially does is use mon concepts of physics in mana" and make a normal weapon that generates mana into an electronicponent that could be programmed. Undoubtedly to Rewen, this was the hardest as well as the most interesting part. Chapter 167: Magic Artifacts (2) Chapter 167: Magic Artifacts (2) "Surprisingly, despite its cool features, it''s cost is generally less than a freaking MC (mana collector)! What kind of hot garbage is that shit!" The price of a [Terminator] lies between the range of 25k - 300k. There aren''t really any broad ssifications of it but Rewen believed that a 300k credits [Terminator] would be worth it simply because it has more features. [Type Slots] are, in simple words, are "ability slots". Before using a [Terminator], it ispulsory to use For a Rank 0 Magic Artifact, there is only a single slot avable - [Type - IV] but that doesn''t mean that there is only a single kind of ability. As long as a certain criteria is met, any kind of ability could be fitted into the weapon. However, the "ability-making" function is not a function of [Type Slots] but rather [Terminator]. It''s price can be as low as 1k. "It''s not surprising when you consider that this is the least importantponent when creating a Magic Artifact. Still better than MC though." [Distributor] is another electronic machine powered by mana. It''s main function is like an on-and-off switch. The "switch" needs to be programmed. It''s price is the lowest. Good-quality [Distributor] for Rank 0 Magic Artifacts aren''t more than 400 credits. Lastly, there''s this [Watcher]. This isn''t really a ''necessary''ponent while making a Magic Artifact but it ensures smoothness and reduces the risks of the weapon going awry. It isn''t too pricey so Rewen wouldn''t overlook this. These were the most basic equipment necessary to create a Magic Artifact. Of course, there were several essories which make a particr Magic Artifact better. As Rewen scrolled down the articles about Magic Artifact, he sighed. "Forget about essories, my budget doesn''t even allow me to buy the basics" Rewen looked at his smartphone and dialed a number. "Hello?" A sleepy female voice from the other side. "It''s me, Mom." "What?" "I need some credits." "Why?" "I''m trying to create a Magic Artifact." "Did you hit your head or something? Oh, nevermind." Viviana recalled that her son had interference. Yawning lightly, she continued. "Focus on your studies rather than going tangent." "I''m serious." "I''m serious as well." "What''s the matter? Who called?" Just then, a male''s voice came. Rewen recognized the voice. It was none other than his father. "Rewen is asking for credits." "That''s why I said to not give him arge amount of cash." "..." "Why is he asking for credits?" "He said that would create a Magic Artifact." "Hm? Pass me the phone. Rewen?" Rewen, who was quietly eavesdropping on the conversation between his father and mother spoke out. "Yes?" "I''ll send you the equipment. It should arrive at your ce by tomorrow afternoon." Rewen''s eyes lip up. ''Right. Mom did tell me that they are essentially running a Magic Artifactpany.'' "Alright, thanks." "Hm. Goodnight." "Goodnight." Rewen cut off the call. But his research hadn''t ended. It had just started. At the very beginning, one needs to have a base. That base can be anything. But one obviously can''t hope to make a sword powered by mana using an arrow. A base needs to be appropriate. The first stage of creation of Magic Artifact is just fixing the MC into the base weapon. Fixing a MC (mana collector) doesn''t require any particr skill sets. Ites in various shapes and forms and is usually smaller than a normal index finger which makes it easier to attach it to a base weapon. The next stage follows with the [Enhancer]. Here, his experience as a cksmith will be extremely useful. After applying [Enhancer] all over the weapon, one needs to heat and hammer not to change the physical shape of the base weapon but to change the internal properties of the weapon and induce mana in its properties. This is also the longest process. To [Enhance] a base weapon into a Rank 0 Magic Artifact, the weapon has to be simultaneously heated and hammered manually for at least 7-12 hours. Rewen didn''t dare to say that he could do it in five hours because it''s not about the speed, it''s about the patience and quality. The next stage involves the [Terminator]. This is the part where he waspletely clueless about. It required him to have detailed knowledge about Mana Physics, Advanced Mana Mechanics, Software/Hardware Engineering, Mana Architecture, programmingnguages and Basic Methods of Termination. These had further subcategories and so on. Needless to say, it wasn''t something that could be learned in a few days worth of time. It requires months and years. Frankly speaking, the best part about this is that he had [Memorization] which could help him digest that knowledge at an absurdly fast pace. But that''s it. There is a broad difference between ''knowing'' and ''implementing''. Even if he knows a thing or two about [Terminator], that doesn''t necessarily mean he could implement it in a correct manner. When thought about it deeper, it sounds unreal and stupid because why not? Why can''t a person just implement his/her knowledge? Isn''t that the essence of knowledge? The answer to this is rhetorical. Why can''t people normally directly swim in water even if they know how to? Learning follows three steps - knowledge, adaptation and implementation. Of course, there are geniuses who often overlook adaptation and there are definitely subjects and fields where adaptation isn''t highlighted but that doesn''t mean it isn''t necessary in any way. Using a [Terminator] is one such field. You can be a world-ss hacker who has every knowledge about [Terminator] but you still wouldn''t necessarily seed. At the beginning, it''s more of a trial-and-error method until it evolves to actually understanding the mechanism instead of just knowing and properly using it. Thest step of creating a Magic Artifact involves [Distributor]. Here, too, advanced programming knowledge is needed butpared to the step involving [Terminator], it''s easier by miles. One just needs to program a specific criteria for ON/OFF into the [Distributor] and it''s done. The [Watcher] isn''t absolutely a necessity but if Rewen gets them from his father, he would use it. These are the steps exined briefly. "Hmm the [Terminator] step is tooplicated. For now, let''s see what I have for myself. System?" [Yes?] "List all the skills along with my proficiency in skills involved in creating a Rank 0 Magic Artifact." [Request processing] [Analyzing the request] [Does the Host want to merge the feature [cksmith] with the request?] [Yes] [No] ''If that''s possible, then sure.'' [Seeking approval] [Request approved!] Rewen heaved a sigh of relief when he heard this. [The request would be generated in three seconds.] [3] [2] [1] A blue translucent screen appeared in front of his eyes. --- Rank 0 Magic Artifact [Status] - [Elementary Mana Physics]: Toddler [Mana Mechanics]: Beginner 0 [Advanced Mana Mechanics]: Toddler [Engineering]: Beginner 2 [Computer Programming]: Beginner 4 [Mana Programming]: Toddler [Mana Architecture]: Toddler [Forging]: Novice 2 [Methods] - [Master Arts of Darin''s Second Disciple] [Skill Tree] - [Assembling] (1 SP) - [Reverse Engineering] (3 SP) - [JLK Programming] (1 SP) - [Zero Point Fundamentals] (3 SP) - [Thread Visibility] (1 SP) - [Structural Mana Atomization] (3 SP) - .. [Force] (1 SP) - [Stable] (3 SP) - --- Chapter 168: Elementary Mana Physics Chapter 168: Elementary Mana Physics Rewen carefully went through the letters and shook his head with a bitter expression. First off, "pathetic" wasn''t enough to describe his stats. All his life, he had only studied basic subjects like - Language, Computers, Social Studies, Science, etc. For him to score 400 out of 750 in hisst year of high school was already the greatest achievement of his life considering that he was a victim of Stage 5 Interference. So it wasn''t a surprise for him to have such low stats. ''But what [Forging]? I have forged basically all my life. So why is it just Novice?'' [Toddler -> Beginner (0-9) -> Novice (0-9) -> Adept -> (0-9) -> Skilled (0-9) -> Expert (0-9)] ''I understand the ranks but my question has still not been answered.'' [When the feature [cksmith] was merged with the request, some of the things were lost while merging.] ''That can also happen?'' Rewen felt like he was discovering things too fast. ''Nevermind. What about the SP? What are they? Where can I get them?'' The [Skill Tree] was the most eye-catching part of everything on the screen. [SP = Skill Points.] ''I guessed it. So, where can I get them?'' [You can''t.] ''...'' [You only asked to ''measure'' and list off your skills that are essential while creating Magic Artifact.] ''Then--'' [Request denied.] Rewen cursed for a while, then pped his cheeks with both his hands lightly. "I have to focus. Which subject should I start with? Is Elementary Mana Physics a good starting point? Eh, I''ll just start from scratch. But first, let me just check" --- [Memorization] (52.54%) --- Rewen observed that slowly and gradually, the speed of progression of [Memorization] was falling. When he was learning [Petal Dance], he had approximately progressed to 35%. After that, he used [Memorization] everytime he sat down to study for the knights exam. With all this, it felt a bit wrong for him to ''just'' progress to 52%. ''But whatever, what matters is that my memory is several times stronger than an average person. I don''t know if higher ranked mages have a sudden increase in memory power but for now, I should use this to my advantage.'' Elementary Mana Physics. A subject dealing with the application of mana using thews of physics. If the theory of "Infused Mana", i.e., mana infused in the atmosphere along with the virus in the apocalypse is held absolutely true, then it could be safely concluded that it has changed most of the poprws that were prevalent in the pre-apocalyptic period. Rewen had a basic idea regarding it. "That doesn''t mean that an apple doesn''t fall onto the ground when someone sits under a tree. Nor does it mean that the rates of diffusion of gases aren''t inversely proportional to the square roots of their densities under simr conditions of temperature and pressure. In fact, thews are seemingly the same. The reason I say ''seemingly'' is because thews can show interesting properties because of mana." Let''s take one of the most basicws - Newton''s thirdw of motion which simply states that - "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction" which is universally still true. It is even more true in case of battles where physical and non-physical attacks are constantly exchanged. Then, how is it "altered" in any way? In the year 2756, an experiment was once held to test whether mana really influences some of the most basicws in our life or not. For the experiment, two Rank 2 Mages were called and were told to have a physical change while encouraging them to use mana as much as possible without using skills. The battlested for two minutes. Since it was a friendly match, they stretched the fight and eventually, no one won the fight. ording to the organizers, the purpose of the experiment had not failed and concluded that mana hadn''t altered thews of physics in any way. In the next year, a lunatic researcher thought that the experiment was very bogus and himself went out of his way to fight with one of the organizers of the experiment. The battle was bloody and brutal. --- A bespectacled skinny man stood one of the damaged windows on the second floor of a three-story house. "You still dare to call yourself a new world researcher!?" "What do you want, madman!? You are fucking lunatic!" An overweight middle-aged man coughed a mouthful of blood before turning to look at the crazy man suddenly destroying his house''s walls. He reached his pocket to make a call but it was snatched by the bespectacled skinny man. "Fight me." He said, before breaking his smartphone into pieces. Seeing this, the overweight middle-aged man got angry and stood up. No matter what, he was still a Rank 1 Mage. A bloody battlemenced. The bespectacled man first tried out normal physical attacks against his opponent. It followed the traditionalws of physics. The bespectacled man tried out normal skills. It followed the traditionalws of physics. The bespectacled man tried out his core skill. It still followed the traditionalws of physics. It was at this moment that he realized one particr thing. ''If all these really mattered, then why is it still a question whether thews of physics had been altered or not? I have to think out of the box and do something that has not been done before.'' He pushed himself as well as his opponent to the limits. "Cough, cough. Don''t force me to use this" The overweight man looked at the lunatic with hostility in his eyes. The bespectacled man''s eyes shone brightly. "Ah yes, this is the moment" --- On that day, Elementary Mana Physics was invented. The lunatic, Steven M. Kornell was a university professor who was very progressive. In the final deciding moment of his battle with the organizer of the faulty experiment, he destroyed his core. His opponent did the same. Then, a strange phenomenon urred. Air waves filled the surroundings and the organizer was thrown out of his house while Steven remained standing. Later, it was found out that destroying cores at the same time creates a resonance which has the potential to deliver a blow created from nothing. Although it could be technically said that the blow was the result of two cores resonating with each other, the question - why? - still remains unanswered till this day. There were, of course, exceptions to thews of motion but it was not on a macroscopic level. Now that something openly defied aw that has existed since centuries, it rose up the dormant progressives. It started a revolutionary movement consisting of research enthusiasts. But even with all this happening, Steven M. Kornell was still arrested and sent to prison with three charges against him. There were protests but it didn''t help. Because of this decision, the public and the media boycotted the government and the police for quite a while. Rewen shook his head while reading this. Although he believes that the deed Steven M. Kornell did was extraordinary not only because he was the source of inspiration for theter generations but also because he was selfless, but there was no way thew system would forgive him, especially considering the country he was living in. Chapter 169: Library Chapter 169: Library The country he was born in was located in the Green Continent which had a total dictatorial government system. The Dictator''s words are the final. In this case, the Dictator neither supported or was against the punishment of Steven M. Kornell. He left it to thew. And that was exactly the problem of the masses. If he were to speak a single word supporting it, Steven M. Kornell would have not gotten his punishment. "Having a Dictator as the leader of a country seems really bad." Rewenmented. "Although I don''t think that I''m in a good position either considering the fact that the country I live in follows fascist beliefs." The Eastern Dream Kingdom has a very tight government. On the extreme top, there is the Monarch, i.e., the King. Then, the three Dukes presiding over the Capital Parliament. Then, Marquis'' presiding over the State Parliament. From the surface, it looks like a Constitutional Monarchy but it is, in fact, a fascist government. "Whatever. Who cares about politics." Rewen shook his head and came back to the topic. To get a basic idea of Elementary Mana Physics, half-a-year is needed. Not only because the sybus is vast but also because it''s a new topic for those graduating high school. Rewen downloaded one of the most rmended books in PDF and just went through the sybus. --- Unit 1: ssical Physics - New Age Mechanics - Thermodynamics (Langer''s Three Half-Equations & Core Splitting Effect) - Electrodynamics (Laws of elementary properties) Unit 2: Nuclear Physics - Embedded into Nucleus - Structure of mana nucleus - Change - Special Uses Unit 3: Atomic Physics - Double Dimensional Theory - Transparency - Activation by fueling - Special Uses --- "I''m surprised there isn''t quantum physics. I guess it makes sense because adding it would only serve to increase the sybus when the book already has over 2000 pages. Am I supposed to go through the entirety of the book? Man, I already feel tired looking at the book." Rewen grumbled a bit before he started reading. Half-an-hour passed by quietly. As he was half-way through the first topic - New Age Mechanics, he figured that the term "altered" is somewhat misleading. The pre-apocalypticws are still in use and work perfectly with some exceptions. What the entire Elementary Mana Physics is about is theing of new forms and theories which sometimes contradicts the ssicalws but only under certain conditions. "Ah, fuck. I should have expected math." Rewen took out a notebook and pen before solving problems rted to mechanics. He wasn''t particrly bad in mathematics but the predecessor''s mental state while learning it was extremely bad. The fact that he could even remember some of the difficult equations was a great feat. Time passed by rather quickly. Eventually, it was morning. Rewen yawned before putting down his pen. He hadpleted the entire ''New Age Mechanics'' within a night. --- [Memorization]: 57.32% --- Most of it has to do with [Memorization] but that''s not to say that it was the only factor. [Memorization] can be immensely helpful while reading long thesis and notes but understanding is required in a subject like physics. Simply remembering things won''t solve numericals. One has to go through their memory, take some time to understand the concepts and then, solve numericals. Rewen got up from his chair and stretched his limbs. He was mentally drained. --- Elementary Mana Physics: Beginner 5 --- Rewen was neither pleased nor disappointed upon seeing the increase. ''Isn''t the status just for creating Rank 0 Magic Artifacts?'' [Yes.] The system promptly replied. Rewen didn''t have the energy to think of anything. "It would slowly increase." He said, before exiting his room and went to his bathroom. While passing through the living room, he saw that his friends had just woken up and were staring at each other quietly with drowsy eyes. "Morning." Everyone''s attention turned to him. *** The weather was gloomy today. Even after wearing extra clothes, Rewen still felt cold. He walked to his ss. Vin raised his hand to say ''Hi'' to his friend when he noticed that his friend had something different about him. "Yo! What''s with the sses?" Rewen adjusted his sses with his index finger, and sat on his bench. "I was studying all night. Oh, by the way. Yesterday was my birthday. I didn''t even remember my own birthday and ended up forgetting you and Zaplin. I''ll treat you guys some other day." "Yeah, don''t forget that." A minuteter, Rewen got from his seat. Vin: "What? Going to the washroom? Let''s go together." Rewen shook his head. "I''m going to the library." He just cared about attendance. Since he came to the academy, he would be marked present even if he didn''t attend the ss. He just wanted to learn about crafting Magic Artifacts. "Hm? Why suddenly?" "I just felt like it." With that, Rewen exited the ssroom with his bag and went to the elevator. "If I recall correctly, the library should be located on the third floor." A few minutester. The library was huge. Since it was early morning, it was mostly empty. Rewen sat on a wide table made for four people, quietly reading a thick book, asionally writing down things which were important. It was raining outside, making him feel a bit sleepy. "Do you want to have coffee?" A fairly old man asked him. He was the librarian. Rewen didn''t deny the offer. "If that wouldn''t be too much of a bother" "No, just take a cup from there. Just take it from the coffeemaker." The old man smiled, pointing to a shelf where coffee cups and tes were kept. Underneath the shelf was a wooden table upon which a coffee maker was ced. Rewen did as he was told. Blowing cold wind in his coffee, he slowly sipped it. "Mm, the sourness and sweetness is just perfect. Thanks." He said, before sitting to study again. "If you don''t mind me asking" The old man nodded, then looked at the book the young man was reading. "Please." "Why are you studying mana physics? Are you in the [Science] department? From your uniform, it doesn''t look like you are." The old man had a strange look on his face. There are basically five departments the academy is divided on - [Mage], [Science], [Explorer], [Alchemy] and [Political Science]. Each of the departments have a separate set of uniforms. Students in [Mage] department wear blue suits. Students in [Science] department wear red suits. Students in [Explorer] department wear yellow suits. Students in [Alchemy] department wear green suits. Students in [Political Science] department wear ck suits. ''One of my suits is torn during my fight with the two squads I should buy another one.'' Rewen randomly thought. "Oh, I''m just reading because of curiosity." "Good. Good." The old man smiled, then left him alone. Rewen shrugged and continued studying. As much as it sounds interesting, studying about mana is not better than learning other subjects. At the beginning, he thought that it would be interesting to know about mana in detail but now, that interest has gone. What remained was just his will to study. He knows that crafting a Magic Artifact before fighting another squad(s) is very optimistic but what else was there to do? Chapter 170: Politics (Filler) Chapter 170: Politics (Filler) Learn normal skills? That''s not a logical way of thinking. The problem with Rewen is not his skills. His skills are strong enough for a Rank 1 Mage. The problem is the skill casting time. He always has to make preparations beforehand. If something doesn''t go on his way, he can''t suddenly change the oue. Then, he thought about learning normal skills but after a bit of research, he found out that skills aren''t easy to learn for beginners. Oftentimes, when a beginner is learning his first skill, bacsh is unavoidable. That''s why it needs a supervisor. It also takes longer than a month to properly learn a skill for the first time. Rewen wasn''t narcissistic enough to think that he is a genius. His ''Daily Missions'' are locked and there probably wouldn''t be a quest issued for him to get stronger for the time being. That leaves him with thest option. Magic Artifacts. No matter how unreal it may seem, he has to do something. After some time, several people arrived in the library together. There were two women and three men. With a camera and a microphone in hand, they headed towards the librarian. "What can I do for you?" The old man adjusted his sses as he looked at the students. They wore ck suits indicating that they were in the [Political Science] department. A ponytailed woman came in front with her mic. "We just want to ask some questions." "Okay." The old man nodded. He had been in the academy for more than forty years. He knows how the [Political Science] department is. The moment an incident concerning the minority ured, they would go on strikes, conduct surveys and so on. It''s not that he believed that it''s wrong to do so but he wasn''t in favor of going political. After all these years, he had gotten used to it. The young woman turned to one of the young men indicating him to start recording, then started her questions. "What do you think of the recent incident concerning the rtive of a Seeker?" "I haven''t heard about it." The old man honestly said. "It''s like this. The student was discriminated against his entire life for being a Seeker and now that he finally got the opportunity to enter the academy, he was beaten up on the first day of academy. Do you think that this incident is racially motivated?" The ponytailed woman didn''t beat around the bush and directly came to the point. The old man carefully listened, then shook his head. "I haven''t heard about it so I can''t speak unless I hear both sides of the argument." "He was just beaten up for being a rtive of Seeker. The evidence says that he was standing there, watching the infrastructure when he got pushed into the ground by two sophomores. It has been investigated to the extreme details and we believe that it was indeed racially motivated. What is your opinion about it?" "Then it must be so. The academy should take some measures. What happened with the two students who beat him up?" The ponytailed woman shrugged. "Nothing. What could happen to them? If this was Frozen Fire, they would have long been expelled." Unlike Eastern Dream Kingdom, Frozen Fire was a constitutional monarchy which didn''t follow fascist policies. Even though it wasn''t a democratic and totally free country, it was much more progressive than Eastern Dream Kingdom. The old man appeared surprised. "That''s sad to hear." "That''s why we are preparing for a protest tomorrow. Not only would the protest contain students and professors from this academy, it would also be joined by the students from other neighboring academies. The motive of the protest is - to expel the two students. Unless they were expelled, the protests wouldn''t stop. Would you like to participate in the protest?" The old man''s eyes squinted. A secondter, he got up and straightened his back. "Haha I''m just an old man. I wished the protest would go smoothly but I can''t participate myself" He said the same thing that he had been saying for the past forty years. The ponytailed woman nodded and was about to open her mouth when she heard a voice behind her. "Would the training grounds be locked because of the protest?" The speaker was Rewen. He wasn''t paying much attention to the ongoing discussion but when he heard about the protest, his ears perked up. It''s alright if the library was locked or the sses were postponed but one thing he couldn''t be negligent about was his mana storage. The ponytailed woman had a ridiculous expression on her face. "Dude. There''s a case of discrimination and you are worrying about training grounds. You mages are something I can''t wrap my head around." "I just asked if it would be open or closed." Rewen asked again. "Of course, it would be closed. It''s arge-scale protest." This time, a man answered. Rewen sighed, then shook his head and went back to his studies. The students of the [Political Science] department looked at each other, then went to him. "Can I ask some questions?" The ponytailed woman asked while holding her microphone towards his face. "Not really. I''m studying." Rewen said in a nd voice while reading. The ponytailed woman didn''t get angry. She had been training in journalism for four years and had met all kinds of people. ''He seems angry. It''s probably got to do with the training ground being closed. I could make him represent the other side of the people who think that the incident was perfectly justified'' Thinking so, she smiled. "It won''t take much of your time." Then, she looked at the cameraman and gestured to him to start recording. Rewen figured out her strategy. At this point, if he were to say ''no'', he could very well be painted as someone who is in support of racism with a little bit of editing. Normally, he would have given in but how could he bear to care about how others think of him when his life was barely hanging by a thread. "Fuck off." The ponytailed woman''s eyes brightened. He gave her the ''material'' she wanted. She immediately retreated. "Oh-okay dude. No need to get aggressive. Come, let''s go." Leading her team, she exited the library. Rewen was engrossed in his studies and didn''t pay any attention. At this moment, the old man spoke up. "Young man, you should go after them. You don''t know how much the media holds." Rewen raised his face. "Let them do whatever they want. I''m not in a position to care." The old man sighed. "That kind of thinking isn''t bad but as a man living in a society, you have to be a little mindful of your words and actions. Otherwise, you would be ostracized. At some point, you would be forced to have beliefs that you don''t acknowledge." Rewen didn''t say anything. He neither has any political opinion nor about society. If he has to answer why, it would be that heid more emphasis on self rather than the society as a whole. That''s how he had always been. Chapter 171: Studying Chapter 171: Studying Rewen studied in the library for over an hour, then issued the book he was reading along with some others and went into his ss'' training ground. 4th grade Training Ground. Rewen wasted no time in increasing his mana storage. He wanted to reach the 200-mark today. Sometimeter. --- MP: 200 --- A satisfied smile appeared on his face. After the session ended, he went home without engaging in conversations with anyone. *** Klofar Residence. Rewen ced the meal that he had bought while returning home on the dining table. "Ah, Rewen." Denny came out of her room after hearing the sounds of footsteps. "Hm? You brought something to eat?" "I won''t give you." Rewen pettily said, before sitting down and starting to eat. Denny slightly smiled. "By the way, Uncle sent some things." Rewen nodded. "Are they in the garage?" He figured the ''things'' she was talking about was most likely the equipment for crafting a Magic Artifact. Two minutester, hepleted his meal and washed his hand before going to the garage. As he was standing before the garage, his smartphone rang. Rewen took it out and saw that a message had arrived. --- Greetings, Mr. Klofar. Hope you have been in good health. I had received word from my subordinate that you had managed to defeat the two squads I sent in quite a fashion! To think there would be a traitor among us! First, congrattions! Also, excuse me for not appearing in person or sent my heartfelt congrattions earlier. Rejoice, you have passed your second hurdle. Your second hurdle showed me your resolve and ruthlessness. It showed that to achieve your goals, you won''t stop at anything. You are truly a very interesting person. Unfortunately, your third hurdle won''t be as simple as the second. Without spoiling anything--- I''ll just say it outright, you can''t survive. Even if you were a Rank 3 Mage, it would still be difficult for you to survive. Eh? Am I missing anything? Ah yes, I didn''t forget anything but as an upright man, let me reward you with something. As far as I''m concerned, both your cousin and ex-girlfriend have explosives on their bodies. Those explosives are connected to a five-way remote. I won''t destroy the remote but I would destroy one of the four connectors left. Sounds good? Enough chit-chat. Take a rest for today and tomorrow I''ll send you the location and details of the next squad(s). Take care. With regards, X. --- ''He doesn''t even bother to make it seem like he didn''t copy from the previous message.'' He chuckled, then his face turned grave. ''To make a reasonable interpretation, it''s fair to say that the next battle would not be me fighting a single squad.'' Keeping the smartphone in his pocket, he stood still for a long moment. After a while, he sighed. ''Well, I guess there''s no other way. Still too early to speak about this but tomorrow, the results woulde out.'' Then, he opened the garage. Dust washed over his body. He coughed a little before his sight was set on a shiny, tall, wide cylindrical machine. It was without a doubt, the [Terminator]. Besides that, a fairlyrge box was kept. Rewen walked to it and opened the box. Three bottles of [Enhancer]. Five [Type Slots]. Seven [Mana Collector]. Three [Watcher]. Eight [Distributor]. There was also a thick book titled - "Getting into Crafting". Rewen was pretty damn satisfied with this but at the same time. Eventually, after inspecting the different types of equipment, he picked up a [Distributor] and smiled for unknown reasons. "This is severely underrated." For the rest of the day, he was engrossed in his studies. Today was the first day that he didn''t log in. *** It was night. At the extreme north of Travil Town, a small clinic was running its business when a middle-aged man in a leather suit appeared. "Do you have an appointment?" The receptionist asked. The middle-aged man took out a card from his pocket and handed it over to her. "Yes, here''s my card." "Pleasee with me, Mr. Dorothy." The receptionist brought the middle-aged man to a room where a young doctor was reading some articles. Seeing two people entering, the young doctor raised his eyes. The receptionist left, leaving the middle-aged man named Mr. Dorothy who quietly looked at the young doctor. "Please sit." The young doctor gestured his guest to him in the chair in front of him. The middle-aged man did as he was told. The young doctor spun a pen around his finger, then tapped on the desk wondering about something. "You know, helping someone by curing their medical problems feels great. It''s not as simple as people think. Never mind that, what is the report?" "The target is trying to learn artifact crafting." The young doctor nodded with his lower lips bulged out. "Okay. Did he have the equipment from the start or did he buy them? Didn''t you tell me that his economic condition isn''t good?" "Around eleven at night, the target called his father. From the contents of the call, it can be concluded that his father sent him the machinery to craft." "Who is his father?" "Any information about his parents doesn''t exist." "How about their names?" "His mother''s name is Viviana. As for his father''s name, it''s unknown. It is suspected that the target himself doesn''t know his name. It is also very possible the name ''Viviana'' is a fake name." The young doctorughed out loud. "That smells bad news to us. Think about it. How many people in the country can have their identity totally personal? But that''s fine. We have the target wrapped up. He won''t risk the lives of his close ones to contact the authorities." "What if he does?" "Then, we''ll simply run." The young doctor appeared to have some thoughts, then continued. "And then? Did the target do anything troublesome?" "He attempted to make a scout I sent to reveal himself." "Hm he isn''t stupid. What did he say to the scout?" For the first time aftering to the room, the stoic middle-aged man smiled. *** Two days pass in silence. Rewen holed up in the garage the entire day. Because the protests were going on, the academy was unofficially closed. Aside from that, he also disconnected himself from social media. Now, if he were to take a look at his social media, he would notice that his DMs are filled with his friends calling him out for a recent video of him being racist circling around the academy forums. "Rewen?" Denny appeared behind him with a boxed parcel. "Here." Keeping it near him, she watched the garage. Once an empty garage had turned into a mess. Open books were lying on the floor. Mechanical equipment was all over the ce. There was even aptop that Rewen recently ordered. Right now, he was typing something on hisptop. He hadn''t even noticed her arrival. "Rewen?" Denny gave him a little push on her back. "Oh, what''s the matter? Can youeter? I''m a bit busy." Rewen answered while still typing. Denny sighed. "A parcel has arrived." "It arrived?" Rewen stopped typing, then looked at the parcel. "Good." Denny wanted to say something but eventually left without saying a word. While she may not understand everything he was going through, she understood that if she were to be in his position, she would fall apart. That''s why she wanted to encourage him but their current awkward rtionship didn''t allow her to. Chapter 172: Michi Chapter 172: Michi Rewen finished the program he was writing and leaned back on the chair. --- Rank 0 Magic Artifact [Status] - [Elementary Mana Physics]: Beginner 9 [Mana Mechanics]: Beginner 2 [Advanced Mana Mechanics]: Toddler [Engineering]: Beginner 2 [Computer Programming]: Novice 3 [Mana Programming]: Toddler [Mana Architecture]: Toddler [Forging]: Novice 2 [Methods] - [Master Arts of Darin''s Second Disciple] [Skill Tree] - [Assembling] (1 SP) - [Reverse Engineering] (3 SP) - [JLK Programming] (1 SP) - [Zero Point Fundamentals] (3 SP) - [Thread Visibility] (1 SP) - [Structural Mana Atomization] (3 SP) - .. [Force] (1 SP) - [Stable] (3 SP) - --- His stats didn''t change by much because for thest two days, he mainly focused on [Computer Programming]. Tomorrow is his third battle. Yesterday, he got the information of the next battle he was going to have. --- -> Target: Fallen Peak Squad (B-5) and Twisted Mongers Squad (B-2) - 8 Members Location: East Town Twilight Mall Maximum Level: Peak Rank 2 Mage Tips: No tips because you are going to die. --- The location this time was at a popr shopping mall in the town. Rewen smiled a little, then picked up the small chip connected to hisptop. It was the [Distributor]. After learning a rtivelymon programmingnguage, he learned how to use a [Distributor] for the past two days. ''Hopefully, it would be worth it.'' His initial n was learning Magic Artifact crafting, not learning it within three days but hopefully within a week, he could at least modify his weapon and design some trump cards but that n was shredded when the serious possibility of his next opponent being two squads entered. With the [Freestyle Knights Combat] back to him, he could be considered strong. Maybe even strong enough to defeat a squad if he uses his brain but to go against two squads without trump cards is a suicide. He had a feeling that a scenario like this would arrive from the very start and therefore, had a counter-n. Even so, the counter-n was risky andcked a vital element. "Now I know what vital element iscking" Rewen got up from his chair and picked up the parcel lying on the floor. The parcel was sent by Svety upon his order. This had something that was essential to the n he had devised. He didn''t open the parcel and practiced martial arts to loosen his muscles. ''I wanted to wait for a few more days but it seems that you aren''t interested in waiting. Do you think that you are very smart scheming against me? Perhaps, this time around, I''ll show what a scheme truly looks like.'' [Ding! The Host is advised to get ready to return to World #001] [Initiating transference in] [3] [2] [1.] *** Rover City. Rewen found himself on one end of the streets of a densely crowded marketce. It was the spot he was previously standing on before returning to Earth. He had not yet left the Rover City. Since it was almost evening, he intended to stay for a single day and then move out to the neighboring city. As much as he wants to stay "devoted" to the storyline, there wasn''t any way through which he could farm Alter Points now that he had been kicked out of the Terio Vi. If he couldn''t farm Alter Points, then he couldn''t unlock the other volumes and therefore, couldn''t follow through with the story. If he listened to Hase''s suggestion and stayed in the Terio Vi, he would have followed through the storyline. ''Eh. My pride, my bad.'' He shook his head and didn''t think much about it. At the end of the day, he isn''t even that concerned about progressing the storyline for the time being. ''I just need to survive. I''ll think about Gruer Crystals or whatever when I be strong enough.'' Sometimeter, he walked into an inn and went towards the receptionist. "I want to stay for a night." "1 gold." "Here." Rewen took out one gold coin and ced it on the desk. "Pleasee with me." The receptionist then took him to a room in the first floor, Rewen entered the room and went for a shower. After he came back, he heard a high-pitched yell. *** Michi had just finished closing up her shop. "Tough day at work!" Although she said that, her face had the word ''satisfaction'' written. Today, the market in Rover City was blooming. ording to the rumors, a group of "Death Knights" hade to the city. "Death Knights" were legendary warriors sent from the Council to inspect different parts of the nations. It had been over four years since "Death Knights" took steps in the Rover City so people were naturally excited for their arrival. ''I''ll take a nice shower and then go off to sleep for the night.'' Michi thought as she went through the gate behind her shop. However, she failed to notice a figure creeping up behind her. She unlocked her door and slowly walked in when she felt the light in her surroundings go dim. Instantly, she figured that something was up and opened her mouth. "Mmm!" Her mouth was tightly grabbed as her back was pushed against a rough hard body. "Hehe, you are quite the cutie. I paid special attention to you while roaming the streets." The young male behind her spoke into her ears. Fear overcame her mind as she continued to struggle for freedom. However, that resistance was futile. "Let''s have some fun, shall we?" The male disgustingly spoke and pushed her down with his arms. But because of this, the grip on her mouth loosened a little. Michi didn''t let the chance escape. "HELP!!!" She knew that her strength wasn''t enough to escape so she could only hope some kind person woulde and save her. The male''s expression twisted into that of anger and quickly sealed off her mouth again. "Shut up, bitch!" *Pah* *Pah* He ruthlessly pped her two times. "Hope you''ve learned your lesson. Hehe, with that out of the way" shing a creepy smile, he tucked his pants and took out his bulging member. "Let''s continue" Michi''s eyes widened. Her struggle turned intense but her strength was no match in front of him. Her one piece dress was forcibly grabbed. Tears glistened from her eyes as she slowly began to think of everything that had happened in her life. She was an orphan, brought up by her adoptive grandfather who ran the shop. Because she was unmarried and had no rtives, he decided to adopt her. Recently, when Michi was fifteen, he passed away leaving her with the grocery store, She had often thought how wonderful her future would be only to see this day. Her eyes had no color. Her struggle got weaker and weaker. Seeing her giving up resisting, the male on top of her grinned widely. Grabbing her breasts, he rubbed his right hand over them lecherously while the other was stroking his meat. *Bam* Suddenly, a severe pain erupted from the back of his head but before he could figure out anything, he fell unconscious and fell on top of Michi. Michi, who had already given up on her life saw a figure appearing in front of her with a brick in his hand. Momentarily struck by the sudden appearance, she managed to shutter out some words. "T-thank you, R-Rewen." The newly arrived figure, Rewen, sighed and helped her up. Chapter 173: Leaving Rover City (1) Chapter 173: Leaving Rover City (1) Rewen handed over a ss of water to the terrified Michi. Even after a dozen minutes, she was still shaking. ''T-thanks." She managed to utter some words of gratitude. Rewen understood her condition. Although he never tried to vividly recall the memories of his predecessor getting assaulted by Svety, he knew it happened. He didn''t want to increase more of his issues because he knows that he wouldn''t view Svety the same way after he goes through his memories in detail. ''After all this over, maybe I would.'' Rewen looked around the room. He was sitting in a chair in Michi''s living room. The living room was clean with a small television, a couple of selves where pictures are kept, and arge sofa. "Can I ask something?" Rewen turned to look at Michi with a serious expression. "Hm?" "Who is the guy?" Rewen pointed to an unconscious man who was tied in a corner. Michi shook her head. "I don''t know. I just saw him in the streets in the morning." "Have you seen him before?" "I haven''t." Rewen nodded, then approached the tied guy. Flipping him with his legs, he bent down and checked his pockets. The first thing he found was his smartphone. "It''s locked." Rewen frowned, then searched his pockets. The next thing he found was a card. "Langle Grey." Rewen muttered while looking at the card. "This should be his name. Does it ring any bells?" He asked Michi again. Michi again shook her head. "I don''t know." "Search on the web," Rewen suggested. Michi took out her smartphone and typed in the name ''Langle Grey.'' "He seems to havee from Avim aside from that, there''s nothing special about him oh wait, he has a well-known rtive." Michi went quiet. Even after a minute, she didn''t open her mouth. Rewen sighed. ''As expected, it''s the worst-case scenario.'' He thought, then went behind Michi. On her smartphone was the picture of an elderly man wearing a ck robe. "Is this his rtive?" Michi slightly nodded. "This is his grandfather, a Death Knight." "Death Knight?" Rewen''s expression turned solemn. In the six nations in the Maind, the only people who could talk face-to-face with a noble are "Death Knights". Just hearing the name would make people respect them. They roam around the world, going from nations to nations to solve irregrities, conflicts and fight against terrorists. They maintained order and peace in the nations. Rewen slumped down on his chair. ''This is bad'' Immediately a thought came to his mind. "Wait, is his grandfather one of the "Death Knights" who came to the city?" "No, that doesn''t seem to be the case." Michi shook her head. Rewen heaved a sigh of relief. "FIRE!!" "FIRE!!" "EVACUATE!!" Just then, both of them heard loud sounds from outside the house. Hurriedly getting up, they peeked through the window. The neighboring house was burning in fire. Not only that, the entire neighborhood was burning. "W-what''s going on?" Michi couldn''t keep her calm and fell down on her rear. Rewen was about to speak when he noticed the ceiling above him shaking up. Not wasting any time, he grabbed Michi''s hand and made a run towards the outside. The ceiling fell burning on the floor. Rewen didn''t have the time to see but Michi was terrified. ''W-what is happening?'' Over a short period of time, she had gotten assaulted and is now seeing her house burning. As both of them came outside, they saw a couple of people watching their house burning. "M-Michi?" A middle-aged woman recognized her. Michi took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. "Auntie, what is happening?" "I don''t know, child." The middle-aged woman spoke with an anxious expression. "It must be the work of Hanagawas! They have been in conflict with the Terio for generations! They finally couldn''t hold it any longer." "How can the Hanagawas be that stupid? If they were to be the perpetrator behind this incident, then they have to be prepared for harsh punishments." Michi squatted on the ground with both of her hands on her face as her shoulders shook. She couldn''t hold herself back from breaking down. Meanwhile, Rewen quietly listened to the conversation. ''Let''s review this a bit. Although there is a City Lord, the topmost figure in the Rover City is undoubtedly Terio Ikeda. Terio had conflicts with Hanagawas but because of rules and regtions, it''s very unlikely that the Hanagawas would openly attempt to destroy the city. They may or may not have a hand in this but this couldn''t be a direct attack from Hanagawa. That leaves me with'' "Fuck!" He saw arge arrow with the fire approaching them while everyone was engrossed in discussions. "Move away!" He shouted, then grabbed Michi''s hands and fled from the spot. *BAAM* The bolt of fire fell on the ground causing the instant death of several people. If it weren''t for his warning, it would have caused even more deaths. "OH LORD!" "RUN!" "THE HANAGAWAS WILL PAY!" Rewen kept running, dragging Michi who was in a trance. "Rewen!" He stopped when he heard someone calling. Turning his head right, he saw Hase sitting on the driver''s seat of a car. Rewen was delighted to see this and hurriedly went towards the car. "Hop in quickly!" Rewen opened the door and got in. He then gave some space for Michi to enter when he saw her standing like a statue. Sighing, he pulled her into the car. "Now is not the time to be in a daze. You can think about thingster. I would even console you and make you feel better but not now, alright?" It was unknown whether Michi heard him or not but she gave a small nod. However, it was no doubt that Hase heard him. "Haha! Rewen, you still have the mood to crack jokes? Anyways, sit tight. I''m going to the vi. You don''t have any problems, right?" "No, it''s fine," Rewen said, *** Terio Vi. Ceilings copsed, walls broken, dead bodies all over the floor. Among all this lied a young girl in the center, her eyes dead, her face nk. Two streaks of tears slowly fell down on her face as she looked at the man lying in front of her. She vividly recalled the memory from a minute ago. A few minutes ago. Reza was, as usual, on her smartphone texting her friends when she heard a loud noiseing from the living room. Finding something wrong, she exited the room to find out what''s happening. "So you are telling me that you don''t have it?" It was the voice of a man she had never heard of. When she peeked, she saw a tall figure shrouded in ck all over his body. Not even his face could be seen. Opposite to him was her father, Terio Ikeda. "My Lord, if I had that, I would have already used it on my son." "That''s true. That''s true." The man nodded as if he was understanding the circumstances of Ikeda, then his eyes turned to outside the living room. "Mr. Terio, it seems that your family has many peeping toms." Chapter 174: Leaving Rover City (2) Chapter 174: Leaving Rover City (2) Reza''s heart skipped a beat when she was noticed. Ikeda''s expression darkened. "Please leave. We are having a discussion." "Haha! It''s fine, Mr. Ikeda. Let the persone in." For some reason, beads of perspiration appeared on Reza''s forehead. As she was about to take a step, a hand was ced on her shoulder and pushed her back. "I''m sorry for the unsightly disy, Respected Sir." Mrs. Terio entered the living room, her head lowered. "Interesting." The man shrouded in ck chuckled. "Are you his wife? How lucky, Mr. Terio." Ikeda nervously nodded his head. "May I know why you would want the item?" "I''m afraid it''s a confidential matter." The man shrouded in ck shook his head. "Oh" Ikeda didn''t have any expression of disappointment. Even though he was curious, he knew that the other party was a huge figure and he didn''t want to involve himself in the matters of the big figures. "By the way, does your son have Nirvana''s Break?" "Y-yes." Ikeda was shocked to find out that the person opposite him seemed to know this. It led him to believe that he even knew some more things about the item but he didn''t dare to ask. "Can you bring him here? I can examine his condition." The man said something which shocked the Terio couple. "Yes! I''m bringing him here. Please wait." Mrs. Terio was on the verge of tears when she heard this as she hurriedly exited the living room. Reza was no longer peeking into the living room but she could still hear the discussion. The more she listened to the discussion, the more puzzled she got. ''Ryu has Nirvana''s Break?'' She knew what Nirvana''s Break is but never knew that her brother had that. "I don''t know how I could ever repay you" Ikeda said with emotions all over his face. Today, he had lost all hope for his son but it seems that fate isn''t too bad to him. The man shrouded in ck waved his hands. "I caused inconvenience to you bying here. It''s only right that I do something." After a while, Mrs. Terio came to the living room with her son on her bosom crying tears of happiness. Lying him down on a sofa, Mrs. Terio turned to the guest. "Please see him." The man got up and came near Ryu, then caught his right hand. "..." His silence made the Terio couple as well as Reza who was standing outside anxious. "Is something wrong?" Mrs. Terio couldn''t hold back her anxiousness. The man shrouded in ck didn''t give a straight answer. "I want everyone staying in the vi toe to this room." "No problem! That will be done within a minute!" Ikeda vigorously nodded, then called his butler. "Alex!" A few secondster, the Head Butler Alex entered the living room. "I''m here." "Call everyone living in the vi in this room right now. Don''t leave a single one out." Ikeda gravely spoke. Alex was a bit shocked by the sudden order but he quickly nodded. "Right." *** A minuteter, all the servants from maids to janitors gathered in the living room. Since the living room was quiterge, it didn''t overcrowd the ce. Discussions were made among them about the purpose of the sudden call. Reza was also present among them, quietly looking at her brother. ''I never knew that Ryu had Nirvana''s Break.'' Ikeda turned to the man shrouded in ck. "Do you need anything else?" The man shook his head, then chuckled. "I don''t need anything else but you should prepare yourself." Ikeda was confused by the words of the man. "What do you mea--" *Swish* A long de passed through his abdomen stopping his words midway. The long de glowed in blood red. The man slowly pulled his de out as Ikeda''s body fell on the floor without a single word. "..." Silence. After a second of silence, chaos filled the entire room. Mrs. Terio''s eyes widened. Reza fell down on her knees not believing what was happening in front of eyes. The Head Butler Alex went forward to fight the man. *Swish* He became headless the next moment. sh! sh! sh! It was a one-sided ughter. When the people starteding at her, the man shrouded in ck took the initiative to go towards them. Gradually, only a few people were alive in the room. Reza saw her personal maid getting brutally killed. Reza saw her mother falling on the floor after a sh at her neck. She wanted to go towards her but her legs were weak. "No! Not Ryu!!" She yelled at the top of her lungs but the oue didn''t change. The man in ckughed lightly, then ruthlessly plunged his de towards Ryu''s heart. Blood flew from his mouth as the closed eyes of Ryu opened slowly. Because his face was towards Reza, the first person he saw was her. "Huh sister? Where am I? I''m sleepy please wake up in the morning" His eyes slowly closed again. He was dead. "AHHH!" Reza let out a heart-wrenching cry. Bawling her fist, she ran towards the murderer. The man in ck let out a smile. With a single flick on his finger, she was pushed back. Reza screamed again and ran towards him again. This time, she was held up through her neck. "Do you hate me?" Reza didn''t answer but she continued to struggle. "Haha! Quite a feisty one, aren''t ya? Very well, look closely at this face and remember it." The man shrouded in ck took off the cloth that was preventing him from seeing his face revealing a young face Reza was initially shocked with how young the person was but then, she gritted her teeth and tried kicking him. The young manughed, then threw her on the floor. "It''s regrettable that I didn''t find what I was looking for but" His eyes turned to Ryu''s body. He crouched and pierced Ryu''s chest with his hands, then dug out his heart. "The heart of someone who had experienced Nirvana''s Break this isn''t too bad." He looked at his surroundings. Everyone except for Reza was dead. He walked towards her and grabbed her hair. "Well, I''m going to let you live. Do you know why I''m doing so?" "..." Reza didn''t answer. Her eyes were filled with hatred. "You would regret this" "Now that you say that, I would indeed regret it if you were to get a dues ex machina ande after my head. So I guess I have to change... Haha! I never intended to leave you in the first ce!" He shed a smile, then twirled his de, plunging it towards her face. Ssh! The de pierced her head. Reza''s body fell. He pulled his de out, then heard sounds of chaos. "It has started. I should get going." He disappeared as if he never existed in the first ce. Just then, Reza appeared out of nowhere and held "Reza''s body" which was the body of a middle-aged man. It was Ikeda. He hadn''t died when the young man thrust his de on his chest and was secretly alive. In the final moment, when the young man was about to kill his daughter, he used a Sealing Technique of illusionary type which reced himself with Reza. "PAPA!!" She cried out loud. Chapter 175: Leaving Rover City (3) Chapter 175: Leaving Rover City (3) A car stopped near the Terio Vi which waspletely fine unlike the houses in the neighborhood which havepletely burnt down. Two people got out of the car. One was a tall blue-haired guy in his early twenties and the other was a medium-height ck-haired unpleasant-looking teenager. The two were Hase and Rewen respectively. "It seems like the vi is safe," Rewen said, looking at Hase. Hase kept staring at the vi. "It''s too quiet let''s go." Rewen nodded, then ran with Hase into the vi. Five seconds after entering the vi, he finally understood what Hase was talking about. There are more than one-hundred-and-eighty people living in the vi but till now, he had not heard a single sound. What could it mean other than bad news? "Where are the servants?" Hase asked, his throat had turned dry. Rewen was searching the rooms one-by-one. ''Let''s see the living room.'' Tap! Tap! Tap! "..." He came to a stop when he walked into the living room. The living room had be storage of corpses. Most of the corpses were headless bodies lying on the floor all over the room while some were stabbed. He noticed a trail of blood. Following the trail of blood, he found a familiar figure. Ikeda! Beside him, a young girl was sitting. Rewen took a deep breath, then calmly walked towards her. "Reza?" He shook her shoulders. Her body fell on his legs. She was unconscious. Rewen gave onest nce at the room before carrying her over his shoulders, then walked out of the room. Hase, who was near the room, had his eyes lit up when he saw his cousin. "Is she unconscious?" Rewen nodded without a word. "What about the others? Are they in the living room?" Hase didn''t wait for a reply and went inside the living room. Rewen sighed, then walked to the car where Michi was sitting and ced Reza near her. "She is?" "That guy''s cousin." Rewen briefly replied. "Oh" Rewen closed the door of the car and headed towards the living room. As he was approaching, he saw Hase walking back with a destitute and grim face. *** Outside the Rover City. It was dusk and pouring. Inside a car, Rewen leaned on the seat while closing his eyes. He wasn''t actually sleeping. ''How could I sleep in such a time and ce?'' On the way out of the city, every one in three houses he had seen was caught in the fire. ''Who did this?'' This was the question that was in everybody''s mind since the start of this incident. "Drink this." Hase passed a bottle of water to Reza who had woken up. Reza took the bottle without a word. Ever since she had woken up, she had been silent. Only when Hase pushed her to tell him about the deaths of her parents and little brother did she narrate the events briefly. "Do you want one as well?" Hase asked, looking at the other person sitting in the car - Michi. Michi shook her head. "No." Although her mental state was better than the girl sitting beside her, it wasn''t by too much. ''I no longer have a ce to go home.'' Thinking about it, she felt sad. Hase had one hand on the steering wheel and the other on the front. It was clear that he was thinking about something. "So what do you guys want to do?" Reza was quiet. Michi opened her mouth but couldn''t answer. Rewen opened his eyes. "We could decide where we want to go but first do you have any idea? If you do, please tell us." Hase showed a troubled face. "Please!" Michi requested. "You know who he is?" Reza''s eyes looked straight at Hase. After the incident that happened a couple of hours ago, she had developed an intense hatred for the man shrouded in ck. "He was the one who told Uncle to take Ryu back from the academy but I don''t know who he is." Hase inly said. "But I do know about the incident behind the fire." Reza''s eyes dimmed. "Can I start?" Hase asked while looking at the other two. Rewen and Michi nodded. "Very well. First, this is just a deduction of mine. It has some chance of being false so take everything with a grain of salt. The one behind the incident ording to me is one of thergest terrorist organizations." "Terrorists!?" Michi couldn''t restrain her calm. "That too, one of thergest?" Rewen also had the same doubt but he didn''t raise his voice and waited for Hase to continue. Hase words out his thoughts properly. The Council is not the most powerfulmanding force in the world. In fact, there aren''t organizations or families that couldmand the world. But just because it doesn''t exist now doesn''t mean it didn''t exist. Two hundred years ago, there was once an organization that had the world in the palm of its hands. It was not particrly overbearing or evil but just the fact that it had the power to rule the world was a threat to mankind, at least that''s what the masses thought. The most ironic part about the entire thing is that the colossal organization wasn''t even an organization dedicated to creating powerful men and women. It was just apany that made shoes. It was a shoepany made by a group of powerful youths from the six nations who were childhood friends. Growing up in slums, they evencked basic food and clothing. Not having footwear is one of the main concerns. Oftentimes, cuts appeared on their feet. One day, the group of youths made the decision if they were to somehow get rich, they would set up a shoepany together. As fate would have it, each of them managed to be a model for the young generations. It was an inspirational story that didn''t inspire the masses. It only served to create more chaos. Because the shoepany didn''t make any moves, the media didn''t hesitate to criticize every little thing they did. That''s why the shoepany didn''tst past one generation. But the fact that there was once an organization that had the power to rule the world made the other big organizations increase theirpetition so as to not create another like the shoepany. Two hundred yearster, a terrorist organization was formed that was the self-proimed sessor of the shoepany. They unify under the motive of avenging the shoepany and call themselves - WestLane. It has been particrly active for the past few years in the Nation of Bandits. There were rumors that the WestLane set their sights on Zcan State. ''That seems so random?'' Rewen didn''t have an idea of which organization behind the incident was but he does know one thing - he is a fictional world. The more the storyline seems out of ce, the less good the story is. He wouldn''t have any problems if WestLane were the one behind this incident but that wouldn''t make a story interesting. ''Forget it, I''ll know when the timees." Hase asked again. "Where are we going?" "How about the Jackport Town? The cost of staying is low and we could even work in the guild." Michi suggested. Hase turned to Rewen and Reza who nodded, then grabbed the steering wheels. "Jackport town, it is." Chapter 176: Witch Of Batomata (1) Chapter 176: Witch Of Batomata (1) Two weeks ago. Imada woke up, feeling refreshed. After two days of sail, he along with his group arrived at the nearest ind, Batomata. The locals were amodating and friendly, giving them an entire house for shelter. Raising his body, he looked around the room. Three other guys were sleeping in single beds in different corners of the room. One was a ck-haired short height Sakai, another was a tall brown-haired Koshikawa, and thest one was Koyami. He looked out of the window. It was early morning. ''Is someone even up yet? Whatever. I''ll just look around.'' Rubbing his eyes, he headed outside and immediately spotted Asuka doing stretches. "What''s up?" Imada asked, attempting to start a conversation, Asuka looked at the newly-arrived figure from the corner of her eyes. "Wake them up." "Sakai, Koyami and Koshikawa? Sure, but what''s the hurry?" "What''s not the hurry? We are on an unknown ind around unknown people. How can I not hurry?" For some reason, Asuka was increasingly anxious about being in an unknown ce. Growing up in an extremely wealthy family, she had been pampered and taken care of most of the time. Due to this, she had the thrill of adventuring but never actually wanted to go on adventures because she was too used to living an easy life. Imada wanted to raise a counterpoint but decided otherwise when he saw her face. "By today or tomorrow, we''ll depart from this ind." *** "I''m afraid you have to wait for half a year to depart from here. We don''t have the modern technology required to charge the ship. Half a yearter, a cargo ship will arrive here." An old man in primitive clothes let out a sigh. Beside him, there were several other tanned men and women who wore the same primitive clothes. "Half a year!?" Asuka red up. She is having difficulties staying in this ce even for a single day, how was she supposed to stay here for six months. "Calm down, Asuka. It''s not their fault." Aya rubbed her back while she herself didn''t have a good face. Sakai and Koyami sighed. Koshikawa had the same carefree smile. "So what? We''ll eventually leave this ce." Imada ignored the guy and stared straight at the elderly man. "Is there no other way?" The old man had a troubled face. "It''s not that there isn''t a way but" Everyone''s eyes lit up hearing that. "Please tell us." Imada stepped forward. The elderly man looked out of the window. "Well, the other way is to go to Witch''s Castle. She might be the only one who could send you back." *** Batomata was a fairly big ind stretching across 478 square miles ofnd area. However, despite therge area, its poption is less than 100. This is due to the fact that this is a recent settlement. Forty years ago, a group of people came on thisnd because they were kicked out of the nation they were living in. The reason they didn''t adopt modern technology was simply they don''t have enough money to do so. Of course, they weren''tpletely isted from contact with the rest of the world. Twice a year, a cargo ship was sent to supply basic materials in exchange for wood. The recent exchange they had was just around a week ago so it would take six months for the cargo ship to arrive again. "Do witches really exist?" Staring at Imada, Aya asked with a doubtful voice. Imada shrugged. "Maybe. The world is full of wonders so even if witches do exist, I wouldn''t be overly surprised." "Hey! Stop chatting among yourselves. Help me fix this up." Koshikawa shouted from a distance. He was setting up a horse-driven carriage but couldn''t restrain the horse enough to join it with the carriage. Imada walked towards him. "Where are the other three?" The other three he was referring to were Asuka, Koyami and Sakai. Initially, they were also fixing the carriage but for some reason, they went somewhere and hadn''t returned yet. "They are watching street magic," Koshikawa answered briefly. "Street magic?" Imada frowned, thinking that Koshikawa was ying with him. "I''m serious. Go and call them." Koshikawa pointed to a small crowd gathered at a distance. Imada walked to the crowd and as Koshikawa had said, there was a man performing street magic. He also spotted Sakai, Koyami and Asuka who were staring intensely at the street magician as if they wanted to uncover all his secrets. They are students of Sakura Garden Academy and could be counted as "magicians" in some ces. They disdained tricks and therefore, wanted to ridicule the street magician once they uncover his secrets. ''Why are they so childish?'' Imada helplessly thought, then his eyes went to the street magician who was wearing a typical "street magician" outfit. ''Wait a second, he doesn''t look like he is a local.'' Only now did he notice that the skin tone of the street magician is lighter. Even if skin tone is excluded, where did he get the magician''s outfit? Imada decided to ask him about him after the show was over. Meanwhile, the street magician in question elegantly took out a small coin and showed the coin to his audience. "Look closely, this should be a coin, right?" The audience nodded. The street magicianughed. "I see some doubtful faces. Can someonee out and see if it''s tampered with or not?" Asuka immediately came out of the crowd. "Very well, this youngdy, please check." The magician smilingly handed over the coin to her. Asuka examined closely. After a while, she gave back the coin to the magician and went back to the crowd. "Alright, with that out of the way" The magician pulled his sleeve and showed two of his hands, the right hand holding the coin with two fingers. "Watch closely. This is not a trick that has a story. It''s" He tossed the coin in the air andid his right hand out to catch the coin but the coin never fell. Rather, the coin vanished! "... this simple." The magician spread his hands but he didn''t get the expected apuse. "Is this it?" "This shouldn''t be the end." After the audience went through a sh of confusion, they dryly pped and left. Seeing this, the magician sighed. "People these days don''t understand the true essence of magic hm? Why are the three of you still here?" He then noticed that he still had three audiences. Imada was about to ask the person''s origins when Asuka spoke out. "Hey. How did you do that?" Asuka directly asked. Ordinary people might not have noticed but being a <>, she had senses beyond ordinary people. From the start, she had her eyes set on the coin. Even when the coin was tossed, her eyes were set but then, it suddenly disappeared. This led her to believe that there must be some kind of mechanism behind it. The magician had a strange expression when he heard this. "Youngdy, a magician''s secrets are more than the magician himself." Asuka didn''t appear convinced. "Asuka, Sakai, Koyami. Koshikawa is doing all the work by himself. Please go and help him." At this moment, Imada spoke up. Chapter 177: Witch of Batomata (2) Chapter 177: Witch of Batomata (2) Koyami, Asuka, and Sakai nodded, then walked towards the carriage. Imada''s eyes turned to the magician. "You don''t look like you are from here." The magician packed his bag. "Neither do you." "Yeah, we arrived just today." Imada honestly replied. "Is that so? Where did youe from?" "Have you heard of the recent sub-humans invasion of Sakura Garden Academy?" "What? No, are you serious?" The magician genuinely looked confused by the sudden revtion. "How did that happen? Don''t tell me that you guys" Imada nodded. "We somehow managed to escape. I''m surprised the news didn''t travel." The magician didn''t reply for a while, then he said. "Fill me in the matter." Imada took a total of fifteen minutes to exin his situation in detail. "This is a crisis." The magician said with a grave face, then he looked at a random direction with a distant look. "I have a family in Central. Due to a confidential reason, I had toe here. But now that I''m feeling arge crisis heading towards the people of the world, I have to return to Central and protect my family." Imada quietly listened to the man. As he expected, the magician was not a local. After a moment of reminiscing, the magician turned to Imada. "We have to report this to the higher-ups as soon as possible but I have heard that it would take six months for a cargo ship to arrive on this ind." "Have you heard of the witch?" Imada asked to see if he knew about the matter or not. The magician was confused. "Witch? This ind''s witch. Of course, I have heard of her. She is a renowned Gold-ranked Gruer User who has mastered the illusionary branch of [Sealing]. But what has that got to do anything?" "We have heard that she has a way to help us." "That''s unbelievable but I''ll take your word for it. Are you going to the Witch''s Castle?" "Yes, do you want toe?" "I''ll go with you." *** It was night. The half-moon shone brightly amidst the dark clouds. "Did we arrive yet? We should just take a rest for the day." Koshikawa muttered while looking at the moon. It had been twelve hours since the journey started and they had not yet reached their destination. Although they had not encountered a single beast, walking between the woods doesn''t give a ''safe'' feeling. Fortunately, they had a mysterious magician who was a self-proimed Bronze-ranked Gruer User. "Hey, are you really a Gruer User?" Asuka doubtfully asked for the fifth time. The magician showed an annoyed expression. "Despite how I look, I''m actually thirty-three years old. Is it that surprising that I''m an experienced Gruer User?" "You are thirty-three!? I thought you were older!" Asuka had a shocked look. The magician scoffed, then disinterestedly turned his face to Imada. "I''m saying this before going to the castle, the witch is not a polite person. If any of us cause ruckus out there, there would be severe consequences." "We aren''t elementary kids, Uncle." Sakai felt that the magician''s words were condescending. "I''m just saying." Everyone nodded. At this moment, Koshikawa opened his mouth while looking at the moon. "Say, you seem to know something about the witch. How about you give us a brief idea of who she is and how we can convince her?" Aya nodded. "Yes, it would be easy for us tomunicate and convince her to send us back." The magician shrugged. "There seems to be this misunderstanding that it''s 100% guaranteed that the witch can send you back. Not to be the devil''s advocate but from my understanding of her, she can''t. in and simple. That being said, I do know some things about her. Want to hear?" The group eagerly nodded. "The legend of the Witch starts from the Golden Laws Era during the time the industrial revolution had just started wait, what''s with all of your faces!? Do you guys not know basic history?" Imada and the others looked at each other and shook their heads. It''s not that they didn''t have an interest in history but they were not allowed to. Each of them except for Koshikawa were from a prominent family who didn''t want their sessors to be anything other than Gruer Users. "Sh these nobles alright folks, listen carefully. I''ll be as brief as possible. In the beginning, there was the [First Chaotic Age] whichsted for two hundred years. The entire era was about the emergence of ancient Gruer Users who we now call sub-humans. The next era that came after that was [Second Chaotic Age] whichsted for more than two hundred years I think it''s about two-hundred-and-forty years anyways, I''m not a history teacher. If I''m wrong, you can check when you go back home. "Coming back to the point, [Second Chaotic Age], right? Just like the previous era where sub-humans dominated the world, in this era, we, normal humans, stood up against the oppression of the sub-humans. That''s why this period is also called the [Dark Age]. "Next, as you have already guessed, it''s the [Third Chaotic Age]. This era would be the war arc if I were to consider the world like a storybook. The main participants of the war were humans and sub-humans. Although there were other mutated species that took part in the war, most of them got extinct. The entire warsted for almost six hundred years and finally, thanks to the brave war generals from back then, we came out on top. Onto the next" "Wait." Koshikawa raised his hand. "Please try not to use simplistguage. It ruins our perception of history." "Agreed." "+1." "+1." "+1." The magician chuckled. "As I said, I''m not someone well-versed in history. If you want to hear a more solemn and urate version, I can''t do that. Alright, next is the [Golden Laws Era]. The six hundred years had an extremely severe impact on every possible field. Be it economy, livelihood, colonies everything. The [Golden Laws Era] was all about the reconstruction of a fallen civilization and creating a society. It started in the year 1014 andsted till the year 1532." "The Year 1532? Isn''t that five hundred years ago? What is the current era then?" Asuka interrupted the magician and asked with a curious expression. The magician patiently exined. "Today''s 13th June 2012. The current era is called the [Modern Era]." "The [Modern Era]? After all the cool names of ages, can''t they think of something cooler anymore?" Asuka seemed immensely disappointed. Aya sighed. She never expected the world to have such a history. ''So the sub-humans are someone we had defeated way back'' Sakai''s expression was the same. Koshikawa had the same carefree smile. Imada was getting a bit interested in history. ''No, wait. We have strayed away from the main point'' He was about to raise his voice when another voice came from behind him. "That looks like a castle." Koshikawa looked at a castle that was about seventy meters away from the carriage. "Woohoo! We have arrived!" Sakai got overexcited and got up in the carriage. Imada and the others also turned to look at the huge castle. Chapter 178: Witch of Batomata (3) Chapter 178: Witch of Batomata (3) "There is something scary about this" Getting off the carriage, Aya looked at the quiet dark castle among the woods and felt a chill. "Can''t deny that." Koyami agreed. "Let''s go and take a look." The magician stepped forward and touched the gate. "Is it open?" Imada asked. The magician nodded, then pushed the gate. He was the first to walk into the castle. Everyone else followed behind him. Going up the main door, the magician rang the doorbell. Immediately, the sound of footsteps came tightening the hearts of the teens. Secondster, the door slowly creaked open revealing a beautiful woman in her twenties. "What can I do for you?" She asked calmly. "Uh, we are here to request help from the witch." The magician directly came to the point. Imada stared at him. ''How does he know that she isn''t the witch? I mean, it''smon sense that a big figure like the witch shouldn''te in person but how could he be so sure?'' The beautiful woman answered. "I''m afraid that''s not possible. At this time, she is resting." The teens'' eyes dropped. "What about tomorrow? Can we ask for shelter?" The magician''s question raised the teens'' eyes again. The beautiful woman swept her gaze across the people in front of her. "Come in." *** Imadafortablyid on the soft bed and stared at the ceiling above him. ''The castle looks like a haunted house from the outside but it''s really beautiful in the interior.'' "Imada." Koyami, who wasying down on the bed beside the bed that Imada wasying on, suddenly called out to him. "What?" "I don''t have a good feeling about this approach. I think we should just stay on the ind for six months instead of taking a risk." Koyami said whatever there was in his mind. Before Imada got the chance to reply, Sakai from another part of the room chimed in. "That''s a cowardly argument, especially considering that we don''t even know if there''s a risk. Why would there be a risk? Don''t let your imaginations run wild. Tomorrow, we''ll meet with the witch and simply request her to send us to the Central. It''s that simple." "Yeah, but what if the witch doesn''t take kindly to our request?" Koyami replied back with a question. "Interesting scenario." Koshikawa joined in the conversation. Just like that, an argument started where the two sides kept on bringing up strawman arguments which led to nowhere. Imada finally got tired of it and turned to the quiet magician at one corner of the room. "Right. Howe you were so sure that the maid that just came wasn''t the witch?" The arguments as soon as the question was thrown as everyone''s attention was drawn towards the magician who sighed. "I have seen the witch." Sakai: "What?" Imada: "Huh?" Koshikawa: "How?" "It might be hard to believe but the witch wasn''t always a witch. Do you all have the patience to hear everything? Again, I''m not a history teacher so I could very possibly leave out important details---" Koyami interrupted him. "Who cares about details? Just give us an important idea of who she is." "Yes. Back in the carriage, you only narrated the history and strayed away from the main point." Sakaiined. "Do you guys even want me to exin?" As soon as the magician said that, the room went quiet. He coughed, then continued. "There are some people in the world who are way beyond the border of life and death. There are many different ways to interpret the sentence but for now, let''s just say that - there are people who are immortal in the sense of never dying. It doesn''t mean that those people couldn''t be killed but just that they don''t, or more appropriately speaking, age very slowly. "One of those people is the witch. She had existed since the [Golden Laws Era] and is youthful till this day. Now, before you ask how''s that possible? How can anyone live for that long? Let me just clear one thing, I don''t know. Immortality is a secret that I''m not worthy of knowing. All I know is that immortality doesn''t equal strength. "Take the witch herself as an example. She is Gold-ranked Gruer User. She definitely is a top-tier Gruer User but if you consider the core members of the Council, they are much stronger than her while not being immortal. Alright, now. How do I know the witch? "She was a freaking role-model as well as an influencer during the [Golden Laws Era]''s industrial revolution of the three nations - Avim, Jordnia, and Nus, which were technologically as well as economically way backwards than the other three nations. She was the Vice-Chairman of International Progressive Society (IPS), founded in the 25th century, that aimed at recognizing and finding solutions to the socio-economic issues that were prevailing back then. "The witch did a great service to society and was loved all around the world. I think it was around thete-25th century when the witch resigned from her post, came to this ind and dered herself a "witch". The reason why she resigned or called herself a ''witch'' is something that has been a mystery till now. Regarding her behaviour, after she considered herself a ''witch'', on more than one asion, she has shown herself to be needlessly aggressive so be careful with that." The magician stopped speaking. Imada nodded, then closed his eyes in an attempt to fall asleep. Sakai and Koyami also did the same. After more than twelve hours of journey, they had gotten tired. Only Koshikawa was up, looking at the magician with an interested expression. "The beginning was really cool but the story overall was unsatisfactory. There are so many questions that are left unanswered. Can you tell me more about IPS? Why was there even an organization like that? Wasn''t the Council enough?" The magicianughed out loud when he heard this. "You think that the Council cares about the social and economic issues? They don''t. They only care about maintaining their dominance. You might as wellin to your King rather than the Council. In all seriousness, the primary, no, the only motive of the Council is to terminate terrorist organizations." Koshikawa argued back. "How can that be? If the Council only wanted to establish dominance, they wouldn''t have let the Central be so powerful. From my knowledge, even if the Council had twice the amount of military strength, they still wouldn''t be able to overpower Central. Not to mention, the Council itself isn''t like an independent organization. It consists of the kings, army generals, and all the other powerful people from all over the world. It can''t establish dominance because it''s not an independent organization." The magician shook his head. "Why do you think the Central doesn''t have a King?" "Because it has several kings - Head of Inumaki n, Head of Atsushi n, President of Hot cial Foundations and the former Council President''s ck District. These four hold most of the power in Central but because they are more or less on the same level, a King can''t exist. For a King to be born, he has to unify the Central which seems impossible, at least to me." Chapter 179: Witch of Batomata (4) Chapter 179: Witch of Batomata (4) "Correct. The Central can''t have a King. But it''s not because there are big overlords that have almost the same power and prestige. It''s because it already has a King." The magician said in a soft voice. "What? A King in Central? Are you serious? Who is it?" Koshikawa was shocked at the revtion. "What if I tell you that the Central itself is the King?" "How" Koshikawa paused, thenughed out loud for some reason. "It has been interesting to have a conversation with you. I''ll be sleeping now." He closed his eyes. The magician shook his head, then looked out of the window as if remembering some things. A whileter, he sighed. ''No point in thinking about it, what''s done is done.'' He reached out to the light switch and turned it off. *** Next morning. Aya woke up. Raising her upper body, she looked at her left and saw Asuka sleeping soundly. They had been in a different room for the night. ''I wonder if the others are up yet. Should I wake her up?'' She looked at her wrist-watch. "9:50." Seeing that it''ste morning, she hurriedly got out of the bed and shook Asuka''s body. "Asuka, wake up." A few secondster, Asuka rubbed her eyes and got up. Yawning, she asked, "Are the others up yet?" "I was wondering the same thing. Let''s go and check." Both of them exited the room and went to the room where the boys were at. *Knock* *Knock* "Imada? It''s us." "Oh wait, let me open it." Imada''s voice came from the other side. The door opened. Imada was holding the door. Sakai was yawning sitting on his bed. The magician was stretching. The only one asleep was Koyami. "Did you see anyone whileing here?" Imada asked. Aya shook her head. "What''s with that guy? Does he think that this is his home?" Asukained looking at Koyami sleeping soundly, just like her a while ago. "Haha!" Sakaiughed. "A kick at his rear is enough to wake him up, wanna see?" The moment Sakai said that, Koyami''s eyes trembled and he immediately got up. "I''m up! Let''s go!" Everyoneughed. A momentter, the beautiful woman fromst night came and respectfully bowed. "I''m nine El Hamadore. Forgive me for being able to introduce myselfst night." The magician stepped forward and extended his hand. "It''s of no major issue. Nice to meet you. Thanks for letting us visit the witch. As an [Sealing] type illusionary Gruer User, it would be my extreme pleasure to be able to see the Legendary Witch in person." Back in the days, the witch was one of the greatest illusionary masters. She invented several patents and skills that are being used till this day. nine El Hamadore too extended her hand and shook it. Imada also stepped forward. "Nice to meet you, I''m Imada." "I''m Koyami." "Aya." "Koshikawa." "Sakai." "Asuka." Just like that, everyone introduced themselves. "Now that the introductions are over, please follow behind me." *** The witch was sitting on the sofa of arge room. When she saw several people entering the room, her eyebrows furrowed but she calmly remained seated. Wearing a thin veil and blue floral dress, she got up. "Wee to my humble abode. If there''s something you want, tell it as directly as possible. I don''t like people who mince words." Her voice was gentle but it was enough to make the teens feel a chill. ''She''s certainly got an attitude.'' The magician mused. This time, he didn''t step forward. He looked at the teens, seeing what they would do. nine respectfully bowed and went to the side of the witch. Sakai, Aya, Koshikawa, Asuka and Imada all had a difficult look on their faces. The witch didn''t threaten them, yet they felt threatened. The words they had prepared beforeing here got stuck on their throat. Imada let out a deep breath. "We want to go to Central." As soon as he said that, he felt that the psychological pressure on him had been loosened. The witch sat down on the sofa. "I see where exactly in the Central?" Imada looked at others, then looked at the witch again. "Anywhere." Everyone lived in Central but they lived in different parts of Central. He can''t be selfish and name the ce he lived in. The witch didn''t reply for a long time. Every second tightened the hearts of the teens even more. "I can send you people back but I have got a condition." The witch finally said. The answer lit the teens'' eyes but at the same time, they also became cautious. What if the condition was something unreasonable. Therefore, Imada carefully said, "Please state it. As long as it''s within our capabilities, we''ll try to do it." The witch nodded, then gestured to nine who was standing beside her. nine understood the gesture and brought her ears closer to the witch. Thetter whispered some words into her ear after which nine nodded and then left the room. A whileter, she returned with a white chalk in her hand. Next, standing at a distance of a meter from the witch, she circled around her with the chalk touching the floor. As soon as aplete circle was made, she got up and threw the chalk into the nearby dustbin. Everyone except for the witch and nine was confused by this action. The witch nodded. "Alright. This is a game. I will send you people back as long as any one of you can reach and touch me. I won''t go beyond the circle. After entering the cycle, you have three minutes. If I remain untouched throughout the time period, the condition would fail." "A game?" Imada had predicted all kinds of different scenarios but this wasn''t something he could expect. He looked at his friends and found that they simrly have a strange look. Koshikawa came to him and patted his shoulders. "This makes it simple and hard at the same time. Simple because the goal is simple. Harder because she is Gold-ranked Gruer User while we aren''t even Bronze. She isn''t someone we could just touch even if we want to. Do you have a n?" Imada thought about how to corner her. "I think the best method would be for us to cover her from all sides." "I don''t have a better idea. Let''s try it." Koshikawa said before turning to the others. "Are you just going to stand there dumbly? Mister Magician, you too. In this game, you would y a huge part so please don''t continue to admire the beauty of the witch." The magician rubbed his nose, then coughed. "Idiot. I was only finding weak spots." Imada and the others slowly walked towards the witch and stood behind the line. Koshikawa raised his hand and showed three fingers. "In the count of three, we''ll enter the circle." The others nodded in agreement. "Three." Koshikawa closed his ring finger. The others surrounding the witch readied themselves and took a stance. "Two" Out of everyone''s expectations, Koshikawa hurried to the circle and tried to touch the witch. Chapter 180: Witch of Batomata (5) Chapter 180: Witch of Batomata (5) He had nned this from the very start. He knew that the witch wasn''t an easy figure so he had to use elements of surprise to get the upper hand. The witch blinked. The hand that was reaching out to her grabbed empty air and he felt a figure standing behind him. Koshikawa had no expression of shock on his face. ''As expected, it won''t be that simple.'' He swung his hand to his back and the same thing happened. By this time, everyone recovered from their shock and approached the witch from different directions. The witch was the closest to Asuka. ''I can do this'' Asuka took a deep breath. With everything she had, she tried to reach out to the witch. *Swish* The witch didn''t even need to use her powers. With a single sidestep, she dodged the hand. However, at this moment, she failed to notice that a man had arrived behind her. It was the magician! While everyone was busy approaching the witch, he was the only one who didn''t take any immediate actions. He waited for the witch to let her guard down, then strike while the iron is hot. Eventually, the witch noticed him and let out a mutter. "Impressive. However" His hand went through her body as if her body was transparent. "... don''t forget that I am an illusionary master." She softly said, before her transparent body faded into air and appeared away from him. The magician looked at her for a while, then raised both of his hands with a smile. "I give up." Stepping out of the circle, he looked at the teens. "Previously, I thought that she wouldn''t use her illusionary techniques but it looks like would. Let alone three minutes, even if three days were given, we would still not be able to touch her. Don''t believe me? Go ahead and try." Imada and the others'' faces fell. Indeed. The power difference is wide and it''s not something that can be covered with numbers and tricks. Now that the witch had shown that she would even use her illusionary skills if needed, the situation turned even more bleak. "Come!" Imada shouted. Despite the odds, he still wanted to try his luck. The others thought the same and joined him. Just like that, three minutes passed by. The result was something everyone had expected. The witch calmly sat back on her sofa and watched the teens on their knees out of exhaustion. She didn''t immediately say anything. Imada, Koshikawa, Asuka, Aya, Koyami and Sakai looked at each other and saw the look of disappointment on everyone''s faces. "Damn it." Clenching his fist, Imada muttered his breath. A whileter, everyone got up and left the circle. The magician shrugged but didn''t pull a ''Told ya!'' on them. ''It''s better this way. If they were to give up before, they would be indignant.'' "Let''s go back. Six months will pass by in a breeze." To lighten the heavy atmosphere, he said. Imada, Sakai, and Aya sighed. Koyami had his hands on his face. Asuka seemed to be on the verge of tears when imagining the living conditions of the ind. "Do you know of any easy jobs?" Koshikawa asked with a carefree smile. The magician responded with a smile. "You can be my assistant." "Haha! No, thanks. Being an assistant of a small-time street magician is a risky job." The magicianughed, then turned to the others. "Should we leave? We are going to have a long journey ahead of us." This sentence pulled the others out of their short-term depression. "Yes, it''s better to leave right now." Imada dered, then turned back along with others and turned to leave. Just then, the witch opened her mouth. "I have a proposition that you people might be interested in." Imada and the others stopped. "Is it going to be another game?" Koyami asked with an anxious face. The witch calmly spoke. "Of course not." Imada suppressed the delight in his heart and asked inly. "Please tell us. If---" The witch cut him off. "I don''t know if the proposition is out of your bounds or not. All I want to know is are you interested in hearing it out?" Imada didn''t get offended and nodded after getting nods from his friends. "We can''t promise anything." "That works." The witch said in a nonchnt manner. "The sub-humans that you people had encountered came to this ind as well." "What!?" Koyami couldn''t hold his calm and started panicking. "They left the ind as soon as they came." The witch continued. "However, within the short time period of their stay on this ind, they attracted a beast tide. From my estimates, the beast tide will reach the local vige on the ind by next week. What I want you people to do is deal with the beast tide and secure the safety of the vige. If you manage to do that, I''ll send you people to Central." "A beast tide!?" Sakai freaked out. "Imada, we shouldn''t be staying here. Don''t make a stupid decision. Even Mitsuhara-sensei who was a Silver-ranked Gruer User couldn''t deal with a couple of beasts. It would be suicidal if we agree to this proposal." Imada was not stupid. He turned around and saw that everyone had difficult faces, then made his decision. "I''m sorry---" "What if I tell you that the beasts are way weaker than the Zonal Lions you encountered?" The witch interrupted him again and asked. "Way weaker? How much weaker?" Imada had second thoughts about his decision. ''A beast tide normally consists of ten to thirty beasts. No, no, no. No matter from which angle I think, this is a risky deal.'' Sakai and the others also looked at the witch with an expectant face. Sure enough, the witch wouldn''t give them an impossible task, right? The witch didn''t give a reply. At this moment, the magician opened his mouth. "Answer me one thing. Are the beasts weaker than any of us?" "Yes." The witch answered unhesitantly. "Not a single beast can overpower any of us if we were to fight it one-on-one?" "The possibility of that happening is low." The witch answered. "Well." The magician turned back to Imada. "You should have gotten your answer, right?" Imada felt pressured. He didn''t want to bear the responsibility in case a failure urs because of his decision Till now, he had never made a difficult decision. His decision was always followed by support from his friends. But right now, nobody spoke up in support of anything. The primary reason for this is that while there were gains, there is also a risk involved. This is the responsibility that a leader has to bear. Imada inhaled a mouthful of air and said, "I agree to the deal but we can''t promise anything. If therees a situation where we have to prioritize our lives over the deal, we''ll run away. Does it work? Also, I have a personal question." "It works. I won''t answer personal questions. nine, send them out." The witch got up from her sofa and walked away. nine sent them out and the group started their journey back to the local vige. Chapter 181: Witch of Batomata (6) Chapter 181: Witch of Batomata (6) "Beast tide, huh. Can we defend it?" Imada asked himself standing out in the mild weather. A day had passed after the group had returned to the local vige. The locals were kind enough to let them take shelter for free but Imada had no idea how long the kindness wouldst. ''In case, we fail to control the beast tide, we have to find jobs wait, aren''t I forgetting something? How are we supposed to find jobs if the people who give jobs don''t exist anymore?'' All of a sudden, Imada felt that the matter was more serious than he previously thought. Today, they were supposed to make a n. So he was waiting at the meeting ce, or rather, outside the residence the group was staying temporarily. "Yo! You are up early." Koshikawa yawned,zily approaching Imada. Followed by him were the rest of the group - Asuka, Aya, Sakai, Koyami, and the magician. After the group had gathered, the magician pped his hands. "Alright, guys. I''m sure the rest you have taken yesterday was enough or do you need one more day? Tell me if you arezy and unwilling because this is serious. Doing things half-heartedly isn''t going to work anymore. So, is there anyone who is feeling like maybe today isn''t the right day for starting?" As soon as the magician said that, the look in the group sharpened. Whether they want it or not, they have to n and be prepared, i.e., if they care about their own lives. The magician smiled when he saw the determined look on their faces. "Since there are no objections, without any further ado, I''ll start the introductions. I''m, as you all know, a thirty-three years old street magician. There is nothing particrly special about me. I came to this willingly and there are a lot of personal things about me that I''m not going to talk about. For now, just know me as a goofy street magician who happens to be a Bronze-ranked [Sealing] Gruer User. Oh, I''m also a teacher for now." When he finished his introduction, Imada gave his own. "I''m a fifteen-year-old teen uh, I''m not trying to brag but my talent is good and my affinity with G.C. is pretty good. Because I am the only son in my family, I was brought up by strict parents That''s it." The magician nodded, then moved his eyes towards Koshikawa. "Mister Smartass, I certainly have a lot to hear from you." Koshikawa chuckled. He was the one who got along with the magician the most. He figured that it''s because both of them had simr temperaments. "I''m not sure what is so mysterious about me. Fine, I''ll delve deep into my past. I''m an orphan. I grew up in an orphanage in Central. I''m sure everyone has heard about the "Selective Process" in orphanages. Children there literally get prematurely <> and if you don''t have a good awakening, they won''t care about you. At most, they''ll keep you till you are thirteen and then throw you out. Anyways, I went through the "Selective Process" of orphanages and was dered ''talented''. Therefore, they decided to let me enroll into Sakura Garden at the age of eight." Sakura Garden Academy has its own schooling system from kindergarten all the way to graduation. "You certainly have an interesting past." The magicianmented. "What about you, Sakai? Is that your name?" Sakai nodded. "I don''t have an interesting past or strict parents. I''m just, you know, the usual kid. My talents are above-average so I constantly worry about my future." The magicianughed out loud. "In the past, I was a much worse version of you." He then turned his eyes to the next person. "What about you, Princess Asuka?" Everyone, including Asuka, revealed a shocked expression. The magician''s face was strange. "Did I say something weird?" The group fell silent. Koshikawa finally couldn''t hold back hisughter. "She is a princess." Now it''s the magician''s turn to be shocked. "What? For real? Doesn''t she live in Central?" Koshikawa continued. "She is the 5th and also the youngest daughter of King Tsubasa Jr., the King of Olpio. She was brought up in Central because the King thought that the Central is the safest ce for her daughter to live." "This also works?" The magician weirdly looked at Asuka. "So you are a pampered princess. Okay, off to the next one---" "I''m not!" Asuka stomped her feet angrily. This is also the reason she gets angry when someone calls her ''Asuka-hime''. "I get it, I get it. So... Aya? Are you a princess as well?" Aya chuckled. "I''m not. I''m the third daughter of a small-time noble in Central. My parents were moderately strict but unlike Imada, I had the freedom to do what I want because I had two older brothers." "Hm? Imada didn''t have freedom? You okay, kid?" The magician turned to Imada who responded with a wry smile. "Hmm anyways, off to thest person, Koyami! Tell me about yourself." "I...I am an average student---" "An average student who likes to bully." Imada exposed him. Koyami red at him. "Name me two people whom I targeted." Imada: "Your entire persona is about bullying one particr person." Koyami: "Come on man, if you are using me of bullying him, why don''t you use the entire ss?" Imada: "I never bullied him. Aside from you and your group, nobody directly bullied him. We all made fun of him but never outright bullied him." Koyami: "Really? Did you forget what Asuka did to him just a day or two before the shit happened?" "Why am I brought into this?" Asukained. "Whoa, wait there. Why did an argument appear out of nowhere?" The magician hurriedly came between them and tried to get the two parties to calm down. Koyami didn''t stop. "What''s with you suddenly acting like a hypocrite?" "Yeah, Imada. If we are guilty of bullying him, you are equally guilty." Asuka joined his side, Imada stared as if he couldn''t believe them. Seeing this, why should he hold back? "Now I''m a hypocrite, huh. Cut the act and grow some balls. You don''t even have the courage to admit frankly that you were wrong to bully him. Of course, that''s what people at the bottom do. Picking on the weak to feel yourself better. And you, Asuka. You are beyond cure. "You are nothing more than an unreasonable psychopath. You order people around and if something unpleasant appears in front of your eyes, you beat him up. Whether you admit it or not, you are the definition of a ''pampered princess''. Your father gave you everything except for a brain." Koyami: "Imada, you have crossed the line" Asuka: "What did you say!?" Both of them started their aggression towards Imada who stood at his ce. The magician had a hard time controlling their aggression. "Calm down, both of you. We can talk it out" Imada snorted. "Imada, you have said too much." While the magician was calming down the two, Aya approached him. Imada shook his head. "You wouldn''t understand, Aya. They aren''t sane people." Chapter 182: Witch of Batomata (7) Chapter 182: Witch of Batomata (7) Aya tilted her head. "How?" "They literally bullied a guy from my ss for being ugly to an extreme degree. Every single day the guy came to the ss, he also goes to the infirmary. On top of that, he also had a condition where it is certain that he could die in five months. Tell me that they are sane people." "Oh that guy" When Aya heard the ''five months'', she immediately figured who the guy was. "But why are you saying this now?" Imada couldn''t answer for a while, then opened his mouth. "Because I feel bad for him. My seat was close to him and I often chatted with him. As for whether we can be counted as friends I don''t know but there was something pitiful about him." "Did you do anything to stop him from getting bullied?" "I didn''t." Imada honestly said. "Then why bring it up now?" "I was thinking about itst night. I was thinking after all this, why not go through my life and reflect upon myself? Along the journey, I saw myself at my best when I made my family proud by scoring high marks and saw myself at my ugliest when I merged myself with the ss and engaged in group thinking and activities rather than thinking about what I was doing." "So you are having this realization after the guy died?" Aya stared at him with a nonchnt look. "Indeed. It''s a bitte" Imada couldn''t deny it. Aya suddenly smiled. "No, you aren''tte at all. If you arete, then what are Koyami and Asuka? Give some time. Not everyone is as as mature as you" By the end of her sentence, she turned a bit red. She wasn''t used to calling a person younger than her mature, especially when the other person is her boyfriend. Imada nked out. He had never thought about it that way. After a while, he stared at Aya with a serious expression. "Thank you." Aya''s smile widened but just as she was about to say something, Koshikawa came to them. "Let''s go and take a look around." Imada agreed. He knew why he proposed this. The situation right now is very chaotic and it''s difficult to sit down and n at this time. The moment he would try to speak on a matter, Koyami and Asuka interrupt or refute him. So that''s why he needed to take a step back and let them cool down. *** An hourter. Looking at the teenagers in front of him, the magician sighed. ''Kids are indeed troublesome. Fortunately, it has been resolved quickly.'' "Now then where were we? Ah, the introductions. Is there left for an introduction?" He swept his eyes from left to right, then continued. "No, I suppose. Next, before we start nning on how to defeat the beast tide, I want to know how strong each of you is. But even before I know how strong each of you is, we must know what being ''strong'' means and I''m not saying it in a philosophical way. "In this world, people with magical abilities exist. These magical abilities are a direct result of Gruer''s Code, or rather, G.C. We call them [Gruer Users]. Everyone who has gone through <> can be a [Gruer User]. To produce an <>, one needs to exhaust his/her inner potential to some degree. There are namely three procedures for <>. "First, the modern way. This is also the most risk-free way. Feed him/her a jar of Red Soulstan''s Blood. It unleashes about 50-55% of the body''s potential. If I''m not mistaken, all of you were <> in this way, right?" After receiving a couple of nods, the magician continued. "Second, the perverse way. This was prevalent in the [Golden Laws Era]. To awaken a person, you need to literally torture him/her well, maybe torture isn''t the right word. I don''t know about it much but essentially, you were hit on some specific spots after a time interval every time. Data suggests that people using this way unleash about 37-40% of the total potential. "Third, scripture training. Throughout the three Chaotic Ages, this was the only method avable to the people. This method requires a person to follow a scripture from childhood and after theypleteprehending the entire scripture, he/she bes <> unleashing 20-25% of the total potential. They are not in great use today, mainly because most of the scriptures are lost. "Now, you might ask why I''m exining all this basic stuff. This is because all of you have been recently <> and are trying to reach the threshold for Bronze. After that, you would be eligible to go through <>, right? So, can anyone tell me the threshold?" "20 POW. G.C. doesn''t matter." Koshikawa immediately answered. The magician nodded. "Indeed. To reach the Bronze rank, you need to have 20 POW and could you tell me how fast POW increases?" "Not more than two, under normal conditions. There is no talent involved. No matter how hard one practices, it''s impossible to increase his/her POW by three in a single year." Koshikawa''s answer made the first-year students shocked. They came to the expectation to get strong quickly and only now did they find out the truth. The second-year students, Aya and Sakai, were much calmer. "This means I would take more than six years to reach Bronze?" Koyami muttered with a devastated look. He had the lowest POW in the group - 7. ording to simple math, he would need more than five years (which is the allotted time given to him by the academy). "Wait, if that''s the case, wouldn''t many students fail to graduate?" Koshikawa chuckled. "What are you talking about? Just because students can''t reach Bronze within five years doesn''t mean that they can''t graduate. They just won''t be rmended by the academy. Those who didn''t reach Bronze could stay in the academy and perfectly graduate. Urgh, why am I talking as if the academy is still existing?" Imada and the others nodded in understanding. The magician coughed. "Coming back to the point, I''ll go on to the next step. Tell me your G.C. and POW. I''ll start off by telling mine. Look carefully" He folded his sleeve and took out his handkerchief from his side pocket, then stretched it using his two hands. He jerked the handkerchief for the first time softly. The next time, he jerked it fully and suddenly the delicate white handkerchief became a paper. "Now if I flip it" There were several words written on it. --- POW: 29 G.C.: 12 --- The magician shrugged. "This is my status currently. Do note that I went through the <> and this is considered a rather low stat." *p* *p* *p* The others dryly pped. Imada stood up. "I''m going first. My POW is 10. As for my G.C., it''s 6." Koshikawa: "POW 15. G.C. 5." Sakai: "POW 10. G.C. 5." Aya: "POW 9. G.C. 5." Asuka: "POW 9. G.C. 8." Koyami: "POW 7. G.C. 4." After listening to everyone, the magician took out a pen from his pocket and wrote down the numbers. Chapter 183: Witch of Batomata (8) Chapter 183: Witch of Batomata (8) When the others saw him writing down their information on a paper, they looked at each other but didn''t question his actions. The magician finished writing after a while, then kept the paper in his pocket. "Okay, I wille to this a bitter. For now, let''s go back to the topic. So, <> is something all of you are already aware of and experienced. It increased your POW and introduced some amount of G.C. onto your body. Not exactly introduced because it was already within yourself. To say it more appropriately, it brought out the G.C. within yourselves. "Depending on individual talents, it has increased the two factors by a considerable margin. Currently and in the few more years toe, you need to increase your POW to 20 for reaching the Bronze rank and then, you go through the <>. Can anyone tell me why you need exactly 20 POW? Why not 19 or 21?" "It''s because 20 POW is the most optimal state for going through <>. Lower and higher than that would not bring out the fullest of the <> or so I''ve heard." Again, Koshikawa was the one to answer. Others, except for the magician, had thoughtful expressions on their faces. "Correct. Do you know why it wouldn''t bring out the fullest of the <>?" This time, Koshikawa shook his head. "It''s because no matter how much foundation you build up, your base capacity remains the same. By base capacity, I''m referring to your total potential. Remember when I said that you people went through <> using the modern method and what percentage of your potential is exhausted when using that method? It''s fifty percent. "So in essence, when you go through your <>, fifty percent of your potential is left. Now you must be thinking - if that''s the case, what''s the harm in increasing beyond 20 POW? Wouldn''t it be better if I do that? "No. That''s not how it works. Take two empty buckets of the same sizes, let''s name them Bucket A and Bucket B. First, you half-fill Bucket A with water. Then, you take Bucket B and also fill water till it''s half-filled but then, you thought of adding a bit more. After some time, you thought of filling Bucket B by pouring the entire amount of water from Bucket A. What do you think will happen? Obviously, some quantity of water would fall off. Why is that? Because it doesn''t have the capacity to store more than a full bucket. "Apply this analogy to the total potential I was discussing. If you go through the <> without reaching the Bronze rank, the bucket would not be filled entirely, that is, your potential would be exhausted entirely but the benefits would be far less. Conversely, if you were to push through more than 20 POW, you already wasted some of your potential that would have been far more useful when you go through <>." The magician paused, giving others time to process. Imada and the others understood what the magician was saying pretty quickly. "I have a question." At this moment, Koshikawa raised his hand. The magician nodded. "What is it?" "ording to this analogy, does this mean that the ''perverse'' method as well as the ''scripture training'' method that you told us about does this mean that even after the <>, people who practice those methods would still have some potential left?" Hearing this, a smile appeared on the magician''s face. "That is an interesting question. Short answer, yes. I''m afraid it would take some time to exin the entire concept so let''s discuss thatter. Anyways, the reason I''m exining all this has very little to do with the current scenario. I know that the academy didn''t get the time to inform you about this yet this to you guys yet so I''m filling in the gaps. Take a rest. After Ie back, I''lly out the n." With that, the magician walked away. Imada and the others looked at each other and started discussing the topic they were taught just now. *** Inside a small hut. A family of three was chatting along with the magician. There was a middle-aged couple along with a young boy of about ten years of age. The magician came to this ce when he heard that the young boy was sick. It''s not that there wasn''t modern medicine avable but the magician was specifically known for being a "miracle doctor". Whenever the magician heard this name, he bitterly smiled. He wasn''t a [Healing] Gruer User but he had some knowledge about it because he was close with a person who was one. Back then, he often scoffed while learning, saying it wouldn''t be useful. Only after he came to Batomata Ind did he realize the importance of his skills. The magician got up while ruffling the hair of the sick boy. "He would be healthy by evening." The middle-aged woman, who was the mother of the boy, looked at the boy. "Tomorrow, you won''t be sick and will go to school. No excuses." The boy''s face turned sour. The magician lightlyughed. "Uh, just look at the time. I should leave." "I have just prepared lunch. Leave after some time." "Sister, I have left the kids out" "It won''t take much time," The middle-aged man also urged. Twenty minutester, the magician walked out of the hut rubbing his stomach. "That was quite a load." He said, before looking at the sky. Bright and clear. It made him feel nostalgic about the time he came to the ind. ''How many years has it been Back then, I was confused, angry and irritated when I imagined how I would live here. Strangely, life is good here. The locals generously gave me a small plot ofnd when I was contemting how to continue living. ''In the morning, I tend to my farm. In the afternoon, I have my lunch while basking under the sun and looking proudly at my farm. In the evening, I perform magic tricks,ugh and chat with themunity. Quite a smooth-sailing life for a person like me, I must say.'' Eventually, his thoughts reached the beast tide that was about toe and his face turned serious. ''I have to inform the locals.'' *** When the magician returned, he saw Imada and the others casually chatting among themselves and pped. "It took longer than expected. Anyways, if you guys don''t have any questions, should I move to the n?" "Yes." Koshikawa voiced out. "One question before that, would the n require us to grow stronger by the time we fight the beast tide." The question made Imada and the others stare at the magician in anticipation. On one hand, they were excited by the prospect of getting stronger but at the same time, they figured how hard it would be to get significantly stronger within a couple of days. The magician smiled upon seeing this. "There are two answers - yes and no. I''ll exin it clearly in a few minutes. For now, let''s discuss the n in general. Don''t worry, it isn''t veryplicated and simple to understand." Chapter 184: Witch of Batomata (9) Chapter 184: Witch of Batomata (9) Ten dayster. Standing outside his temporary residence, Imada watched as the usually chaotic vige turned strangely quiet. Today was the day the beast tide was supposed to attack the vige. Prior to these days, he along with the others followed the regime given to them by the magician. He understood what the magician meant by the answer ''yes or no''. Following the regime, he didn''t get stronger if POW was taken into consideration but if he was told to fight himself from Ten days ago, he could defeat him with 70% certainty. Not only him, but the others have also produced more or less the same results. All of this contributed to the regime which consisted of different tasks that increased versatility, strength exertion and several other factors. "There he is," Imada muttered under his breath as he watched Koshikawa approaching him. "Any news?" Koshikawa nodded with a grave face. "The beast tide has arrived. It ising to the east. Koyami and the others who were in the north are now moving towards the east. Our prediction was off. Let''s go." Imada frowned, then started running towards "What about him er, the magician?" "He is scouting other areas. He says that he would help us in case we were to face difficulties but for now, he doesn''t want to take any chances." Koshikawa replied. Imada nodded, understanding what the magician tried to say. Beast tides don''t alwayse at once, nor do they alwayse together. Sometimes, they get deviated from their fellow mates. ''At least that''s what he said.'' *** "Prepare the arrows!" Sakaimanded, then got down from the tree he was standing upon to engage in a physical fight with the nearest beast. The beast looked like a bear, except that it had huge fangs. "Take this!!" Sakai struck down the axe in his hand towards the neck of the beast. If it was him from ten days ago, he would have fled upon seeing the beast at the first sight but now, he had the guts to even take a fight with it. ''The regime was really useful.'' The sharp axe sessfully prated the tough skin of the beast but it wasn''t enough to give lethal damage to the beast. The axe however was stuck on the neck. Sakai was satisfied. Not bothering to take back the axe, he backed off. The beast grunted and tried to pounce upon him when a barrage of arrows came down at its body. The beast struggled with all its might but within a few seconds, it fell. "One down." Standing on a tree, Koyami wiped off the sweat from his forehead while holding a bow. "Don''t be careless. I can see another oneing." Standing above him, Aya carefully surveyed the area around her. "Are there beastsing in pairs?" The normally annoying Asuka also had a serious expression. "Nope," Aya said. In case the beasts wereing in pairs, they had to take extra precautions. "Oh! Imada and Koshikawa are also here." "For real? This would make it much easier." Koyami smiled. "No. That''s not the right way to think. Remember that there is no need to hurry." Sakai cautiously reminded him. "Yeah, yeah." Sakai raised his hand. "Alright, Prepare the arrows. This time, I don''t need to engage in a one-on-one fight with a beast." The only reason he had engaged in a fight with the beast he previously fought was that the beast was extremely close to them due to the fact they had arrived a few seconds ago. They didn''t have enough time to prepare and shoot. So Sakai had to step up. Now that everyone has the time to prepare, he didn''t need to step up. Picking the axe that was still stuck on the beast''s neck, he climbed one of the trees. "Here!" Asuka tossed him a bow and a set of arrows. While Sakai was preparing to shoot, Imada and Koshikawa had already arrived. "Don''t stand there for long! Get on one of the trees!" Aya shouted towards the neers. Imada and Koshikawa looked at each other and climbed a tree each. "What''s the situation?" Imada asked as his eyes swept across the area. "Good. We managed to defeat a beast. Another one ising. Be ready." Sakai was the one to answer. Imada nodded, then prepared his arrows. *Swish* *Swish* *Swish* *Swish* The moment the beast came near them, it got bombarded with arrows. "Ha! Got ''em!" Koyamiughed. The others also had smiles on their faces. This boosted their confidence by a lot. "Don''t rx. A pair ising!" Aya warned. "Asuka, Koshikawa, Koyami. Target the left! We will target the right!" "Roger that!" *Swish* *Swish* .. Just like that, the beasts were down one after another. Most of them came alone and some came in pairs. The group had dealt with them with ease. However, panic started when three beasts came at once. To deal with it, Imada, Koshikawa and Sakai had to get down from the tree and engage in a physical fight with them. In the beginning, they were attacking the beasts stiffly. Later, they got morefortable and found that the beasts weren''t as strong as they thought they were. "It turns out that the beasts really have a POW lower than 7," Koshikawa said while remembering the words of the witch. When asked about how strong they were, she said that any of them could defeat a single beast. The person with the lowest POW was Koyami which was seven. Naturally, they felt the probability of the beasts being weaker than Koyami was very slim and didn''t take any chances. "Yeah. We were worried about nothing." Sakai sighed, then turned to Aya. "How many more? The amount of arrows we currently have is just enough to shoot down three beasts. Should I leave right now?" Aya didn''t immediately answer. She was quiet for a while, then she opened her mouth. "There''s no more." "No moreing right now or?" Imada had an expectant look on his face. The others also turned to Aya without a word. Aya gave a sweet smile. "From here, I can''t see any of the beasts. It is reasonable to conclude that the beast tide has ended." "Huh that''s good. That''s good" Imada had so many words but he could bring out these words. The others were the same. Suddenly, Koshikawaughed. "What''s with you guys? We did it!" "Wait, let''s not get happy too early. Where is the magician?" Aya asked. "He should be near the vige," Imada said while looking in a certain direction. "We should go and take a look." The others nodded. *** The magician looked at the corpses on the hut. His ck suit was bloodied as his hands tightly gripped the neck of a beast. The beast struggled and whimpered but eventually, its eyes fell. The magician, however, still didn''t let go of the neck. His face was resolute. The yful friendly magician was long gone. During the beast tide incident, he had nned for every single scenario but one. He neglected one scenario, therefore, leading to the downfall of the entire n. No remedies could be made anymore. It''s over. Chapter 185: Witch of Batomata (10) Chapter 185: Witch of Batomata (10) When the group arrived at the scene, they were horrified. Blood was all over the vige. Corpses lying everywhere. Imada felt nauseated and puked. Even the genocide in Sakura Garden Academy were not this horrifying. Asuka''s eyes went wide and she instantly fainted. Koyami fell on his knees, his expression was deadly pale. "What happened in the vige?" Sakai asked in a terrified tone. Koshikawa didn''t answer and looked at the magician standing at a distance from them, his hand still on the neck of the beast. "How could this happen?" Aya gasped, not being able to hold her tears back. Not a single local was alive. *** Two hourster. Everyone sat at a round table, their gazes on the magician who sighed. "It''s my fault. I failed to take one particr scenario into consideration." He clenched his fist tight when he thought about the people he had lived with for years were ughtered because of one miscalction. The more he thought about it, the more his body shuddered. "One particr scenario? What is that scenario?" Koyami asked. "The beast tide wasrge, consisting of more than thirty beasts. While I was dealing with the beasts in the north, another group of beasts entered the vige from the other areas. By the time I dealt with the beasts in the north, the beasts already destroyed the vige." The magician answered with a calm expression but his hands were shaking. The group fell silent. A few secondster, Imada bitterly smiled. "It''s not your fault we have tried everything we could---" The magician interrupted him with a low voice. "We didn''t. I was too invested in making a perfect n. I was too cautious It would have been difficult but still possible to not see this day had I thought about this scenario earlier. I could have divided the group into pairs. That would have solved the problem but I didn''t" *Baam* In a rage, the magician struck down the table with his hand breaking the table. The sudden action startled the group but no one spoke out. They figured out the mood of the magician and refrained from making the situation worse. The magician got up from his chair. "I''ll talk about this tomorrow." Then, he walked towards his room. "That strength is frightening," Koyamimented when he saw the small pieces of wood that originated from the wooden table. The next day, the group cleaned the entire vige. It took about six hours. After that, they dug graves and gave the deceased local vigers a proper burial. "Why did the witch not step up?" Asuka asked with an irritated expression. "Yes. If she had stepped in, this wouldn''t have happened. A role model? For the devil, sure." Sakai grumbled. The magician sighed while looking at the sky. "She doesn''t interfere in earthly matters." Koyami also spoke up. "She ''doesn''t'' when she could. I don''t know what even goes in her head. People are dying and that excuse isn''t going to cut out. Are all powerful people like this?" Standing by the side, Koshikawa quietly listened to the conversation. "Doesn''t interfere in earthly matters, huh. I wonder to what extent?" "Huh? That''s a weird question." Imada heard him. *** The next day, in the early morning, they left for the witch''s castle. They knew that they failed to keep up with the deal and were only visiting her for the slim chance where the witch would be generous and give them a way out of the ind. The Witch''s Castle. Sitting on the sofa, the mysterious witch in blue looked at the several people in front of her. "In other words, you people failed." Behind her was her beautiful attendant, nine El Hamadore. Imada and the others remained silent. "..." The magician looked straight at her. "That is the case." "Why are you wasting my time then?" The witch spoke in a chilling voice which petrified the teenagers. The magician felt some kind of pressure upon his body. "For mercy. Please understand that we have to send an important message" "That doesn''t concern me." The witch coldly said. The magician looked at Imada and the others and sighed internally. "We''ll leave." As soon as he said that, the pressure on his body lightened. He turned around. ''Of course, did I expect the witch to be some sort of benevolent figure?'' He started walking away along with others who had dejected looks on their faces. "Please wait!" Just then, nine shouted to them. The group turned around in confusion. nine came near the witch and whispered a few words in her ears. After a while, the witch nodded. "Very well. You can take them on your visit to Avim." Then, she turned to the group. "My attendant is visiting Avim in two months. Since she requested this, I''ll allow you, people, to go with her." Hearing that, the group''s eyes brightened. Two months is still better than six months. Koyami startedughing and chattering erupted within seconds. "Thank you." The magician merely had a smile on his face. "Also, thank you." He didn''t forget nine who gave a slight nod. *** It was midnight. Because it was veryte, the group decided to stay for the night. "Fuck. I have a huge loading." Koshikawa suddenly woke up. "What?" Imada rubbed his eyes. "I have to go to the bathroom. Do you know where it is?" "It should be on the left corner" Imada answered, half-awake. Koshikawa quickly got up from his bed and headed outside the room. But his destination wasn''t towards the bathroom. He calmly went to the dark living room and sat on the sofa the witch was previously sitting on. The moment he sat, he felt a cool feeling on his neck. "Do you know what you have done?" Koshikawa smiled, then lightly caressed the sharp de that was against his neck. "Do you know the worst enemy of humankind? Mythical beasts, sub-humans, wars, etc.? Who hurts humankind the most? Do you know?" "..." The neck dug deeper into his neck. "It''s pride. It''s baseless, useless, and garbage. It takes away the rationality to properly think and also the humanity that the person took years to cultivate. Just like you want to kill a person just for simply sitting on your sofa. If this was the product of living for centuries, then I couldn''t be sadder for you. "People would think that it is understandable because for a person who has lived for centuries, they ought to have unique thought processes, right? They think it demonstrates power and pride. What they fail to notice is behind the words theybel that person lies a sad and lonely person who themselves have very little idea about themselves and while they try to figure themselves out, they start to ept what the general masses believe them to be and act ordingly." Koshikawa sighed. The de stopped but it still remained on the neck. "State your purpose." A cold voice entered his ears. "Being this aggressive is not good for your health, Miss nine El Hamadore. Please don''t be disgusted but I must say, your your clone''s hand had a rather special fragrance." Koshikawa replied with a carefree expression. "..." The de was separated from the neck. "What do you want?" Koshikawa got up and took a good look at the witch. "The de looks nice oh, don''t look at me like that. I want this for only a couple of minutes. Also, I have some unfinished business. I''m not asking to be permanently transferred. Just temporarily." "Where?" The witch asked almost immediately. Koshikawa blinked. "Avim of Extreme North. Zcan State. Rover City. Terio Vi." Chapter 186: Guild Chapter 186: Guild Jackport Town. A car was parked near a couple of guards. A blue-haired young man was talking with them from inside the car. "We want to make a temporary residency card. There''s four of us." A temporary residency card is made when tourists visit the cities. It lets them stay in the city for two months. After that, they could either renew their temporary residency card or get a permanent one. The guard was fairly young, seemingly in his mid-twenties carrying a bag. He looked at the people inside the car. "Three underages and an adult. Wait a second." From his bag, he took out some papers and handed them over to the blue-haired young man. "Fill this." The blue-haired young man was naturally Hase. He looked through the form and started filling it up. Meanwhile, the guards were talking among themselves. "Are they from Rover?" "It looks like it." "Why are so many people from Rover suddenlying here?" "Have you not heard about it? It''s all the news. WestLane attacked the city." "What? That WestLane?" Sitting in the car, Rewen quietly listened to the conversation and leaned his body. ''It turns out Hase was right but that doesn''t matter. What matters is'' --- Alter Points: 12 --- To unlock the next volume, that is, the third volume, he would need 90 Alter Points. He had noticed an arithmetic progression in the price of volumes. There''s an increase of 30 Alter Points after every volume. *** Inn. After getting temporary residency cards, the group moved into an inn. As soon as Rewen entered his room, he went to the bathroom. He turned the shower and cold water fell upon his face. ''This is refreshing wait, what''s with this smell?'' A pungent smell came from his own body. When he looked at his bare body, he saw ck filthing out of his body. ''What the fuck?'' He then went on to clean his body until no filth was visible with the naked eye. However, just then, he felt filth from his face. ''What the fuck is happening? Is this the side-effect of the ck orb I consumed?'' After a while, Rewen came out of the bathroom and immediately looked at the mirror. His body and face had be cleaner. Not a single pore was visible on the face. Although his height and figure remained the same, he could no longer be called "ugly". ''This is probably the effect of the ck orb. Since it''s showing physiological differences, it should also show some differences in POW. If only I had picked up a Gruer Detector forget it, let''s see what the others are doing.'' He wore a new set of clothes which he had bought before arriving at the inn and exited the room. Half an hourter. Everyone had freshened up and had gathered together in Hase''s room. "So here''s the thing" Sitting on a bed along with the others, Hase started speaking. "I have enough to take care of our food and shelter for at least five months." Rewen looked at him, waiting for him to continue. Reza slightly nodded in a nonchnt manner. Her mind was still preupied with the incident that happenedst night. Michi had an embarrassed look. "I I''m sorry for being an inconvenience." Hase shook his head. "A single person doesn''t make much of a difference. Anyways What I was getting onto is the fact that all four of us are homeless. Is this right?" He looked at the others for confirmation. "True." Rewen was the first one to confirm. Even though technically he had a home in this world, there was more than one reason why he said ''true''. First, his home was in Central. Not just anyone could get to Central. It needs cash and even some authority. Second, even if he had the way to go to Central, he didn''t want to. Not only would it cut off his road to bing stronger, but he would also be mistreated in many ways. Michi and Reza cooperatively nodded. "Okay, good. Since we are homeless, we have to somehow start working and earn money. For that, I have one particr solution - the guild. Well, it''s not really my suggestion since Michi was the one who brought it up but anyways guilds are ces where adventurers and mercenaries can easily make a living by taking up missions andpleting them. Guilds are directly controlled and operated by the Council. "Not every city has a guild. In fact, there are only two guilds in the entire Zcan State. I have never worked in a guild but I have some friends who did. ording to their experience, it pays well." "Do we, like, have to fight some monsters or something?" Rewen asked in curiosity. "Maybe but don''t worry, the missions won''t be forced upon you. On that note" Hase turned to Michi. "Have you been <>?" Michi bitterly smiled, then shook her head. "Oh, don''t worry. Taking up missions isn''t the only thing one can do in the guild. As for you" Hase had a difficult face when he turned to Reza. She was <> early. It''s not that there is a specific age for being an <> but the reason why fifteen is the age where people are <> is because of the Sakura Garden Academy standards. They don''t ept people who <> early. "I would be an adventurer." Reza dered in a low voice. Hase didn''t answer for a long time, after which he nodded. *** Jackport City''s Guild. The guild was a two-story building. It is usually uncrowded but at the moment, it is filled with people. Four people - Rewen, Hase, Reza, and Michi - entered the crowded guild. Right as they entered, they headed towards the receptionist. "Excuse me, we want to register for the guild." Hase directly said. The guild receptionist was a young woman in her mid-twenties. She raised her head and looked at the people who had just appeared, then gave an apologetic smile. "I''m sorry but you have to wait" "It''s fine. Take your time. Is there a guest room?" Rewen understood that because of the incident that happened yesterday, many people from Rover City came to the guild to find work. The guild receptionist shook her head. "It would take some time" "Oh? Shall wee tomorrow then?" The guild receptionist hesitantly shook her head. "Maybe three dayster?" "No" "A weekter?" "Um, why don''t youe two monthster?" "Two months!?" Rewen was shocked at the waiting time. He looked towards Hase and found that he too had a speechless look. "Can it not be faster?" This time, Michi stepped forward. The guild receptionist sighed, then went on to exin. "I''m sorry. Too many people have sent applications to join the guild. Our employees are already burdened with the work to go through each of the applicants, gauge their strength, allocate them in branches, and many other things. You can submit applications but since we follow the firste-first-serve process, it might take longer than expected. It could take up to two to three months so I hope you understand." "What do we do?" Hase asked the other three. "It''s best if we just submit applications and look for other jobs." Chapter 187: City Lord Chapter 187: City Lord Rewen suggested to which Hase nodded. "That''s the best thing we could do for now," Hase said, before turning to the guild receptionist. "Where are the applications?" "What kind of job do you want?" The guild receptionist replied back with a question. "What are the kinds of jobs?" Rewen got slightly interested. The guild receptionist started to exin. "Well there''s the mostmon job [Adventurer] who picks up missions and gets paid ordingly. Then, there''s [Mercenary] where we send you to military campaigns. The pay here is high because the risk is high. Lastly, there are misceneous jobs at the guild. Here, there''s the stability of ie as the pay is given weekly. What kind of jobs do you want?" Hase, Rewen, and Michi looked at each other. "Three of us want to be [Adventurers] and one wants to do misceneous jobs at the guild," Hase said. "Okay." The guild receptionist nodded, then took out four applications and gave them to Rewen and the others. Each of them started filling out the form. Meanwhile, a woman came near the guild receptionist and sat at the chair next to her. "How is it going?" The guild receptionist asked. "Terrible." The woman said with some bitterness in her tone. "Is that so? I heard that the City Lord is a reasonable person." "Only reasonable when he is public." "Really? What exactly does he want?" "He wants someone to work for him ah, there he is." The woman pointed to a newly arrived middle-aged man in the guild. In curiosity, Hase followed her gaze and got shocked. ''Isn''t this the City Lord?'' Rewen noticed his shock and also turned his head. ''Oh?'' This was the man he saw talking with the Envoy when he went to get the letter for the contest that was held in Exquisite Immemorial Pce. ''If I recall correctly, he should be the Rover City''s City Lord.'' By this time, the City Lord had also noticed two familiar faces, then walked to them. "It''s good to see both of you safe and without any harm." The City Lord patted Hase''s shoulder, then looked at Reza. "Where is your father? I need to talk to him." Hearing that, Reza''s face turned dark. Hase also kept quiet. The City Lord''s face showed confusion for two seconds, then sighed in understanding. "I see sorry for asking. Are all of you here for jobs?" Hase nodded without uttering a word. The City Lord turned to the guild receptionist. "Give them a priority." The guild receptionist''s face turned awkward. With three words, he had made her life difficult. If it was some average joe, she would definitely not care and give a perfunctory nod but the person standing in front of her is a City Lord. He can''t bear to offend her unless she wants to get fired. Taking a deep breath, she carefully picked her words. "Sir, I would definitely give them priority but the matter is out of my hands." The City Lord frowned. "In that case, how much time would it take?" "Sir, it should take about one-and-a-half month." With a difficult face, the guild receptionist gave a reasonable estimate based on her experience. "One and a half months? Do you take me for a fool? Do you know who this person is? She is the daughter of a full-fledged Noble. I''m not someone to use authority to force things but think about this poor girl. She lost her father and is currently homeless. If nobles are to be homeless, what have their ancestorsid their lives in wars for?" The City Lord said in a dignified tone. Hearing the first half of his sentence, the crowd thought that he was another arrogant person with power and authority but as they heard more, they felt that he had made some sense. The noble families are descendants of people who made huge contributions to the war that happened in the [Third Chaotic Age]. Most of them perished. Back then, the central forces of humans had already nned to make a systemic hierarchy. After much deliberation, they chose to create a monarchical system. To honor the deceased, they added their descendants into the system and made them nobles. There weren''t any divisions between nobles. They aremonly referred to as just nobles/aristocrats. Though it was generally said that the nobles from Central were in a "different ss". The guild receptionist''s face turned even more difficult. The woman sitting beside her got up. "Let me talk to the Branch Manager." Rewen, Hase, and Michi looked at each other, understanding that the situation was turning difficult. A whileter, the woman returned. She walked to the City Lord and bowed. "My apologies. The Branch Manager said to wait for a month" The City Lord opened his mouth when Hase spoke up. "It''s fine, Uncle. We can wait for a month or two." The City Lord appeared a little hesitant, after which he nodded. "Alright. Do you have a ce to stay?" Hase nodded. "We are temporarily staying at an inn." "An inn? Why don''t you stay at my ce for the time being?" After he said that, the City Lord''s eyes brightened as if he had remembered something. "That''s right you could also work for me and earn." "Work?" Rewen got interested. "Yes. Come to my ce first. We can leisurely talk there. Sounds good?" The City Lord stared at Hase who slightly nodded. *** Rover City City Lord''s Mansion. Coincidentally, the City Lord of Rover City actually lived in Jackport Town for the most part of the year. Therefore, it''s no surprise that the City Lord had arge mansion located in the center of the town. The journey from the guild to the mansion took ten minutes. Unlike Rover City, Jackport Town was significantly small. Rewen and the others sat in arge room. Rewen looked around the room and found it quite pleasing to the eyes. ''The mansion isn''trger than the Terio Vi but it''s definitely more beautiful. The floor ispletely soft marble. It''sfortable to walk barefooted. Speaking of which, I never get people who walk around their house wearing shoes. It''s ufortable as I didn''t wear shoes in my home when I lived in the vige. Maybe it''s more of an Eastern Dream Kingdom-thing I wonder about the cultures in the Frozen Fire Kingdom'' Random useless thoughts entered his head until he saw the City Lord entering the room along with some servants behind him and stood up along with the others sitting beside him, that is, Hase, Michi, and Reza. "Thank you for everything." Hase respectfully bowed to which the City Lord shook his hand. "It''s only my duty as your Uncle''s friend. Never mind that, sit down. I want to hear the details of what had happened in the Rover City as unfortunately or fortunately, I wasn''t present in the city when the city needed me the most. Not that it would make a difference anyway." After he said that, he let out a sigh. Hase nodded, then started to narrate the entire incident that had happened yesterday. Sometimes in between, Rewen added more to the incident by narrating his side. Michi and Reza remained quiet. Chapter 188: Discussion Chapter 188: Discussion Ten minutester. "This is a tragedy." The City Lord''s face showed sadness. A secondter, a peculiar look emerged on his face looking at Reza. "I can bet that WestLane caused the fire, but it''s hard to identify whomitted the genocide in Terio Vi. Do you have any idea?" "Yes, I believe so," Hase answered. "The same person also warned Uncle that something bad would happen to Sakura Garden Academy. It was around maybe three weeks ago? Yes, probably three weeks and a few days ago. As for his identity, I don''t have any idea. Uncle probably knew something about the person but never spoke about it to me. "What I do know is that Uncle trusted the person. Immediately after hearing from the person, he left for Sakura Garden Academy and sure enough, something bad did happen in the Sakura Garden Academy." "What?" The City Lord was confused. "What could happen in Sakura Garden Academy? I have heard no news about it." Hase sighed. "Unfortunately, I also don''t know much. From his experience, a mysterious figure appeared out of nowhere and attacked him. Luckily, he survived and Uncle brought him." During the conversation, Rewen listened silently. If possible, he wanted to narrate the whole tragedy of Sakura Garden Academy but he knew that if he were to take one step forward, he couldn''t back out. Why did he know? How did he know? Why does he appear so suspicious? The revtion was particrly shocking to the City Lord. "Isn''t this serious? Why did your Uncle not report this to me or anyone?" "He wasn''t allowed to," Hase replied. The City Lord leaned on the chair. "You do know that the matter just got moreplicated, right? I''ll try to maintain the timeline of events. First, the mysterious person who murdered the Terio Family, when exactly did hee to your Uncle? Today''s 30th June 2012." "I''m pretty sure it''s the 11th of June." "Okay, wait a second." The City Lord took out a small notebook and a pen from his pocket and started writing. "Hm, the next event the Sakura Garden Academy incident. When exactly did it happen?" "Uncle left for Sakura Garden Academy on the 12th." "Got it. Then, yesterday the WestLane---" "Wait. Can I say something?" Rewen interrupted him. "Hm, go ahead." Only now did the City Lord take a good look at Rewen''s face. ''He had lost a lot of weight'' He distinctly remembered the day when the Envoy gave the letter to him. It would be a lie if he said he had no personal grudges against him for taking the letter that he originally thought would go to his son but he isn''t a moron whoshes out against a teen. Rewen opened his mouth. "12th June was also the day where several assassins tried to assassinate the former heir of Terio, Terio Ryu. I don''t know if this has any rtion or not but I''m feeling that it could have rtions." "I see. I have heard about it and honestly speaking, I don''t have a clue who it is. The only enemies of Terio are Hanagawas but the Hanagawas must be pretty broke for them to hire such assassins." Hase gave a strained smile. Normally, he would haveughed but how could heugh at his circumstance? "Yes that didn''t look like a professional assassination at all. It appeared so deliberate" Rewen stopped speaking. ''Not like an assassination? What about'' He recalled the scenario as his eyes shone brightly. "What is it? Did you figure something out?" The City Lord noticed his expression. Rewen came back to his senses and shook his head. "Alright." The City Lord nodded, then turned to Reza. "Do you want to find out the murderer of your father, mother, and little brother?" Reza gave an affirmative nod with an emotionless expression. "Finding is the first step." "First step? What''s the next step?" "Kill," Reza said one word. "..." Everyone other than her looked at each other in silence. The more Rewen looked at her, the more pity he felt. ''A thirteen-year-old girl has been pushed too far. Although her personality is annoying and I don''t like her much, it''s sad to think about what she is going through. A cheerful girl turned dark when she saw her parents murdered in front of her. A great way of romanticizing how a character''s personality can change to an absurd degree. ''I''m sure I wouldn''t think about this at all if I was maybe reading her or watching her turn this way. In fact, I would have been delighted because of the change since she had an annoying personality. However, all of this is... so real.'' Rewen shook his head at his thoughts. ''I don''t have the luxury to think too much about others. The next four months are going to determine whether I live or die.'' The City Lord coughed. "Anyways, in that case, can I ask you to give me a rough sketch of the person''s figure? Don''t worry, you don''t need to draw yourself. I have experts---" "Would a full body sketch along with his face work?" "What!?" The City Lord couldn''t restrain his calm, then stood up from his chair. Rewen, Hase, and Michi also had simr expressions. "Have you seen his face?" Hase asked with a bewildered expression. Reza spoke in a casual tone. "I never imed otherwise." "Good. Good. Good." The City Lord was delighted by the news. He looked towards one of his servants and said, "Call Toki." The servant nodded and left with hurried footsteps. Toki was Jackport Town''s most renownedposite artist. "Okay, now I should calm down." Taking a deep breath, he sat back on his chair and looked at the teens in front of him. "Regarding work I can let you stay here until you be adventurers. But if you want to earn, you have to do some work. Do you people want to work?" "Sure," Hase replied. Rewen and Michi also gave a small nod. The City Lord nodded as if he had expected this answer. "So I have already decided on your work whileing here but if you don''t want to do something, say it and I''ll change the work. Alright. Hase. I''ll ask this directly. How strong are you?" "I''m stronger than a normal Bronze-ranked Gruer User." Hase honestly answered. He was twenty-three years old this year and it had been two years since he had gone through <>. "Haha! Looks like my son has gotpetition." The City "I''m proud of my son" Lordughed. After a while, he coughed. "I''m keeping you in charge of training my rookie guards. Will that do?" "That was better than what I had expected." "Reza, you can join him. Since you have gone through <>, I''m sure you are enough to spar with the rookie guards." "Okay." Reza had no objections. "As for this youngdy, do you have knowledge in finance?" Michi nervously nodded. "Yes. I performed outstandingly in school!" "Haha! No need to get so tight. Oversee the cooking department and try to make the budget as possible." Michi nodded with excitement. The City Lord then turned to Rewen. "As for you" Chapter 189: A Slavemaster (1) Chapter 189: A vemaster (1) Unlocking the door in the basement of the mansion, the servant gestured to the man standing behind him. "Pleasee in." Rewen, the man standing behind the servant, looked at his surroundings. The entry to the basement was strangely outside the mansion itself. There were also beautiful cherry blossom trees all around the ce. He wanted to stay and enjoy the site but decided to do thatter. Taking onest nce, he went forward and descended down the stairs. ''Hm.. the basement was properly lit. It doesn''t look like a weird dungeon of sorts. Oh? There''s even a mini-kitchen.'' "Please." The servant too descended and gestured Rewen to follow. After a few seconds, the servant came to a stop. In front of himid several young women in thin clothing chained and restrained. "Here. They are sleeping for the time being. You can wake them up if you want. Do you know what you should do?" Rewen''s face turned dark when he saw this. His fingernails dug deep into his palm. Two secondster, he let out a mouthful of air. "I understand. Can I have some privacy?" "Of course." Hearing that, the servant nodded and was about to walk away when a meaningful smile appeared on his face looking at Rewen. "It''s your freedom to do whatever you want with them but remember, no intercourse." Rewen gave a slight nod. The servant walked away leaving Rewen and four restrained young women alone. Rewen sat on a nearby chair and absent-mindedly looked at them. He was given the job of a vemaster. A vemaster looks after the ves and gives them proper food and nutrients. Sometimes, ves also suffer from a trauma of many sorts. Curing the trauma is also the job of a vemaster. The ultimate goal, of course, is to sell those ves to some noble. In simple words, a vemaster is someone who trains ves to be obedient fuckdoll. And Rewen didn''t like the idea of it. He could have refused the job but the pay was decent and he honestly wanted to help them as long as it''s in his capacity. The more he thought about it, the more agitated he got. ''No. I can''t use my bullshit self-righteous analogy in a world that has a different history from Earth and CHAOS.'' He shook his head in a distressed fashion. "U...uhm" A low voice came from one of the women who were restrained. She had a ponytail with fair skin and bright round eyes. Her body was developed for her age and it was perfectly reflected with the thin clothing over her body. She stared at the man sitting at a distance from her curiously. Rewen raised his head. ''From her looks, she seems to be the youngest one maybe around sixteen or seventeen.'' He thought before he got up and approached her. As soon as he started walking, the curiosity in the woman''s eyes faded and was reced with horror. "...N-...No! Don''t" Rewen kept walking as if he didn''t hear. When he was close enough, he crouched and came to her face level. "Do you know who you are?" "I am the daughter of a merchant from Olpio" The woman replied in a terrified tone. ''Where am I? Where is Father?'' "So you are an illegal immigrant but that doesn''t matter because now, you are a ve." The sentence rang loudly in her ears and became speechless. "..." Rewen got up and left the basement. ''I am a ve?'' She had a hard time digesting the truth. As she tried to recall hertest memories, she got a general idea of where she was. Last night, she along with her father were trespassing when they were caught red-handed. Her father was shot on the spot. Not being able to handle the pressure, she lost consciousness. Two streaks of tears slid down from her face when she remembered her father. ''Now is not the time to cry'' She tried to wipe her tears when she realized that she couldn''t. Her hands were restrained. When she looked up, she also saw several other women who were restrained like her. "Hello? Please. Can anyone respond?" She got no response. ''They must be unconscious as well. I should try once agai--- ah, the sound of footsteps. He must being back.'' As she expected, Rewen came back with a couple of clothes in his hand. He walked up to her and crouched down again. "I''m letting you loose." The young woman''s eyes brightened but she quickly realized her mistake and tried to hide it. "If you are having some thoughts on how you could tackle me and escape, please forget it. I''m an <> and even if you somehow manage to sneak past me, there are plenty of guards outside." Rewen exined before taking out a small key from his pocket and unlocked the shackles that were restricting her. As soon as he did that, the young woman backed off and covered her body with her two hands. Rewen had no expression on his face and threw a piece of cloth to her. "Wear this. It''s not much but it would cover the important parts." "Ah, uhm" The young woman''s eyes fidgeted as if she wanted to say something. Rewen drylyughed. "Hurry up and wear it. I''m not that gullible to leave you in the room." The young woman''s eyes dimmed. She had wanted him to leave the room so that she could wake up the other three ves. Eventually, she went into a corner and started changing while keeping a close eye on his face. ''... Let''s hope he doesn''t turn around'' Rewen, in ordance with Sam''s words, was sainter than a saint. If the opposite of lust was to be personified, he would be that. He doesn''t have the faintest curiosity towards something called "beauty". Whether he was like this from his birth or cultivated during the years was something only he knew. Rewen shook his head and just sat down while thinking about how he should start with his job. ''This is one heck of a problem one of them had already started to scheme against me. Somehow I have to have the situation under my control. How should I do that? Being an authoritarian? That seems to be the best option for the time being.'' "I''m done" Rewen turned his head to see a pretty ck-haired ponytailed woman wearing a silk one-piece skirt. "Good." He nodded. "Now,e here and sit down." The young woman hesitated before walking towards him and sitting legs-crossed opposite him. "What is your name?" Rewen asked in a in voice. "UyemuraYu-Yukiko" "Uyemura Yuyukiko?" In a few days of watching anime, this was the first time that Rewen had heard of such a strange name. "It''s Yukiko." "Oh, don''t stutter while talking. I''m not going to eat you." "Hmm" Yukiko didn''t look very convinced. Rewen proceeded to ask the next question. "Where in Olpio did youe from?" "I came from the states" Yukiko slowly answered. "The states?" Rewen recalled that Olpio was the smallest nation in size. Two states of Avim (the nation he is currently in) is enough topare with Olpio. Chapter 190: A Slavemaster (2) Chapter 190: A vemaster (2) It was also due to this that Olpio didn''t require subsidiary powers to keep the nation in control. For example, Avim has City Lords as the governing authority of the cities and State Managers to look after the state. However, Olpio doesn''t need that. It is mostly governed by the King. The reason for "mostly" is because about 15% of the nation is independent. The regions which are ungoverned and independent are known as "Leftovers" while the ones which are governed are called the "States". "Is your father a noble?" Rewen asked in curiosity. Even though Olpio was the smallest nation, it definitely isn''t the weakest. In fact, it was one of the most progressive nations with dozens of nobles. Yukiko shook her head. "He was only a small merchant" Her mood got worse when she thought about the event fromst night. "What what do you want from me? I have nothing to offer." "Your body surely does." Yukiko bit her lips when she heard the cold words. She wasn''t trying to be maniptive but it would be a lie if she said that she didn''t expect kinder words. ''He is the worst kind of vemaster.'' Being the daughter of a merchant, she had met all kinds of vemasters. Prior to meeting them, she thought that they were the most disgusting sorts of people avable on the. However, as she talked and interacted with them, she found out that only a small poption of them were disgusting. In fact, vemasters were usually kind to the ves and did everything in their capacity to not let them be sold. With years of experience, she could urately determine that the person in front of her was not the ''normal'' sort of vemaster. Rewen ''hmm-ed'' for a while, then got up from his chair and went to the mini-kitchen. Then, he took two sses and poured water from the filter, and then returned to his chair. "Here. Drink some water." Rewen passed one of the sses to her and himself gulped down water from the other ss. Yukiko hesitantly took the ss and drank the water. "Do you feel fresh?" Rewen asked. Yukiko raised her head and nodded lightly. ''He is better than I was thinking'' "Would you not feel fresh if I didn''t hand over the ss of water to you?" Yukiko didn''t understand the meaning of his statement and just nodded. "What would have happened if I didn''t give you this ss of water?" Yukiko''s face was full of confusion. "Nothing would happen, right? What about ten days? Twenty days? Thirty days? Can you survive?" "No," Yukiko answered in an obvious manner. "Which means your survival depends on me. If I want you to live, you live. If I don''t, you won''t live for too long. I''m a close rtive of the person who took you in so it doesn''t matter if you die." "..." Yukiko was speechless. ''He is a psychopath!'' "But nah, your body would be of much better use so I''ll let you live." Rewen unabashedly stared at the cleavage. Yukiko immediately covered her chest with her hands. Her heartbeat turned fast as she realized the horror in front of her. "Please don''t do this" Rewen chuckled. "Don''t do what?" That chuckle sounded like a devil''s chuckle to her. Her fear deepened. Straightening herself, she shed all pretenses. "I would be obedient but if you want to have your ways with me, I would bite my tongue." "Huh?" Rewen nked out for a while before he startedughing. He wasn''t acting. He genuinely found it funny. ''Does she think that she is the main female lead in one of those twisted romances?'' "What''s funny?" Although she asked in a straightforward manner, she was very nervous on the inside. The more she listened to the man, the more scared she got. "It''s funny it''s funny because you think I care about your life and death. Why don''t you go ahead and bite your tongue?" Yukiko said nothing. A few secondster, blood sipped out from the corner of her lips. Without a word, Rewen looked at her with an expressionless face. Yukiko stopped after a while and looked straight at him. "What''s wrong? Please continue." Rewen encouraged her. Yukiko gritted her teeth and prepared to bite down her tongue but as she was about to do so, she changed her direction at thest second. "..." "Missed your tongue? Don''t worry. Try again." Rewen patted her shoulders. Yukiko''s eyes turned bloodshot and felt a lump on her throat. She opened her mouth several times but failed to speak out a word, and started rubbing her eyes. "Do better next time." Saying the four words, he got up from his chair and left the basement. This time, he didn''t care about her waking the other ves up. If he left the basement when she was changing, she would have tried to wake up her ves and most surely, devised some stupid scheme. Also, the fact that he didn''t leave upon her mention instilled a small fear into her and changed her perspective of him. After all this, Rewen can be pretty sure that Yukiko would wake up her fellow ves and talk about him with them. This also saved him the time and effort to make a fearful image of him in their minds. ''Hopefully, they won''te up with a foolish scheme. Well, whatever.'' "Ah! Rewen!" The moment he got out of the basement, he saw Michi standing under a cherry blossom tree. When she saw him, she walked over to him. "Are you on a break as well?" Rewen shrugged while smiling. "Well, my job doesn''t have any specific work time. I can work however I want and take a break whenever I want." "How lucky!" Michi said with an energetic voice, then noticed something. "Is it only me or is your change too drastic? I mean, no offense but you were very very unpresentable a few weeks ago and now you have gotten more---" "More handsome?" Rewen asked in a joking tone. Michi instantly turned red. "What" ''Oh shit!'' Rewen inwardly cursed out. He forgot that girls here are slightly more reserved.'' He immediately realized his mistake and coughed. "Hmph! I know. You are too jealous of my beauty." "What? Haha!" Michi noticed the satire intended and started giggling. "You are so full of nonsense! Haha!" Rewenughed along, then asked. "Why does the Rover City not have cherry blossom trees? This is really strange" "There used to be cherry blossom trees. Back when I used toe home from kindergarten with my grandfather during the spring, there were cherry blossom trees all over my neighborhood but after the green sun incident" Michi''s eyes showed some sadness when she thought about her grandfather but then, it glowed and raised her head to look at the pink leaves. "I have always wished to give something for my grandfather who selflessly brought me up. I know it''s a bitte but I want to have a cherry blossom tree near my grandfather''s grave. Every Sunday I''ll go there, talk with him and have a moment of peace and then" Chapter 191: A Slavemaster (3) Chapter 191: A vemaster (3) "... and then, sit under the tree with pink leaves falling from the tree above me" Michi said with a yearning expression. By the time she was done reminiscing about the past, present, and the future, she realized that had let out her deepest desires to a person and became embarrassed. "Ah, I was just" Shaking his head, Rewen gave a rare gentle smile. "There''s no need to feel shy. Your dream is one of the most wonderful things I have heard in my life. I really wish I had a dream like yours." His eyes turned distant as he looked at the clear sky. Michi''s impression of him got better. Subconsciously, a grin appeared on her face. Then, she felt curious upon seeing and hearing thest part of his reply. "What is your dream?" "Well..." Rewen thought for a moment about how to answer. "It''s okay if you don''t want to answer---" "No, it''s fine. I can answer." Rewen shook his head, then continued with an absent-minded look. "I have some things that I want to achieve but they aren''t really my dreams. A dream is something very personal and dear to one. Would - ''My dream is to find out my dream'' - count as a dream?" "Of course! That is a wonderful dream!" Michi nodded her head repeatedly. Rewen chuckled. "How is it wonderful?" "Well you have ugh, I don''t know" Michi tried but she couldn''t bring out a proper answer. ''Is this the limitation of a 2D character? Maybe I''m being too pragmatic and she''s just a hypocrite but I don''t think that''s the case.'' Rewen didn''t want to think too much about it. Hence, after chatting for a while, he went back to the basement. *** A few minutes ago. "Wake up!" Yukiko shook the shoulders of the second-youngest woman, seemingly in her early twenties. Just like her, she too had good-looking features. Her most attractive feature is her slender figure. "W-who" She finally woke up by the continuous shakes and saw a younger girl in front of her face. Before she said anything, she felt her hands restrained and freaked out. "What''s going on!?" Yukiko sighed. "We are ves now. I came from Olpio and got captured for illegally immigrating into this nation." "Wait, what? We are ves?" The older female''s mind spun around. "For God''s sake, I''m a noble! Where is the vemaster?" "A noble from this nation, Central or?" "I lived in Windbane and came here for some business but I came here legally." The older female seemed to have some story that she didn''t want to reveal. "You came alone? Are you a Gruer User?" "Huh, of course. I''m a Bronze ranked Gruer User. Here" After saying it in an obvious manner, she tried to use her full strength. Nothing happened. Yukiko: "..." The older female: "..." After a moment of surprise, the older female couldn''t restrain her calm. "Why are my meridians blocked!?" Meridians are the vitalponents for a Gruer User. POW is directly rted to the meridians for Gruer Users. After going through <>, a normal body couldn''t store excess strength that suddenly came. This is why, during the process of <>, forming the meridians is the first step. "As expected" Yukiko said in a disappointed voice, then narrated her story to her. Initially, the older female was freaking out but eventually, she epted her situation. "The vemaster sounds like a disgusting lecher. If he dares to do anything, I''ll go all-out." She said in a grave voice. Yukiko nodded, her gaze then turned to the other two women. "Let me wake up the other two.." "No. Let them sleep tight." A male voice came. *** Current time. Rewen stared at the older woman who had woken up for a while, then asked. "How are you feeling?" "Wait, he is the vemaster?" From Yukiko''s description of his character, the woman in her early twenties originally thought that the vemaster is someone at least in his twenties. It turned out to be a teen! Normally, she would haveughed and made jokes about it but she wasn''t in a position to make jokes. Yukiko gave a hesitant nod while Rewenfortably sat on his chair. The woman in her early twenties turned to look at the teenager again. "Hurry up and release me. Don''t worry, you can rest assured. I won''t pull off any tricks. Even if I manage to somehow get past you, I''m fully aware that I can''t leave this ce." Her voice was sincere and gentle which made Yukiko suspicious that she was up to something. Rewen smiled. He took out a small key from his pocket and tossed it over to Yukiko. Yukiko caught the key with two hands and proceeded to unlock the restraints on the woman in her early twenties. [A/N: I know it''s an annoying way of referring to people but I have been following the policy of not mentioning names before spoken out strictly and I''m going to continue with it.] As the restraints were unlocked, Rewen opened his mouth. "Sure, you can leave this ce. How about you make me a hostage and exit? That seems feasible. Huh? Why are you suddenly so quiet?" "How can I do that?" The woman in her early twenties said in a dry tone and had a downcast look. However, secretly, she was very vignt and was preparing to attack. ''Should I? He seems very confident.'' Rewen cracked his neck andzily said. "Since you don''t want to give up, let''s get this over quickly. Come." Yukiko wanted to say something to her but didn''t and moved to the side after releasing all the restraint. The woman in her early twenties stared at the man sittingfortably in a chair for a long time. Then, she sighed and sat down crossed-legged. "Please treat me well." Rewen smiled. "I can''t promise anything. Tell me your identity and why do you think you have been captured?" "I am the only daughter of a noble in Windbane, Ose Kaori. I came here alone as a spy and got caught. If you need any more information, you can check the inte and search by my family name." "Sucks to be you. But your father is surely very confident to send his daughter to another country." Rewen carefully examined her face after he said that. ''She is hiding something'' A few secondster, he sighed. "Never mind. How about both of you wake up the other two?" Rewen pointed his index finger to the other two women who were sleeping. Both of them were beautiful. One of them was a blonde-haired woman in herte-twenties or early-thirties. The other was his mother''s face. Yukiko and Kaori went to the women who were unconscious and started shaking their shoulders. Meanwhile, Rewen observed the four women. ''Why are women so beautiful in this world? It doesn''t make sense. At this rate, it won''t take much time for me to get mesmerized by someone. This is getting out of hand...'' He might possibly be the only person in the entire multiverse toin about women being too beautiful. However, Rewen wasn''t thinking in a sarcastic or joking manner at all. He was extremely serious about this. Chapter 192: A Slavemaster (4) Chapter 192: A vemaster (4) He was a monogamous person. No matter what, he was still a married man. He hadn''t even adjusted himself to have two rtions, one in Earth and the other in CHAOS. And it would definitely be trouble for him if he were to engage in rtionships in this world. ording to him, it''s not that people can''t fall for multiple people but holding themselves back to not deal with the other people he/she fell for despite having a partner is - devotion, which doesn''t work in a one=sided manner. If his partner is devoted, he has to show an equal level of devotion. He wasn''t afraid of cheating. He wasn''t afraid of being seen as scum. He had grown. He was no more the person who cared much about public opinion of himself. He was, however, afraid of hating himself. If he wanted, he could easily bring out tens of hundreds of justifications but somewhere deep inside, he would fail to look at himself the same way he previously did. Thinking till this point, he lightlyughed. ''Why am I suddenly thinking of rtionships like a cringe teenager? I thought I was past that.'' By this time, the other two women had also woken up. At first, they had the same reaction as Kaori and freaked out. Once they were made aware of the cold reality, they panicked. At that point, Yukiko and Kaori didn''t continue conversing with them. They had no optimistic words to mutter as the situation they were in was extremely bad. So, they decided to let the two recover by themselves. Approximately ten minutester. Rewen threw a pair of keys towards Yukiko. Yukiko knew what he wanted and quickly released the restraints. The two women looked at each other, not knowing what to do. The woman in herte-twenties was fairly calm but the woman in her mid-forties had her eyes turn red. "Give me your names along with your identities," Rewen said while looking straight at them. "Saito Misaki." The blonde-haired woman in herte twenties said in a calm tone. "I am a prison escapee." Rewen''s eyebrows twitched. "Why did you go to prison?" "I murdered my husband after I found him cheating on me." The blonde-haired woman said in an emotionless tone. A small smile appeared on Rewen''s face. "You suit my taste. Very well, I shall release you! You are free to go!" He pointed his hand to the stairs that led out of the basement. Hearing that, all four women are shocked. The blonde-haired woman nced at the exit, then again looked at him. "Do you take me for a fool?" "It''s up to you to believe me or not." Rewen shrugged. ''Whatever. I have nothing to lose.'' The blonde-haired woman''s eyes shed before making a run onto the door. When she reached the door, she turned the knob on the door and surprisingly, it was unlocked! Delighted, she opened the door and ran away. Rewen was still on his chair. He snickered looking at the disappearing back of the blonde-haired woman, then turned his attention to the middle-aged beautiful woman. "What about you, Aunt? Can I refer to you as ''Aunt'' or would you prefer a bit younger alternatives?" The middle-aged beautiful woman broke down in tears and fell on her knees. "I I just want to go back to my husband" Unlike the others, she was a normaldy. Some days ago, she came to Zcan State along with her husband illegally to get medicine for her father. Yesterday night, she was sleeping soundly along with her husband. Now, she''s suddenly here and found out that she had be a ve. Rewen felt a headache looking at this. "Stop this." He said in a neutral tone which sounded angry. As much as he didn''t want to do it, he had be an authoritarian to keep things in control. The middle-aged woman hurriedly got up and rubbed her eyes. "Ah okay. Don''t do anything don''t do anything." Rewen chuckled and walked towards her. When he reached her, he raised his hand. The middle-aged woman''s initial reaction was to push him away. "You sure you want to push me away?" Rewen asked while slightly caressing her cheeks, thenmented. "Hm somehow, you are more to my taste than the others." The middle-aged woman felt extremely disgusted but didn''t dare to raise a voice of objection. Rewen grabbed her hair and pulled her face close to his. "Cry more, whore." "Huh?" The middle-aged woman nked out for a second before she crashed against the wall behind her. "Ah" She groaned, before falling on her knees and started sobbing. "Yeah, that''s exactly what I like to see." Rewen seemed to find delight in her plight. From the corner of his eyes, he noticed that Yukiko and Kaori''s faces were ashen. ''It''s about time'' Sounds of footsteps were hearding from the stairs of the basement. "Sir, we have captured her." Rewen turned around and saw two guards holding the blonde-haired woman, Saito Misaki. The two guards were bbergasted by the scene that was happening in front of them. Looking at the fallen middle-aged woman, one of the guards opened his mouth. "This" Rewen waved his hands. "Don''t bother about this. Thanks for capturing her. Well, I have another request." "Hm?" The guards raised their eyebrows. One of the guards seemed to hesitate before finally voicing out his thoughts. "Sir, we can''t do too much---" Rewen interrupted him. "I don''t want you to personally work for me. I want you to send her to where she came from. A ve''s life is way better than a prisoner''s." " "Huh?" " Not only the guards and Saito Misaki herself but everyone in the room was shocked at the request. The guards'' faces went from confusion to slowly regain rity. "Is she" Rewen nodded. "I don''t want to be responsible for what''s going to happen to the person who buys her. In simple words, I suspect her to be a psychopath." He didn''t lie. He really couldn''t bear to respectfully converse with a person like this. One could say that he was being a hypocrite. But, to him, the act of murder itself isn''t the problem. He isn''t as blind to recognize that there couldn''t be justified murders. What bothered him was the cause and theck of remorse on Misaki''s face when she said that she killed her husband because he cheated on her. One could also say that he was being too dramatic to make such a quick decision. However, the essence of being a vemaster is, in modern words - therapy. Rather than branding them with the "ve" tag, the vemaster tries to get them out of the mentality that they had be a ve and rather, induce an optimistic viewpoint in life into them. When he said - ''A ve''s life is way better than a prisoner''s'', he meant it. People in this world were civilized. Domestic abuses can be easily reported. It can be argued that the ves are lesser humans but there are also severalmunities, especially for their well-being. Therefore, it''s a very narrow-minded view to view the world just as the "oppressed" and the "oppressors". Chapter 193: A Slavemaster (5) Chapter 193: A vemaster (5) Rewen silently watched the guards carrying Saito Misaki out of the basement, then turned to the three women. "Right, I haven''t asked what your name is. Don''t stutter and answer clearly." He said to the middle-aged beautiful woman. The middle-aged woman was scared at first., then calmed herself down. "Asa Chinatsu." "Hm." Rewen walked to the mini-kitchen and drank a ss full of water. Then, he proceeded to wash his face. ''Alright, I should start.'' *** "Everyone, sit." Rewen said in amanding tone to the three women in the room as he himself sat down on the chair. There were no more chairs in the room so the women could only sit on the cold floor. He pped two times. "Good. Now, tell me honestly. What could I do to wash away the self-hatred and rejection towards the identity of being a ''ve''? Believe it or not, I''m just a fifteen-year-old. There are only some things I know about people''s minds and for the most part, I''m mostly clueless. So I ask you this, how can I help both you and myself?" The three women looked at each other speechlessly. It could be said that Rewen was a good orator and knows how to start breaking the mental barrier the other person has on their mind. In fact, he knows how to ''help'', and asking the question is the first step for ''helping''. It reduced the gap between the two parties by a whole lot by appearing approachable and friendly while still being a strict authoritarian. "Um, I don''t know." Yukiko was the first one to answer. Asa Chinatsu shook her head. Kaori put her hands on her chin and smiled bitterly. "It''s not something that we can possibly know about. It''s more of brainwashing than therapy. Even if we did know about the process, why should we willingly brainwash ourselves?" "That makes sense." Rewen nodded. This was the kind of answer he was expecting. "That''s why" He put his hands on his pocket and took out a small pocket-sized book. "... I have this book - A Guide To vemastering. I have heard that the author is quite reputable and let''s see what the book has to offer." He flipped the pages while the three women had a slightly nervous look on their faces. "Rule No. 1. Get in your ve''s personal space without letting them realize you are doing so." Rewen read the first rule out loud and chuckled. "Well, we are off to a rocky start. So what are your personal spaces, if I may know? Oh wait, that wouldn''t work since you had already realized that" "How about you do that without us realizing you are getting in our personal space?" Yukiko asked. Even though she said this, her mind was vignt. Asa Chinatsu had a face full of relief. Kaori shrugged. "You could skip over the next rule." "Yeah, I probably should" Rewen appeared hesitant. Yukiko suddenly felt curious and asked. "What even is this rule for?" Rewen proceeded to read the contents and then summarized. "Uh, from what I am reading, by getting into a ve''s personal space, the ve is more prone to develop empathy for the vemaster. Thetter could then find it easier to manipte the ve for a time being. Although it''s temporary, it has a significant impact on the ve''s mental state." "That sounds scary!" Yukiko said. In her mind, her vignce increased while looking at Rewen who lightlyughed. "You think it''s that simple to get into someone''s personal space when the other party knows that I''m trying to get into the person''s personal space? I lost the moment I decided to read this rule out... Sigh, I''m stupid. Should I go to the next rule?" No one had any objections. Why would they? The more the rules are skipped, the better it is for them. No one wants to be brainwashed. "Alright." Rewen flipped the pages. This time, he didn''t read the rule out loud immediately. He went through the rule, then spoke out. "Hm, this rule could be spoken out loud. Rule No. 2. Ask personal questions. Well, what do you think about this?" "I''m not against it." Yukiko knew that she couldn''t dodge this rule. Asa Chinatsu nodded nervously. "You better not ask about my body proportions," Kaori said in a joking tone. Rewenughed lightly. "Alright. I couldn''t think of personal questions so I''ll follow the book religiously first question, when were you born and where?" The question was very basic and easy to answer so none of the three women had any strong reactions. "Shall I go first?" Yukiko looked at the two women and asked. "Sure. Go ahead." Chinatsu encouraged her. "Okay." Yukiko took a deep breath. "Born in 1996, my nation is Olpio and I lived in the States beforeing here. My father was a merchant from the States but my mother was a woman living in the Leftovers. Back then, my father came to the Leftovers and fell for my mother, and thus, I was born in the Leftovers despite being a citizen of Olpio." "I was born in 1967 I was also born from Olpio" Asa Chinatsu couldn''t find anything more interesting than that. Rewen nodded, then turned to Kaori. "I was born in Windbane, born in 1990." "Okay, I see." Rewen appeared to be satisfied with the answers. Taking another look at the book, he asked. "Next question, what are your thoughts about your own nation?" Yukiko showed an interesting expression. Being the daughter of a travelling merchant, she had the drive and enthusiasm to talk about society. "Well, Olpio is a strong nation. Our advancement in science is superior to all other nations except for Central. We have the highest noble-to-poption ratio. Its politics is stable as the King takes a moderate standpoint most of the time Also, there are also different cuisines---" "Oh, cool." Rewen interrupted. As much as he wanted to listen to the entire world history, he couldn''t because his purpose wasn''t listening to world history. He needs to ask personal questions. Yukiko came to her senses but she still had the look that she wanted to discuss her nation. "We can talk about itter." Rewen understood her enthusiasm and promised, then turned to Asa Chinatsu who had a troubled face. "I" "I get it. Next." Rewen had the idea that she doesn''t know about the nation in general. That''s not to say that she knew nothing. As the oldest, she has most certainly experienced and seen how the nation changed. The reason she can''t give a definitive answer was simply that she felt her anecdotal experience wasn''t enough. Kaori thought about how to answer the question, then opened her mouth. "Windbane is a very basic nation. The nobles don''t get involved too much with normal people. The untold policy of the nation is - ''You don''t care? Neither do I.'' Over the course of history, the nation has both suffered as well as benefit from the policy. If there''s something interesting about the nation, it''s the Crown Prince." "Hm? The Crown Prince? What kind of hotshot is he?" Rewen felt interested in the mention since he had never heard anything about the Crown Prince of Wndbane. Kaori sighed. "No one had seen him. No one had seen him publicly. His own brothers and sisters haven''t. Furthermore, fromst year, he had also been running campaigns for being the Crown Prince but he would still inherit the throne after a few years. There are many conspiracy theories surrounding him. He is too much of a mystery and one of the wonders of the nation." "Is that so?" Rewen appeared skeptical. Chinatsu was hesitant at the beginning, then she spoke out. "I I have heard of the Crown Prince. One of my neighbours'' family used to live in Windbane. She said that the current Crown Prince of Windbane is extremely strange. Despite not doing anything, he had huge support from both his family as well as the masses." Rewen thought about the matter. ''This sounds like a mysterious viin who was introduced way earlier in the story before he actually appears..'' Just because he had watched only a couple of anime doesn''t mean he doesn''t have an idea of how tropes work. Earth failed in recreating the pre-apocalyptic period anime but the tropes remained which were used in other mediums. For the next twenty minutes, he continued asking questions. Gradually, the conversation between them became better. "Hah enough talking. I''ll bring lunch. I''m also kinda hungry." Rewen got up and left the basement. Silence reigned in the room after he left. By this time, the three women had already realized. They had realized that while they were conversing with the fifteen-year-old boy, thetter had already invaded their personal spaces and forced them to reduce some amount of negative feelings towards him. It was toote when they realized it. Whether it was unintentional or not, it''s something only he himself knew. Chapter 194: A Slavemaster (6) Chapter 194: A vemaster (6) Jackport Town. Rover City''s City Lord''s Mansion. At the extreme left corner of the mansion was a wide green leveled field. On it, several young men could be seen jogging around the field. The weather was irritating as the young men had sweat dripping from their foreheads. However, even amidst the cruelty of the sun, their eyes carried determination and curiosity. Almost as if "So they are the new recruits" Rubbing his smooth chin, Hase evaluated the rookies. "They don''t look like they went through <>..." The servant standing beside him wasn''t surprised by the question and answered ordingly. "Sir, it''s because they aren''t <>." "They aren''t? Then howe could they be <>?" "Yes." The servant nodded. Hase''s face showed signs of understanding. A major part of the poption doesn''t get the chance to be <> for mainly two reasons. First, it takes quite a lot of money. For middle-ss people, it is an enormous sum. Second, after deciding to "invest" such arge amount of money, sometimes people just turn out to be average. Sakura Garden Academy doesn''t take in people who aren''t nobles andmoners who aren''t somewhat talented so they could only rely on themselves. For those people, the Central has created a new form - Half-Awakening Potion. It sells at ten times lower than Red Soulstan''s Blood, which is the "potion" for <>. Of course, the Half-Awakening Potion would be far less effective than Red Soulstan''s Blood in making the person get stronger. However, it is, universally acimed, a very good deal. Non-Awakeners, in other words, normal people usually don''t have a POW above 1. Even having a POW of 1 is considered to be a big deal among normal people. An <>, on average, /has a POW of 4 as well as a G.C. value of 4. <>, on the other hand, has their POW increased in the range of 2 to 4 and they don''t have G.C.. There have never been cases when their POW had exceeded beyond 4. In this regard, byparison, Rewen, just when he arrived in this world, wasn''t a weakling by any means. He was justparatively weaker whenpared to <> and <> who aren''t the majority. "No wonder then, they are quite good." Being a Bronze-ranked Gruer User, Hase urately figured the POW in the rookies through several factors. The servant nodded, then left the field withoutmenting any further. Hase began thinking of a n on how to train them when he heard a voice from behind. "Hey, how''s it going?" Turning back, he saw a familiar face. It was Rewen. "Oh well, fortunately, everything''s been going smooth till now." "That''s good. That''s good" Rewen said while looking at the surroundings. "Where is Reza?" "She will start working tomorrow. Tell me about the ves. How do you feel about the job?" Hase asked. "It''s cool, I guess. I''m not feeling the pressure yet but I''m sure I will after a few days. As for the women, they are more or less good? Oh, there was a murderer among them whom I sent back to her prison cell." Rewen didn''t like to call them "ves" for obvious reasons. "A murderer?" "Yeah, she had murdered her husband after she found him cheating. Not that I''mining but I wonder why she felt the need to give me that information. Did she honestly think I''m going to continue my therapy with an unapologetic murderer like her?" "Hm you sound angry." Rewen was about to deny it when he figured that Hase may not be wrong. "Maybe. By the way, do you have any specific n in mind? I mean, what do we do in the near future? This is probably too early for me to think about the future but I can''t have peace of mind." Hase showed a troubled expression. "I don''t have any specific ns. I was thinking about staying here for a few months until we get financially stable. But wouldn''t it be a bit" "Yeah. At the end of the day, we are just freeloading." Rewen agreed with his thoughts. As he was thinking of a n, he asked. "How many months do you think is ''a few months''?" "Around three to four months" Hase''s expression turned weird as he looked at Rewen. He suddenly remembered that the boy in front of him was not an unknown figure. Even if he lived in a cave, he would know about the famous deal made between Hot cial Foundations and Atsushi Family fifteen years ago that was toe in four months. Rewen wryly smiled and let out an exasperated sigh. "Do you think I have a chance?" "Of defeating the HGF''s President''s daughter?" Hase had a ridiculous face when he heard the question. "Of surviving, to be precise." Rewen corrected. "Hm, I don''t know. What is your POW?" "Around 4?" "G.C.?" "1." "Any skills?" Rewen shook his head. [G.C. Channeling] wasn''t really a skill. It was more of a necessary procedure that should be done in order to use G.C. freely. [Full-Body Channeling] is a [Unique] skill that permanently increases the base POW of a person by four times. ''Sigh, if only my base POW was a little more.'' Hemented internally. If he had even a POW of 3 as the base, then he would be standing here with the POW of 12 which is way too much of an increase. ''It''s ridiculous how much of a part talent ys'' Shaking off the thoughts, he looked at Hase who was speechless. "Is there any chance that you can reconcile with your family?" Rewen snorted. "Family? What is it? Can it be eaten?" He had been brought up in an extremely poor condition. Rumors of him being a disgusting person had spread far and wide and those rumors were spread by his own family. He had a father who is most possibly freely roaming the world and a mother who he had never seen in his life. ''I swear if there''s a plot twist like - ''LOL! Turns out your mother had always loved you and your father was secretly protecting you!'', I''ll fucking go insane.'' "It''s going to be difficult in that case No, I''ll get this straight. I don''t think that you can survive relying on your personal strength." Hase seriously said. He could sugarcoat his words but it would be insincere. "That''s correct." Unexpectedly, a smile emerged on Rewen''s face. "Do you think that if I were to join a powerful organization, I would be able to go my own way?" "Setting aside the fact whether you could join a powerful organization or not, it''s still highly unlikely that Atsushi Family and HGF would leave you alone." "So at the end of the day, personal strength is the only thing I could rely on. Right?" Hase silently nodded. "How strong do you think the HGF President''s daughter is? Give me a goal I could work towards." Rewen asked. "She is one of the rising stars of your generation. She is close to being a Bronze-rank Gruer User, at the very least. Being born with a golden spoon, she also possibly has some ranked skills up her sleeve. It''s not that I watched her fight or anything but from what I have heard along with her poprity, to me, she appears to be someone who I would be wary of while fighting despite me being a Bronze ranked Gruer User." "I had the same thoughts. So, is it reasonable to set my goal to reach the Bronze rank within four months?" "It''s unreasonable," Hase said with a straight face. "I''m not sure if you realize the gravity of your situation. Do you know what is the rate at which POW increases with time, regardless of talent?" Rewen shook his head but had a general idea. "Whether you <> with 1 POW or 10 POW, you would only get to increase your POW by two units within the span of a year. Look, Rewen. As much as I want to encourage you, it''s only good that you know your limits and act ordingly. Setting an unreasonable goal is only going to make you feel pressure." "In other words, is there no way for me to gain a significant boost in power in these four months?" Hase sighed and shook his head. "Rewen, you don''t understand. This is your development phase. There is no way you could explosively increase your POW." "No way? Are you sure?" Rewen asked again. "As far as I''m concerned, not really. No." "Well, that''s concerning." Rewen chuckled. "Oh, by the way, I saw a Gruer Detector back in the car?" "Yeah, it''s a new one that I bought before we returned from the Capital. You can use it." "Can I use it now?" "Oh, yeah, sure." Hase handed over his car key to Rewen. Receiving the key, Rewen walked to the mansion''s private garage. Numerous cars were parked. Some of them belonged to the servants, some to the guests. Chapter 195: A Slavemaster (7) Chapter 195: A vemaster (7) Amidst the numerous cars, Rewen instantly spotted Hase''s car. He walked towards the car and lifted the deck. "Let''s see" After a few seconds of search, he found the Gruer Detector and walked away after locking the car. On the way back to the room given to him, he passed through the field where Hase was personally training the rookies by sparring them hand-on-hand. He decided to watch the sparring for a while before going to his room which was on the second floor. ''Simply by using my martial arts, I can probably defeat Hase if I had the POW I haven''t fully utilized my [Full-Body Channeling] but it wouldn''t significantly impact mybat prowess. If only I had a bit more base POW. Well, whatever. Let''s see how much POW I currently have.'' Rewen tossed the Gruer Detector in his hands. "Synchronize." He said, and a few letters appeared on the Gruer Detector. --- POW: 4.5 G.C.: -1 --- "What?" Rewen rubbed his eyes. He had somewhat underestimated his increase in POW but that wasn''t his main concern. "-1" is a reading which is impossible. How in the world does a person have a negative value for G.C. and what does it even signify? If G.C. is zero, then the person doesn''t have any G.C. and if it''s positive, it has a value. Seconds after being visibly shocked, Rewen muttered in a low voice. "I should try this again. Synchronize." --- POW: 4.5 G.C.: -1 --- Rewen kept the Gruer Detector on the table near him and his eyes turned serious. ''What should I think of this? There are only two possibilities. Either the device is faulty, or my G.C. is really in the negative. I''m more inclined to believe in thetter. Not because it works in my favor, more appropriately, it should work in my favor, but it''s also because this is a fictional world and this ought to be some trope. ''As for where I got this abnormality from, I don''t need to think twice to know that this abnormality is directly rted to the ck Orb I consumed back in thepetition.'' He rubbed his chin. ''This should be a good signal and it would be ignorant of me if I don''t try it out. But the question is, how? How can I see if there''s changed that has assimted within my G.C.?'' He quickly arrived at the answer. ''I can always shape an arrow but wait, I shouldn''t do it here. Even though I can''t see any, it would be really risky to ignore the fact that there might be surveince cameras hmm, I don''t think there''s any ce in the mansion where there''s no surveince camera. Do I have to leave the mansion just to do this?'' Rewen wasn''t always an overly cautious man. He tries to be as rxed and carefree as possible but if needed, he could be pragmatic to an insane degree. He picked up the Gruer Detector and appeared to examine it when it suddenly slipped from his hand. It rolled into the extreme corner of the bed. "Tsk." Smacking his lips, he went to the bed and crouched, then extended his hand to get the Gruer Detector but on his way to get it, he turned his stretched palm into a fist. G.C. Channelling! Shape! A small arrow materialized on his fist. It was barely any different from when he used the arrow previously, except for one part. That change was enough to make him speechless. The color of the arrow was ck! It has to be known that G.C. ''s color in its purest form is bluish-green, bordering towards blue. Of course, that doesn''t mean that the [Combative] skills which use G.C. as the primary source always has bluish-green color. Everything depends on the kind of skills but G.C at its purest form was always bluish-green. That is to say, every weapon shaped by G.C. is bluish-green. So, why is it that the arrow is weirdly ck? ''This looks interesting.'' Rewen smiled briefly before dematerializing the arrow and got hold of the Gruer Detector, and then proceeded to get up. With some thoughts revolving around his head, heid on the bed. During this time, he had his eyes wide open. The humid air wasing from the windows while the air conditioner was running freely. Moreover, it waste afternoon. The perfect time to take a good old nap. However, for some reason, he couldn''t sleep in the afternoons. But he did try to, once in a while. After a couple of minutes, he gave up and exited the room to get some fresh air. ''Hmm, should I go outside the mansion or just take a round around the mansion?'''' He looked up at the sky. ''It''s too hot. I''ll just take a walk around the mansion.'' *** "Are the guests served?" Michi asked in an exhausted voice with sweat dripping from her forehead. Opposite to her were some women a bit older than her. The women looked at each other and smiled. One of the women patted Michi''s shoulder. "You can go and take a rest. It''s your first day. It would take some time to adjust." Michi wanted to say something but she figured that overexerting would not work and thus decided toply. With a ''Thank you'', she started walking to her room. As she was about to step into her room, she felt her rear grabbed by arge hand. A chill went down her spine. Someone grabbed her rear. She opened her mouth to scream but just then, the person who had groped had taken his hand back. With fear and anger in her mind, she turned around to see a tall man looking at her creepily. "W...who are you?" The tall young man chuckled. "I''m the City Lord''s eldest son. You look pretty cute so I thought of taking some liberties with you. I hope you don''t mind." Michi''s throat went dry. Forcing a smile, she said. "I''m tired." The tall young man looked at her from head to toe. "Of course, sorry to disturb." He said, before walking away. Michi stood there in a daze. A few secondster, a single tear fell down her cheeks. She had never felt so helpless. Someone just harassed her out of nowhere and she could do nothing. ''Where is my self-respect?'' She questioned, then closed the door. *** Standing at a distance, Rewen watched the entire thing. ''Just wow. I have never thought that stereotypes of a noble didn''t exist in modern times.'' His eyes then turned to the tall young man who entered a room guided by a maid. ''I might be jumping the gun here but he seems to have sex with his maids quite often. Well. I''ll just have to see." Next day. Basement. "Rule No. 3. y board games with your ve(s)." Rewen read out loud the third rule listed in the book - A Guide To vemastering. Yukiko and Asa lightlyughed when they heard the rule. Kaori had a bored look on her face. "Is this what we are going to do? y board games all day?" "Yes. Isn''t it great?" Yukiko was in favor of this. "Which board games are we going to y? Cards?" Asa Chinatsu was also interested. Looking at the three women, Rewen inwardly sighed. ''They think that faking would reduce the effect of the brainwashing. Rather acting would work in my favor. I''m no master in psychology and understanding human emotions but 2-D characters are at the end of the day, just 2-D characters. As long as you can follow their rules and don''t trigger their trigger points, it''s not difficult to manipte them. ''If the ones sitting in front of me were real people, there is no way something like this would work. Obviously, brainwashing people into believing they are ves is way harder than it sounds. I''m not even sure if you can even do that. Maybe you can make them submit to your power and influence but how long does it take for them to ept their identity as ves? Wait, wasn''t there something called Stockholm''s Syndrome in the pre-apocalyptic inte. ''Ah, doesn''t that mean that every ve is essentially a victim of Stockholm Syndrome? This means it is indeed possible to make ves submitpletely. Hmm this is really a very weird and creepy train of thought.'' Shaking his head, he looked at the three confused women. While there was a part that felt pity for them, he had very few choices in hand. One, he could continue with his brainwashing. Two, he could pretend to continue with his brainwashing. But then again, supervisors woulde and check the women every week. If they see no notable differences, he would definitely be deemed as someone who is not fit for the job. Three Rewen took a deep breath and clutched his forehead in silence. Chapter 196: A Slavemaster (8) Chapter 196: A vemaster (8) Rewen''s eyes slowly opened. Yawning, he got up from his bed and spread the curtains of his windows. While stretching, he organized the things he would do today. It had been a week since he hade to the mansion. He had received a Return Ticket but he was in no hurry to return. Part of the reason is that he wanted toplete this volume, then go back. Another reason, which was only the primary one, is that his mental state wasn''t the best. He had done everything in his power but the unease of the death crisis hadn''t faded. The previous two times when he went to fight against the squads, he was confident that he could defeat or escape his way out if he was faced with an extremely dangerous situation. After all, he had trump cards which were enough to give him peace of mind. However, currently, those trump cards won''t be enough. Therefore, he decided to take some time in adjusting his mental state. Since he came to the mansion, he followed a specific schedule - wake up, jog, train, have breakfast, brainwash the ves, have lunch, train till night, dinner, sleep, and again wake up. Nothing particrly eventful happened during this time except for --- FP (Yukiko): 32 FP (Kaori): 21 FP (Chinatsu): 35 --- He could surprisingly see the favorability points for the ves after he asked the system. While he isn''t nning on bing a harem master by sneakily increasing the favorability points, it was undeniable that keeping FP in check is a great way to reassure himself that his ''therapy'' was working and that the women were slowly bing more epting of him. "Though I''m not sure if more FP makes one more gullible." Rewen worded out his thoughts. Soon thereafter, he went outside and began running. The ce he was running on was the field where Hase trained the rookies. As he was running, he felt a hand on his back. "Yo! You are early today!" It was Hase. Behind him were several rookies running along with him. Without turning back, he replied. "Good morning." "Yeah." Hase increased his speed and ran alongside him. "You have gotten thinner. I have rarely seen someone losing weight like this." "You know how it is." Hase nodded. "Will you be sparring against them?" "No." Rewen declined. The "them" Hase was referring to were the rookies. Since he wanted to check his improvement and strength, he sparred with the rookies every day. But now, he had no need to spar because his strength was more than enough to deal with every single rookie even if they came at him together. "How about sparring with me?" Hase felt that this guy was too pitiful. He didn''t know about others but he knew that he can''t think straight after knowing that there''s a ridiculously high possibility that he would die after a few months. He would be panicked and obsessed with gaining strength in any possible way. However, Rewen didn''t show any of those signs and even appeared to be optimistic. "You are too strong." Rewen shook his head. It''s not that Hase can''t hold back or limit his power but his strength was too high. Even a single strike with his normal power would be extremely deadly to Rewen. That''s why he didn''t want to take the risk. ''Maybe I should consider sparring him after all, that''s the only way I could improve my martial arts right now.'' He decided to think about this again when he increased his strength significantly. "Haha!" Haseughed. "By the way, why am I not seeing Reza?" Hase had an awkward look on his face when he mentioned her name. "Ah, about her" *** Rewen casually walked along the hallway and walked into the direction of the stairs when he saw two people sitting on the bench - a man in histe teens and a girl in her early teens. With her eyes closed, the girl''s head was leaning against the man''s shoulder. He squinted his eyes. He was familiar with both of them. The man was the one who had harassed Michi on the first day when he came here and the girl was Reza. When asked about her to Hase, thetter had said that she had started hanging around the eldest son of the City Lord. ''To think they are this close whatever, none of my business.'' Although Rewen was slightly concerned about Reza mainly because she was still underage, he didn''t want to poke his nose into others'' business. Going back to his room, he took a shower and went to his basement. *** In the basement. Three women sat in a chair. Opposite to them was Rewen who had a neutral face. Beside him stood an old man who was looking around the room. "Weren''t there four ves?" The old man asked, looking at Rewen. He was the supervisor who is responsible for checking on the ves and if the vemaster is doing his job or not. He didn''t look down on the young man who was supposed to be the vemaster but at the same time, he wasn''t too hopeful about him. "Yes, Sir. There were indeed four ves but one of them turned out to be a murderer. As someone newly introduced to the job, I didn''t want to take the risk of having a murderer close to me. I hope I didn''t do something that crossed my bounds as a vemaster." Rewen appropriately replied. The old supervisor nodded upon hearing him. "You made the right judgement. Can I ask you to leave the room? I''ll ask them some private questions." The women were a bit uneasy upon hearing it. It''s not that Rewen was a great person with overflowing kindness in their hearts but he had turned into someone who wouldn''t directly harm them. Rewen didn''t notice their unease as his attention was on the old man. "Oh, sure." Rewen nodded, then proceeded to leave the basement. *** Sitting under a cherry blossom tree, Rewen felt gentle winds tackling against his face. Coupled with the pleasant surroundings, he felt very peaceful. "How refreshing. I''m getting fake nostalgia." But that peace was short-lived when Michi came running to him. "Rewen! There is a problem." Rewen raised his eyes. "What? Did you again give vegans chicken ribs?" Michi pouted. "That was only one time!" "One time? What about the time you told the servants to serve the servants'' meal to the City Lord''s family?" "I''m improving!" "Backwards?" In the past days, Rewen had gotten very close to her. After getting along with her, he found out that she is possibly the most pure-hearted person he had met. There are so many good qualities that he could go on for days. However, "good" doesn''t equate to "suitable". Although he got along with her, there is a gap between them. He is 3-D. She is 2-D. The gap that could never be closed. If Rewen had to exin how exactly does it make a difference? It would ultimately be thoughts. While he is capable of going through thoughts, thinking about several areas of the thought, analyzing them, and finally deciding what''s the best for him, so is Michi. She isn''t incapable of doing all those things. If she was incapable, she would be considered mentally challenged. So, where is the difference? The difference is the frequency of doing those things. To understand this better, we have to view it from a different perspective. Let''s say a higher-dimensional being is watching both of them from a screen. If he/she were to make an observation, he/she would find one particr noticeable thing. Rewen, like any other normal humans, spares too much of his thoughts about trivial things. For instance, while descending down the stairs, he had a tendency to take two steps at once. If hends on the ground crossing over with only one riser, he will feel discontented. It''s a very trivial thing but that''s how people are. Michi, on the other hand, is very "stiff". ''Frankly speaking, she doesn''t show any signs of having thought of anything other than just thinking and doing what ''should'' be done. It''s like she is following something. Well, she is indeed following the author''s storyline. I guess it''s also understandable. Who would even bother including extremely trivial details to a character which doesn''t affect the story at all?'' As he was having useless thoughts, Michi came near him and asked in a concerned voice. "What''s wrong?" Rewen shook his head. "What''s the matter? Why are you so riled up?" Michi opened her mouth and raised her index finger. "..." "What?" Michi showed an embarrassed smile. "I forgot." "..." Usually, Rewen would have joked about the situation but right now, he was just confused. ''This doesn''t really align with the 2-D character temte Do I have to expand the range of how 2-D characters think and act? Wait, there''s another possibility.'' A shimmer of light glowed in his eyes. Chapter 197: A Slavemaster (9) Chapter 197: A vemaster (9) "Try to remember." Rewen urged. ''There are two possibilities. One, she really did forget it randomly. Two, she forgot it and it''s a plot element. If we go by observations, it could be concluded that she isn''t the kind of person who is too clumsy or maybe, she did forget something randomly. However, how could I dismiss the possibility of it being a plot element?'' It had to be said that he had grown significantly more cautious than he was before. A major part of it has to do with his previous mistake - dragging his cousin Denny into his own mess. It was a mistake he regrets to this day, and it happened because he was careless and overconfident. He had gotten too absorbed in his own little hypothesis where nothing would go wrong. By the time he had finally realized it, it was toote. Rewen sighed inwardly, then raised his head to look at Michi who was staring at him with a nk expression. "It was After showering then I talked with them um" She was trying hard to remember but somehow couldn''t. "Okay, stop." "Hm." Michi stopped recalling her memories. "What did you do beforeing here?" Rewen asked. ''Sometimes, people just forget what they were going to say. I''m no major in psychology but I believe that it happens when a person is too desperate to say something in a conversation but couldn''t say it because the person he/she was conversing with gave the person an idea which caused something and made her forget about the thing the person was going to speak about. ''Michi wanted to say ''A'' desperately but I made her forget about it by saying ''B''. So, in order to understand what she was going to say, I can only make her revert back. If lucky, it would take a few seconds. If not, a couple of hours.'' Michi put her index finger on her chin and raised her head. "I have instructions to the chefs after the servantse back from the market." "Okay. Then you came here directly?" Michi took a few seconds to answer. "Yes." "Let''s revert back. What were you doing before you gave instructions to the chefs?" "I woke up, took a shower, and came to the kitchen." "Nothing happened between the two events?" "Not really," Michi spoke in a confident voice. "Good. How much time did it take you toe here from the kitchen?" Michi looked at her wristwatch."It took a bit more than a minute. Oh, wait!" She immediately straightened her head. "I remember! You are so smart! How did you do this?" Rewen rubbed his nose. "I didn''t do anything. You did." Even he himself had to admit that he sounded like one of those pseudo-intellectuals. "Anyways, before you again forget, what is the thing you wanted to tell me?" "Okay!" Michi took a deep breath, then came to him and sat down cross-legged opposite him. Instantly, her face turned solemn. "This is about Reza." "Oh, her again? What did she do this time? Got into another adulterous affair." Rewen said in a joking tone but he wasn''t wrong since the eldest son of the City Lord had a fiance "Don''t joke. This is serious." Michi seriously said. "Alright. My bad. So, what happened?" "After giving instructions to the chefs, I remembered thatst night, I had left out the list for dishes in the small kitchen so I went to get the list when I saw the eldest son of the City Lord taking Reza to his room." "Oh well, that day came sooner than I expected." Rewen felt that he was needlessly worried. Michi was rather stunned by his reply. "Yeah, but wouldn''t you stop her?" "Am I someone to her?" Rewen asked rhetorically, shrugging. After he said that, he saw that Michi''s face was slowly turning red from anger and feltpelled to continue. "Look, that eldest what''s even his name?" "Mitsuo." "Yeah, him. Mitsuo. Since he went after an underage girl older than him by at least six years, he is a sick pedo. There''s no question about that. There''s also no question that Reza isn''t at an age where she is capable enough to make a decision. That''s all true. We all know that it''s wrong but the real question is - what can we do?" "Shouldn''t we try to talk to her?" "Are you suggesting that we haven''t tried to do so for the past few days?" "Still fine. What about Mitsuo then? Can''t we do something about him?" "What can we do? Pray tell. We are going to confront the son of a person who gave us food and shelter. Even if we were to ignore this, what can we even do? Confront him? He will shut us down before we could even get our points across. The only thing we could do is to tell this matter to the City Lord who is out of station currently." "What about" Michi was at a loss for words. "B-but I''m worried about Reza." "No one''s not worried about her. Hase approached her several times regarding this but he couldn''t get a single word out of her." Rewen was disappointed in Reza. Originally, after she witnessed her family''s death, he thought that she would be more mature. She had indeed changed but not in the way he had expected. "I heard the supervisors came today. Are you nervous?"Michi didn''t seem convinced but didn''t want to continue pestering him about it so she switched the topic. "It should go well." Rewen confidently replied. *** In a private room, two people stood opposite each other shaking hands. One of them was an old man and the other was a ck-haired young man with a moderate height and looks. "I must say, I''m quite surprised by your performance. Did you have a prior experience with vemastering?" "No, Sir. This was my first. All I did was follow the guide." Rewen replied in a humble manner. "You implemented what was written in the guide? That''s beyond impressive." The old man wasn''t stingy with praise. He knew what kind of talent the young boy standing in front of him was. "Thank you, Sir. Can I ask some questions?" "Hm? Go ahead." "How does the ve business work? Are the ves sold in auctions or something like that?" "No. Selling ves is illegal." "What?" Rewen was rather dumbstruck by the reply. ''Having ves isn''t illegal but selling is?'' The old man chuckled when he saw him dumbstruck. "I think you might have a misunderstanding of ves. They aren''t lesser humans. If I have to describe them in two words, it would be - sexual partners. They are usually gifted to other nobles but sometimes, groomed for personal purposes as well. For instance, the ves you are grooming are groomed for the son of the City Lord. Rover City''s City Lord, I mean. But even after gifting, there are a couple of rules the master has to follow. Otherwise, he can be sued under the constitutional rights of ves." ''Maybe being a ve isn''t that b--- no, that''s a dangerous train of thought.'' Rewen asked a few more questions before both of them walked separate ways. Rewen had a session with Yukiko, Kaori, and Chinatsu thatsted for about two hours before he went to the fields where Hase trained the rookies. Since it waste afternoon, the fields were empty. ''Alright. Let''s get started.'' Straight! Jab! Kick! Swirling Kick! Double-flipping Dodge! He started practicing his martial arts. Previously, he couldn''t make full use of his martial arts because of his body. Although his body still wasn''t as tough as his real body, he could at least execute every move with some effort. ''What is martial arts?'' ''Is it a way of life, one of the means of self-defense, or both?'' ''My martial arts isn''t the most effective as it heavily relies on reflex due to the fact that the moves are more stretched and therefore, it leaves out a lot of openings for the opponent to counter after dodging. This is also the reason I have to have at least a threeyered series of moves when I strike which is mentally exhausting.'' ''Threeyered series of moves'' is a term Rewen invented. It''s a tree of possibilities. In a threeyered series, there''s a total of six possibilities. To understand it better, let''s say that there''s an opponent and he is nning for a punch at the opponent''s face. In the firstyer, there are two possibilities - whether it would hit the face or not. If it works, then fine. If it doesn''t, he has to make a counter move. This is the secondyer. If the counter move works, then fine. If it doesn''t, he has to make another counter move. This is the thirdyer. Usually, he doesn''t need to go beyond the thirdyer buttely, he has to make up to fiveyers just so he could escape. Chapter 198: A Slavemaster (10) Chapter 198: A vemaster (10) That''s why it''s of no surprise why he mostly gains the upper hand when fighting against Rank 1 Mages. More than stats, it has to do with nning and martial arts. However,tely, that difference is closing up when he confronts more than one opponent. ''Other than setting up tricks, Is there no other way I can fight two opponents on the same level as me?'' This wasn''t the first time he thought of this. Logically speaking, it isn''t impossible for someone to battle two opponents on the same level as him and take them out but it''s unlikely because of obvious reasons. Two people''s power doesn''t necessarily add up nor it necessarily multiplies but that doesn''t mean that it can''t happen. ''I guess the only answer to this is to get strong quickly. With a significant power difference, I can take out two, three, and as many as I want.'' He trained for an hour straight, then roamed the mansion. The dusk was around the corner, shadows of tall buildings around the mansion fell on the ground. Coupled with the fresh air, Rewen felt incredibly peaceful. ''The air here is really nice. In the future, I shoulde here.'' *** It was night. Rewen had his dinner sent to him in his room by a maid. In the process of having his dinner, a knock came from the door. "Who is it?" Rewen stopped eating and asked. "Rewen, it''s me." Hase''s voice came from the outside. "Come in. It''s open." Rewen continued eating when he heard that it was Hase. "Hm? Why do you have such a grim look on your face? Something wrong?" "I don''t know what to do." Hase sat on the bed, his body trembling. His usually bright eyes were dark. Rewen had a bad feeling about this when he saw him like this. "It''s fine. You are not alone." Rubbing his back, he said. Although the two of them had met only recently, Hase was easily one of his closest people. He was a person whom he could trust and rely on as a friend. After he came to the Nation of Bandits, he was the first person he befriended. It could even be said that he was the first person he had truly befriended, excluding Sam. Zaplin and Vin were just his ssmates. "Rewen, this is fucking insane!" Rewen nked out. Hase was thest person he thought would use profanities. This increased the gravity of the situation. "What, what exactly happened?" He cautiously asked. Hase shook his head. "You don''t want to know. You would only get involved in my mess." "What the fuck? You came into my room bitching about some stuff and now you don''t want to tell me what''s going on?" "You don''t know how dangerous the situation is, Rewen." "That''s why I want to know." Rewen took a deep breath, then continued. "Look. Answer me honestly. Will it affect me directly if you just tell me what''s going on? If it does, you don''t have to tell." He straightforwardly said. Even though he was not in a situation where he could afford to poke his nose into other people''s troubles, it didn''t hurt hearing the ''troubles''. Hase was quiet for a long time before he let out a sigh. "We''re leaving, Rewen. I and Reza are leaving the mansion." "What? Why?" Even though Rewen knew that the issue was not a small one, he was still shocked by the deration. "Reza she" Hase rubbed his face with his hands. "What did she do?" "She killed the eldest son of the City Lord." "..." Rewen sucked in a mouthful of air. He immediately understood the gravity of the situation is abnormally high and that it''s best to keep himself away from his affairs unless he wants to get involved with them. Silence reigned in the room for about ten minutes. Hase finally raised his head and gained rity in his thoughts He took out a key from his pocket and handed it over to him. "We''ll be leaving shortly. If we leave by car, it would be too suspicious. Also, don''t hesitate to use the coins I left in the car. I have enough." "Where are you going?" "We''re leaving the city." Hase refused to give a straight answer. Rewen drylyughed. "You could name a city or state you wouldn''t go to. You are purposefully making it difficult for me. What would I say when asked about where you had gone? If I failed to give an answer, it would be extremely suspicious." "That''s why I didn''t want you to get involved in the first ce. Tell him, eh, the one who interrogates you that we are leaving for---" "I have a better idea." A whileter, Hase stood up to leave. Rewen asked. "Did anyone see youing?" Hase shook his head and replied. "No. Most of the guards are not in this area and it wasn''t difficult to bypass the surveince cameras once you get familiar with them. Speaking of surveince cameras" His face instantly turned grim. Rewen understood his thoughts. "Don''t worry. There are no hidden cameras in the room. I have checked it." "Are you sure?" "Yes. Rest assured." Rewen wasn''t lying. He really did check whether there were surveince cameras in the room or not. Of course, he didn''t do it tantly. Simply using his smartphone, he found out that there weren''t any hidden cameras. It turned out he was being too paranoid. ''It also made sense. Why would they go out their way to nt a hidden camera inside the room when they have dozens of surveince cameras just outside. This isn''t like a super-secret military area.'' "That''s a relief. You should have told me earlier." The reason he thought about the possibility of there being hidden cameras was entirely because of Rewen. Thetter had warned him about the possibility a few days ago. Since then, he could never rx when he was in the room. After all, who likes being watched in their private time? "Yeah, can you bring Reza? I want to talk with her or will it be too difficult?" "I guess I could carry her. It isn''t much of a big deal." With that, Hase exited the room and disappeared within a sh. Rewen was in awe of the speed. ''So that''s a Bronze-ranked Gruer User, huh. I have a long way to go.'' A few minutester, Hase returned with a robed figure in his arms. It was Reza. Her body was wrapped around with a woolen cloth, hiding some of the red stains on her dress. With her indifferent eyes, she looked straight towards Rewen without saying anything. Rewen approached her with a smile. "Hello there. How are you doing?" "..." "What''s with that expression? Why don''t you---" "Rewen." Hase called out his name. Rewen was originally nning to give her some scolding but figured that it wasn''t his ce to say something. Sighing, he asked. "Why did you kill him?" "The second day I came here, he groped me. I avoided him until on the third day, he threatened me to let him do as he pleased with my body. I was scared. I knew that Hase couldn''t protect me from him. Therefore, I pretended to give in to him promising that I would let him do as he pleased until today. He wasn''t aware of the fact that I was an <> so I took advantage of that and plunged his heart using my shaped weapon." Reza''s voice was extremely indifferent as if she had said something natural. Rewen took some time to process what she had said. "That''s" His expression took a bizarre turn. that''s awesome!" Hase and even the stoic Reza raised their heads in shock. A momentter, Reza calmed down and looked at him with hostility apparent in her eyes. Obviously, she had thought that he was merely mocking her. Seeing her expression, Rewen shook his head with a smile. "No, I mean, seriously. For a thirteen-year-old girl, you went above and beyond by manipting a guy at least five years older than you. If this isn''t praiseworthy, then what is?" Hase, who was about to say something in regards to Rewen''s previous statement, stopped, ''When I think about it, it made some sense but oh. Could it be?'' His eyes gleamed when a thought entered his head and looked at Rewen. Reza had a dazed look. Rewen made no furtherment and met her eyes. "We might not have a good rtionship but that doesn''t mean I don''t like you. When we meet next time, let''s try to get along. Sounds good?" Reza didn''t answer and curled up in her cousin''s arms. The childish behaviour made both Rewen and Hase smile. "Alright, then. We''re leaving. Let''s meet again." Hase said, then disappeared within a few seconds. Rewen closed the door and sighed. Then, he walked up to his desk and took out a paper and pen from his bag. Chapter 200: Leaving Chapter 200: Leaving "Hey, wait--- beep!" (Rewen) The call recording ended. It silenced everyone in the room for a while. Rewen had a neutral expression on his face while Michi was visibly shocked. The red-haired Death Knight looked towards the other Death Knights. "We''ve now got sufficient evidence to conclude that Hase Shichiro and Reza Terio are the prime suspects of the homicide of the eldest son of the respected City Lord governing over the Rover City, Mitsuo Sugiwara, " A male Death Knight approached her. "Should we initiate the search?" "Right away." The red-haired Death Knight replied with no hesitation. Immediately, shadows of the Death Knights vanished within a fraction of seconds, making the others present in the room gasp in bewilderment. At this moment, the City Lord stood up from his chair and walked to her. "Do you know where that ungrateful bastard is?" "It''s impossible to know exactly where he is. However, you don''t need to worry. We, the Death Knights, know how to work. This kind of criminal case is beneath us and normally, we would reject it but since Lord Goya had requested the case, we will get the job done as fast as possible." The City Lord didn''t look satisfied. He has lost his son. How could he begin to feel satisfied? Even if he tortures the murderer of his son, he wouldn''t feel satisfied. Because at the end of the day, his son isn''t going toe back. He then turned to look at two friends of his son''s murderer and felt rage boiling. However, he calmed himself down. "What are we going to do with them?" "Let them go? You can do whatever you want but I wouldn''t encourage you to take action against them because there is justice in this nation. Even if you are a strong political figure, you don''t get a pass to go against thew." The red-haired Death Knight warned him. The City Lord snorted. "When have I ever suggested that?" "You didn''t. I just warned you." The red-haired Death Knight paid no more attention to him and walked towards Rewen. ''Hm?'' Rewen thought of possible things she was going to say and organized the answers in his mind. When she was at a distance of half a meter from him, she looked down at his eyes. For a woman, she was tall. About 6 feet 5 inches. Rewen raised his head to look at her. "I''m not rted to this. At this point, I only want to safely exit this mansion." "I understand but before that, I''m sure both you and I know that there are things unresolved. It''s nothing more than a wild guess but why do I think that Reza Terio, the cousin of Hase Shichiro, is somehow rted to this? Could it be that she is the reason Mitsuo got murdered? Not that it matters anyway. What really matters is" A dark smile appeared on the red-haired Death Knight''s originally solemn face. "Are you sure you didn''t fake the recordings? Can you tell me with one hundred percent certainty that this whole recording thing isn''t a deflecting ploy on your part?" "No, it isn''t," Rewen answered with a straight face. "I see. In that case, will you take the me if Hase Shichiro is found to be in Masalton?" "..." The surroundings'' gazes went to him. Michi had the same nervous look on her face. The City Lord and his wife also turned their attention towards him. Under everyone''s gaze, Rewen strangely felt empowered. If he wasn''t in a critical situation, he would have burst outughing. ''It''s obvious that this weirdly tall woman is trying to put pressure on me and doesn''t actually believe that I faked the recording. She is probably doing so to break myst line of defense. It seems that my confidence had somehow overwhelmed her. Is this some sort of challenge to my intelligence? I''ll give her props for arriving at the correct conclusion though.'' He sighed with a bitter face. "Would it have been better for me had I not revealed the recording?" "Not really. I would have suspected you more in that case." The red-haired Death Knight said. "How can I prove it''s not a ploy and that I''m not rted to this?" Rewen directly asked with a difficult face. "Answer some questions." For the next half-an-hour, she asked questions after questions. Contrary to everyone''s expectations, the questions were not about the recording. They were normal questions about Hase and Reza. "Okay, that''s all I need to ask." The red-haired Death Knight turned to the City Lord after getting the answer to herst question. "They are out of suspicion." The City Lord gave them (Rewen and Michi) a single nce and said. "This should be yourst day in this mansion." Saying that, he along with his wife and the servants exited the room. *Swish* *Swish* The red-haired Death Knight cut off the ropes that restrained Rewen and Hase and proceeded to leave the room without a word. Michi heaved a sigh of relief and walked up to Rewen. "This was really something." Rewen slightly nodded and looked at the three ves silently. *** Sitting in the car Hase left behind, Rewen looked out of the window to see Michi carrying a small bag. With the small bag in hand, she opened the door of the car and sat beside him. "Did you get everything?" Rewen asked. Michi nodded. " To begin with, I didn''t bring in anything much." "Should we just book an inn for a month?" With them being kicked out of the mansion, they had to stay at an inn for shelter. Michi hesitated to answer. "Um, you can stay at my ce Don''t we have enough to renovate the house and" "Okay, so your house would be the shelter. What about ie? You do know that Rover City isn''t doesn''t have a guild and wouldn''t take in underaged people no matter what the profession." "I have a grocery store" After all this, Michi wanted to return to her normal lifestyle. She figured that she isn''t cut out for adventures. Rewen didn''t answer for a long time which made Michi feel guilty. "You don''t have to---" "Okay. Your suggestion is reasonable. I''ll provide funds to renovate your house and restore your store." Michi''s eyes lit up. "Thank yo---" "However." Rewen looked straight at her eyes. "I have to go on a road different from yours so you are on your own." "Ah" Michi lowered her head, saying nothing. For her, this works as well. But she was hesitant in expressing her opinion. Rewen shook his head when he saw her expression. "It''s fine. I understand. I don''t me you for thinking for yourself. We are friends, not lovers. I enjoyed yourpany but someday or the other, we have to part. I don''t me you for not wanting to go on a stressful journey. But think about what you really want to do. The moment you return to your usual lifestyle, your life would center around ''contentment'' and not about the ''dreams'' you cherish." He gave her a minute to think, then asked again. "What do you want to do?" "I... take me to my ce." "Alright. Tighten your seatbelts." Rewen started the car. *** Rover City. The city was in shambles. Houses and markets were destroyed. More than a thousand people had died. Currently, after a week, the city has started its restoration. Despite the start of the restoration, it would take some years to fully go back to the state it was a week ago. Amidst all this, a good-looking car entered the city through the main route. The car naturally belonged to Hase and the ones sitting inside were Rewen and Hase. The journey was peaceful. It took about two hours for them to reach the city. "Looks like your colony is one of the less affected," Rewenmented as he drove past the damaged houses. Michi was looking out of the car window in search of her house. "There it is!" Michi pointed her finger. Rewen followed her finger and saw a small one-storey house. Compared to the rest of the houses in the locality, it was in fairly good condition. It only has somerge holes in the walls. Nothing much. "Wait for a second," Michi said, before exiting the car and walking to her house. Rewen had no idea why he was told to wait. He looked out of the window and saw some familiar people leaving the city on arge bus. ''Such is life. A single man-made disaster is enough to make thousands homeless and lose their livelihood. It''s unknown if they can even survive for long but here the government is. Restoring the infrastructure? How about restoring the livelihood of the people first?'' Heined in his mind. By the time he was finishedining, he saw Michi exit her house with two luggage bags in both of her hands. She walked to the car, put the luggage bags on the trunk of the car, and sat beside him. Looking at Rewen''s dumbfounded face, she shed a bright smile "Let''s go!" Chapter 201: The Deal Chapter 201: The Deal Jackport Town. Fragrant South Inn. It was evening. After returning to the town along with Michi, Rewen booked two rooms for a week and paid the amount upfront. The room he was given was not big but enough to feelfortable. It has a bed, a table, a shelf, and an empty wardrobe. He took some time to take out his clothing and essentials from his luggage and organize it in the room. While doing so, he found the bag that he took to the academy. The bag was always with him. From the time the sub-human attacked him to the time he arrived at the Zcan State of Avim. "Damn, did I study all these? No wonder it''s so heavy." He found a bunch of thick books from his bag and arranged it on the shelf, then looked at the bag. "Let''s see what else is there oh?" He found a portrait of his predecessor (Arai Atsushi). In the portrait, he had a forced smile on his face and was standing alone wearing a baggy shirt and pants. He looked to be about ten years old. There was no one else near him. Rewen remembered the origin of the portrait. It was his predecessor''s tenth birthday. Usually, tenth birthdays are celebrated in a pompous manner. However, in his case, he had no one who could celebrate his birthday alongside him. Let alone a gift, he hadn''t even received a wish. Upon recalling the incidents of his predecessor, he sighed. ''Being the main character is not easy.'' After some time, he walked towards the table and picked up the Gruer Detector. "Synchronize." --- POW: 5.1 G.C.: -1 --- Within a week, his POW had moved from 4.5 to 5.1. No matter which part of the world is considered, it is a heaven-defying achievement. It is a well-established fact that one can''t increase the POW beyond two units in a single year. Yet, here he is. Increasing his POW by four units within a span of six weeks is something practically unheard of in this day and age. Even so, Rewen wasn''t particrly satisfied with this. He knew why it increased this much. Full-Body Channeling! It was all because of his unique skill - [Full-Body Channeling]. It had sessfully managed to increase its base POW by a little more than four times. His POW originally aftering to this world was 1.2. With simple math, it is clear that it has increased up to a little more than 4.8. Now, it won''t increase anymore. It was a dead end. *** In Michi''s room. Michi had called him to have dinner together with her. "Hm, this isn''t half bad," Rewenmented upon eating the meal. "d you like it!" Michi smiled. "Why don''t you take some more rice?" "Oh, sure." Rewen didn''t reject the offer. He had always loved rice. Beforeing to Earth, he rarely ate anything other than rice. But because of the cultural difference between Earth and CHAOS, he never had the chance to have rice on Earth. Michi poured some rice from the rice container over to his bowl. She curiously watched him having the meal with a content look on his face. ''Who is he? There''s an air of mystery around him'' "What''s wrong?" Rewen noticed her staring and asked. "No, uhm" Michi got a little flustered when he noticed her staring tantly. She calmed herself down and said. "I was wondering about you" "Wondering about me? Did you fall for me or something?" Rewen''s eyes squinted. It''s not that he hated being the target of affection but with everything going on in his life, he really wasn''t in a position where he could spare his feelings on love. "Huh? N-no, t-that''s not it" Michi got even more flustered. "It''s about who you are. I was curious about your identity. It''s fine if you don''t want to tell!" "Oh." Rewen''s eyes gleamed in realization. "It wasn''t really a secret." He took out his smartphone and typed something, then showed it to her. "That is me." Michi saw a familiar ugly face. Instantly, she raised her head andpared the two faces. ''How did he change so much?'' It was a question that had always remained on her mind. She then went on to read the text beside the picture. "You are Arai Atsushi?" Michi''s expression was that of extreme shock. Even though she knew very little about the world, she knew about the infamous deal from fifteen years ago. The incident that happened prior to the deal was too popr. Sixteen years ago, the HGF''s President''s daughter, who was the primary candidate to take over the HGF, fell in love with a nameless man from Atsushi Family. Initially, the HGF wasn''t too pleased with this butter, the President couldn''t bear to see her daughter sad and therefore, agreed to not interfere in the rtionship between them on one condition. If they, Hain Atsushi, the nameless man from the Atsushi Family, and Cecille Avatore, were to decide on marriage, then Hain Atsushi had to marry into the President''s household. The condition was approved by both households. The Atsushi Family even held a grand feast prior to the marriage. After a couple of months, the marriage date was decided but on the day of the marriage, Hain Atsushi, the groom, disappeared miraculously! A nationwide search was warranted by both HGF and Atsushi Family. The search continued for two months. Needless to say, it turned out to be fruitless. This incident led to the two heavyweights of the world engaging in a cold war. The cold war only escted further when the HGF President found out that his daughter is pregnant. The climate in the Central changed. The usually peaceful atmosphere took an abrupt change. Conflicts arose which not only affected the two parties but also the bystanders. Finally, the Council was forced to interfere. It yed the role of a mediator in the beginning. But the two parties didn''t budge an inch. The Council President couldn''t hold it anymore and decided to call out every powerful force in the world. With this, the two heavyweights in the world were finally suppressed! Shortly after the suppression, the main forces of both the parties, Atsushi Family and HGF, were called to a meeting by the Council. After a heated debate, the infamous deal was made which said - "The child inside Cecille Avatore, the daughter of Turan Avatore, immediately after turning sixteen, is to engage in a life-and-death battle with the daughter of Turan Avatore''s second son." The deal aroused much controversy as it involved someone who had nothing to do with the conflict. Many sympathized with the child but no one dared to speak out against it. However, that''s not to say that people didn''t question. Till now, there are questions about the deal which aren''t answered. Why was such a deal made? Although it''s not been officially stated, one of the most popr theories suggests that it was to totally cut off the ties with Hain Atsushi. With the death of the child, the mother, Cecille Avatore, would be free. One strong evidence to support the theory was that she is arranged to get engaged to a man on the same day her child engages in a life-and-death battle with the current HGF''s President''s daughter. On the surface, there wasn''t any benefit given to Atsushi Family but many sources suggest that the reason the deal was allowed was that the HGF had promised topensate the Atsushi Family. Meanwhile, Michi nkly stared at the boy sitting in front of her. "Y-y-y-you" She had never thought that he would have such a huge background. Rewen sighed. By now, he hadpleted his meal. He took his bowl and went over to the basin. Washing the bowl, he kept the bowl on the shelf, then walked over to her. "Good night." He said, before exiting the room. A few seconds after he left the room, Michi came back to her senses and shook her head with a bitter smile. "Here I thought my life was rough." *** Rewenid down on the bed and thought about several things. --- Alter Points: 82 --- Even after a week, he still didn''t have enough to read the third volume. ''I''m not sure if the third volume has ended or not. At this point, I''m not even sure if I''ll need it. Fuck. I''m in a bad condition. My powerup has ended and I have only about four months left. If I don''t get significantly stronger than I currently am, it would be game over for me. Okay, enough. Let''s look at what I currently have.'' ''In Sakura Garden Academy, I would be considered as a moderately strong first-year student.'' ''I am a skilled martial artist.'' ''My trump card is - [Boost]. If I were to use it correctly, I could potentially match up to those with a POW of mid-8, at the very least. I''m not kidding. It''s just that overpowered.'' Chapter 202: Terrorists Chapter 202: Terrorists ''I have a weird ''-1'' value of G.C. which I''m pretty sure is useful but I don''t know how and where I would find its use. Using it in public would attract a lot of attention so I have to do so in private.'' Rewen raised his right hand and immediately a ck arrow materialized in his hand. Previously, he just managed to get a glimpse of it but now that he looked at it carefully, he saw that the ck arrow wasn''tpletely ck. More than a "ck arrow", it''s best described to be a normal arrow surrounded by a ck gas-like aura. It also sparked white around the edges. "This is kinda cool," Rewenmented, then swung the arrow in the air. *Spzzz* Sparks became violent as soon as a movement was made. *Spzzz* *Spzzz* *Spzzz* The more he swung his arrow, the more violent did the sparks get. Rewen stopped swinging the arrow and thought. ''Does this have anybative scope? Like, increasing the effect of the strike no, wait. This is an arrow. Why am I using it like a spear? Rather, when have I ever used it as an arrow?'' A strange look appeared on his face. After ying with it for a while, he dematerialized the arrow and turned off the light. Travelling was never his strong suit. Journeying back and forth for hours had him mentally exhausted. That''s why he wanted to have the best sleep he had in his life. However, just then,motion sounded from the first floor of the inn. "What''s going on, man?" He yawned, then closed his eyes trying to go back to his sleep. Unfortunately for him, themotion only further intensified. "Fuck." He got up and exited the room. Immediately upon exiting, he saw Michi in her pajamas getting out of her. Rubbing her eyes, she walked towards him. As soon as she was about to raise a question, he shook his head indicating that he didn''t know any better. Both of them walked down the stairs and saw several men and women flock towards the only television in the inn. Their eyes turned to the television screen. On the screen, two men were seen. One had strikingly ck hair with a handsome face. The other was a man wearing a ck mask and light green clothes. On the center of his shirt were two ck diagonal lines crossing each other. This was the symbol for one of the greatest terrorist forces in modern times - WestLane! The ck-haired handsome man was grabbing the masked terrorist by his neck. He flicked his hands and a short dagger appeared on his hand out of nowhere. He looked at the masked man and ruefully smiled. "Do you like it when you are the one being terrorized?" The masked man struggled intensely to no avail. "Give up the struggle. It''s useless just like you." The ck-haired handsome man tossed the masked man in the air. "Scums like you don''t deserve to integrate themselves as a part of Hatbeiver''s Legion! DIE!" As the dagger was infinitely close to touching the masked man''s shirt, an explosion urred making the ck-haired handsome man fly back. "Cough, cough." He got up coughing. Blood endlessly oozed out from his half-broken arm. He couldn''tpletely dodge the explosion. Staggering to his feet, he walked away from the site. However, soon after, he was met with a bunch of figures. And then, the video ended revealing a young man looking at the screen. From the surroundings, it didn''t take long for Rewen to find out that that young man was a news anchor and everything he had seen was broadcasted and real. "All of this is real unfortunately." The news anchor said in a grave voice. "We have Mr. Yuguchi, author of "The Last Stable Century" as well as a journalist from Tomorrows TV." The face of a middle-aged man appeared beside the news anchor. "So, Mr. Yuguchi, we are happy to have you here." "It''s my pleasure." "Before we get into the specifics, I have a sort of personal question. What do you think of this whole ''enemy of an enemy is a friend'' narrative that''s been out in the media recently?" "Well, it''s very dangerous, to say the least. Because when you look at things objectively, both are equally evil. There''s no lesser evil. Both WestLane and Hatbeiver''s Legion are dangerous terrorist organizations that are seeking to harm the government as well as society. The only difference is that, unlike Hatbeiver''s Legion, WestLane openly attacked our nation. Just because there is a conflict between the two terrorist organizations doesn''t mean one would side with us. The narrative that these extremists are pushing is exactly - ''Since Hatbeiver''s Legion hasn''t harmed and is even fighting against WestLane, we should side with them'' which is nonsensical. "If you were to take the entire world into consideration, you would find out that Hatbeiver''s Legion is the one who is responsible for more deaths." Mr. Yaguchi gave his answer. "I understand. Moving onto the important question, who exactly were these two men? Can you give us a brief context of, um, what''s happening over there?" "Yeah, so the man with the mask is a core member of WestLane, the terrorist organization which recently attacked the Rover City. The other man was a core member of another terrorist organization. It is interesting to note that both terrorist groups have the same origins. We could go about that in detail some other time but returning to the point, the guy from WestLane as well as the guy from the Hatbeiver''s Legion were secretly tracked by the forces directly sent upon the orders of a military general. "So for those worried about the terrorist from Hatbeiver''s Legion, rest assured. He is taken into custody. An outstanding decision from the military general. One thing I would like to mention is that the general didn''t reveal his name to the public. In times of crisis, we need more people like him in our nation." The news anchor nodded upon hearing his answer. "We definitely need more people like him. Onto the next question, we do know that WestLane had stationed itself in this nation for a while but where did Hatbeiver''s Legione from? Thest time I heard from them is three years ago when the Legion General, excuse me, a disgusting scumbag released a tape of him raping an underage girl in public." Mr. Yaguchi adjusted his sses. "That incident haunts me till this day. Hatbeiver''s Legion main forces are in Central and asionally disturb themon citizens. Since it''s Central, they do not dare to cause bigmotions. I''m not aware of the reason they came to our nation but if I have to guess, it has to do with WestLane. I think it''s better if I answer after we get a clear look at their objectives and ns." The news anchor looked at the paper, then raised his head. "Okay, final question. How much would you tell the citizens to worry, especially those living in the coastal regions like Zcan?" Mr. Yaguchi thought for a moment, before answering. "No one can answer with 100% certainty. My advice to the people watching this would be to be at least self-aware and be cooperative with each other. Tough times create tough bonds." "Thank you, Mr. Yaguchi foring to the show. Next up, we have" Meanwhile, Rewen along with the others in the inn finally withdrew their eyes which were fixated on the television screen. After that, discussions started among the people in the inn. Rewen didn''t participate in the discussion and sat in a corner with Michi beside him. "Isn''t the Council supposed to be taking out the terrorist organizations?" Michi asked. She was a little worried about the matter. Rewen sighed. He didn''t answer for a long time. Slowly, his eyes glowed with realization. "This is the cost of making power essible to everyone. There are countless people in the world living with different ideologies. Some ideologies align with the mainstream, some don''t. If we were living in a world where physical strength isn''t the mainponent of one''s life, then perhaps we could have a much more peaceful life. With a system solely based on physical strength, no matter how civilized the system tries to be, peace is nothing but a pipe dream." Michi understood what he was trying to say but was still confused. "What has this got to do with the Central not taking out the terrorist organizations?" Rewen patiently exined. "In this world, the number of terrorist organizations isn''t limited. The Council isn''t omnipotent or all-powerful. It can suppress the terrorists but neverpletely annihte them. You take down one terrorist group and another ten terrorist groups wille out. People can die but ideologies can''t." "That makes sense." Michi appeared enlightened but soon, her brows furrowed. "Why?" It was a vague question but Rewen subconsciously knew what she was talking about. He slowly opened his mouth and answered with an absent-minded look. "Because chaos... breeds further chaos" Chapter 203: Guild Associate Chapter 203: Guild Associate Next morning. 5:00 a.m. Washing his face, Rewen got out of his room and walked to Michi''s door. *Knock* "Are you up yet?" He asked. Footsteps were heard and the door was opened revealing a young girl wearing a loose white T-Shirt and afortable shorts. Her face had a healthy blush befitting of someone her age. "Come in." She said with a sweet smile. As Rewen was close to her, he noticed her hair was wet and fragrant."I could never shower this early." He said, before following her into the room and took a seat on a chair. "It''s a habit." Michi skipped over to the kitchen. Rewen tilted his head and saw her arranging the tes. "Did you already make breakfast? How early did you start?" "It''s a habit." Michi turned around smiling. "Let''s eat." *** An hourter. Rewen and Michi were out in the streets. The streets were fairly crowded, although not as much as Rover City which was one of the biggest trade markets in the nation. One visible difference between both cities is the technological advancement. Besides that, Rover City had a much greater economy, living conditions, and employment rate. The weather was mild today and it was early morning. It was interesting to note that even in the early morning, there is a crowd. This is not a specific trait in just Jackport Town. Rewen noted that this was a sort of a "culture" in this world. Rewen enjoyed taking a walk in the weather. Walking side by side with him was Michi who was continuously looking out for something. Why are they walking down the streets? Short answer - Job hunting. Even though they have enough to live offfortably for a few months with the money they currently have and they would likely be working in the guild by the next month, is it productive toze around doing nothing for an entire month? The job they were searching for is bing a Guild Associate. Not a guild member. The best way to describe the difference between them would be that a Guild Associate isn''t an actual member of the guild and doesn''t work for the Guild directly. He/she is not employed by the Guild itself but rather the people in the Guild. Maintaining a position in the Guild, usually high-ranking, is not an easy job to do. That''s why most high-ranking members of a Guild build an unofficially subsidiary branch of the main Guild. That subsidiary Guild employs people just like the main Guild and works the exact same way as the main Guild. People hired in that subsidiary Guild are called Guild Associates. Currently, because of the recent attack on Rover City by the infamous terrorist group, WestLane, thousands of people have migrated over to Jackport Town. This disrupted the natural selection process that a Guild Member Candidate has to go through making it difficult for the main guild to immediately take in Guild Members without proper checks. This is also the reason why people currently are temporarily looking for the subsidiary guilds controlled by the high-ranking Guild Members. As they were walking, Michi suddenly stopped. "There!" Rewen followed her line of sight and saw a group of young people chatting among themselves. "Are they members or associates?" He asked while walking towards them. "They are associates." Michi immediately said. Last night, she contacted them online to see if they have some spots left to take in employees. They responded in an affirmative manner and told her to meet them today. Meanwhile, the group of young people also noticed two people approaching them. One of them stepped forward and stretched his hand towards Rewen. "I suppose both of you are interested in bing associates in our branch." Rewen shook his hand with his. "Well, that''s the n." The guy lightlyughed, then shook his hands with Michi. *** On a three-storey building. Second floor. Rewen and Michi sat in front of a table on afortable chair. In front of them was a man wearing a business suit and a sharp sunsses. With his dirty blonde hair perfectly trimmed back, he was pleasant to look at. ''Kinoshita Sora.'' Rewen muttered the name of the man. Aside from pleasant-looking, he also found that the man was someone he was familiar with. "T-t-the Envoy?" Michi had seen the Envoy that came to Rover City a few weeks ago and had remembered his face. ''Could it be that he is also the high-ranking Guild Member to whom this subsidiary guild belongs?'' She couldn''t believe such a coincidence. The Envoy, Kinoshita Sora, looked towards Rewen with a small smile. "I see that you have quite changed from how you used to be. It''s almost, no, it''s as if you are an entirely different person." "Hope you have been in good health. Also, thank you for the quota." Although Rewen had a lot of questions, he responded ordingly. "You''re wee. Well, I don''t have much time so I''ll cut to the chase. I know about the condition you are in. I also know what happened with Hase and Reza. I''m also aware of many things you yourself are not aware of. So, take this as some sort of advice from a senior. You are standing on a thin rope. Below you is theva. One single mistake can lead to your demise. I can guarantee that." "What?" Rewen hated the style of ''telling something while not telling anything at the same time''. "What do you mean by that? Please exin it step by step." Kinoshita Sora got up from his chair. "That''s all you need to know. Come again tomorrow." Saying that odorless smoke began to leak from his body. When the body was enveloped in smoke, the smoke immediately vanished along with the man himself. "What!? Where did he go?" Anxious and confused, Michi proceeded to call the security. Rewen remained seated on the chair. ''Standing on a thin rope and under me isva? I guess wanting a rest in this world was a little too much.'' *** Rover City''s City Lord''s Mansion. The City Lord was calming down his wife who was still grieving about the death of their son. Just then, he heard a knocking from the door. "Sir, Madam Death Knight wants to talk to you." A servant said from the other side of the door. "Wait here. Don''t do anything crazy." The City Lord patted his wife''s back a few times before leaving the room. After a few seconds, he saw the red-haired Death Knight sitting on the sofa. "What''s the matter? Did you find them?" "Don''t jest. It''s going to take some time to find them." The red-haired Death Knight nonchntly said. "Then why did youe here?" "I''m sure that by now, you have heard of the recent conflict between the two terrorist groups." The City Lord nodded. "I heard about it briefly." "Shouldn''t you be doing something then?" "Do what? My son just died---" The red-haired Death Knight interrupted him. "You are a City Lord. The affairs of the city shoulde first to you. Anyways, forget that. Did your son participate in thepetition hosted by the Exquisite Immemorial Pce?" "No. Why?" "No? Who participated in that case?" The red-haired Death Knight had a perplexed look on her face. ording to her, there are not many talented members of the younger generations in Rover City. Together with his background, Mitsuo should have been the one to get a quota. The City Lord''s face turned grim at this question. Without any intentions of pushing the topic forward, he directly said. "Because that kid Rewen or something got the letter from the Envoy." The red-haired Death Knight was quiet for a long time, then opened her mouth. "Tell me about him." *** In the inn, Rewen sat on the balcony of Michi''s room and absent-mindedly stared at the people. Some were families taking an evening walk. Some were couples holding hands on an outing. Some going to certain destinations using vehicles and others were locals talking among themselves. "Here." A cup filled with coffee appeared in front of his eyes. Rewen took the cup, then raised his head. Michi stood there smiling like an angel who descended onto the mortal world. At least that''s how Rewen viewed her. Sighing, he said. "At this point, you are just spoiling m- argh..." All of a sudden, his body went weak and he fell on the floor. Michi panicked. "What''s wrong, Rewen?" Rewen identified the source of his current condition. It was the same headache he asionally experienced on Earth. Looking at the young girl shaking his shoulder, he could barely make out what she was saying. His five senses were slowly getting numb. ''L..ten car..f..lly es not... For your sake persevere'' Just when his consciousness was about to fade away, he heard an unfamiliar voice speaking to him in an incoherent manner. His senses slowly regained rity. He had a single thought. ''I want to return.'' Chapter 204: Back To Earth 2.0 Chapter 204: Back To Earth 2.0 Travil Town. Klofar Residence. Rewen''s eyes drastically opened. Raising his upper body, he let out a mouthful of air with wide eyes. "Hah hah... hah what the hell was that?" Rubbing his temples, he thought back to the horrific pain from a few seconds ago. Finally, he calmed down and took note of his surroundings. He was lying in the cold garage he was working in prior to leaving Earth. The garage was as messy as ever with the technicalponents all over the ce. Except for the lighting from hisputer, the room didn''t have any source of light. He got up and drank an entire bottle of water. Only now did he feel a little refreshed. "This is bad there is something seriously wrong with me." Rewen rxed his muscles and practiced his martial arts. Two minutester. He exited the garage and walked to his room. After changing his clothes, he went to the living room and sat beside Denny who was, as usual, watching drama. "What''s wrong?" Denny asked. She found it rather odd that her cousin sat down to watch TV with her. "What could be wrong?" Rewen rhetorically answered. "Are you sure there''s nothing wrong?" Denny didn''t appear convinced. "Yeah." Rewen answered, then leaned on the sofa watching the drama unfolding on the television screen. The show was a romance/drama. A rich girl stumbled upon a rich and powerful man who fell in love with her at first sight. However, the girl already has a fiance studying abroad. Now, she is torn between choosing one over the other. Rewen watched the show with a boring look. "Do you seriously like this?" Turning his head to look at Denny, he asked with a strange expression. "This is one of the better shows." Denny casually answered. "Well, the entertainment industry is certainly not in a good condition," Rewen said. "Not really. Many people like shows like this." "Fine." Rewenfortably adjusted himself then looked at her. "Tell me the charm of the show." "Story?" Denny answered after some thoughts. "Story? What story is there? The entire show is about ''owning'' poor people who have a screw loose in their minds. The form for the show is - the main character, the rich girl, goes out of her house - she meets someone - that ''someone'' is either passive-aggressive to her or her maid - the main character engages in a verbal argument with that ''someone'' - that ''someone'' uses her bullshit authority to publicly shame the main character - a rich and handsome man walks up to her and asks what happened - the ''someone'' loses all his/her self-respect and runs away. "Oh, and also - the main character remains calm because she apparently has some wild tricks up her sleeve which we have never seen. Is this supposed to be some sort of plot device for us to not call her ''a weak woman who always relies on a man''? I think it is the dumbest thing I have seen. If you want to make a ''weak'' lead, just do it." Rewen finally stopped his rant. Denny took slight offense to that. "Do you think that it''s ''weak'' for her to rely on someone?" "Not my words. I''m just saying what people generally think." Denny felt that his words made some sense. "What do you think?" "It''s a positive trait to rely on someone. It shows the character''s vulnerability and makes us rte to him/her. But relying on someone doesn''t mean doing nothing for yourself. Reliance doesn''t necessarily always have to be the act of saving someone. Ites in many shapes and forms. It is much moremon than you think. For instance, you rely on your friends to get through your current crisis and also rely on me to get through your current crisis." By the end, Rewen unknowingly directed the conversation to an awkward route. Denny was silent for a while. He felt embarrassed for letting him know her thoughts that she kept hidden. At the same time, she also strangely felt happy, knowing that someone could understand her. Thest few days were disastrous for her. Although she had a calm exterior, very few people could actually remain calm after knowing that there''s an explosive inside them. "Who do you rely on?" Denny suddenly asked. "I" Rewen had a hard time answering the question. *** Rewen was rummaging through his bookshelf searching for something particr. A few secondster, he got hold of a thick book. "State Police Administration" - was the name of the book. It contains all the information about cops operating and how they are managed. He got the book at a book fair a couple of years ago. Laying down on the bedfortably, he started reading the book. State Police Administration referred to the policing in the Nat Province. Every province has their own set of policies. As long as the police administration is following the basic rules and conduct written in the Constitution, the federal government won''t interfere with the affairs of the state. That, however, doesn''t mean that a state could be ruled by the police by giving them more power. The one managing the state is the Collective Official. Elected by the Board of Assembly, he is not considered the Head of the State but is responsible for looking after the state and reporting the matters directly to the King. The Police Department in Nat Province follows the basic structure. Provincial Mandate is the Head of the Police Department. Appointed by the Collective Official. Remains in office until his/her resignation Deputy-Provincial Mandate. Appointed by the Provincial Mandate. Remains in office for a term of four years. Twelve District Experts watch over the 80 districts. Appointed by the sole Marquis of Nat Province. Commander Units. Submander Units. Branch Head. Regr Cops. The system was fairly easy to understand. While the upper regions of the police department are political, from "Commander Units" onwards, it''s a matter of qualification. Anyone can be a regr cop and climb up the ranks. After bing a part of a Commander Unit, one can only hope for further promotion through social means. Rewen wasn''t interested in bing a cop but there are a few things he was interested in. An hourter, he closed the book and kept it back on the shelf. Then, he turned on his PC. ''Let''s see there it is. Done.'' Typing for about two minutes, he logged into CHAOS. *** Rewen found himself in the bed he was in prior to logging off. Beside him, Vinia was still asleep. Rubbing his unkempt hair, he got out of the bed and looked out of the window. Servants started their daily work. Some guests were leaving. It was a normal morning. Rewen went out of the room and immediately saw Sam in the living room talking with his mother. Sam, upon noticing him, approached him with a sly smile. "Look who it is! How was your night?" Rewen gave him a single nce before sitting down on a chair, then looked at his mother. "When are we going back?" "By afternoon, we will be back." Mrs. Klofar answered. Her face was neutral but deep down, she was curious and wanted to ask about the ''certain'' matters but couldn''t bear to ask such things shamelessly as a mother. A whileter, Rewen got up and washed his face. Meanwhile, Vinia walked into the living room. Mrs. Klofar got up from her chair and walked towards her. "How are you doing, Vinia?" Vinia slightly smiled. "I''m fine." As her eyes went to Rewen, she felt a little awkward. Rewen understood what she was thinking of. He wanted to apologize and talk about it but figured that it''s not the right time and ce. Mrs. Klofar took Vinia outside the room leaving behind Rewen and Sam alone. Rewen slumped on the sofa and yawned. Sam threw a curious nce at him. "Hey. I was just wondering" Rewen raised his head. "I was just wondering what''s it like to live on Earth?" "How should I answer this let''s see Earth is definitely a more preferable ce to live in than here. On Earth, there are superior modes of transportation. Society is much more organized, civil, andwful. Then, there''s unique food and entertainment. However somewhere along the lines, I feel like I personally would prefer this world over Earth and that''s got very little to do with the fact that I was born here. Why did you suddenly ask though?" Sam had a rare serious look on his face. "I just thought that your friends aren''t much different from us. I mean, they aren''t, like, weird or anything." Rewen almostughed when he heard this. "People aren''t generally weird. The answer to your question would be that - it''s because the ones who created this world are not ''weird''. As simple as that." "That makes sense" Sam nodded with his head lowered, still thinking about some things. Just at this moment, ady servant entered the room. Chapter 205: Mrs. Klofar Chapter 205: Mrs. Klofar "Sir, Baron has requested your presence." The servant said while respectfully bowing. Rewen''s eyes shifted to the servant, then to Sam. "Talk to youter." He got up. However, just as he was about to take a step, his knees went weak and immediately fell t on his face. It was the headache again! Both Sam and the servant were stunned for a moment. Coming back to his senses, Sam crouched down. "Rewen, you good?" Fortunately, the pain this time was not as severe as the one when he was on Gruer''s Landings. That''s not to say that the pain was negligible, it was just less painful and irritating than before. To put it into figures, if the pain he felt before was ten out of ten, then the current pain was seven out of ten. Gritting his teeth, he brought his legs together and tried to get up. He failed and again fell t on the floor. Sam didn''t know what was happening but he knew that it wasn''t good. Putting Rewen''s right arm around his neck, he said. "Here, try to get back." Then, he looked at the shocked servant. "Come and help me." The servant hurried over. Both of them carried Rewen over to the sofa andid him down. After that, the servant went on to call the others regarding his condition. ''Why is the pain still around?'' Rewen breathed in and out quickly. Unlike the previous times where the pain subsided after a few seconds, this time, however, it was around for about a minute now. Slowly, as time passed, the pain became even more unbearable for him. He squirmed around on the sofa for a few seconds, then grabbed the sofa to still himself. Watching him, Sam squinted his eyebrows. "What happened, Rewen? Where do you feel pain?" Let alone replying, Rewen barely managed to open his mouth. Therefore, he started rubbing his forehead. "It''s a headache?" Sam asked, before rubbing his temples in an attempt to subside the pain. Just at this moment, Mrs. Klofar along with Vinia and the Baron appeared in the room. When she saw her son, Mrs. Klofar rushed to him. "What''s wrong, Rewen?" Rewen''s eyes were closed but he recognized the voice. "What happened? Tell me what''s wrong." Mrs. Klofar shook his arms. Rewen couldn''t reply. Mrs. Klofar got even more anxious. "He has a headache, Aunty," Sam answered. Mrs. Klofar appeared shocked. "A headache? Is the pain severe?" Listening to his mother, Rewen got furious. ''Is the pain severe? Hell no! An ant just bit me. For God''s sake, instead of asking idiotic questions, call the doc.'' Mrs. Klofar touched his neck with the back of her hand. "Oh my God! He''s burning!" At this moment, the Baron approached Rewen and also felt his body''s temperature. "He has a high fever. First, carry him to a room. Then, wash his body. I''m calling the doctor." Immediately after instructing, he left the room in a hurry. Without wasting any time, Mrs. Klofar, Sam, and Vinia carried Rewen''s body over to a room andid him down on the bed. Rewen was still conscious and the pain was still around. He was then undressed down to his boxers. Mrs. Klofar brought her mouth closer to his son and asked. "Do you feel better?" Rewen couldn''t decide whether tough or cry. Was he supposed to exert himself to answer her questions? Seeing that her son wasn''t answering, Mrs. Klofar turned to Vinia. "Vinia, bring a bucket of water along with a towel." Vinia nodded, then left the room. Sam sat down on the bed wondering about his friend''s condition. "This is strange. Rewen never had a fever in the eighteen years of his life. It is abnormal in itself." Mrs. Klofar massaged Rewen''s temples and didn''t answer. Sam noticed her silence. "Why does it seem like you are hiding something, Aunty?" "..." "So you are hiding something," Sam concluded from her silence. A minuteter, Vinia came back to the room holding a bucket full of water and a white towel in her hand. While Mrs. Klofar soaked the towel in the water and washed her son''s body with the towel, Vinia looked at Sam and approached him. Vinia: "Is it a normal fever?" Sam: "I sure hope so." "Um" Vinia appeared hesitant to say something. "He he had a fever yesterday night as well." "He had a fever yesterday!?" Mrs. Klofar stopped washing him and turned to Vinia. Vinia hesitantly nodded. "Last night, when he came to the room, he couldn''t walk straight. My first thought was that he was drunk. A few secondster, he fell unconscious on the bed. When I moved his body to sleep, I noticed that his body temperature was unusually high, although not as much as now." "Why did you not inform me of this matter yesterday night? He wouldn''t be in this state if you did!" Mrs. Klofar got heated. She wasn''t too angry at her but rather the situation itself. She just found an outlet to disy her frustration. Vinia''s face changed as she lowered her head, backed off a little, and then slowly left the room. Sam was a bit shocked at the development. Thinking for a moment, he chased after her leaving Rewen alone with Mrs. Klofar. Mrs. Klofar appeared unfettered and continued to wash her son''s body. "She needs to be more responsible. That''s the main problem with girls nowadays. They simply like to think that they aren''t responsible for what happens to their partners. She was with youst night. She knew that you had a fever. Yet, she didn''t do anything about it. What does it say about her? If she can''t even look after my son, how is she going to look after the kids in the future?" Rewen felt bad for Vinia. ''It''s got to be hell to have such an ultra-traditional mother-inw. I''ll have to talk it out with her. Anyways, system?'' [What?] ''I want an exnation.'' [I don''t know. I have nothing to do with it.] ''What about your friends?'' [They aren''t my friends and they also have nothing to do with it.] Rewen calmly epted the answer. He didn''t hope for anything much. ''Could it be that I have interference? Don''t victims of interference suffer through the same problem as this?'' He gave his most possible guess. [Maybe.] ''What do you mean ''maybe''? Give me a more definitive answer.'' In normal times, he would have raged but currently, he had no energy to do that. [Figure that out on your own!] ''Alright'' Amidst the excruciating pain, Rewen slowly fell asleep mainly because of his mental exhaustion. Mrs. Klofar rubbed his arms with the towel and didn''t notice that he had fallen asleep. Perhaps because she was the closest to him she had ever been in a few years, she started reminiscing about the past. "Your palms have gotten rough,pletely different from the time you were small. You were as soft as a feather and your face was always puffed up. Ardie thought that you were going to be fat when you grow up." She stopped at this point and let out a light chuckle. "There was a time when your father and I quarreled over whose genes you inherited the most. He said you would look like him and I had to disagree. Ipared my fair skin tone with yours and hepared his eyes, nose, and ears with yours. We went back and forth and before we even knew about it, we started arguing for real. "You might not remember it because you were small, like probably two years and a few months old. In the end, he turned out to be correct. As you got older, your skin tone matched up to your father''s. I''m getting nostalgic hm? Rewen, did you fall asleep? Of course, a mother''s ramblings are very annoying to listen to, isn''t that right?" She pinched his nose, then carefully pulled the quilt over his body. Giving onest nce at her son, she left the room. In the living room. Sam and Vinia sat opposite each other. Looking at Vinia''s downcast face, Sam felt the need to say something. "Don''t take Aunty''s words personally. She is overprotective of her son and easily gets worked up about matters rted to Rewen." "It''s easy to say that for you. I am going to live with her and from the looks of it, I don''t think other than superficially, there''s no other way we could get along. What does she even think I should do? Babysit him all day? If that''s the case, I can''t. I just can''t. Rewen could be a fine man but I don''t think that I could tolerate a Momma''s Boy?" Vinia aggressively said. Not used to her aggressiveness, Sam didn''t know how to answer. This was the first time he had seen a usually calm person like her get so vocal and angry. ''And this is happening a day after marriage'' Chapter 206: His Ideology Chapter 206: His Ideology Rewen''s eyes opened with some difficulty. It had been over thirty minutes since he fell asleep, the headache was still there for some reason. This wasn''t the first time he had such a headache but this was the longest he had. It was frustrating, irritating, and painful. But, the pain had lessened. He opened his mouth and figured that he could definitely speak, albeit with some difficulty. He could move his arms around freely. He stared at the ceiling above him for a long time. ''I need to find the source of this pain. However, the question isn''t whether I can find the source of the headache or not. It''s whether I have the time or the ''liberty'' to start finding out the source of the headache. Thetter also seems to be the most suitable and reasonable point to start with. Maybe my headache has something to do with the Waifu Corps. I don''t know. Maybe?'' He sank into deep thoughts. A whileter, he suddenly logged out. *** Klofar Residence. Taking off the helmet, he felt something strange. No, ''strange'' may not be the urate representation of what he was feeling. That was, however, his first thought. After a moment of self-analysis, he came to know the reason for his thinking. ''Does this mean that the headaches lessen when going from one world to another? That''s kind of interesting.'' Yes. His headache had vanished without a trace of the remnant. It was almost as if he never had a headache in the first ce. Stretching his arms, he got up and looked at the time. 7:28 p.m. He walked out of the room and shouted towards the living room. "I''m going outside. I''lle back within an hour!" Denny''s voice was heard soon after. "Keep the lock at its usual ce!" Saying nothing more, Rewen went outside the house, locked it, and threw the main key through the small gap between the door and the floor. Putting his hands on his pockets, he started walking on the street. Cold wind passed through his body making him feel chilly but at the same time, refreshing. He wasn''t merely taking a breath of fresh air. He was searching for his determination. No one read it wrong. Rewen was searching for determination. Of course, his idea wasn''t as ridiculous as the subject. Despiteing all the way here, he wasn''t much different from a normal human. Like everyone else, he smiles when he is happy. Laughs when he feels something funny. Gets angry for a load of reasons. Perhaps, he would even cry if something crosses his mental limit. If he had something special or unique about him, it wouldn''t be looks. It wouldn''t be his demeanor. It wouldn''t be his charisma. It also wouldn''t be his wits. It would be his confusing and self-contradicting ideology. To exin it in simple words: Two plus two equals four. That''s the basic train of thought and also the most logical in the current day and age Two plus two equals five. No matter from which direction one sees this, the logic doesn''t make sense. But if one redefines math? What if the numbers four and five were interchanged on a universal scale? Certainly, to redefine a single universally epted fact, one needs to redefine billions and trillions of facts that have been prevalent for centuries. Even so, it''s not impossible. The analogy of "two plus two equals five" is a rather extreme example. Even if the most powerful person wants to make it a fact, he would not want to go through the lengths and difficulties to do so. That is also the main reason this bracket is in the minority. Most skeptics fit into this bracket. Apart from the two extreme positions, there is a middle ground. It goes along the lines of: Two plus two equals four but three plus one also equals four. Sometimes, logic and reason aren''t enough. That''s not to say that there won''t be any logic, just that it would take a different approach to make it logical. To understand this better, consider an example. There are two apples, namely A and B, which were bought by a man who ns to eat them. Just as he was about to eat apple A, the apple spoke up and pleaded with the man to not eat it. The owner agreed to not do so and went on to the other apple. The man had established the rule that he wanted to eat both the apples. But he didn''t. It''s not that he couldn''t but he chose not to. He isn''t denying logic and reason when he chose not to eat apple A. He would be denying logic if he didn''t eat apple A had the apple not spoken up, considering that there are no external factors. When he denied eating the apple, he changed the rule that he had established. This is one of the allegories used when describing the "Two plus two equals four but three plus one also equals four". Social, economic, moral, and philosophical factors attribute heavily to this. So, the question begs: Which one of the ideologies do Rewen fit into? Neither. If he was told to consider epting the first ideology, he would speak against it using the third ideology. If he was told to consider epting the third ideology, he would speak against it using the first ideology. If he was told to consider epting the second ideology, he would simply call the person an idiot. Where does he stand exactly? That''s not the right question. It should be: Why is this the case? Does he believe that all the three ideologies have their ws and thus, criticizes them? Not really. At the same time, he also isn''t a contrarian for the sake of being a contrarian. His ideology changes depending on one single factor - circumstance. That''s why, despite still being depressed about having to kill several and in spite of being a hardcore believer of ''anything but kill'', he never condemns or mes himself for being responsible for their deaths. He can''t promise that he would do the same if he was faced with the same situation. People don''t have to necessarily change in order to make a change in decision. The main factor with regards to the decision is not the person nor the cause of the change but rather, the circumstances. And his current circumstances were not good, at the very least. Tomorrow is possibly thest day for him. From the day he decided to help Svety, he knew that a day like this would eventuallye. Before his first fight, he was confident. He was confident that he could easily overpower the Rank 1 Mages easily if he wanted even without [Freestyle Knights Combat]. Before his second fight, he was a bit tense but he was fairly confident because of his trump cards. But tonight He had no way to describe the feeling. It was fear, anxiousness, uneasiness, anger, and several other negative emotions mixed into one. He also constantly got shbacks of his life. He had done everything he could. Even after all this, if he were to fail, then he can me his fate. All these emotionsbined together with his depression led him to have an extremely pessimistic outlook with regards to tomorrow''s oue subconsciously. This wasn''t a recent revtion. He didn''t just realize it just now. During his stay in Gruer''s Landings, the matter had always remained at the back of his head. Despite trying not to think about it too much, he could feel himself bing more and more conscious of it as the days passed by. If it wasn''t for his sudden headache, he wouldn''t have made the hasty decision to return to Earth. "There''s no crying over spilled milk." Standing before a three-storey residence''s main gate, he walked inside from the small gate that was beside the main gate. There was a security guard standing before the small gate who didn''t block his way but did ask. "What''s up, kid? Why did youe at this time? Is it something important?" Rewen shook his head and shrugged. "I just came. I had nothing better to do anyway." The security guard didn''t say anything more and went back to his duty. Rewen headed to the residence and pressed the doorbell. A few secondster, a middle-aged male voice sounded from the speaker attached from beside the door. "Who?" "It''s me, Rewen." "Oh. Wait, I''ll call him." A minuteter, the door opened and a fairly tall man with dense curly hair appeared in front of him. He was Junar, Rewen''s childhood friend. "What''s up? Do you need something?" Junar was rather surprised at his sudden appearance. Without waiting for his answer, a grin emerged on his face. "Want to go to the club?" Rewen didn''t deny and smiled. "Wait, I''ll just pull out the car." Rewen shook his head. "Let''s just walk." Chapter 207: Friends (1) Chapter 207: Friends (1) "Walk? You sure?" Junar seemed to have second thoughts. Rewen nodded. "Yeah, let''s just walk. The nightclub isn''t that far from here." "Whatever you say, dude." Junar and Rewen got out of the residence. "So why did you suddenly appear? I mean, you could have given me a call? Let me just give the others a call and see if they''lle or not." Junar took out his smartphone. "It would take too much time for the others toe." Junar kept his smartphone back in his pocket. "Fair." As they walked for half a minute silently, Junar opened his mouth with hesitation apparent on his face. "Hey, would you be ufortable telling me more about the affair between yourself and Svety?" Rewen shook his head and responded with a smile. "What questions do you have? I was raped, yeah. You better not ask if I ''liked'' it or not unless you want to kiss the ground." "Of course not!" Junar looked at him with a serious look on his face. "I just want to know how it led to that and how you are going to do something about it?" "I don''t know. I haven''t thought too much about it but I''m sure that in the near future, I will present myself in court." Rewen said. He knew that Denny, Zelic, and the others are quite passionate about him getting justice and if required, he would support their decision. Junar heaved a sigh of relief when he heard that. "That''s good. I thought you would have some other ideas." "Why did you think so?" Junar thought for a moment before answering. "Because you weren''t vocal about the matter?" "I see." Rewen nodded. "If I may ask" "Go ahead." "How did it get there? Did you have any sort of argument with her?" "Yeah, basically." While conversing, Rewen and Junar arrived at the nightclub. Before both of them entered, Rewen took out his smartphone. "Oh! Look at the time! I must go now. Let''s meet tomorrow." He ran away leaving Junar speechless. *** *Ding* *Dong* Gill was peacefully ying video games when he heard the doorbell. "Kristen, can you check the door?" Since he was busy ying, he asked his sister to see who hade. "Huh? I''m in the kitchen. Go and make use of yourzy ass!" His sister, Kristen, obviously didn''t take kindly to her brother''s request but still went to the door. "Seriously, don''t justze around all day just because mother is on a trip ah, Rewen!" When she opened the door, she saw a red-haired young man standing in front of her. "Ah, um Gill is in his room." Rewen saw a familiar cute young girl wearing an apron and chuckled. "Haven''t seen you for a while. You''ve already gotten this big." "That''s nonsense! You just saw me three weeks ago!" "Cough, cough. Let me y the role of a distant Uncle who had seen you before you were born." "Only you have such an Uncle!" Rubbing his nose, Rewen gave a slight pat on her head, then walked to Gill''s room. Kristen stood in her spot for a long time. ''Gill said it right. He has changed. From what I have heard, he still has interference but only less. Whatever that means.'' Meanwhile, Gill heard a knock on his door. "Who is it?" "I''m the boogeyman." Gill instantly recognized the voice. "No, you are dumbass. Get in." The door opened and Rewen came in, then looked at what his friend was doing. Gill was ying a ssic role-ying action/adventure game - Hot ze. Rewen yed the game a lot in his middle school. He took one of the game controllers lying on the table and connected it to the screen. The game Gill was ying instantly ended. Gill gave a dissatisfied nce. "1v1 or just---" "1v1. It''s been a while since I have kicked your ass." "We''ll see about that." A newfound determining look appeared on Gill''s face. Two minutester. Looking at the screen, Rewen gave a victorious smile. "Yeah, about expected. This is what happens when you y with girls." "Fuck, Rewen. That''s sexist as fuck!" "I''m just stating a fact---" "Ah!! Stop! Don''t be an incel." "You are too oversensitive. At least hear what I have to say. When I meant "girls", both you and I know that I didn''t mean "all girls". I didn''t even mean "some girls". Whether you admit it or not, you do pretend to y at your best when you y with Kesha. That''s what I mean. Chill." Gill had a difficult face. "I just want to considerate to her as her boy-" Rewen interrupted him by snorting. "Who are you kidding? You just want the pussy." "A bold assumption. I''m mad. Here. Let''s y in an open field. I''ll see where you use your cowardly hit-and-run strategy." "You think I''m afraid? Prepare yourself. Because open fields are my strong zones." Ten minutester. "Alright. Four wins and two losses. I won." Proudly dering his victory, Rewen stood up. "Are you going now?" Gill asked. "I am. It''ste." Rewen said, before walking towards the door of the room and opening it. Just as he was about to walk out, he heard Gill speak. "Do what needs to be done. You have nothing to lose." Rewen paused, then nodded slightly. *** Coming out of Gill''s house, Rewen took out a smartphone and dialed a number. Rewen: "Hello." "Oh, Rewen. What''s up?" It was his maternal cousin, Zelic. "Where are you?" "I''m with Bianca and Evans in the bar." "Which bar?" "The one beside Meving''s Hotel." "Alright. I''m going there." "Okay." Rewen ended the call, kept the smartphone, and looked at his surroundings. Every one of his friends, including Zelic, lives in the same neighbourhood as his 43-F Street. Eastern Dream Academy is, in fact, located near 43-F Street but it isn''t located in any neighbourhood because thend the academy covers is on government-ownednd. Government-ownednd? Does that mean that the owners of the neighbourhoods aren''t government-owned? Correct. They are privately ownednd by the rich. The general poption believed this to be the fault of crony capitalism and fascism in states but of course, no one is allowed to be vocal about it unless they want to be silenced. In Eastern Dream Kingdom, when people protest about social issues, it isn''t to alert the government. It is to make society aware of the problems. They wouldn''t dare to speak out against the government. The bar where Zelic and the others are is located in another neighbourhood a little away from 43-F Street. mor Bar. "Who called?" Sitting on a barstool, Bianca asked a young woman with a baby face sitting beside her. "It''s Rewen." "Huh? Why is heing?" For some reason, Bianca wasn''t veryfortable around Rewen. Even after reconciliation, she still didn''t know how she should converse with him. Zelic shook her head, then mischievously smiled. "Who knows? Maybe to take out someone on Monday" Bianca pped her arm, then changed the topic. "Right. Where is Evans?" Zelic looked around and couldn''t find a trace of his shadow. "Where did he go He is probably hanging around with girls. I don''t know what it is about him that attracts girls. He is so nd." Bianca took a sip from her wine ss and said with a meaningful expression. "Some of my friends say that unattractive guys who get girls are good at the lower game." "For real?" Even though Zelic knew that it wasn''t something she should take seriously, she was still curious. Bianca half-lifted her arms indicating that she didn''t know better. Just at this moment, a fairly tall young man with casual clothes entered the bar. The man who had just entered was naturally Rewen. The first one to spot him was Zelic. Seeing him, she waved her hands. "Rewen! Here!" Rewen approached the two with a small smile, then took a seat beside her. "What do you want?" Zelic asked, lifting her wine ss. "No, it''s fine. I don''t feel like drinking." "How about I treat you?" For some reason, Zelic asked again, tilting her head. ording to her, being a victim of interference means that the person should get preferential treatment. Rewen chuckled, then stretched her baby cheeks. "That''s ridiculously generous of you but I''ll pass on the offer." Zelic shook his hands off. "Right. Why did youe?" "Any girls I could hook up with?" Rewen looked around the bar. Zelic couldn''t restrain herughter. "You? Hook up? I could better be finding aliens in my garden than see you hook up. Learn to flirt first. Hook up is too high level for you." Even Bianca started giggling at the im. Rewen appeared shocked. "Both of you don''t believe that I could flirt? What a shocker!" "Zelic, you still gave him a high bar. Do you think he could even talk with a stranger?" Bianca didn''t hesitate to mock him. "You are right, Bianca." Zelicughed along with her. Chapter 208: Friends (2) Chapter 208: Friends (2) Rewen''s face darkened a little. He didn''t think that he would be underestimated in social skills to this extent. In their defense, their doubt is justified. His predecessor had rarely talked to anyone in general in the past two years, let alone a stranger. Before he became a victim of interference, he also wasn''t a social butterfly and liked to keep everything to himself. "Hm, I did read a book on how to flirt" Rewen thought back to the time when his predecessor mistakenly brought a book on flirting made by a popr, more like infamous, pick-up artist. Zelic and Biancaughed harder when they heard him say this. "Oh, my poor Rewen. Don''t worry, we are your wing-women. If you like someone, we will try our best to let her not get close to you. Haha!" Zelicughed at her own joke. Bianca seemed to find her joke hrious andughed even harder. Rewen nkly stared at the two of them as if remembering something, then fixed his eyes on Zelic and opened his mouth. "Hm, your dimples really be prominent when youugh." "..." "..." All of a sudden, the atmosphere became extremely awkward. "I-is that so? Bianca, how are your professors? I have heard 4th Grade ss professors are strict." Zelic tantly tried to change the subject. Bianca still had the aftereffects of the deadly one-liner from Rewen so she couldn''t cooperate instantly. After a few seconds, she came back to her senses. "Y-yeah. They are strict" Meanwhile, Rewen had a hard time containing hisughter. Noticing him smiling in a weird manner, Zelic again turned awkward. "Don''t use your stupid lines on us." "It is true though," Rewen said. He would have been seen as someone who is sincerelymenting but his twisted face of trying not tough gave him away. "What is true? I don''t know what you are talking about. Bianca, let''s go somewhere else. He is making us ufortable." Zelic tried to get up but her friend didn''t let her go. "Just sit." Bianca said, also having the face of ''trying not tough''. Zelic pouted, then sat back folding her arms. "I heard someone say that I can''t flirt wh0 is it? Do you know the person?" Rewen asked her with a face full of confusion. Zelic snorted. "Hmph! That person would still say that you can''t flirt. What are you going to do about it?" "Pretty rich for someone who just blushed." Rewen f0und it extremely fun to tease her. ''She is a rare product who has some characteristics of a 2-D girl.'' Of course, he didn''t have a habit ofparing real women to fictional women but these days, because he had got ustomed to living in the Gruer''s Landings, it came to him naturally. "W-who blushed?" Turning red, Zelic focused on drinking her wine. When Rewen stopped teasing her, he found Bianca staring at him. "What? Do you want a one-liner as well?" "No. Thank you!" Bianca vehemently shook her head. For some reason, Zelic was sour about letting this guy ''win''. "You are all talk. Since you are so confident, why don''t you go and flirt with other girls in the bar?" "Why should I?" Rewen squinted his eyes. "Hah! As I thought, you are all talk! We''re at a bar. No one would call you out for reaching out to a girl. If you don''t know how to talk to strangers, you should just say so." Zelic tried to provoke him. "Yes, yes. It''s verymon for people to hook up with strangers. Since you came here with the intention to hook up, you shouldn''t back down." Bianca also joined in the game. Rewen rubbed his nose with an arrogant expression. "What kind of an idiot do you think I am? But I''ll take that offer! I''m no shy boy. Tell me, who should I approach?" Saying that he looked around the bar, searching for girls who weren''t in a group. Zelic and Bianca smiled, looking at each other. A few secondster, Bianca pointed to a woman sitting on a table and seemed to film herself. "How about her?" Rewen looked at her and his face turned strange. The woman Bianca wasn''t ugly in any shape or form and could even be considered hot. Wearing a provocative and bold dress, she seemed to be talking with someone. "Her? Isn''t she, like, talking to someone?" To be honest, Rewen wasn''t against the idea of approaching girls and talking with them. It didn''t care if she looked like a slut or a godly virgin. The woman who was filming herself had heavy make-up and although he didn''t try to be judgemental, he knew that she was probably the former. However, he wasn''t against that. Just because someone lives life differently doesn''t mean that they are to be criticized for what they are. Rewen was guilty of judging her from her appearance but he would do the same if it were a man drinking alcohol surrounded by prostitutes. He wasn''tpletely devoid of having double standards but he tried not to be too obvious about setting double standards. What he was against was the fact that he didn''t want to look like a creep when he approached her. Bianca pushed him off the barstool he was sitting on. "She is just live streaming. Just go. If anything happens, we''ll save you." "Yes. Or are you pussy-ing out?" Zelic went full-on provocative mode. "Who is pussy-ing out? But what do I get in return? This all seems like a high-risk low oue. I have the possibility of getting called a creep while getting nothing in return." Rewen tried to argue. "Okay, we''ll do whatever you want. Now, go before she leaves!" Rewen gave one single nce at the two of them, then got up from his barstool and approached the woman who was live-streaming. While she was engrossed in talking with her viewers, he took a seat opposite to her. When he sat down, he also noticed a pink purse beside her legs. At the same time, he also found a good conversation topic. "Excuse me?" The woman kept live streaming as if he was invisible. ''Well, this is awkward. I''m sort of regretting agreeing toe here. "Excuse me?" Rewen asked again. This time, he asked in a fairly loud voice. The woman again seemed to not see him. Rewen was puzzled. The fact of the matter is, he didn''t believe that anyone other than a person who is deaf and blind could not hear him. He was sitting literally opposite to him. Even if she hadn''t heard his voice, her eyes could not notice him. ''Am I being ignored?'' Rewen thought that it was usible. He wouldn''t me the woman if that was the case. After all, he dide to her personal space as an unknown stranger. While it mighte out as rude, he wouldn''t get offended over it. ''Perhaps, this isn''t her first time someone tried to approach her. It''s understandable then. I''ll just tell them to pick another on, err, let''s not objectify...'' It''s funny how so many things became offensive to him the moment he came to this world. On CHAOS, he could spew out sexist slurs and no one would care. However, aftering here, he came to know that there are many things in this world that are unquestionably bad things that were not taken seriously in CHAOS. Social awareness would be a fitting word. He thought that having social awareness is a good trait to have. He didn''t have any solid reason why he thinks that''s the case but it does make onemunicate more efficiently and non-offensively. Making a decision, he got up. Just then, the woman who was live streaming got up as well and pointed her camera towards him. "Mmm,e on. Don''t leave, yet. Say it!" Within a split second, Rewen understood the entire matter. She had noticed him the moment he sat down but pretended to not notice him. The more he would have tried to gain her attention, the more he would be painted in a bad picture. Fortunately for him, he wasn''t persistent and just asked two times. To be fair, he wasn''tpletely out of options. If he exercised his rhetorical skills, he could get out of this without appearing as a creep. Sighing internally, he thought. ''Whatever. I''ll just apologise. With her appearance, she sure seems like someone who constantly gets approached. It''s part of my fault so'' However, the moment he opened his mouth, he was interrupted. "Yeah, go ahead. I want to hear what excuses you have. No, let everyone else on this bar hear what you were going to say!" Purposefully raising her voice, she garnered the attention of the people in the bar. Getting a general overview of what was happening, the mobs appeared interested and slowly formed a circle around them. "Say it!" "Say it!" "Say it!" Rewen''s facial expression turned serious. ''Fuck. This is turning big.'' Chapter 209: Friends (3) Chapter 209: Friends (3) Zelic and Bianca made their way through the crowd and approached Rewen who was standing on his spot without saying a word. "We" Zelic tried saying something but was blocked off when she saw Rewen raise his hand. "Let''s get out of here" Bianca whispered in a soft voice. Rewen shook his head and responded. "Let''s wait for a while" "Wait!? Do you want to get dogpiled by the mob?" Bianca couldn''t understand his train of thought. "Dogpiling might be good once in a while" Rewen gave a strange answer. Of course, no normal human being would want to get dogpiled by a group of people. Not only is it humiliating, it is mentally burdening. "What? Ah, I can''t deal with you anymore. Zelic---" "Why are you so quiet all of a sudden? Weren''t you speaking like bullets when you sat opposite to me?" The live-streaming woman kept filming him. If it wasn''t for the fact that Rewen was in such a situation, he would haveughed out loud. ''She really knows how to joke.'' "Say it!" "Say it!" "Say it!" The live-streaming woman had a contented look on her face. She prepared to wrap it off. "So you don''t have anything to say now? Were you just harassing m---" "Since you want me to say it, I''ll just say it. There." Rewen interrupted her and pointed to her purse lying on the floor. "I wanted to let you know that your purse was on the floor. I called you out but" All of a sudden, the noisy atmosphere turned quiet. The live-streaming woman was visibly confused. She looked at her purse, then looked at him again. "You have got this nice excuse" While saying so, she went ahead and picked up her purse. "Haha! This one is your fault,dy. You should have listened to what the guy said." "What did you expect? Women are strange creatures." "Imagine what would have happened if she filed a harassment file against him? He looks young and his life would have been destroyed." "How does talking to someone be counted as harassment?" With a single sentence, the mob turned against the woman. Rewen didn''t linger on and left the bar with Zelic and Bianca. "Damn! That was really cool!" Zelic admired the way her cousin handled the situation. Rewen rubbed his nose. "It was a no-brainer for me." "It wasn''t anything much though. The purse just happened to be there. Had it not been there, you would have been wrecked." Bianca tried to think of the scene where he failed. "Sure." Rewen epted her exnation. Even if he did have other alternatives, it would be too weird andplicated if he were to exin. "By the way" "What?" Zelic asked when she saw Rewen looking at the two of them with a thoughtful expression. "How about my reward?" Zelic tilted her head with a confused expression. "Reward? What oh..." Bianca: "Didn''t you, like, technically fail?" Rewen showed a deeply hurt look. "I see. It''s funny that I thought of you two as my friends let''s go then." Even though they knew that he was being emotionally maniptive, they felt a little bad. Zelic hesitantly opened her mouth. "What do you want? Don''t be unreasonable." Rewen''s face took a total turn and smiled. "Well I what do I want?" Now that he thought about it, he couldn''t really think of something that he wanted. After a few seconds, a matter came to his mind. "I want to know - what the heck did you and your friends have in n for me on the first day of my academy?" "Oh, that" Zelic showed a conflicted expression. Bianca had an even more troubled face. "What? Why are you two this quiet?" Rewen was suddenly very interested in the matter. "It''s just, forget it." Zelic backed off. Just then, Bianca''s smartphone rang. Bianca picked up. "Hello? Ah, I''m outside okay I''ming right now." Shortly after, she hung up and apologetically looked at the two other people. "Apparently, Dad is just around here. Mom called me and told me toe home with him. Do you guys want toe? I could drop you off." Zelic waved her hands. "No, it''s fine. Let''s meet tomorrow." Rewen gave a subtle nod and watched Bianca walk away. "Well then let''s get going." Pulling his hand, Zelic started walking. A few stepster, Rewen came to a halt. "Tell me." Rewen''s voice was low and serious. "Tell you wha" Zelic initially nned to act dumb but when she saw the chilling look on his face, she gulped back her words. As light fell on his crimson eyes, it shimmered and shined with brilliance. Even so, the glint in those eyes is terrifyingly cold. At least, that''s how she perceived him currently. "W-we were nning to" Zelic inhaled and exhaled deep breaths, then continued. "We were nning to have you participate in the Weing Ceremony Second Choir Group" "..." Initially, Rewen felt that he was making a mountain out of a river but when he ventured deep, he found that there were some irregrities. "Wait, Second Choir Group? Wasn''t it exclusively girls-only?" Zelic nodded nervously. Rewen didn''t say anything for a while, thenid out his guesses. "Was I supposed to be a central or instrumental member of the choir group?" Zelic shook her head. "A singer perhaps?" Zelic nodded her head vertically. Rewen''s eyes showed rity. "Was the whole ''fun'' element was me singing with the other girls? Or wait is it crossdressing?" Zelic was quiet for a while, then stuck out her tongue. "Teehee, sorry." Never had Rewen cringed as hard as he did right now. *** Sending Zelic back home, Rewen walked in the dark empty streets to reach home. For some reason, he felt the urge to look back and see how much he had changed with regards to rtionships. On the first day of his academy, he was very angry and irritated. He did what he wanted to. Cursed whomever he wanted to. At the same time, a part of his anger was directed towards Bianca, Zelic, Denny, Evans, and some others. From the beginning, he knew that these people cooked up something. With regards to his predecessor, he was bullied. However, in a "fun" way. Not that it made any difference but the bullying wasn''t done with harmful intentions. His predecessor, being a victim of the worst case of interference, found it hard to distinguish and therefore, hated them. When Rewen recently transmigrated over, he was heavily influenced by his predecessor''s thoughts. He decided that if they were to try anything funny, he would go all-out and use violence. Back then, he didn''t know why he was so angry at them. Now he knows. But he wished he could get angry at them. He was his own person. He didn''t want to direct someone else''s anger onto himself. With that being said, it didn''t mean he had forgotten about what Denny and the others did to his predecessor. He just didn''t want to act self-righteous and take it upon himself and deliver justice. At this point, it could be said that he was making everything an issue. He couldn''t choose not to let it bother him. Emotions and thoughts could be controlled to a great extent but perception couldn''t. It can only change over time. Ironically, the slight change in perception is also one of the main reasons he is the way he is right now - depressed. Reasons adding on to the depression kept adding up. It had never stopped. ''Every day, I wake up to find new things toment about.'' Rewen wryly smiled and shook his head. ''Let''s see who else is left? Salica, Kesha, Evans, and maybe Alfred Unfortunately, it''s toote now.'' The moment he entered his home, he saw Denny watching the television. "Where''s Cal?" He asked. "He isn''ting tonight." Denny looked at the new figure and answered. "Oh." Rewen appeared a little disappointed. After that, he had dinner in his room. Usually, he would have watched anime at this time but he was in no mood to do so currently. Soon after having his dinner, he fell asleep. *** Klofar Residence. 5:30 p.m. In the bathroom, Rewen was shaving his rough beard while looking at the mirror. For a neen-year-old, he had a fairly high amount of testosterone. He didn''t usually shave clean because he likes his beard and he felt that his face would look too skinny but this time, he went all-out. He looked surprisingly decent upon seeing his naked face. "Hm" After a small nod, he took a shower. Denny was still asleep at this time. Not bothering to wake her up, he wore his uniform and then went to the garage. Taking a single item he made over the past few days, he got out of the garage. The device he made was a blue wristband-like thing connected with an extremely small injection filled with red liquid. He injected the small needle slightly above his wrist roughly and wrapped the wristband around his right hand. "Let''s get started." He said in an exhausted voice, before stepping out of his house. Chapter 210: Prelude (1) Chapter 210: Prelude (1) As Rewen sprinted through the nearly empty street, he felt slight dizziness clouding over his mind. This is the side-effect of "Touchable Sense Water". It was the red liquid connected with the blue wristband which he had injected a while ago. Since it''s a device that very few people use, it isn''t avable in the local markets. This is also the reason why he contacted Svety a few days ago and she bought it for him. The only purpose of the "Touchable Sense Water" is to make a person incredibly sensitive to touch. *** At the extreme north of Travil Town. Layman''s Clinic. A middle-aged man sat before a young man seemingly in his early twenties. Wearing ab coat, the young man had short ck hair. His features weren''t exceedingly handsome but he could be counted as good-looking. The middle-aged man was Dorothy, an agent responsible for being the link between the target and his direct superior. He had been working as an agent for over fifteen years and worked for three different superiors. Even before joining the REAL WAIFU CORPORATIONS LIMITED, he worked in the state army. Needless to say, he was very experienced. His direct superior was the young doctor sitting across from him. He was the Branch Manager of Travil Town''s Branch of REAL WAIFU CORPORATIONS LIMITED. It is a newly established branch and has only recently started small deals such as organ trading, kidnapping, and assassinations. Since they were a newly established branch and hadn''t yet settled down, they were much more vulnerable to exposure. That''s why when their current target, Rewen, got involved in their organ trading business, they couldn''t let him just out with the information and sent assassins to kill him right away. However "Are you sure that what do you call him? That guy who, uhmm, who came justst night." The young doctor wasn''t good with memory and tried his best to recall the name of the person. "You mean the Left Reverend?" Dorothy helped him. The young doctor''s eyes lit up. "Yes! The Left Reverend. Is he, like, supposed to be our ally or an enemy? Why is he going through the lengths of ying this little game with the target? If he really wanted the target to die, he could have let us kill him. What if he betrays?" Dorothy cleared his throat before speaking. "That seems highly unlikely. Ourpany has been in partnership with the devils for quite a while. They wouldn''t break the long-lived partnership just for some unknown kid." The young doctor nodded as if he had expected this answer. "You say ''unknown kid'' but be honest. How long would it take for him to be known across the kingdom? Maybe even in the Empires?" "You spoke too highly of him, Sir. However, I do understand the kind of power and influence he could have if he were to be left alive. As people who are hiding from the government, we can''t afford to let him get that power and influence." "Hmm." The young doctor put his hand on his chin. "How many people know about us aside from the people from thepany and the target?" Dorothy thought for a moment before answering. "Two people, I think. The target''s close ones. Although we have them under control, we couldn''t be sure if the target would risk informing the authorities or not. He doesn''t seem to be a person who would do that though. If he was, he would have done that already." The young doctor tapped his index finger on the desk. "How many are around them?" Understanding whom he was referring to, Dorothy replied. "Two are around the target''s cousin. We couldn''t risk sending sc0uts to the other girl because she has two Rank 4 Mages around her." "Ah, yes. Her background is a pain in the ass. I had to hire someone from the State Branch to nt the explosive inside her." The young doctor was dissatisfied with the awful amount of money he had to spend. "What about the devil? How many scouts are around her?" "Twelve. All Rank 3." "Woah, you are going all-out, huh!" The young doctor smiled. "What about the target? Is there anything interesting?" "He made an interesting device over the past few days." "Device? What kind of device?" The young doctor suddenly got interested. "Forget it. They won''t be useful never mind. He made a [Sense Reactor] using "Touchable Sense Water". I don''t think he had made any links. If I have to guess, then he''s probably using it to get an edge in evasion. He is a bright fellow." "A bright fellow, indeed." The young doctor agreed. Just then, his smartphone rang. "Oops, it''s Boss." He picked it up. "Hm why okay got it." Dorothy watched as his superior hung up the call and looked at him. The young doctor typed something on his smartphone, then opened his mouth. "We are having a meeting. Call everyone. Let''s meet at the usual ce." *** Eastern Dream Academy. 6:12 a.m. Rewen arrived at the main gate of the academy. The gatekeepers were already up and had surprised expressions when they saw a studenting to the academy this early. After greeting them with "good morning", he walked past the gate and went to his ssroom. The ssroom was unsurprisinglypletely empty. Taking a seat, he leaned on the chair. ''The dizziness had worn off. She should being anytime soon'' The person he was referring to was naturally the devil woman, Luciana. The sess rate of his npletely depended on her. As he waited, he subconsciously got more and more restless. His legs were shaking non-stop. He initially didn''t pay attention to it but a whileter, cold sweat started dripping from his forehead. "Fuck" He cursed out loud. He had the same headache again. ''This is the worst timing possible.'' He got up from his chair but fell down on his knees as soon as he tried to take a step. "Hah hah not now" He struggled and somehow managed to barely stand. Step by step, he staggered out of the ssroom and headed to the washroom. When he was not even halfway through, he fell t on his face. "Argh" A painful groan leaked out of his mouth. ''It''s too much. I can''t. I can''t go on.'' Even when he thought so, he ced both of his hands on the floor and mustered all the strength he could to get up. Finally, he got up. His head was still spinning around, finding it hard to keep the bnce between his legs. Taking small steps at a time while leaning on the wall beside him, he proceeded forward. As soon as he reached the washroom, he dug his face into the basin and turned on the sink. Coldwater poured down his head. It cooled down the blistering hot temperature of his head but the pain still remained. Nevertheless, he felt a little better. ''No, I can''t stay like this any longer'' He wasn''t a superhuman who could take in all the pain and still remain standing. He could only endure the pain for a little while. After that, unless he gets outside help, he has to get unconscious. He couldn''t escape from that no matter how much more he endured. That is exactly what is happening with him right now. Pain overwhelmed his senses and his eyes were slowly closing in. ''L let me rest for a while'' His mental strength was exhausted. With his head under the basin and water pouring over his head, he slowly closed his eyes. When he had hisst bit of consciousness remaining, he felt his hair grabbed, pulled, and forced his head down the basin. Baam! The basin broke down and the water was all over the floor flooding the ce. A streak of blood fell down from the forehead of Rewen whose eyes were half-closed. Because of his condition, he hadn''t yet fully realized what had happened. ''What is happening Why is my forehead hurting even more?'' Just as he was in the process of figuring out his circumstances, his hair was pulled. His face was extremely close to another. He gained confusion. ''Who is this person?'' A secondter, he gained rity in his senses. ''Who is she'' Two secondster, he gained rity in his thoughts. ''She is'' His lips separated. "Luciana you" Luciana, the devil woman, chuckled. "So you do recognise me? I never told you my name nor is it my registered name. How did you know? If you answer me honestly, I might let you live. Or else" She swung her hand that was holding Rewen''s hair towards the wall. Baam! The wall cracked. With his face filled with bruises and cuts, Rewen fell on his back. Despite all this, there was something unusual. Unlike the half-closed eyes from a few seconds ago, his eyes were bright and wide open. His headache had finally gone away! Chapter 211: Prelude (2) Chapter 211: Prelude (2) A few minutes ago. East Wing Girls'' Dormitory. Near Eastern Dream Academy. Most of the students in Eastern Dream Academy aren''t locals. They came from across the country in order to get into the academy and lived in dormitories set up by the academy itself. One of the most popted dormitories was East Wing Girls'' Dormitory. It hasrge rooms, has good services, and also a good environment. One of the rooms on the second floor. Luciana pulled up her skirt and adjusted her shirt. "This is stupid why do I have to go to the academy every day and do stupid things?" Even among the devils, she was royalty. Naturally, Being a devil is not a race or ethnicity. It is a born privilege. Upon hearing the word "devil", one could have wild imaginations. In reality, however, a devil could be of any race with very little special means other than just being born as a devil. It soundsme but it isn''t. Races aren''t supposed to make you look cool and make you have cool innate abilities. It is just a slight change in the bloodline. For instance, take one member of the majority race (the race which has the highest poption rate in a kingdom which is FRY-76 and another member of the minority races. ce them side by side andpare them in several metrics. Compare them by their facial features, the color of their skin, see if they have special features or not. At the end of the day, the difference would be negligible. Now, Luciana isn''t exactly a devil. She is a fallen devil. For one to be a fallen devil, he/she has to be a former devil. One bes a fallen devil in more than more ways. The mostmon way is simply by getting disowned by the family the devil is part of. Even though she still has the prestige of a devil, her status and resources dropped by a lot because she had been disowned by her family. ''After all this, I''m here still searching for the perpetrator behind that incident.'' Thinking of the incident that happened that day, her eyes turned cold. That day, or more appropriately, that night was exactly the same night Rewen came on Earth. Prior to him arriving on Earth, Luciana went through the ceremony of getting disowned on the reason for being a traitor. She was deemed as a traitor who turned her back to the family. Naturally, she wasn''t a traitor. She was framed. Soon after she was framed, she was drugged and sent to a random location. In an extremely coincidental manner, she met Rewen who ignored her plight. Of course, she never med for ignoring his plight. In fact, she never med him for anything. It should be known that she isn''t that bored of a person ying games with him. However ''The left said that he could lead me to find the person who framed me.'' Luciana understood the part and acted ordingly but she never actually got the next part. ''Why can''t I just force him to spit out what he knows?'' This wasn''t a question that she thought of just now. She had this question on her mind for a long while and even asked a couple of times. But no matter how many times she asked, she would get only one answer. "Because he doesn''t know. - Doesn''t that sound fucking contradictory!?" A few secondster, she calmed down. She walked over to her table and took the light bag over her shoulder, then proceeded to exit the room when she heard a deep voice behind her "Ma''am, we have something to report." Luciana stopped, then turned back. A masked man wearing a blue coat and pants was facing her. "Did you see everything?" This was her question of foremost importance. "What was there to see?" The man in blue genuinely appeared confused. Luciana wasn''t sure how to deal with him. Not only he but his coworkers are the same. Their EQ was pitifully low. "I was, like, changing and you came in from who knows where. Did you see me changing?" "Oh, haha! We might not look like it but we are very mindful. We have a hidden camera right around here. Beforeing here, we properly checked if you had fully worn everything or no---" p! "Had me in the first half, not gonna lie." Luciana pped him with a deadpan face, then continued. "Remove the hidden camera. First, tell me why you came here." The masked man rubbed his cheek, then answered. "The target, Rewen Klofar, had arrived in the ss. We thought of informing this to you because it is a highly unusual business, Ma''am" "He came this early, err, why did hee this earl-- oh my gosh! What''s wrong with me? Why did I change the wording of my question? Anyways, why did hee now? Is he up to some funny business?" "Responding to Ma''am, we can''t be sure about that. He, however, does have a battle to fight today." "Interesting. Where is Team Red?" Luciana asked. Team Red refers to the scouts surrounding the target, Rewen Klofar. They wore a ck mask, a red coat, and pants. The attire was the same as the guards in charge of guarding the fallen devil, Luciana. That is also the reason why the guards were also referred to as the "Team Blue". Team Red has three Rank 3 Mages keeping tracks of him. Team Blue has twelve Rank 3 Mages guarding Luciana. Just from this, it is obvious that her safety was much more important than anything. "Boss called for a meeting. And.. and they all three of them just left the target for us!" "What? How many men did you send to keep tracks of him?" The masked man raised his hand and showed her his palm. "Two left for the meeting. Three are, as always, an emergency unit. If something goes wrong, they would be the ones responsible for calling for reinforcements. Five including me would be looking after the target. Thest two are the emergency reinforcements." Upon hearing this, one might ask - why are there emergency units? Can''t they just do their job usually? Well, for starters, they aren''t officially a part of Team Blue and nobody knows who they are. Not because they are mysterious but because they haven''t been appointed yet. What does it mean? When the emergency unit would be called, the REAL WAIFUS CORPORATIONS LIMITED will issue two of their top-ranking members. Since they are "top-ranking", their time is very valuable. Honestly, it''s not that Luciana or her Reverends couldn''t afford it but they are simply not worth it. During an emergency, before they could get the message that they needed to save her, the Reverends would have already arrived at her aid. That''s why it''s useless. Even so, because she is taking a refugee under the REAL WAIFUS CORPORATIONS LIMITED, she has to abide by their rules. "Good." Luciana acknowledged that this was a good distribution overall. "In other words, I have five people guarding me. A little less than usual but not bad." She said, before exiting the room and walking to her ssroom. The masked man disappeared within a few seconds. It was empty. Not exactly empty. There was a bag on a seat beside hers. Almost instantly, she recognised the bag and figured who this bag belonged to. Rewen! Luciana calmly sat down on her seat, took her smartphone and texted the masked man she just met. Obviously, she couldn''t "summon" him right in the ssroom. There are surveince cameras all over the ce. While the government or the authorities wouldn''t just prosecute her because she was a fallen devil having guards, they would definitely question her. Again, while the authorities wouldn''t question her for being a fallen devil having guards, there is a high chance that they would find out her involvement with the REAL WAIFUS CORPORATIONS LIMITED, a hidden terrorist organization. The only reason it is "hidden" is because the general public aren''t aware of them. Not because the authorities aren''t aware of them. Luciana: Where is Rewen? Blue4: He is in the washroom. Interestingly enough, he is having a mental breakdown there. His legs are weak, he couldn''t walk properly and he just seems to be having a really bad time. Poor kid. Blue4 was the masked man. It was his temporary work name. Luciana stopped texting, then looked outside the window. After a while, she thought of something, then texted again. Luciana: Hack the cameras in the washroom, this ssroom, and also the cameras on the route to the washroom from here. Blue4 didn''t reply for a while. Ten secondster, Blue4 texted her. Blue4: All clear, Ma''am. You are free to do as you like. With an unknown smile on her face, Luciana got up. ''Time for some payback.'' She said, before leaving the room. This was Luciana, infamously known as the "Petty Devil". Chapter 212: Prelude (3) Chapter 212: Prelude (3) "It''s weird how weak he is," Blue10 spoke in a barely audible voice as he looked down on the tablet he was holding while sitting on a toilet seat. He was one of the guards in charge of directly protecting Luciana in case something goes wrong. On his tablet was the moving live footage of a red-haired young man lying on the floor. Above him stood the fallen devil, Luciana. Blue10 noted the situation and touched the earbud on his left ear and softly spoke. "Till now, everything is good. Highly unlikely for the target tounch a frontal assault based on the condition he is appearing himself to be. The possibility for the target to be feigning is small but not impossible. 4 and 7, be on standby." "Copied." "Copied." Blue10 nodded. "1 and 2. Depending on the situation, act as backups." "Copied." "Copied." Meanwhile, Rewen coldly stared at the woman above him. Thetter stared back at him. "Are you regretting your decision? Answer me. How do you know my name?" "..." Rewen refused to answer. Luciana didn''t like the answer she got and crouched down. Grabbing his cor, she looked at him with a devious look. "If you don''t want to answer, I have better ways to get an answer out of you." At this moment, a small smile formed on Rewen''s face. "Cough, what are you? Some generic-ass viin? This might possibly be thest time we could properly cough properly speak to each other so I''ll be straight with you. Curb your main character syndrome. You aren''t as important as you think. Your personality isn''t special, your expressions are childish and I have never seen the word "trash" personified to this extent. Imagine being unironically proud of being a fallen devil. "I''m sure you feel empowered having minions by your side because that''s thest piece of straw you have. You are the kind of person who thinks that having a superior status is equivalent to being superior. At this point, if you hadn''t indirectly caused me to hate you, I would find you quite pitiful. Oh, and also the reason I didn''t fuck you is that you are ugly. Don''t let others fool you. You aren''t a natural beauty. Try putting on some make-up. It might cover up some imperfections on your face Heh! Not that anything matters in the first ce since" He stopped speaking and looked directly at her eyes that had hints of anger which was concealed by the crooked smile on her face. "Are you done? Is that it? I expected more from you." She tried to make a mockery out of him but that didn''t go well as Rewen spat on her face, making her momentarily stunned for a while. This was the second time she was spat on by a single person. The first time was when she failed to "negotiate" with him. The reason she didn''t chase after him that night was that she was held back by her Left Reverend. Eventually, she decided to not go after that but the spat on her face had always been on her mind. In fact, the source of arge portion of her anger was the spat. To her, it was the most humiliating incident of her life, even more than the time she was disowned by her family. Her eyes turned cold and she raised her arm preparing to punch him. Rewen quietly looked at her arm. ''This is a perfect time'' Taking a deep breath, he thought. ''Use all the cumtive luck from [Missions to Doom] and also use [2x Power Spike].'' Freestyle Knights Combat! 17! 68! 100! Hisbat power (stats) skyrocketed, then stopped when it reached 100. Luciana''s vision blurred. The figure below her had already got up and pushed against her body managing to flip the position. Now, her body was on the floor in a constant struggle and confusion against the unmoving body. Because of the sudden action, she didn''t notice his left hand moving towards her neck. Just when he touched her neck and pressed a little, he felt somethinging towards him. BOOM! There was smoke all over the ce. It was a small explosive thrown by Blue10 aftering out of the toilet. From different corners of the room, two masked men emerged and hurried to Luciana. They were Blue4 and Blue7. Blue1 and Blue2 were also alerted and prepared tounch an all-out attack anytime soon. Blue10 had a serious look on his face while looking towards the smoke. ''We have to take care of this quickly before the authorities arrive.'' His eyes squinted when he saw a hand breaking through the smoke. "Hurry!" He shouted, before making his way towards the smoke as well. It''s difficult to believe but all of this happened in 1.5 seconds! That''s how ridiculous Rank 3 Mages are. Luciana was recovering from the shock. She looked around and upon seeing that Rewen was nowhere near her, she heaved a sigh of relief. ''What''s with that sudden outburst of strength? Was he hiding his strength all along?'' While questioning her situation, she failed to notice a hand creeping up behind her. "Move!" Blue4 shouted. Luciana figured that something was wrong and quickly tried to move her body. However, could she contend against a person with the physique of a peak Rank 3 Mage? The answer was - No! Rewen wrapped his hand around her neck and was about to take her as a hostage. *Swish* A kick from nowherended perfectly on his face. ''What?'' Before he could formte a response, he flew off towards the window. ''Shit!'' Quickly thinking of a way to not get thrown off the window, he flipped himself in the air. His two feet fell on the wall between the window, then pushed back. With a flip, hended on the floor. Despite this, he wasn''tpletely unharmed. Blood spewed from the corner of his lips. Just now, it wasn''t Blue4 or Blue7 who kicked him. He had expected their attacks and wasn''t worried. It was the masked man who was near the toilet, Blue10. What''s tricky and weird about him was that Blue10 was nowhere as close to Rewen as the other two were. ''No time to thoroughly analyze my opponents. I gotta do what I have to do quickly.'' Rewen exhaled a deep breath and fixed his gaze on the sight in front of him. Blue4 and Blue7 had covered Luciana. Behind her were Blue1 and Blue2 who had already prepared tounch their skills the moment their target came close. Blue10 was the closest to Rewen, taking a defensive stance. Within a matter of three seconds, they hadpletely managed to avoid the worst-case scenario. They weren''t professionals for nothing. "Hah" Rewen stiffened his limbs, then rxed them. *Swish* Without any warnings, he shot out towards Blue10. ''Oh? Does he intend to have a fight in close quarters with me?'' Blue10''s eyes dropped. ''My kick infused with natural energy should be enough to throw an average Rank 3 Mage or D-ranked Martial Artist out of the window yet, here he is. He is significantly stronger than me. Which means I have to get 4 and 7 to fight beside me.'' Making his decision, he tapped on the floor twice. It is a signnguage used tomunicate between them. Tapping on the floor once means he needs a single reinforcement. Tapping on the floor means that he needs two of them. Blue4 and Blue7 got the hint and moved forward. Blue1 and Blue2 were fixed on their positions. "Kuh" Blue1 spurred a mouthful of blood on the floor. This sudden action alerted his partner Blue2. "What''s wrong? Do you want to redo it?" Blue2 asked. Although on the surface, they were just standing there doing nothing, they were controlling a [Dual-Linked Skill]. It is a type of skill exclusive only to Rank 2 Mages and above. While it''s much moreplicated in practice, the basic function of the [Dual-Linked Skills] is to merge two skillsing from two different sources, essentially unleashing a skill much more effective than the two of thembined. Meanwhile, Rewen was in an extremely difficult position. His initial n was to reach Luciana by defeating the opponents in front of her one by one. Since he had superior physical qualities, he had the confidence of overpowering each of them. Of course, he would fall short if they were to use skills but skills aren''t something that one uses when their opponents are extremely close to them. Not only does it give the other party to strike, it also increases the chance for the skill to fail. Right now, however, he was facing strikes from all three strikes. Rewen ducked, then swung his arm towards Blue10. River of Right Hand! A deep cut was made on Blue10''s arm and he moved back from the impact. Rewen''s eyes then turned to Blue4 and Blue7. ''This is impossible.'' He only had four seconds left before his luck runs out. Chapter 213: Prelude (4) Chapter 213: Prelude (4) Rewen faced two iing attacks from two directions. He could move back but if he did move back, all his effort would go to waste. He wasted a second to push off Blue10. If he moved back, the Blue10 woulde back again. This time, the same trick isn''t going to work again. He would certainly find a way to guard himself and then, Rewen would be in a tough spot because instead of facing two iing attacks, he would be facing three. That doesn''t mean that Rewen is in a good position. ''If only I had skills'' Rewen stiffened his arms and rxed, then looked straight. Blue4 was approaching him from his left. He seemed to be preparing to execute a skill as his left hand gave some sparks. Blue7 was approaching him from the front and had no signs of executing a skill. ''So what if I have no skills?'' Just before Blue7 could deliver a blow, Rewen moved towards him and grabbed his elbow. He pulled it, using it as a guard from Blue4. Blue4 who was nning to execute his skill hastily tried to stop but unfortunately, the skill was already in the process of being executed. *Zisss* His hand made contact with Blue7''s elbow and both of them flew back. Blue4 flew off from the rebound of trying to stop an already half-executed skill. Blue7 flew off from the skill. Rewen was all clear. In front of him was Luciana who had a dark look on her face. He took a single step and came extremely close to her. Two seconds left before his luck runs out. Rewen chucked, then stretched his hand towards her. At this moment, he failed to notice that Blue10 was no longer on his spot. Behind him, Blue10 had a burning red arrow in his right hand. He waited for his opponent to let his guard down and prepared to strike. Targeting the arrow on Rewen''s head, he stretched his right arms backward. Just when he was nning to throw the arrow, he felt his body lighten. Before he could know what was happening, he was pushed back and thrown out of the window. The sound of ss breaking made Rewen alert and he instantly turned around. "What the fuck" His eyes slowly turned to the two people who he hadn''t confronted until now. Blue1 coughed a mouthful of blood and had difficulty in standing. "I...I''m sorry. I overexerted myself. Go after him." Blue2, who was barely keeping his bnce with his one knee, stood up in great difficulty and ran towards Rewen. Rewen wasted no time and grabbed Luciana by the neck and brought her closer to his chest. Blue2 stopped and looked at their target in silence. ''Reinforcements will be arriving in a while. I have to stall him for time before he does anything to her.'' With one hand grabbing the struggling Luciana''s neck, Rewen used the other hand to squeeze her jaw. "Mmm!" Luciana refused to open her mouth. Rewen squeezed her jaw harder and immediately her mouth was wide open. "Good. See? You don''t have to resist." Rewen whispered in her ears, while taking a small brown candy from his pocket, then pushed it on her mouth. Blue2 became tense. ''What is that? Is it poison? Should I rush?'' A secondter, he made his decision. ''They will be arriving in a while It''s better not to make any foolish moves. He''ll be done once they arrive.'' Luciana didn''t know what the brown candy was but she knew that it wasn''t anything good. She violently resisted but how could her struggle be of any use against someone who has a physique of a peak Rank 3 Mage? Rewen forced the candy down her throat, then pushed her down. His work was done. *** Travil Town. 9-View Street Colony. It was a deserted neighbourhood. There was only a singlerge building in the entire colony. The building was half-constructed with only walls made and no colors. On the ground floor. Arge screen was ced in front of dozens of masked people. Not all the people in the organization were present. Not all the people in the organization need to be present. It should be just enough to make it seem like there are people. Before therge screen sat the young doctor with aptop on his desk. "Is the projector connected?" To his right stood Dorothy who nodded. "It is." "Alright. Let me just see if he hase to the meeti-" Beep! His smartphone suddenly rang. "Ah, it must be my wife. Now that I think about it, I forgot to bring my lunch. Sorry to disturb everyone. Haha..." The young doctor casually took out his smartphone from his pocket and looked at the message. His face instantly turned strange. A whileter, he called someone. "Where is the Left?" He asked as soon as the other party picked up the call. "I have not heard from him yet. What should we do?" The voice on the other side in a grave tone. The young doctor leaned on the chair and looked up, fiddling his hair. "Set a meeting point. Let''s see bring him to the Downtown Night Alley. I have a way to solve this. That''s why don''t make a move. If anything happens, we can always run." "Got it, Boss." The young doctor ended the call. The others in the room were puzzled by the stressful look on his face. The young doctor passed his smartphone over to Dorothy. "There''s a problem. Watch the video and bring everyone to Downtown Night Alley." He said, before leaving the building within a fraction of seconds. Dorothy looked around and saw everyone''s urge to ask questions. He took out the cord of the projector from theptop and inserted it on the phone. Then, he yed the video. Therge screen revealed two people - a man and a woman. The man had wet red hair as if he had juste out of the shower. He was lying on the floor. The woman was above him. This was the scene. Some people watching the video recognized both the man and the woman. One was their target and the other was someone they were tasked to protect. Ten secondster. The red-haired young man effortlessly took down five Rank 3 Mages. "What a lucky bastard" "Who knew that his [Dual-Linked Skill] would fail? From what I can tell, it looks like it''s due to overload." "Even if you ignore that, he still took down five high-ranking people in our branch." "Forget about that. Why the fuck is he so strong?" "Ah, indeed. Wasn''t he supposed to be an E-ranked Martial Artist? Where did he get the strength to contend against Rank 3 Mages?" "Yeah. What the fuck is going on?" The members of the organization discussed with each other. They were concerned but not panicked. Who cares if someone managed to knock out five Rank 3 Mages? They have more than thirty Rank 3 Mages and more than a hundred Rank 2 Mages. With the numbers on their sides, they didn''t believe that a single Rank 3 Mage could do any harm? Dorothy quietly looked at the video once again. "Right. What poison is that?" A male Rank 2 Mage asked Dorothy. Dorothy looked at him and let out a rare smile. "Who told you it was poison?" *** Downtown Night Alley. Rewen walked alone into the alley. A cold wind blew on his face. He was satisfied, to say the least. He handed Luciana over to her guards who took her to their Boss. He didn''t really care about her taking her as a hostage. The "candy" he forced Luciana to swallow was an explosive he had ordered through Svety. The reason why no one attacked him after he did so was because *** Blue2 gave a single nce to Luciana who was at the ground and prepared to attack the man in front of him. Rewen raised his hand in a surrendering manner. "You cane to me if you don''t fear her life. This wristband that I''m wearing is connected to "Touchable Sense Water" which is linked with the candy. Oh, and also, the candy is explosive. In simple words, the moment I feel that my life is threatened, I could blow her up." Hearing this, Luciana shuddered. *** His work was done. Eventually, he came to a stop and looked at the man in front of him. "You are very young for being the Big Boss." Rewen chuckled. The man was a young doctor. In the middle of an empty alley, he was quietly standing while leaning on a wall. Upon hearing Rewen, he lightlyughed. "You tter me. I''m just a Boss, not the Big Boss." "Well, good to know. So where is the remote?" "It''s not with me." The young doctor replied with a straight face. "Oh,e on now." Rewen sighed in an exaggerated manner. Chapter 214: Prelude (5) Chapter 214: Prelude (5) "Are you sure?" Rewen asked as if he was asking a friend if he had forgotten to remember something or not. "Yes, I''m quite sure. You can check my pockets." The young doctor lifted her hands sincerely. ''Either he is lying or he really doesn''t have the remote. It''s impossible for him to not have the remote since he was the one behind the scenes wait, he may not be the one who is behind the scenes. Maybe the real mastermind sent a fake mastermind and naturally, he doesn''t have the remote. But would he risk the life of Luciana?'' Rewen thought for a while before making his decision. "Let''s talk," Rewen said. "What is there to talk about?" The young doctor asked with a smile. Rewen looked straight at him and asked. "Why?" "Because you got in our way? You have to understand that we are a newly-established branch in Travil Town. We can''t let anyone know that we exist, at least not now." Rewen nodded. He had dug his own grave by following the system but even if he didn''t do it "What about Luciana?" The young doctor''s eyes lit up. "Oh? Do you know her name? How do you know that?" "..." Rewen didn''t say anything. "Well, alright. I don''t really care much. We were tasked to protect her and then, she requested our organization to kill you. Since I was going to send men to kill you anyways, I epted her request." "So this whole game was your design?" "No. I wanted to kill you directly but for some reason, Luciana''s Left Reverend wanted to y with you and set up this whole tiresome game. Did you have fun ying the game? "Sure." Rewen gave a vague answer. "And where is the remote?" "As I said, it''s not with me." The young doctor gave the same answer. "I see. In that case, it should be with the Left Reverend. Where is he? Call him." The young doctor chuckled. "You are not bad. How did you reach this conclusion? Was it just a guess or?" "I''m not entirely sure if the Left Reverend is the one who has the remote or not. When my cousin got the explosive inside her, there was a letter. It was written by some secretary or something. I usually get letters written by X. It was then that I realized that X may not be directly rted to REAL WAIFUS CORPORATIONS LIMITED. After you mentioned howrge of a part the Left Reverend is, I''m eighty percent confident that X is the Left Reverend." Rewen exined in a brief manner. "X? Ah, it must be a name he picked. Well, good job. I guess." "Where is he? Either bring him to me or bring the remote from him." Rewen asked again. He found that the young man in front of him was quite an annoying individual. The young doctor lightlyughed."Aha! I knew you would ask! For that, I''ve got a proposal. I wonder if you are interested in hearing" Rewen was about to answer when his head spun. ''Not again'' This time, however, the pain was far less than a moment ago. The pain was still there but it wasn''t enough to make him fall on his knees. "What is the proposal? Make it quick." "It''s quite simple. You un-link the explosive inside Luciana and I''ll bring you the remote. How about that?" Rewen''s face didn''t change a single bit when he heard this. "Let me give you a proposal. You give me the remote and I''ll un-link the explosive inside Luciana. How about this?" "Come on, Rewen. You and I both know that that''s not how things work. You are not in a position to negotiate." "Just because you say I''m not doesn''t mean I''m not." The young doctor didn''t answer for a few seconds. Looking at the red-haired young man, he raised his hands and pped. "Let''s see whether you can say the same thing after this." Dash! Dash! Dash! A group of masked men and women revealed themselves by jumping down from the buildings on the two sides of the alleys. "Haha! Was he supposed to be our target today? Did you feel scared and tried this move in desperation? Oh, you pitiful..." It was a member from Twisted Mongers Squad. One of the two squads Rewen was supposed to fight today. Rewen was surrounded by dozens of men and women. He had no escape. "Were you saying something?" The young doctor asked with a smile. Between the people, there was Luciana who was looking at Rewen. "Rewen, you picked a fight you cannot win. Un-link the explosive inside me and we''ll go separate ways." Let alone Rewen, even she herself didn''t believe in what she was saying. Rewen didn''t reply. "..." Seeing him quiet, the young doctor signaled the others. ''He just needs a little push now'' The members of the organization took a single step towards Rewen. "Give it up, kid. You are trapped." "Haha! Look at him. Did he really think that a childish trick like this could scare us?" "Why don''t you take out the wristband? It''s that simple." "Yes, Rewen. I''m a doctor and I care for your health. Unless you let go of the wristband you are wearing, your life would continue to be in danger." The young doctor gave ''advice'' in a sincere tone. "..." Rewen didn''t open his mouth. His face was normal without any hint of panic. "No use feigning calmness. Here Ie!" A masked man took one step. The others did the same. Slowly and gradually, they got extremely close to Rewen from all sides. "Just give the wristband. We will let you go. Haha!" "Can anyone film this? This has got to be the most hrious moment in my life." "Hrious is an understatement." "This moment would be an advertisement for entering our organization in the future." The members of REAL WAIFUS CORPORATIONS LIMITED started to mock Rewen in an unbridled manner. ording to them, it was only a matter of time before he gave in. The young doctor had a confident smile. "He is trapped there''s no escaping this." At this moment, Dorothy appeared beside the young doctor. "Sir. There''s a problem." "What? Did my wife refuse to give you my lunch? Hah well, whatever. I''ll talk to her once this is over." The moment Dorothy brought the members here, the young doctor instructed him to get the lunch from his ce. "No, Sir. That''s not it. We got the news that Tony McBreth has entered Travil Town." "Tony McBreth? What''s that old dude doing here?" The young doctor''s expression took an extreme change when he heard the name. Tony McBreth was one of the most well-known people among the criminals and terrorists like himself. He was one of the twelve District Experts having over seventymander units under him. Needless to say, he was a dangerous man for the terrorists. Dorothy shook his head and was about to answer when his eyes went to the people cornering Rewen. "..." The young doctor also followed his eyes. "..." Both of them looked at each other. "Your guess is as good as mine." Dorothy bitterly said. After that, he took out his phone and dialed a number. "Is he heading towards where we are?" "They let me see Sir, they are going via the port and on to yes! They are either going your way! Please leave!" Beep! "Well." The young doctor''s face darkened. Dorothy sighed. "Sir, we can''t afford to waste any time." "Hm." The young doctor gave a small nod. For some reason, his eyes went to his target, Rewen Klofar who had his head lowered. Upon closer look, he noticed that there was a small curve on his lips. This was a moment of realization for him. He had been outsmarted. His entire branch was outsmarted. Luciana was only a cheese to bring out the rats. At this moment, Rewen chuckled. It was a chuckle which was very bizarre considering the situation he was in. It confused everyone present in the scene except for the young doctor and Dorothy. The young doctor''s eyes flickered as he raised his hand. "Everyone! Capture him quickly and run from the town!" The order was met with confusion and rm but before anyone could voice their opinion, Dorothy continued. "Now is not the right time to ask questions. Tony McBreth, one of the twelve District Experts, is chasing after us currently." After a few seconds of panic, everyone quickly calmed down. As they looked at their target, Rewen Klofar, their expressions went dark. Only now did they know the meaning of the chuckle. From the very beginning, their battle against Rewen Klofar was never a matter of strength. In terms of strength, they always had the upper hand. Strength wasn''t even a question. Who, in their right mind, would dare to pick a straightforward fight with a bunch of people stronger than him? The only question was - who yed their cards the best? Chapter 215: Prelude (6) Chapter 215: Prelude (6) Rewen did. He made out the best of the resources given to him. He used [Observe] to view Luciana''s stats, and saw that she wasn''t anyone to be personally worried out. From that moment on, he had a backup n when everything is fucked for him, i.e., taking her as a hostage and somehow negotiating with the organization. Back then, it wasn''t a feasible idea for obvious reasons and he hoped to get benefits from the system while fighting straightforwardly with his opponents. Unfortunately, it didn''t go as he had nned. The system stopped giving him benefits and it only got riskier and riskier for him. After his second battle against the two squads, he thought about modifying his weapon to increase the chance of winning against the next group he was going to fight against. However, the moment he got the notice that he would not be fighting against a single squad but two, hepletely abandoned the idea of even fighting against them. Eight Rank 2 Mages are not the same as eight Rank 1 Mages. With no other options left, he used the "back-up" n and sessfully pulled it off. Using the knowledge he gained from learning [Elementary Mana Physics] and [Computer Programming], he bought "Touchable Sense Water" and linked three separate devices. First, to a [Distributor]. The candy which Luciana was forced to swallow was not a device and there was no way he could link it with "Touchable Sense Water". The most he could do is control it. There''s not much to control about an explosive. It just needs an indicator to go "Boom" and what else works as an indicator better than an on-and-off switch powered by mana? Second, to his telephone. He had recorded an electronic voice mail on the telephone and by linking it with "Touchable Sense Water", he would call the IAU (Immediate Action Unit) of the State Police Administration. As for the voice mail, it was only a single line: "Terrorists are on to me." He didn''t need to say anything more. The authorities keep track of everything going on. They know almost everything about a person. It was only a small matter for them to track down the telephone, figure out the sender of the voicemail, track the person''s location and follow him. That begs another question: Why was an organization like REAL WAIFUS CORPORATIONS LIMITED roaming freely in the town in that case? The answer is: They weren''t. They had hidden everything about them down to the tiniest details. While they might possibly know that there''s a dangerous organization in the town, they couldn''t track them unless they (organization) decided to approach them on their own behalf. That''s what happened with Rewen. He encountered an unofficial member of the organization and then the organization decided to approach him. There''s also the fact that he had offended Luciana and even if he hadn''t crossed paths with the unofficial member of the organization, he would get targeted by the organization anyways. Currently, the authorities had tracked him as well as the organization down. The young doctor quietly looked at Rewen. His face was not good. After all this time, he had finally got a branch of his own. How could he bear to abandon it so quickly? But he knew that neither his strength nor the strength of his men was enough to contend against themander units under a District Expert. ''Since my branch is going down anyway, why don''t I bring down the one who brought my branch down?'' He was naturally referring to Rewen, the sole person responsible for the inevitable fall of his branch. Rewen watched as everyone around him became suddenly alert and raised his hand. "So you people really don''t care about the life of someone you protect, huh. Very well" The people around him suddenly went quiet and subconsciously took a step back. Luciana''s eyes were bloodshot red. Upon seeing this, the young doctor coldlyughed. "Bluff all you want. You and I both know that you don''t dare to kill her. Keep your bluff to yourself." Hearing him, everyone felt their confidence returning. Rewen smiled. "It''s very interesting. Out of all people here, I thought you might be the most familiar with my prowess. I am disappointed." "What do you mean?" The young doctor''s eyes squinted. "Sir, I think he might be stalling for time. Whatever we do, we have to be quick. It''s better if we just start running." The young doctor didn''t say anything and just looked at Rewen in silence. "Did everyone forget that I fought Rank 3 Mages all by myself? If I want, I could easily kill Luciana and run away." Rewen wasn''t lying. He had one more [2x Power Spike] that he specifically reserved for this scenario. He knew that even after knowing that the authorities are after them, they wouldn''t necessarily leave him alone. One could say that it was very weird for him to reveal his card. Why bother letting them know that you could do this and that? The answer to this is simple. He had already fucked up the rtionship between him and REAL WAIFUS CORPORATIONS LIMITED. He didn''t want to be on bad terms with the close ones of Luciana. As much as he didn''t want to leave her just like that, he had to save his own ass first. The moment he kills her, not only would he be targeted by the organization but he would also be targeted by those close to her. He was tired. That''s why heid out the proposal for a peace treaty. The young doctor understood the hidden implications of the sentence and he re-evaluated his judgement of the red-haired young man. "Alright. Let''s go, guys. I''m done ying the viin." The young doctor jumped onto the nearest building and climbed up. "The Travil Town Branch of REAL WAIFUS CORPORATIONS LIMITED is hereby disbanded! Y''all can either follow me or go your separate ways. Of course, first, you have to deliver Luciana to a safe ce." As soon as he said that, he jumped off the building. *Swish* He disappeared mid-air. The sudden action made everyone confused. Dorothy sighed, then looked at the others. "Come, follow me." "What about him? Should we just leave him alone?" "He has to be lying!" "Yeah. Boss made a decision in haste." Commotion erupted. ording to them, they were just about to "win". Dorothy had a neutral look on his face as if he had expected the reaction. Looking at the sky, he sighed again. "Section 10.1, page 54. What is the purpose of our union? What do we live for? Is it money? Is it fame? Is it power? Maybe. Our primary reason, however, for existence is to make the life of amon man miserable. We are disgusting. We are the filthiest of the filthiest. The feces you pick up from the gutter that hasn''t been cleaned in years would be purer than us. Learn that. Know that." As soon as hepleted what he had to say, he started running. The members of the organization looked at each other. "I''m leaving! I''m not going to take responsibility if anything were to happen to Miss Luciana." A Rank 3 Mage was the first one to follow Dorothy. "Hold up! I''m leaving as well." "Fuck! Now that the branch is disbanded, I''ll return to the country to take care of my parents. I don''t want to make things any moreplicated than it already is." Gradually, everyone including Luciana left. Before leaving, Luciana gave Rewen a sharp look. Rewen responded with a cold nce. A whileter, he was all alone in the alley. He inserted his hand into his pocket and took out chewing gum, then threw it in his mouth. There was no particr reason why he was eating chewing gum. He discovered that it was in his pocket for some reason. Therefore, he decided to eat it because why not? ''Damn, the heat is unbearable.'' He thought, before going to the shade and sat down on a public bench. Not knowing what to feel, he nked out for a while. A few secondster, he opened his mouth. "Is that it?" There was no sense of joy in his tone. From start to finish, everything went ording to his n. He wasn''t disappointed because of how underwhelming it was. He wasn''t an adventurer. The feelings behind the question - "Is that it?" is much deeper than that. He thought that after everything was done, he would receive enlightenment of sorts and everything would get clear to him. Nothing of that sort happened. He was still as confused as he previously was. He wanted to abandon the self-deprecating thoughts. He wanted to form a rigid belief system. He wanted to form a distinct character. He wanted to start anew. Just then, he heard the sound of footsteps. Turning his head, he saw a bald man with a mustache and heavy build walking towards him. Chapter 216: Prelude (7) Chapter 216: Prelude (7) The bald man with a moustache was Tony McBreth. He was one of the twelve District Experts watching over eighty districts in the entire Nat Province. Upon receiving the voicemail from Rewen, he looked into him and immediately set out taking sixmander units with him. "Rewen Klofar, I presume?" Coming near to him, he stretched his right hand towards Rewen. "It is me. Sir, I hope you know everything by now." Rewen got up and shook his hand. Tony gave a small nod while surveying the area. The State Police Administration is not to be underestimated. The moment they got the knowledge that there were terrorists in the town, they tracked down the sender of the voicemail, looked into him, and immediately found strange things happening around him. Rewen visiting Area 51 was strange so they started from here. As they dug deeper, they found that he had a conflict with some individuals and killed two people. Then, they found out that the people he killed were cannibals. Who were the cannibals? Where did theye from? Why were they on Area 51? Questions got solved and then more questions came out. Eventually, they tracked the messages sent by X and figured everything out. Immediately, a District Expert along with sixmander units under him were sent out for the mission. The primary purpose of the mission was to secure the lives of Rewen, Denny and Svety. Not to engage in a battle with the terrorist organization. "I have sent a group of trained medical professionals to Denny Klofar and Svety Milbourne. Worry not. Everything''s under control." Tony said. Rewen heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing this. The game wasn''t over when the organization was disbanded. It would be over only when Denny and Svety would be considered safe and out of danger. To do that, the explosives inside them have to be carefully taken out. The same could be said for Luciana as well. As long as the explosive inside her is taken out, she would be out of danger. This is a race between them. There would be no problem if Denny and Svety were the one who were the first to be out of danger. However, if Luciana was the one who went out of danger first, then it would be problematic. Rewen would certainly not want to stretch the matter by killing her after Denny and Svety had the explosives inside them taken out but the same could not be said for Luciana. What if she wanted to kill Denny and Svety out of spite? That''s why it was very important for Rewen to win the race. Rewen sat back on the public bench. Just then, his smartphone rang from pocket. He checked the caller and picked it up. "..." Tony McBreth took out a cigar and smoked. "Kid, you did a good job." He paused for a second before continuing. "Congrattions in advance. From here on, you are a role model and a celebrity. In the next few days, reporters would storm on to your ce. This year''s National Courage Award goes to you." Rewen nodded slightly absent-mindedly. "Hm? You don''t have a cheerful face. Is there something on your mind?" Coming to his senses, Rewen shook his head. "It''s just it''s all meaningless." He said, before throwing the smartphone towards Tony. "Before showing up here, I decided to be extra cautious with Denny, my cousin. I linked my "Touchable Sense Water" with three things. One, with a [Distributor] which is connected with the explosive inside the fallen devil. Two, with the telephone which sent my voicemail to you. Three, with my smartphone. The moment I forced the fallen devil to swallow the candy (explosive), I sent a pre-recorded text to my father who is living in the ck Continent. Here''s the text." Having worked as a District Expert for several years, Tony was sharp and quick. He immediately understood 90% of what Rewen was talking about and looked at the smartphone in his hand. --- Quickly see if Denny is alright. If you can, please send people to guard her. I''ll exin when everything''s resolved. --- There was no reply to this text but the message was marked as "read". "It''splicated. I don''t know how but the organization could keep track of every text I send or receive. I can''t prove that because there hasn''t been any instance where I texted anything that alerted the organization but I''m sure they somehow hacked my phone. The reason I''m bringing this up is because" He clutched his head with his two hands. Tony was highly surprised by the meticulous nning. He understood why he did so and also understood why he did so only after forcing the fallen devil to swallow an explosive. The moment he did so, her life was in danger. There was very little chance for them to go through his texts while Luciana is in danger. Even if they did go through the texts, they would not think too much as the text didn''t mention much. Would checking ''if she was alright'' do anything? Would simply protecting her do? With a single tap on the remote, she would be shredded into pieces. On the surface, it might seem illogical for Rewen to set this up. Tony, however, understood why he did this but what he didn''t get is why bring it up? "Listen to the call." Rewen''s voice entered his ears. Tony did as he was told. He noticed the caller was Rewen''s father, then yed it. "Rewen. Don''t panic. I''ming over. Listen to me. Don''t do anything foolish. Stay where you ar--- beep!" "..." Tony understood everything. Something happened to Denny. "DAMMIT! I HAD OTHER FUCKING ALTERNATIVES!" This was the first time he had gotten so angry and this anger was directed at himself. Rewen rarely raises his voice and usually keeps his emotions to himself but this time, he couldn''t hold back. He was seriously angry and frustrated. After all this, it still hasn''t ended. "Don''t panic. I''ll send my men to your hous---" Just then, Rewen''s smartphone rang. Before Tony could look at the phone in his hand, Rewen snatched it and looked at it. "..." A few secondster, he threw the phone on the ground and started running. "Hey, wait!" Tony shouted at him while considering whether he should chase after him when his eyes went to the phone. Crouching, he flipped the phone. *** ck Continent. In a certain ce. Viviana held her newly-born baby in her bosom and read through the text her eldest son to her husband. "Aye" The baby kept wriggling within her bosom. "Keep still," Viviana said while looking at the text. It was unknown whether the baby understood her or not but he went quiet. Just at that moment, a middle-aged man entered the room. Viviana stood up when her husband arrived and approached him. "Did something serious happen?" The middle-aged man didn''t say anything. He walked to the cupboard, opened it and took out a bottle of colorless liquid, and sprayed it on his face. "It''s bad, Vivi. It''s bad." Then, he walked to the basin and washed his face. Almost miraculously, his face turned young. His pale-looking skin seemingly on histe-forties turned smooth. His beard became more refined and he turned slimmer. Within a few seconds, he went from a decent-looking uncle to a handsome man in his mid-twenties. People in the world usually have a lifespan of two hundred years. One only looks to be middle-aged when he/she crosses the hundred years mark. However, most people forcefully be middle-aged early because it slows down the process of aging. In other words, this was his original look. The reason why he turned back to looking young is that bing forcefully old takes a toll on the body. For example, let''s say a person can normally run a hundred meters in seven seconds. After forcefully bing middle-aged. he/she can run a hundred meters in ten or twelve seconds. Obviously, it''s not as simple as that but that''s the gist of it. Rewen''s father turned around and saw the word anxiousness written on his wife''s face. He wanted to express a few words offort but he had to time. "I''m leaving. If June arrives, tell her that the meeting is cancelled" Viviana nodded lightly. Rewen''s father slowly walked out of the room. While carrying the baby, Viviana also walked out of the room. There was no sign of anyone. It''s as if he had just disappeared. Viviana didn''t seem to get bothered by it as she walked out of the house and took out her car. Properly wrapping the seatbelt over the baby, Viviana dialed a number. "Hello?" It was a young female. "Hello, it''s me." "Ah Madam. Is something the matter? Is Mister Klofar going to cancel the meeting today as well?" "What do you mean by ''as well''? Forget it. June? Book a ticket." "You will again go to Travil Town?" "Yes. Make it quick." Chapter 217: X Chapter 217: X --- Greetings, Mr. Klofar. I hope you have been in good health. Before I talk about anything, let me just say - I''m surprised. I''m surprised how well you handled a nearly impossible thing. If I didn''t take precautions, I might be the one getting cold feet and running from this town. So with all due respect, even though we may not be on the same terms, I appreciate everything you''ve been doing. I''m not being fake here. On to the main part. I kidnapped your cousin. She is currently here with me. If you want to take her back,e and get her back. As much as I don''t want to act like a stereotypical bad guy, you have forced my hand. How dare you not fight in a straightforward manner? You have one chance to not lose your cousin and it is now. If you don''te to "get her back" within ten minutes, it''s better if you have a grave prepared in advance. Last thing. This goes without saying but the moment you bring a person other than you within a distance of half-a-kilometer around me you know the consequences. That''s all. We can talk more when you show up. Location: 9-View Street Colony, B.C. Market. With regards, X. --- Tony McBreth read the message with a frown. His phone rang. "Hello?" "Hello, Sir. There''s a problem. We are unable to locate Rewen Klofar''s cousin, Denny Klofar." "Yes. She had been kidnapped by X, the main figurehead behind the game between Rewen Klofar and the organization. Mobilize themander units and bring them to where I am." "Okay, got it." Hanging up the call, Tony sighed. "Perhaps we''ll lose another talent today." He wasn''tpletely sure of Rewen''s strength but how much should he expect from a neen-year-old who had recently started to learn about mages? *** Travil Town. 9-View Street Colony. The weather was gloomy. Grey clouds formed in the sky. *Drip* *Drip* *Drip* It didn''t take a minute to start pouring. Rewen sprinted through the empty streets. His whole body was drenched in rain. ''I still have one more [2x Power Spike]. X couldn''t be stronger than a peak Rank 3 Mage. Otherwise, he would have gone after Svety as well. As long as he isn''t a Rank 4, I can probably handle it. Agh'' A sharp pain came to his head as he fell t on the street. "Dammit not again not now Urgh!" Gritting his teeth, he got up and continued running with one hand clutching his head. His vision was slowly getting blurry but he didn''t stop. Instead of using every sense, he used the strength in his legs to continue running. A few secondster, he tripped on a rock and fell. *Ssh* "Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. T-this is un bearable" Rewen was slowly losing consciousness. The pain he is currently feeling is in a different leaguepared to the one he felt earlier today. It was simr to the one he felt just beforeing back to Earth. He felt like going down on an endless abyss with never-ending pain. Sitting on his knees, he hit his head on the ground. *Bang* The concrete shattered. Blood streaked down from his forehead. The pain of hitting his head on the ground overwhelmed the pain he was feeling because of the headache. Even though the overall pain he was feeling had increased, his consciousness wasn''t losing anymore. It was a very strange way of not losing his consciousness but nevertheless, it worked. He proceeded to get up and looked at the clear road in front of him. ''I have two choices in front of me. Either I reach X while whispering and die as soon as I reach him while ming it on my pain or toughen up and do what I have to. It''s a matter of life and death. Who am I supposed to cry about my misfortunes if I don''t even stay alive to do so? Excuses only matter when I''m alive to give excuses. It''s meaningless otherwise.'' Brushing up his wet hair, he took a step forward. *Tap* He took another step. *Tap* And another. *Tap* Every step he took was distinct. *** B.C. Market. Ground floor. "Hah five more minutes to go." A masked figure wearing a ck robe looked at the time while sitting on afortable chair. Beside him was a pretty young woman with her hands and legs tied up. She sat on the floor with a nk look on her face. It was Denny. When she had just woken up, she was kidnapped by a man way stronger than her. From there on, she had a hard time having a calm mind. How could anyone be calm after getting kidnapped? While still in her pajamas, she brought her knees closer to her. ''Will anyonee?'' She doesn''t know the reason she was kidnapped. Initially, she shouted and cursed the man who had kidnapped but after a single look in his eyes, she went quiet. The fear she felt at that time was very real. Just as she was contemting her situation, the masked man crouched to her level momentarily startling her. "Say girl, your cousin is Rewen, right?" Denny slightly nodded. "You are you rted to the organization REAL WAIFUS CORP---" "No. I''m not rted. However, I am rted to the explosive inside you. I was the one who suggested the idea. Effective, isn''t it?" The masked man chuckled. "W-why did you do it? What have I ever done to you?" "Well, don''t ask me. I was forced to do it. In fact, you should thank me. If it wasn''t for me, you would have been killed that night. The organization was nning to send men to kill you. Would you rather want that?" "..." Denny lowered her head in silence and started sobbing. "Come on, girl. I have important things to know. How would it work if you cry?" The masked man shook her head. Denny raised her head, her eyes red. "Wh-what is it?" The masked man gave a small nod, then sat back on the chair. "Tell me about Rewen Klofar." "He is my cousin" Denny wasn''t sure how to answer such a vague question. The masked man rolled his eyes. "Start from his childhood." Denny thought for a moment before answering. "Rewen had always been a quiet guy. During kindergarten, other than me, he didn''t have any friends. While I would y with others, he would sit at one corner and look at others quietly. Because our age was simr, we werepetitive. Although I was older than him, he was smarter for his age. "He grew up under the care of my parents. Later when Cal got a job, my parents moved out. I don''t remember much of my early childhood but I do know that he always felt a bit lonely because Uncle and Aunt were usually overseas. One of the most prominent memories I have rted to him was him grabbing the hem of both of his parents'' clothes and begging them to take him with them. "He was I think I was five years old so he was four years old back then. During elementary school, he opened up a little and made a few friends. In middle school, he was an outgoing guy, being the central figure among his friends. It all changed in his second year of high school. He became more repulsive, abrasive, and spent most of his days in his room. He failed in the final year of high school but got his report renewed after Uncle bribed the Principal um" Denny couldn''t think of anything more he could say about him. The masked man put his hand on his chin. "Why do you think that he suddenly became like that?" "..." "Haha! I know more about him than you do. He has a Stage 5 Interference, doesn''t he? If I didn''t know that he had interference, I wouldn''t believe it. This is the first time I have seen a victim of interference so so uh, I can''t find the right word. Anyways, the tragic backstory was worth listening to but I don''t care about it. What I wanted to know is how you see him. Do you hate him for putting you in this predicament?" It took a few seconds for Denny to process what she had just heard. She thought about the question for a long while. "I probably don''t hate him I think but I don''t think I will forgive him if I if I die." The masked man gave an amused chuckle. "So ording to you, it doesn''t matter if he dies. It''s all good as long as he manages to save you. Is that right?" "No. That''s not it. I just I just don''t want to die." "So it doesn''t matter if he dies in the process, right?" "No! That''s not what I''m s--- wait! Why am I answering your questions? What''s wrong with me? What the fuck did you do to me!?" Chapter 218: Meeting Chapter 218: Meeting Denny suddenly realized that she had been too obedient while answering his questions. Why would she do that? She hated the man who kidnapped her. Even if her life is in danger, she wouldn''t be thispliant. "You What did you do to me? Ugh!" She started struggling to no avail. The masked man tapped his fingers on the armrest while looking straight outside. Since the walls were broken, the situation outside the building was quite clear. It was pouring heavily. Even though it''s barely seven in the morning, it looked like it was seven in the night. While looking at the rain, the masked man let out a sigh. "This is the kind of weather that makes me nostalgic." He said, then turned his head to look at the other person present. "What about you? Does it give you fake memories? Does it make you remember events about the past?" Denny was taken aback for a while. "...It reminds me of him" "Him? Who is he? Your lover? Father? Uncle?" "He is wait! Why am I answering your questions!?" Denny again felt strange. Under normal conditions, she wouldn''t be so obedient but whenever a question is asked, it''s as if she turns off the rational part of the brain and bes a robot. The masked man ignored her and leanedfortably on the chair while watching the rain calmly. After a while, Denny opened her mouth. "Is Rewening?" "He should be." The masked man replied. "W-what if he doesn''te?" Denny asked with a dry throat while trying to suppress the quivering in her voice. "Why don''t you take a guess?" He had a mask on his face so she couldn''t see his face but she could see his face forming a grin. "Oh, well he is near." "Huh? Rewen is near?" Subconsciously, her eyes lit up. "You sound happy? Do you care so little about your cousin? You do realize that he could die, right?" The masked man got up from his chair and stretched his arms. "..." Denny was tongue-tied. She didn''t know how she could reply. Human minds areplicated. On one hand, she doesn''t want to die. On the other hand, she also doesn''t want Rewen to die because of her. Of course, she has her priority. Even though she doesn''t want Rewen to die, her desire to live exceeds that. That doesn''t mean that she doesn''t care about the life and death of Rewen. She is merely more concerned for her life. It mighte off as selfish but that''s reality. People aren''t generally selfless. If they can live at the expense of others, they would. Outside B.C. Market. *Ssh* *Ssh* *Ssh* Taking slow steps, Rewen walked through the streets. His clothes werepletely soaked sticking to his body, his dark red hair covering his eyes, and his entire body looked as if it was dragged. His headache hadn''t decreased. It had only increased. He wants to give everything up. He can''t tolerate the pain any longer. ''I can''t'' ''I can''t I have to persever---'' He tripped on a stone and was about to fall. ''Hah.'' He bnced himself. He was sure that if he falls this time, he can''t wake up. He couldn''t resist the allure of letting everything go and taking a rest. He panted heavily, then raised his hands and brushed his hair to see his surroundings clearly. Even though he wanted to see things ''clearly'', he could barely make out the surroundings. With some difficulty, he could see a building in near sight. With a tired sigh, he started moving. ''I want to die'' *Tap* ''I don''t want to die'' *Tap* ''Can I take a quick rest?'' *Tap* ''I want to take a quick rest'' *Tap* ''When will all of this be over?'' *Tap* ''Is there even any end?'' *Tap* Slowly, he reached the building. "Rewen!!" Hearing the voice, he turned around. He could see two figures. One was a masked man looking straight at him and the other was a familiar face with her arms and legs tied. Rewen heaved a sigh of relief. Although his vision was blurred, he could make out both parties. "You are X?" Desperately trying to hide the fact that he was currently weak, he asked in a confident manner. The masked man didn''t answer immediately. He walked two steps and looked at the red-haired young man in front of him from head to toe. "You look miserable." Rewen''s eyes constricted. "As expected you are you can take off the mask" "Hahaha!" The masked manughed heartily. "I knew that you would recognize my voice but I''m a little confused at your ''as expected''. Are you pretending to be smarter than you are?" Immediately after asking that, he took off his mask. It was the cop. It was the first cop Rewen had seen aftering to Earth. It was the cop who went to the slums after Rewen called for help. It was the cop who interrogated Rewen and Svety after Rewen''s fight with the cannibals at Area 51. It was the cop who got trapped along with Rewen and Famin in the [Heart Domain]. "..." Denny had her mouth hanging open. She did find his voice somewhat familiar but eventually couldn''t pinpoint that it was the cop who she had met when Rewen was hospitalized. "Cut the bullshit." Rewen put some force behind his words. "You had a gun which shoots out bullets powered by mana only cops who are Martial Artists have guns. Then you said you encountered bats who tried to influence your mind but since you had a core, it didn''t affect you. How can you have a core when you are a Martial Artist? "Since you have guns, you shouldn''t be a Mage or at least, shouldn''t be registered as a mage. I didn''t jump the gun, of course. There was still a chance that maybe you were lying about having a core which is also weird but less strange than you being a mage. That''s why I delved deep into the inte and researched about [Heart Domains]. Turns out you weren''t lying. "At this point, there was very little chance of you lying about you having a core and it was fair to conclude that you were a shady guy. Later, I went through the Police Registry and searched for your information. Everything about you was normal. You lived in Travil Town, have a wife and two kids, and you''ve been a cop for twelve years. I was starting to get less suspicious of you when I found out that you recently transferred to the town. "You transferred to this town two months ago. It wasn''t odd, at least not back then. What stood out to me was the fact that you aren''t even a cop from Travil Town''s Police Station and instead from the neighboring town''s station. This was extremely strange and it wouldn''t be far off if I said that I made up a conspiracy theory in which X is you. Of course, I don''t have any definite proof. "Even so my original n was calling for the cops to look after Denny immediately after I sent my voicemail to the State Police Administration and we all know how it would have turned out. Either way, it wouldn''t make a difference, it seems" Rewen stopped speaking. He felt a sharp pain in his chest the moment he stopped speaking. It was rted to the pain in his head but he couldn''t care less. He didn''t have the time and luxury to concentrate where he was feeling pain. It doesn''t really matter to him, at this point. Denny took some process of what she had just heard. There were a couple of things she didn''t understand and had no knowledge about but she understood the gist of it - the cop was someone who was constantly involved in Rewen''s business and thus, Rewen found it suspicious. X had very little change in expression. "Good. It''s good that you have some intelligence. It''s good that you have the strength tost till now. All of that is good but you don''t look to be in a good condition." Rewen''s eyebrows twitched. "I''m indeed not in a good condition enough chit chat. How do you want to settle this?" "How else? You give me your device and I give you I''ll make sure to kill both of you without hurting too much. Haha!" Xughed out loud. "Who do you think I am? Some kind soul who is willing to negotiate with a kid? Get real." Rewen had no change in expression. He quietly observed his movements. "So you want to settle it the old fashion way? You and I fight and the one who wins will get whatever he wants. How about that?" He was stalling for him in order to use [River of Right Hand]. X chuckled. "Young people like to overestimate themselves. Anyways, don''t waste my time, and let''s get this done." Chapter 219: Miserable Chapter 219: Miserable Rewen eyes flickered. ''System, use [2x Power Spike].'' Freestyle Knights Combat! *Swish* He sprinted off towards X. [2x Power Spike] onlysts for two minutes - 120 seconds. That also means that he only has two minutes to end the fight. The scene where he hasn''t yet defeated X yet is a scenario he doesn''t want to even imagine. Like a violent wind, Rewen closed the distance between him and X within a second. He was going all-out. This was the speed of a Peak Rank 3 Mage. It has to be known that a person having an average stat of 10 has a maximum speed of 1 km/min. Stat increase follows simple math. Therefore, a person having an average stat of 100 has a maximum stat of 10 km/min. The speed was out of the world, at least that''s what it seemed for Denny. She could only see a faint silhouette. ''How in the world where is he?'' After the incident with Ruby, she always thought that her cousin''s strength was unreal. She asionally talked to him about the matter but he always somehow managed to dismiss the matter. Eventually, she stopped probing. Everybody had their own secrets. She had her own. However, that doesn''t mean that her spection had stopped. No matter how deeply she thought, she would either reach a wild and highly unlikely guess or a vague one. Thus, she concluded that the increase in his strength has something to do with his interference. That''s all she could specte. She then tried to specte his strength and had a safe bet with the conclusion that - Rewen could handle Rank 2 Mages, maybe not many at once. Her conclusion was actually on point, in the case that Rewen only used [Freestyle Knights Combat]. But the current speed he was disying was in no way even nearlyparable to the spection she had in her mind. X stood at his position like a stone. Only when Rewen got close to him did he raise his eyebrows. ''With his posture, he looks like he is going to strike a kick... but knowing him let''s try this.'' He moved a step back. Rewen had no change in expression. His slightly lifted leg touched the ground as his other leg went forward. As soon as he took a step forward, he again lifted the other leg seemingly preparing for a kick. X gave a small smile which Rewen didn''t understand until the moment he saw a fist approaching his face. *Pah* Having his face making direct contact with the fist, he flew off to a distance but managed to barely keep standing. Rewen''s expression turned solemn as blood streaked down from the corner of his lips. Although Denny didn''t know what had happened as her vision wasn''t able to properly keep track of what was happening, she saw the oue and her heart tightened. ''Could it be that Rewen''s strength isn''t up to par with X''s?'' Rewen saw X smiling and immediately figured that thetter had figured his attack patterns. Under normal conditions, he would have dodged with some difficulty but it should be known that he isn''t the best of conditions and could only bring about sixty percent of his total strength. Under normal conditions, he also wouldn''t be pushed back like this. Unlike his usual ''threeyered series of moves'', he could barely do a ''twoyered series of moves'' because of his current mental condition. As much as he is acting tough on the outside, his mental state was in a serious condition. Every step he took, every movement he made, and every breath he took all had a serious impact on him. He could stop and think for a while before approaching X to fight him but he was in a shortage of time. ''120 seconds no, 115 seconds whatever Argh'' By the end of his sentence, he lost hisposure and the headache attacked him again. Clutching his head, he fell to his knees. Denny got confused at the sudden development. Even X had a strange look on his face. "Ah, I see. Even though I kept track of you, there''s one thing I neglected - you are a victim of interference. Your tough act stops when interferencees up, isn''t that right? Well, good enough for me." X said, before slowly walking to him. Denny anxiously shouted. "Rewen! Stand up! He ising!" Since his mind was consumed by pain, Rewen couldn''t hear clearly what X had just said but he knew that it wasn''t anything good. He sensed the iing danger and tried to gain control over the pain. ''Why is the headache still there?'' This was the first time he had the headache for this long and the time interval between having the headaches was too small. Usually, it goes away in under five minutes. The headache attacked him when he reached the academy, then it attacked him again while conversing with the young doctor, and on his way to reach B.C. Market, the headache got amplified. Rewen didn''t know the cause of it. With great difficulty, he raised his head to see a figure in ck approaching him. His vision was blurry and therefore, he couldn''t properly make out the figure''s face but he didn''t think twice to conclude that the man approaching him was none other than X. ''I need to get up'' He mustered every single strength he had left and tried to stand up on two feet. He failed and fell on his knees. A chuckle reached his ears. "It''s not every day I see a person this miserable." Before he could get the chance to raise his head and look at the speaker, his hair was grabbed and his upper body was easily controlled by another person. He had exhausted all his strength and had nothing left. It was due to the result of him masking the enormous pain he felt with his high endurance. *Pah* "Kuh!" He was kicked on his lower abdomen. He was thrown at a distance of a few meters. Laying t on the ground, he coughed blood. ''...I have to do something somehow let''s see wait, I could try this out. '' Even though his senses were weak, Rewen didn''t lose his rationality. Denny''s eyes went red. She had lost all hope of getting out of this alive. At the same time, she also felt sad for her cousin. Everything he was going through was essentially to save her. Her opinion of him changed a great deal. X walked to Rewen and kicked him again. *Pah* *Pah* *Pah* "Cough!" Rewen coughed a mouthful of mouth. X''s eyes were unfeeling. "Do you know why I''m not killing you?" *Pah* "It''s because you have the "Touchable Sense Water". Even if I take it from you, I suspect I can''t do anything with it. You know very well that I can''t do anything even if I get a hold of it, don''t you?" X didn''t give him a chance to reply and grabbed his right hand which had the wristband connected to "Touchable Sense Water" and snatched it. He gave a single nce before looking at the bloodied figure. "As expected, there is no switch." Right now, both X and Rewen were in a deadlock. "Touchable Sense Water" is usually activated by one''s ''will''. When it''s separated from the person it is attached to, it can no longer be activated by one''s will. To deal with this situation, there''s always an emergency ''switch'' attached to it. The switch has a single function - it can turn off every ongoing operation inside "Touchable Sense Water" which is or is to be performed right now or sometime in the future. And there is only one ongoing operation that is stored to be performed in the near future, which is, sting off the explosive inside Luciana. It must be known that the switch can never perform the operation. It can only terminate the future operations to be performed. However, there''s a catch. Destroying the "Touchable Sense Water" would not only not terminate the future operations, it would also immediately perform the operations. X searched for the emergency switch but it wasn''t there. There were some markings that indicated that the switch was removed but then, it doesn''t make sense. "Touchable Sense Water" is a product of New Age Mechanics and is made from thews revolving around mana. It is nearly impossible for a device made from thews involving mana to be modified. Of course, it doesn''t mean that the device can''t be broken or deconstructed but it simply means that - "The moment the original purpose of the New Age Mechanics is altered, New Age Mechanics would stop working." Therefore, it''s impossible for "Touchable Sense Water" to continue working if the switch was removed. "You used a [Distributor], right?" X grimly smiled, looking at the bloodied young man. Crouching, he brought his face closer to his. "Why don''t you tell me your secrets?" Rewen directly looked at his eyes and found his head spinning. A whileter, his crimson iris suddenly turned ck and a dark smile appeared on his face. "You don''t want to know." Chapter 220: Silent Rewen Chapter 220: Silent Rewen The reply shocked X. What shocked him, even more, was the "aura" around Rewen. The aura wasn''t visible but there was a thick sense of danger and creep radiating from him. It was as if he had be another person. Rewen''s bloodied face showed a dark smile. The "ck" in his iris slowly spread into the sclera. Slowly and gradually, his entire eyes became pitch ck. His eyes had no reflection. The longer one stares into it, the longer the person gets sucked into the deep abyss. ''I don''t know what''s going on but I should take a step back'' Being the closest to him, X naturally noticed the changes and immediately decided to step back. "Kuhh!" Just then, he was kicked on his abdomen. Drawing an arc, hended on his back. Watching the exchange from a distance, Denny was also shocked at the sudden turn of events. Hope came to her again as she secretly cheered for him. She opened her mouth and was about to say something when she noticed the abnormality in her cousin. ''Why do I feel a chill whenever I look at him?'' She was shaking when she noticed his eyes. Hurriedly, she averted her eyes and looked at his body. "Rewen? Are you fine?" Rewen stood up effortlessly and swung his sore arms. Seemingly not paying any attention to her, he sprinted towards X who was lying on the floor. X sensed the iing danger and stood up with a flip. *Swish* He blocked a round punch thrown at his face. ''Alright and now'' He had already found an opening in his opponent''s attack and counter-attacked by parrying the punch followed by throwing an uppercut at Rewen''s jaw. As the hand approached his jaw, Rewen quickly pulled back the hand which was parried. It hit the hand and the uppercut was thus blocked. He didn''t stop there, however. He threw his left arm towards his opponent''s face. X calmly watched the fist approaching his face. ''I don''t have to dodge it. It''s too close Nor can I block it. That means the only option I have is to'' He made his legs stiff. The fist met X''s face. It didn''t push him back. Rewen had the same dark smile. As soon as he pulled his arm, he again hammered his fist on the face. And again! And again! X''s face looked miserable but for some reason, he gave no signs of retreating. His nose was broken. His entire face was filled with red. Even so, he kept standing on his spot as if he was a statue. A grim smile resided on his bloodied face. Currently, there is very little difference between the two parties. *Jizz* All of a sudden, sparks appeared around X''s body. Rewen seemed to pay no attention to it and continued to assault his body. However, the moment his handnded on his face, he flew off without any warning crashing onto a broken wall. *Boom* He went straight past the wall andnded outside. "Rewen!" Denny got anxious again. She tried to get up and go after her cousin but she fell t on her face the moment she tried to get up. She momentarily forgot that her legs were tied up. X casually wiped off the blood on his face and walked over to Rewen unhurriedly. When he approached him, he saw that the red-haired young man''s eyes were wide open and his expression had no indication of pain. "Interesting." He said, continuing. "Do you now know what happens when you try to fight against a Peak Rank 3 Mage? My hypothesis turned out to be correct. You aren''t a Rank 3 Mage. And no, you aren''t even a D-ranked Martial Artist. A D-ranked Martial Artist is fundamentally different from the lower-ranked Martial Artists. Even though you do appear to be one, you aren''t. Then what are you? It''s unheard in the world for a person to only have the physique of a D-ranked Martial Artist. "The only usible possibility I could guess is that - your current strength is temporary and the reason for your current strength is because you consumed a drug of sorts However, as far as I''m aware, I don''t think there''s a drug that can increase one''s strength to this level Anyways. That doesn''t matter. What matters is whether you are willing to be cooperative or not. I''m willing to let both you and your cousin go as long as you give me the [Distributor] which is connected to "Touchable Sense Water"." Rewen looked at his opponent''s eyes with unfeeling eyes. "So I''m asking you again. Where did you keep the [Distributor]?" X met his eyes and asked. His face was solemn. "..." Rewen didn''t say anything and blinked. Beads of perspiration on X''s forehead. Deep down, he felt absolute dread when he looked at the pitch-ck eyes but forced himself to remain calm. "It''s your decision. You can lose your life as well as your cousin''s life or you can choose to believe me. I''ll wait three seconds for your reply." X made the deration and raised his right hand, opening three fingers. "Three." He closed his middle finger. Rewen nonchntly looked at him. "Two." He closed his index finger. Rewen didn''t seem to care about the counting. "One." He closed his thumb. The dark smile returned to Rewen''s face. "Okay." X gave a small nod as if acknowledging and respecting his opponent''s decision. He took a small rod hanging from his belt and stretched it. The rod glowed and radiated yellow light. It started transforming. Within two seconds, the small rod became a dark spear. X swung the spear using his fingers and hammered it down his opponent''s chest. "Kuh!" Fresh blood erupted from both Rewen''s chest and mouth. "REWEN!!" Denny yelled on top of her lungs. ''Please tell me this is all a nightmare. Please tell me this is all a nightmare.'' She can''t believe what was happening in front of her eyes. She tried getting up again but fell again. Knowing that she couldn''t walk, she started crawling. This was the first time she had witnessed such a tragedy. Her shock and grief were so overwhelming that she couldn''t even shed tears. Meanwhile, X ced his feet on Rewen''s body and took out the spear. "Well then time to end the business. Wait" He was about to head towards the other person in the area but then, he noticed that Rewen''s eyes were open and there was a thin smile on his face. ''I saw his lips twitch. Am I seeing things?'' X questioned. He had struck his heart. There was no way any normal person could be alive after getting his heart destroyed. Not only that, the spear has special properties. It was enough to say that Rewen should be dead the moment the spear pierced his chest. "Better be safe than sorry." X didn''t want to take the risk and again pierced Rewen''s chest. There was no reaction from Rewen. X took out the spear and again turned to look at Denny who was crawling towards him. ''Huh? Did his lips twitch again?'' He again turned to look at Rewen''s face which didn''t have any change in expression. ''I can''t be seeing things twice.'' Who was X? He was one of the two Reverends of Luciana. An expert like him has developed fighting sense and instincts over the years. He knows how to be firm in decision-making. "I know you are not dead yet. Keep ying the games with me while I kill your cousin." X dered, then again plunged his spear towards Rewen''s chest. "This is yourst chance to respond. If you don''t, I''ll go after your cousin." At this moment, the smile on Rewen''s face widened. X''s eyes flickered as he took out the spear and looked straight at him. "I''ll present you with the previous offer again. You give me the [Distributor] and I''ll give you my remote. I''m doing this for your own good. You aren''t in a position to move, let alone fight. Tell me where the [Distributor] is and I''ll leave you alone with the remote. Tony McBreth along with hismander units are nearby. The moment I leave this colony, they would monitor my movements and immediately send doctors. Although you are in this condition, you can be healedpletely." He paused for a second, then continued. "I hate talking this much but I know my priorities. My foremost priority is to ensure that Luciana is out of danger. Therefore, don''t force my hand and choose your option carefully. What do you want to do?" Rewen didn''t open his mouth and continued to smile. X nonchntly looked at him and prepared to strike again when a strange thing happened before his eyes. A thick ck aura came out from Rewen''s entire body and moved to his chest. The ck aura lingered around his chest for a few seconds, then disappeared with a poof. The next thing X saw was - Rewen didn''t have any signs of injury on his chest! Chapter 221: Memories (1) Chapter 221: Memories (1) Rewen found himself floating on a seemingly infinite vast space. The space was dark, yet he could clearly see the ''dark''. He could clearly see his body but everything else was just dark. As he was wondering about this situation, he felt his body slowly descending. He didn''t know how much time had passed since he had been in this ce but he did know that he needed to get out of this ce. One thing he noticed as soon as he got here is that his headache haspletely disappeared. Soon, hended on a smooth floor. Aside from his body, he could only see darkness. ''Where is this ce?'' He questioned thest time. [This is your heart.] Unexpectedly, he got a response. The voice was ambiguous and unrecognizable. He tried looking for the source of the voice but unfortunately couldn''t. Nevertheless, he was d to find that he wasn''t just brought here because of no reason and logic. "Are you the system?" [No. I''m not.] "Then who are you?" Even though Rewen asked this, he was pretty sure that he would either get a vague response or not get the answer at all. [None of your concern, at the current moment.] ''So it''s thetter.'' Rewen looked around and crossed his legs sitting on the smooth floor. "In that case, what exactly is my concern at the current moment?" [Look in front.] "I don''t know what I''m supposed to be looking at other than in darkness in this ce but I''ll try anyway." Raising his head, he looked in front. He looked without blinking for a couple of seconds. All he could see was darkness. "There''s nothing I could see." [Look carefully.] "Okay." He again looked in front. ''Nothing other than darkness is visible ah.'' Amidst the infinite darkness, he could see an extremely small point of light but it''s too small. Unless it''s seen carefully, it wouldn''t be seen with the naked eye. "I see something. What is that?" [It is you.] "Please speak clearly." Rewen hated having this kind of philosophical exchange. ording to him, speaking in this manner is to avoid answering the question. The answer the unknown voice gave could be interpreted in several ways. [That is yourself. Your memories. It contains the cause of your pain. Go ahead and take it.] "Sure thing." Rewen got up almost instantly and started walking towards the light. He had no time to waste on this ce. He was still dealing with X. Even though he had a feeling that both he and Denny are safe at the moment, staying here for long doesn''t seem like a good option. Besides, it''s great that he would get to know the cause of the deadly sadistic headache. ''What ''memories'' am I supposed to have though?'' [Remember to be firm in your road towards the light. You fail the moment you stumble and fall] The unknown voice faded away. Rewen pondered about the words for a while. ''The owner of the voice surely doesn''t expect me to stumble and fall on a smooth floor, does he...er, or she? Fuck. Who cares.'' Although he said that, he knew that the road to the light won''t be as pleasant and easy as he initially thought it would be. ''System, activate [Freestyle Knights Combat].'' He waited for a few seconds. Usually, when [Freestyle Knights Combat] is activated, he could feel changes in his body. His blood flow increases and he could feel a vigorous stream of unknown energy flowing through his body. Right now, he felt no such changes. That can only mean that the system has failed to respond. ''Hello? System? Are you there?'' He got no response. ''Either the system isn''t responding deliberately or.. this is kind of like a ''special'' ce. A ce where even the system cannot appear or respond. Interesting.'' With this, he also thought of a question which he should have thought way back - Why does he need the system to activate [Freestyle Knights Combat]? He shook his head to put all the misceneous thoughts at the back of his head and focused on the road in front of him. ''From my estimate, it shouldn''t be more than a mile I can''t really urately estimate it because it depends on how intense and ''big'' the source of the light is.'' Taking a deep breath, he started running. *Tap* *Tap* *Tap* He felt as if he was running on a ss floor that was rigid? Even though the floor was extremely smooth, he had friction with the floor for some reason. ''Well, at least I won''t ''stumble and fall'' as the voice said.'' He ran for about thirty seconds when he observed some changes in his surroundings. "Wait, what''s happening?" The light he was heading towards suddenly blinded him forcing him to close his eyes. A few seconds passed by. As he felt the intensity of the light slowly dimming, he opened his eyes to find himself in the midst of an astonishing sight. It was afternoon. Since it was the month of June, the weather was mildly cold. Standing in front of a small hut, Rewen wondered about the ce. "Where the fuck am I?" He looked around and saw in grass fields and small huts all over the ce. ''This looks like a vige.'' Nearby, he noticed a viger walking close by him and approached him. "Hey, Uncle. What is this ce?" The viger ignored him as if he had not noticed him. Rewen felt that it was a little strange. ''Is the guy deaf?'' He decided to try to talk to the man once again and stretched his hand on his shoulder. His hand went right through his shoulder. Rewen had a startling realization. He had be a ghost! Or at least something simr to it. Just as he was wondering what he should do, he heard a female shriek from inside the small hut near him. "Ahhhh!" "What the fuck is going on?" Rewen went inside the hut to check what was happening only to be startled once again. This time, however, the level of being startled was way above anything. There were three, no, four people in the hut. Two were in theirte teens - one man and a woman. The other was a middle-aged woman holding a crying baby in her arms. The young woman appeared to be sixteen and had a babyface. She could easily be counted as someone who was very beautiful. She was lying on the bed with sweat all over her face. Eagerly looking towards her newborn, she stretched her hand towards the midwife. The midwife gently smiled, rubbing her forehead. "It''s a boy." She proceeded to carefully hand the baby over to her. The young woman smiled while looking at her newborn. For some reason, Rewen was blinded by the smile. Not only was it the most beautiful and dazzling smile he had seen, but the smile also radiated love. "Haha! Told ya!" The young man standing beside her bent down andughed merrily while looking at his newborn, then turned his gaze to look at his wife. "Why don''t you give him to me? You didn''t want him, right?" "Nonsense! Why would I not want him? I wanted a girl but this is also good! You can leave if you don''t want to deal with me and my son. Hmph!" The young woman feigned anger looking at him for a while, then burst into a wide smile. The young man grinned, nustling his nose against her lovingly. "I''lleter. For now, take a rest." The midwife tapped the young woman''s shoulder and went out of the hut. Rewen found a chair nearby. He stretched his hand to see if he could touch non-living objects. He touched the chair and thus, sat on the chair and calmly looked at the scene in front of him. His eyes went to the young man first. The young man had ck hair and was tall for a sixteen-year-old. For some reason, his face was seventy percent simr to Rewen''s. To put it inly, he looked like a younger version of Rewen. Then, his eyes traveled to the young beautiful woman. She looked like someone he was very familiar with. Lastly, his eyes went to the crying baby in her arms. Looking at the family, he felt... bitter-sweet. The father had passed on early while the mother and son had recently started to grow apart. Rewen was extremely progressive. Part of it was due to the influence of his predecessor''s memories but most of it was innate. He wasn''t a staunch believer of family values and believed that the phrase - "Blood is thicker than water" to be very incorrect. Even though he grieved for the tragic death of his father, he never felt the emptiness because his mother filled up the gap for him. ''They all look so happy. Well, the sky is blue and a family is a great thing to have.'' With a heavy heart, he got up. Instantly, the surroundings copsed and he found himself staring at the tiny light. Chapter 222: Memories (2) Chapter 222: Memories (2) "I think I have figured out what kind of difficulties I have to face." Rewen stared intensely at the tiny source of light. "Though I don''t know how I am supposed to ''stumble and fall''. I guess it''s a synonym to something like ''breaking down''. Maybe there''s some ugly part of my memories that would make me emotional but as forpletely breaking down?" He paused, then thought about it for a while. "No, not really. I''m not an emotionally strong person but I''m not weak either. Besides, I don''t think anything other than that one incident happened in my life that could potentially make me emotionally heavy. Hm no need to overthink. Let''s just see what happens." Rewen started running towards the light again. Unlike the previous time where he ran at the maximum speed possible, he is running mildly fast currently. The reason for this is simple. If oveing his memories takes him closer to the light, then why does it matter how fast he runs? A few secondster, the surroundings changed once again. It was winter. Sitting on the roof of a small house, Rewen looked at the two people practicing with wooden swords in the backyard. One was a young, fairly muscr man and the other was a four-year-old kid. The kid ran towards the muscr young man carrying a little sword and swung it when he reached close enough. *ng* The muscr youth easily defended himself with his sword. The kid gritted his teeth and pushed himself forward, trying to push back his opponent. "Enough." With a single swing, the kid flew back andnded on his back. The kid tried to get up but suddenly fell back. His back was hurt when hended on the ground. Not being able to hold back the pain, he started sobbing. The muscr youth approached him with his sword on his back and looked at the kid sobbing in pain. Nonchntly, he kicked the kid, flipping him over. "Ahhh! It hurts" The kid continued to sob. The youth bent down and rubbed his back. "Get up. The practice is not over. Pain only matters when you want to feel it." The youth mercilessly spoke to his son''s ears. "B-but... m-my back" The youth continued to rub his back. "Where is the pain? Is it here?" "No up." The kid said as he felt his father''s hand moving upwards. "More yes, here." "You are only a four-year-old and your bones and muscles are soft. Naturally, some amount of pain is unavoidable. Who are you? You are destined to be a King. How long are you going to continue letting your pain win over you? Are you just that much?" After saying that, the youth immediately stretched his son''s body. Keeping his legs on his son''s back, he pulled his son''s upper body and lower body together. The kid had a difficult face. While being in pain, he endured it by gritting his teeth. A whileter, the youth separated from his son and took a stance with his sword. The kid got up, slightly bent. The two continued to practice. Rewen watched the two from the roof as snow fell on his hair. He could barely remember anything during his childhood but he did know that his father was particrly strict with his training. This is also the reason he was able to keep practicing martial arts even after his father died. Wryly smiling, he looked at the youth who was barely a few years older than him. He wants to get mad at him because of how he treated his own son but can''t because deep down, he knew that he can''t apply the standards that he got from Earth to him ''It would be fun to have him around. I have never defeated him. Could I defeat him now?'' Looking at the sky, he tried to recall some memories of his childhood but unfortunately couldn''t. Just then, the sky changed. The sun that was out in the winter went out of sight pretty quickly and a bright moon appeared in the sky that had be dark. "What the fuck? Did the devs time skip?" Confused by the development, he jumped from the roof and went inside his house. The house wasn''t particrly big but it was big for a vige. Rewen''s father was a hunter and hunters usually have good ie. There were five rooms in total - a kitchen, two bedrooms (one for Rewen and the other for his parents), a living room, and a washroom. Rewen went to the living room to find an exceptionally beautiful woman, seemingly not over twenty years old, applying ointment over her son''s back who was lying t on herp. The kid was quiet and had a small pout on his face which Rewen found particrly cute. Both were seated on arge sofa. ''To think Mother was really as pretty as she bragged she was.'' A light smile hung over his face as he took a seat beside the two. "What about your rear? Did you get hurt on your rear as well?" The young woman asked in a soft tone. The boy lying on herp shook his head. The young woman didn''t seem to believe him as she ran her hand over his rear. Just as she touched the rear, the boy violently shook. "What''s with this? You are just a four-year-old and you have already started to lie?" Furrowing her eyebrows, she strongly scolded him. "But Mum shame" The boy said as his mother pulled his pants down and started applying ointment on his rear. "What shame? How old are you? It doesn''t matter. You would always be a kid to me." The young woman didn''t like the fact that her son was maturing faster. "Not when I be The Emperor of Axis Maind!" The boyughed and ran off to the other room without feeling the need to properly wear his pants. The young woman wryly smiled. "An Emperor doesn''t let out his weewee in the open and he''s gone. Let''s see what I have for dinner" She too got up and went to the kitchen. ''Did I want to be something like an emperor?'' Rewen cringed when he thought of his younger self. A whileter, he stood up and went to his parent''s bedroom. On the bed, a half-naked young man was reading a book. On his back was the boy sticking to his neck like a ko. Beside the bed was arge shelf full of books. Rewen walked to the shelf and saw that there were all kinds of books. Starting from animal encyclopedias to world geography. ''If I recall correctly, these books were burnt after Father died. I had always wished to read them.'' The youth kept the book on the shelf and took a nk paper and ck ink with a pen. Sitting on his chair, he started writing. The boy crawled over to the desk his father was writing on and asked. "What are you writing?" The youth kept writing. "You''ll understand when you grow up." The boy seemed dissatisfied with the answer and rolled over his bed. "Don''t fall asleep. You haven''t had dinner yet." The youth said. When he turned his head, he saw that the boy was halfway through falling asleep. Sighing, he approached the boy and continued to entertain him. Rewen walked to the desk and took a look at the paper. ''I should have grown old enough to understand what''s written, right?'' --- PRINCIPLES OF KLOFARS DEAD-END COUP --- "What the fuck? A coup? What the fuck does "Principles of Klofars Dead-End Coup" even mean?" He tried to find information on the paper but unfortunately, that was the only thing that was written. "Damn. At the very least, it doesn''t look like something a hunter would write." Thinking about it for a while, he decided that after everything was over, he would ask his mother regarding this. Heid on the bed and watched the other two talking about random things. "Father, why don''t I have a grandfather or grandmother?" The boy asked, his eyes full of curiosity. Hearing the question, the youth''s face turned awkward. "That''s because they are in a very special ce." "Special ce" The boy pondered about the ''special ce'' deeply, then his eyes lit up. "Like heaven?" "Of course." Rewen felt amused by his younger self''s response. ''I was smart even back then.'' Engaged in narcissism, he heard the youth sitting beside him. "Of course not." "Huh?" Rewen questioned whether he had heard it wrong or not. "They are not in heaven? So where are they?" The boy appeared confused. "One day, I''ll take you to see them." The youth smiled, ruffling his son''s hair. Meanwhile, Rewen was in a severe existential crisis. ''I actually have grandparents who are alive?'' When he thought a bit deeper, he arrived at a conclusion. ''I guess I''ll just have to ask Mother.'' "Everyone! Dinner is ready." "Coming!" The boy jumped off the bed. Chapter 223: Memories (3) Chapter 223: Memories (3) It was night. The Klofar Household was quiet. Little Rewen was peacefully sleeping on his small bed, hugging a pillow. Beside him wasid his older self looking at the ceiling. He felt incredibly peaceful lying down on the bed he had slept in for almost the entirety of his life. He tried to fall asleep but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn''t. "This should be telling something." He raised his upper body, then took a look at his younger self. Little Rewen was drooling which his older self found particrly cute. Rewen got off the bed. ''Since I haven''t yet gone back from this ce, it means that there''s something I have yet to see maybe it''s out there in the other room? I should check it out.'' He got out of his room and approached his parents'' room. As he got near, he could hear them talking with each other. "Heh, are you ready to take this? Brace yourself!" ''Is he fighting with Mother?'' Rewen found his father''s talking sense very weird and thus, decided to take a look at what''s going on inside the room. "..." Immediately after he saw what he saw, he quietly exited the room. The only thing that could be said was - he regretted what he had seen. "Make it quick." The other person in the room, his mother''s younger self, responded in a disinterested tone. For some reason, her partner didn''t like the response. "What''s with you all of a sudden? We are still young. Show some vigor you used to show back in the days. Remember how you used to be a bi- ah! Why did you p my hand?" "Don''t speak vulgarly. If you really want to do um, do something, then make it quick. Otherwise, good night!" "Fine. But before that, what is ''something''? Say it out loud." The youth''s tone was smug. "Good night." "Wait, no. Here Ie!" Rewen closed his ears as tight as he could. Sweating profusely, he went to the living. "This is torture. This is torture. This is nothing but torture. Holy shit! Please brain, cooperate with me in this instance; remove some part of my memories. I can''t live like this! If there is a God, please hear me out." One might think that he is overexaggerating and making a self-mocking joke but he isn''t. He was not exaggerating his feelings one bit. Actual torture would have been more kind to him than this. "Fuck. Stage 5 Interference was better than this. I can''t believe this is actually happening." After a meltdown for over a minute, he cooled down a little. Sitting on the sofa, he bitterly sighed. ''This is fixed on my memory. I hope I don''t remember whenever I have damn it! Now, I will definitely remember!'' Even though Rewen is usually a calm and collected person, his specific aversion to cringe and grossness makes him lose his mind. Ten minutester, hepletely calmed down. ''Good. I should check it out but let''s not be too hasty.'' He waited for another ten minutes before making his way towards his parents'' room. "Ah, they are done," Rewen said, looking inside the room through the small opening in the door as he saw his parents lying down and conversing with each other. He was too far away so he couldn''t hear them clearly. Only with naked ears though. Rank 0 Mages have enhanced five senses. All of them increase but not all of them increase evenly. For example, sight increases by 30% but hearing increases by around 60%. The increase in sight is implemented permanently whereas an increase in hearing needs to be implemented temporarily. This is due to the fact that the improvement in sight can be used in every single second without having any sort of difficulties. There is no way having a good sight can lead one to a negative scenario. However, having a 60% increase in hearing all the time would definitely cause a couple of mental conditions. That''s why there is an activation function connected to the brain. Rewen treated it like a passive skill and used it mainly to see if he has everything covered or not. He improved his hearing and could immediately hear his parents'' conversation. Since it was night and the area was quiet, he could hear the conversation between them clearly. Covering herself with the quilt, the youngdy in the bed rolled over to her husband''s side and leaned on his broad chest. "Could you just you know, maybe tone down your practice session with Rewen? I''m just suggesting. He gets hurt. Badly and and. He is still young. So maybe" For some reason, she was very nervous and careful with her wording. After shepleted what she had to say, she raised her head and met a pair of eyes staring at her. When she got a good look at the face, she turned the quilt over her face. "I''m sorry. I''m tired." She said in a calm voice but the quilt shook. The young manying beside her calmly looked at the ceiling. "I''m sorry for letting you go through this but as you can see, I''m powerless and don''t have other options. Why do you think I would be harsh to my own son if I wasn''t forced to?" "..." The quilt shook harder. "It''s not because I want my son to be a great warrior or general or even a king. I don''t care if he bes a farmer or a God. What I do care about is his and your safety." The response caused the youngdy in the bed to violently turn over the quilt. "As if! I''m not weak. I can protect myself perfectly well. You only care about letting him carry your. le...ga...cy" Both of them stared at each other for a while, then the youngdy again covered herself with the quilt and started shaking again. The youth beside her let out an amused smile, then quickly retracted the smile as he knew that it would be akin to starting a war if she saw him smile while she was in such a condition. Coughing, he spoke. "If that''s how low you think of me then I guess I can''t say anything." "Don''t pretend to y the victim I know you better than anyone. You never ever ever care about anyone!" She said as she shook increasingly under the quilt. The youth sighed as he covered his eyes with his arm as a single streak of tear escaped through an opening. "Good night." Rewen watched and heard the entire exchange but before he could collect his thoughts, the surroundings changed. Once again, he found himself staring at the light which got brighter. Rewen sucked in a mouthful of air and exhaled. Without any words, he started walking. He tried to run but realized that he couldn''t. He felt heavier. He felt that the gravity had increased. ''It looks like I know why I could potentially ''stumble and fall'' in the future.'' Rewen continued to walk, takingrge strides. He kept walking. He didn''t know how much time had passed. He knew that the light was still far from him but he didn''t care. The only thing that was in his mind was the conversation between his parents. He was curious and overwhelmed. Curious for natural reasons. Why would he not be curious about the reason his father was so strict on him? Especially considering that there seemed to be a good reason behind it. Overwhelmed because he realized that he wasn''t the only one going through tough times. When he linked the conversation with the behavior of his mother in the past days, he found it believable. While he has his own story, his mother is also going through her own problems. As he walked absent-mindedly, he failed to notice that the surroundings had again changed. By the time he realized that he found himself in the middle of a dense forest. "This has to be the forest near the vige Could this be the day" While he was pondering about the situation, he heard footsteps and turned around. Two young people, a man and a woman, were conversing with each other cheerfully while walking. "Why did youe here? You could have just told me to get the berries." The young man had a discontented face. "You would have been back by evening. Would you evene here to get berries if I told you to?" "I suppose no." The young man admitted in a straightforward manner. "But you still shouldn''t havee here." "Okay, I get it." The woman didn''t want to continue with the conversation. *Tack* Both of them simultaneously looked at the tree which was struck by a stone. "Who? Is someone there?" The man came in front and searched for the person who threw the stone. "Look there!" His wife shouted out, gasping. The man followed her sight and saw a strange thing. Chapter 224: Memories (4) Chapter 224: Memories (4) There was a thin stick hovering around in the air. The youth squinted his eyes. The woman beside him was the same. "Is this a mage?" She questioned. Even if it was a mage controlling the thin stick, why would he go through the lengths of doing so? Both she and her husband weren''t bothered by the fact that the stick was in free air but rather, why? "Perhaps it''s telling something. Be careful." The youth appeared in front of her and slowly approached the stick. The woman followed him closely. Just as they were near, the stick suddenly went to the ground and started scribbling something. "What are you doing? Just tell us." The youth seemed to understand what the ''stick'' was trying to do. The woman also had a meaningful expression. --- GO BACK QUICKLY. YOU''LL BE ATTACKED BY BEAST. --- The one writing on the ground was naturally Rewen. Even if the memories are nothing more than a copy, how could he bear to watch himself standing by while his father gets killed? He has to do something. After writing, he looked at the expressions of his parents. The youth was momentarily stunned by the words written on the ground, then a thoughtful look came on his face. "Is this a divination?" The woman was also perplexed by the writings. Looking around, she tried to find the person controlling the thin stick. The stick started scribbling on the ground again. --- NO. THIS IS THE TRUTH. PLEASE LEAVE. --- The youth and the woman looked at each other, then theyughed out loud. "This is exactly what a divination "expert" would say." Even immediately the youth said that, the stick again went to start scribbling on the ground. "It''s fine. We are going back. Thank you for this. Why don''t youe to my ce and stay the night?" The woman stepped forward and asked. The stick didn''t write anything more and fell down. "That''s a no, I guess." The youth chuckled. "Let''s go." The woman turned back and nodded. "It''s weird though." "What is?" The youth asked while both of them started walking. "The divination." The youth didn''t immediately answer her. He turned back and brought his face closer to her ears. "Which divination isn''t?" "Don''t say that. The expert had good intentions." The woman pinched his arm. The youth wryly smiled. "When have I ever said about his intentions? Forget about it. How many berries did you pick?" "Hm? Berries? A handful." The woman said, looking at the pouch hanging on her waist. "Probably not enough for him." The youth gave a lightugh. "How many berries are enough for the brat?" "By the way, Evirie had a daughter." The woman shifted the topic on to their neighbor who was pregnant." "Is that so? Good for him." The youth said, then went quiet. A few secondster, he opened his mouth. "Are you interested in having a second?" The woman was taken aback by the sudden question. "There''s time, ce, and atmosphere for a conversation like that." She didn''t know what she should do with a partner who asionally asks awkward questions randomly. Huffing, she proceeded to answer the question. "Also, I don''t think it''s a good idea." "Not a good idea? Why not?" She opened her mouth to answer the question, then closed. A few secondster, she snorted. "It hurts. Why don''t you try being pregnant?" The youth halted in his tracks, turned around, and came close to her. "Who are you trying to fool? You don''t need to worry about unnecessary things. Do you want a second or not?" "Su...re" The woman lowered her head as her ears turned red. The youth smiled. "What''s with you blushing like a maiden? I thought we were past that." "Come. Let''s go. Rewen is alone." Pretending to not hear him, the woman started walking when the youth caught her hand. "What now?" She asked without turning her head around. "Than-" The hand she was feeling was suddenly taken back. "Ardie?" She turned her head and saw A young man in his mid-twenties wasying on the ground. His eyes closed. Golden arrows prated his upper body from all sides. Blood oozed out from his entire body. It didn''t take more than a single look to conclude that the person was no longer alive. He was dead. "Ardie!!" Not wanting to believe her eyes, she walked to her husband with confused steps and fell on her knees. Her shaking hands touched the wound on his chest. She looked at the hand on her blood and then on the body. The shock was so great that she couldn''t even cry and fainted within a few seconds. *Tap* *Tap* *Tap* "Beast no, beasts that can shoot out arrows are very interesting." Rewen walked into the scene and crouched near his father''s corpse. His shirt was pulled on to cover his face, his body shaking uncontrobly. "All these years, I was living in the dark foolishly believing in what she said. Although it was suspicious for a skilled hunter to get killed by a beast, I decided to believe her because I was naive enough to believe that she wouldn''t lie about the death of Father to me." He paused, then shook his head under his shirt. "...No, there''s no excuse. There''s no excuse. There''s no fucking excuse." He asked himself: Could he continue living ignoring the sudden mysterious death of his father? The answer was - No. A few minutester, Rewen got up rubbing his face with his shirt. For some reason, the arrows on his father''s body had disappeared. Rewen was in no mood to care about it. He found huge leaves around the area and ced them on his shoulder and kept some on his hands. ''Hm, the im that I could only touch non-living beings is false, apparently. That also makes sense. If I could only touch non-living beings, I would be flying on to space. There''s microorganisms everywhere. For now, I can touch everything other than animals and humans. Leaves are considered non-living beings.'' He went over to his parents and picked them up on his shoulders. He couldn''t touch them but the huge leaves could. *** The vige crowd gathered around a corpse. Little Rewen stood in front of his father''s corpse and appeared confused. Looking at his mother sitting on the bare ground with a crestfallen expression, he walked to her. "Is Father no more?" He had a tinge of sadness, confusion, and curiosity mixed in his voice. His mother gave a small nod, looking at her dead husband. It has been two hours since she woke up and she has neither said a single word nor moved one bit from her ce. If there is anyone who was the most affected by his death, it would undoubtedly be her. ''Rewen couldn''t sort out his feelings due to his small age yet. Now it''s entirely up to me to take care of him.'' She felt the responsibility on her shoulder doubling. An hourter, vigers gathered in the graveyard. Little Rewen''s mother herself dug the grave and rested her husband on the grave. A prayer was recited by a priest and then, everyone went back to their homes continuing their usual life. Everyone except for Little Rewen and his mother. Both of them stayed for a while looking at the grave silently. A few minutester, they also went back. There was not a single person left in the graveyard, visibly speaking. There was a person not a single person could see. That was a red-haired young man who was sitting beside the grave nking out once in a while. "Death is painful." He said the most obvious thing out loud. "It''s countless times painful to people who were affected by the death." Rewen felt an indescribable rage boiling within himself. Now that a considerable amount of time has passed, his mind has cooled down to some degree and he has started thinking about the cause of the death of his father. With regards to it, he had already deduced some things but there was a whole lot he didn''t know about. And there was only one way through which he could know the things he doesn''t currently - his mother. He was almost certain that she knew everything. He wanted to get to the bottom of this. If necessary, he would kill the people responsible for his father''s death. If necessary, he would kill the people not directly rted to his father''s death. If necessary, he would kill innocents who had nothing to do with it. He was consumed by rage but why should he hold back? He had always believed that revenge was merely a method to seek petty satisfaction and he is now craving for it. He was seeing himself get masked off revealing the hypocrisy he hid within himself. He wanted to embrace it just when he heard a familiar voice in his mind. Always remember, Rewen. No matter what path you choose, what you say, what you do you will be loved at least by one person. The voice slowly faded away. He broke down. Chapter 225: Memories (5) Chapter 225: Memories (5) It was night. Rewen looked at the stars whileying on the ground. He was still in the graveyard. For hours, he had been contemting his life. He had always known his true self. Hiding behind a facade of normalcy, he thought that he could continue to deceive himself for his entire life. He was wrong. He was not normal. He could never be. While believing himself to be fairly righteous, he was bipr, opportunist, maniptive, and can go through any lengths to aplish his goals. He thought back to the time when he cut off the limbs of members of Blood Squad and then used the healing liquid to not let them die. It was strange. He had a strong desire to ''just not kill'' but has no problem doing things that are worse than death. Why does he have such a strong aversion to death? He slowly started to question things he neglected before. He got some answers and some were unanswered. By the end of his questions, he realized that he was a true hypocrite. He wants and for a long time believed himself to be a ''fairly normal righteous person'' but he had always been a sketchy individual with some disturbing elements. The mask of modesty and understanding falls off once he feels that he has been pushed too far. "Well then, I guess I''m done cooling off." Rewen said, getting up from the ground. Wiping off the dust from his clothes, he gave onest look at the grave his father was buried in. "Thanks for saving me, Father. Next time, I''ll bring Mother. It''s time for you to rest in peace and leave your unfinished business to me." Then, he walked away. *** Little Rewen sat on the dining table having a warm dish in front of him. It was one of the dishes he liked. His attention, however, was not at the food but rather at his mother sitting opposite to her who also had foodid in front of her and was eating with an absent-minded look. There was an empty chair beside her. Every time she looked at the chair, she resisted the urge to break into tears. "Mh ekkk" Eventually, she couldn''t hold back any longer and started sobbing. Little Rewen shook his legs and opened his mouth. "Mother." His mother didn''t answer and continued to sob. Little Rewen went quiet for a while, then opened his mouth once again. "Mother. Is it my fault that Father is no more?" His expression was seventy percent curiosity and thirty percent nervousness. His mother stopped sobbing as soon as she heard his question. "No that''s not the case. Who told you this nonsense!?" "This others were talking about it." Little Rewen hesitantly answered. "Your father died saving me and his death has nothing to do with you." His mother made up the story of ''her husband killed by a beast while trying to save her'' the moment she woke up. She had her own reasons for doing so. Little Rewen fell quiet and began to eat his food. A few minutester, he again spoke up. "If if I hadn''t wanted berries, Father wouldn''t need to save you and die." "Don''t say things that don''t make sense! Quietly eat your food and go to your room." His mother aggressively answered as her body started shaking from anger. Little Rewen appeared to be taken aback by the visible anger his mother was disying. He had never seen his mother get so angry over him. Lowering his head, he continued to eat without a word. "But---" "Didn''t I tell you to eat your dinner quietly? You are just a six-year-old and you are already being defiant?" *ng* Pushing the chair, she got up from her chair and walked to Little Rewen. "Did I not tell you to quietly eat? Why are you asking meaningless questions? Can you not see that I''m not in a mood to answer your questions?" Momentary anger and stress led her to forget that the person she was scolding was a six-year-old who couldn''t understand more than half of what she was saying. Little Rewen, however, did know that his mother was angry and thus, quietly lowered his head. Somehow, his mother got even angrier seeing him quiet andshed out by striking his head. Little Rewen was only a child. He couldn''t resist the strike from a person significantly stronger than him and fell down from the chair. While falling, his head made contact with a pointed edge on the wall. The region he got hurt was just over his eye. Being an extremely sensitive part, blood began to leak out from the part. "Wa" Not being able to resist the pain, he cried out as tears began to streak down from his eyes. His mother''s expression changed. She showed a hesitant expression but got increasingly agitated. "Get up! And go to the bathroom this instant!" "Wah" Little Rewen kept crying. How could a child have the energy to go to the bathroom after he had been hurt badly? "Get up! Don''t make me repeat my words." His mother said, sitting down on the chair he was previously seated and watched him. "Hick!" Little Rewen shuddered, then tried to stand on his two feet. He failed two times. On the third time, with the support of the dining table, he somehow managed to stand. Aside from his forehead where it was bleeding non-stop, he was also dizzy. With light steps, he headed towards the bathroom. His mother followed him. Immediately after entering the bathroom, she filled up a bucket with water, then instructed Little Rewen to clean himself. Little Rewen looked at his mother with a miserable expression. "I I''m sorry I didn''t want Father to---" Before he couldplete his sentence, his neck was grabbed and his head was forced into the bucket. "I didn''t tell you to open your mouth!" His mother went insane after every single thing he was saying. Little Rewen struggled to get his head out of the water but how could his resistancepare to his mother? His mother finally recovered her senses and loosened her grip on her son''s neck. "Cough cough cough!" Little Rewen coughed ceaselessly. Without saying a word, he washed his face and exited the bathroom. Immediately after doing so, he headed outside the house. "Stop. Where are you going?" His mother tried to stop him but he didn''t. "He is bing increasingly defiant. Unless I do something, he won''t listen to me." She wanted to chase after him but eventually didn''t. A minuteter, Little Rewen came back with a wooden sword in his hand. The moment he came back, he saw his mother looking at him with cold eyes. He instinctively shrunk back and wanted to run. "Why did you go outside thiste at night?" His mother asked him in a nonchnt tone. "I-I wanted to get Father''s sword." Little Rewen nervously answered. His mother''s expression didn''t change one bit. "Could you not have tomorrow? How many times did I tell you to not go outside at night?" Saying so, she approached him andnded a p on his face. *Pah* His left white cheek turned red. Putting his hands on his cheeks, he lowered his head. "I won''t do it again, Mother." His mother pointed her finger towards his room. "Go and sleep. For the final time, don''t make me repeat myself." Little Rewen did as he was told. His mother watched him go inside his room with the wooden sword, then went to the kitchen and started washing the tes. While picking up the tes from the dining table, she has no way of noticing that a young man a few years younger than her was sitting on the chair her husband used to seat. The young man was precisely Rewen. From start to finish, he had watched everything happening in front of his eyes. His face hasn''t changed one bit. Rubbing his forehead, he said, "That''s the ugliest I have ever seen Mother." He could barely recall anything from his childhood and this particr incident was not without exception. At first, he was shocked by how his mother had transformed. Slowly, he figured that it was temporary rage that came from the grief of his father''s death and the subconscious me towards his younger self. That doesn''t mean that it''s "all good". Rewen saw the ugly side of his mother and decided to confront her as soon as he got the time to. He turned his sight back on his mother who was sobbing while washing the tes. "Literally every woman after fucking something up." For some reason, one of Rewen''s dormant parts of his brain - misogyny got triggered. *ng* She stopped washing the tes midway. Washing her hand, she headed towards Little Rewen''s room. She saw that her son was hugging his father''s wooden sword. Coming close to the bed, she took the wooden sword and got into the bed. Chapter 226: Fight Continues Chapter 226: Fight Continues "Hn?" Little Rewen rubbed his eyes as he felt someone close to him only to turn around and see his motherying down beside him. "Mother?" She didn''t reply and wrapped her hands around him, then brought herself closer to him. Closing her eyes, she silently sobbed. Little Rewen appeared confused but didn''t think about it and closed his eyes again. Meanwhile, his older self walked away from the room and headed towards the main door. The moment he turned the doorknob and opened it, he found himself staring at a bright light falling on his face. For some reason, the light didn''t spread and only focused on him. The surroundings were filled with darkness. Rewen looked around, then started walking. The gravity had increased. Not as much as it did thest time but it increased significantly. ''If a recap of my life is all I would see, then it''s not going to be a problem from here on. Hopefully.'' It''s not that he didn''t have bad things happening in life to his life after the death of his father but that he didn''t think they would be too impactful to himself. ''Although there is another incident which is equally impactful to me as Father''s death. It also hasn''t happened in childhood so I have a clear recollection of what had happened.'' He stopped in his tracks, recalling the incident making him bitterly smile. ''I don''t think I am prepared yet.'' Without wasting any time, he continued to walk. The smooth floor shook. "Here we go again." He stopped in his tracks once again and waited for the surroundings to change. That didn''t happen. Instead, he felt himself getting closer and closer to the light. Eventually, he could see a round ball made of ss radiating light. *** B.C. Market. X hurriedly took a distance as he saw the wounds on Rewen''s body heal at an rming rate. ''What is the ck aura? Why is it healing?'' He had lived for decades but had never seen such a bizarre thing happening before his eyes. Rewen''s body was pushed upwards by the ck aura. The massive hole in his chest has healed without a scratch. Nonchntly looking at X, he allowed the ck aura to envelop his entire body. "Rewen!!" Denny was pleasantly surprised to see her cousin alive. She didn''t care how he survived after getting his chest hammered down. At this point, does it even matter? He has tons of secrets she doesn''t know about. However, there was one thing that bothered her. ''Why can''t I bear to look straight at him?'' Whenever she tries to take a good look at his face, a chilles down on her and she gets terrified to go further. "You surprised me." X calmly said, as his eyes flickered. "But that only makes me more interested in your secrets." Taking a stance, he sprinted towards Rewen''s direction carrying the spear with his hand. ''Where did he go?'' In Denny''s sight, he just disappeared all of a sudden. Rewen appeared to be waiting for his opponent toe close as he took a basic stance. The ck aura still hovered around his body. *BAAM* Two fists collide against each other. Both of them felt the force trying to push them back but kept their fists in contact with each other. After the effect of the confrontation washed away, X swung the spear on his left hand towards his opponent. Immediately after the spear was swung at him, Rewen took back his fist and brought his two hands together. *ng* The spear was sessfully caught between his palms. Using his palms, he pushed the spear upwards and prepared to counterattack to take advantage of the opening that was created with his opponent trying to take back the spear. Unfortunately, he failed to notice one thing. X had already prepared to counterattack before him. His open palm calmly made its way to touch Rewen''s abdomen. He was using one of his most used skills in battle - [Towering Shock]. As the name suggests, the skill gives ''shock'' to the person it is being used upon. It is a basic Rank 3 skill. Needless to say, the shock given isn''t a thing tough about. Of course, Rewen doesn''t know any of this but any sane person could deduce that the open palm that ising towards him isn''t ordinary and possibly a skill. He, however, couldn''t defend himself against the strike. He was in the midst of going for a strike himself and any person with a good eye could see that he would definitely not be the first person tond a hit. That leaves with two options - dodge or flee. There is no way he could dodge. His reaction speed wasn''t enough for him to dodge the palm. Since dodging is out of the way, at first nce, fleeing seems to be the best option. Not really. No matter how one spins it off, the fact of the matter is - his speed isn''t enough. That doesn''t mean he couldn''t flee. Only that the oue wouldn''t change. The moment he takes a step back, the palm would still being for him. He could take a few steps back but is X really so dumb as to let him get away from him? The answer is - No. Rewen''s terrifying ck eyes started spinning around. He abandoned going for the counterattack and appeared to go for a strike on his opponent''s wrist. "Argh!" A groan leaked out from his mouth as the palm struck his abdomen. He didn''t fly off anywhere and fell on his back. Two seconds passed by and his body was still shaking from the shock. Unlike his body, his face was scarily nonchnt. "Rewen?" Denny couldn''t capture the entire confrontation with her eyes but she could clearly see the oue. The oue was - her cousin again lost in a confrontation. ''I... don''t see himing out on top of this fight. Hopefully, Bianca and the others have noticed my absence. I''m not sure if they''ve contacted the authorities to find me but I hope that''s the case.'' She felt the chance of her getting out of this was slowly getting lower. X looked down at him and noticed the ck eyes in a circr motion. "Answer me. Where is the [Distributor]?" Rewen''s lips curved up to form a smile. The ck aura spread out throughout his body and started healing internal wounds. X squinted his eyes. ''Once again, his wound is healing. There is something extremely mysterious and dangerous about the dark aura. For now, it can be safely concluded that the dark aura wouldn''t do direct harm to me. Though there''s no doubt that it would indirectly cause me harm as his wounds would keep on healing. The question is, what is the endpoint?'' He didn''t give too much thought to it as no matter how much his opponent''s wounds healed, he believed that he would still have the upper hand as he is significantly stronger than him. Not because he is physically stronger than Rewen but because he is more experienced and has more lethal skills in his hand. On the other hand, Rewen was someone who only got introduced to the world of mages approximately two weeks ago. Within the time frame, he went from being a normal human being physically strong and adept with the control of weapons to someone who could challenge and defeat a Rank 1 Mage with his own strength. When [Freestyle Knights Combat] is added to the fray, he could defeat Rank 2 Mages having the advantage of his superior physique. Maybe he could defeat Early Rank 3 Mages but that is his limit. Michel Lance, one of the most revered military veterans in the Eastern Dream Kingdom, in a famous interview stated - "People like to think that the primary function of the increase in ranks is the tremendous increase in strength. And yes, I''m talking about those who are in the process of transitioning from Rank 2 to Rank 3. To them, it''s not that the thought of overpowering people through skills isn''t attractive but the notion that with a single swing of your hand, you could obliterate a three-story building is significantly more attractive. Greed and obsession for power is extremelymon but to those who reject the premise that skills being more important than strength, follow three steps: Go out, draft in the military, and fight." While in the interview, Michel talked about the obsessive nature of young Rank 2 Mages, he, as a war veteran, fought with many individuals who, despite being physically less strong than himself, put him in a tight spot with the diverse use of skills. Long story short, unless Rewen has a destructive skill that could pose harm to his opponent, he won''t have thestugh. [River of Right Hand] could injure X but it''s not really a question of whether or not it could affect the oue of the fight in any way. Chapter 227: Arrival of Father Chapter 227: Arrival of Father It wasughable to even ask the question. Rewen was aware of that. X was also aware of that. From the moment he confronted him for the first time, he realized that the young man was an anomaly. He was barely a Rank 0 Mage but was physically stronger than him and also wasn''t a Martial Artist. While he questioned the origins of this abnormality, he decided to put that thought aside for the time being. ''It doesn''t matter the cause. What matters is the solution.'' X lifted his spear and pointed it to the red-haired young manying on the ground. The red-haired young man was naturally Rewen. He is slowly recovering from his wounds. Supporting himself through his hands, he tried to get up ignoring the spear pointed at his face. *Screech* X plunged the spear right through the middle of his face and came out piercing his skull. "AHH!" Denny screamed in horror. She could hardly believe what was happening before her eyes. Previously, she had seen his chest getting pierced and believed that he had died but she was proven wrong. The reaction wasn''t as strong as the previous time. Interestingly enough, it shows how optics matters in controlling emotions. X had no expression on his face. Keeping his right leg on Rewen''s shoulder, he pulled out the spear with ease. The young man''s face looked beyond anything. "Well, I certainly hope this will do it." X waited for a few seconds waiting for the dark aura to arise from Rewen''s body and go to heal his face but nothing happened. "It means that he is dead." Concluding his thoughts, he turned to look at the other person in the area. Denny lost all her hope of getting out of this alive. Sadness, grief, and anger overwhelmed her emotions and she couldn''t help but start sobbing. *** Outside 9- View Street Colony, B.C. Market. Tony McBreth rubbed his chin. Behind him stood dozens of people in groups weaing uniform. They weremander units managed by him. Having a grave face, he appeared to be thinking about something when he heard footsteps. "Sir. Reporting. There''s a person wanting to enter the area" Tony McBreth looked at his subordinate and asked. "Who is the person? Is he rted to Rewen Klofar? Or just some random official who wants to know what''s going on?" The subordinate scratched his head. "He imed that he''s the father of Rewen Klofar. However" He hesitated to continue. "However, what? If he''s the parent of Rewen Klofar, why not just bring him in?" Tony lifted his eyebrows. "Isn''t this a covert operation? What should we tell him if he asks about his son?" The subordinate asked with a difficult face. As it''s rted to a terrorist organization, the mission has to be secretive. They can''t allow the public to know there''s a terrorist group roaming free in the country. This action by the government sounds corrupt at face value but the information would cause more harm than good. That''s why they made up a disguise that all that had happened was just a young man getting kidnapped. Under normal conditions, they would have allowed Rewen''s father to entire the area they have restricted and have a talk with Tony but because of the message sent by Rewen to his father, his father may not believe Tony''s words. "Bring him in." Tony McBreth said without hesitance. The subordinate left and brought a tall, moderately muscr man in his mid-twenties. "I''m pleased to meet you." Tony McBreth stretched his hand and carefully examined the man. He didn''t get any mysterious or special feeling from him, but the bodynguage of the man told him that he was likely not an ordinary man. ''Not to mention, there''s no'' Rewen''s father gave a subtle nod and shook his hand. Without saying anything, he walked towards the road of 9-View Street Colony. His action alerted some of the people in themander units but before they could raise a word, Tony slightly raised his hand indicating to them to wait before taking action. For some reason, he didn''t step foot on the road and stopped right before that. Then, he turned back and looked calmly at Tony McBreth. "Where are the [Irregrs]?" The question confused the entirety of everyone present except for Tony who shook his head. "We don''t have an [Irregr]." "And the province dares to call itself a militarist state. Laughable." Rewen''s father boldly said. Pausing for a second, he continued. "Exin in brief." Everyone turned to Tony McBreth. They were starting to realize that the seemingly young-looking man was not an ordinary person. Tony shrugged. "It''s a rising terrorist group. Following a bizarre string of events, your son got targeted by them. Your niece also got swept into the matter and got kidnapped. The kidnapper asked for Rewen Klofar toe to him alone and here we are. Also, your niece has an explosive inside her so we couldn''t make a hasty move." There were a lot of details that were omitted in the exnation but nevertheless, it was enough. Immediately, Rewen''s father replied. "I presume the colony is deserted?" "It is indeed deserted. For the past five years, it has been empty." Tony answered. "Why did you not surround the colony?" Rewen''s father asked with squinted eyes. Logically speaking, even if they couldn''t enter the colony in order to not alert the kidnapper, they could at least surround themselves to not let the kidnapper escape. Tony looked towards the colony and said. "That''s because we have detected that there''s an [T-Gun] in the hands of the kidnapper." [T-Gun] was an extremely expensive device that is used to teleport from one location to another. The range of the teleportation depends on the type of [T-Gun] that is used. The least expensive [T-Gun] has the capabilities to teleport a person to a random ce twenty miles away from the initial position of the person. Needless to say, it''s a useful device as well as one of the devices which are protected by the government. That is, without a license, one can''t purchase the device. There were more than one reason but the primary reason is that once an immoral person gets a hold of [T-Gun], he/she could essentially do several things which he/she longs to do but couldn''t. Crime rates and theft would increase. That is why banning the use of [T-Gun] without a proper license is a unanimously epted decision by both the government and the people. "[T-Gun]? What a surprise. The kidnapper is quite possibly a civil servant. Who is the kidnapper?" "He is a police officer who got involved with Rewen Klofar frequently." Tony didn''t seem to be bothered by the fact that Rewen''s father was asking questions after questions. "Is that so? Does he have a family?" "He did." "He did? Are they dead?" "Correct. He had a wife and son. Both of themmitted suicide a few hours ago." Rewen''s father''s expression didn''t look good. If the kidnapper''s family were to be alive, he could hold the family hostage and lure him out. It was hical but who said that justice is achieved through fair means? If anyone did, they lied. For a "greater good", a little act of evil is eptable. Especially in a country governed by fascist beliefs. After a few seconds of silence, he met Tony''s eyes. "Tell me more about the situation." *** In a space surrounded by infinite darkness, Rewen found himself staring at a bright round ss ball. ''Is this the thing where the ''unknown memories'', as well as the cause of my pain, is stored?'' For some reason, he found the ss ball very attractive. It''s as if his body was pulled into the ball. [Congrattions on being able to persevere. Here''s your reward.] The unknown voice rang in his mind once again. ''I don''t think that I have done anything challenging. Although I''ll admit, the gravity was difficult. Before I do anything, why don''t you tell me what memories I''ll recover? As far as I can remember, I don''t think I have a memory loss problem.'' [What do you think of yourself?] "What do I think of myself? A normal guy who got lucky or unlucky, depending on how you see it." [Are you being truthful to yourself? I don''t represent the outside world nor do I care. My perception of you will not change no matter how crazy you are. That''s why you should drop the fake modesty. It harms no one but yourself.] Rewen fell silent. ''At the end of the day, I still don''t want to face myself.'' With a sigh, he said. "I have a superiorityplex and see everyone dumber than myself. I think that I''m superior to my peers because I have a background in practicing martial arts. Even though I im to be independent and that I don''t need systems in the long run, I wouldn''t miss any opportunity to not use it." Chapter 228: Fearful Denny Chapter 228: Fearful Denny Rewen stopped speaking. [There is more.] The voice responded. Hearing the reply, Rewen thought for a while before answering. "I''m not fond of women. I prefer men over women. I don''t know how much of it has to do with sexuality and rtionships and stuff but yeah, I''m a lowkey sexist. I always convinced myself to adhere to progressive values that were believed by my predecessor. I thought, no, I still think that it''s very ugly for me to think like that." It took a lot of effort for him to confess his feelingspared to previous confessions. Mainly because it was very personal to him. He hadn''t always known that he was like this but as he started to notice and interact with women from Earth, he started to feel an unknown rage. He didn''t like the way his predecessor had been emascted for the past years. He didn''t like the way his female friends talk to him. Sometimes, he was just bothered by women minding their own business. All of this bottled rage came out in the form of abuse. Despite having such thoughts, he didn''t confront them and hide the feelings behind a "mask". Part of it also has to do with the fact that he never got the time to sort the thoughts. He, however, wasn''t worried. Now that he had epted his feelings, he only needed to let go of it. The source of this was most definitely the fact that he hade from societypletely different from that of Earth. To not associate himself with negative feelings, he has to socialize and wait. Gradually, he would be much morefortable regarding the matter. [I suspect there''s more.] The unknown voice spoke out. "That is enough." Rewen shook his head though there were some things he didn''t want to let out. "Aside from my so-called hidden repressed thoughts, there is something that I want. There is only one thing I wish for but for that wish to be granted, I need to go through a list of prerequisites and again, to fulfill some of the prerequisites, I need to go through their prerequisites." [That''s usually how wishes are. If you wish to be a Rank 9 Mage, you need to first be a Rank 1 Mage and then, Rank 2 Mage, and so on. But to be a Rank 1 Mage, you need to have a mana storage capacity of 3000 and then, there are skills. Again, to reach the mana storage capacity of 3000, you need to practice on a Free Natural Energy field.] "Fair enough but I''m talking about a wish that is not rted to materialism but rather social rtionships. Forget it. I don''t think I have the luxury to waste time." [Are you sure you don''t have anything else to confess?] "Nope. That''s enough." [As you wish. Here are your memories. From now on, you won''t be the same ever again.] Rewen squinted his eyes. Looking at the ss ball of light, he stretched his hand towards it. "Wait." He paused just before he was about to get in contact with the ss ball. "Why do you mean by - I won''t be the same again?" *** "Please don''t Please don''t kill me" Touching the floor with her head, Denny begged as she heard the sound of footsteps approaching her. At the end of the day, she was only a neen-year-old girl. Even though she didn''t want to bow her head in any circumstances, the thought of her getting killed left her with a strong sense of fear. The footsteps stopped. Denny slightly raised her head and saw two legs standing close to her. Her instinctive response was to move away but she realized that couldn''t escape from him. In fact, if she tried to move away, she might get attacked. Shivering, she opened her mouth. "P...lease" "Raise your head," X said in amanding tone. Denny fearfully raised her head. X gave her a single nce, then walked to his sofa and sat down cross-legged. "Your cousin is dead." In an unfeeling tone, he said. "..." Denny''s eyes moved towards her cousin but she immediately couldn''t watch for more than a few seconds due to the horrific condition of his face, she immediately lowered her head. X leanedfortably on the sofa, then took out a remote from his pocket. "Look here." Turning to Denny, hemanded. Denny hesitated a little before turning to look at him. "Do you know what this is?" Swinging the remote with his fingers, X asked. Denny was initially confused, then her eyes slowly widened. "Is this?" "Yes, this is the remote. If I destroy this, you can be free." X said without beating around the bush. "..." Denny didn''t know what to say. On one hand, she wants to beg for the remote but at the same time, she feels ashamed to beg the person who killed her family member to save her. X got up from the sofa and approached her. Crouching to reach her eye level, he asked. "Do you want this or not?" "...Yes" Denny answered as if she was in a trance. As soon as she woke up from the trance, she instinctively moved away from him with wide eyes. "Y-you can manipte my mind?" "Wrong. I''m not manipting your mind. I''m just helping you vocalize your thoughts." "Vocalize my thoughts?" Denny wasn''t sure what he meant for a while. When she dug a little deeper, she realized that this wasn''t the first time she ''vocalized her thoughts''. Prior to Rewen arriving at the scene, she had been very obedient at giving answers to X. While she had suspicions about the reasons as to why she was so obedient while answering the questions, it never went beyond suspicion. Only now did she realize that her suspicion hade true. ''H-he is using some sort of mind magic. I have neither seen it in practice nor have I ever heard about it.'' Denny panted heavily, failing to judge what she can do in a situation like this. "Do you want this? Answer with a yes or no. Within five seconds, if you fail to answer, say goodbye to yourself." X said, moving her thumb towards a button in the remote. "Yes Yes!" Denny immediately answered. "Great. I will set you free." X smiled. Denny nked out. She had thought of many responses she would get but this wasn''t one of them. "Y-you will set me free? Will you g-give me the remote?" "Absolutely. Yes, I will." X nodded in a friendly manner. "..." Denny was at a loss of words. Normally, she would be happy with the oue but upon realizing that the cost of her survival came at the expense of her cousin, her mood plummeted. Just then, X raised his index finger. "However, there is a condition." "What is the condition?" Denny half-expected something like this to happen and therefore, wasn''t much surprised. "It''s simple. No need to get this tense. I will leave right now and as soon as I leave, everyone standing outside the colony will arrive. That is, the authorities. As much as I like to battle, I can''t possibly go against a District Expert. Your first job is to let everyone know that you don''t have an explosive inside of you. All you need to do is tell them that the explosive has been taken out. There is a mechanism that would hide it. Make sure to convince them that you aren''t lying. Other than this part, you can tell them anything. Till this point, do you understand?" "..." Denny quietly nodded her head. X continued. "Thenes your second job. Find the [Distributor] connected to the emergency switch of the "Touchable Sense Water" which Rewen was wearing. I don''t have time to exin to you what they are but a minute of inte browsing would give you everything. Search for it everywhere. "Within a week, I''ll send you a courier containing random books. If anyone asks about it, tell them that it''s from an inte friend. When you find the [Distributor], send it to the address I sent in the courier. Within a few days, I''ll send you a message through your phone that you are free to contact the local authorities and have your explosive taken out. You have three months for the search. "That''s the entire n. Also, don''t try to stretch the limits. I will have everything in your life controlled till the search. The moment you do something funny would quite possibly be your final moment. Do you understand?" Denny took a couple of seconds to sketch out the entire n drafted by X in her mind. "How can I convince others that that I don''t have the explosive inside me anymore?" "Good question." X got up, put his hands behind his back and pulled the small rod and turned it into a dark spear again, then shoved it towards her. Denny froze up and closed her eyes tightly. Chapter 229: I Wont Have It Chapter 229: I Won''t Have It She waited. Two secondster, after realizing that nothing had happened, she opened her eyes. She was facing a familiar back. The figure''s clothes were in tatters and soaked in hot blood. Holding off the spear using a small dagger, the figure pushed X. "Interesting," X muttered while backing off a few steps. The figure was naturally Rewen. His crushed face had already healed. Silently looking at his opponent, he shot towards him. Meanwhile, Denny was overjoyed. Even though she didn''t know how it was possible for normal human to heal themselves to such a degree, she was happy with the oue. "Be careful!" It was unknown whether Rewen heard her or not but he increased his speed. X waited for his opponent to strike while having some thoughts about Rewen. ''It looks like there aren''t any endpoints. No matter how many times I try to kill him, he will get healed after some time. In other words I only have a few options at hand.'' *** In the infinite space, Rewen suddenly felt doubtful whether he really wanted to get the ''memories'' as he was told by the unknown voice. For some reason, the words - "you won''t ever be the same again" didn''t sound good to him. [You would merge with memories that might seem foreign to you so of course, you would not be the same.] "Hm." Rewen gave a small nod, then asked the most important question. "Would I have the same level of consciousness as I now have?" [No.] Rewen didn''t show any signs of shock or surprise as if he had expected the answer. "Is it necessary that I take the ''memories'' if I want to get out of this ce?" [Yes.] "Would I have the majority of my consciousness if I take the ''memories''? For instance, if I want to do A, my new ''memories'' might y a part in interfering with the goal but do I have the consciousness left for me to decide on major events?" Rewen carefully worded out his question. [This is an interesting question. I''m tempted to say that it depends but I guess I should give you a sincere answer.] The unknown voice said with some expression. This was the first time there was some feeling behind the voice instead of just being monotone. "Great. Hit me with it." Rewen also gave a cheerful reply. [The thing is it depends. Now before you start cursing at me, hear me out. I can''t determine the oue. What I can tell you is that it certainly would affect your beliefs and perception to a strong degree. And beliefs and perception are fundamental in the process of decision-making. After getting the memories, your beliefs and perception would change, and to answer your question, if you want to do A after getting the memories, you would do it.] "I understand. So rather than creating conflicts within my consciousness, it would remove the defense mechanism I have." [You can put it that way.] "Sounds awful. I won''t have it." Rewen said in a straightforward and decisive manner. [Are you sure you want to live in this your entire life?] Rewen didn''t reply and weirdly sat on the floor. Time passed. *** Near Svety''s apartment. Rooftop. Tervon was talking to someone on his smartphone. "This I don''t know whether Boss would be happy if we got involved in this no? Hah okay, fine. We''ll go and take a look. What about Svety? Like, should we tell her? Man, you do know that - ''do whatever you want'' is not a good answer to someone in my position yeah, alright. I''m hanging up." Ending the call, he sighed. "Another day, another problem. My charisma is too high for problems to leave me alone." Tervon marvelled in his narcissism, then jumped to the edge of the rooftop and looked down at the people walking in the streets. It was morning so the area wasn''t crowded. ''Hm, I can''t see her. Usually, she would be buying bread at this time on this day of the week but since I can''t see her outside, she should have already bought the bread and should be in her room. Do I want to go down and call her? Definitely not.'' "Sour coffee!" He shouted from the rooftop. The people in the street below nced at him for a few seconds, then continued their daily routine. "Oh look, it''s the ''sour coffee'' guy." "When I thought that he would get tired of his shtick, he proved me wrong." "What does he even do other than shouting ''sour coffee'' once in a while?" "He is a bodyguard, apparently." "Bodyguard? For what? Defending sour coffee lovers?" "Who even likes sour coffee?" "Boomers. Aside from that, if the sour quantity is just right, the coffee bes my favourite." While the people found a conversation topic, Tervon turned around and saw a bright red-haired woman looking at him with a menacing look while folding her arms. "You were faster than I expected." Tervon rubbed his nose andmented. "Your hair is a bit unkempt though." He stretched his hand towards her hair but it was shoved off by her. "What do I need to do for you to not call me by that idiotic nickname that you created?" Yeri asked in exasperation. This has been going on for more than decades. The nickname "sour coffee" came from an incredibly gross incident. From then on, Tervon started calling her "sour coffee" from time to time. "I''ll see." Tervon dismissed the matter. "There''s a problem. Follow me." He said, then jumped off the rooftop. "Hey, wait." Yeri soon followed him. *** Outside 9-View Street Colony. "And then he just ran off leaving behind his smartphone which again, was a smart move. He knew that had he not done that, we would be clueless and might have entered the colony in search for him which in turn could prove fatal to Denny Klofar. We have analyzed his records and went through it in detail and if I am to be quite honest, he is one of, if not the brightest youngster I have seen in my life." Tony McBreth narrated the events in detail from the perspective of Rewen. Rewen''s father was nonchnt throughout the narration. A few secondster, he opened his mouth. "In other words, there''s no way we could get inside unless there''s an [Irregr]? How much time will it take for a [Irregr] toe here?" Tony McBreth was taken aback by the question. After the narration, he expected the other party to ask questions about the events. He re-evaluated the man in front of him. "That is correct. Even though there are [Irregrs] avable in our province, they are owned by private corporations. I have already requested for a [Irregr] from the HQ but it''s going to take some time for them to arrive." "By now, I suspect that Rewen is fighting X. Otherwise, the [Mystique Cloak] would have been removed. Is there any footage or any kind of sensory device through which we can predict the direction the fight is going on?" Tony McBreth shook his head. "If there were one, we would have found out." Rewen''s father''s eyebrows tightened. He opened his mouth to say something when he saw that someone had arrived on the scene. It was one of the subordinates of Tony McBreth. "Sir. Two people are asking toe here. They im to know about the entire matter." The subordinate came near Tony and said. "Let theme." Tony McBreth ordered. The subordinate didn''t say anything and left. A whileter, two young people approached them. The two young people were rtively good-looking people. One was a moderately tall guy in his mid-twenties with a hair reaching his shoulder. The other was a red-haired woman about the same age two inches shorter than him. As soon as he saw them, Tony McBreth''s face was written with the word ''shock''. ''The natural energy they are surrounding themselves with are in no wayparable to a Rank 3 Mage. Who are these people?'' It must be known that Rank 4 Mages living in Nat Province are not more than a dozen or even lesser than that. The entire Eastern Dream Superacademy, which is thergest powerhouse aside from the Central Government, has only a couple of Rank 5 Mages. That''s why the notion of seeing two Rank 4 Mages together was shocking to him. "We have heard what''s going on and want to get a record of everything that has happened." Yeri stepped forward and inly said while looking at Tony. "A record? Sure. May I ask what your purpose for getting it is?" "Personal." Yeri gave a short answer. Tony nodded. Even though it''s not a good idea to give the record before a proper examination, he figured that Rank 4 Mages wouldn''t be so bored so as to misuse it. "Oka---" Just then, Rewen''s father interrupted him. "Why do you need it?" Chapter 230: Irregular Chapter 230: Irregr "Who are you?" Yeri turned her eyes to look at the person she previously thought was a bystander or subordinate of District Expert Tony McBreth. But she soon changed her line of thoughts as a subordinate wouldn''t normally interrupt him. Tervon also looked at the man seemingly about his age. "I am Rewen''s father. If I''m not wrong, both of you should be the bodyguards of my son''s girlfriend, am I correct?" "Correct. Nice to meet you, Sir." Yeri stepped forward and stretched her hand. Rewen''s father returned the handshake. "With all due respect, I apologize on behalf of my son for putting her in danger." The ''her'' he was referring to was Svety. "It''s not a problem. We have identified the problem and asked medical professionals for help. They would start the operation of taking out the explosive inside her anytime soon. Besides, the fault also lies in her. If she wasn''t adamant enough to follow him, all of this wouldn''t have happened. This also proves our ipetence as bodyguards." Rewen''s father didn''tment further. At this point, Tony McBreth stepped forward. "Excuse me. Are you rted to Svety" "Yes. We are her bodyguards." Tervon was the one to reply. "I''m afraid the medical professionals wouldn''t be required. I have already sent the medical team to her apartment." Tony said with a small smile. "Is that so?" Yeri looked at Tervon, then turned to Tony. "Thank you. If there''s something we can help with, please let us know." Tony McBreth thought for a moment before replying. "I think we have enough forces to take control of the situation" "What is the situation?" Tervon suddenly asked with a curious expression. "Uh, Rewen Klofar had gone to rescue his cousin, Denny Klofar. As far as my guess goes, he is probably in a confrontation with X, the main person behind the scenes. There''s a [Mystical Cloak] right there so we also can''t enter the colony. All we can do is wait for a [Irregr] to arrive." Tony exined in brief. Tervon nodded slightly while Yeri folded her arms and looked at the young man somewhat simr to the person''s ex-boyfriend she was responsible for protecting. She felt that there was an aura of mystery hanging around him. Suddenly, their eyes met. Despite being caught staring, Yeri kept examining him. "I''ve heard that you are involved in the business of Magic Artifacts. Which corporation do you work in? Is it foreign or?" "You are an [Irregr], aren''t you?" Rewen''s father asked a question without any context. Everyone was stunned by the question. Rewen''s father had little expression visible on his face. Stone-faced, he looked straight at Yeri. "I asked something." It was unknown whether he really meant it or not but he sounded condescending. Naturally, Yeri had bad taste because of this but she wasn''t an emotionally driven woman. She was highly experienced and knows how to respond to different situations. Currently, although she felt that his tone was weird, she figured the reason for that. ''Forgetting how he knows that I''m an [Irregr], he sounds confident that I am. It makes sense that he wouldn''t have the mood of having a pleasant conversation when his son is in life-threatening danger.'' "I am." Yeri calmly said, shocking the nearby Tony and every one of his subordinates in close proximity. Tervon didn''t have much change in expression. He had known her for decades and naturally knew that she was an [Irregr]. What surprised him was that there was someone other than him who knew that she was one. "Do you want my help?" Yeri asked in a straightforward manner. Even though she wanted to know how he found out about her being an [Irregr], she figured that it would be inappropriate. "I do, actually." Rewen''s father admitted honestly, then followed. "If there''s any condition, you can be open about it." "I''ll think about itter." Yeri couldn''t immediately think if she wanted something and besides, even if she wasn''t called out, she would have called herself out and helped him out. Rewen''s father nodded. "Okay, I''m getting to it." Yeri walked towards the street that leads her inside the colony and stopped a few inches from the street. She examined the ''area'' around her for a while, then cracked her knuckles. "This should be quick" *** *ng* *ng* *ng* A dagger and a spear shed with each other with the users of both the weapons being in close proximity with each other. Denny sat at one corner of the room and felt a surge of the feeling of powerlessness within herself. She knew that she was the one being protected and hated it. She knew that the entire reason for this fight was because of her. ''All I could do is sit in a corner and suck my thumb wishing for my life to be saved. Is there really nothing I could do? Wait, isn''t that'' Wondering, her eyes fell on the remote that was lying on the sofa X sat on a couple of seconds ago. The remote that controls her life and death. ''If I grab hold of the remote, the fight could be unequal.'' Denny wasn''t an idiot. Throughout the course of the fight, she found out that her cousin had something that prevented X from directly taking action against her. ''It was something called [Distributor]. Even though I don''t know what it is, it is something that he is searching for. And the only one who knows where it is Rewen. I do know for a fact that the reason he hasn''t yet killed me is because of that item. In other words, if I get a hold of the remote, won''t the fight end?'' Having thought things out, she ''tried'' to get up and fell on her face. Then, slowly crawling out of X''s vision, she approached the remote. ''Here I go'' She stretched her hand towards the remote and touched it. Her eyes lit up in ecstasy but as soon as she was about to celebrate her victory, she felt a hand around the wrist which was grabbing the remote. "Good job,dy." "..." Denny shuddered and raised her head only to find her worst nemesis looking towards her with a mild smile. The grip over the remote slowly faded as the pressure exerted on her wrist increased significantly and eventually, it fell back to its ce. X pulled her wrist towards himself. Denny heavily resisted but how could her strengthpare with his? She was pulled towards himself and was then thrown on the sofa. X took the remote in his left hand and then pointed his spear towards her neck. Looking at his opponent''s dark eyes, he opened his mouth. "Care to speak up?" With a nonchnt expression, Rewen kept staring at him without saying a word. "For a smart person such as yourself, you are unusually uncooperative. Don''t force my hands. Answer within three seconds or she''ll be dead." Denny was frozen as she felt the sharpness of the pointed end of the spear touching her neck. ''God please save me or just kill me. I don''t want to live in this hell'' This level of helplessness was something she had never felt before. Despite being a non-religious person, she called out to God, demonstrating the severity of the situation. "Three." X started his countdown. Denny tensed up. Not able to look straight at her cousin, she closed her eyes and leaned on the sofa as if she had given up. Rewen''s expression didn''t flinch. Raising his leg, he was about to take a step forward when X pushed his spear towards Denny''s neck. Rewen took his step back. Blood started flowing out of Denny''s neck. Her body went stiff but luckily for her, the spear merely scratched her neck. X now had an interesting expression when he looked at Rewen. "So you aren''t just a mindless fuck. This is thest of thest time I''m raising this proposal again. Do you want to talk things out?" Like usual, Rewen refused to utter a single word. "I''ll take that as a no. Anyways, you have one second left." It was hard to believe but only two seconds had passed since X dered that he would kill Denny within three seconds. Since X was a Rank 3 Mage and his physique increased beyond what any ordinary human could achieve, his ability to speak and think has increased dramatically. Putting his hand on his waist, he took out his dagger. "Oh? Are you sure you want to see which is faster? Your dagger which is at a considerable distance from me or my spear which is just a few inches away from killing your cousin?" Rewen''s dagger fell on the floor. Raising his hand above his head, he pped. *p* *p* *p* Not understanding the meaning behind the ps, X squinted his eyes. "And one!" "I will agree to your proposal." X stopped. When he took a look at him, the first thing he noticed was his eyes. Chapter 231: Countdown Chapter 231: Countdown It had turned back into crimson red. Looking at him, X pulled back the spear from Denny''s neck and released her. "Did you finally learn how to talk?" Rewen didn''t say anything and walked towards Denny who was petrified, sitting as if she had be a stone. She was mentally exhausted. X saw himing towards her and ''kindly'' made some space for him to move. When Rewen came close enough, he stopped and looked at the person leaning on the sofa looking at him with half-closed eyes. Without saying a word, he picked her up and took her to a corner. Denny pursued her lips to say something but eventually didn''t. Likewise, immediately after Rewen ced down his cousin at a safe ce, he set his eyes on the X and noticed the remote that was in his hand. He had no idea who had fought for his behalf but after ''waking'' up, he found himself having a detailed andplete recollection of everything that had happened for almost two minutes. ''Almost two minutes. Within ten seconds, the effect of [2x Power Spike] would wear off and if I don''t manage to defeat him, I would die.'' Putting his hands on his pocket, he took out the [Distributor]. "..." X didn''t know how he should respond. Right now, he felt like he had be the butt of a joke. The thing he was desperately trying to find was in Rewen''s pockets. He wasn''t dumb but because he had gotten too used to dealing to toughplicated problems, he slowly started to reject the simplistic ways proving him fatal. Had he not been overconfident in his evaluation of Rewen and had actually checked his pockets, the fight would have been over long before. After a second of silence, he burst out inughter. "I''ll admit that this was funny." Rewen had no mood in engaging in a discussion with him since he was running out of time. "Let''s do it. At the count of three, the two of us will throw both of our devices in the air." He was desperate and had toply with X''s demands in desperation. What else could he do? Continue to fight with him for the remaining eight seconds? Could he win within the time limit? Time and again it has been stated that he was neither a Rank 3 Mage nor a D-Grade Martial Artist. He was just someone who had a physiqueparable to them for a limited time. Is he going to rely on Rank 0 Skills to defeat X? That''d be the biggest joke of the century. Could he even escape with his cousin? What other options did he have? Only one. That is - toply with what X says which is just enough to make him feel that there''s the slightest chance of him and his cousin getting out of this alive. He was more than ny-nine percent certain that X would likely not keep his word. The most likely oue would be - X gets the [Distributor], kills Denny, and then proceeds to fight him and also likely kill him. X yed with the remote in his hand, then touched his chin. "Alright. I''ll do the counting. Three. By the way, if it''s not too personal to ask, what exactly happened to you?" "It would be too personal for me to answer that." "Hm. I can see that. You know, Rewen. I want to admire you but sometimes, you just act too stupid for you to earn my admiration. Just when I thought that you''d be someone different and challenging, you proved me wrong. You''re just like any other short-sighted person." Time seemed to move in slow motion from the perspective of the outside world as X casually worded out his thoughts about Rewen. Rewen chuckled. "I don''t understand where you areing from." X shook his head. "Oh, no. You do. You do know where I''ming from. Don''t act like you couldn''t have cornered me had you not rushed to rescue your cousin. Did you seriously think I stand a chance against a District Expert with severalmander units under him? If I were to be in your shoes, I would have just told the matter to the District Expert, and then proceeded to corner me." "Sure, but that would run the risk of putting her in danger?" "So what if she is dead? If the authorities captured me, you would have been responsible for saving hundreds of thousands and maybe even millions. Even though I don''t doubt that I have a tough will, with advanced methods of interrogation, it''s only a matter of time before I leak out everything I know. With the newfound power by your side, you could have also potentially captured the Travil Town branch of REAL WAIFUS CORPORATIONS LIMITED. Oh God, this name "Anyways, yeah. Surrounding the area I am in with the District Expert behind your back, you could have had a huge profit. What is the life of one person inparison?" "I don''t believe you didn''t prepare yourself for that possible scenario," Rewen responded swiftly. "Maybe I did but I''m definitely sure that I would be cornered. Take my word for it." X casually said, then continued. "The question I''m trying to get at is - Despite having a much more ''safer'' and ''profitable'' route, why did you take this route? Is it because you are too confident in your strength? Is it because she is your family? What is it that led you to take this route?" Rewen spun the dagger around his finger. He looked at the person he came here to save who couldn''t hear the discussion, then shrugged. "It''s to make me feel better." X''s eyebrows slightly perked up hearing the unconventional reply. "Two. I understand what you mean and I''m disappointed, to say the least. I thought we could carry on with the business for a few more days but s Do you have something to say?" "What would have happened if I had fucked the bitch you serve?" "Who knows? Maybe you would have gotten killed? Maybe you would have been spared no, I can''t see that happening. To my understanding of her, she would have likely made you her pawn. A whole lot better than how you are doing now." "That''s true. I regret it. If I were given the same choice again, I wouldn''t hesitate to fuck the shit out of her." Rewen lightly snorted. "What about the little games she wanted to y with you? I''m curious about them." "Let''s put it this way. The moment you agree to let her keep track of you, it wouldn''t have taken long enough for you to be her pawn. Again, it''s a lot better than the position you are currently in. If you agreed with her, you wouldn''t have been harmed at least she wouldn''t take your life, both Svety and Denny wouldn''t have been involved. Unfortunately, your arrogance led you to reject the goodwill. Well, pay for it now." "How generous of her," Rewen said in a sarcastic tone. "I won''t lie. I liked the fact you didn''t give in. Days were getting boring for me. And now" "One." Rewen and X both threw the devices they had in their hand in the air. The [Distributor] took a flight and went towards X''s direction whereas the remote was thrown vertically and didn''t move a single inch horizontally. ''As expected.'' Rewen wasn''t surprised by the action. He knew that this would happen. In fact, if something like this didn''t happen, then he would be shocked. Taking a stance, he threw the dagger towards the remote that was in the air. As if prepared for an action like this, X swiftly changed the direction of the dagger with the help of his spear. By this time, Rewen had already caught up to where the spear was falling. Grabbing hold of the dagger, he rushed towards the position where X was standing. X, who was preupied with catching the [Distributor] which was still in the air, was forced to focus his attention on him. Immediately taking a stance with his spear, he swung his spear. Seemingly having seen thising, Rewen dodged with ease and swung his left hand which didn''t have the dagger. River of Right Hand! It sessfully managed to strike X''s neck leaving behind a small wound. "Felt like a sting, I guess?" X gave a dark chuckle and again swung his spear towards Rewen''s abdomen. Already prepared for the counterattack, he brought his dagger closer to the spear. ''This is it'' Wearing a thin smile on his face, he felt his mind be more clear as every tenth of a second passed by. This was the first time he had felt so "free" and confident while striking something. The feeling couldn''t be put into words. It was as if every negative emotion of his had umted in the dagger. *ng* The dagger and the spear came in contact with each other. Chapter 232: Death Chapter 232: Death Two pairs of eyes looked at each other. One brown, disinterested, and apathetic. The other bright crimson, cold but had no trace of anxiousness or nervousness. *Swish* A weapon shot out of one''s hand. It was certainly not the spear that flew off. The young man with crimson eyes had his front wide open while his opponent''s spear was just above his chest. This was an opportunity for X. X swiftly changed the trajectory of the way his spear was going after making the dagger fly off and struck his opponent. Rewen watched as the pointed end of the spear approached his chest. He waspletely open and had no option to dodge. If he tried to step back, he would be hit before he could do that. If he tried to step beside, he would be hit before he could do that. Despite the iing threat to his life, he was the calmest he had ever been. Closing his eyes, he didn''t make any movements. *Shhhkk* The spear pierced his chest. "Cough! Hah!" Blood spurted out from his mouth. When X pulled out the spear, Rewen fell on the floor as fresh blood gathered around his chest. Time was up. The temporary power he got from [2x Power Spike] had worn off. The pain he felt intensified as he felt it hard to keep his consciousness going. X looked down at his eyes with a cold expression. "Do you think you can go on?" "I can''t. Cough! Cough!" Rewen admitted. He had lost. There was no way he could recover from this. X''s eyes shined in realization. ''As I thought, he doesn''t have any way to heal himself which means the dark aura didn''t belong to him. It is certainly mysterious. I have to delve a bit deeper into this.'' "Very well. I''ll honor you by staying here until you die." X folded his arms. "R...Rewen? Are you fine? Use that dark thing!" From the corner, Denny shouted with anxiousness in her voice. Rewen was not in a position to respond. Bright sunlight fell on his body. The lukewarm heat made him a bitfortable. ''It looks like the rain has stopped.'' Seconds ticked by and after every second, he felt himself nearing closer and closer to death. However, he wasn''t afraid. In fact, he was even looking forward to it a little. ''If I say something like - ''Looks like this is it'', would it save me?'' He inwardly smiled, feeling proud of the fact that even in a condition like this, he could make a joke. ''Good thing I said ''goodbye'' to the others. Hopefully, they will remember and mourn about my death.'' ''Despite everything, my life was a standard one.'' ''Now that I think about it, I had a pretty good life for the most part.'' ''To pretend that I didn''t would be me forcing myself to look as the victim.'' ''There is some unfinished business for which I''m d that I don''t have to take part.'' "Cough! Cough! Cough!" Violently coughing out blood, Rewen raised his index finger with difficulty and pointed up. X wasn''t sure what that was supposed to mean but he looked up. And there was nothing. As he opened his mouth to question and lowered his head, he saw that Rewen''s eyes had already closed. To check if he was dead, he checked the pulse. He was dead, in every sense of the word. He had stopped breathing and his pulse had stopped. His eyes then noticed the hand which Rewen had raised. Subsequently, he also noticed that the index finger was still open. Following the direction, he saw something which made him gasp. The remote he had tossed in the air was now in two pieces. The two pieces were close to each other. One of them had a dagger pierced. X had a time believing what he was seeing. Chills went down his spine and for the first time in decades, he had been so shocked. Rewen''s objective was never to defeat him. It had always been protecting Denny. He didn''t do so out ofpassion, kindness, or even familial love. What familial love would he have to a person he met two weeks ago? ''Why would he go this far?'' X questioned. To him, the fact that Rewen predetermined the oue was extremely absurd. ''He knew he would die so why would he do this? What meaning does this have? Now that he is dead, did he think that I would let his cousin go if he destroyed the remote?'' He simply couldn''tprehend the thought process his enemy had. Clenching his fist, he got up and turned his eyes to look at the other person in the area who was alive. Denny''s eyes were fixed on Rewen''s corpse. "He is dead." As soon as the three words entered her ears, Denny raised and shook her head. "That''s not true. That''s not true at all. H-he can he can heal himself. Yes. He can heal himself." Immediately after she said that X picked up the dagger from the remote and threw it towards her. Denny didn''t get the time to react and simply closed her eyes. Nothing happened. "Huh?" Denny was a bit confused for a second, then felt cool on her ankles. Looking at her ankles, she noticed that the shackles that bind her legs were no longer there. "I''ll give you a minute toe and mourn for his death. After that, you''ll die." X proceeded to sit on the sofa. Denny got up and ran over to Rewen''s corpse. As she got near, she noticed arge hole in his chest and immediately fell on her knees. Having practiced in V-Space thousands of times, she had a very good understanding of the human body. Let alone a Rank 0 Mage, not even a higher-ranked mage could survive after getting his/her chest pierced like this. "H-he can heal himself, right?" Denny asked herself in an uncertain tone. "He couldn''t. The Rewen with weird eyes wasn''t actually Rewen---" "Shut up Shut up Shut up! SHUT UP!!" Denny couldn''t hold herself back and started sobbing. X shrugged. "Live thest sixty seconds of your life as you please." The moment hepleted his sentence, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around and saw a familiar old man wearing a green robe. "Oh? What''s up? What are you doing here?" "Come." The old man said one word and disappeared along with him in thin air. In the next instant, another person appeared in the building stretching his hand to where X''s neck was. Unfortunately for him, X was no longer there. Squinting his eyes, he surveyed the ce. As he was surveying, he soon came across Rewen. His entire body went stiff. Step by step, he slowly approached the corpse. His legs felt a million times heavier. As Denny sobbed, she felt someone approaching. Initially, she thought that it would be X but when she turned around, she saw a person she never would have thought of seeing. "U-Uncle?" Even though her Uncle looked younger than he usually looks, she had no doubt that it was indeed her Uncle who is also Rewen''s father. When he came near to his son, he crouched down and grabbed his son''s hand. The hand had no warmth to it. Sitting cross-legged without a word, he looked at the peaceful look on his son''s face with dead eyes. Anger, sadness, guilt his emotions couldn''t be expressed in words. He was devastated, to say the least. In the eighteen years of Rewen''s life, the number of times he had visited his son could be counted with two fingers. Because of the nature of his work, he was involved in busy business throughout the year which made him unable to properly raise his son. Needless to say, he was guilty about the matter. When he had his second, he decided to turn a new leaf and took up the responsibility of bringing him up along with his wife despite the nature of his work. Since his son was already neen and can look after himself, he didn''t pay too much attention to him. He regrets doing so. Not saying any word, he carried Rewen''s corpse in his arms and proceeded to exit the building. Deeny wiped off the tears on her eyes and followed him. The moment he stepped outside, he met dozens of people looking at him. Tony McBreth was at the front. Beside him were Tervon and Yeri. All three were shocked to see the red-haired young man in his arms, "He is dead?" Yeri asked with disbelief. Even though she and Rewen couldn''t be considered friends, he was still someone who she frequently met and sometimes, had a small talk with. Tervon was the same. Rewen''s father went past everyone and then disappeared. The action caused Tony as well as everyone present on the scene to look at each other in silence and this wasn''t the first time they had seen this. Chapter 233: Aftermath Chapter 233: Aftermath Tony McBreth and his subordinates analyzed the video footage of everything that had happened inside the B.C. Market building. As soon as they started watching, they were dumbfounded. "This how old is he again?" Tony paused the footage and questioned his subordinates. "Recently turned neen, Sir." "Are you serious? Since when has he been involved in training mana?" Tony asked even when he knew the answer. "It''s been two weeks." "Two weeks. That can''t be true" *** Klofar Residence. Yeri and Tervon were consoling Denny. It has been two hours since the death of Rewen and she had been relentlessly crying since then. "...And then and then, a dark aura rose up from his body and and it healed his body. His his eyes were dark. Not just his iris or pupil, but the entirety of his eyes was ck. I couldn''t stare for too long because it seemed too scary." Denny recalled the events that happened two hours ago. "But then, after X struck him, he didn''t heal himself. Are you saying that it''s because of the change in the eyes? You said that it had returned to normal." Yeri tried to understand the situation better. Tervon was talking in the call. "Hm. I understand. Okay." Hanging up the call, he walked to Yeri and Denny. "I got some news." He said, taking a seat beside Yeri. Yeri and Denny turned to him. "Regarding X?" Yeri guessed. Tervon shook his head. "Unfortunately, no. Denny, did you know what happened to the remote of the explosives inside you and Svety?" "I don''t remember much." Thest confrontation between Rewen and X was too quick for her eyes to see what''s going on. "Then I guess you are better off not knowing," Tervon said. Yeri frowned. "Tervon. This is important." "I didn''t say it was." Tervon shrugged. "Please, I want to know." Only after repeated requests did Tervon reluctantly agree. "From what they told me, it goes something like this. Seconds before Rewen died, he and X made a deal where both of them would hand over the control to the explosives. X deceived him and then, Rewen and he shed with a dagger and the spear. Naturally, Rewen had the dagger while X had the spear. "Rewen lost in the confrontation as the dagger flew off from his hand and then, X killed him. However, it was nned." "What do you mean? What was nned?" Yeri confusedly asked. "It was nned by Rewen. I don''t know if his death was nned or not but the confrontation was nned. When the dagger flew off, it hit the remote that was in the air and destroyed it." "What?" Yeri eximed in surprise. Denny had an even bigger shock. "There is enough evidence to prove that the entire thing was nned." Tervon followed. Even he found it hard to grasp the fundamental nature of the deceased red-haired young man. Denny closed her mouth and closed her eyes. Yeri didn''t know how to continue talking about this and decided to leave her alone for some time. "Where is Mr. Klofar?" *** Mr. Klofar carried his second son Ron and looked at his wife mourning for the death of his first son. Ron was peacefully sleeping in his arms, unaware of the fact that his Big Brother had passed away. Kneeling near her son''s corpse, Viviana''s body shook while her head touched the corpse''s chest. Rewen was just three years old when they left him alone. Back then, he had called them several times to let him stay with them but for them, work was more than anything. They wanted him to be independent but nobody was with him when he went through the worst days of his life. The realization that their parenting had failed came to them toote. Mr. Klofar touched his wife''s shoulder. "Let him rest now." Viviana didn''t respond for a few seconds, then raised her head. Her eyes were wet and red. Biting her lips, she desperately tried back the tears. Mr. Klofar initially wanted to have a serious conversation with her but seeing her condition, he sighed and sat on the floor cross-legged. "It''s fine. Vent it out." *** Eastern Dream Academy. Zelic was in her ss, getting tired of the normal lecture. ''This is so boring.'' She thought, then decided to take out her smartphone. ''He still hasn''t seen the message? Jeez. What the hell is he up to?'' A few days ago, she sent a video of where Rewen said something offensive to a journalist. Even though the video hadn''t gone viral, she along with the friends in her group circle came to know about the video and texted Rewen. However, till now, Rewen had yet to reply to one of them. "Zelic Dte." "Hm?" Quickly hiding her smartphone, she raised her head to look at Alrocit. "A rtive of yours has arrived." ''A rtive of mine? I wonder who that is.'' Zelic did as she was told. She left the ssroom and went to the guest room. "Cal? What are you doing here?" She was surprised to see Cal at this ce and time. For some reason, he looked unusually serious. ''Why does his face look so grim? Even for an emotionless person like him, this is too much.'' Cal raised his head and got up. "Get your bag ande with me." "What? Why? The ss is still going on." Zelic was confused. "It''s serious," Cal said. "First tell me what it is." Cal didn''t respond for a while. Zelic felt that the issue was turning serious as every second passed by. This only served to increase her curiosity. "What is it?" A bad omen came over her. "Rewen is dead." Zelic stood on her spot nkly for a few seconds. "D did you say something? I couldn''t hear it right." "Rewen is no more, Zelic. Bring your bag." *** 43-F Street. 4:30 p.m. On the graveyard. Dozens of people gathered around an open grave. Among the people who had gathered, standing at the front were Mr. Klofar and Viviana. Behind them were Viviana''s sister and her husband who were Zelic''s parents. Zelic stood with her silent group of friends - Kesha, Gill, Junar, Salica, Evans, Denny, Bianca, and even Alfred. [A/N: Alfred = Svety''s step-brother. I don''t have faith in your memory. Sorry not sorry.] By now, they had realized the purpose of Rewen showing up with them. At one corner stood Svety. She had no expression on her face. It was unknown what she was thinking of. Behind her were her two bodyguards. "Rewen was just at my ce a few days ago. He was a fine man and was at the prime of his youth. What crime did my sister and her husbandmit to deserve this?" It was Aunt Presi, Zelic''s mother. Her husband had a solemn look on his face. "Tragedy doesn''t knock at our door before happening. It just happens. Rewen was too excellent of a man. His simple presence overwhelmed the heavens." Meanwhile, the young people had their own conversation. "Did you watch how it happened?" Junar asked Zelic. "Sniff." Zelic rubbed her red nose. Her eyes were also red. The shock of a close person dying without any warnings took a toll on her emotions. "No. The footage is with the authorities. My father put forth a request to release the footage to us. We have yet to hear a word." "Can you exin the entire thing? I don''t understand. Why would Rewen suddenly get involved with a terrorist organization and why would Denny get kidnapped?" Evans addressed the elephant in the room and finally asked the question that everyone wanted to ask but couldn''t. "Yes, Zelic. I know it''s hard for you but we were close to Rewen and deserve to know about the cause of his death." Following Evans, Kesha spoke up. "I feel like this is rted to Svety." Bianca vocalized her conspiracy theory. Salica was in disbelief. "You can''t be serious" "No. She isn''t like that. I don''t particrly like Rewen but as a long-time acquaintance of his, I feel bad about his death. However, don''t bring my sister into the fray. She has nothing to do with it." Alfred rejected the idea. "Lick your fucking sister''s ass somewhere else!" For some reason, Gill got mad. As Rewen''s closest childhood friend, he was very affected by his death. Even when he knew it was unlikely for Rewen''s death to have anything to do with Svety, he couldn''t forget the fact that Svety was someone who had raped his friend. The more he thought about it, the more sorry he felt for Rewen. And he wasn''t the only one who thought like this. "What the fuck man? What did my sister ever do?" Naturally, Alfred wouldn''t back out after he said that. Gill was even angrier when he heard the rebuttal but just as he was about to speak, he heard a voice from his side. "Now''s not the time and ce." It was Kesha. Chapter 234: Life Goes On Chapter 234: Life Goes On As much as she wanted to get to the bottom of it, she knew that they were indeed not in the correct time and ce. Gill was reluctant but he eventually decided to let go of the matter and walked away from the spot Alfred was in. Kesha heaved a sigh of relief and followed him. Alfred fixed his cor and his face was very confused. He didn''t understand why Gill would get so mad over his step-sister. Meanwhile, Gill and the others went to Denny who was staring nkly at the grave. "I know it''s hard for you but we were close to Rewen and we deserve to know the cause of his death," Kesha repeated the same sentence she said to Zelic to Denny. Instantly, everyone around her except for Denny felt a deja vu. Denny raised her head and looked at her friends. For a moment, she was at a loss of words. "I don''t know if it''s right. The issue is way broader than you think it is." "So what? We couldn''t know how a friend of ours died. How can the matter be suppressed? It''s already out in the open. Moreover, the authorities haven''t even said anything. That''s bullshit." Junar didn''t buy that just like everyone else. Denny had a difficult face but just as she was about to answer, Bianca stepped forward. "Don''t force her. If she doesn''t want to say anything, it''s fine. I don''t know what Rewen went through. I''m sure it''s horrifying but right now, does she look like she is in a good condition? We don''t know anything about the matter. Also, keep in mind that Denny was kidnapped. She was kidnapped. Cut her some ck." "We don''t know anything about the matter - and that''s precisely why we want to know." Gill countered. Evans had his mouth shut. He wasn''t even a close friend of Rewen. Even if he was curious about Rewen''s death, it would be weird for him to take part in this discussion. "Look, Denny. We want to understand the kind of suffering Rewen went through. Maybe curiosity ys some part in it but ultimately, we just want to know the cause of death of a friend." Salica stepped forward and tried to mediate. Everyone''s eyes gathered around Denny who sighed. "Let''s talk in private." Everyone agreed. Fifteen minutester, Rewen''s corpse was dug and the grave was closed. As the sky was slowly turning dark, the people gathered walked away. *** Klofar Residence. Denny''s room was packed with people. Kesha, Gill, and Junar sat on her bed. Evans, Bianca, Salica, and Zelic sat on the floor. Denny sat on the chair. "So" Junar tried to start the conversation. "Uh where should I start?" Denny felt that it was too tiresome to exin the entire thing. "Start from the very beginning. If needed, we would pull off an all-nighter." Salica spoke up. Gill nodded. "Yeah, just start from the beginning." "We have all night. Take your time if you need to but we ain''t leaving unless you tell us everything." Kesha said. Denny sighed. "It happened about two weeks ago. I think it''s less than two weeks but anyways, let''s continue. It was the day when Rewen decided to take a leave of absence from the academy. Apparently, he went to the slums and pretended to be captured by the people in the slums who trade organs. As soon as he was captured, he called the cops on them. One of the many things I don''t understand is the purpose of doing this. "Did he get a sudden inspiration of justice? Of wanting to put the ve traders behind bars. That sounds highly unlikely. Regardless, I think the only person who might be aware of the reason was none other than himself. Moving on, after turning the ve traders on to the cops, he was confronted by Svety." Denny paused for a while to see everyone''s reaction. "Wasn''t itst week? I remember Svety taking leavest week. In other words, she followed Rewen?" Kesha asked under everyone''s curious eyes. "She did follow him. When I asked about it, she replied that she just wanted to check what she was up to. Back then, I didn''t focus particrly on this issue but now, I feel that she was way worse than I thought." The others silently nodded. They were still very disgusted and repulsed by what she did. "Continuing with it. Rewen and Svety went to Area 51. Again, don''t ask me. I asked Svety and she said that it was the decision of Rewen. I can''t say anything but after everything that happened till now, I can say with a fair degree of confidence that Rewen didn''t have much idea of what he was getting into. "So they both entered Area 51 and they stayed for some time in a tribe. Two hourster, Rewen returned to his ce safe and sound. And then at night, the tragedy happens. I was resting in the living room when the doorbell rang. I walked up to the door and saw that Svety hade. I wanted to ask if something''s the matter but she appeared very anxious. Svety and Rewen had a long conversation. Svety revealed to Rewen that she had an explosive inside her." Denny instantly dropped a bomb in her narration. At first, everyone thought that they''d heard something wrong but when they looked at each other''s confused faces, they realized that they hadn''t heard wrong. "What?" Bianca was the first one to raise her voice. "Yeah, like what? What do you mean by explosive?" Junar asked the question everyone had in their minds. "Let me exin." Denny realized that this was going to be a long night. *** Mr. Klofar sat opposite his wife on the bed. Ron was asleep without a care for the world. "I don''t know the purpose of doing this. There is no discussion to be had. It''s already decided." Mr. Klofar frankly said to his wife. Viviana''s eyes revealed sorrow. "Just listen" "Don''t try to persuade me this time, Vivi." Mr. Klofar said with a grave expression. "You and I both know nothing woulde out of this. It it doesn''t matter what you do. Everything''s already been done! It''s very likely that they are from the IHAC and this would be your fourth time getting involved with them. In thest three times, you had barely managed to escape with your life. Momentary satisfaction isn''t worth the cost of your life" By the end of her speech, she had gotten emotional and leaned her head towards her husband''s chest with her eyes closed. "I''ve already lost one of the most important people in my life. I can''t I can''t let you do as you please. Even if you don''t care about me, think about Ron. He is growing up. Do you want him to suffer the same fate as Rewen?" Mr. Klofar didn''t answer for a long time. After about ten seconds, he opened his mouth. "I''ll think about it. Now, sleep. You must be tired." Ruffling his hands through Viviana''s hair, he said. Viviana forced a smile, then lied beside her second, no, her only son. "I''m going to take a breath of fresh air. I''lle back soon." Mr. Klofar said, then left the room. When he got out of the room, he noticed that the light in Denny''s room was still up. It seems like the discussion among friends was still going on. Not paying much attention to it, he went to the balcony where he saw his nephew Cal smoking. "You''d be thest person I thought I''d see smoking." Mr. Klofarmented, then took a seat beside him. "It''s because I don''t let people know that I smoke." Absent-mindedly staring at the sky, Cal said. For Klofars, smoking was a practice that was frowned upon. Not only was it rted to the religion they practiced but also the surname and the lineage. That''s not to say that it''s forbidden. Most non-religious Klofars smoke but religious Klofars rarely smoke. Cal was moderately religious. Thus, it was strange for him to smoke. Mr. Klofar didn''t actually think that his nephew was telling the truth but didn''t press the matter. "Say, I failed right?" Looking at the bright sky, he asked. "Failure is an understatement." Cal nonchntly replied. "You don''t even have any idea what kind of person Rewen is." As much as Mr. Klofar wanted to deny the im, but he couldn''t. Sighing, he asked. "You tell me. You were more of a parent to him than me. I''m worried that that this idiotic brain of mine would end up affecting Ron as well." "That''s too much to ask." Cal shook his head. Mr. Klofar didn''t say anything, seemingly waiting for an answer. Cal sighed. "He was honorable, smart, responsible, andplicated. The best way to describe him would be - an entric but righteous person. Someone who has a fixed set of values and morals and would go to any means to achieve them." Chapter 235: Yvadian Chapter 235: Yvadian East of Travil Town. Jniml Block. Jnmil Block is a very special ce in Travil Town, located at the east of Travil Town. It is one of the few ces that aren''t owned by the wealthy ss. In fact, it''s not even owned by the government. It''s owned by the people. People living in the block all mutually share theirnds and there is no price attached to thend. There are two reasons why this works. One, the block was huge, especially for a ce that was inside a city. Roughly covering an area of about 1200 kilometers per square, it contains more than 28% of the entire town. It has enough space to amodate people whoe from outside. Two, the probability of peopleing here to live is extremely small because the demographic of peopleing to live there every year is very low. It is one of those ces which only allows a marginalized group of people toe and stay, namely Yvadians - a religion that originated from the Central Region of the Yellow Continent. Even though the Eastern Dream Kingdom is diverse in religion and culture, there has been a general sense of dislike and discrimination against the Yvadians from the other groups. Initially, the Provincial Government tried to appease the discrimination by introducing some measures but they soon backfired. After a period of increasing religious violence, the Collective Official negotiated with a couple of people in the wealthy ss, bought the Jniml Block, and passed the block to Yvadians living in the Nat Province. The Jniml Block is a special ce because of many reasons. Although it is considered to be a part of the Provincial Government, it acts as an independent state. It imports and exports from and to the other parts of the province. It essentially became amunist society. Themunity as a whole owns the properties and basic shelter and food were provided. Once someone turns twenty-three, he/she can take up work present in the block. Since there is no surplus of resources, work can''t be voluntary. If the person doesn''t want to do work, he/she would be kicked out of the block. The system has more advantages than disadvantages. Most Yvidians living outside the block are poor, some are even homeless. At the very least, living in the block could fulfill the most basic needs of life. This is also the reason why the poprity of the block is increasing. Coincidentally, the block was also located close to Eastern Dream Academy. It was night. Mid Supper''s Noodles. The noodle shop was located in the block and was fairly popr among the natives. It was especially crowded at night. Sitting at a corner of the shop quietly having his noodles was an orange-haired mediocre-looking young man seemingly in histe teens. He could be described as someone tall. He wore a ck hoodie and with his hair bangs reaching his ears, he gave off the "loner" vibe. He was Famin, a 1st Grade Student in Eastern Dream Academy. However, despite his high talent, he was treated badly. Not because he was from a marginalized group in society. Not because he has high talent. But simply because he was poor, weak, and had no friends. That''s the reality of the world. A cliche like "student hierarchy" still exists in this day and age. Famin has very little concern over these issues because he had moved ''past'' that. He knew that he would get bullied and harassed tomorrow and the days that came after that. He couldn''t care less about it. While he was quietly having his noodles in peace, some other people were chatting among themselves. All of them were youths older than Famin. Cornering a girl, they continued to start a ''conversation'' with her. The girl was fair-skinned and could be considered as someone pretty. She had a ponytail with brown hair. Wearing baggy pants and a ck jacket, she calmly responded to them once in a while. "Hey babe, I''ve heard that you have a boyfriend." "Hah? Me? Do I look like I have one?" The ponytailed girl responded with disbelief in her voice. "Sure, you do. You are quite beautiful, you know." One of the youths went for the offense. "That can''t possibly be true" "It is." The youth felt his confidence booming and closed the distance between him and her. The ponytailed girl looked sidewise and saw a young man about her age in a hoodie. "Is that an outsider?" The question made the youth who got close to her frown. He along with his friends turned around and saw a young man peacefully having his meal. "I never seem to have seen him. Did you see him?" "Not that I have a memory of him." "Let''s ask him." "Hey, you." Famin felt like he was called out. Raising his head, he saw three men approaching him. Confusedly, he asked. "Is something wrong?" One of the men approached the table Famin was eating and sat opposite to him. "Something is wrong? No. Everything is wrong." "I don''t quite understand the meaning of your words" *Baam* Another man came up to the table and mmed on the table. Famin was shocked and immediately got up from his chair. "We''ve never seen you here. Where are you from?" "I I thought that the block was a ce where Yvadians could live. It''s not been much time since I moved here." Famin exined hastily, getting the feeling that the three men were overly aggressive. "Is that so?" The man who was sitting opposite Famin looked at his other two friends. "Yes. Because I live alone and most of the time I''m in the library, I never get the chance to meet the locals. Nice to meet you." Famin inwardly heaved a sigh of relief. However, the youths didn''t look convinced. "What is your name? Do you have an ID of sorts?" The man who mmed the table asked in a demanding tone. "Oh, here you go." Famin took out his academy ID and showed it to them. The man sitting opposite Famin raised his eyebrows upon seeing the ID. "Hm just Famin? Are you sure this isn''t you trying to be smarter than you already are?" The other two men''s gazes lit up. They had never cared too much about Famin being a Yvadian or not. Being local bullies, they just wanted to beat someone up and Famin happened to be unlucky. "No. That''s not the case. I''m an orphan." "Is that so? Then how do you know that you are a Yvadian?" "That''s because that''s because I met my parents once I grew a bit older. I know it sounds odd and suspicious but trust me, I really am a Yvadian. For some reason, my parents left me when I was young andter, they came to pick me up. Things happened and I was disowned" In his anxiousness, he failed to notice the amusing expressions that crept up on the faces of the three men till now. Getting the feeling that something bad was about to happen, he panicked. "I''m really not lying. I''m a Yvadian. I can show you my blood reports" "Alright. That''s enough." One of the men raised his hand, indicating to him to stop talking, then looked around the shop, finding their eyes on him. "Everyone heard him, right?" The surroundings quietly watched. Then, he looked at his two friends. "Take him outside." The two men immediately went behind Famin''s back and dragged him outside. "Wait, please. I''m a Yvadian!" Famin tried to resist but the two men dragging him outside were much stronger than he expected. Once he was taken outside, he was again dragged to an alley. "Please. Let me go. I I''ll leave the block and won''te back again." Famin went on his knees. One of the three men grinned widely, seemingly taking delight in the orange-haired young man''s plight. "Well, we will let you go." "Huh? Really?" Famin and even the man''s other two friends were surprised to hear that. The man chuckled, then approached near Famin. "Yes indeed. I will let you go but only after we beat you up!" Before Famin could even respond, a punch was thrown at his abdomen. "Ugh!" The other two people [presentughed lightly and started to hit Famin without any mercy. A minuteter, the orange-haired young manid on the ground half-unconscious, his body full of bruises, and blood leaked from his mouth. Overall, he was in a terrible condition but not enough for him to die. Eventually, the three local bullies decided that it was enough. "Eat shit. If you appear in front of us once again, you''ll suffer a fate way worse than this." Then, they walked away. It was unknown whether Famin actually heard something or not but he rxed a little. ''Why is it always me?'' He questioned. It was hisst thought before he fell unconscious. Chapter 236: Amya Chapter 236: Amya ''Where the heck am I?'' Famin questioned, looking across the ce he was in. He found himself in a small room lying on a bed with a quilt covering his body. As he started to move, his body stung. Looking at his arms, he saw bandages. Raising his head with some difficulty, he tried to determine the ce he was in. "Oh, you''re awake?" He heard a female voice and immediately looked at the door that led to another room. The voice belonged to a ponytailed girl about his age. She was the girl that the men who beat him up were talking to. Famin, however, was clueless as to who this person is. He hadn''t noticed her in the shop. "Uh." Seeing someone unfamiliar, he didn''t know what he should say. "How are you feeling?" The girl approached him and asked. "I...I''m fine. Where am I?" Famin was nervous for a while, then eventually calmed down when he figured that the other party didn''t seem to have harmful intentions to him. "Where else? It''s my ce. Do you like it?" The ponytailed girl replied with a smile. "It''s good. Um, thanks for this." Famin expressed his gratitude. As he tried to get up, he was stopped by the ponytailed girl. Confusedly, he looked at her. "What''s wrong? I believe that I''m fine." The ponytailed girl didn''t answer immediately. She pulled her hand back and walked to the other room. Secondster, she brought a ss filled with water and passed it over to Famin. "Here, have this. Then, listen to me properly." Famin felt that the girl was quite kind and drank the water. "Okay" "You have to quickly leave the ce." The ponytailed girl said with a serious look on her face. "Ah, I was just going to do that-" "No. Not like that. You have to leave the block." For a few seconds, Famin didn''t know why she would say something like that but then, he recalled the events that happened prior. He quickly figured out that the reason she told him to leave was likely because she ''felt'' that he wasn''t a Yvadian. Awkwardlyughing, he said. "There seems to be a misunderstanding. I''m a Yvadian." "Sure, you are." The ponytailed girl gave a light smile. "Anyways, it''s better for you to leave as soon as possible. If those three men see you again, they would let''s not go there." Famin got anxious when he heard her. "But I''m really a Yvadian wait, were you there when they were beating me up?" An awkward smile crept over the ponytailed girl''s face. "I''m sorry. It wasn''t suitable for me to appear back then. Even if I did, it''s unlikely that I could have ''saved'' you. Regardless, I apologize." "Oh no, there''s no need to apologize. I was just curious. Nice to meet you, I''m Famin." Famin introduced himself with a smile. He was an open-minded and humble person. Having been bullied his whole life, he had grown to appreciate people who help him in any way. He was greatly thankful to her as in his entire life, this was one of the few instances anyone had even bothered to help him. The ponytailed girl stared at him for a few seconds, then shook his hand with hers. "Call me Amya." "Amya uh, is a good name I guess." Needless to say,munication was not Famin''s strong point. "Okay then I''m leaving." He decided that it''s better to leave the ce. Thus, he raised his upper body. Amya pushed him back. "What''s wrong?" Famin again showed a confused expression. "Didn''t I say that I was leaving?" "You are leaving the house, not the block," Amya said with a straightforward expression. Famin''s eyes widened. "How do you know that?" Soon after, he realized that he had made a blunder. "Well, now I know." Amya showed a crafty smile, then her face quickly turned serious. "Look, I''m serious. People are out to get you. If they were to see you, thews of the Provincial Government couldn''t protect you because thisnd is only partially under the governance and jurisdiction of the Provincial Government." "People are out to ''get'' me? What do you mean? Do they want to kill me?" Famin appeared highly skeptical of what she said. "Precisely," Amya answered in a serious tone. "..." "..." After a moment of staring into each other''s eyes, Famin burst intoughter. "Hahaha! Hahaha that was a good one." Amya snorted. "Yeah,ugh. Laugh all you want because this might be thest moment you canugh." "Oh, uhm, sorry. I didn''t mean to offend you. I just find the notion of people out to kill someone in broad daylight er, moonlight very odd." Unlike the pre-apocalyptic period, the crime rates are significantly lower in the modern post-apocalyptic world. With over fifteen hundred years of civilization since the Silent Age, humanity has adopted newws and regtions. The culture had also evolved since the pre-apocalyptic period. These two factors yed an immense role in recreating and reforming the society. The world of today learned from its predecessors. Even though the new world (post-apocalyptic period) still has close cultural and social ties with the old world (pre-apocalyptic period), reforms were made. The original ancestors came to know of the ws of the old world and thus restructured the foundation of the world. Moral standards had also changed. That''s not to say that crime was ''banned''. If that were to be the case, a certain person wouldn''te across people selling organs. If that were to be the case, a certain organization specifically designed for the purpose of threatening humanity wouldn''t have existed. If that were to be the case, a certain group of people wanting to kill its own kind wouldn''t have existed. If that were to be the case, a certain person''s former girlfriend''s and cousin''s life wouldn''t be put in danger. Nothing is absolute. Imperfections are the reason mankind could strive for perfection. Utopia doesn''t exist, will never exist, and shouldn''t exist. It doesn''t exist because society is wed. It won''t exist because society is wed. And it shouldn''t exist because society is wed and it''s a utopia in itself. The best way to exin it would be - morals have ''upgraded''. The upgrade is less of a product of society, environment, and teachings and more because of theck of necessity. That''s why Faminughed at the notion of him getting chased by religious extremists simply because he belonged to a different religion, especially one that was out to kill him. Although his confidence is rather confusing since he was beaten up by religious extremists not long ago. Amya had a face that had the word "offended" written on her face. Secondster, she sighed. "Okay, I''ll believe you for the time being." "Uh yeah, thanks." Famin nodded, then raised his upper body which was, for the third time, pushed back. "Now, what?" "First, tell me your origins. Truthfully." Amya ced heavy emphasis on the word ''truthfully''. "My origin? Why do you want to know that?" Famin asked in curiosity. "So I can prove that you are indeed a Yvadian. If you are one, you surely have some documents that you are indeed a Yvadian, right?" Amya asked. "Oh, I do have them at my ce. Let''s see I have a birth certificate that wouldn''t prove that I''m a Yvadian because I grew up in an orphanage and it was inurate. Later, when my parents" Amya felt that there was something wrong with what he had said. "Wait, didn''t you say that you grew up in an orphanage? How can your adopted parents prove that you were a Yvadian? Were they Yvadians as well?" "I never said they were adopted. They are my biological parents who, for some reason, left me at the orphanage. Whatever, it''splicated. I do have legal documents that prove I''m a Yvadian." Famin clearly showed signs that he wasn''t willing to talk about it. Amya blinked her eyes, revealing deep curiosity but didn''t linger on that topic. "Back to the point, where did youe from? Did you always live in the block?" "No. It''s been around two I think it''s been less than two weeks since I came here. I''m a member of Community Service in the area around the Eastern Dream Academy. Previously, I used to work in North Linin. Two months ago, Civil Laureates arrived and hosted a testing. Like many others, I tested and was given a schrship for studying in the academy. And well here I am." Famin briefly exined. The testing he was referring to was affinity testing. "Okay, North Linin. Which document are you referring to? Does the document say you are from North Linin?" Amya stood up. Famin replied in the affirmative while lying on the floor. "Citizens Approval Number (CAN). Yes, my address and religion are mentioned." "Where is it?" "In my ce?" "Where is your ce?" "Um this block?" Famin answered in an unsure manner. Chapter 237: System Chapter 237: System Amya looked at him for a while, then shook her head. "I asked for your house number." "Eh? What are you going to do with my house number?" Famin felt as if he had broken the records of being confused numerous times in a short period of time. Every question she asked, everything she said was met with confusion on his part. He questioned if this was natural or whether it''s because of his low IQ and EQ. "Stop asking my intentions! Holy shit! Just answer!" Even Amya got annoyed by his repeated questioning. "Ah okay. I live on 2/09. Not far from here what is your house number again?" "2/09. Got it." Amya repeated the number, then turned around. "Come out. It''s done." Famin looked towards the door that leads to another room. ''Was someone else there?'' His question was immediately answered as the door immediately shot open. Five people dressed casually revealed themselves. One of them looked at Amya and smiled. "Good job. I''ve sent Tun and Klive." Amya gave a small smile without saying anything. "How sure are you that he isn''t a Yvadian?" A middle-aged man asked, looking at Famin. "I''m not sure. He seems legit." Amya said. From her interaction with Famin, it didn''t look like he could be lying which was not a surprise. ''Those three idiots took action too quickly. Hopefully, the idiot they took action against was a bigger idiot so hopefully, this could be resolved without much fuss.'' Amya also turned her head to look at Famin. At this moment, Famin realized that something was wrong. "W wait, who are you people? Why did you kidnap me?" His tone is anxious. How could he not be anxious? He isn''t an idiot. Understanding the conversation between Amya and the others, he quickly figured out that he was under investigation. Fortunately for him, he was truthful in his conversation with Amya. "Hold up. We didn''t kidnap you. I found you unconscious in the alley and called for people nearby. A controversy I didn''t know about started around the fact that you are suspected of being an outsider. That''s why we decided to interrogate you." Amya said in a straightforward manner. "Why did you not just ask me?" Famin would have just answered without asking any questions if he knew the situation was this serious. "What if you lied?" "That doesn''t make any sense Why would I lie knowing that I would investigate further like the documents? Why would I purposefully lie anyhow, is it really that serious?" Famin got tired of speaking halfway through and just decided to let it slide. At the same time, he also realized that he had been too naive, daring to think that honest people were around. "Good. But it looks like you are carrying a grudge against me." Amya slightly smiled. "No, that''s not the case." Famin shook his head. He didn''t have any grudge against her. He just felt momentarily deceived. "That''s good that''s good because I don''t give a fuck." Amya said before exiting the room. The others in the room stared at him for a while, then followed her. A whileter, Famin could hear them chatting with each other. ''Ah, yes. This is the life I was so optimistic about.'' Beforeing here, Famin''s life was boring and mundane. In the early morning, he would wake up, domunity service, thene at night and sleep. This was his normal day. When he got the chance to study at a prestigious well-known academy like Eastern Dream Academy, he was very optimistic about it, thinking he would live his life to the fullest. ''My talent isn''t bad. If I''m not too bad, I could manage to get a good post.'' A rare proud smile surfaced on his face. Soon after, it quickly sank. ''My biggest problem isn''t my talent. It''s my attitude, personality, demeanor, whatever. I don''t know if I can manage to grab a good post in the future with a weak attitude like this.'' It is a wrong and patronizing perception to think that people who aren''t strong socially and intellectually aren''t self-aware and that others need to make them aware. People who don''t do well socially are oftentimes aware of the harm it would potentially cause. Then, his mind drifted to another corner. ''I wonder how she is doing.'' By ''she'', he was naturally referring to Nina who happens to be his first and only crush. ''I have heard she moved to the south I wonder if we''ll meet again.'' Famin loved to fantasize. Because he was ''weak'', he could only seek sce with his mind. Bitterly smiling, he thought. ''Even if she does see me, would it be any different from the previous time? She rejected me cold-heartedly yet I, being the loser I am, still think about her. Was I born without an ounce of self-respect? Hah I really wished I would have died at the hands of the giant monster.'' ''Should I try for suicide once again? It didn''t go wellst time speaking of which, that guy was really strong. He no, how did he get so strong? Back then, his punch hurted more than anyone who has hit me. He is also charismatic. The whole academy talked about him for the past few days. Of course, they would talk about him. Perhaps he was the only person who could say ''fuck off'' to a academic journalist.'' ''I wish I had half the amount of courage as him.'' [Ding! ''5th Sessor System'' is sessfully linked with the Host!] [Checking avability. 1 5. 100%] [Checking resources 7. 87 100%] [Finding Unique Bloodline 9 23 56 76-] [Beep!] [Beep!] [Not found!] [Calling units search started] [Ding! Bloodline inputted!] [''Mii'' was officially selected as the median!] ''Huh? What''s going on?'' Famin could barely understand the mechanical voices in his mind. He looked in his surroundings and found the possibility of a person speaking to him physically is nearly non-existent. ''Who said that? Am I going crazy? Perhaps I should really consider getting therapy but it needs money. As expected, I should justmit'' [No! No! No! You can''t do that!] It was the voice of a young girl who sounded pleasant. "Eh?" Famin couldn''t help but look around again. [Where are you looking? You can''t find me! Hmph! I''m in your head, stupid.] "In my head? How? Who are you? Please get out. I don''t have the best of brains and work with whatever little I have. Please hijack someone else''s brain." [Idiot. As much as I wanted to leave this dirty ce, I have to do my duty so it''s better if you can ept the reality.] "Reality?" Famin had a strange look on his face. "What is reality? Is this supposed to be one? You do understand that I''m not talking to anything, right? Is this supposed to be an example of a reality I live in?" [I''m not ''anything''! I''m Mii!] Famin opened his mouth to say something when he heard the footsteps. Turning his head around, he saw Amya staring at him. "Who were you speaking to?" "Cough it''s nothing. I was just cough! Cough!" Famin gave a few fake coughs. Amya didn''t look convinced but she doesn''t care much. Giving him a single nce, she walked away. ''Now then what should I do with this?'' [Nothing. You have nothing to do.] ''What? How can you read my thoughts?'' [I can only read the thoughts which are protected.] ''I don''t know what it means and I''m not interested. Hah okay, let me ask this in a straightforward manner. Who are you?'' [d you asked! I''m Mii the great median of the Host of the ''5th Sessor System''!] ''What is a median and what is the [5th Sessor System]?'' [Listen carefully. A median is someone who acts as the middle person and connects the two parties to function. The two parties are you and the system protocol. Since the system protocol found you suitable, it gave you the ''5th Sessor System''. Rejoice. To ess the details, think of or say - ''Appear''.] Famin half-understood what she was trying to say but it was enough. ''Appear.'' A bright yellowish-orange screen materialized in front of his eyes. ''This this is legit.'' --- [Status] Host: Famin POW: 5 MP: 86/86 [Missions] Bing a Rank 0 Mage (86/100) +20 MP +3 POW Bing a Martial Artist (0/100) +1 Random F-Grade Martial Art Technique +2 Basic Strengthening Pills [Side-Missions] Booming confidence (0/3) Requirements: Get into a fight and defeat three people. Reward: +50 Lottery Points --- Famin was overwhelmed with what was written. ''If I''m not mistaken, POW should be referring to physical strength and MP should be magic point which is my mana storage.'' [Bingo! That is correct! Those are your status. The only way to increase your status significantly is bypleting missions. Are you excited for the future?] Just as he was about to reply, Amya came in. "You are free to leave." Chapter 238: Future Plans Chapter 238: Future ns Jniml Block. 2/09. Famin reached his home at nine. Technically speaking, it wasn''t ''his'' home. It was a munity ce'' for people of Yvadian ethnicity toe and stay. Every house is the same as the other. It''s two-story, has two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, a living room, and a balcony. There was even a small garage. The floors were made up of smooth marble-like stones. The walls were polished and clean, and the sses in the windows were of good quality. Overall, it was a good house to live in. He was surprised by the nature of the house he was granted. Initially, he expected to get a small apartment or at most, a house with just barely enough for a person to live but it was way better than he had initially expected. ''Let''s take a shower. I''m tired.'' Famin directly went to the bathroom and took a refreshing shower. [So what are your future ns?] ''My future ns? Anything to make my life better.'' Famin was a simple person. Growing up, he had faced most kinds of obstacles in his life. That influenced and shaped the person he is today someone with very little ambitions. Now, having little ambitions doesn''t mean he would reject the opportunity to be a King if he was given so but rather, he wouldn''t try to be a King if he had to ''fight'' to be one. He was sure that in the future, he would get many opportunities with the system he got a while ago. He was also sure that he would certainly change if poweres to his hand but for right now, he just wants to make his life better. [Hmm that''s not enough!] ''I don''t understand what you mean.'' [Oh my God! You are so slow! What I''m telling you is that you need to have a detailed and reasonable set of goals both short-term and long-term. With the happy-go-lucky attitude of ''Oh! I''ll live a better life!'' wouldn''t get you anywhere. You don''t need to think big. Think sophistically.] ''Calm down. It''s nothing serious. I''ll see what I can think of.'' Famin got the general idea of what Mii was trying to say and he agreed for the most part. Indeed. Having small goals and trying to achieve them is not a bad thing. What is bad is having a vague goal, no matter if it''s big or small. ''How about I write down my future ns and see what I can do? It would be easier for me to understand and achieve the targets.'' [Yes! That''s the way!] Hearing the enthusiasm in her voice, Famin felt that his intelligence was increasing. *** Bedroom. Sitting on the bed with a notebook on hisp, he looked at the system interface. Holding a pen in his right hand, he started writing in his notebook. ''First things first. The first and the most primary objective should be toplete the [Bing a Mage] mission. For that, I need to increase my mana storage capacity to 100. Currently, it''s 86. I went to the academy for let''s see twelve days? Yes, it should be twelve days. So, if I were to divide my current mana storage with the total number of days I went to the academy to increase my mana storage capacity, it should be ''Around seven. So, every day my mana storage increased by seven. I think it''s not bad? Right. It shouldn''t be bad. Following simple mathematics, I would need two more days to be a Rank 0 Mage.'' Famin paused, took a sip of water from the bottle beside the bed. ''Primary objective,pleted. Theoretically.'' ''The next mission I have is [Bing a Martial Artist]. Hm, this is tough. How can I be a [Martial Artist]?'' He thought about it for a moment, then got out of his bed and went through the books to see if there''s some information about [Martial Artists] given. The search ended in failure. ''Sigh, what did I even think? How would I get information about [Martial Artists] in books rted to the [Mage] path? What should I do now? Ah, I could visit the library tomorrow. Hm. It''s decided---'' [Wait. Wait. Wait! You have other options on your hand. Think. Famin. Think.] ''Other options? I searched for books I think I get what you mean.'' Famin looked at the smartphone lying beside his bed. The most efficient way of learning something is undoubtedly the inte. If one were to think about it, books have lost their primary purpose. One can''t have books on their hands every time but the inte could help a person in any situation and in any part of the world. Famin felt ashamed figuring out that hismon sense was negative. Browsing the inte, he got enough information about [Martial Artists]. "Oh? That''s interesting." It''s way simpler to be a [Martial Artist] than it is to be a [Mage]. Why? If one is a normal eighteen-year-old who went to middle school and high school, he/she is already half a [Martial Artist]. To equip themselves for the future, young teens are introduced to the horrors and fragility of violence. It was only possible through V-Space. Famin went to middle school and developed severe PTSD upon getting killed in the V-Space. The PTSDsted for seven months but he has yet to score a single win in V-Space. He was home-schooled in high school but he couldn''t abandon fighting in the V-Space. For people who opt to be homeschooled, they must attend the public V-Space programs which are held once a week. The regime waspulsory. Needless to say, millions of people haveined about it since the introduction of the regime which was about seven hundred and forty years ago. The Central Government, i.e., the Council of Ministers in the King''s Cab were strong in its stance. No matter where theints came from, be it from the Marquis'' daughter or their own nephew, they remained unwavering. Gradually, people were forced to ept it. Anyone who goes through six years of ''training'' in V-Space is already half a step into being a [Martial Artist]. That is because the strength and physique acquired after going through the ''training'' are enough for a person to qualify to be a [Martial Artist]. The only other thing that is necessary is proper martial art. Not necessarily a technique. Only a form. It could be self-made or copied. ''I see To be a [Martial Artist], the only thing I need to do now is either create a form of martial arts or copy from the existing sets. When I be proficient enough in mastering the form, I would be recognized as a [Martial Artist]. This is interesting and also kind of exciting.'' Being proficient in mastering a form of martial art is the first step in bing a [Martial Artist]. The prospect of creating his own form of martial arts sounded very exciting to Famin but when he dug deeper on how to create, he realized that he shouldn''t bite off more than he could chew. Creating a form of martial arts isn''t something anyone could do. It needs to have a proper set of rules and restrictions which is beyond the capabilities of a person who couldn''t even fight. ''In other words, the only option left for me is to choose a form of martial arts. I think they should be priced Indeed. The prices are beyond my expenses. Let''s see if I can pirate. It should be just a set of moves, right? I''m sure I can easily get them on one of the pirated websites.'' With that, he started browsing through the inte searching for pirated copies of highly-priced forms of martial arts. Twenty minutester. [Idiot! Idiot! Idiot! Use your head! If they were so easily avable, why would they bother selling? They aren''t simply other things that you could pirate. For fuck''s sake, they are highly-priced! The one you are searching for is thirty million! If I were to sell you a million times, I still wouldn''t have that much sum.] ''Hey, that''s rude. I''m not worth that low.'' Famin rebutted. Inwardly, he was again ashamed of his ''high'' intelligence. ''Sigh, let''s see if there is free stuff. It says that although it''s not rmended to do so, I could change the form of martial arts anytime in the future.'' He went to some legitimate sites and searched for extremely-low priced martial arts. Surprisingly or unsurprisingly, there were indeed forms of martial arts which were sold for free. Being the person that he is, he started looking for the martial arts that looked the most attractive to him. Five minutester, he still couldn''t decide what he should choose between them. [Why don''t you choose all of them and then try to narrow it down?] Famin shook his head. ''ording to the terms and service, I can only choose one of them.'' [Why not make another ount and pick another one?] Chapter 239: Martial Arts Chapter 239: Martial Arts Famin shook his head. ''You think I haven''t thought of that? When I registered on the site, it traced my IP address.'' [There are other websites, right?] ''Sure, there are. But from the looks of it, all the websites are connected with one another. It''s likely that I could get into a problem if I were to try purchasing a free martial art on other websites after I already purchased one.'' [That''s a problem. Well! You are on your own!] Famin scratched his head and looked through the martial arts again. ''Ugh, now that it hase to this, I''m going to go ahead and pick a random one!'' Just like that, he purchased a form of martial art named [Polka Ost]. Immediately after he purchased the free martial art, a PDF file got downloaded. Within a fraction of a second, the download waspleted. Tapping on the file, he opened it. ''Wow. I never expected it to be a whole book.'' Famin eximed inwardly. There were 551 pages in total. After a momentary shock, he sucked in a cold breath. ''Do I seriously need to read the whole book?'' [You probably do. What did you even expect? Even if you have the physique of a G-grade Martial Artist, that won''t make you a capable fighter. If you were a capable fighter, you wouldn''t have been in a pathetic condition like you are now. Better start your ns early!] ''You are right.'' Famin acknowledged. The reason he was bullied his entire life was primarily because of two reasons his weak will and his ipatibility to adjust himself to fight. It was never because his physical strength wasn''t enough. If he were to be asked why he couldn''t ''fight'', he would attribute this to his weak will but he did consider himself as one of the people who "just aren''t born to fight" or someone whose "blood doesn''t have the fighting spirit". ''Bullshit. Those are excuses.'' Famin cursed himself inwardly as he looked through the book of [Polka Ost]. Briefly reading a few pages, he figured the fundamentals of the martial arts. [Polka Ost] is a martial art heavily reliant on breathing. Behind every force, there has to be breathing involved. Aside from that, it is more focused on kicks than punches. "There doesn''t seem to be anything special in martial arts. I think it''s probably a loss." [Well, what did you even expect? A hidden gem? Be d that you didn''t get anything worse. Besides, there is no particr grading system on martial arts. There are no useless martial arts, only useless people.] Famin sighed, then shook his head. He had no interest in engaging in a discussion over an overused and overrated phrase. Although not much rted, he remembered an incident from a few years ago. It was the fifth time he was forced to go inside the V-Space. His opponent was a meek girl from his ss with unremarkable physical strength. He was confident that he could get his first win. However, something unexpected happened. During the distribution of weapons, he was given a small knife instead of a sword, and his opponent, the meek girl, got a saber. He got anxious and requested a ''good'' weapon. His request was denied and was forced with the meek girl. Needless to say, he got defeated. His homeroom teacher came to him and lightly mocked him. "Can''t even defeat her, eh?" That was the day he lost his fifth fight as well as his entire desire to even win. For Famin, the phrase "There are no useless X, only useless people" is nothing more than a tactic to victim-me as well as a coping mechanism. It is only used by people who want to feel good about themselves. "Let''s see First, I have to read the entire book and then, I could start with training my martial arts. I don''t know how long it would take but to take an ignorant conservative estimate Maybe two months? Yeah, it shouldn''t take longer than three months. What do you say?" [I don''t know.] Famin didn''t dwell too much on the subject and moved on to thest mission [Booming confidence] which requires him to fight three people and defeat them. ''Should I even do the mission?'' He was greatly hesitant because of his weak character. Let alone whether he could even defeat three people or not, he likely doesn''t have the guts to get into a fight by himself. In fact, even if he does nothing, people would definitely pick a fight with him. [This is a great opportunity for you! It helps the fact that people would pick a fight with you. That way, after thrashing them, you don''t need to give any justification.] ''You skipped an important step. What if I can''t defeat them?'' [Then try again!] ''That''s so easy for you to say.'' [Shouldn''t you be ustomed to getting hits by now?] ''That''s awfully rude.'' Famin said, then started writing in his notebook. ''It''s decided. I would try to engage in a fight if someone bothers me.'' [You would ''try''?] ''Look. Don''t pressurize me. I''ll try my best to do what I can. Besides, you haven''t even told me your backstory.'' [My backstory? What do you want to know?] ''Ah what are you?'' [Is that the best?] Famin scratched his head. He hadn''t expected Mii to be so cooperative. Putting his hand on his chin, he thought about a question. ''Alright why is the name of the system something like 5th Sess?'' [It''s ''5th Sessor System''.] ''Yes. 5th Sessor System. Why is the name like this? Do I have a Master or someone like that?'' [You do have a predecessor but he isn''t your Master.] ''That''s cool. That''s cool Who is my predecessor?'' [You will know soon. In fact, I would even say that it''s sooner than you would expect.] ''Come on. Tell me something about the person.'' [Well, he''s dead. His death caused the disintegration of the system and one such integration chose you.] Famin sucked in a mouthful of air. Suddenly, he felt that the atmosphere had changed. Isn''t a plot like this supposed to be a huge revtion of sorts? [You have a lot of work to do in the future, my dear Host.] Famin gave a small nod, then switched off the lights and fell asleep. *** 43-F Street. Klofar Residence. "So that''s the entire story" Denny took a sip of water from the bottle ced on her desk. She had been narrating the events leading to Rewen''s death from start to finish including every minute detail. Needless to say, her face was tired from speaking continuously for over two hours. Looking at the silent faces of her friends, she didn''t know what to say. "It''s sad." Junar sighed. "I just met himst night." For the next fifteen minutes, the group was mostly silent. "Okay it''s toote. We are leaving." "Yeah, goodnight." "Don''t worry about the matter too much. We''ll talk tomorrow." "Take care." "Bye." Within a span of a few seconds, Denny was all alone in her room. For some reason, she felt lost and ufortable. A few secondster, she decided to take a walk outside. Slightly opening the door, she found that the lights were off. ''Everyone must have gone to sleep.'' She turned on the lights and went to the balcony. "Uncle?" The first thing she saw after reaching the balcony was her uncle sitting calmly on the chair. Her uncle, Mr. Klofar, turned his head. "How are you doing? Did your friends leave?" Denny gave a small nod before sitting down on a chair beside him. "Yes. Uncle I I have something to say." Mr. Klofar nodded slightly when he heard her. "We are all family. There''s no need to hesitate. If you have something in your mind, you should be open about it. However, if you are here to talk about how guilty you are for the unfortunate death of my son, then I would look down on you." Denny was quiet for a few seconds, then she hesitantly opened her mouth. "It''s not that. A few days ago, Rewen copsed and" "He had Stage 5 Interference?" Denny''s mouth went wide. "How" "Cal told me a while ago." "Oh" Denny fell silent. After a brief silence, Mr. Klofar suddenly said. "You know... your narration of the events was almost perfect." "You heard?" Denny looked at him confusedly. Even though she wasn''t whispering when she was narrating the events that led to Rewen''s death, unless a person was standing close to her room, he/she couldn''t hear clearly. Her uncle certainly didn''t look like the type of person who would eavesdrop on a teenager''s conversation. Seeing the confusion on her face, Mr. Klofar pointed to his ears. "My ears are unusually sharp. Of course, only when I want it to be." Realization dawned upon Denny. "I understand." "Even so there was something missing in your narration." Mr. Klofar said in a meaningful tone. Chapter 240: Local Yvadian Society Chapter 240: Local Yvadian Society "Something missing?" Denny questioned in a confused tone. ording to her, she had narrated every single event. It''s highly unlikely that she would miss something. "You should write a book." Mr. Klofar didn''t answer the question. "I I don''t think that I''m qualified enough." Denny was ttered. "Do you know the status of Rewen right now? He is a national hero. A national hero. And currently, you are the only person who knows the most about him. I don''t want the aplishments of my son to not be recognized. The only way to preserve his deeds would be to document it. Documentation not just in the form of cold and hard factsid out one after another but rather, facts presented with some emotions." Mr. Klofar stopped speaking and took a good look at the other party. Denny was quiet for a while, then she opened her mouth. "T-that''s precise" Mr. Klofar chuckled lightly. "I have been thinking about it." "I don''t think I''m capable enough to start a book but" Denny''s face showed hesitation before she shook her head. "Anyways, would you be staying here for a while?" "Oh, I don''t know actually. I could tell that your aunt is not a condition to transition into her normal life routine. Sigh, the same goes for me. Maybe we could be spending a vacation. Would that be a problem?" "No. Of course not." Denny shook her head. "That''s good to hear. By the way, there was something else I picked up on while eavesdropping on your conversation" Mr. Klofar''s expression suddenly turned serious. "Who is the girl Svety?" *** Next morning. Jnmil Block. Famin yawned as his half-naked self got out of his bed and pulled apart the curtains. Bright light directly came in contact with his face. The heat was lukewarm andfortable. Rubbing his be, he walked towards the washroom. He looked at himself in the mirror and started brushing his teeth. While doing so, he took the time to look at the clock. It was sharp seven. Famin cleaned his face and after taking a shower, he wore the uniform. "Let''s see if there''s anything left at the" Famin opened the refrigerator to look for something to eat for breakfast but unfortunately for him, the refrigerator was basically empty other than having a few vegetables scattered around in ces. "I guess not." He wasn''t much disappointed since not having breakfast was not an umon recurrence for him. Carrying his bag, he got out of his house. As it''s early morning, the streets are mostly empty. Some elderly people were doing everything they could to prolong their life. When he passed by them, they greeted him. Soon, he reached outside the block. "Hey!" "Hm?" Famin turned his head to see a familiar face. It was a brown-haired ponytailed girl. "Amya?" "What''s up? Are you always this early? If that''s the case, I would have seen you previously." The ponytailed girl that Famin had an incident withst night approached him wearing a uniform. "You also go to the academy?" Famin looked at her uniform and found it very simr to the uniform students from the [Political Science] department of Eastern Dream Academy wore. "Of course! I''m also a first-year like you." Amya nodded, then started walking along with him. "Ah I, uh, I usually get upte so it''s probably because of that that we never saw each other previously." Famin didn''t want to look dull so he tried to start a conversation. Amya gave a small nod. "That''s true. I usually wake up early. What a coincidence though, isn''t it? We just met yesterday and here we are!" By the end of her statement, she seemed as if she was hinting at something. "Haha, that might be true." Famin nervously chuckled. Of course, it was nigh impossible for someone with a low EQ such as him to understand the hidden implications behind her words. Not being able to fully understand her words, he could only try to move on from the topic. "Hmm" It was unknown what Amya was thinking but she didn''t say anything for a while. As the pair neared the academy gate, she came in front of him. "I have a proposal for you and I hope you ept." Stunned by the sudden action, Famin took some seconds to recover. "What kind of proposal? I work in themunity service so I''m not up for any clubs" Amya shook her head and cleared her throat. "I''m not asking you to join any clubs. I''m part of LYS, short for Local Yvadians Society. It is a small-time movement inspired by the injustice we, as Yvadians, suffer from the Rosh-ss elites. Its primary objective is for us to get equal representation in the Academy''s Student Council. For more details, refer to this booklet. To join LYS, fill up this form." Famin looked at her firm eyes and found it hard to refuse. He hesitantly took the booklet and roughly looked through it. "Look at itter. Now, sign it up." Amya handed over her pen that she took out from her pocket. Famin took the pen and looked through the form. He looked at the form for a long time without actually doing anything. "What''s wrong? Why are being hesitant?" Amya asked. Her tone suggested annoyance. "I I''m preupied with too many tasks at the current moment. Even though I believe that the movement will bring change in themunity, I have simply no time to invest in anything other than academics." Famin gave a rare well-thought-out answer. Amya put her hand on her chin. "As I said, this isn''t a club. You don''t even need to participate in the proceedings. Just register yourself your name and you are done! Take my word for it!" "Oh" Famin looked at the form again. A few secondster, he raised his head again. "If I may ask, in good faith does this movement aplished in the past few years? It seems highly probable for me to be discriminated against even more if my ssmates and others who know me be aware of the fact that I''m a member of LYS. Surely, it has to have some sort of credibility, right?" Amya squinted her eyes. She was particrly offended when someone she arbitrarily decides as an "ally" speaks ''revolting'' things like this. ''This durd is being too smart for his own good.'' Eventually, she cracked a smile. "You can keep the form till the end of today''s academy sessions. After that, it will expire. By then, if you want to join the movement, fill the form, and thene to me. You would know about our aplishments when you join us. Let me ask you one question though what do you see when you look around yourself?" Famin looked around and found nothing unusual. "Nothing interesting in particr, I guess?" "Really? Look carefully. Do you not see a pack of hungry wolves looking at you, wanting to devour you the moment you leave the eye of beings. I pity looking at the height of naivety you carry." Famin was confused by the reply. However, just as he was about to open his mouth to speak, he felt footsteps nearing him. Turning his head, he saw a tall woman with prominent facial features. Her long jet-ck hair rests beautifully on her shoulder. Her figure was particrly great. With her curvy and tall stature, she didn''t lose to any model. Needless to say, he was drawn to her appearance. The iing figure took a look at him, then looked towards Amya. "Only you would see that. Try to learn to have tolerance and understanding." Amya snorted. "Maybe that could be done when we reach the oues." Hearing her, the other woman helplessly shook her head. "Why did you poach a ssmate of mine into this?" ''Huh? ssmate?'' Famin was surprised to hear that he had a ssmate as eye-catching as her. Naturally, it was very weird for him to not recognize his own ssmate but there''s a reason for that. Due to being at the lowest of the "social hierarchy", he will inevitably get bullied by his ssmates if he remained in ss for long. Aside from that, unlike sses with lower grades, Special sses are private. Educators are appointed to students in Special sses and public lectures are very rare. They don''t teach more than four students in a given year. Due to this, it made sense that Famin never caught sight of her previously. "He is your ssmate?" Amya sized up the man in front of her. Famin felt that it was very insulting but in order to not make the atmosphere awkward, he joked in self-depreciation. "Haha... I may not look like it but I''m actually a genius." "Genius in being pathetic, right? Aha!" Amya lightlyughed. Inwardly, Famin wasn''t very pleased with her joke but he covered it up with a stiff smile. "Uh, well then. Talk to youter." Chapter 241: Growth Era - Second Phase Chapter 241: Growth Era - Second Phase As the orange-haired young man separated from the group of three and walked away, the remaining two looked at his back and then looked at each other. "So what''s the deal with him?" The jet-ck-haired beauty asked. "He is one of us." Amya gave a vague reply. "What? One of us? Ah" The other party wasn''t much involved with the workings of LYS so she didn''t immediately figure out the association she had with her. "Did you force him?" "Oh my! That hurts! You know how I am. Did I ever once in my life force someone to join our movement?" Amya yfully showed an exaggerated expression. "Sure, you didn''t" The ck-haired beauty had to admit. "Rx. I gave him four hours to decide what he wants to do. If he does want to join LYS, he woulde to me. If he doesn''t want to join, he can do whatever he likes. Simple!" Amya exined. The ck-haired beauty indifferently nodded while looking at the back of Famin. It had to be said that there are nomon people in the 1st Grade sses. She kept track of everyone in her ss. Among them was a person who was severely underwhelming. He had no redeeming qualities. If it wasn''t for the fact that there''s enough evidence to prove that the person was talented, no one would have believed it. ''I didn''t know that he was a Yvadian. Perhaps I should help him.'' "Cersi? What are you thinking?" Amya asked, curiously staring at her friend. Cerci looked at her and replied honestly. "I was just thinking that he needs help." "He needs What kind of help?" Amya was suddenly confused. "He is bullied every now and then. Maybe we could gather some two to four people and raise awareness for his bullying." Nowadays, the best way to deal with bullying in schools or institutions is for a group of people to publicly confront the bullies and bring the matters of the bullying public. It was proved to be very effective. "Oh! Makes sense. He didn''t look that bright to me. Now that I think about it, he looks like the perfect target for bullying. Don''t worry, I''ll look into the matter." Cersi didn''t say anything *** ss 1-S. The ssroom was empty. It was of no surprise to Famin who stood by the entrance to the ssroom. Lectures are rare. Educators are allocated to the students. Famin walked to his locker and unlocked it by taking out a key from his pocket. There was a bottle, a pair of shoes and socks, some packets of chips, and a small key. He took the small key and locked it. Then, he proceeded to get out of the ssroom quietly. A minuteter. Edu 34 He was sitting in a small room with only a single moderatelyrge desk and two chairs. On one side, there was a television fixed. There was a single window. Other than that, there was barely something noticeable. This was the room he is tutored by his allocated educator. Most often, it''s highly unlikely for a single Educator to get the job of teaching a single student. The reason Famin got the "honor" was because of certain circumstances. Before he applied to the academy, the academy had already decided on the distribution of the other students in the First Year 1st Grade ss. ''Hmm it''s already 8:30 He''s going to arrive in a while.'' Famin looked at the clock and waited for his Educator''s arrival. A few minutester, the door opened and a man in a formal suit with sses entered the room. The man looked rtively young, seemingly in histe twenties. "Good day. How are you doing?" Sitting opposite Famin, he asked. "I''m good." Famin briefly answered. It has been around two weeks since he had met his Educator and found it hard to understand the kind of person he is. Adding on to the fact that he was mostly unsocial, other than study-rted matters, they rarely discussed misceneous topics. This is supposed to be unusual because Educators aren''t simply teachers. They give their students knowledge, guide them, help them, and oftentimes acts as a counselor. Not for one year. Not for two years. But for three years. By now, almost everyone in his ss had gotten to know their Educators. "Today was supposed to be As far as my memory is concerned, I don''t think I had any sses. Correct?" The Educator asked Famin who shook his head. "Today was supposed to be the continuation of where we, uh, left off three days ago." "Three days ago? Let''s see ah, it''s History. Thanks for the reminder. I think we left off at the Makings of Early World History?" "Yes. We havepleted the Great Cores Experiment incident regarding Steven M. Kornell who is often hailed as the ''Father of Mana Mechanics''." "Correct. Kornell was a revolutionary character for his time. Back when everyone was fear-stricken by the authoritarian regimes of the government, even here, in EDK (Eastern Dream Academy). It''s funny when you consider that he was a little more than a lunatic. So, do you remember the year it happened?" "2756 CE. One hundred and fifty-eight years after the earliest human civilization in the post-apocalyptic period began." "What was the era referred to as?" "Growth Era, Second Phase sting from 2700 CE to 2812 CE," Famin responded as soon as he was asked. He might not be the sharpest tool in the box but that doesn''t mean he had no sharpening tools. Starting from middle school, he was rarely negligent in his studies. "Great. To summarize, exin to me the oues of the Great Cores Experiment. How did it affect the uing future?" "Well, it led to the first direct opposition against the government. It decreased the sovereignty of the Dictator who was active at that time and weakened his internal influence by a lot. Many other sovereigns in the bordering nations took advantage of the geopolitical situation and weakened the Dictator and his Ministers'' foreign influence. These two factors elerated the nation''s disintegration into six independent provinces." Famin stopped speaking. The Educator nodded. "The huge nation that epassed more than thirty percent of the entire continent of Green now disintegrated into six separate independent provinces. It happened in the Year 2795 CE which is just three decades after the famous Great Cores Experiment. Twenty-three yearster, in 2812 CE, all the six independent provinces dered themselves as sovereign kingdoms and together formed an empire under a democracy. That marks the end of the Growth Era, Second Phase." "A democracy?" Famin found it a bit difficult to believe. The Educator smiled, having expected the response. "The Growth Era Second Phase was a time where historical moments aremonce. From the Uprising of the Hegemonic o Dynasty to the Bird''s Cry Massacre of 2800 CE, the historical significance from this a little more than a hundred years is immensepared to other Eras." "Wasn''t the Great Cores Experiment the most significant event in the era? The start of the era, 2700 CE was the year when the Dictator of the formerly unified six provinces came into control and in the Year 2812 CE, it ended when the six independent provinces were recognized as a single nation." "The disintegration of the Great Nation of Kulberg and the recognition of its provinces as separate nations ended the era. That''s for certain. However, the Great Cores Experiment was just one major cause of the disintegration. As you study further, you woulde to know how several powers were working behind the scenes. Besides, there''s way more interesting events that happened during this time which affected far in the future." "Oh" Famin nodded obediently. The Educator tapped on the desk with his pen two times, then he looked at the other person in the room with a serious expression. "Alright. Before I get into the next event, there''s something I need to ask you. It''s personal and you have the option to not answer it." All of a sudden, Famin felt that the temperature of the room had gone low. "I I''ll try to answer it to the best of my abilities." "Are you a devout Yvadian?" The question was out of his expectations. Taking a few seconds to recover, he thought for a moment. "No not really." Famin shook his head. "I see" The Educator nodded his head, then continued. "How much do you believe in Kursh?" Kursh is the One Supreme God of Yvadians. Famin opened his mouth to answer but couldn''t produce a sound. After repeating the process of closing and opening his mouth, he eventually replied. "I, uh, I don''t know." "Is that an honest answer?" The Educator squinted his eyes. Famin appeared to be in distress. "It''splicated, Sir. Actually, I was supposed to be an orphan. Later, I came to know that I had parents who were Yvadians but due to certain circumstances, I don''t acknowledge them as my parents and thus" Chapter 242: Flower of Mutation Chapter 242: Flower of Mutation The Educator furrowed his eyebrows. "This sounds reallyplicated. In other words, you were abandoned by your parents, grew up in your orphanage for a while, then met your parents and found out that they were Yvadians. Am I following you?" Famin was a bit surprised to see him pick up the facts so quickly. "Yes. That''s the gist of it. I stayed with my parents for a while where I was taught the teachings and prayers of Lord Kursh but soon enough, I was again abandoned. It affected me deeply and since then nevermind." He stopped speaking as soon as he started getting emotional. He doesn''t like speaking about himself. The Educator nodded his head for some reason and tapped his pen on the desk two times. "There seems to be a lot of negative feelings inside of you. One of my jobs as an educator is also to support you emotionally. I can help you with that but for that, you need to be open which I''m not sure you would befortable with?" "I''ll think about itter, Sir." Famin didn''t reject in a straightforward manner because he felt that his educator meant well. "As expected. Anyhow so, would it be wrong for me to presume that you don''t have any respect for your ancestors?" "I don''t have any strong feelings for them." Famin replied honestly. "Okay. That makes it easy for me to talk about the topic I was going to discuss." The Educator said that, taking out a thick book and then fixing his sses, he said. "If you want to revise the topic that I''m going to teach you now, refer to the guide book. Also, try to be selective with choosing what portion you should read." Famin obediently nodded. The Educator flipped the pages and lightly coughed to clear his throat. "Have you heard of the Flower of Mutation?" Famin thought for a second, then answered. "From Nihan?" Nihan was the most important religious text for Yvadians. The Educator gave a small nod. "What if I told you that the tragedy that came with Flower of Mutation actually happened?" "That''s not possible. If it did, there would have been records and evidence and" "What if I told you that there is sufficient proof?" Famin frowned. "It''s hard to believe because if it were true, no one would dismiss it as a myth or legend. It simply isn''t talked about." The Educator showed an amused expression. "Your response is understandable but the "approach you took to get to your conclusion is amusing. Never mind. Yes, the Flower of Mutation did happen. Repeat after me. Flower of mutation did happen." "Flower of Mutation did happen." Famin did as he was told. He didn''t have any reaction to the silliness because he was used to it. Initially, he felt embarrassed but eventually, he thickened his skin. "Okay. Let''s get into the background first. What is the event we are discussing about?" "Um? Flower of Mutation?" "Incorrect. I''ll get there. But no, the event we are discussing is rted to the Mitvatianian tribesing into power. I''m sure you have heard about that, right?" "Of course. The Mitvatianians were formerly small tribes living in the outskirts of the south-eastern part of the Green Continent. They were known for their surprisingly urban mindsets and weapons in warfare. In approximately 2734 CE, they decided to politically unite themselves even with the fairlyrge cultural and social gap. "A single tribe was as strong as a low-tier province. There were approximately twenty-four of them. All of a sudden, they became a powerful overlord of that era. Neighboring kingdoms and empires felt threatened by their unity and took drastic measures. And then---" "Wait. Exin why they took drastic measures." The Educator put forward a question. Famin casually answered. "The empires were in a state of constant back and forth war with the Great Nation of Kulberg, which was, at that time, controlled by the Dictator. It wasn''t an all-out war but several thousands of battles took ce within the span of three years. Usually, when two provinces or tribes unite themselves, they expand their territory. "The nations surrounding the small area where the tribes lived couldn''t afford to have border disputes when they were already in a war. Initially, messengers from various nations were sent to the tribes with rich gifts but the tribes sent back the messengers in a sorry state while taking the gifts. This forced the nations to take drastic measures. Um, do I have to exin the drastic measures?" "Please do." "There were essentially two drastic measures One, an increase in ie tax and the other, a reduction in imports and exports by 80%." "That was pretty damn harsh." The Educatormented. "The tribes weren''t economically well-off. Their main source of ie was agriculture. It was tyranny. On one hand, you had to work your ass off and the total output you get is only 20% and on the other hand, even from that 20%, at least 3-4% of it would be cut in the form of taxes." Famin nodded, then asked. "But what has this got to do with any event rted to Flower of Mutation?" "Slow down. We are not there yet." "Oh" "To continue you have to know about three big figures during that time Vuo, Pi, and Da. Their names sound unusual but this was how the names were in Mitvatianian tribes. All three of them were respectively the Elders of three most influential tribes among the twenty-four. Vuo was from the Kchalli Tribe, Pi was from the Tpitita Tribe, and Da was from the Goi Tribe. Remember their names and the tribes. "Now, the ''drastic measures'' that you spoke of is called the Coalition Penalty Act of 2736. ''Coalition'' because the empires were in a form of temporary alliance and ''penalty'' because ording to a vague use in the treaty between the tribes and the empires, unification was forbidden. Obviously, they couldn''t actually take the step to divide the tribes because that would have serious consequences. "Three years after the act was passed, the overall economic conditions of the tribes turned from moderately good to absolutely terrible. Every month, a family has to die of famine and diseases. Sentiments of hatred towards the ''outsiders'' arose. Seeing this, the most important Elders of the tribes Vuo, Pi, and Da set out to negotiate with the empires. It was given that they hated the empires to the bones but they themselves knew that even with their advanced warfare, they wouldn''t stand a chance against more than a few nations." The Educator paused, then drank a sip of water from his bottle. In the midst of this, Famin opened his mouth. "Can I ask something?" "Hm. Go ahead." "Why did the Mitvatianians have advanced weapons? Did they have, like, a research center?" "Good question. No, they didn''t. There''s again a bigger story rted but without going too much into it since it would distract us from continuing with the current topic, I''ll just briefly exin. Around thirty years before the unification of the Mitvatianian Tribes, one of the tribes found a sort of secret manual. It contained the process of making those advanced weaponry without using anything outside their area. This was also one of the reasons for unification of Mitvatianian Tribes." "Ah" "Anyways, returning to the topic, Vuo, Pi, and Da went to the capital of Longstone Kingdom which was at the heart of Perelex Empire one of the five, no, four empires involved in the Coalition Penalty Act of 2736. The three of them went there and asked for an audience with the King of Longstone. "They were refused entry. Seeing that a ''mere'' King of a nation was bold enough to not grant audience to the Leaders of Mitvatianians, the three of them raged and started amotion in the city. Often thieving, public disturbance they were very childish in their retaliation." He chuckled a little, then continued. "Eventually, the King got annoyed and sent men to bring them to him. "He could have definitely arrested them but he didn''t. The moment he were to arrest them, he would risk a potential war. His one nation alone couldn''t handle the retaliation of twenty-four tribes. Even though the three Tribe Elders were strong, they had the numbers on their side. Again, none of the nations back then were in a position to start a war. "The three Tribe Elders Vuo, Pi, and Da were brought in front of the King. The discussion started on a heated note. Two hourster, the two sides reached a conclusion. The Coalition Penalty Act of 2736 wasn''t reformed or changed. It remained the same. It also made sense. How could he, a mere King, make any significant change to an Act made by four Emperors?" "I have a question." "What is it?" "Why did the three Tribe Elders go to the King instead of directly reaching for one of the Emperors?" Chapter 243: Training Chapter 243: Training "Two reasons. One, geographical ease. To go to any other nation would require more time. Two, they were afraid. They are nothing more than Tribe Elders. Their prestige and power are nothingpared to the Emperors. To ask for apromise in front of an Emperor would put them at risk of getting imprisoned or even killed." Famin nodded, indicating that he understood. The answer was much more straightforward than he was hoping for. "Herees the main part of the mini-event. Listen carefully. The King didn''t manage to do anything to the Act but it doesn''t mean he didn''t do anything. To end the matter peacefully, he gave away his dynasty''s Second Ruler''s Crown to the three tribe Elders. The crown was one of the most valuable items in his treasury, only second to the Founder''s crown. "Now you might ask. What is the value of the crown? Was it remotely enough topensate for the reforms that the three Tribe Elders hoped for? The answer was Nobody knew. Certainly, the crown was valuable but not in the way you are thinking of. The crown was incredibly mysterious. It was said that the crown was not the original crown of the Second King in the dynasty. "It wasn''t gifted during his coronation. While campaigning, he identally entered into a [Pentagonal Landscape] and found it at the center. Naturally, he took the crown but for some reason, in his entire life, he refused to wear it." The educator paused, taking a look at the orange-haired young man''s expression. "A [Pentagonal Landscape]?" Famin wasn''t unfamiliar with the term. ording to Nihan, [Pentagonal Landscape] is the holiest ce for Yvadians. Nobody knows where it is. Yet it is not considered to be a "legend". The reason for that is even though it''s impossible to prove the existence of the ce, several records have been found regarding it all over the world. "If [Pentagonal Landscape] is in" The educator smiled, then shook his head. "It''s not as simple as that. The ce where he was campaigning was researched extensively and yet, there''s not a single trace of a ce like [Pentagonal Landscape]. It''s incredibly mysterious and fascinating." Famin appeared a little disappointed but patiently waited to hear the rest of the story. "Now, get to the details and study. I''ll continue the next day." Saying that the educator closed his book. "" *** 1st Grade Training Ground. When Famin arrived at the training ground, he saw his Assistant Instructor Xovin instructing a couple of students from his ss. As he stepped forward into the "Free Natural Energy fields", the Assistant Instructor was alerted and he immediately turned in his direction. "Hurry up." Xovin raised his hand and motioned Famin toe towards him. Famin did as he was told. Xovin grabbed his wrist and muttered in a low voice. "Let me check" Famin didn''t struggle. He knew what his Assistant Instructor was doing. Every two days, Xovin checks the progress of his students to tell them how close they are to their goals. It helps in motivating students. "Your progress isn''t bad. Two more days and you''d be the fifteenth person to be a mage. Congrattions in advance." Xovin released the wrist and looked deeply at the young man in front of him. He had basically zero opinion of him. His elemental affinity was one of the finest but his character itself was problematic. If he were to be brutally honest with his thoughts, he would admit that he had never seen such a wimpy kid in his long career. Regarding this, he had even personally consulted with Famin''s educator. ''It takes time for a change to happen. It''s good as long as he manages to stand on his own. Let''s hope for the best.'' Famin smiled lightly, then turned around to walk away just when a face appeared in front of his eyes. It was Francesca one of, if not the most, influential figure of the ss. Not only was she fairly beautiful, but she was also charismatic and intelligent. Compared with her good background, she was someone literally everyone wants to be friends with. Famin was no exception to the rule. However, he was also aware of the disaster that would fall upon him the moment he tries to strike up a conversation with her. Therefore, he decides to stay away from her. "Oh, hello. Good morning." Francesca casually greeted him. "Morning." Famin gave a small nod before walking away. While walking away, he vigntly looked at his surroundings to check if anybody had seen him or not. Francesca didn''t pay attention to him and came to her Assistant Instructor Xovin. "Sir, please tell me that I''m safe." Her face was bitter. Xovin rubbed his chin. "It''s hard to say the decision hasn''t yet been passed down. As much as I would want to say that you are safe, logic seems to be a little bit tilted on the other side." "Please exin, Sir," Francesca said with a face full of bitterness. "If you had reported the matter, the higher-ups would have paid more attention to him. It wouldn''t be far from the truth to say that the whole incident could have been avoided." Francesca was stunned. "I I could have prevented the incident from happening?" She found it unbelievable. "Most likely, yes. But then again, we don''t know their secrecy." "That makes me feel bad but that piece of sh--- hu" Francesca took a deep breath to calm down. No matter what, she couldn''t bring herself to curse a dead man. Xovin sighed. He also didn''t like the absurd rule. "I understand your frustration. If there''s any constion, then let me just say that the academy you would be transferred to would be way more prestigious than the one you are currently in." Francesca didn''t say anything and was about to move when she had an idea. "Wait, will the academy''s decision change its direction if his family or close ones were to be the one who requested the decision to be changed?" Xovin didn''t immediately answer. He thought for a while, then gave an honest answer. "I have no idea. It''s worth a try though because the case is peculiar." Francesca''s expression brightened and she quickly left. Xovin helplessly smiled and looked at the clear sky. ''Which reminds me I promised him to properly repay him that day.'' The ''him'' he was referring to was thete Rewen Klofar. He was dead but his death created a huge problem for Francesca. After all, making a sound in a spring-space room is considered an "offense" and if someone were to observe the person make that sound and not report it, that person would also be implicated. In other words, Francesca was on the brink of expulsion. From the gossip, she came to know that the friendly person she met some days ago was dead. Immediately after she heard it, she was petrified. It''s impossible for the academy (including the authorities) to not inspect his past activities. She tried being optimistic but soon enough, she was brought by her Assistant Instructor Xovin to the Council of Staff where she was made to answer questions after questions for two hours straight. On a corner of the training ground. Famin''s entire concentration was into sensing the free natural energy in the air and converting it into mana. Although elemental affinity ys a huge role (about 90%) in this process, there is a tiny bit of requirement of intelligence. Natural energy couldn''t be put into units, at least not in the lower ranks. It isn''t quantifiable. Mana, however, could be put into units. For example, his own mana storage is 86 which is a quantity. The reason for this is because free natural energy is a lot more simr to a non-visible aura which can be sensed. The process of converting free natural energy into mana couldn''t be hastened by just taking inrge amounts of natural energy and converting it into mana hoping it would generate a lot of mana. All the people who had tried to do this rested for a day in the infirmary. The natural energy that should be taken is fixed. Taking less than that wouldn''t harm anyone in any way but usually, it ends in failure, i.e., no conversion of natural energy into mana. One must be active and hyper-conscious during the process so as to not waste time and effort. An hourter. "Haa" Famin groaned as he felt his backpletely wet from sweat. His face had also reddened. It was primarily due to the heat. As he tried to continue, he felt that the free natural energy had disappeared all of a sudden. Immediately, he rxed his arms. The session was over. ''Let''s see how much I''ve progressed.'' Even though he had an idea of his progress, he still wanted to check. --- MP: 94/94 Bing a Rank 0 Mage (94/100) --- Famin appeared to be satisfied with the results. Chapter 244: Troubled Francesca Chapter 244: Troubled Francesca ss 1-B. Francesca looked over the ss for 4th Grade students and stepped inside the ss. Her appearance garnered a lot of eyes. Some recognized her as a model student and started gossiping about her. Some looked at her for a while, then went back to their world. Walking up to the center, she opened her mouth. "Is there anyone who is close to Rewen Klofar?" As soon as she asked that, everyone''s gaze fell on two young men. They were Vin and Zaplin. ording to the ss, Rewen wasn''t particrly social and the only people he interacted with are those two. Francesca''s eyes also fell on the two. Vin and Zaplin walked over to her. "Can we help with something?" Zaplin asked with a neutral face. Francesca nodded. "Have you heard of what happened to" "Yes, we did." Vin nodded with a serious look. Zaplin had a simr look on his face. The news had shocked them. For them, it came out of nowhere. Francesca gave a small nod, then asked again. "Do you know any of his close rtives?" "Why?" Zaplin asked in curiosity. Hearing the question, Francesca sighed. "On the second day of the semester, Rewen made a sound in the spring-space room. I happened to be near and noticed it. My first thought was to report it to the higher-ups but after thinking for a bit, I felt sorry for him and decided otherwise. Now, the higher-ups found out that I deliberately didn''t report it to them and I''m in trouble." She exined it as briefly as possible. Vin and Zaplin looked at each other and were at a loss for words. After a while, Vin looked side-wise and asked Zaplin. "Did Dennye to the academy today?" Zaplin shook his head. "I''m not sure. I haven''t seen her." "Hm" Vin rubbed his chin, then looked at Francesca. "Zelic Dte is his cousin. She dide to the academy but we don''t know where she is." "Ah, okay! Thanks!" Francesca gave her thanks, then walked out of the ss. Vin and Zaplin looked at each other and smiled helplessly. They were nning to head outside when they heard a male voice. "It''s tragic, isn''t it?" When they turned back, they saw a white-haired pale-skinned guy standing in front of them. He was Ludwin Klofar, an extremely anti-social guy. The only time Vin and Zaplin saw him converse properly was the day they were teasing Zelic with Rewen. "Of course, it''s tragic." Vin nodded. Zaplin sighed. "It''s not a good feeling to see someone you talk to daily to suddenly disappear." "Did you give prayers?" Ludwin suddenly asked. Zaplin shook his head. "No. We aren''t too familiar." "How about you guyse with me? I have a friend who is, err, was close to Rewen." It''s not mind-boggling why Ludwin wanted to give his prayers to someone he barely knew. Both were Klofars. In an age where there is no shortage ofst names, it''s extremely hard finding someone with a simrst name except for their own rtives. Although it doesn''t mean that all Klofars were somehow rted by ancestry, people tend to associate themselves with groups. "Okay." Vin and Zaplin both agreed. *** Central Canteen. "Damn! She didn''te today!" Zelic mmed the table and angrily said. The ''she'' she was talking about was Denny. Last night, she and her group discussed confronting Svety directly. Naturally, Denny was also included in the group and Zelic is now angry that she didn''t want to participate in the confrontation. Her anger shocked the group sitting around her. Salica, who was nearest to her, rubbed her back as if soothing a raging child. "Calm down. All of us know that she isn''t in the best of conditions. You know how she looked yesterday. It''s not a good idea to force her." "No! That won''t do! She knows that today''s going to be important yet she didn''te. How dare she? Does she feel that her feelings are what matters the most!?" Zelic was fuming. After every second, her anger increased. The surroundings'' eyes gathered around them. Feeling distressed, Kesha advised. "Excuse me, can you please talk softly? The guests are" "I''ll talk to your mother!" Zelic angrily roared. "You guys suck!" With a bang, she got up from her chair and left the canteen. "This girl" Bianca watched her leave with a frown, then turned to look at the boys. Her eyes were drawn towards Junar who had an unnatural expression. Some secondster, he broke out inughter. "HAHAHA! Ha Sorry Sorry. But I unironically found her mannerisms funny." Gill initially had a grave expression but when he thought of how she looked, he also couldn''t help but lightlyugh. Evans smiled in a strange manner. He felt like an outsider trying to fit into the group and not look weird. "Try to take this more seriously. For real, you boys" Feeling like she was the Big Sister of the group, Bianca tried to educate them but just then, she heard a giggle from near her. "Not you too!" Kesha forced herself to stop giggling and formed a stiff expression. "I I''m sorry but she was too cute!" "Nothing less expected from the unofficial mascot of the group!" At this point, Salica was the only one left to give input. "Seriously, you guys think about her feelings." Bianca appeared to be concerned. Salica snorted. "Pretend all you want! Everyone here is aware of how much you secretly dislike her." "What nonsense. How can I dislike her?" Bianca retorted back. "Remember the time when you said that you didn''t want Zelic to be invited to your birthday party?" Salica exposed her. "What? Did it really happen?" Junar got interested. "You are too cruel, Bianca!" Kesha yfully said. Bianca couldn''t believe that Salica had the gall to betray the sisterhood. In a fluster, she said, "That that''s like four years ago! Moreover, she made me really angry." "Yeah, we hear you." Just like that, everyone started discussing their past affairs and forgot about their present worries. "Haha! That''s too hrious, man. If only Rewen was here" Gill couldn''tplete his sentence as he was kicked on his legs lightly. Frowning, he looked straight where he saw Kesha giving him a re. Initially confused, he quickly noticed that everyone had turned silent and immediately med his low EQ. Few seconds passed by and nobody raised their voices. Junar, feeling the need to wash away the awkwardness that was present, opened his mouth but just then, he felt footsteps nearing him and turned his head. "Um, excuse me, would it be inconvenient for you to help me?" The group turned their eyes to the speaker. It was a long-haired elegantdy. "Aren''t you the girl from the 1st Grade? You are the Monitor, right?" Evans was the first one to recognize her. Before Francesca could get the time to reply, Kesha also recognized her. "I think I saw you a few days ago at the Weing Ceremony" "Yes. I''m Francesca. Nice to meet everyone. I wish I could sit down and have a chat but unfortunately, I''m in an extremely dire situation. Presumably, you guys are, err, were Rewen''s friends, right?" "Yes. How can we help you?" Bianca asked in a straightforward manner. The others'' eyes went towards Francesca. Why would a model figure like her want help from them? Francesca sat down and began narrating what had happened in brief. "On the second day of the semester, Rewen made a sound in the spring-space room. I happened to be near and noticed it. My first thought was to report it to the higher-ups but after thinking for a bit, I felt sorry for him and decided otherwise. Now, the higher-ups found out that I deliberately didn''t report it to them and I''m in trouble." If Vin or Zaplin were to be here, they would have gotten a strong feeling of dj vu. The group looked at each other in wonder. "So Rewen was always strong?" Gill asked. As Rewen''s closest friend, he never really got the feeling that his friend was someone particrly strong. Until, of course, he realized that he was wrong. "That shouldn''t be a shock. Remember when Rewen kicked Ruby''s ass?" Junar reminded him of the event he had forgotten. "Ah" Gill med himself for forgetting such an important event. Francesca didn''tpletely understand what they were talking about but she waited to hear an answer. "I see. It''s unfortunate but I don''t see how we can help you?" Kesha asked with a confused expression. Having expected a reply like this, Francesca patiently exined her thoughts. "Oh no, you can. More specifically, if the rtives or close ones of Rewen were to request for the academy to change its decision, then I could be out of trouble. Is Zelic Dte with you?" "This she was with us a while ago," Bianca answered. "Oh, okay. Thanks." Francesca got up and prepared to leave. Chapter 245: Bullies Chapter 245: Bullies Just as she was about to walk away, Junar suddenly asked. "Wait a second. Are you going to search for her?" Francesca turned around and nodded without saying anything. "Let''s go together in that case. We were also going to search for her." Kesha said as she and the others got up to leave. Francesca had no objection to that. "Excuse me. Can I have everyone''s attention for a while?" Everyone looked towards the guy who just entered the canteen. Seeing that he had grabbed everyone''s attention, he coughed lightly to clear his voice, then said. "It is requested that nobody leave the academy premises and gather on the 1st Grade Training Ground within twenty minutes. The Branch Director is going to give a speech." "What speech? Did the sybus change again?" "No. I''m not aware of the specifics but it seems about the guy who died yesterday because of terrorist attacks." Everyone instantly understood who they were talking about. Most remained quiet but some felt that it would be aplete waste of time. "I''m not stayingte for this bullshit reason." "Rip for the guy who died but I really don''t want to waste time." "Me neither. I have a date. I don''t want to bete." Hearing them, Gill got angry and was about to speak up when Junar blocked him. Without saying anything, Gill turned his head to look at this friend who was sighing. "Leave it be, Gill. They aren''t aware of the story. If they did, their mouths would have caught fire." [A/N: "Mouth would have caught fire" is a local idiom among the people of Eastern Dream Kingdom. It means something along the lines of "saying something outrageous".] "Even so" "Let''s go." Gill didn''t look convinced but he was dragged by the others in the group. It''s not that they were "bad guys". They were normal everyday people who happened to be insensitive. There''s no need to create a scene. *** Famin locked his locker and took his bag, in preparation to leave the ssroom. "Yo! Look who it is!" "It''s our friendly neighborhood cash cow!" Giving typical second-rate viins'' dialogues, four guys around the same age as Famin walked into the ssroom. Famin''s face turned gloomy when he saw them. From left to right, they were Leon, Unimi, Zagder, and Nec. All of them belonged to the 3rd Grade ss who went to the same middle-school Famin went to and happened to be his old bullies. Needless to say, they were also the ones who troubled Famin the most in his school. Because of their ceaseless bullying, they managed to give other people the impression that Famin was a pushover and a weakling. Due to that, very few people want to have a conversation with him. For Famin, it''s fine if he isn''t bothered. However, he couldn''t help but sigh in depression whenever others take active participation in bullying him. Bullying is not just physical harm; ites in various shapes and forms. One of them being a constant object of ridicule and merciless taunting. Without the four of them, he would likely be in a better position today. Famin quietly watched the four talking with themselves. "This was original, right?" Unimi asked his friends. "Bah! It was cringe." (Zagder) "Damn it. I''ll show you guys next time!" (Unimi) "Yeah, that''s what you always say." (Leon) "For the hundred-and-seventh time, I''ll show you!" (Unimi) "Okay. Wrap up. The routine is getting old." (Nec) After joking among themselves, they looked towards the orange-haired young man who had a grim look on his face. "Come on, dude. We haven''t asked you cash for two days." Leon lightly chuckled before approaching him with his three friends. "That''s true. We were generous enough!" Unimimented. "Did you not hear what he just said?" Nec asked with a ridiculing face. Famin was inwardly overwhelmed by them but managed to keep a straight face. Taking a deep breath, he opened his mouth. "I won''t give you any cash." Even though he said that with a brave front, there was an unnoticeable quiver. Leon, Unimi, Zagder, and Nec looked at each other and gave a pretentiousugh. "Huh? Did you say something? We didn''t hear it correctly." "Come on bro, don''t be shy. We are all friends here." "Indeed. We have known you for ages. How can you be uncooperative with us?" Famin was dogpiled. Clenching his fist, he directly said. "I said I won''t give any money. I I don''t have money. I didn''t bring it." Hearing him, the four bullies looked at each other and were silent for a while. Then, Leon suddenly said. "I see in that case, I presume that you''d be kind enough to let us check if you have your wallet or not? Zagder, please." Zagder gave a strange smile, then stepped forward to check Famin''s pockets. Famin swept away the hand that was reaching his pocket. Immediately after he did that, he was pushed back. *Bang* His back collided with the locker that was behind him. He didn''t get hurt but the sound of the collision was considerably loud. After the collision, he raised his head to look at the faces in front of him. His legs shook because of the fear of being hit but he managed to steel himself. "Give me your wallet. I won''t repeat myself." Zagder said in a threatening tone. He was extremely close to Famin. So much as that his face was just a few inches away from him. Famin bitterly sighed. ''There''s no escaping this. Either I give in or" He lowered his head, then raised his head to look at the face and got a sudden impulse to take a particr action. Carried by the impulse, he used his arm and delivered an elbow straight to the face. "Urgh!!" Not having seen iting, Zagder couldn''t do anything and could only stand there dumbly taking the elbow to his face. Blood started dripping from his nose as he tightly clutched his face and took two steps back. The other three were also shocked. Who would have thought that the guy would suddenly get the guts to hit his face? After a moment of shock, Leon headed straight towards Famin and pulled in for a strike. Famin realized what he had done and instantly cowered. "I I didn''t mean to. I''m s--- kuh!" His upper abdomen was brutally punched. ''It hurts'' Feeling pain, he went on a defensive position, crouching and guarding his body with the help of his arms and legs. "Fucking idiot!" Zagder wiped off the blood from his nose and kicked him. Umini and Nec also joined the dogpiling. Four of them cornered him and started kicking over him. Famin gritted his teeth and silently endured the assault. He could feel bruises and cuts appearing on his arms but he didn''t take any action. ''I I can''t possibly beat all four of them if only it was one'' Ten secondster. Four of them finally stopped when they noticed that the young man who they were hitting didn''t make any movements. "Hey, is he unconscious?" Leon asked. Nec shook Famin''s body. "Oi, are you alive?" He got no response. "Fuck! Let''s run unless a staff member watches us." Umini suggested. Even though there were no anti-bullyingws or anti-fightingws, there was a certain limit. It''s absolutely beyond stupidity to restrict fighting in a society that has its hierarchy primarily based on strength. That''s not to say that society encouraged gang fights and bullying. There are specific and particr limits, rules, and regtions in rtion to that. For instance, the academy could certainly take no action against ''normal'' bullying but it is observed that the bullying is severely affecting the physical health of someone, strict actions are taken. Most of the time, it''s useless since bullying is everything about proving supremacy and humiliating the other party which is directly rted to mental health. Nec and the others were afraid of being punished. Thus, they quickly exited the ssroom leaving Famin leaning on the locker motionless. Five secondster, the motionless body suddenly moved. Famin''s eyes slowly opened. He was never unconscious and always had his consciousness. To get himself away from them, it was necessary for him to pretend to be unconscious. However, that doesn''t lessen the pain in his body one bit. He stretched his arms onto the ground and tried to get up. His body felt heavier than it usually feels. His eyes moved to the locker that he was attached to. Gaining support from it, he held the locker with one hand, and with the other, he got up with difficulty. Immediately after he got up, he felt the world spinning. Holding the locker, he managed to keep his footing. "Ha hu" He panted heavily and while lowering his head, he started taking small steps. As he got closer to the exit of the ssroom, he saw a shadow and raised his head. Chapter 246: Announcement Chapter 246: Announcement Famin''s eyes contracted and expanded upon seeing the figure in front of him. "Nina!?" It was a medium-height young girl with dark-green hair. She was looking at him nonchntly without a single emotion visible on her face. This wasn''t the first time she had met him but it''s certainly the first time in more than two years that she met. After all, he was someone who left her with small memory. Within a span of a few seconds, Famin managed to regain hisposure by forcing himself to stand straight and forced a stiff smile on his face. "How how are you doing? Haha. I never expected to see you here." "Tsk." Nina refused to say anything and walked away. Looking at her back, Famin bitterly sighed. He didn''t know and didn''t want to guess why she didn''t say anything because he was sure that it wasn''t anything good. ''Good God. I look terrible.'' Soon enough, he examined his condition and headed towards the washroom. Washroom. Famin heaved a sigh of relief when he found no one in the washroom. Needless to say, he didn''t want anyone to see himself in this condition. However, soon, he realized that he had judged soon. There was a single person in the washroom aside from him. It was a pale-skinned white-haired young man about the same age as him. He was unfamiliar with him so he wasn''t much bothered. As he walked past the person to wash his face, the white-haired young man seemed to notice his appearance from the mirror. "Holy shit, dude. You are looking terrible. Did you get into a fight?" "Yeah, something like that." Famin gave a vague reply. He didn''t want to say that he was bullied. The white-haired young man opened his mouth to reply but just then, the speakers ced at the top corners of the washroom sounded. "Attention everyone. Please don''t leave the academy premises and gather at the 1st Grade Training Ground. I repeat. Please don''t leave the academy premises and gather at the 1st Grade Training Ground. Thank you." The speaker went quiet after that. The pale-skinned white-haired young man didn''t have any reaction and was simply washing his face but the orange-haired young man beside him couldn''t help but groan. As if understanding the reason behind the groan, the white-haired guy turned sideways and took a good look at him. "Did you bring the Infirmary Card?" Very obvious from the name itself, an Infirmary Card is needed to visit the infirmary. When it was issued, several objections came from all sides for obvious reasons. What if someone is on the brink of death and he/she hadn''t brought the Infirmary Card? Should the person be left to die? There''s no denying the fact that this is rather an extreme question but the idea is clear. However, despite the overwhelming number of objections, they were ultimately overruled. Back then, it was decided that it''s mandatory for students to bring their Infirmary Card every day. Checks were done every single day. Slowly and gradually, however, the regtions became less strict and it came to a point where no checks were done. Naturally, students also felt veryzy to bring their Infirmary Cards every day. The situation right now is Famin forgot to bring his Infirmary Card and couldn''t immediately help his wounds. Initially, he had nned to leave the academy and get himself treated but with the recent announcement "I didn''t." Famin shook his head. He wasn''t different from any other students that go to the academy. The pale-skinned white-haired guy lightlyughed when he heard him. "People say greed or lust is a human''s primal instinct in an attempt to downyziness. Even though it wasn''t particrly difficult to bring the Infirmary Card, no one is exempted from theziness they bear in their minds." "Perhaps." Famin agreed with a sigh. "Do you have any idea about the announcement?" He asked in curiosity and also in an attempt to strike up a conversation as he thought it''d be awkward if he were to just leave it at that. The white-haired guy gave a sign of affirmation by nodding his head. "I''m quite confident that it''s about the dude who died yesterday because of terrorism. He''s from my ss." "Oh?" Famin showed signs of interest. It''s been a decade or so since thest terrorist attack on the Eastern Dream Kingdom. Previously, it was by a minor anti-imperialist group which was taken down very quickly. So naturally, he was surprised by the emergence of terrorism. Out of curiosity, he asked. "Who is it?" "It''s Rewen Klofar. If you are involved in the academy''s social media sites, you''d have heard of him." The white-haired guy answered. Rewen Klofar was often described as a "notorious" and "troll" around the academy. The titles have been attached to him since the time he beat up Ruby. Rough footage that went viral showed that he was mercilessly hitting Ruby. Even though it''s debated to this day whether it was really Rewen Klofar that was beating up a popr idol, it stayed as an interesting story. Coupled with the first talk he had with his Instructor Venitt, him making up stuff when questioned about the ridiculous question, and his "racist" remarks of when he didn''t want to entertain a student from the [Political Science] department; all of this made him infamous and an object of conversation in the online discourse. Of course, his "poprity" never went beyond the academy. Famin''s eyes widened when he heard the name. "By Rewen Klofar the one with red hair?" "Yeah." The white-haired guy said. "Do you know him?" Famin sucked in a mouthful of air and released it. "I had a brief encounter with him a few days ago. Are you sure it''s him?" Rewen was someone who left the deepest impression on him since he came to the academy. During his suicide attempt, Rewen was the one who brought him to his senses. He was secretly thankful but never got himself to express his gratitude. Later, he met him in the [Heart Domain] and found himself in a dilemma when hepared Rewen''s confidence and calmness to his own. He also discovered that there was a thick sense of mystery around the young man. That''s why he found it hard to believe that such a person just died. "There''s no doubt that it''s him. It''s a tragedy. Regardless of how most people perceived him, I think that he was an honest and genuine guy." The white-haired guy washed his face with his handkerchief, then headed outside the washroom. Famin stared at the mirror and sighed. ''What has the worlde to?'' Then, he washed his face. *** 1st Grade Training Ground. More than a thousand people gathered in the training ground with a couple of media reporters from local news channels. There were even some well-recognized news channels present. Eastern Dream Academy is the most prestigious academy in the north-eastern region of Nat Province. It is one of the branches of the only Super-academy in the entire Eastern Dream Kingdom. Now that an event of national importance urred, new channels wouldn''t dare to neglect it. There was a spacious arrangement of seats. The front seats were all reserved for staff and the rest were for students. There was no ss-wise or grade-based arrangement of seats for students. Anyone could sit anywhere they want. There was an elevated stage at the center front. "Everything''s done. Director is backstage. Bring in the students and staff." The Academy Secretary instructed a couple of staff. The staff did as they were told. Within a span of a few minutes, the training ground got filled with people. Chattering becamemonce. Around the middle seats sat Bianca and Co. (for ack of a better term). Even Francesca was with them. "Hurry up and search for Zel!" Bianca said to her friends before herself starting to look at her surroundings. Salica yfully said. "Hmm I looked deep into the south and still couldn''t fin---" "Be more serious!" Bianca tapped on her head and said with a frown. [A/N: It was a reference to an old video game. It''ll be exinedter.] "She seems to be hiding somewhere" Junar said after not being able to spot a not-tall girl within a crowd of a thousand people. "It''s okay. I''ll search for her after this is over." Francesca helplessly said. The group immediately agreed. Meanwhile on thest seats. Famin quietly sat on one of thest seats while watching everyone chatting among themselves. He looked to his right. There was a wall. He looked to his left. There was a cute girl fiddling with her smartphone. ''Huh?'' Famin properly looked at the person sitting on his left. It was a moderately short-haired girl with her light blonde hairs making a side bang almost covering her left eye. Her small and baby face perfectly aligned with her hairstyle making himpletely dazed for a short while. Chapter 247: Branch Director (1) Chapter 247: Branch Director (1) After a moment of him staring tantly at an opposite gender''s face, he immediately retracted his gaze as it would be awkward and inappropriate if his stare were to be questioned. Unfortunately for him, the other party seemed to have caught his stare and confused looked at him and asked. "Is something wrong?" Pretending to be casual, he answered while not looking at her. "Uh, no. I just found you familiar. Sorry." "Oh" The cute blonde-haired cute girl didn''t think too much about it and got back to fiddling with her smartphone. Famin inwardly heaved a sigh of relief. ''Is this the result of not bothering to have a proper conversation with members of the opposite sex?'' With nothing to do, he quietly listened to the conversations others around him were having. The ones sitting closest to him were three seniors, presumably third years two guys and a girl. "The set-up is grand, I have to say." One of the guys said. "Indeed. I didn''t expect the Branch Director to invest so much to R.I.P to some nameless student from the first year." The girl replied. "You are a bit behind in times. The person who died isn''t someone nameless, at least not in the first year." The other guy continued. The girl touched her forehead and sighed in a dramatic manner. "Whatever do I know... My time in the academy ising to an end. Ah good days are gone." For some reason, the first guy got ticked off by her. "Don''t fucking derail the conversation to yourself." The girl smilingly replied. "Hey, don''t call me out like that. There are people around." "I don''t care Anyways, what about the first year who R.I.P.? Do you have some information about him? It might turn out to be my final project." The first guy looked at the other guy and asked. Hearing him, the girl almost jumped out. "Holy shit! That''s a great idea! I''m doing the same." The first guy refused with a t face. "No. If you were to copy what I do, the value of my project would diminish." "I won''t copy. I''ll just work on the same topic." The girl felt that he had misunderstood her words and corrected him. The first guy had the same straight face. "That''s copying ideas. Don''t do that unless you want to get on my bad side." The girl got mildly angry and snorted. "Huh! You speak as if you are someone great. Fine. I don''t need your worthless idea." "Hey, guys. Calm down. Let''s talk about the first year" The other guy helplessly tried to mediate the situation. "Forget it. It looks like the Branch Director has arrived." The first guy''s attention to the elevated stage. The girl as well as the other guy looked at the stage. Famin stopped listening and saw a bespectacleddy on the stage. She was tall, had a long sleek ponytail and dark hair. Almost every student found her solemn mannerisms attractive. "Is that the Council President?" The blonde girl sitting next to him casually asked. As she turned her head, her side bang made a small flip which made him appreciate her beauty. However, in order to not appear as a pervert of sorts, he hastily answered. "Uh, yeah. She is the Council President. Her name is Mnie Light." "Ma-nee Right?" The blonde girl tried to get the pronunciation right. Famin frowned, then proceeded to correct her. "Mnie." "May-nee Right?" The blonde girl tried again. Famin nodded and asked. "Are you from the South?" From her ent, he could guess that she was from the southern part of Nat Province. Usually, people, there has a different ent from the people living in the northeast (Travil Town). They extensively use the soft pte and often confuse ''L'' with ''R'', "Ah, no. My father is." The blonde girl replied. "I see." Famin didn''t continue to talk with her and looked at the stage where the Council President was about to start speaking. On the stage. Mnie Light suppressed her nervousness and confidently swept her eyes across the people sitting below her. This is the first time she was going to make a speech after bing a Council President, naturally, some amount of nervousness is unavoidable. Looking to her right, she saw the Mic Guy giving her a thumbs up. She then looked at the paper in front of her and started speaking. "I''d like to start my speech by making it clear that the morning is clearly not good today. For that, my apologies to everyone. However, greetings." She took a small pause, then continued. "Yesterday, an aspiring and vigorous young man passed away at the hands of barbaric terrorists. It is with deep grief and regret that I had to inform you that the man named Rewen Klofar is no more in this world. Before I continue, I''d humbly request everyone present here and listening to me to give a minute of silence for the youth who had immaturely left the world." Mnie stopped speaking. With her hands sped together, she along with everyone present in the training ground closed their eyes and silently prayed. A minuteter, Mnie opened her eyes. "Thank you, everyone. Now I''d like to go over the life history of" She stopped in the middle of her sentence when the Mic Guy appeared near her and whispered a few words. Away from the microphone, she softly asked. "Would this be alright?" "Well, that''s what I have been told." "Okay. Wait a second." Mnie turned to the microphone. "The Director has a few words to share with regards to the incident. I would like to wee him on the stage." *p* *p* *p* Sounds of ps resounded from every corner of the training ground. A middle-aged man came on the stage. He adjusted the microphone, then chuckled. "Sit tight. This is going to take a while." Most of the people showed unhappy expressions when he said that. The Branch Director followed. "What did you think it''s going to be? I''lle and cry out a few sentences and leave? Save those ps forter. But I give you my word that it''s going to be worth it." The small chatters around the training ground stopped. The Branch Director coughed lightly, then started speaking. "Before I start to speak, I''ll give everyone an overview of what I''m going to talk about today. There are essentially two main things that I would talk about today which would hopefully enlighten some of the people gathered here alright. First, the media. I''m going to give out some ugly truths about the media. It''s not directed at any of the media gathered here, so don''t worry. Then, I''ll talk about the character who tragically died yesterday." As soon as he took a pause, most people were dumbfounded. Why does it look like he''s preparing for a lecture? No! We''ve had enough of that. Please give us a lengthy speech. Also, why would he talk about the media? Isn''t itpletely unrted? Needless to say, very few looked interested. The Branch Director gave a subtle smile and continued. "I''m sure that right now many of you are thinking why discuss the media? I''ll give you a simple and urate answer Rewen Klofar didn''t simply die at the hands of the terrorist group. There''s an immense number of details that the media has hidden from you. Yes, you heard it right. The truth is right out there but it has been hidden from you. As for why it''s hidden, I''ll leave it to you not! I''ll talk about it." Most of the students who had a sullen posture immediately had their back straight. Looks like the "lecture" isn''t as boring as they were thinking it would be. Bianca and Co. looked at each other figuring out what the Branch Director was talking about. They were among the few people who were aware of the incident. So today morning, when they turned on the news, they were disappointed that nothing more "a first-year student from one of the Eastern Dream Academy branches was killed by a group of terrorists" was reported in news channels. Initially, they were confused as to why that''s the case but then, after talking among themselves, they figured that it''s rted to politics. Famin also rubbed his chin in interest. His eyes subconsciously traveled to the blonde girl sitting beside him. For some reason, she had a look of anticipation on her face and had her fists clenched. The Branch Director gave a small nod. "Let''s talk about it. I''m only risking my career. It''s nothingpared to the sacrifice that has been made. Sigh, anyways for obvious reasons, I''m not going to name any news media. "Yesterday, at around 6 p.m., the official report regarding the events and details surrounding the death of Rewen Klofar was released. Due to the nature of our Public Information Procedural Act, the reports released directly by the Provincial Security Bureau never get openly released." Chapter 248: Branch Director (2) Chapter 248: Branch Director (2) "In short, they are not avable to the local public. The reports are only released to selected individuals. Most national news media are one of the groups a copy of the report goes to. If the national news media wants to honestly tell the contents of the report, the smaller news media would do the same. They control the level of what we should know. "You might be thinking why would the national news media bother hiding the report? The reason is simple inter-state politics. Without going too much about it, I''ll just say that our Nat Province isn''t the toughest on politics, and sometimes, we appear as aughing stock to some groups who have an attitude of ''holier than thou''. They can''t see us getting the appreciation we deserve. That''s why they tell the media they control to suppress the news. Also, this isn''t the first time this is happening." At this moment, the entire training ground was drawn into the words that wereing out of his mouth. The media had their eyes popping out. Beforeing here, they were promised that something news-worthy would happen. This was way more exciting and interesting than they expected. How many days had they seen a respected individual who has some value and worth in the work he/she does directly speak out against the national news media? Their ratings were bound to rise! Famin had an incredible look on his face. He also found it unbelievable that the Branch Director would be so ''open'' and ''frank''. *p* *p* *p* ps resounded from every corner of the training ground. Seeing everyone pping, Famin also lightly pped. When he looked to his left, he saw the blonde girl vigorously pping while expectantly looking at the Branch Director. The ps had already made her palms turn red. Seeing this, he wanted to say ''chill'' but eventually decided to mind his own business. On the middle seats. Bianca and Co. had a smile on their faces. Francesca frowned. Turning to the person sitting nearest to her, Kesha, she asked. "Was the story of Rewen''s death fabricated?" Kesha thought for a second, then answered. "It''s not fabricated, per se but it missed out a tremendous amount of information." "For instance?" Francesca couldn''t help but ask. "For instance" As she was about to speak more, she noticed that the Branch Director had already opened his mouth to continue his speech. On the stage. The Branch Director swept his gaze around the training ground and had the urge to bitterly smile. ''I can already tell that I''m going to lose this job hu whatever. It''s worth it.'' Despite how he looks, he is past the hundred years mark in age. In his youth, he wanted to work for the Central Government but by the time he got the job in the Central Government, he had already realized the atrocities and corruption prevalent and thus, quit the job and decided to be a professor. Slowly and gradually, he climbed the hierarchy and he is now the Branch Director working under the only Super-academy in the kingdom. He had regretted several things in his life. His biggest regrets include the times he had to make friends and cooperate with the worst people. In fact, the only reason he could be a Branch Director is because of the support of corrupted people. For a long time, he had been disgusted with himself and with the decision he had made. Despite all this, he never dared to speak out against the establishment directly. The turning point was yesterday. He was one of the selected people who got hold of a copy of the report that had detailed information of what led to Rewen Klofar''s death. When he read that he was a student studying in the Eastern Dream Academy Branch he controls, he got interested. The more he read, the more fascinated and interested he became. By the end, it came to a state where he nkly stared at nowhere for a long time. He turned in the news to see which utterly disappointed him. Feelings of rage and disgust came to him. Recollecting the same rage, he spoke. "When a B-list actor dies of old age or heart attack, the national news covers it for three days. "When some rich second generation dies of reckless driving, the national news covers it for more than a week. "When a politician you haven''t even heard of and who barely did anything significant dies, the national news covers it for more than a week. "When some unknown guy from the Frozen Fire Kingdom shits about our nation, the national news would go as far as to cover it for a month. "When a damned criminal whomitted all the atrocities one could think of gets captured or killed, the national news would spend months trying to make you sympathize with him. Hell. If he had some story to tell, even a series or a movie would be made. "I ask you of this how much time do you think a national hero gets for his death?" "Not more than six hours. That too, not bothering to bring up the deeds he did in a short period of a week when the people sitting at the top of the hierarchy were helpless. Why do we not hear about it? Because the people controlling how much information we should take are afraid of their own ipetence highlighted in front of everyone." *p* *p* *p* The ps got harder. Even the people from the media started to vigorously p. This is wild! Each word that ising out of the Branch Director''s mouth is wild. Not only did it get the students and people from the media to get riled up but even the staff were no exceptions. Educators, Lecturers, Instructors, and the management staff all of them had an incredible expression on their faces. "Instructor Xovin, were you aware of the things the Branch Director was going to say?" Instructor Venitt, who was sitting beside Assistant Instructor Xovin, asked. Assistant Instructor Xovin bitterly smiled, then shook his head. "He just said he was going to say a few things about the boy. Who would have thought he would go on a rant about the media?" Instructor Venitt lightly snorted. "We''ll have to prepare for a farewell for him after this." Assistant Instructor Xovin rationally thought about it, then shook his head. "No one can say for sure. Even they couldn''t imagine the level of outrage if the Branch Director were to be fired. ording to me, they would at most create difficulties for him. Firing him just like this would just go further to prove the moment the Branch Director is trying to make." "Well, that''s what I hope With that being said, is the Branch Director trying to portray the boy as some sort of a ''national hero''? Are you sure his mind hasn''tpletely left him?" Instructor Venitt found the notion of the seemingly ordinary boy that she had ck-listed being hailed as a ''national hero'' a bit too far. ''For what? Just for bringing into attention the rise of a new group of terrorists?'' Assistant Instructor Xovin gave a small smile. "Let''s hear him. Though I do think that you should be a bit prouder for the student you raised being called a ''national hero'' by the Branch Director himself." "Oh, definitely. I''m proud." Instructor Venitt perfunctorily replied. She is a realistic person. She doesn''t think that she had done anything of significance to Rewen Klofar and therefore, she feels that there''s no reason to feel proud. On the middle seats. "A national hero?" Francesca couldn''t help but sigh. ording to her, the title of ''national hero'' shouldn''t be thrown around casually. Although she knows that the young man, who she met on the second day of the academy, was not an ordinary person, she feels that it''s inappropriate to call him a ''national hero''. At this time, she heard a couple of chucklesing from beside her. The chuckles came from Kesha, Bianca, and Junar as they were the ones closest to her. "What?" As someone who is used to having more knowledge than others, Francesca was mildly annoyed when she felt that someone was making fun of her ignorance. Suppressing her annoyance, she said. "I''m sorry if I made any irresponsible statement." Kesha simply said. "No. It''s fine. We don''t me you." On another corner of the training ground. *Pah* *Pah* *Pah* The blonde girl sitting next to Famin was getting more excited as every second passed by. Not being able to control her excitement, she repeatedly pped the thigh of the person sitting closest to her. "OMG! Yas! He is a national hero!" Famin had a grim expression on his face. He had never met such an upbeat person in his eighteen years of life. He had the urge to say ''Miss, you are making yourself toofortable'' but then he noticed that the other person had noticed what she was doing. Chapter 249: Branch Director (3) Chapter 249: Branch Director (3) "Ah, uhm, sorry." The blonde girl retracted her hand with an uneasy face. She was used to having her friends around the academy and thus, subconsciously made herselffortable. Famin gave her a single nce, then slightly nodded his head. What else could he say? Let him p her thigh in exchange? No, that would be too inappropriate. "It''s not a big deal." The blonde girl blinked her eyes and showed a smile with multiple emotions ovepping in her eyes. "It''s just that I got too excited when he praised Rewen as you get the point right!" By the end of her sentence, her ''energy'' was restored and she seemed full of zeal again. ''There are all kinds of people in this world.'' Famin secretly thought. "My condolences. Are you someone close to Rewen?" The blonde-haired girl''s eyes brightened when she heard the question. "Of course! I''m his cousin! You can even think of me like his best buddy!" "Cousin? As in Denny" Famin was about toplete his sentence when he was interrupted by her. "No, I''m Zelic. From his maternal side. Denny is from his paternal side." The blonde-haired girl proudly revealed her identity. After angrily separating from her group of friends, she took some time to cool off her mind and yed with her smartphone. Within five minutes, her mood recovered and nned to reunite with her group but just then, she heard the announcement. Initially, she didn''t have any hope of getting her cousin (Rewen) recognized for what he did. She was very well aware of the fact that her cousin tremendously helped the entire nation of the Eastern Dream by exposing the REAL WAIFUS CORPORATIONS LIMITED to the public eye. Before yesterday, less than a fraction of a percentage of the poption knew about it, and even if those selected few did know about their existence, they couldn''t specifically pinpoint their location, how they function, and how widespread the group was. That''s why she wanted her cousin''s death to not go in vain and desperately searched for recognition and validation on behalf of her cousin. Now that the Branch Director finally shed some light on the issue, she couldn''t contain herself and got overexcited. "Nice to meet you, um, I''m Famin." Seeing that the other side had introduced herself, Famin felt that it would be rude if he didn''t do the same. "Famin, hmm." Zelic gave a small nod, then turned to the stage. Famin did the same. On the stage. The Branch Director took a small sip from the bottle near him and turned to the microphone. "Cough. It''s with great sorrow that I''m standing before everyone today having to spew out negativity out of my mouth. I don''t bear any sort of malice or grudge against any of the people working in the national news media. I understand the fact that it''s easy for me to criticize something which is reflected at face value instead of delving deep into the difficulties of the bearer of the criticisms. "With that being said, it''d be massively hypocritical of me to not acknowledge the fact that I''m indeed ming the national news media. However, my me is more towards the establishment and not towards the people themselves. There''s also a lot of inter-state politics involved. You see, our province of Nat isn''t particrly ''hard'' on policies ranging outside the borders of the state. This is not a recent discovery or anything of that sort. It has been prevalent for centuries all due to the submissive nature of the politicians. Due to cheap personal benefits, our province was robbed of itsnd time and time again. "Even though our current Provincial Government is somehow stable, it is still one of the weakest states be it economically, militarily, or social influence. This led to the formation of deep inferiorityplexes within the minds of youth living in this province and also, retrospectively, it also created superiorityplexes with the youth in the neighboring provinces. Taking this into the factor, it''s not far-fetched to imagine the thoughts of the politicians. "This is but a hypothesis but would it be worrisome to im that one of the reasons the national news media didn''t bother to spare some time to reveal important details from the report is because they didn''t want the Province of Nat to feel good about themselves?" He paused and took a good look at the audience. Predictably and understandably, he didn''t get a good response. With regards to this, he chuckled lightly. "Right. I''ll ask the question again once I tell you about the report. Let''s talk about the report now. Enough politics." The Branch Director took a brief pause. He went to the side of the stage and picked up some papers. By this time, almost everyone was sitting on the edge of their seats. The hype he had built up regarding the "report" was far too great. It was natural to be curious. Below the stage, Assistant Instructor Xovin turned his head around and found the atmosphere quite exhrating. "The crowd is heated up, wouldn''t you say?" He asked the person sitting nearest to him, Instructor Venitt. "Well, of course, I am no exception." She gave an honest reply while looking at the stage waiting for the Branch Director to speak. Assistant Instructor Xovin smiled. For some reason, he took out his smartphone and started recording, pointing the camera towards the stage. On the stage. The Branch Director gave a single nce at the anticipating crowd and opened his mouth. "Before starting with the reports, I''d like toment upon a few things that should be taken into mind while I speak about it in the next few minutes. The report is much moreplicated than one would expect. It tries to tell the events in chronological order but that makes it even more confusing. "The reason for this is ambiguity. Most of the actions behind the events that took ce have evidence-based conclusions. However, a tiny portion of the actions is unexinable by all measures. I''ll make it clear when I speak about those instances. To understand it better, I''ll divide the report, i.e., the events that led to the death of Rewen Klofar, into three portions Cause, Course, and Conclusion. I''ll briefly exin them. "The cause, that is, the event that triggered every event leading to the death of Rewen Klofar is possibly something none of you can''t even begin to imagine. 31st March, 4027. Night. 11:25 p.m. Rewen Klofar refused to engage in sexual activities with a helpless woman who happened to be drugged. This is the point that started everything. Try to understand. Obviously, this is an overly simplistic way of looking at it but it wouldn''t be wrong for me to say that Rewen Klofar would still be alive and kicking had he not met the drugged woman." As soon as he said that, mors started all around the training ground. "Is the Branch Director serious?" "Surely, it would be beneath the Branch Director to joke about a matter as serious as this." "Yes let''s give him the benefit of doubt for the time being." Francesca was simply bewildered by the words of the Branch Director. For a while, she didn''t know what to think. On one hand, she believes that a high-standing man like the Branch Director wouldn''t joke about the matter, and on the other hand, she is very skeptical about the fact that such a thing happened. Kesha happened to notice her shock and couldn''t help but smile. "He isn''t lying. This is what happene--- no wait. This this wasn''t mentioned by Denny" She wasn''t initially aware of what the Branch Director spoke as she expected herself to know everything about the matter and had paid very little attention to it. She immediately turned to Bianca and the others who had a simr confused look. "It shouldn''t be surprising that there''s a deeper reason behind why Rewen would suddenly take a leave and go to the slums" Gill said in a serious tone. Junar agreed with him. "I would agree with you but the problem is the reason itself is too out of the ordinary. It''s difficult for people to not doubt and question" Francesca silently heard the discussion happening beside her and increasingly got confused. ''Never mind. It''s a bad idea to get abstract ideas and try to somehow connect them. It''s better to just wait for the Branch Director to exin clearly." At another corner, Famin sucked in a mouthful of air and exhaled. ''This has got to be the most interesting thing I have heard in a while.'' He turned his head to take a look at the expression of the person sitting beside him. Zelic seemed to be taken aback. "Ddid this really happen?" Famin frowned and found her expression a little funny. "Were you not aware of this?" Without turning her head to look at him, Zelic answered while swallowing air. "I wasn''t." Chapter 250: Branch Director (4) Chapter 250: Branch Director (4) ''That''s weird, to say the least'' Not thinking too much about it, Famin turned to the stage waiting for some kind of exnation. Zelic was also intently looking at the Branch Director. On the stage. The Branch Director saw the doubt on everyone''s faces and sighed. "I''ll post the report on the site after this. You can verify if what I''m saying is true or false. And this report contains the signature of the Collective Official so there''s no way I would have the guts to fabricate such unnecessary, not unnecessary, but perhaps minor details for fun just to get locked up tomorrow." He took a small pause and saw that their faces got less skeptical. "As for the course, it''splicated to exin but for now, just know that Rewen has been engaging in a battle with the terrorist group from the 2nd of April till yesterday when he died. The image that he miraculously came in contact with the terrorist group and tragically died ispletely false. The terrorist group just didn''t happen to catch the eyes of the authorities. They were lured out from their bases by one person who is Rewen Klofar." *p* *p* *p* Even though the majority of everyone present in the training ground didn''tpletely get the picture of what had happened, they were, nevertheless, surprised by the information. After all, it''s extremely difficult to imagine a boy who had just got into the world of mages performing a feat such as luring out the terrorist group and also fighting with them. From just this, they could understand behind the outrage towards the media from the Branch Director. No wonder he was so angry. It was a deliberate attempt to conceal the deeds of a person who contributed much to the world before he died. Below the stage. Assistant Instructor Xovin had a troubling expression on his face. Instructor Venitt happened to see it and asked. "What''s wrong, Instructor Xovin?" Assistant Instructor Xovin shook his head and spoke. "It''s just that I am not inclined to take the word for it. Don''t get me wrong. I believe that the Branch Director wouldn''t lie but it''s just the wording" "Do you have trouble believing that Rewen alone could lure out the terrorist group?" Instructor Venitt softly asked. "I don''t believe it was just Rewen alone. Last night, I looked into the terrorist group that was discovered. The group was named REAL WAIFUS CORPORATIONS LIMITED. Quite the unusual name, I must say. From what I could find, they aren''t your ''normal'' run-of-the-mill terrorists. They had an organized system and hierarchy and the Eastern Dream Kingdom isn''t the only nation they are settled in. There is at least one base in every single city in the nation. In powerful and well-known cities, it is estimated that there are more than three bases. "In addition to that, there are numerous Rank 3s in those bases. Let me ask you now do you believe that I''m being too pedantic to not believe that a mere eighteen-year-old boy who hasn''t even touched the surface of ''power'' could wreck a base solely on his own?" Instructor Venitt squinted her eyes. "Are you sure the information is urate?" "You can be certain about that." Assistant Instructor Xovin lightly said. "By no means am I trying to disvalue the efforts and deeds of the boy. With everything being said, this only increases the sheer magnitude and gravity of what he did. Even if he had some help, he did manage to bring out the terrorist group to public eyes. Without him, perhaps we might be living unaware of the terrorist group for years or maybe even decades." Instructor Venitt silently acknowledged. On the middle seats. Francesca hurriedly took out a pocket-sized notebook from her inner pocket and started writing down some things. As the Leader of the 1st Grade ss, she is responsible for taking notes of important events that seem relevant, spreading awareness, and having discussions. ''It looks like the events have a much bigger story than I initially expected.'' Kesha, Bianca, Junar, and the others were smiling in anticipation for the Branch Director to reveal the details. On thest seats. Zelic tirelessly pped till her hands went red. Then, she looked at her surroundings wanting to see the surprise on everyone''s faces. "What do you think?" Famin, who was absorbed in the words the Branch Director just said, turned his head to find the blonde-haired baby-faced girl looking at him with a strange expression. "Did you say something?" "I I was just asking if if you find it surprising that the story waspletely different than you had expected." Zelic asked on a whim and immediately regretted asking. Her skin was thick enough to ask it again so she had to somehow twist her words. "Oh" Famin wondered for a second, then answered truthfully. "Actually, I don''t watch the news much so I didn''t really have any expectations" Zelic showed a disappointed expression. "Ah, it''s okay. Sorry to disturb you." Famin was confused by the strange question but didn''t think too much about it and turned to the stage. On the stage. The Branch Director flipped the page. "There isn''t much to say about the conclusion. Rewen Klofar died after exposing the terrorist group to the world. He gave our academy, our city, our province, and our nation to feel proud." As soon as he said that, he noticed some dissatisfied faces and smiled slightly. "It''s not the time to have radical thoughts like ''Why should I feel proud? When did I do anything? Pride is something that one feels for something he/she has done or aplished.'' Now is not the time for that. "If you feel that you belong to this academy, this city, this province, and this nation, you ought to feel connected with the people. That''s enough. With the presupposition that I would still be in the academy, I would prepare arge event honoring the life and death of Rewen Klofar. "Now, I''lle to the report. If you''ve forgotten, let me remind everyone once again that the report consists of several actions whose cause is unexinable. With that being said, let''s start from the very beginning. I''ve already gone through the event which started everything so I''ll skip over to the next event." The Branch Director paused for a few seconds. "The event I''m going to talk about ispletely, maybe notpletely, but for ny-five percent of the part totally unrted. Yet, the reason we need to know this is because it provides us with an important detail the initial strength of Rewen Klofar. "1st April 4027. 3:14 p.m. Rewen had an encounter with one of the members of DREAMTEEN. Ruby was her stage name if I recall correctly. Apparently, the quarrel started between him and Ruby when both of them shed with each other. The fault of this sh ultimately goes to Ruby''s who was speeding over. Within a few seconds of exchange of words, the quarrel escted into a fight. "It has to be known that Ruby, although not involved in the profession ofbat, was an initial stage Rank 2 Mage. Let alone her skills, her physical prowess alone was not something a newly-admitted student of the academy could rival. Even so, the boy Rewen Klofar was extraordinary from the start. Not only did he decisively control the situation by instructing his friend to call the cops and deal with Ruby by himself, he even managed to overpower her and crush her." The Branch Director paused when he noticed some discussions going on in the training ground. It didn''t take more than a single moment for him to figure out the topic of discussion. Simply smiling, he said. "Of course, you are designed to think that this event is a conspiracy. Even when there is clear footage of the event, the blurred footage circted around the inte. In the end, not a single news media covered this. On this part, I won''t me the media as there are other parties on the scene. I know some of you aren''t convinced of my exnation. Therefore, I''ll post clear footage of the event by today." The discussions which were small scale turned loud. "There''s no way the exaggerated hypothesis we yed with and made fun of is actually true!" "I refuse to believe this!" "Huh! Who cares if you refuse to believe this? Facts are right before your eyes. If you can''t ept, there''s surely an inner bias involved." "I couldn''t agree more. These are the same people who made fun of Rewen when he was fighting to save their asses." Very quickly, the tiny anti-Rewen group was suppressed. Below the stage. Instructor Venitt had a serious look on her face. "Instructor Xovin, what are your thoughts on this?" Assistant Instructor Xovin replied with no hesitation. "This should be true. The other parties that the Branch Director is referring to are" Chapter 251: Branch Director (5) Chapter 251: Branch Director (5) "The other parties the Branch Director is referring to are probably from the OCEAN, notably the people behind the idol group DREAMTEEN. The entertainment industry, especially idol groups, is flourishing in the nation. No. They have been flourishing for more than forty years. Our entertainment industry has be internationally recognized and slowly turning into a source of pride for youth. "Naturally, some political power has shifted towards the industry and here we have it. An idol who is proven to be a threat to society due to the unfortunate advent of a phenomenon called interference would not be liable for the damage he/she has caused to society. However, if the same person happened to be a normal person without being involved in the entertainment industry and he/she is someone who caused some level of damage to society, he/she would be sent to those special mental institutions. "Is this" Assistant Instructor Xovin stopped mid-sentence; his sharp eyes rxed. "I''ve embarrassed myself." He was so invested in the topic that he went on a rant. Instructor Venitt shook her head and gave a rare warm smile. "There''s no shame in speaking out against the injustice in the system. In fact, I would love to hear more about it. As Lord Kursh once said The Land of Celestials as rich and significant as ours needs no praise or glorification. It needs individual criticism. To progress, we must find the need for progress." Assistant Instructor Xovin understood the context of the quote and nodded in agreement. ''It''s hard to empathize with a figure like Kursh but there''s little to question about his foundational teachings.'' On the middle seats. Francesca was more than ny percent convinced that such a thing really did happen. Immediately after noting down the words of the Branch Director, in brief, she turned to the group sitting with her. "Could you verify if this is true or not?" Bianca and Kesha turned their eyes to Gill who was conversing with Evans. Gill sensed their gazes and asked. "Something wrong?" "Exin to her about what happened in the incident with Ruby," Kesha said in amanding tone while pointing to Francesca. Gill appeared dissatisfied. He was sitting three seats from Francesca. Not only would it be difficult to exin, he also disliked her tone. "Why don''t you exin it? You were there in the scene and I had taken my precious three hours to exin the situation to you that day." "I can''t hear the Branch Director''s speech if I were to start exining." Kesha frankly said. Gill was instantly taken aback by her reason. "What about me?" He instinctively asked. Kesha nkly stared at his face looking as if she had never considered the question. Appearing to be thinking deeply for a second, she replied. "I''ll tell you afterward the contents of the speech." "How about I do that instead?" Gill argued. Francesca turned her attention to the stage with a strange face. She had already got the verification she needed. "What? I''m a woman." "I couldn''t care less." "Is that so? Better luck finding a male partner." Bianca, Junar, and Evans pretended to not care about the ongoing quarrel. It was just another day for them. On thest seats. ''The power to overpower an initial stage Rank 2 Mage is nothing to be taken lightly. Normally, this would have been on the news and Rewen would have gotten praise and appreciation from all over the country but for some reason, the affair was forcefully suppressed. ''If I have to make a guess, it''s probably got to do with the fact that if the affair were to be spread, it would shrink the reputation of thepany or organization behind the idol group as it would have revealed that one of the idols they have selected has a serious case of interference. And this is just the surface who knows how deep the string of reasoning goes.'' Famin thought. He didn''t need to be smart or a person of high IQ to get the general idea of the matter. On the stage. As the discussion slowly died down, the Branch Director continued his speech. "The relevant conclusion we can draw from this event is that the boy Rewen Klofar was strong; he was stronger than any other first-year student. Despite not having used any skills and not even touching the surface of a Mage, he was able to defeat a Rank 2 Mage. There are two simple reasons for this. First, during the short fight, he showed a masterful range of martial arts techniques. His physique was also judged to be almost on the same level as Ruby which is astonishing. "His background has been checked and he has not been involved in martial arts. At this point, it could only be spected that he had learned martial arts from someone in secret. He had probably trodden on the route of [Martial Artists] before joining the academy. We weren''t aware of that at the time of his admission which is fine. Secrets that wouldn''t harm society in any way shouldn''t bother us. "Second, the idol Ruby wasn''t in her right mind. She was consumed by rage that originated from her interference. Due to this, Rewen had effectively used it against her and managed to save his life. Immediately after the fight, the cops arrived on the scene. The division that arrived wasmanded over by the Former Branch Head George Bamin. Remember the name. Later, at the hospital, he was denied the right to take action against the person who assaulted him. "That is everything that happened in the event. Let me talk about the part we aren''t clear about. "We don''t know why Rewen Klofar was abnormally strong for his age. Even though [Martial Artists] get a head start, they aren''t close to the physique Rewen had at his age. At this stage, he was just a young man who was a little strong. I''ll consider this as a checkpoint. You''ll see why I''m doing so. The journey is mysterious, fascinating, and grievous." No one in the training ground could say for sure what the "journey" that the Branch Director was referring to was. Most people rted it to the journey that led to Rewen Klofar''s death as that is the most probable answer when the context is considered. "To move over to the next event, there is an important and interesting fact that is to be known. The drugged woman who Rewen Klofar met on the night of 31st March was astonishingly a first-year student as well, who coincidentally was his bench mate." As soon as he said that, discussions erupted once again. "Who was his bench mate?" "Urgh it should be Ijas." "Idiot. It''s not a guy. It should be the other bench mate. What''s her name?" "I know! It''s Qiki. I once tried to approach her to make friends but she didn''t seem too much into socializing. It shouldn''t be the first time. Many guys and girls tried to get her to open up but she had always rejected our advances." A girl from the 4th Grade ss spoke out. "Did shee today?" "She neither came yesterday nor today." "That''s interesting. Do you think that she is behind the death of Rewen?" "Fingers crossed. This is scary but I do have a bad premonition regarding this" Francesca heard the conversations around her and quickly wrote the name ''Qiki'' on her little notebook. She appeared calm on the surface but if one were to look closely, he/she would notice that the pen she was holding was shaking. ''This.... this can''t be happening...'' "This who is Qiki?" Bianca said with an iprehensible expression. She hadn''t heard about her from Denny. "She wasn''t aware of the incident where Rewen encountered her. It is likely that even Denny wasn''t aware of her. This is getting deeper" Junar thoughtfully replied. "Denny only told us what she knows." Gill agreed. "Do you think that she is responsible" Kesha didn''tplete her question. Junar understood her question and answered. "Let''s wait and see. One thing is clear though. Since the Branch Director felt that it''s relevant to bring it up, she is certainly involved in the matter." On thest seats. Famin was wondering about theplications of the matter when he heard the sound of gritting teeth. Turning his head, he saw the blonde-haired girl sitting beside him gritting her teeth while looking at the stage. "Um?" "That bitch! I knew it! No wonder she was so interested in Rewen!" Zelic bawled her fists and jerked on her seat. "Um? Are you familiar with her?" Famin raised his voice and asked frankly. Zelic looked at her side. "Huh? Of course, I am familiar with her. I always noticed her secretly staring at Rewen. When I confronted her about it a week ago, she just said that she was interested in him. Who would have thought that her meaning of "interested" is not the kind I thought?" Chapter 252: Branch Director (6) Chapter 252: Branch Director (6) "That''s, uh, something" Famin didn''t know what he should say to continue the conversation. Even though he had an interest in the topic, due to his weak social skills, he couldn''t properly hold the conversation for long in some cases. He was too conscious of what he should say if it''s appropriate or not; if it''s contextual to the matter or not, how he should convey the message without sounding pretentious, and how the other party would take his words. In the simplest of terms, bad childhood led to this. It instilled a deep-rooted inferiorityplex within himself that has yet to rot away. He grew up thinking he was inferior to others. There were some people who had encouraged and told him that he was just as capable as the others but if words could heal, he would have be immortal by now. He was always in a dilemma about which road should he pick "man up" or let the time heal. He tried both of these and failed. "Man up" is only possible in a scenario where you have something more than just determination and courage. As harsh as it might sound, that''s the reality he had experienced. And time? How was he supposed to heal with time when he never got the time itself? Nevertheless, Famin found the "time-healing" process much more ptable, achievable, and believable. ording to his beliefs, a person''s state of mind is temporary. With the passage of time, he is sure to encounter different events which could restructure the way he thinks. One could say that he is optimistic and should take active measures. For instance, go out and socialize, and maybe use the system to wash away his troubles. However, this is but a nave way of looking at things. There needs to be a breakthrough of the mind. Getting physically stronger would only further his inferiorityplex in the mask of superiorityplex. It would give him a false sense of superiority that would cover the shining inferiority underneath. The moment he encounters a person who is superior to himself, the inferiority would resurface. Famin has dreams of bing sessful and strong and he knows that his mindset is the only hindrance on his road to sess. "Why are you so quiet all of a sudden?" Suddenly, he was woken up from his thoughts by a female voice. The voice belonged to the person sitting closest to him, Zelic. "Did you say something?" Looking at her, Famin asked. He noticed that most of the stress and anger that was emitting from her had faded away. "I asked Never mind. You were nking out. Are you always like that? The Branch Director is about to continue so I thought of" "Ah, thank you." Famin rubbed his eyes and fixed his eyes on the stage. On the stage. "Again, if there is a doubt in your mind, which is natural, then you could go through the report that I would post on the academy''s official site." The Branch Director paused, then looked through the faces in front of him. He inwardly smiled when he saw that most of them looked convinced. "The next event happened on the 2nd of April, that is, the day right after. It was night. Rewen had gone out to have dinner and booked an appointment in a restaurant. When he sat down to eat his meal, he was greeted by the woman. The same woman who was drugged on the 31st of March and who was revealed to be a ssmate of his. "At this point, it can be concluded that it is anything but a coincidence. The two of them had an interesting conversation. To summarize the entire conversation, the woman who was drugged asked for Rewen to be monitored on the activities in his daily life. Rewen firmly refused. It was unknown why the woman would even ask such a thing. The most probable spection is that it was simply for her own self-enjoyment. "Perhaps she wishes to make his life difficult. The truth is we can''t say for sure. The exchange was weird, to say the least. Everyone might be thinking that it made sense for Rewen to reject such terms but when reading between the lines, it is clear that he had some idea of the background of the person. He knew that he was in an unfavorable position yet he refused. It was a strange discovery. "The brief encounter ended when he walked away from the restaurant and immediately applied to join the Grand Ultine Kapile Club but that is a topic for another day. For now, there are two main things that must be remembered. "First, the woman who was drugged was not an ordinary woman. She had a background muchrger than you might imagine. It has been verified. "Second, how did Rewen seem to know about her background? Later, he proves himself to have knowledge of her identity. The question as to why he knew is unanswered and the answer could not be spected without the spection being nothing more than a guess." The Branch Director stopped speaking. "Huh? This is really weird." "I''m interested in the conversation that happened between them." "Looks like the Qiki girl had a hidden aim in joining the academy." "That shouldn''t be possible. The admissions were already closed by the mid of March. Even if she had a good background, there''s no way she could just join the academy on a single day." "Hm, that''s true. Maybe the part about her encounter with Rewen Klofar was nothing more than a coincidence." "Yes. From the looks of it, it seems like it was a coincidence. However, her meeting Rewen in the restaurant isn''t." "Wait. The conclusion, as well as the premise, is wrong. Qiki was a first-year exchange student. She had registered in some other branches of Eastern Dream Super-academy but in the final moment changed the branches." "What? Is that the case?" "You could check the admission records. It''s certainly not a coincidence that she transferred to our academy." The studentsmunicated among themselves to arrive at a conclusion. The same discussion is going on in the middle seats "We thought we knew everything." Junar bitterly smiled. "Of course, you couldn''t know everything. I think it''s great that we are filling in the gaps with answers to the questions we previously had in our minds." Bianca thoughtfully replied. Junar didn''t argue further and waited for the Branch Director to speak again. Kesha was about to say something when she noticed something unusual. Shifting her eyes, she saw that the person sitting beside her, Francesca, had her fingers shaking. She had no focus on her eyes and was nkly staring at her front. "Um, is there something wrong?" "No, no." Francesca woke up from her daze and hurriedly shook her head. "Your hands were shaking? Are you ill?" Kesha didn''t appear to be convinced and asked in a concerned tone. "It''s just too crowded." "Too crowded?" "I have ustrophobia." "Shit!" Kesha''s eyes went as wide as possible. Her reaction was simr to that of discovering someone close to her havingte-stage cancer. "Let''s take you somewhere." She tried to get up with the intention to take Francesca somewhere ''safe''. Francesca hurriedly stopped her. "I''m more or less okay now. As long as it''s not apletely closed space, I shouldn''t be much affected. Besides, I don''t want to attract attention." "Are you sure?" Kesha asked. "Yes." Francesca nodded. On thest seats. Famin didn''t want to invest much time and effort into making up a hypothesis when he would be hearing facts in the next moment. His interest was towards the blonde-haired girl sitting beside him who was biting off the nails with her teeth with ferocious eyes. ''Her reactions areedic. If I wasn''t seeing this with my own two eyes, I would have believed her to be some cartoonish character who is just there foric relief. Whatever. I shouldn''t look at her for too long.'' He retracted his eyes and looked around the training ground. The initially quiet atmosphere had turned lively. From instructors to staff, from first-years to third years; everyone was engaged in a serious discussion. When he looked at the stage, he saw the Branch Director looking at them with a slight smile on his face. ''This is certainly a good way to increase the students to socialize with each other collectively on an issue. It''s quite rare to get everyone into a discussion about a certain issue. The Branch Director is making use of that.'' Socializing is one of the most important elements for an academy to continue to do better. It increases the feeling of unity among the students and sets up an opportunity for them to know each other better. Not only does it help in the academic curriculum but also outside of the academic curriculum. "Ugh! I''m so angry!!" Zelic pped her armrests venting her anger. "If only I had realized her true nature..." Chapter 253: Branch Director (7) Chapter 253: Branch Director (7) Famin lightly chuckled in amusement. He couldn''t help but get amused at her reactions. "Ha? Why are you smiling? Did I crack a joke?" Unfortunately for him, Zelic didn''t like his amusement. "No" Being a life-long pacifist, it would be weird for Famin to respond back provocatively. Even though he liked to call himself a pacifist, ''spineless'' would be a better word to describe him. "No. Tell me. What did you find funny?" Zelic didn''t want to let it go. Thinking about "Qiki", she was furious and he just happened to be the perfect person for her to vent her short-term anger. With a distressed expression, Famin moved his eyes to the stage. "It''s nothing. Look, the Branch Director is about to speak" Zelic shook his left shoulder rudely. "You have to tell me." ''Why is she being so difficult?'' Famin had a difficult face. Not wanting to linger on the matter, he admitted. "I uh, found your reactions funny." Zelic was taken aback by the answer. She had several answers in her mind but this was definitely not one of them. After a moment, she got even angrier. "What about my reaction was funny?" For Famin, the question was extremely difficult to answer. What was he supposed to say? Her face lookedical? No. That would escte the matter. After a few seconds of thinking, he decided to remain quiet and not pay attention to her. "Hey." Seeing his silence, Zelic hit his left shoulder once again. Famin didn''t respond and his eyes were fixed on the stage. Zelic looked at him for a few seconds, before turning her head. On the front seats. "This is tricky That girl Qiki was in my ss and I''ve not observed anything unusual about her." Instructor Venitt thought back on the training sessions and tried to think of anything out of the ordinary. Beside her, Assistant Instructor Xovin patted his thigh. "No wonder" The action attracted Instructor Venitt''s gaze. "Did you find something?" The Assistant Instructor didn''t answer immediately. He tapped his feet and appeared to be thinking deeply. Looking at the stage, he said. "During the jointbat program, I''ve always felt that the girl''s physique was stronger than a normal Rank 0 Mage. I wanted to confirm this after her fight. However, she lost and I lost my interest." He paused, then took a deep breath. "Now it seems that it wouldn''t be a stretch if I were to say that she deliberately lost her fight to not get questioned about her strength. Sigh, I shouldn''t have been negligent." Instructor Venitt''s eyes flickered. She had seen and checked Qiki''s progress multiple times but she couldn''t figure out her physique while Assistant Instructor Xovin who hadn''t even actively checked immediately found out something wrong about her. ''Maybe I should work on my [Sense].'' "That''s unfortunate but in that case, I have a bigger me." Instructor Venitt said. Staring straight, Assistant Instructor Xovin changed the topic of conversation. "What kind of impression did you have on this kid Rewen Klofar?" "My impression of him was not the best, honestly speaking." Instructor Venitt admitted. "I''m not fond of the ''rebellious'' types and he appeared to be one of the prime examples of a rebel. I''m sure you''ve watched the short clip with him arguing with me over affinity. He talked and looked as if he had the world in the palm of his hands. "I didn''t like the attitude and didn''t have a good first impression of him. Later, when he effortlessly defeated his opponent in the jointbat program, I thought that he was rather capable and had a slight change of impression. Some dayster, he asked something along the lines of ''Would I hide my progress if it would seem ''shocking'' or unusual''. The question itself was unusual. "The next thing I did was to check his progress and found out that it was normal. Immediately, I put him in the category of students who are pretentious and rebellious. Now I''m having doubts whether he really hides his progress or not. After that conversation, I decided that I would keep an eye on him. One thing was for sure. There was something about him that made him stand out from the rest of the students." Assistant Instructor Xovin slightly smiled. "He was an energetic one" Then, his face turned serious. "That day, he crouched without any warning" Instructor Venitt wasn''t clear about what he was talking about and asked. "Did you have an encounter with him?" "Oh, no. I''m talking about the day of the jointbat program. I arrivedte and the boy Rewen was picking up his opponent through the lottery. Under normal conditions, he shouldn''t be able to dodge me. I mean, I''m d he did but I couldn''t see how he dodged it without any warning." "Perhaps he saw a reflection somewhere." Instructor Venitt made a smart guess. Assistant Instructor Xovin nodded with his feet tapping the floor while his arms folded. "That''s possible. However, I don''t think that the matter is so simple. Could you have dodged me if you were in his ce?" Instructor Venitt nodded without any hesitation. "I could have dodged it without much effort." Assistant Instructor Xovin didn''t speak anymore. His expression seemed to indicate that he expected the answer. He fixed his eyes on the stage waiting for the Branch Director to speak just when he saw a hande in front of his eyes. The hand was carrying two drinks. "Here. Have it." Both Assistant Instructor Xovin and Instructor Venitt turned their eyes and saw a young woman wearing a robe simr to them. She is Wy, the Assistant Instructor of the 3rd Grade ss and also the youngest instructor in the academy. Her age, although unknown, was spected to be not more than fifty. However, because she got along with the students due to her mannerisms and looks, she is often thought to be younger. "When did you get these?" Assistant Instructor Xovin took one of the drinks and asked. Instructor Venitt also followed suit, taking one of the drinks and looking at her. Assistant Instructor Wy shrugged. "It was always with me." "Hm, it feels cold" Assistant Instructor Xovin drank the drink and wondered. If she had bought the drink before they came to the training ground, then the drinks should have gone cold. Assistant Instructor Wy kept her index finger close to her lips and smiled. "Trade secret." Instructor Venitt and Assistant Instructor Xovin looked at each other and smiled. It wasn''t hard to figure out the answer. On the stage. "By now, I expect everyone to get a somewhat clearer picture of the event. The reason I''m giving some time before going to the next event is that it''s important to digest the information first as it only gets more and moreplicated. Therefore, rx. Obviously, just words aren''t enough for everyone to envision the event with intricate details. However, I will try my best. With that being said, let''s move along. "The next event happened right on the next day. On the 31st of March, Rewen met the woman who was drugged. On the 2nd of April, Rewen again met her at a nearby restaurant at night. Now, 3rd of April. Morning. He took a leave of absence from the academy. Here''s something interesting. The reason he gave for taking the leave was interference. "It has been verified that he indeed had interference but that wasn''t the reason why he took the leave. For some reason, he took the leave to go to the slums. There, he let himself be kidnapped by a group of people who live off by kidnapping vulnerable people and selling them to organ traders. He let himself be kidnapped, hid his smartphone in a ce others would think several times before checking. "Then, he called the cops and met up with the kidnappers. He subdued them with his strength and made a deal with them. He promised to give them some leeway in the court in the condition that they answer some of his questions. Through the conversation, he found out that they were kidnapping him for the purpose of selling his organs. Later, he asked them to call the organ dealer they''ve been trading with. "After some time, the cops arrived and he didn''t keep his promise, handing them over to the cops without batting an eye." The Branch Director paused for a while. "Before I continue, let me tell you something interesting. The entire case, following everything that led to the death of Rewen Klofar, was the first case in three years where the Provincial Security Bureau vited the terms of the Public Information Procedural Act. One of the terms of the act states that Any attempt at breaching data from the Privacy uses (III) would be considered a crime. Depending on the number of factors, sentencing would be decided. "It simply meant that only security cameras and honest witnesses could be used as a source of evidence" Chapter 254: Branch Director (8) Chapter 254: Branch Director (8) "Of course, witnesses'' statements would first have to be verified and then, if the statement were found to have some truth, the witness would be considered honest. Exining this just because I see some faces asking ''Do witnesses'' statements are immediately considered truth?'' Back to the point, I was talking about, yes, only honest witnesses and security cameras could be used as a source of evidence. "Since I said ''only'', surely that means that there are other methods of obtaining evidence, right? The answer to that is yes but also no. What do you mean? Let''s understand. I talked about the Privacy uses (III) a few seconds ago. Does anybody have any idea of what it means?" The Branch Director paused, then looked from left to right of the training ground. After waiting for a few seconds, he didn''t see anyone volunteering to answer. "In the simplest of terms, it states that the privacy of every citizen of the country must be protected. In this context, the word ''protected'' simply means without special permission, your life can''t be under surveince. That''s not to say that security or surveince cameras couldn''t film or record you. When you move outside your residence, you willinglye under direct surveince. "If you go to ces where there aren''t any security cameras and you are in a private domain, for example your residence, and someone tried to go through your private life, then the person is legally ountable. Now, of course, the biggest question that should be on everyone''s minds is ''If there are no cameras, how could I be under surveince?'' Here, my friend, you are tantly showing your naivety. "Did you really believe in the myth of privacy? Sorry, that doesn''t exist. At most, your private life is being protected. During thest year of the short-lived Adept Era, one of the most technologically advanced research stations located in the Purple Continent made a revolutionary discovery. "A group of scientists discovered some interesting characteristics of the atmosphere. The atmosphere had apressing feature limited to only a fewpounds. Understand this. You have air all around you. You were taught that air is nothing but abination of a few gases. However, what if I were to tell you that it''s notpletely true and that there is something other than that present? "By now, most of you look like you have already guessed. Yes, there are microscopic cameras carried by air." As soon as he said that, the Branch Director could almost feel the temperature of the entire training ground go down. Aside from the staff, educators, instructors, some others, everyone swallowed a mouthful of air. The Branch Director slightly smiled when he saw the reaction. "Is it hard to believe? Of course, it is. I freaked out immediately when I found this out. The discovery is, to this day, one of the biggest achievements of science and technology. The materials used for the production of microscopic cameras were released to the whole world. "The government, both the Central as well as the Provincial, have ess to the activities you do in your everyday lives. If it wasn''t for the Privacy uses (III), we would be living in paranoia. This is the importance of Privacy uses (III). However, that''s not to say that the Privacy uses (III) aren''t vited at all. They are. In fact, during the course of history in the Eastern Dream Kingdom, the Privacy uses (III) have been vited a total of 1,511 times till now and they would continue to be vited. "Only when the national interests of the country are threatened could the Privacy uses (III) be vited. For the vition, the Chancellor, as well as the BOCO (Board of Collective Officials), have to give permission. Just from this, we could see that viting the Privacy uses (III) isn''t a simple task. By viting, I mean ''viting legally''. "I''m sure everyone has an idea why I''ve brought this up? Yes, the Privacy uses (III) have been vited for the detailed and thorough investigation of the events that led to the death of Rewen Klofar. His every move was recorded and examined. Yet, there are still a lot of questions and mysteries surrounding him. Due to this, the investigation is still going on. If I have to guess, the investigators are probably going back in time to find something unusual about him and answer the unanswered questions." The moment the Branch Director paused; discussions erupted once again. "This I didn''t sign up to know this. Now I''ll never feel at peace whenever I engage in private activities." "That is your main concern!?" "Yeah well I don''t really have anything to hide. I''m not a member of some secret organization." "That''s also a valid point but I feel that we should take this more seriously, right?" "Indeed! Our rights are being vited. How can you just let it rest?" "B-but the Privacy uses (III)" "That is also true. We still have our privacy. Only in certain cases, does privacy be a myth. And even in those cases, we need not worry about our private lives being seen because we probably won''t be rted." "Look at these idiots. Do you really believe that the government isw-abiding? Have you seen our corruption ranking? Forget about the kingdoms in other parts of the world. Just in our own Earth Empire, we rank second highest. At this point, how can you trust the government?" "The best lesson we can learn from this is to not provoke the government officials or their rtives. Who knows if they''ll find a way to ckmail us?" Below the stage. Assistant Instructor Xovin couldn''t help butugh when he heard the discussions around him. "Haha! This brings back memories. I had the same reaction as them when I found out about this. Most of them think that our constitution andws are weak and feeble." "Instructor Xovin, you shouldn''t me them. It''s not their fault that they didn''t learn about how the government functions in their high school or middle school. It''s the system that''s at fault." Assistant Instructor Wy showed a bitter smile. "Ignorance is bliss, Wy. It''s better that they didn''t learn it till now. If every random person starts to learn about the government, it''s only wonder how many strikes and riots would take ce. At that time, do you think that the government would give concessions? No. They would open fire, as it''s stated in the constitution." From the side, Instructor Venitt remarked. Assistant Instructor Wy went quiet for a while before opening her mouth again. "I understand that it would cause more harm than good but if that''s the case, why don''t people like us do something about it? I''m sure our words have way more influence than ordinary people. Isn''t that so?" Before Instructor Venitt could answer, Assistant Instructor Xovin said with a smile. "You are still too green, Wy. Do you think you are the first person to have this idea? Let me ask you who do we work for?" "Of course, we work for the government." Assistant Instructor Xovin nodded his head. "Yes. Do you know how much influence we have on the government? Forget about the Central. Just in Provincial Government alone, how much influence do you think we, instructors, have?" Assistant Instructor Wy put her hand on her chin. "Maybe equal to a few District Experts?" "Incorrect." Assistant Instructor Xovin seemed to have seen this answering. "I can understand the way you are thinking. You probably think that if every instructor present in the Nat Province were to face off with the District Experts, we would easily be able to overpower them. Since our collective strength is way greater than the District Experts, our influence shouldn''t be too much lower. Right?" Assistant Instructor Wy nodded. She had a simr train of thought. "Where did I go wrong, Instructor Xovin?" Assistant Instructor Xovin patiently exined. "Let''s discuss the ''collective strength'' that you optimistically thought of. How many associations of instructors are there in Nat Province? One. If I were to take a step back, it wouldn''t bepletely wrong for me to state that we don''t really have an association since the only association we have is a branched section of Mage Institutions Association. In short, we don''t have a functioning unity. "Now, influence is not rted to strength. Strength could give you influence but having influence doesn''t necessarily mean you need to have strength. Influence is political. Say, how many instructors in the entire Nat Province have a good background. ''Good background'' is kind of vague so let''s say how many instructors in the entire Nat Province have rtions with B-level politicians?" Assistant Instructor Wy took out her smartphone but before she could start searching, Assistant Instructor Xovin spoke out. "You don''t need to search. There are exactly zero instructors who have direct or indirect rtions with a B-level politician. Why do you think that''s the case?" He asked. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!