《The Life of the Phoenix Titan》


 [ Arc 01 ][ 00 ] Prologue

    It was night time, and the moon hovered high in the sky, shining down its beauty onto the surface of the world. The creatures of the wild made minimal sounds as they scurried around in the dark, minding their own business. It was a peaceful climate, as the wind blew blissfully around, indicating the joy of Mother Nature. However, that could not be said for a certain woman inside a certain house as she was going through her first labour.


    The woman was moaning painfully, with her face twisting and contorting as an expression of the pain she felt. She was lying on top of a comfortable bed, but even that comfort was lost on her as her pain was much too unbearable. Because to this, all she could do was cry in pain and thrash around helplessly as if her stomach was going to burst.


    A man stood next to her bed, a petrified expression could be seen on his face by watching her cry and thrash around. He was her husband, who was also the man of the family. However, he felt very useless as he had to watch by while his wife was going through a lot of pain. His mouth was dry, and he felt he lost his ability to speak because of all the tension. Still, he grabbed her flailing hand and held it tightly with his firm grip, trying to reassure her that he was there for her and everything will be fine.


    Next to him stood a woman dressed in a maid outfit, obviously she was the family servant. She wore spectacles that were perched on her nose, and she was observing the woman going through a lot of pain with narrowed eyes. When she witnessed her master grabbing her mistress¡¯s hand firmly, she smiled a little at the affection he had for his wife.


    ¡°Master, please calm down,¡± the maid had said to him in a reassuring voice. When he merely nodded, she felt worried and added, ¡°The mistress is not in any kind of danger. This is purely a natural occurrence of a mother giving birth.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± he said, managing to respond to her, but he continued to look concernedly at his wife, ¡°but¡­ but she¡¯s¡­ she¡¯s in so much¡­ pain¡­!¡±


    Their maid gave him a sympathetic look and stated, ¡°Ever women goes through that when it is time to give birth to their child, master. But, please feel reassured that I am taking good care of mistress, and everything will soon be over,¡± and she walked over to the other side of the bed to sit down next to the writhing mother.


    ¡°Madam,¡± the maid said slowly, placing a hand on the woman¡¯s forehead to calm her a little, ¡°I know it is tough, but try to relax. You¡¯re moving too much.¡±


    The mother was unable to follow her statement because of the pain distracting her, but she still tried to follow the maid¡¯s advice. She tried to control her movement, but the pain seared through her determination and made her cry out in pain. Her husband watched helplessly, his face becoming distressed with worry and fear for the safety of his wife.


    A tense moment later, the baby was finally born, and the mother heaved a very deep sigh in relief as the maid lifted the baby gently in her arms. It was a boy, with a really cute face with small round eyes that matched the eyes of his mother. At that moment, he had screwed up his face and was crying earnestly while the maid was gently speaking soothing words so that he would stop and relax.


    It took several seconds for the baby to finally calm down and stop crying. The maid smiled serenely down at the boy before being beckoned by the mother, and gently laying the baby down next to his mother, who turned slightly to look at her newly born son and sighed contentedly.


    As the maid withdrew, the father walked around the bed to reach the other side and sat down gently on the bed to look at his newly born baby. He looked at his son with a look of wonderment on his face.


    ¡°He¡¯s so cute!¡± He exclaimed happily, a big grin forming on his face. ¡°He¡¯s certainly bald, but, well, I guess most babies are born that way.¡±


    His wife chuckled tiredly while gazing affectionately at her son, who was quiet now and sleeping peacefully.


    After a while, she commented, ¡°I think¡­ he looks like you.¡±


    ¡°How?¡± The father asked, scrutinising his son¡¯s face. ¡°I feel as though he bears a lot of your features.¡±


    ¡°Maybe we can tell the difference if you also shave your hair and put you next to him,¡± his wife suggested with a small smile.


    He looked at her in alarm and said, ¡°No way in hell am I getting a shave! Besides, I¡¯d look atrocious without my lovely spiky hair.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll grow back in a month or two,¡± his wife commented with a grin.


    ¡°That¡¯s not the problem!¡± His husband complained loudly, looking indignantly at her.


    Just then, his son suddenly woke up and began crying again as he was woken up with a start by his father¡¯s shout.


    ¡°W-Wow!¡± The father exclaimed, looking alarmed by his son¡¯s wailing and looked nervously at his wife.


    ¡°Look at what you did!¡± She complained, looking crossly at him.


    As he looked dejected by her scolding him, she moved her hand slowly and placed it gently on her son¡¯s body while whispering gently into his ear. The soft touch of his mother¡¯s hand on his skin, as well as her soft whispering in his ears, worked and calmed him down before he gradually fell into sleep again.


    ¡°You see that?¡± The mother asked, turning to look at her husband with a proud look on her face. ¡°He loves his mother more than his father.¡±


    ¡°Very funny!¡± Her husband said, said irritably and turned away while crossing his arms in front of his body.


    The wife chuckled and turned back to her child, gently stroking his bald head softly. The maid stood by and watched this affectionate scene unfold, making her show them a smile filled with happiness.


    ***The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Several days had gone by since the mother gave birth to the child, and health condition of both the mother and the child stabilised. She was now able to leave the bed and began moving around the house normally, however, she moved slowly because of the pain that still lingered in her belly. Due of this, she walked about an hour and spent the remainder of her time lying on the bed, leaving all of cooking and house chores to their family maid.


    On one day, both she and her husband were in their bedroom with their son sleeping peacefully in her arms. They were quietly conversing with one another on the topic of making plans for his future as well as thinking of various names that they should give their son.


    ¡°I want to start training him with the sword once he reaches seven,¡± the husband said firmly.


    ¡°The sword?¡± His wife asked, looking worriedly at him. ¡°Not magic?¡±


    Her husband looked at her and said flatly, ¡°You know my distaste for magic, right? It¡¯s slow, weak, and pointless. A quick dash could easily defeat a mage in the middle of their chant, and you¡¯d be dead without being able to do anything to defend yourself. I don¡¯t like the thought of him having to face such a situation.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± she agreed as it made sense, ¡°but we have many friends in our circle that are strong and are very good at magic.¡±


    ¡°Maybe,¡± he said, accepting her statement, ¡°but keep in mind that they are not completely humans. We¡¯re regular humans with nothing great about us that¡¯ll make us qualify to compete with other races who¡¯ve evolved while we remained unchanged.¡±


    His wife sighed and said, ¡°You¡¯re going about this with a single-minded perspective based on your experience alone.¡±


    ¡°Lakshmi,¡± he called his wife by her name with a stern look on his face. ¡°You are an Advanced Ranked Magician who is good at using Advanced Healing Magic, Intermediate Fire Magic, and Intermediate Light Magic. Whereas, I am a failure, and even my friend told me that I am incapable of using magic even if I did learn the theory. I¡­ I don¡¯t want my son to face that kind of disappointment, believing that you can learn magic only to have your dreams crushed. That¡¯s why, I don¡¯t want him to experience the same pain as I did.¡±


    His statement was met with silence from his wife, who could not think of anything to reply with. She knew her husband was deeply hurt over the fact that he could not fulfil his dream of using magic and was using that as a basis to not teach her son magic. For the moment, she decided to drop the subject as she felt they would go nowhere with it and bring it up a few years later.


    ¡°Okay, Indra,¡± she said, calling her husband by his name and smiling up at him. ¡°You made your point, and I understand. However, isn¡¯t sword training at the age of seven a little bit early?¡±


    ¡°Come on, Lakshmi. All boys start their training at the age of seven, which is when they are most active and it¡¯s also the perfect condition to kick start their muscles into development,¡± said the husband with a bright smile on his face, glad that she gave up on persuading him.


    His wife eyed him wearily and said, ¡°You¡¯re only concerned about your son having muscles than real training, you muscle brained idiot.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Her husband said, looking shocked. ¡°It¡¯s rude to call your husband an idiot!¡±


    She smiled and turned to her sleeping child, gently saying, ¡°See that? Your father is an idiot because all he cares about are muscles.¡±


    ¡°Stop creating a misunderstanding!¡± He retorted, looking flabbergasted by her statement. ¡°Muscles develop while you¡¯re training and skills improve and you improve as a warrior! That¡¯s all there is to it! Don¡¯t make it sound all weird.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Okay,¡± she said, chuckling with laughter at the sight of her husband looking shaken


    He coughed and breathed a sigh before saying, ¡°Anyway, once he becomes good with the sword and comes of age, I plan on gifting that to him,¡± and he looked to the side towards the sword that hung on the wall


    Lakshmi glanced at it and asked, ¡°The sword Felix gave you as a gift?¡±


    Indra nodded and replied, ¡°Yes. Felix thought it might work for me as it didn¡¯t work for him, but it remained like that. Maybe, by gifting it to my son, it could probably show its true potential like Felix had said.¡±


    She looked at him wearily and asked, ¡°Are you sure the story about the Phoenix Blade is really true? Because, from the historical texts that I read, the Phoenix Blade disappeared 8,000-years-ago at the end of the war along with the Phoenix Titan who played a major role in stopping it. Are you absolutely sure that aged sword is really the Phoenix Blade?¡±


    Her husband eyed her sternly and said, ¡°Yes! If Felix said it, then it must be true! He¡¯s the Phoenix Emperor after all!¡±


    ¡°If you say so,¡± she responded weakly, giving up the argument as she found no use in pushing it any further.


    Indra nodded and smiled brightly as he said, ¡°Yes. Felix is one of the strongest beings in world right now, and it¡¯s no wonder since he comes from the Phoenix Clan.¡± Then he looked down at his son and said, ¡°Problem is, my son needs a name that¡¯s really strong and suitable for him.¡±


    ¡°How about Vijay?¡± She suggested hopefully. ¡°It means victorious, right?¡±


    He shook his head in rejection and said, ¡°No. It¡¯s too simple and common. We need a special name, something like Dharma, a man of justice. What do you think?¡±


    His wife raised an eyebrow with a strange look on her face and commented, ¡°That¡¯s too aggressive.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the thing! Men should be aggressive!¡±


    His wife looked at him severely and said, ¡°If you mean for him to go through the same hardships like the two of us, then I refuse to give him that name!¡±


    Indra looked surprised and raised his hands up in defeat, saying repeatedly, ¡°Alright. Alright.¡±


    He placed a hand on his chin in a thinking gesture, contemplating about other names that they could give their son. As such, silence fell in the room for several seconds before Lakshmi was the first to break it with her suggestion.


    ¡°How about Raghava?¡± She suggested hopefully.


    Her husband nodded at that name and said, ¡°Yeah. That sounds good. In fact, we could just go with naming him Veera Raghava Chand! A fearless warrior that will become well known in the future! You know, something he could be proud of in the future just in case he becomes famous.¡±


    ¡°Um,¡± his wife began hesitantly, looking doubtful, ¡°I don¡¯t think I want to name my son that.¡± When her husband looked at her in shock, she elaborated, ¡°Well, you see, that name sounds like a name belonging to a rough and dangerous person. I don¡¯t want my son to grow up to become feared by others, I want him to grow up and be respected for what he is.¡±


    ¡°Basically, you want him to have a name that will bring him fortune, grace, and any luck that we didn¡¯t have?¡± Indra asked her, and she nodded with a smile. He sighed and thought for a moment before supplying, ¡°In that case, why don¡¯t we name him¡­ Lakshman.¡±


    ¡°Lakshman?¡± She asked, looking curious. ¡°Any reason?¡±


    ¡°Well, for one thing it literally means Lucky!¡± He explained gleefully, ¡°and another because it goes so well with your name. Think about it. Lakshman. Lakshmi. Lakshmi. Lakshman. See what I did there?¡±


    She looked at him with a bemused expression on her face before she asked, ¡°Who¡¯s the one that said I was simple when I suggested Vijay earlier?¡±


    ¡°T-That was too simple,¡± said Indra in defence, looking disgruntled, ¡°and Lakshman fits our son better since that¡¯s the criteria we¡¯re going for. It is, isn¡¯t it?¡± He asked her finally as a challenge. When she nodded, he nodded back firmly and said, ¡°So, there you have it! Lakshman fits our requirements nicely!¡±


    His wife saw his expression and it made her laugh before she extended her hand out to touch his cheek with a warm expression on her face.


    ¡°I like it,¡± she said simply with a beautiful smile on her face. As he smiled warmly back at her, she turned her attention towards her sleeping son and said softly, ¡°Lakshman. It has a good ring to it.¡±


    As if in response, their child stirred briefly from his sleep before shifting a little and going back to sleep. This made his parents look at each other in surprise before chuckling lightly so that he could not hear them and needlessly get disturbed from his sleep.


    And so, they decided to name their son Lakshman, who slept blissfully, completely unaware of the name he had received, nor the brilliant future that awaited him.

 [ Arc 01 ][ 01 ] A Routine

    It was the start of a beautiful day, with the sun slowly rising over the horizon with only a few clouds visible here and there. The creatures of the wild, such as birds and other small animals, stirred in the dawn of a new day, getting ready for the start of a new day.


    At a particular house, a man stood outside swinging his sword up and down in a rhythmic motion as he was in the middle of doing his morning training. Two more women lived inside the house, bustling about the house, cleaning dishes or cooking breakfast. The only other occupant remaining in the house was a small boy, who was fast asleep in his room. He had covered himself from head to foot with the bed covers and slept peacefully without making the slightest sound.


    The rising sun shone its light across the land, waking up many creatures, but the closed curtains of the windows in his room prevented any of such from happening. Even the sound of the birds chirping outside did little in waking him up from his peaceful slumber.


    The women that was in her nightwear finished making breakfast and one headed upstairs to wake her son up, whom she knew was still asleep. She knocked on the door twice and when there was no response, she opened the door and entered her son¡¯s room. She glanced at the bed with the sleeping person and put her hands on her hips while making an exasperated ¡°Hmph!¡± sound.


    The mother of the child looked at the closed curtains and got an idea. She moved towards the curtains and flung them to either side, basking the room in the early morning sunlight and, in doing so, she turned and spoke to her son.


    ¡°Come on now! Wake up, Lucky!¡±


    The child moaned restlessly, shifting aside while keeping the covers over his entire body. His mother put her hands over her hips and looked exasperated by her son¡¯s behaviour before walking over and sitting down gently beside where he lay on the bed.


    ¡°Lucky¡­! Wake up already! If you don¡¯t, your breakfast will get cold, and guess what? It¡¯s your favourite morning energizer; Poori!¡±


    There was a moment of pause before the voice of the boy exclaimed, ¡°What?! Really?!¡±


    The child quickly pushed the covers away and revealed that he had pure black hair and charming eyes that were also black. Without a moment¡¯s hesitation, he sat upright on the bed and turned excitedly towards his mother with great eagerness.


    ¡°Really, mum?¡± He asked questioningly, looking eager but still doubting her words a little bit.


    ¡°Would I ever lie to you?¡± His mother asked him in return, causing him to grin broadly.


    ¡°Awesome! I¡¯ll go brush my teeth in a jiffy!¡± He said and jumped off his bed.


    ¡°Make sure to brush properly and for at least two minutes!¡± His mother called after her son, who was already left the room.


    Seven years had gone by, and Lakshman, whom his parents had lovingly nicked Lucky, was finally turning seven on that day. His family, who had the surname Chand, consisted of his mother, Lakshmi, his father, Indra, and their family maid, Mariana.


    Over the course of seven years, Lucky grew up receiving the loving affection of his parents and received a strict discipline management from the family maid. His education was conducted straight from home, supervised by Mariana while his mother and his father went away to attend to their work.


    After brushing his teeth, Lucky headed down for breakfast and was greeted by Mariana, who was carrying a bunch of clothes in her arms.


    ¡°Good morning, young master,¡± she greeted him respectfully.


    ¡°Morning, Mariana!¡± He replied excitedly. ¡°Mum said she made me Poori! I¡¯m excited!¡±


    ¡°It is your birthday after all,¡± she replied with a fond smile on her face. Then she bowed a little and said, ¡°A belated happy returns of the day.¡±


    Lucky smiled happily and said, ¡°Thank you, Mariana,¡± and hugged her, only that he hugged the bundle of clothes she was carrying. ¡°Ugh!¡± He exclaimed, reeling back by the smell and placing a hand over his nose to block out the smell. ¡°They stink!¡±


    She chuckled and replied, ¡°These need to be washed, young master,¡± and she bowed before departing to wash the clothes.


    He watched her leave and decided to head into the kitchen to see how much his mother was making of his favourite breakfast. However, before he took another step, he heard his father calling him by his nickname from outside.


    ¡°Lucky! Lucky!¡±


    Lucky hesitated for a moment, torn between wanting to see his food, but worried about being scolded by his father. Eventually, when his father called out to him again, he decided to leave the food and hurried out of the house to meet his father, who had stopped swinging his wooden sword and held it aside while wiping the sweat off his forehead.


    ¡°Morning, dad!¡± He greeted him brightly.


    ¡°Morning, son, and a happy birthday!¡± Indra replied, placing his hand on his son¡¯s hair and ruffling it with a big grin on his face. ¡°Seven-years-old! It¡¯s been seven years since you were born, Lucky! How does it feel?¡±


    His son looked at him with a cheeky smile and replied, ¡°Hungry.¡±


    Indra laughed and said, ¡°You and your jokes!¡± Then he looked down at his son and said, ¡°So, starting today, I¡¯m going to be training you to build up your body by exercising every day in the morning and develop a strong body.¡±


    ¡°Dad, I¡¯m just a kid, not a warrior like you,¡± his son complained.


    ¡°Maybe not today, but you will be in the future. Keep in mind that this world is harsh and monsters roam the fields, and there¡¯s no telling where danger lurks. Even when it¡¯s to save someone, you need strength to do that!¡±


    At those words, his son asked, ¡°But, I¡¯m not strong though, dad. All I could do is probably shield them with my body to stop them from getting hurt? Is that also being strong?¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± replied his father smoothly. ¡°Your feelings may be the only strength you have right now, but once you start training, then you can do more than just shielding. That¡¯s why one must keep training and remain on guard at all times.¡±Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    His son nodded and asked, ¡°Alright, but I¡¯m hungry, dad. Can¡¯t I eat breakfast and start training from tomorrow onwards?¡±


    ¡°Your breakfast can wait because training is important.¡± When his son opened his mouth to complain, Indra added, ¡°Your food won¡¯t suddenly sprout legs and walk away. Relax. It¡¯s only for an hour.¡±


    This shocked his son and made him exclaim, ¡°An hour?! By that time, it¡¯ll get cold!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly. Your mum hasn¡¯t started cooking yet. It was I who told her to wake you up using that because you don¡¯t listen to anything else.¡± When his son looked shocked, Indra grinned and said, ¡°It¡¯s alright, though, because your breakfast is still Poori so be happy about that.¡±


    Lucky nodded, smiling wryly as he realised his father had gotten him good that day on that day. Afterwards, the father made his son run loops around the house for ten rounds before giving him ten minutes to rest. Then he made his son do multiple exercises that would greatly enhance his body, and by the end of the hour, his son was so worn out that his legs shook in the struggle to support his weight.


    ¡°It¡¯s only the beginning, so it feels that way,¡± said his father reassuringly, taking one arm of his son and helping him get back into the house, ¡°but once you become accustomed to it, you won¡¯t even feel the pain. After that, I¡¯ll steadily increase the intensity so that you truly become stronger!¡±


    Lucky groaned tiredly, by his mood changed when he saw his mother waiting for them at the entrance.


    ¡°Breakfast¡¯s ready!¡± She said brightly, and her son could not help but get excited at the prospect.


    ¡°Yay!¡± He exclaimed, and all three of them headed into the dining room to smell the sweet, tasty breakfast waiting for them.


    Mariana stood to the side, waiting for them, and quickly moved to draw her young master¡¯s chair back so that he could sit down. He thanked her and sat down in front of his plate filled with ten Pooris.¡±


    He smiled with great excitement and looked expectantly towards his mother, who had put her hands together and seemed to be conducting some sort of prayer. Every morning having their breakfast, the family sits and waits patiently for her to complete praying towards the gods for granting them wealth, food, and health for all their hard work.


    Once she finished, she turned to each of them before noticing the family maid standing to the side.


    ¡°Mariana, how many times must I tell you, sit down with us too,¡± requested Lakshmi, pointing to a chair beside Lucky.


    ¡°I¡­¡± began Mariana hesitantly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so reserved, Mariana,¡± said Indra, smiling at her and indicating at the spare chair.


    Being pursued by both of her master and her mistress, the maid had to sigh and reluctantly agree. Then she took a plate from the centre of the table, placed it where the spare chair was positioned at, placed the food on it and finally sat down to join them. Only after she did sit down did Lakshmi smile and say the key words.


    ¡°Let¡¯s dig in.¡±


    The moment the words left her, Lucky began to wolf down his favourite food with great gusto. With each bite he took, he would savour the flavour, the sweet delicious taste filling his mouth and look like he was having a great time. In the meantime, his father and mother would look towards him from time to time and chuckle at seeing him looking so blissful.


    ¡°Does it taste good?¡± His mother asked despite the answer being evident by seeing his expression alone.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Her son replied brightly, turning to show his mother a brilliant smile on his face. ¡°Your cooking is awesome, mum!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you think so,¡± his mother replied, smiling warmly at her son¡¯s remark.


    It took the family, including the maid, several minutes before finally being done with their breakfast. The first to finish was Mariana, and she waited patiently until Lucky finished his meal to rise to her feet, take his plate along with hers and head over to the kitchen. A moment later, Indra and Lakshmi finished eating, and the mother rose to her feet and took her husband¡¯s plate along with hers before heading into the kitchen after the maid.


    For a while, the father and the son chatted with one another, discussing about mundane things before Lakshmi returned.


    ¡°I take it we got shopping to do today?¡± Indra asked his wife curiously.


    She nodded and replied, ¡°Yes. Our supplies are running low and might last for two to three days.¡±


    He raised an eyebrow and remarked, ¡°That is short.¡± Then he sighed and said, ¡°I¡¯ll have to postpone my schedule with my friends for some other time.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay if you¡¯re busy,¡± his wife said, smiling serenely at him. ¡°I can just go with Mariana some other time.¡±


    Her husband shook his head and stated, ¡°It¡¯s fine. Those guys won¡¯t mind. Besides, it¡¯s been quite a while since the two of us went out to do anything at all,¡± to which his wife blushed a little.


    Their son, who had followed the conversation with keen interest, raised his hand and asked, ¡°Um, can I come along too?¡± When his parents turned to look at him, he shrugged his shoulders and said, ¡°Well, it¡¯s been a while since I ventured out of the house, so I was wondering if I could come along with you and visit the town?¡±


    They looked at each other before turning back to smile pleasantly at their son.


    ¡°Of course, you can come with us!¡± His father said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t hesitate to ask us if you need anything,¡± his mother stated with a gentle smile.


    ¡°Yeah! You¡¯re our only son, so ask us anything so long as it¡¯s reasonable or inexpensive,¡± his father added with a smile.


    Their son smiled happily and said, ¡°Thanks, mum! Thank you, dad!¡±


    Thus, Indra, Lakshmi, and their son, Lucky, got ready to set out on their journey to the nearest town to fetch supplies.


    Their method of transport was by horse. The Chand family owned two horses stationed inside the shed that was situated left from the front of the house. Indra untied their ropes and brought the two horses out of the stable into the open, and the two horses, which were both brown in colour, neighed happily at being able to come out into the open and stretch their legs.


    First Lakshmi climbed onto her horse, and then Indra helping their son get on and quickly moved to get on his own horse. Once all three are mounted, they looked back and waved at Mariana, who would be staying at home, and shook their reigns to get the horses moving.


    They travelled for half-an-hour along the straight road surrounding by beautiful fields of grass and vegetation before reaching the nearest town. Once they arrived, Indra dismounted and shown them his Adventurer Card to identify himself and his family before they let them in.


    ¡°Wow!¡±


    He had exclaimed in wonderment at the number of people roaming around on the streets and going about their usual business. In these seven years, he had visited the town only a couple of times because his parents did not let him got the school in town and had him being educated from home instead with Mariana¡¯s supervision.


    ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s go shopping first before we buy Lucky something,¡± Lakshmi stated as their plan of action.


    So, they directed their horse towards the grocery store when a nearby commotion caught their attention. They turned and witnessed a robed figure being shoved out of a restaurant by two bulky looking men. The person stumbled and fell onto the ground, making the hood covering their face come off.


    The person was revealed to be a female, with long blue hair, with ruby blue eyes and possessed a red crystal that was embedded on the centre of her forehead. She slowly pushed herself off the ground while sporting a few scrapes from her previous fall and looked weakly up at the men.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have room to let Demons in our restaurant!¡± A bulky built man snarled, glaring down at the crouching figure of the woman. ¡°In fact, we don¡¯t like having you Demon folk come in here! Get out of here!¡±


    ¡°Yeah! Get lost, Demon girl!¡± His companion shouted from standing beside him.


    ¡°Sir, please,¡± the girl, implied to be a Demon, implored weakly to them. ¡°I am hungry, and I will pay,¡± and she rummaged through her cloak before producing a pouch that clinked with money.


    As she held it out for them, the two men got shocked and the bulky man shouted, ¡°We don¡¯t want money from someone of the murderous race,¡± and kicked the money aside with his foot, injuring her hand at the same time.


    She winced from the pain and said, ¡°Ah,¡± as the money pouch flew through the air and fell to the side. Then she cried out in pain when the man kicked her from the side and made her fall over once more.


    ¡°You are murdering thief!¡± The man beside the bulky person shouted. ¡°Someone called to the authorities!¡±


    Then he glanced down at the woman slowly pushing herself up and felt even angrier than before. Just as he turned and was about to kick her, Lucky has had enough. For some reason, he did not like seeing the girl getting beaten up like that.


    So, he jumped off the horse and stumbled a few paces. Then, before his mother could call him back, he ran and crossed the street within a few seconds and came to stand in between them and the injured girl.


    ¡°Stop!¡± Lucky said, spreading his arms out wide and blocking them with his body to shield the girl.

 [ Arc 01 ][ 02 ] Discovery

    ¡°Stop bullying her!¡± Lucky exclaimed, glaringly angrily at them.


    ¡°Whoa!¡± The both men exclaimed in surprise. ¡°We¡¯re bullying her?!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re hurting her! That¡¯s bad!¡±


    As the kid looked at them as if they were in the wrong, the two men looked irritably at him.


    ¡°Kid, I don¡¯t know where you came from, scram! Get lost!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re protecting a bad person. Do you know that?¡±


    Lucky was startled, but he remained steadfast to his beliefs and retorted, ¡°No! The only bad people here are the two of you!¡±


    ¡°What?!¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear her trying to plead with you? Trying to say she was here to eat, and she even offered you money! But you suddenly got angry out of nowhere and attacked her! That makes you bad people!¡±


    Lucky was weak, and he knew of this fact, but he somehow felt the urge to defend the girl behind them from these two bullies. As for the men, they were glaring at him angrily and looked as though they were ready to attack him at any second.


    ¡°How dare you put the blame on us?!¡± The companion of the bulky man exclaimed, looking furious. ¡°We¡¯re doing our community a favour by kicking this scum out of here, but this stupid kid is trying to protect her and is labelling us as bullies? I can¡¯t believe it!¡±


    ¡°Move aside, kid,¡± the bulky man said, looking dangerously at him. ¡°If you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll have to hit you and make you take responsibility for protecting that Demon.¡±


    ¡°Do your worst!¡± Lucky shouted, trying to sound brave and confident.


    The reason for his confidence was because he believed his father would come in and protect him at the last second. Sure enough, when the enraged companion of the bulky man grew angry and lashed out at him, Indra had already moved forward and caught his arm before it could land on his son.


    ¡°Taking a shot at my son, are you?¡± He asked the man, speaking in a deadly voice that perfectly matched the expression he wore on his face. ¡°Not going to happen.¡±


    There was a moment of stunned silence in the street before the bulky man shouted, ¡°Let go of my friend.¡±


    He lunged towards Indra and punched at his face. However, Indra merely tilted his head to the side and dodged it with ease. Then he clenched his own fist and drove it into the face of his attacker. In an instant, the lights behind the bulky man¡¯s eyes went out and he stumbled backwards before toppling over and falling flat on his back on the ground.


    ¡°Bro!¡± His friend shouted, shocked by what just transpired.


    Lucky stared at his father¡¯s back in amazement and a bit of awe because of how cool he appeared to him.


    ¡°You¡¯re all that¡¯s left,¡± commented Indra, shifting his attention to the man whose fist he still clutched onto.


    Sweat began to form on the man¡¯s face as he asked, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­? Y-You¡¯re going to¡­ kill me?¡± Then he shouted to the crowd at large, ¡°Please! Someone! Help! This apostille of the Demons is going to kill me!¡±


    He continued to shout for a few more seconds, hoping that someone would step out and help. Unfortunately for him, no one did, and he was left with the harsh reality of facing the wrath of Indra.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t need to kill you if I do this.¡±


    In an instant, he pulled the man forward by one step and grabbed onto his wrist and began squeezing it tightly. The man cried out in pain and used his other arm to try and grab Indra¡¯s neck. His move failed when Indra grabbed the man¡¯s arm by his wrist and easily moved it aside before squeezing it tightly as well. All the man could do was cry out in pain as his wrists got slowly squeezed, slowing down the blood circulation and making him feel light headed.


    That was when he knew he made a mistake by messing with the wrong person, and that they never stood a chance against someone like Indra. However, it was too late for him as both of his arms were slowly crushed under the strong pressure from Indra, who looked at him coldly as if he was staring at a bug.


    ¡°Please! I¡¯m sorry!¡± The man exclaimed desperately, disregarding his pride and apologising to the stronger man. ¡°Please, forgive me! I was in the wrong here!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell that to me,¡± said Indra cold. ¡°Tell that to the kid.¡±This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    As he gestured towards his son, the man turned to Lucky and said, ¡°I¡¯m really sorry for scaring you, kid! Please, forgive this stupid adult and tell your dad to release my hands.¡± Then, thinking his plea would fail, he shamelessly asked, ¡°Pretty please.¡±


    His last word made Lucky raise an eyebrow in surprise, but the one who spoke to the attacker was Indra.


    ¡°Not just my son. Apologise to the that girl as well.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡±


    The man exclaimed in shock because the thought of having to apologize to someone from the Demon race made him feel sick to the stomach.


    ¡°I won¡¯t do it!¡± He retorted. ¡°I won¡¯t apologise to a Demon!¡±


    Indra narrowed his eyes and said, ¡°Fine. I guess you¡¯d rather have your arm crushed than apologize to someone you were recently attacking. Fine. I¡¯ll deliver your wish,¡± and he put even more pressure into the man¡¯s arm.


    ¡°AAARRRRGGGGHHHHHH!!!!¡± The man screamed from the agony he felt.


    Everyone watching winced and felt scared of the cruel act that Indra was performing. At the same time, no one in the crowd stepped forward or raised a voice of objection to Indra¡¯s method of subjecting the man to the pain. Surprisingly, it was the Demon girl who managed to get up to her feet and tug on Indra¡¯s clothing.


    ¡°Sir,¡± she said when he turned to look at her. ¡°I don¡¯t need his apology. Please, let him go.¡±


    Her statement surprised Indra, her attacker felt relief and glad that she was the one who requested that. But Indra did not change his mind and turned back to face the man with a cold look in his eyes.


    ¡°Sorry, miss, but I¡¯m not satisfied with that,¡± said Indra to the girl coldly. ¡°He attacked an innocent girl, and almost attacked my son. Apologising to my son alone isn¡¯t enough. He must apologise to you.¡± Then he squeezed the man¡¯s arm real rightly and demanded, ¡°What will it be? Your apology, or your arms?¡±


    Finally, unable to beat the pain anymore, the man gave in and exclaimed to the girl, ¡°I am deeply sorry, miss! Please forgive this fool of a person! I was wrong! Please,¡± and tears began appearing on his face at how low he had been reduced to.


    ¡°Pathetic,¡± commented Indra in disgust, and he finally let go of the man¡¯s arms.


    The attacker, now reduced to the state of a cry baby, sighed in relief and looked fearfully at them. He took a few steps backwards, then he turned and began running away as fast as he could, leaving his friend lying unconscious on the street.


    Indra sighed and look around to see everyone gazing at him with fear in their eyes.


    ¡°What¡¯re you still staring at? Move along already!¡± He snapped, and they jumped before deciding to go about their daily business.


    As the bustling street began to move again, Lucky said to his father, ¡°Wow, dad! You were so cool!¡±


    Indra nodded at his son¡¯s praise and simply said, ¡°Yes.¡± Then he looked shrewdly at him and asked, ¡°But, tell me Lucky, why did you sound so confident? Is it because you thought I had your back?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± began his son and looked sheepishly up at him, making his father chuckle.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine to do these sorts of things when I¡¯m around to support you, but I won¡¯t always be there for you, Lucky,¡± his father said, looking serenely at him. ¡°You will grow up and eventually go on an adventure, where you have to act, fight and defend for yourself. That¡¯s why, it is necessary to train hard, get stronger, and keep your guard up.¡±


    ¡°Yes, dad!¡± Lucky said, smiling confidently at him. ¡°I realise now the importance of your words, and I promise that I will not lose the next time that I have to fight!¡±


    He was being serious when he said that because he realised the truth of his father¡¯s words more vividly now after having such a close encounter. As such, he was determined to get stronger and be able to deal with situations like these on his own and not be a burden to anyone.


    As Lakshmi walked the horses over and fussed over her son to ensure he was fine, the Demon girl said to Indra, ¡°Thank you for saving me, sir.¡±


    The older man nodded, and pointed to her son, telling her, ¡°It¡¯s fine, but you should really be thanking him. He jumped off the horse and rushed over to defend you.¡± Then he added, ¡°Just so you know, he doesn¡¯t know how to ride a horse, so it surprised me that he¡¯d jump down from that height and run to help someone. So, you should really be thanking him.¡±


    The girl nodded and turned her attention to Lucky, who saw her looking at him and turned to face he with curiosity.


    ¡°Thank you for protecting me,¡± the girl said, smiling serenely at him.


    ¡°Ah. It¡¯s fine,¡± he replied with a smile as his mother withdrew still looking worried. Then he extended his hand towards her and said, ¡°My name¡¯s Lakshman, but call me Lucky. What¡¯s yours?¡±


    ¡°Lucky, is it?¡± She asked, nodding in understanding. Then she extended her own hand out and shook his while saying, ¡°My name¡¯s Sumara Manjuvad, with Sumara being my first name. It¡¯s nice to meet you, Lucky.¡±


    As they shook their hands with smiles on their faces, the red crystal atop of her forehead suddenly began to glow. Lakshman was surprised to see it glow while she felt something a great deal of energy from him.


    ¡°Incredible,¡± she thought to herself, looking at him with amazement as they withdrew their hand from the shake hand. ¡°There is so much power! It¡¯s incredible such a young man possess this much power in him.¡±


    ¡°Wow!¡± Lucky said, staring at the glowing light with surprise on his face. ¡°Why¡¯s it glowing?¡±


    Sumara smiled faintly at him and said, ¡°This is glowing because it detected a great deal of power from you. It¡¯s really big.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± he said, looking at her forehead in surprise and saw the light in the crystal die out. ¡°Oh! It¡¯s vanished.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only an indicator and won¡¯t continuously glow,¡± she replied with a smile. Then she turned to his parents and asked, ¡°For him to possess that much power, is he an Advanced Ranked Magician?¡±


    Her question surprised the parents and made them look surprised.


    ¡°Advanced Ranked Magician?¡± Indra asked curiously. ¡°Can you explain, miss?¡±


    His question confused her as she said, ¡°Yes. Well, my crystal is something like a detection crystal, it glows when there is danger, or when I make contact with a powerful person. Of course, I normally keep the ability disabled, but since I am travelling and am cautious of my surroundings, I had kept it active and that¡¯s how I detected the large scale of power your son has.¡±


    ¡°Really?!¡± Lakshmi asked, looking amazed. She shoved her husband aside and asked the girl, ¡°Are you sure in saying that my son is capable of learning magic?¡±


    ¡°Learn magic?¡± Sumara asked, looking surprised. ¡°Are you saying your son hasn¡¯t learnt any magic yet?¡±

 [ Arc 01 ][ 03 ] Revelation

    ¡°So, Lucky,¡± said Sumara to the kid, looking like she was going to give him an explanation. ¡°There is a single entity known the Force that exists in you, in me, in every living being. The Force can be categorised into three different forces; Energy Force, Weapon Force, and Magic Force.¡±


    ¡°Yes, miss,¡± replied Lucky, listening to her intently while being observed by his parents in the background.


    They were back at their home, and they brought Sumara back with them for her to test and see if their son could learn magic. Earlier, when the Demon girl had questioned them looking shocked, Lakshmi leapt forward with great eagerness and requested her to come home with them later so that they see if her son could learn magic or not.


    Indra tried to put up some resistance, but when his wife insisted on trying, he had no choice but to go along with her plan. He was worried that his son might fail like him, however, a small part of him was hoping that he would succeed where the father had failed.


    Since they had grocery shopping to do, they agreed to meet each other near the entrance to the town. From there, they parted; Lucky and his parents going to grocery shopping while Sumara finally went searching for another restaurant to have her meal at. It was not until an hour later the Chand family finished shopping and arrived at the town entrance to find Sumara waiting for them.


    ¡°Were you waiting for a long time?¡± Lakshmi asked her, looking worried.


    ¡°No. I just arrived moments before.¡±


    Although she had replied with a smile, Lucky¡¯s mother realised the girl was just being humble to them. This made the esteem of the girl increase in Lakshmi¡¯s eyes, who did not care what race someone belonged to as long as they were a nice person to interact with.


    After that, Lakshmi had Lucky mount and sit in front of his father while she had Sumara sit behind her. At first, the Demon girl was against that, stating that she was not worthy of riding the same horse as her. However, she had to give in when Lakshmi grew serious and stated that not accepting her help is the same as insulting her.


    So, after getting on the horse, both Indra and Lakshmi made their horses move and go into a full canter to reach their home. It did not take them much time to reach their home, and once they dismounted, the older woman requested Sumara to immediately test her son¡¯s capability to use magic.


    ¡°While the Force is categorised into three different Forces, it doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s different. The main reason for the categorisation is to help identify the purpose and usage of the skills of the user,¡± she explained to the boy, who listened to her explanation intently. ¡°Right now, we¡¯re going to see if you can use the Magic Force. Just watch me.¡±


    She placed the palm of her hand out and chanted, ¡°Oh Spirits of Water, come together and solidify to form a ball.¡±


    In an instant, a magic circle formed on the palm of her hand before water began spilling out of it, but none of it dropped. Instead, it floated into the air and began converging into taking on the shape of a ball. Once that was done, she gestured for him to come over, and once he stood next to her, requested him to poke it with his finger.


    ¡°Poke it?¡± He asked, looking nervously at the water. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it spill, miss?¡±


    She smiled and said, ¡°It won¡¯t. Come on. No need to be nervous.¡±


    With her encouraging words pushing him on, Lucky raised his finger and gently poked at the water. It was a quick dip in and out of the water before anything could happen. Even so, the water seemed to absorb his hand and let him withdraw without so much as spilling a drop.


    ¡°Wow!¡± He exclaimed, looking amazed. ¡°It didn¡¯t spill.¡±


    ¡°Concentration and focus are the main factors in keeping your spells strong and unbreakable,¡± she explained. ¡°The stronger your grip over them are, the stronger your magic becomes.¡±


    She tilted her hand and let the water drop, causing it to splash on the grass and turned to face him.


    ¡°It¡¯s your turn, Lucky,¡± she said with a smile.


    He nodded and gulped, suddenly feeling nervous when his turn arrived. She noticed that and smiled pleasantly, reaching her hand out and placing it gently on his shoulder.


    ¡°Why are you nervous?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m worried that I might, um, fail,¡± he admitted weakly.


    She smiled and shook her head before poking him playfully on the forehead.


    ¡°That¡¯s the wrong attitude to have, Lucky,¡± she said pleasantly. ¡°Each and every person in this world goes to something new every day and tries out new things that they had never seen before or heard about. So, what do they do? Do they just feel nervous and get jittery?¡±


    And she made a mocking impression of her teeth making the sound, which made him laugh. Then she smiled cheerfully at him.


    ¡°So, don¡¯t be nervous and keep a positive attitude!¡±


    He nodded, but he still felt worried and asked slowly, ¡°But¡­ What if I fail¡­?¡±


    ¡°And what if you fail?¡± She asked, and he looked curiously at her. ¡°Will your parents scold you? Will they hurt you? Or will they throw you out because you¡¯re a disappointment?¡± Then she shook her head and smiled softly at him and said gently, ¡°They won¡¯t because they¡¯re your parents, Lucky, and you mean a lot more to them than your achievements. So, it¡¯s okay to fail, but it does matter if you just stay down. That¡¯s what losers do. Winners get back up. They fail, but they get back up again and even if the cycle repeats, they will never give up on getting back up.¡±


    As he looked at her in amazement, she leaned back and looked expectantly at him.


    ¡°You have the name ¡®luck¡¯ in your very name, Lucky. Feel the confidence of your name, and use it to build your confidence in yourself,¡± she said with a serene smile. ¡°Now, it¡¯s time for you to show your stuff, and remember, failure is okay, but getting back up matters.¡±Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    He nodded and said, ¡°Yes,¡± and suddenly looked very determined.


    This was the first time he had been in this kind of position, so he felt nervous about doing it. However, after hearing her inspirational words, he suddenly felt a new energy kindle within him and felt as though he could do anything if he put his mind to it.


    He took a deep breath and breathed out slowly to calm his mind before holding his hand out and chanting the spell out loud.


    ¡°Oh, Spirits of Water, come together and form into a solid ball,¡± he said, changing the chant a little bit to suit how he would say it.


    There was a moment of silence where nothing happened. He was about to think he had failed when, all of a sudden, a magic circle formed in the palm of his outstretched hand and water began pouring out of it. He was worried that it might spill, but his worries were unnecessary because it floated into the air and began to take the shape of a large ball.


    ¡°Indra! Look! Look!¡± Lakshmi exclaimed, shaking her husband¡¯s shoulder and pointing at her son doing magic. ¡°Do you see it? Lucky is using magic! He¡¯s using magic!¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­! I see it¡­!¡± Indra said, staring at it with a mixture of shock and amazement on his face.


    Sumara was pleased with him being able to use magic and remarked, ¡°You¡¯re doing good, Lucky!¡±


    Lucky nodded, smiling with great happiness at succeeding in using magic on his first try. However, his smile slowly faded away when the water ball began to grow bigger and bigger until it was size of a large balloon.


    ¡°Oh no!¡± The Demon girl shouted, shocked at what was happening. Thinking quickly on her feet, she ordered him, ¡°Lucky, throw it into the air! Throw it now!¡±


    Heeding her words, Lucky gritted his teeth tightly and chucked it high into the air. The large water ball looked like was ready to burst, however, Sumara quickly aimed her hand at it and activated her magic by speaking rapidly.


    ¡°Oh Spirits of Wind, come forward and carry it high into the air!¡±


    As she finished, a large magic circle appeared beneath the water ball before it flew high into the air. A moment later, it exploded and caused a shower of water to drop down on top of them. As such, both Sumara and Lucky got completely drenched by the water, and once it settled down, they turned to look at each other before letting out a laugher in unison.


    ¡°That was unexpected!¡± She said, smiling gleefully and pushing her hair out of her face.


    He laughed too, but his laugher quickly subsided as he felt guilty for causing that to happen.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, miss,¡± he said to her, causing her to look and blink at him in surprise.


    ¡°It was your first time, Lucky,¡± she said, moving forward and patting him cheerfully on the shoulder. ¡°No one expected you to be in control right from day one. But it is good to see your capability of using magic is quite high.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± He asked her, looking amazed.


    She nodded and said, ¡°Yes. You see, if you had continued pumping your power into the spell, the water ball would¡¯ve grown so large that, when it exploded, it could¡¯ve become a tidal wave and would¡¯ve flooded this whole area.¡±


    ¡°No way!¡± He exclaimed in shock. ¡°That¡¯s dangerous!¡±


    ¡°Yes, and that¡¯s why I told you to throw it into the air so that I could propel it even further with my wind magic,¡± she explained with a smile. ¡°Although it became a rain, it¡¯s much better than flooding.¡±


    ¡°I agree,¡± he said with a smile in agreement.


    Just then, his parents came over, and Lakshmi asked, ¡°Are the two of you okay?¡±


    While Sumara nodded in reply, Lucky said, ¡°We¡¯re completely soaked, mom.¡±


    ¡°Ah. It¡¯s alright then,¡± she replied with a smile. ¡°You both can have a bath after this.¡±


    ¡°Me as well?¡± The Demon girl asked, looking surprised.


    ¡°Well, yes,¡± stated the older woman, looking as if that was obvious. When Sumara was about to decline, Lakshmi forestaller her by saying, ¡°Thanks to your efforts, we found out that our son can use magic. Even my husband got impressed, and he¡¯s the one who said he wouldn¡¯t having Lucky get taught any magic.¡±


    Indra nodded from beside her and said, ¡°Yes. Well, in the past, I had some bad experience with magic, so I put a mental block on it. However, after seeing my son use magic on such a large scale, I re-evaluated my belief and it opened my eyes. For that, I deeply thank you.¡±


    With that, he bowed his head to her and made her look surprised. She waved her hand in a fluster, trying to get him to raise his head.


    ¡°So, um, does that mean you want me to teach your son magic?¡± Sumara asked, sighing and looking towards them.


    ¡°If it¡¯s alright with you.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m happy to teach him magic.¡±


    When she said that, she beamed at them very happily as if she was thrilled at the thought of teaching someone else magic.


    ¡°By the way, how old are you, miss?¡± Lucky asked her curiously.


    Sumara turned to him and smiled before asking, ¡°Don¡¯t you know it¡¯s rude to ask a lady her age?¡±


    He blinked in surprise, but she chuckled and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay. I don¡¯t mind.¡±


    She rummaged through her cloak and pulled out a card which she handed to Indra. He took it and realised instantly it was her Adventurer Card containing her name, her age, where she was from, and her adventurer rank.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± He exclaimed in shock. ¡°You¡¯re 25-years-old and a B-Ranked Adventurer?!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± She replied with a grin on her face much to the shock of everyone there.


    The reason Lucky was reacting like that was, not due to the adventurer rank that he understood nothing about, but due to her age. No one would guess that this young adult was actually a 25-year-old Demon woman.


    ¡°But¡­ Why are you¡­?¡± Asked Lakshmi hesitantly, gestured at the girl¡¯s appearance.


    ¡°I was born with a curse,¡± she said with a sigh with a weary smile on her face. ¡°I found about this from a travelling magician, who uncovered the curse but had no way to break it. So, I left the Manjuvad Demon Clan in the Bazaraka Continent and began travelling around the world with hopes of finding a way to break it. Till now, I¡¯ve found nothing that could break it.¡±


    She sighed deeply, making them feel sorry for her.


    ¡°Anyway, if you¡¯re willing to let me teach your son, then could I request that I stay here and teach directly? You see, I don¡¯t have much of finances to afford a room in town and the travel fee to get from there to here.¡±


    ¡°Not at all! In fact, we¡¯ll be delighted if you could stay with us and teach our son,¡± said Lakshmi with a smile. ¡°Isn¡¯t that fine, Indra?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see any problems with that, and we have a room to spare, so it shouldn¡¯t be a problem,¡± he said in agreement.


    When they turned to look at the Demon girl, she understood and said, ¡°In that case, please treat me well while I¡¯m in your care. In return, I promise to teach your son all about magic to the best of my knowledge.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Lakshmi and Indra said in agreement, and they all smiled happily at each other.


    That night, once everyone had their dinner and headed into their own rooms, Lucky entered his room and closed the door behind. He was feeling sleepy, but there was a sense of eagerness on his face with the smile that was hovering on his face.


    ¡°Man, what a day,¡± he commented, walking over to his bed and sitting down on it. ¡°I learnt about magic, did my first magic spell without too much problems, and now I have a magic teacher to teach me magic. That¡¯s so cool!¡±


    He was feeling happy, but what bothered him was about that fact that his father had to step in and help him. Thinking back on those events, he realised he had a lot of work ahead of him to be strong and powerful so that he does not have to depend on anyone to save his life, nor be a burden to people.


    ¡°That¡¯s it! I¡¯ll become so strong that I will never be defeated!¡± He thought and raised his right hand before clenching it tightly in a gesture of his determination.


    Suddenly, he heard a voice say in his mind, ¡°That is a vague goal.¡±


    ¡°What the?!¡± Lucky exclaimed, looking around in shock.


    At that moment, his body began to get surrounded by a glowing light before it flew out of him. After flying around the room, it came to hover in mid-air and take the form of a man. He was covered in a white glow while he appeared to be wearing white robes from top to bottom. This stranger also had long hair that fell all the way down to his waist. Particles of light slowly emanated from all around the stranger, who glowed in a light that did not belong to this world.


    For a moment, this stranger had his eyes shut, but a moment later, he slowly opened them and focused them on him. By that time, Lucky had gotten off the bed and was staring at this glowing figure of a man he did not know anything about.


    The glowing man appeared to have a calm and serene expression on his face as he stared down at the kid, who was stunned with his mouth slightly open because of a mixed feeling of shock, disbelief, and awe.


    ¡°Hello, friend,¡± he said pleasantly.

 [ Arc 01 ][ 04 ] The Past

    ¡°Ah! Ghost!¡± Lucky shouted, reacting in a panic.


    He quickly pushed himself away from the glowing figure in a diagonally, forgetting that he was on the bed. This resulted in him reaching the edge of it, and trying to find support with his hand and failing, he keeled over.


    ¡°Ouch!¡± He cried out in pain when his back hit the ground and his legs stuck up in the air.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± The floating figure asked him, hovering above him with a worried look on its face. ¡°Also, I¡¯m not a ghost.¡±


    Lucky rubbed the back of his head and looked up at the floating figure, and widened his eyes in shock. He quickly pushed himself backward and got his feet to land on the floor. From there, he quickly edged away from the bed before pushing himself to his feet.


    ¡°Stay away from me, evil spirit!¡± He exclaimed, looking like he was going to fight it.


    The glowing man stared at him with a half-smile and replied, ¡°I¡¯m not an evil spirit.¡±


    ¡°Like I can believe you!¡±


    ¡°Look,¡± the ghost said, floating down and appearing to sit on the bed. ¡°If I am a evil spirit, why would you still retain consciousness and are still able to speak to me so rudely?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± replied Lucky, looking cautiously at him. ¡°You¡¯re probably waiting for the right chance to take over my body!¡±


    ¡°And what would I gain by taking over the body of a child?¡± The glowing man challenged.


    ¡°You could use my body to do whatever bad things! Mariana said evil spirits are dangerous and that we need to stay away from the like of you!¡±


    ¡°And did she tell you exactly where one would usually encounter an evil spirit?¡±


    At the man¡¯s question, Lucky looked stumped before he replied, ¡°Um¡­ in forests and haunted buildings.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Inside of forests and haunted buildings,¡± the man replied, nodding in agreement. ¡°Last time I checked, this is not a forest or a haunted building; it¡¯s a normal building.¡±


    Lucky looked stumped for a moment before he recovered and said, ¡°Then, you must be a vengeful spirit!¡± As he shouted those words, he instantly became worried and said, ¡°What are you going to do?! Attack my family?! What did they ever do to you?!¡±


    ¡°You have the craziest imagination, Lucky,¡± the man commented with a chuckle. Then he looked seriously at the kid and said, ¡°And, no, I¡¯m not a vengeful spirit either, and I have no grudge against your family. In fact, I am grateful for them to shower you with such affection and care over these years, Lucky¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Lucky asked cautiously. ¡°In fact, how do you even know my nickname?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been with you throughout your life,¡± the man replied with a pleasant smile. ¡°I just couldn¡¯t interact with you because of some restriction that was finally removed when you used your magic for the first time.¡±


    Lucky stared at the floating man and said, ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to understand it right now,¡± the man said, and pointed his finger at him. ¡°What you should understand is the goal you set yourself is too vague.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What about my goal?¡±


    ¡°Being strong so that you don¡¯t have to rely on others and have to be a burden on others is a great thought,¡± the man said with a smile. ¡°However, it is too vague and could fall apart very easily.¡±


    ¡°How is it vague?!¡± Lucky demanded furiously, hurt that his goal was being criticised. ¡°I protected Sumara today, but in actual truth, my dad protected me from those men because I didn¡¯t have the strength to fight them, let alone defend myself against their attack! So, what¡¯s so wrong about setting myself a goal like that to be truly strong in the future!¡±


    ¡°Cool down, Lucky,¡± the man said, realising he had struck a nerve in the kid. ¡°I wanted to say that your goal is strong, but too vague because there is no real achievement in it. Like, what will you do after you become so strong that all it takes is one punch to defeat your enemies? What will you do then?¡±


    Lucky remained silent, trying to think of an answer to reply and eventually put on a blank face.


    ¡°I¡­ have no idea,¡± he admitted.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± said the man, nodding with a smile. ¡°Your goal will lead you to becoming strong, but one needs to succeed in life as well, and for that, you need a vision that you should aim towards. That¡¯s where, I come in.¡±


    ¡°You come in? I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    The man pointed his finger at Lucky and said, ¡°Lucky, you are the Phoenix Titan!¡±Stolen story; please report.


    There was a moment of silence before Lucky asked, ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the Phoenix Titan.¡±


    ¡°I heard you the first time!¡± Lucky said, looking surprised and confused. ¡°You think I¡¯m the Phoenix Titan, the most powerful person alive in the Nine Pillars of Power?¡±


    The Nine Pillars of Power was a group of warriors from different races possessing powers that were beyond the comprehension of anyone else. They were so powerful, it would take them an hour to capture a continent, and even less time to destroy one if they chose. Currently, the group were separated with many of their members spread out around the world.


    ¡°Yes, you are, and I have proof to back it up.¡±


    ¡°Proof? What proof?¡±


    The floating figure pointed his hand towards the young boy and said, ¡°Memory Road.¡±


    In an instant, Lucky felt his feet give way and felt himself falling down a long tunnel with no end. He tried looking around and found only darkness, making him feel shocked because he was sure he was in his room seconds before. Like that, he continued to fall for a few seconds before he found solid ground and landed gently.


    ¡°What just happened?¡± He asked, looking shocked and a little shaken.


    ¡°I¡¯ve brought you onto the Memory Road,¡± the man said, floating down and stood facing him from the front.


    Lucky looked at the man and then at the frames composing of moving pictures past where the man stood. He was surprised because the pictures were moving, showing different things continuously in an endless loop.


    ¡°Now, watch as I show you the proof that you truly are the Phoenix Titan.¡±


    The man turned towards them and waved his hand, causing the screens to go black and flitter for a few seconds. A moment later, new moving images appeared on the screen depicting someone addressing a large audience. It looked very important, but Lucky did not care about any of that because he was shocked when the picture zoomed in on the man¡¯s face.


    ¡°What?!¡± He exclaimed in disbelief. ¡°He looks just like me!¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s the other way around,¡± the man explained. ¡°You look like him because you are him. You are the Phoenix Titan.¡±


    With that said, the man moved his hand in an upward gesture and caused the volume of the moving picture to become loud.


    ¡°Today is the day of our final conquest, to take back our world and unite it as one! No longer separated by differences, no longer suppressed by different clans, and it¡¯s time to look towards the future!¡±


    The man, who looked like an older version of Lucky, was addressing the audience in a strong voice.


    ¡°My comrades,¡± he said, and his voice became softer all of a sudden as he looked emotionally at them from side to side. ¡°I don¡¯t know if we¡¯ll see each other again, if we¡¯ll survive this battle, but know that each sacrifice you made led us closer to our goal of uniting the world! Be proud of your achievements, but let us not forget! We won¡¯t be dying! Let¡¯s fight to live without dying!¡±


    The audience screamed their joy at his words and began to chant his name repeatedly.


    ¡°Phoenix Titan! Phoenix Titan! Phoenix Titan!¡±


    The man looked around at them all with a serious expression on his face and then punched his fist into the air.


    ¡°Towards unity!¡± He shouted.


    ¡°Towards unity!¡± They shouted, punching their own fists into the air with great confidence.


    As they chanted those two words, the volume suddenly decreased until everything became silent and still in there.


    ¡°Now do you believe me when I say you¡¯re the Phoenix Titan?¡± The glowing person asked, who was responsible for muting the volume of his memories.


    ¡°But,¡± began Lucky looking troubled, ¡°you¡¯re just basing this off the notion that he looked like me. I mean, sure, he looks like what I might look as I grow older, but it could just be coincidental.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not,¡± the man replied, and he seemed to look seriously at the boy. ¡°Want to hear a little story to convince you?¡±


    ¡°Go on.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± the man nodded and smiled as he began to tell his story.


    ¡°I am neither an evil spirit, nor a vengeful spirit; I am a wandering spirit. It is a spirit that is both alive and dead because the body was destroyed prematurely before it reached its allowed lifespan.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Lucky asked, looking confused.


    ¡°Let me explain it all in one go,¡± the man said, and Lucky nodded in understanding.


    ¡°Anyway, an individual truly dies when their body stops functioning completely and they reach the end of their allocated lifespan. However, if one of those two conditions are not met, then you have a wandering spirit that is very much alive but without a body to roam around in. Do you understand now?¡±


    ¡°So, basically, you¡¯re not dead, but you¡¯re not alive either because you don¡¯t have a body of your own?¡±


    ¡°Pretty much,¡± replied the man, and he smiled at him. ¡°Glad you understood that quickly.¡±


    ¡°So, when my body got destroyed for¡­ reasons, the original Phoenix Titan rescued me and placed me inside his own body before I was completely erased from existence.¡±


    ¡°Whom did you anger for that to happen?¡± Lucky asked, looking shocked.


    The man laughed and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t anger him. That person was a prideful man, and because of a small setback, he came down hard on me, and the result is what became of me.¡±


    There was a moment of silence as he brooded over the past before he shrugged it aside and spoke again.


    ¡°Anyway, ever since then, I¡¯ve been with the Phoenix Titan through each and every reincarnation as if I had become a part of him, but, strangely, I still maintained my own will. Though I didn¡¯t know why, I felt glad that I have because I witnessed each and every Phoenix Titan¡¯s life with my own eyes.¡±


    He had been pacing around while speaking, but he stopped and turned to look directly at the kid.


    ¡°I am the evidence that you are the Phoenix Titan because I reincarnated in you. There is no bigger proof than that.¡±


    Lucky looked at him for a moment in silence as he contemplated everything he just heard. He did accept that he was the Phoenix Titan, but something was bothering him because some things did not make sense to him.


    ¡°But, if that¡¯s the case, how come I don¡¯t have any kind of memory of my past lives?¡± He asked as doubts formed in his mind. ¡°Since I¡¯ve reincarnated multiple times over the years, I expected that I¡¯d have memories of the past, or maybe a link to the consciousness of my past selves.¡±


    ¡°That¡­¡± The man began and looked troubled before admitting, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know?!¡± Lucky asked, looking shocked. ¡°Why?! You said you had witnessed all of my past lives, right? Were you lying?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not lying!¡± The man said, looking firmly at him. ¡°Believe me, Lucky. I am telling the truth!¡±


    ¡°But you said you don¡¯t know! That doesn¡¯t make sense!¡±


    There was a moment of silence as the man thought back to what had happened in the past for that to happen. He turned towards his memories and waved his hand. In an instant, the picture changed to show them a scene of where they were looking at someone in front of them, with a strong physique and looking like they were about to do battle.


    ¡°It was three years after the Emperor of the World disappeared from the world. Wars broke out around the world, and everything was headed towards destruction. The Phoenix Titan wanted to stop it all somehow, but couldn¡¯t because this man got in our way; the Calamity Titan!¡±

 [ Arc 01 ][ 05 ] Friends

    ¡°The who?¡± Lucky asked, looking at the man in confusion.


    ¡°The Calamity Titan from the Ten Pillars of Power.¡±


    ¡°Ten Pillars of Power?¡± Lucky asked again, turning to the man and looking confused.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not the Ten Pillars of Power. It¡¯s the Nine Pillars of Power.¡±


    ¡°Nine?¡± The man asked, looking surprised. ¡°But the Calamity Titan¡¯s part of the pillars.¡±


    Lucky shook his head and said, ¡°The only group I know off is the Nine Pillars of Power consisting of the Phoenix Titan, Dragon Titan, War Titan, Death Titan, Demon Titan, Sun Titan, Moon Titan, Magic Titan, and Sword Titan. There wasn¡¯t any mention of there being a Calamity Titan in the recorded history about them.¡±


    The man looked at the kid as if he had received a shock and remained silent for a few seconds.


    ¡°They most likely expelled him from the group and then renamed it as the Nine Pillars of Power,¡± he finally reasoned as to what had happened.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Watch,¡± the man said, indicating at the moving picture while raising the volume.


    ¡°Hey, Phoenix,¡± the other person greeted him with a sinister smile.


    ¡°Get out of the way, Calamity! I don¡¯t have time for you,¡± replied the voice of the Phoenix Titan.


    ¡°Come now,¡± the other man said causally by raising both of his hands in the air. ¡°Don¡¯t be like that to your old enemy. I just want us to battle and then you can go on your way.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡±


    The Phoenix Titan appeared to be clearly shocked by being informed of the other person¡¯s intentions.


    ¡°Why do you want to battle me now when the world is at stake here?!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about the world,¡± the Calamity Titan said and smiled evilly at him, ¡°but I can¡¯t let it end when I still have an old score to settle with you!¡±


    In an instant, he began to surge with power while radiating a dark violent aura that surrounded him. Lucky watched this spectacle in amazement because he had never seen or heard anything about such happening to anyone.


    ¡°You¡¯ll regret this!¡± The Phoenix Titan said, and he too seemed like he also surged with power to battle him.


    ¡°Oh? We¡¯ll see about that!¡± The Calamity Titan said, and he aimed his hand at his enemy.


    In an instant, the image fizzled out and became blank. Lucky was shocked as he wanted to see more and find out what happened.


    ¡°What happened?¡± He asked the older man curiously.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± the man said, shaking his head. ¡°Whatever he did, it knocked me into a deep sleep until I awoke when the reincarnation of the new Phoenix Titan happened.¡±


    ¡°Wow! Did he possibly know that you were there watching him or maybe helping the Phoenix Titan?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± the man said, shaking his head and added, ¡°and I don¡¯t believe I ever helped a Phoenix Titan in the past. I was more of a witness to their life than an advice giver.¡±


    Lucky looked at him in surprise and asked, ¡°What about me?¡±


    ¡°With you, it¡¯s different,¡± the man said with a sad smile. ¡°You see, each and every Phoenix Titan is born with extraordinary power and just knows somehow that they are destined for great things. You, on the other hand, are happily enjoying your life and spending time aimlessly when you should¡¯ve been doing other things.¡±


    ¡°Really? What could be the cause for that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not too sure,¡± the man said, and he clicked his fingers.


    In an instant, Lucky felt he was being lifted into the air and soared to the surface before he found himself standing in his room again. He breathed a deep sigh and looked in front of him, where the figure of the man was drifting slowly through the air. Suddenly, he flew through the air and went back to appearing as though he sat on the bed.


    ¡°It¡¯s clear the Calamity Titan did something to us at that moment before his fight against the Phoenix Titan,¡± said the man, looking thoughtful. Then he looked up and asked, ¡°Judging from the history that your family maid taught you, I believe it¡¯s been nearly 4000 years since the reincarnation happened if the current date is 11th of Augustine 3991, which is strange because the Phoenix Titan reincarnation happens every 100 years.¡±


    ¡°Wow!¡± Lucky exclaimed in surprise. ¡°Ever 100 years? Then, these near 4000 years are a pretty long time to wait for me to be born again.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The man said that and nodded before he looked surprised and turned to stare at the kid.


    ¡°D-Did you just admit that it took you nearly 4000 years to reincarnate?¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s what happened right?¡± Lucky asked, looking surprised.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    The man shook his head and said, ¡°Yes, but it looked like you admitted to being the Phoenix Titan! Does this mean you finally believe me?¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah. Since you¡¯ve shown me all the evidence, I can believe you now.¡±


    With that said, Lucky smiled at the man and made the other person chuckle happily.


    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± the man said with a smile.


    ¡°Yes, but what about my past selves, my missing link to them, and you not having any memory of the fight with the Calamity Titan. What about that?¡±


    ¡°Like I said, he clearly did something to us, but I¡¯m just not too sure what he did,¡± the other man replied, looking as though he was thinking about it. ¡°I probably need to investigate diving very deep into your mind. Maybe, he placed some kind of seals on us?¡±


    ¡°Seals?! You mean like Cursed Seals?!¡±


    The man nodded to Lucky¡¯s exclamation and said, ¡°That¡¯s probably it.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± said Lucky, looking shaken. ¡°Am I cursed? What should I do?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t panic! Curse Seals are used to restrain someone and make them weaker, it¡¯s not the same as what your teacher is inflicted with,¡± the man stated. Then he sighed and said, ¡°There¡¯s no other choice. I¡¯ll have to dive into your mind and go searching for whatever it is.¡±


    ¡°Can you find it?¡±


    At Lucky¡¯s anxious question, the man nodded confidently.


    ¡°I should be able to. You see, Curse Seals tend to have a physical form in the mental state of the victim, depicting that they are forcibly restraining them from using all of their powers. Heck, there could be ones that cause some side effects like make a person lose track of their goals or become stupid.¡±


    ¡°Oh! That¡¯s bad.¡±


    ¡°It sure is.¡±


    ¡°So, is there anything I should do?¡±


    ¡°Go about your daily life like normal,¡± the man said before realising something and raising a finger in front of him. ¡°Make sure not to tell anyone about the fact that you are the Phoenix Titan, and that you have a wandering spirit in you.¡±


    Lucky was surprised and asked, ¡°Why? I think my parents would be thrilled to know who I am, right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not about them,¡± the man said with a shake of his head. ¡°Things like this have a way of spreading very quickly, be it by you telling your parents, or your parents losing their composure and exposing the truth to someone. From there, you can be sure a wildfire will erupt and probably sweep up your current lifestyle.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Think about it, Lucky. Over the many years, the Phoenix Titan is looked upon as a symbol of freedom and justice, and many of his targets are criminals that lost their powers and fortune. So, if their descendants heard that there a new Phoenix Titan appeared, they¡¯d target you and your entire family, jeopardising everyone¡¯s safety.¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡± Lucky said, realising the dire consequences that awaited him if such a thing happened. ¡°That¡¯s bad! I don¡¯t want my family to face such a situation!¡±


    ¡°Exactly!¡± The man said, looking seriously at him. ¡°And remember, you¡¯re in no position to protect anyone right now. You¡¯re weak, as weak as new-born baby, not as strong as you should be for being a Phoenix Titan.¡±


    ¡°Then, what should I do to get stronger and better?¡±


    ¡°Do as your dad said and train hard,¡± said the man, looking at him as if that was the obvious thing to do. ¡°There is no magic to increasing your strength in a single day, and there is no miracle that would help you become better. It all comes down to training, every single day, enduring the pain, and reaching new heights.¡±


    Lucky went silent at that. He had been hoping to hear an easy way around it upon accepting that he was the reborn Phoenix Titan. However, reality made it clear that there was no other way but to train like his father to become stronger. This made him feel a mixture of emotions such as sadness, irritation, annoyance, and tiredness.


    ¡°Don¡¯t like the thought?¡± The man asked, correctly guessing what the kid was thinking.


    ¡°Well, I just thought it would be easier since I am the Phoenix Titan,¡± the kid admitted in frustration.


    ¡°That would normally be the case, but something happened in the past that made you weak right now. It¡¯s not your fault, but if you let that get you down, no one¡¯ll help you. You have to decide to stand back up, you have to decide to face the challenge, and you have to decide to be the best that you could possibly be. It¡¯s all up to you to decide.¡±


    Lucky nodded silently and sighed, accepting the reality and decided to do his best. Nothing had changed from before when he made his goal of being an undefeatable warrior that isn¡¯t a burden to others. Be it him being the Phoenix Titan or not, the goal remained the same.


    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll start doing my best, train hard, and become a truly powerful warrior!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± The man said, grinning broadly at him.


    As the two looked at each other and smiled, Lucky wanted to thank the man. That was when he realised, he did not know what his name was.


    ¡°Um, would you mind telling me your name?¡± He asked curiously.


    ¡°My name?¡± The man asked, looking surprised. Then he looked up at the ceiling and said, ¡°My name, ah? Well, I used to have one in the past but it¡¯s not necessary to go with it.¡±


    He seemed to ponder about it before deciding on something and telling him, ¡°Call me Decisive Player.¡±


    ¡°Decisive Player?¡± Lucky asked with a frown. ¡°Why that name?¡±


    ¡°Well, it feels like I¡¯m going to be the decisive one between the two of us,¡± said the man with a smile.


    ¡°Huh?!¡± Lucky exclaimed, looking shocked. ¡°I¡¯m being decisive too, you know?¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but you don¡¯t know what it truly means to be a Phoenix Titan just yet. So, I¡¯ll teach you slowly as you grow older of its true meaning. Okay?¡±


    ¡°Being secretive with me, are you?¡± Lucky asked with a frowning face.


    ¡°Never!¡± The man remarked, looking horrified at the very thought. ¡°I would never betray you, or lie to you, Lucky! I am your friend, and I¡¯m here to help you! Please believe me!¡±


    ¡°You just said you¡¯ll teach me slowly as I grow older.¡±


    ¡°I have to because I feel it¡¯s not right to bombard a seven-year-old with all the knowledge and information I have with me. No one learns everything in a single go, Lucky. It takes time to grow, and I feel it¡¯s easier for me to teach you the ways of the Phoenix Titan over time. Do you get it now?¡±


    ¡°Ah. Yes. I get it now,¡± answered Lucky, nodding in understanding and smiling at him. Then he stretched his body from the tiredness he was feeling and said, ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s time for me to sleep, and I have training tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°You can do it! I believe in you!¡± The Decisive Player said with a smiling face.


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Lucky replied excitedly.


    The Decisive Player became surprised when the kid offered him a hand in friendship. When he looked at his face, the kid was smiling and seemed to have wanted him to shake his hand.


    ¡°You know that I can¡¯t touch anything, right?¡±


    ¡°So, what? Pretend you¡¯re shaking my hand.¡±


    Chuckling to himself, the Decisive Player floated off the bed and came to him. After taking on a standing position, he extended his hand and seemed to go straight through Lucky¡¯s hand. He felt a little sad, but he quickly recovered and pretended to shake the boy¡¯s hands while Lucky did the same, smiling at the older man.


    ¡°It feels strange shaking my hand in empty air,¡± commented Lucky cheekily. Then he looked at the older man and said, ¡°Let¡¯s do our best together, Decisive Player.¡±


    ¡°You got it, Lucky!¡±


    With that, the wandering spirit and the kid smiled and nodded, coming to an agreement of friendship without the need to express it in words. Only time would tell the kind of progress that Lucky would make in his growth as the Phoenix Titan with the help from the Decisive Player.

 [ Arc 01 ][ 06 ] Weapon Force

    ¡°What?¡± Indra asked his son, looking surprised. ¡°You want to learn the Weapon Force and the Energy Force?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± his son said, nodding in assent.


    It was early in the morning, where both father and son were up to conduct their morning training. That was when Lucky decided to request his father about it.


    ¡°Dad, I want to learn the Weapon Force and the Energy Force.¡±


    His proposal was met with confusion by his father, who had not expected his son to ask him about it.


    ¡°Why so soon?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because I want to become stronger.¡±


    To Lucky¡¯s simple answer, his father had to chuckle and smile as he saw the determination in his son¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Alright,¡± said Indra, nodding in understanding. ¡°Let¡¯s do it.¡±


    He walked away towards the shed and came back carrying two razor sharp blades, handing one to his son and keeping another to himself.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to first demonstrate to you the Weapon Force for some easy understanding.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± said Lucky, nodding in understanding.


    ¡°For starters, you must understand that Weapon Force is basically you channelling your raw energy into your weapon, be it a solid object, or onto yourself, to enhance its durability, performance, and strength,¡± his father explained while his son listed intently.


    ¡°Wait. Onto myself?¡± Lucky asked, looking confused. ¡°What does that mean, dad?¡±


    ¡°Well, it''s basically channeling Weapon Force throughout your body to make you stronger, faster, and have great endurance. For example, you strengthen your arm using Weapon Force. Something like that is what I mean.¡±


    ¡°Oh! I get it now,¡± his son replied, nodding in understanding.


    Indira smiled and went on explaining, ¡°Outputting too much can destroy the blade, but outputting too less could result in your weapon being too weak to protect you. Remember: against thugs, monsters, or these kinds, your weapon is the key to your survival.¡±


    Lucky nodded in understanding, and his father held his sword up in front of him as he went on explaining.


    ¡°Right now, this sword appears razor sharp with no magical effects on it at all. Hold up the sword I gave you, Lucky.¡±


    ¡°Like this?¡± Lucky asked, imitating his father and holding the sword up in front of him.


    ¡°That¡¯s it. Now, hold it firmly because I¡¯m going to hit it with my sword. Ready?¡±


    Lucky nodded in assent, and Indra swung his sword at his son¡¯s sword, causing a loud metallic clanging sound to occur from the collision of metal on metal. The force of the impact caused Lucky to get surprised as he was forcefully pushed to the right. He stumbled a few steps before regaining his footing and looking back at his father in astonishment.


    ¡°When two normal swords clash, this is the result,¡± he explained to his son. ¡°The force of the swing depends on the wielder, and you can bet the stronger force always trumps over the weaker. Now, let¡¯s try this again, but with Weapon Force. Watch closely, Lucky, because my sword will start glowing as soon as it¡¯s charged with my energy.¡±


    For a moment, nothing happened before Lucky saw that his father¡¯s sword began glowing in a bright yellow colour. It surprised the kid from having witnessed something unexpected despite being forewarned by Indra.


    ¡°As you can see, my sword¡¯s now energised with Weapon Force, meaning it¡¯s superior to the sword in your hand.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll say,¡± commented Lucky, smiling wryly at the glowing sword. ¡°It¡¯s glowing and this one isn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Oh really? Is that all the difference you see between them?¡± Indra asked curiously. When his soon looked doubtful, he chuckled and said, ¡°It¡¯s fine. Anyway, let¡¯s try this again. Lucky, get back into the position you were in and hold up the sword. Keep it firm, alright?¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± replied Lucky, moving into his previous position and holding his sword up with as much firmness as he could muster.


    Indra took on a swinging position and paused for a second before swinging his sword at Lucky¡¯s sword. The difference between the two blades became evident when the glowing sword cut through the non-glowing sword like a knife cutting through butter.


    ¡°What?!¡± Lucky exclaimed.


    He was shocked by the result that presented itself when the top portion of his sword got cut off smoothly without facing any resistance against the foreign blade.


    ¡°Looks like mine trumps yours,¡± his father remarked.


    ¡°Dad!¡± Lucky said, looking both shocked and amazed. ¡°How did that happen?¡±


    ¡°I explained to you just now,¡± his father stated, swinging his sword expertly and holding it up for his son to see. ¡°When your weapon of choice is imbued with Weapon Force, it increases the weapon¡¯s durability, strength and performance, easily able to cut through regular swords and seems like an indestructible object.¡±This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    ¡°Oh wow¡± said Lucky, looking amazed. Then he got a question and asked, ¡°What if two swords with Weapon Force in them clash? What would happen then, dad?¡±


    ¡°That would depend on the force behind the user¡¯s swing, strength, and resolve to carry it through,¡± his father explained. ¡°You¡¯re basically going to cut down anything that¡¯s in front of you, so you need the resolve to cut down whatever it is that¡¯s in front of you, otherwise, your sword will become weak and fail its task.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t answer my question, dad,¡± replied Lucky, looking quizzically at him.


    Indra laughed and said, ¡°What can I say? Your question requires an analysis based on what ifs for me to explain it to you properly.¡±


    He thought for a moment in silence before getting an idea and explained it to his son.


    ¡°Imagine that you and I are fighting with our swords imbued with Weapon Force. Now, at the point of our clash, a power struggle will occur between our swords, and if my force is greater than yours, then you¡¯ll get pushed back, and vice versa. So, it completely depends on the strength of the force behind your weapon when you use it on your opponent.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± said Lucky, nodding in understanding. ¡°Basically, I just need to have a stronger Weapon Force and carry it through without any hesitation.¡±


    Indra nodded in agreement.


    ¡°Yes. Be it monsters or, in the worst-case scenario, people; carry out what you must and cut them down without hesitation.¡±


    Lucky became surprised at that advice and asked, ¡°I understand about killing monsters, but¡­ killing people? Is that really necessary, dad?¡±


    ¡°Lucky, as you grow older and mature, you¡¯ll find out that you¡¯ll be faced with a lot of difficult choices in life. To kill or not to kill. To save or not to save. It¡¯s a split-second decision that could lead to good or bad outcomes. But the choice is in your hands, therefore choose wisely.¡±


    ¡°What would your advice be, dad?¡± Lucky asked, looking puzzled.


    ¡°My advice?¡± Indra wondered aloud, and he glanced up at the sky to think. Then he looked back at him and said, ¡°Personally, I wouldn¡¯t give you any advice, Lucky. I¡¯m the wrong person you should take such advice from. Even now, when I look back at some of what I¡¯ve done, I¡¯m riddled with doubts whether I did the right thing or not. That¡¯s why, I cannot give you a proper advice.¡±


    He looked at his father, who looked to be sad as the actions of his past seemly caused him some kind of pain.


    Just then, he heard the Decisive Player telling him, ¡°Move on, Lucky. It¡¯s clear your dad¡¯s harbouring some kind of negativity that had happened in the past that he just doesn¡¯t want to talk to anyone about.¡±


    Lucky nodded in agreement and asked, ¡°Okay. Can I try it out, dad?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Indra asked, sounding distracted.


    ¡°I said can I try it out? The Weapon Force into this?¡±


    He asked the question and raised the sword missing its top portion.


    ¡°Uh. Yeah. Sure,¡± his father said, reacting distractedly before smiling. ¡°Before that, do you even know how to feel the energy?¡±


    ¡°How to feel it?¡± Lucky asked, tilting his head and looking puzzled. ¡°Don¡¯t I just need to focus on the sword and have it channel my energy over?¡±


    His words made Indra laugh and say, ¡°If it were that easy, there¡¯d be many Weapon Force users around, Lucky.¡±


    He shook his head and decided the first step he must do to teach his son was helping him feel his energy.


    ¡°Close your eye, remain calm, and look into yourself,¡± his father said in a calm voice. As his son did as he was told, he went on saying, ¡°You should feel something, a tingling sensation, something that you could reach out to and touch but you can¡¯t.¡±


    Lucky remained quiet and listened to his father¡¯s words while focusing on himself like he was told. He tired to remain as quiet as he could, and he could hear his own heartbeat beating rhythmically against his chest. As he continued to focus more and more, he no longer heard his heartbeat and felt a total silence and emptiness.


    At that moment, his fingers twitched, and he knitted his eyebrows as he felt something. No, it was more like he sensed something was flowing around. It was not the Decisive Player playing around with him, it was something familiar to him, like it belonged to him, like it had been waiting for him reach out to it.


    ¡°Do you sense anything?¡±


    He heard his father¡¯s voice coming from a distance and replied quietly, ¡°Yes. I sense¡­ something.¡±


    In conformation, he heard the Decisive Player say in his mind, ¡°Good job sensing your energy on your first try.¡±


    Lucky smiled and opened his eyes after having succeeding in feeling his energy. Seeing his reaction, Indra could not help but smile proudly at the success his son had in such a short amount of time.


    ¡°Okay. Since it appears you¡¯ve sensed your energy, now channel it into that sword,¡± he said, indicating the one Lucky was holding onto.


    Lucky nodded and held the sword in front of him before closing his eyes once more. Again, he focused his mind and went on an errand in search for the sensation he had earlier. It took him seconds to find it and opened his eyes before channelling his energy into the sword. Soon, his sword began to glow in yellow colour just like it did with his father¡¯s sword while being fuelled by the Weapon Force.


    ¡°Alright!¡± Lucky said, feeling triumph at succeeding on his first try in channelling Weapon Force into his sword.


    ¡°Well done, Lucky!¡± Indra said, pleased to see his son succeed while wearing a grin on his face. ¡°Want to try and see how strong that sword is now?¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡±


    Both Lucky and Indra were ready to test out their blades, which were imbued with Weapon Force from their respective sides. The two warriors took fighting stances, with Lucky mimicking his father¡¯s stance as he never had practice in a sword fight. Even so, he was determined to push his father¡¯s sword back and win on his first try since he succeeded twice in a row in that morning training.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Indra shouted, and swung his sword at his son¡¯s sword.


    Lucky did the same, pulling back a little and swinging it with as much force as he could muster against his father¡¯s sword.


    There was a sudden clanging sound when the two swords came crashing against each other. Lucky was giving it all as he fought to push his father¡¯s sword away and win, which impressed Indra greatly. Still, being the adult with more strength and experience, Indra easily overpowered his sword and completed his swing, causing Lucky to stagger backwards in shock while losing his grip on the sword that flew high into the air and fell flat on the grass a few meters away.


    ¡°Looks like I¡¯m stronger,¡± said Indra with a grinning face.


    Lucky sighed and shrugged as he walked over to pick up his fallen sword and returned to his father. Then he looked at him with determination and spoke in a voice full of confidence.


    ¡°For now, dad, but the day will come when I will beat you!¡±


    ¡°Oh! Now that¡¯s the kind of spirit I expect from my son!¡± Indra said, and the two of them laughed cheerfully.

 [ Arc 01 ][ 07 ] Energy Force

    ¡°Dad, teach me the Energy Force,¡± said Lucky energetically.


    ¡°Woah!¡± Indra said in surprise. ¡°Relax, Lucky. You¡¯ve already got the hang of Weapon Force. Don¡¯t push yourself.¡±


    Lucky shook his head and said, ¡°No, dad. I want to learn the Energy Force as well!¡±


    He looked at him with great determination on his face. When he saw that, Indra had no choice but to go along with his son¡¯s wishes.


    ¡°Fine,¡± said his father, and nodded in agreement.


    He sighed to relax his mind and smiled as he began speaking to his son again.


    ¡°The application of Weapon Force and Energy Force are pretty much the same; you feel your energy and then you channel it out. For Weapon Force, you channel it into a weapon of your choice. As for Energy Force, you create a raw energy, like a physical manifestation of the energy in your hands.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Lucky asked, looking surprised. ¡°Energy Force is the physical form of my energy?¡±


    His father nodded and said. ¡°Yes. Watch.¡±


    He gestured for his son to move away and extended his hand out with his palm open. His eyebrows and facial expression became serious as he began concentrating on the palm of his hand. Lucky watched in anticipation, expecting something to happen even though he had no idea what that something was.


    A moment later, particles of light began to gather in the centre of Indra¡¯s palm as he continued to concentrate on it. As he channelled his energy towards it, the particles of light quickly increased and came together from all around them. The wind began to blow a little quicker around them as the energy gathered in the palm of his hand.


    ¡°Wow,¡± muttered Lucky, staring at his father¡¯s hand in awe where the energy was gathering.


    It took a few seconds for many particles of light to gather before they formed into a small ball of glowing yellow light. Once it was done, Indra sighed deeply and held it out for his son to see.


    ¡°See this?¡± He asked his son with a pleasant smile. ¡°This is an example of the form an Energy Force can take.¡±


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    Lucky said that and walked forward, looking very intently at the formed ball of energy. He thought he could see the energy swirling around in inside the spherical structure that had formed around it. Just as he raised his hand and was about to touch it, when his Indra snapped at him.


    ¡°Stop!¡±


    Lucky froze on the spot and looked at him in confusion, whereas Indra was looked concerned.


    ¡°Don¡¯t touch it, Lucky,¡± he said, withdrawing his hand away from his son. ¡°It contains a large quantity of energy that could really burn you if you¡¯re not careful.¡±


    ¡°But, dad, you look fine,¡± replied Lucky curiously.


    ¡°I am because I am in control, but it¡¯s not the same for you. You¡¯re a foreign existence to this energy ball, and it only knows to destroy whatever it is that I aim it at. Watch.¡±


    With that, he threw the ball against the ground a few meters away. As soon as it touched the ground, a small explosion occurred and smoked drifted into the air. For a moment, the adult and kid covered their noses and narrowed their eyes while the smoke spread and quickly vanished. Once it cleared, they walked over to the spot and saw a burn mark on the ground where the grass had been destroyed by the energy ball.


    ¡°See what I mean?¡± Indra asked his son, looking very seriously at him. ¡°Of the three force types, Energy Force is the most dangerous one because there¡¯s no safety net, you¡¯re in charge of I and you must stay in control, otherwise, the whiplash would be catastrophic.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, dad?¡± Lucky asked in confusion.


    ¡°Let me tell you a story of a guy who thought he could control the Energy Force and decided to show off only to end up killing himself. How? Very simple. He lost control,¡± his father said with a serious look on his face.


    ¡°It was during my training days in the capital of our Rodfox Kingdom that I learnt my fighting skills and energy techniques. During that time, there was a student who was quite talented and did his best to show off his skills to others ion a spectacular fashion. My master disapproved of his mentality and scolded him numerous times to be disciplined and in control, but the guy just ignored him.


    So, one day, we were all training to use the Energy Force, and guess what? He succeeding in creating the same energy ball quicker than the rest of us. That guy sure was gifted, but his brain was stupid as hell because he got so overconfident that when people started praising him, he decided to show off by creating as big of an energy ball as he could. Ultimately, he achieved in making the largest energy ball in our training centre at that time but at a heavy price.¡±


    He paused as he thought about the events of that day with a sad look on his face.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Lucky asked, unable to contain his curiosity.


    ¡°He lost control. It was the size of a large tree, and it was beyond what he was capable of handling. It was pulsating energy wildly as if it was going to explode, but we thought he was just showing off. But then we saw him desperately trying to control the energy and that¡¯s when we knew it was dangerous situation. Master had all of his students evacuated and remained behind to do something about the energy.


    Unfortunately, he was too late and an enormous explosion occurred, destroying the training centre and causing nearby buildings to collapse. Luckily, the only casualty was that show off that got killed by his own attack and caused injures to several people as well as property damages to some of the residents in the city. Since then, master had been very strict with his students and made sure such an accident would never happen again.¡±


    Lucky remained silent and stared at his father in shock because of what he just heard.


    ¡°Wow,¡± said the Decisive Player in his mind. ¡°That person must¡¯ve been a real idiot or something.¡±


    The kid nodded and asked, ¡°So, dad, can I try it now?¡±


    Indra looked hesitantly at his son and said, ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know, Lucky. It might be dangerous for you right now.¡±


    He was looking nervous at the thought of having his son try it out for the first time after remembering the nasty events of the past. Lucky saw this, and he knitted his eyebrows and spoke sharply to him.


    ¡°Dad!¡± He said, causing Indra to become startled. ¡°You don¡¯t want me to do it today, but I would have to eventually, so why delay it when I can do it now under your guidance instead of trying it on my own? What¡¯s so wrong about that?¡±The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    Indra looked hesitant for a moment longer, unwilling to let his son do something dangerous, but at the same time, he wanted to give him a chance. When he looked into his son¡¯s eyes and saw pure determination in them, he sighed and nodded in agreement.


    ¡°Okay, but be extra careful,¡± he warned his son anxiously.


    Lucky nodded and smiled excitedly, ready to try the Energy Force out.


    ¡°Okay. So, hold out your hand and focus your on mind into thinking of gathering your energy in the middle of your palm.¡±


    Following his father¡¯s explanation, Lucky held his hand out and closed his eyes momentarily to feel his energy. Once he did, he reopened his eyes and knitted his eyebrows in seriousness as he focused on making the energy channel into the palm of his hand.


    For a moment, nothing happened, but he was undeterred as he continued focusing on his hand. A moment later, he noticed that many particles of light began to gather around in the palm of his hand to form the energy ball like they did for his father.


    As he smiled happily, he heard the Decisive Player say warningly, ¡°Stay focused. You can smile once this is over.¡±


    ¡°I know, but I¡¯m succeeding, right?¡± Lucky thought back happily.


    However, the Decisive Player did not share his emotion and warned, ¡°Don¡¯t celebrate too soon because anything could happen. Stay focused, keep concentrating, and do it slowly. No rush. This isn¡¯t an exam.¡±


    Lucky nodded wordlessly and focused his mind entirely on the control of the energy ball that was slowly forming in his hand. It took a few seconds longer than it did for his father before the gathered particles of energy took on the shape of a sphere.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Lucky shouted in triumph at succeeding on his first try. He looked at his father and said, ¡°See, dad! I did it!¡±


    Indra was stunned to see his son succeed on his first attempt before a broad smile appeared on his face.


    ¡°That¡¯s awesome, Lucky! You¡¯re awesome!¡± Indra shouted happily.


    As the father and son cheered, Lucky suddenly heard the Decisive Player say sharply, ¡°Lucky! Watch out!¡±


    At his exclamation, Lucky looked at his hand and was shocked to see the energy ball was pulsating dangerously as if it was going to explode. He could hear a small whistling sound coming emanating from it as if something was happening to it.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to explode!¡± The Decisive Player shouted inside his mind. When Lucky frozen in shock, the Decisive Player instructed him, ¡°Quickly! Throw it into the air as far as you can, Lucky! Do it now!¡±


    At those words, Lucky snapped out of his shock and gripped the energy ball tightly before launching it high into the air with all his might. It flew high into the air and appeared to travel several meters away before a large explosion occurred, causing a loud thunder to occur and made them brace themselves against the gust of wind that buffeted against them.


    The explosion alerted everyone in the house, and it was much louder than the explosion when his father dropped his ball of energy on the grass. Thus, this alerted Lakshmi, Mariana, and Sumara and caused them to hurry outside with anxious looks on their faces.


    ¡°What happened?!¡± Lakshmi exclaimed, looking shocked and very worried.


    Sumara did not react immediately, she simply looked up at the cloud drifting several meters away and understood what had happened. Then she shifted her gaze at her student, who was eying the smoke with a look of amazement on his face.


    ¡°Is that the Energy Force? Was that your doing, Lucky?¡± She asked him in a cool voice.


    At her question, he turned to look at her in surprise before he meekly replied, ¡°Yes.¡±


    His reply made his mother become very concerned and made her turn angrily to face Indra.


    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing teaching my son something so dangerous?!¡±


    ¡°It was just the Energy Force!¡± Indra replied, trying to defend himself while looking worriedly at his son. ¡°It was fine just moments ago, but then it suddenly started going out of control.¡±


    ¡°He could¡¯ve been killed!¡± His wife shouted at him.


    ¡°Nothing happened, alright?!¡± He retorted, becoming angry with her shouting at him unfairly. ¡°I was going to make my move and throw it away, but Lucky is a smart kid! He reacted before me, which goes to show he¡¯s pretty good! So, instead of scolding us, praise him, okay? He¡¯s done a good job of controlling his energy so far.¡±


    Lakshmi realised what she was doing and quickly turned to look worriedly at her son. Sure enough, Lucky was looking nervously at her because this was his first time witnessing his mother become so angry to the point that she was shouting at his father. Seeing the look of fear in his eyes, Lakshmi felt distraught and cursed herself for losing her cool and showing such emotions in front of her son, leading to him getting scared of her.


    ¡°Lucky,¡± she said gently, moving hesitantly towards him.


    She was worried that because of his fear for her, he might reject her. However, he stood there and watched her come closer with the same look of fear in his eyes. Once she reached him, the mother knelt down and placed both of her hands on his shoulders, which shook slightly as if he was expecting her to hit him or something.


    ¡°Lucky,¡± she said again, speaking in a gentle voice. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for hurting you.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± He said, reacting in surprise to her sudden apology. Nervously, he asked her, ¡°Y-You¡¯re not angry at me, mom?¡±


    ¡°Of course not!¡± She replied in an instant. ¡°I was worried about you. I got worried that you might¡¯ve been hurt because of your stupid dad.¡±


    While Indra looked aghast at the blame being put on him, Lucky was surprised before he shook his head to deny his mother¡¯s claim.


    ¡°It¡¯s not dad¡¯s fault, mom. I forced him to teach me,¡± he said to his mother bravely.


    Since he knew his mother was not really angry at him, he felt he could speak truthfully to her. Sure enough, she looked surprised and looked as if she would get angry at him. However, her expression slowly changed as she sighed and decided to not scold her son because of something like this.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t your dad try and stop you?¡± She asked curiously.


    Lucky nodded and said, ¡°He did, but I said I have to learn it someday, so it¡¯s better I learn it now under his guidance since he told me how dangerous it was. Dad told me what happened to a student training at the same centre as him.¡±


    This surprised his mother, because she had assumed that he did it without knowing the consequences.


    ¡°You still wanted to learn it even after knowing what happened to that student? Why?¡±


    Lucky hesitated for a second before stating firmly, ¡°I wanted to become strong, mom, and be an independent warrior. Yesterday, I found out that I was very weak and couldn¡¯t defend myself, and I realised I can¡¯t always have father protecting me. Dad was right. One day, I will grow and be an independent man, so what should I do then if I don¡¯t put all of my efforts now to grow and be the best that I could possibly become?¡±


    Lakshmi was stunned to hear the emotional words of her son and understood the reasoning behind it. As a mother of a single son, she was worried for her only son¡¯s safety and did not want him to face any kind of trouble. However, she also knew the world they lived in was a cruel one, where monsters existed and people did horrible things to each other.


    They lived in an unpredictable society, and the only way for someone to survive against such a wild reality was to be strong and brave. That was the sole reason that she and her husband were able to afford their home and live peacefully without having to come in contact with others on a regular basis. That was why they had Lucky study at home so he would not get mixed up in the muddy schooling system that was run in the town.


    As everyone fell silence, Sumara looked at her student and asked, ¡°Do you truly want to become as strong as you could possibly get? So strong that no one can defeat you and that you wouldn¡¯t be a burden to anyone?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Lucky had replied with a firm look on his face and also nodded in assent.


    The Demon woman looked him for a moment in silence before she turned to his father.


    ¡°Sir, when you decide to teach him this technique, do please call me as well since I may be able to provide extra support in case something like this were to happen again.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± she said and smiled confidently at him. ¡°If it gets dangerous, I can simply use my wind magic to carry the ball out of the way, shield him from harm''s way. There are many options once you start looking at them,¡± and she winked at him.


    He was amazed by her suggestion and realised it was for the best. So, he nodded and accepted her assistance in future training sessions with his son. Nodding in agreement, Sumara turned and smiled at her student before she headed back inside.


    A while later, Lucky finished his morning training and went upstairs get a change of clothes from his room to wear after having his bath. While he was in his room rummaging through his clothes, he heard the Decisive Player speak to him.


    ¡°Your teacher is a wonderful person, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°She is.¡±


    ¡°She was worried about you, but since your mother took on that role, she was calm and decided to do something about the situation. So, she decided to help you out even though it was not part of her agreement as your magic tutor.¡±


    ¡°Well, she is a nice person,¡± said Lucky with a light chuckle. Then he added, ¡°Plus, she is my teacher so she would be worried about my safety and help me along with my growth, right?¡±


    To that question, the Decisive Player fell silent for a few seconds before responding with, ¡°Yes, but she is more than that; she¡¯s one of the Nine Destiny Queens.¡±

 [ Arc 01 ][ 08 ] Nine Destiny Queens

    ¡°The what?¡± Lucky asked, sounding confused.


    ¡°The Nine Destiny Queens,¡± repeated the Decisive Player.


    Lucky furrowed his eyebrows at this unfamiliar name and made it clear to the wandering spirit.


    ¡°Um. Sorry, Decisive Player. I have no idea what that group is, and is Sumara a part of it?¡±


    ¡°The group comprises of nine really beautiful, really carrying, and really powerful women! In the future, I expect more of them to show up and end up being together with you.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± said Lucky, realising something from his words. ¡°Be together with me? Does that mean we¡¯ll live together? As friends?¡±


    ¡°As lovers,¡± the Decisive Player said, chuckling at the kid¡¯s choice of words. ¡°And then as a married couple.¡±


    ¡°Wait! I¡¯ll marry all of them?! All nine of them?!¡± Lucky exclaimed in shock. ¡°But I¡¯m only seven and Miss Sumara is far older than me! How can it work?¡±


    The wandering spirit chuckle and said, ¡°Not now, but later in the future. Besides, should appearance and age matter when there is true love?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Well, you are destined to be together with them regardless of what you want to do. I confirmed that with the appearance of her, and her recent behaviour towards you. It¡¯s showing signs that she is being drawn to you.¡±


    ¡°Destined? How?!¡±


    ¡°Because they were the wives of the original Phoenix Titan.¡±


    ¡°They were?!¡±


    ¡°Yes. You see, it was during the time when the you of the past was dominating each and every clan there was. Those who opposed you instead of surrendering like the others, you destroyed. However, there were clans that didn¡¯t want to give up their rulership and sent their daughters as sacrificial pawns to please you into sparing them.¡±


    ¡°What sort of garbage do they think I am?!¡± Lucky exclaimed, flaring up angrily at his words.


    The Decisive Player chuckled and said, ¡°Your reaction was the same as your past self¡¯s,¡± and he tried to imitate what the original Phoenix Titan said.


    ¡°How dare they treat women as commodity?! What am I, a barbarian to them?! Screw this! Minister! Get the army ready! We¡¯re going to destroy those fools!¡±


    His words instantly made Lucky feel shocked and said, ¡°Did I say that?¡±


    ¡°You certainly did because you got very angry,¡± the Decisive Player replied in a humorous voice. ¡°So, you were prepared to kill every last of them, but then the girls fell on your legs begging for their people¡¯s mercy, and you had to let it go.¡±


    ¡°Phew.¡±


    Lucky sighed in relief, the fear of what he had done in the past going away.


    ¡°So, how come you got angry, Lucky?¡± The Decisive Player asked curiously.


    ¡°What kind of man won¡¯t get angry when a woman is being treated like that?!¡± Lucky exclaimed irritably. ¡°How would you feel if your mother was treated like that? How would you feel if your sister was treated the same? Of course, I don¡¯t have a sister, but it¡¯s the same thing; it¡¯s despicable!¡±


    ¡°But they wanted to survive,¡± reasoned the Decisive Player with the kid. ¡°They wanted to live and keep their rights, and since they experienced tyrannical rulers demanding girls as payment, they took the best decision to preserve themselves.¡±


    ¡°It still won¡¯t change the fact that they are a bunch of despicable people.¡±


    The Decisive Player remained silent for a few seconds before he said, ¡°Well, after that you forged a wonderful bond with them and got married happily. Sadly, it didn¡¯t last long because a lot of terrible things happened, and you lost them forever.¡±


    ¡°What?! What happened?¡±


    There was a moment of pause before the wandering spirit said, ¡°Sorry, Lucky. Now is not the time to tell you about it.¡± As the kid went to speak, he overruled him by saying, ¡°I promise I will tell you when it¡¯s the right time, but now isn¡¯t it. Sorry. You¡¯re much too young to know the details of what happened that day.¡±


    ¡°Come on, Decisive Player. You can tell me,¡± Lucky pleaded, but he only received silence from the wandering spirit. Then he sighed and asked, ¡°So, they¡¯re reborn also, and now we¡¯re going to encounter each other soon?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± the Decisive Player said, glad that the conversation moved on. ¡°Fate has brought you to your first Destiny Queen, but it won¡¯t¡¯ stop there. The rest of the girls will follow, and believe me, you¡¯ll be living a happy life together with them in the future.¡±


    Lucky instantly felt sweat form on his face with fear and asked incredulously. ¡°If mom found out that I got myself more than one girl to love, she¡¯ll kill me!¡±


    In that world, religion was a common thing, and his mother daily prayed to the God of Justice, who was said to only have one wife. So, the thought of what his mother might say about him having multiple affairs in the future certainly scared him.


    ¡°Things will change by then,¡± the Decisive Player replied with a laugh. ¡°I¡¯m not telling you go hook up right now. In the future, after you turn fifteen.¡±


    While his words sounded reassuring, Lucky was not being optimistic, especially after the anger he saw in her that morning. He never dreamed that his mother could get angry like that, but a situation like that would cause her great concern, worry and make her become angry at him.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°So, how did you know Miss Sumara is part of this group?¡± Lucky asked casually. Then, as if realising the answer to his own question, he said, ¡°Wait! Don¡¯t tell me they look like they did in the past?!¡±


    ¡°Good. You were able to correctly guess without me explaining about it.¡±


    ¡°It sounded like the only possible thing since that¡¯s how you proved that I am the Phoenix Titan,¡± said Lucky and laughed. ¡°Anyway, how do I recognise them though when I have no recollection of who they might be?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re already close to four of them.¡±


    Lucky coughed in shock and exclaimed, ¡°Four?! Who?! Apart from Sumara, who are the other two?¡± Then his eyes widened with shock and he asked ¡°Wait. Are you saying Mariana is also one of my wives?!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be thick,¡± replied the Decisive Player with a light chuckle. ¡°She¡¯s your maid and can never be at your side. No. The other two are pretty close by, one literally is in this house while the other two in the nearby vicinity.¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡± Lucky asked, sounding amazed. ¡°How can you tell?¡±


    ¡°Call it my powers as a wandering spirit.¡±


    His words caused Lucky to narrow his eyebrows and look dull as he asked, ¡°You made that up, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    The Decisive Player laughed and asked, ¡°Damn. You¡¯re good!¡± Then he sounded more serious when he said, ¡°No. I¡¯m able to feel their presence strongly due to the Divine Protection of Love.¡±


    ¡°The what now?!¡±


    ¡°The Divine Protection of Love. It helps you get together with those you are destined to be with and helps all of you to stay in touch with one another even if you are separated by many continents, although, it won¡¯t work if you¡¯re in separate worlds so there¡¯s that drawback.¡±


    ¡°Wait! Divine Protection?!¡± Lucky exclaimed, realising the implication of the words. ¡°Do you mean the protection that Gods grant us people with for doing certain things and so on? I have that kind of protection?¡±


    ¡°You have many more, but it¡¯s a waste to tell you right now when you have yet to grow,¡± the Decisive Player said with a chuckle, causing Lucky to become very annoyed.


    ¡°Decisive Player,¡± he began in a firm voice, ¡°what else are you hiding from me?! Spill it!¡±


    ¡°I swore to you before that I will never lie to you,¡± replied the Decisive Player in an honest voice. ¡°I also said you¡¯re much too young to know all about the Phoenix Titan¡¯s background, details and powers, so I¡¯ll slowly teach it to you over the years. There¡¯s no rush.¡±


    ¡°For some reason, I feel as though you¡¯re doing this on purpose!¡± Lucky exclaimed, looking annoyed.


    ¡°Believe me, Lucky!¡± The Decisive Player said in a firm voice. ¡°Cross my heart, hope to die¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Your kind of in between, aren¡¯t you?¡± Lucky asked, raising an eyebrow in a humorous way.


    ¡°That¡¯s not the point! I¡¯m saying that I only speak the truth with you, Lucky! I want the best for you, that¡¯s why I¡¯m holding back a lot of information, otherwise, it¡¯ll be too much for you to process all at once!¡±


    ¡°Because I¡¯m seven. Is that right?¡±


    Lucky asked that question and sighed tiredly, giving up his fight to make the wandering spirit tell him anything. He also understood that much of what the Decisive Player told him did not initially make sense until he had fully explained them, which took quite a bit of time. So, he reasoned that maybe it was better to slowly learn about his past and uncover the many mysteries about himself.


    ¡°Alright. Fine,¡± he said, and heard the Decisive Player sigh in relief. Then he said, ¡°I¡¯ll let you have your way, but you better keep your promise with me, Decisive Player!¡±


    ¡°So, demanding! You don¡¯t seem to realise but you sound more and more like your past self!¡±


    ¡°Of course, I would because I¡¯m dealing with a wandering spirit that¡¯s playing with me!¡±


    At Lucky¡¯s retort, the Decisive Player let out a cheerful laughter. So, with nothing else to do there, Lucky took his clothes and headed out of the room to his bath.


    The rest of the morning, he spent studying with Mariana till lunch. After lunch, he switched over to having magic lessons with Sumara. It was a peaceful day that was undisturbed by the chilly breeze that was blowing, signs that winter was coming.


    At the end of his training session with her, Sumara was giving him advice on improving his focus on the magic. He had attempted to conjure water ball and make it move through the air, but it would fall away within a few seconds. When he looked disappointed at himself, she cheered him up by saying encouraging words and then parting ways, she headed to her room while he remained standing near the staircase.


    As Lucky watched her go, he heard the Decisive Player comment in his mind, ¡°She¡¯s certainly focused on you.¡±


    He sounded shrewd, almost like he was suspecting that the kid was beginning to have feelings for the young adult. Lucky, on the other hand, chuckled and replied in a matter-of-fact tone.


    ¡°You¡¯re dreaming, Decisive Player. I¡¯m much too young to think of her as life partner.¡±


    ¡°Maybe not now, but once you hit the age of puberty, you¡¯ll start feeling all sorts of feelings that you¡¯ve never felt before. Oh~! I can see it now! You blushing and acting nervous around her.¡±


    ¡°Cut it out!¡± Lucky said irritably, and the Decisive Player let out a loud laughter.


    At that moment, the Decisive Player suddenly stopped laughing and went very quiet, making Lucky wonder what had happened.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Lucky asked curiously.


    ¡°Something¡¯s not right,¡± the Decisive Player said slowly, as if he was trying to figure something out. ¡°The spirits are scared.¡±


    ¡°The who?¡±


    ¡°Elemental Spirits,¡± elaborated the Decisive Player distractedly. ¡°They¡¯re what help magicians use magic by heeding to your words and doing your bidding. Although, they only listen to users with any real Magic Force and people like your father, without any magic capability, will get ignored by them.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­! Okay,¡± Lucky said, nodding in understanding. ¡°So, these Elemental Spirits are telling you there¡¯s trouble?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re aren¡¯t telling me anything, but they are scared. Something bad is headed this way.¡±


    There was a moment where Lucky stood there in silence, wondering what was going on. Suddenly, he received a shock when the Decisive Player suddenly shouted at him in his mind.


    ¡°Lucky, go outside now!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Lucky asked, looking confused.


    ¡°I said go outside!¡±


    ¡°Why? I don¡¯t¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Now!¡±


    The Decisive Player yelled the last word in a commanding voice, causing Lucky to jump in surprise.


    ¡°Okay! Okay!¡± Lucky said, and he hurried out of house and into the lawn.


    He quickly moved forward and came out to stand on the road, where there was nothing different about it. He looked left and right, expecting something unusual to be there, but things appeared like they normally do.


    ¡°Decisive Player,¡± he began curiously, ¡°what was that¡ª?¡±


    He stopped speaking because he heard a rustle of grass, and quickly turned around to see a black cat emerge from the undergrowth of the grass. It looked to be injured because it was limping slowly, with blood dripping from the wound it obviously had been inflicted with. Shocked at seeing the animal in pain, Lucky quickly moved forward to tend to the poor thing.


    ¡°Oh no! What happened to you?!¡± He asked, holding the animal gently in his arm.


    The cat would not respond, merely purring weakly due to how exhausted it seemed to him. He shifted the cat¡¯s body over and saw that the animal had sustained a large bite mark around its neck. It was not a small bite either, showing that something big had attempted to eat it, but the cat managed to escape all the way here, where it finally ran out of strength to keep escaping.


    ¡°What did this to you?¡± Lucky asked that question with a worried look on his face.


    At that moment, he heard the sound of rustling grass and felt something appear on the road. He did not look at him, but something from its presence made his skin prickle and caused the hair on his back to stand up.


    He slowly shifted his eyes upward to look at what had appeared out of the grass and heard the Decisive Player say in a calm voice despite the dangerous situation they were in.


    ¡°That answers your question.¡±


    It was a large four-legged monster with black fur and two heads, which he identified as a Two-Headed Cerberus.

 [ Arc 01 ][ 09 ] Beast Attack [1/2]

    Lucky kneeled on the middle of the road, with a Two-Headed Cerberus being in front of him. The monster was staring back at him, drool coming from its mouth mixed with the blood of the animals it had probably claimed. For it to be there was because it chased the injured cat that Lucky held in his hands, which was bleeding from a large bite on the neck.


    ¡°Do not move,¡± the Decisive Player advised him in his mind.


    ¡°I know that,¡± thought Lucky, glaring menacingly back at the monster, ¡°but the cat is injured and needs treatment.¡±


    ¡°We have no choice. If you move, the monster will strike, and you don¡¯t have a weapon to defend yourself with.¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but I can¡¯t just sit here and do nothing while this cat bleeds to death.¡±


    ¡°She won¡¯t die.¡±


    ¡°Why are so confident about that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you once we get out of this mess,¡± the Decisive Player said firmly. ¡°Now, stay focused because it could change its mind and leap at you the moment you drop your guard!¡±


    ¡°I know!¡±


    Thus, Lucky ended up kneeling there with the cat in his arms, facing the fearsome monster. Time seemed to have been frozen from their encounter, with no movement coming from either side. A few minutes later, Lucky heard a familiar voice calling out his name from his home.


    ¡°Lucky! Lucky! Where are you? Your mom¡¯s calling! Come back wherever you are!¡±


    The Demon girl¡¯s voice was loud and carried all the way out on the street. Then, as if noticing him standing just outside the entrance, she smiled and called to him.


    ¡°Lucky, what are you doing on the road? Come here.¡±


    Contrary to her expectations, he remained frozen to the spot staring in front of him at the monster that she could not see. He wished he could somehow let her know of the danger that was right in front of him, but he was afraid to open his mouth because the slight movement might upset the balance and trigger the monster into attacking him.


    Sumara became concerned when he remained frozen on the spot and appeared as though he did not hear her. So, she slowly walked towards him with a questioning look on her face.


    ¡°What are you doing, Lucky? Why aren¡¯t you responding?¡±


    ¡°Because I can¡¯t,¡± he thought as he was unable to reply to her, faced with the danger before his eyes.


    She gradually drew closer and noticed the look on his face, which made her narrow her eyebrows in seriousness. The worried look on her student¡¯s face told her immediately that everything was not alright and that he was in no position to respond to her. So, she slowly edged closer to the entrance and peered out in the direction that he was looking at.


    Her eyes widened with shock the moment she saw the monster standing there, blood dripping from its mouth as it faced her student. She instantly recognised it being a monster known as the Two-Headed Cerberus and instantly realised it was eying him as if it wanted to have him as its next meal.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t good,¡± she thought with worry. ¡°If Lucky moves even a little bit, the monster will attack, and he doesn¡¯t have a sword to defend himself with.¡±


    While withdrawing her head back, she contemplated on what must be done to get him out of that tricky situation. That was when it hit her, and she looked at her hands before clenching them and nodding her head firmly as she came to a decision.


    So, the Demon girl leapt out of the entrance and shouted, ¡°Hey!¡±


    The moment she shouted, the monster turned his attention on her and momentarily forgot all about Lucky.


    ¡°Get out of the way!¡± She shouted to her student.


    At the same time, the monster realised what had happened and growled viciously before charging towards them. Without saying a word, Lucky scooped up the cat in his arms and dived out of the way as the monster narrowly missed him. Once he was out of harm¡¯s way, Sumara stood on the road and aimed her hand towards the monster. By then it had stopped its charging and turned around to come back at them.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    ¡°Oh, Spirits of Wind, come forth and blast my enemy away!¡±


    As the monster charged at her, the wind suddenly began to blow rapidly around her before it swept towards the charging monster. In an instant, the strong impact from the fast blowing wind blasted the monster into the air and caused it to soar into the distance before disappearing from sight.


    ¡°Phew!¡± Sumara said, breathing a sigh in relief and turning to look at her student. ¡°We¡¯re safe now. Are you okay, Lucky?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m fine,¡± he said, nodding at her in return. Then he turned to her and held the cat out while saying, ¡°Please, heal her, miss.¡±


    His teacher was, at first, surprised to see the small wounded animal. But then she nodded in agreement and aimed her hand at it.


    ¡°Oh, Spirits of Light, come forth and recover the injuries of this poor soul.¡±


    As soon as she finished chanting the spell, the cat¡¯s body got surrounded by a green glowing light. They watched as the blood around its body vanished and the wound sealed itself until nothing of it remained. Once the light died down, the cat slowly opened its eyes and peered at their savours.


    ¡°There. All better,¡± said Sumara with a smile.


    ¡°Great!¡± Lucky said happily, slowly caressing the cat¡¯s body.


    The small black cat slowly lifted its head and seemed to look around in surprise. Then it tilted its head to look at the boy that saved it. Lucky could see that the cat had small black beady eyes that seemed as though it was looking through him. She purred and turned her body to lick his palm, which made him to chuckle from the ticklish sensation.


    ¡°You¡¯re all fine now,¡± he said with a grin and let the cat down on the ground.


    While the two of them looked intently at each other, Sumara asked him, ¡°So, Lucky, how did you find the cat and end up meeting that monster?¡±


    ¡°Oh. Yeah,¡± he said, looking distractedly up at her.


    ¡°How am I supposed to explain I came out because you ordered me to?¡± Lucky thought, asking the Decisive Player for help.


    ¡°Just tell her that you heard a cat crying in pain and came to check it out, which was when the monster came out,¡± replied the wandering spirit.


    ¡°Thanks!¡± Lucky thought and conveyed the message to her while making it sound like he thought it up on his own.


    His teacher nodded in understanding and said, ¡°That¡¯s very observant of you, Lucky. Although, going out without a weapon in hand, I wonder what you were thinking?¡±


    As she looked sternly at him, he smiled sheepishly and replied, ¡°Sorry, miss. I didn¡¯t think a monster would show up.¡±


    She shook her head and did not take it light, going so far as to scold him about it.


    ¡°That kind of carelessness could get you killed out there,¡± she said in a serious voice. ¡°Once you¡¯re outside your home, it¡¯s a dangerous game of life and death, and you must be at the top of your form to survive the harshness.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± he replied, his smile was gone, and he tilted his head down in sadness.


    Just as he was thinking that he might have done something bad, his teacher smiled and said, ¡°At least, it¡¯s good that you saved the cat, so I¡¯ll let you off on this one, okay?¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± He asked her, and when she nodded with a smile, he grinned and said, ¡°Thank you, miss!¡±


    At that moment, the cat purred happily, and they both looked down to smile at it. A moment later, Lucky remembered about the monster and asked her teacher about its whereabouts.


    ¡°I sent it flying away,¡± she replied easily.


    He blinked in surprise and asked, ¡°Flying away? To where?¡±


    ¡°To there,¡± she said, moving onto the road and pointing in the direction it flew away in.


    Once he looked in the direction she pointed to, his eyes widened in shock as he realised the town was in that direction.


    ¡°Miss,¡± he began slowly, looking very worried, ¡°the town is in that direction.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± She asked him, blinking in surprise and looking in that direction as well. Then, as she remembered about the town being in that direction, she gritted her teeth and muttered, ¡°Damn. I forgot about that.¡±


    ¡°The town¡¯s in danger!¡± Lucky said urgently in a concerned voice.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Lucky,¡± she said with a smile as she reassured him. ¡°The town is full of adventures that can handle a single monster like that thing. Don¡¯t worry about it and just relax.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Okay,¡± he said, nodding in agreement and going silent as he turned to face the direction that the town was in.


    As they watched, smoke slowly started to rise into the sky from where the town was. That only meant that something bad was happening there.


    ¡°Miss!¡± Lucky said, turning to her and pointing at the rising smoke. ¡°I think something¡¯s wrong!¡±


    His teacher did not immediately reply as she too saw the rising smoke with a serious look on her face. Sumara felt annoyed at her misjudgement in sending the monster flying away in that direction, feeling it was her responsibility to correct her mistake.


    ¡°You stay here, Lucky, while I head over to the town,¡± she instructed him briefly.


    He saw her aim her hand at the ground and was about to chant when he exclaimed, ¡°I¡¯m coming with you!¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°I said no!¡±


    ¡°I want to come!¡± Lucky replied stubbornly. ¡°It¡¯s my fault that I went out without a sword with me, miss! I have to go!¡±


    She looked at him and saw the determination in his eyes, making her wish she could say, ¡°What makes you think a kid, such as yourself, could do what no adult can?!¡± However, she knew those words would devastate him and it was not her wish to harm her student in any way. Because he looked so determined to tag along, she sighed and thought about the positive side of coming with her.


    ¡°At least, he can experience in how to defeat a monster,¡± she thought and smiled.


    ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s go,¡± she said to him.


    He nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go tell mom and get my weapon,¡± and she nodded in understanding.


    So, Lucky hurried into his house and spoke to his mother, who exclaimed in a loud voice in shock. Not waiting for her to stop him, he hurried out of the house and to the shed only to return in a few seconds with a sword he had used in that morning¡¯s training.


    ¡°I¡¯m back,¡± he said to her with a smile.


    ¡°What the heck is this?¡± She asked, looking startled by the state the sword was in.


    ¡°I used it this morning in today¡¯s training, and dad used the Weapon Force in his hand to cut it off to show me how it worked,¡± he explained its backstory.


    She shook her head and said, ¡°Honestly¡­! Whatever, you got a weapon, and that¡¯s good enough. Let¡¯s go!¡±

 [ Arc 01 ][ 10 ] Beast Attack [2/2]

    Lucky went out into the open and was just about to run to the town when Sumara said, ¡°Wait! What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Running to the town, miss,¡± he replied, pausing and looking at her in surprise. ¡°Aren¡¯t we running?¡±


    ¡°By the time we reach there, we¡¯ll both be exhausted,¡± she replied with a wry smile. ¡°No. We¡¯re not running. We¡¯ll fly there.¡±


    ¡°Fly? You know flying magic, miss?¡±


    She shook her head and replied, ¡°No. It¡¯s not flight magic, it¡¯s just a wind magic to get us to our destination.¡± While he looked surprised, she aimed her hand down at the ground and said, ¡°Oh, Spirits of Wind, gather around us and carry us to our destination.¡±


    In an instant, the wind began to speed up as it gathered around the two of them. Lucky managed to wave at the cat to stay back when he felt something strange gather around his feet. He turned towards his teacher and as saw something was swirling around her feet as well.


    ¡°W-What¡¯s going on?!¡± He exclaimed, feeling anxious.


    ¡°It¡¯s the wind,¡± she replied shortly.


    A moment later, the gathered wind suddenly increased in strength before it slowly lifted into the air. At the same time, Lucky felt as though he was rising off the ground and got lifted into the air. He felt as though he was touching something, but when he looked down, he could only see the ground shrinking away.


    ¡°Woah!¡± He exclaimed, tripped and landed on the wind that was carrying him and his teacher away into the sky. ¡°This is¡­ unexpected!¡±


    His teacher smiled at his reaction and turned in the direction of the town, which was where the wind began to take them towards. Lucky glanced over the side of the wind carrying them and breathed a sigh as he felt the fear of falling from such a height. Then he glanced up at his teacher as he suddenly realised something about her magic.


    ¡°Is this how you go from place to place, miss?¡±


    ¡°Only for short distances,¡± she replied while they were on the move. ¡°You see, this magic can only take us for a short amount of distance. It doesn¡¯t matter how much you output because it cannot breach its limitations. That¡¯s why I tend to fly as far as possible. If I reach the town, that''s great, but if I didn''t, I would have to walk the remaining distance because I can''t use it consecutive times.¡±


    When she said that, he looked confused as what she said did not make sense. That was when the Decisive Player gave him an explanation.


    ¡°The Elemental Spirits don''t run on infinite energy, and certainly don''t like it if they are pushed too far. So, they basically ignore the spell''s activation until they are ready to do it again. That''s why she said that because she doesn''t fully know of the minor details.¡±


    Lucky nodded in understanding, but he still smiled and said to her, ¡°That¡¯s amazing though, miss!¡±


    She grinned and replied, ¡°I¡¯m sure you can manage to learn this too if you put the effort in.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± He replied happily with a big grin on his face.


    They continued to soar through the air for several minutes in silence before the town appeared before them. From that height, they could clearly see the destruction that had happened there, but most importantly, they could see the monster that was the reason for it all.


    ¡°Huh?!¡± The two of them exclaimed simultaneously, looking shocked.


    The Two-Headed Cerberus was not small anymore. Rather, it was bigger than a building as it roared and smashed through several buildings. With its tail alone, it knocked down two buildings. The Demon girl and the human could not understand how the beast had grown so big in size in such a short amount of time, or what had caused for that to happen.


    ¡°That thing looks far bigger than I last saw it,¡± commented Lucky, unsure whether he was seeing things.


    ¡°No! It¡¯s definitely big, or rather, it got bigger!¡± Sumara exclaimed, furrowing her eyebrows and staring seriously at the monster. ¡°This doesn¡¯t make sense! I don¡¯t remember a Two-Headed Cerberus having an ability to increase its strength!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re almost near the town, miss,¡± called Lucky to her.


    She nodded and aimed her hand down at the wind and said, ¡°Oh, Spirits of Wind, please lower us and let us down here.¡±


    Heeding to her command, the wind slowly lowered them down and landed them gently on the ground. Once the wind dissipated, both Sumara and Lucky hurried towards the town, where the monster was roaring and thrashing around with both of its heads while it''s tail swung around wildly, causing the same amount of damage.


    ¡°That monster sure knows how to dance,¡± commented the Decisive Player inside Lucky¡¯s mind.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t the time for jokes!¡± Lucky muttered, eying the monster with a serious expression on his face. ¡°We need to bring it down somehow!¡±


    Just as they neared the entrance, Sumara grabbed her student by his shoulder and turned him to face her.


    ¡°What is it, miss?¡± He asked her, startled by her action.


    ¡°I¡¯ll fight the monster, Lucky,¡± she announced much to his alarm. ¡°You stay behind and watch.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± He exclaimed, looking frustrated. ¡°But miss, I came to help!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Lucky. I didn¡¯t bring you intending for you to fight the monster,¡± she explained with a small smile. ¡°I want you to watch my battle and learn how to use magic properly in battle. Understood?¡±


    ¡°But¡­ Miss¡­¡± he said slowly, looking intently into her eyes.


    She gazed solemnly at him and replied, ¡°It¡¯s too risky to have you battling a monster when you recently starting learning to fight, so stay behind and watch. Trust me. Even by watching you¡¯re doing a great deal of learning.¡±


    With that, she rubbed his head and hurried away towards the town in order to fight the monster on her own. Lucky stayed there, looking lost as he was unsure whether he should heed his teacher¡¯s words or not. Nevertheless, he turned and watched the monster thrashing around while she made her way towards it by going through the entrance.


    ¡°Good luck, miss,¡± he muttered, hoping for her success.


    [ ====== ]


    Sumara ran through the entrance to the town, which was barely there except for the side pillars. Much of the road was filled with debris from the destroyed buildings, but she did not stop and merely clambered over them to make her way towards the monster.


    ¡°That thing certainly trashed the place good,¡± she muttered, glancing around to see if there were any survivors.


    There were a few people staggering and trying to escape from the monster while people wearing what looked like adventurer¡¯s cloths, did their best to escort them while saving anyone they could on the way.


    ¡°What happened?¡± She asked the nearest man for any information regarding this attack.


    ¡°That thing just came out of nowhere and began eating people left, right and centre!¡± He told her, making her feel instantly guilty. ¡°Each time it ate someone, it grew in size and now it¡¯s this big. Magic doesn¡¯t seem to be affecting it at all!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not affected by magic?!¡± She asked, looking alarmed. ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Positively sure,¡± a survivor said from beside the adventurer. ¡°There were a few mages who fired a lot of attacks at it, but the monster just didn¡¯t act like it felt any of it!¡±


    ¡°Since we can¡¯t do anything about it, we¡¯re evacuating everyone to safety,¡± the adventurer informed her. ¡°You should evacuate too before it does more damage to this place!¡±


    With that, he pushed the victims towards to safety and followed after them. Sumara stood alone, surrounded by the debris of the destroyed buildings, the result of her blasting the monster here. The thought of her being indirectly responsible for the destruction of so many buildings, and the thought of the countless people that probably lost their lives shocked her.


    As the monster roared again, she glared angrily up at it and shouted, ¡°Damn you!¡±


    She aimed her hand down on the ground and said, ¡°Oh, Spirits of Wind, keep me afloat.¡±


    In an instant, the wind gathered around her and lifted her into the air. Then, dictated by her will, they moved towards where the monster was thrashing around. While searching for more food to devour, it caught sight of her approaching it and turned to growl at her.


    Sumara, with a serious look on her face, aimed her hand at the monster and said, ¡°Oh, Spirits of Ice, blast the enemy with your shards!¡±


    Her chant had changed drastically, making way for an easier chanting method for battle purpose. Upon her command, a magic circle appeared in front of her extended palm and shards of ice flew through the air at high speed and at the monster. The shards pieced into the monster¡¯s body, causing its blood to spurt out while causing it pain.


    The monster roared and shook its entire body before glaring at the person responsible for it to feel such pain.


    As it charged towards her, she muttered very quickly, ¡°Oh, Spirits of Wind, dodge,¡± and the wind made her dodge around him. Once it got clear, she muttered, ¡°Oh, Spirits of Wind, fly away from the town.¡±


    Upon her request, the wind began to carry her away from the town while the monster stumbled and turned. Roaring loudly, it chased after her. Once they were clear from the town and surrounded by open fields, she aimed her hand at the monster and muttered an attack spell.


    ¡°Oh, Spirits of Wind, cut it down!¡±


    In an instant, the wind began to blow quickly towards the monster and began cutting down rapidly into its body, causing blood to fly in every direction. As the relentless attacks continued, the monster could only stagger away while roaring in pain and confusion. However, it knew the source of its problem was the magician flying several meters away from it.


    With its mind focused on the problem, the monster turned towards Sumara and let out a bellowing roar. It was so powerful that the slicing wind got destroyed and its roaring wind flew straight at her.


    Sumara was momentarily shocked by the attack before she aimed at it with her left hand and said, ¡°Oh, Spirits of Wind, shield me!¡±The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    At her command, the wind quickly formed something like a barrier in front of her that blocked the monster¡¯s roaring attack. Still, it was tough, and she kept channelling her energy to keep the wind barrier up to defend herself. Once the wind subsided, she raised her right hand aimed it high in the air while glaring at the monster.


    ¡°Oh, Spirits of Ice, rain down your bullets of destruction!¡±


    As soon as she finished casting the spell, she cast another spell by muttering, ¡°Oh, Spirits of Wind, take me to safety.¡±


    In an instant a large magic circle formed in the air above them just as the wind followed her instructions and carried her away to safety. A moment later, many ice bullets began to rain down on top of the monster since the caster had gotten out of the way.


    The monster looked up in shock at the rain of attacks coming down on it with immense force. It attempted to let out a powerful roar to destroy all of them and managed to take out several of the ice bullets, but it could not stop all of them from continuously falling down on it. As such, its legs sprung into action as it began sprinting away as fast as its large body could move while dodging the ice bullets, which followed it like it was solely targeting it, leaving behind a trail of ice in its wake.


    ¡°Damn!¡± Sumara complained, staring at the monster with a frustrated look on her face.


    While moving away from the attack, it focused its sight Sumara and reaching for her in order to devour her. The Demon girl knew about this, and she instantly aimed her right at it before chanting the attack spell.


    ¡°Oh, Spirits of Water, blast my enemy.¡±


    In an instant, a magic circle formed in front of her hand before a jet of water erupted from the circle and soared straight towards the monster. It yelped in shock before it got hit by the jet, causing it to crash and then get pushed right underneath the falling ice bullets. They pierced right through its thick fur and caused it quite a bit of damage.


    The ice bullets continuously rained down on top of the monster while Sumara watched it happen from her vantage point. She was thinking of using another magic spell when she saw the monster stand while ignoring the ice bullets that continuously pierced into its body.


    The monster glared at her, opened its mouth wide and let out an enormous roar. It was very loud and powerful, instantly creating a tremendous gust of wind that formed in the area. The wind flew around and destroyed the magic spell that was floating high in the air and buffeted against Sumara, who still had her wind barrier in place. However, she was shocked when the strong gust smashed through her barrier and blasted her away.


    ¡°Ah!¡± She yelled, shocked at the revelation that the monster¡¯s gust of wind was much stronger than hers.


    She sailed through the air and flew towards the ground, but before she could crash, she clenched her fists and muttered ¡°Oh, Spirits of Wind, cushion me.¡±


    In an instant, the wind gathered around her as she fell and slowed down her fall before she hit the ground with a thud. Then she rose to her feet and groaned from the slight prick in her shoulders, which must have occured when the monster¡¯s gust of wind smashed into her.


    As she got into a kneeling position, she saw the monster charging towards her, causing loud quaking to occur in the ground with each step it took. She had no idea that, while she was falling, the monster had chased after her with the intention of not giving her the chance to recover.


    So, with no room to activate an attack spell, she aimed her hand at him and shouted quickly, ¡°Oh, Spirits of Light, flare!¡±


    The moment she completed her spell, a brilliant flash of light occurred that blinded everything in sight. The monster, staring directly into the light, closed its eyes in an instant and lost sight of where it was charging at. As such, it tripped and fell forward, which resulting in it crashing for a few meters before coming to a stop.


    The moment the monster crashed, Sumara dived out of the way and ran away from the monster in order to maintain some distance between her and him. Suddenly, she tripped over a rock and fell flat on her face and cried out in pain. She quickly recovered and tried to get back to her feet, but she suddenly winced with pain, realising that her leg must be fractured during the fall.


    ¡°Damn! What a thing to happen now of all times?!¡± She exclaimed incredulously.


    She looked at the monster, which was staggering around while unable to see anything. Her magic had blindsided the monster but it was only momentary. It would soon recover from the attack and regain its sight, then continue searching for her.


    However, she had even less time because the monster suddenly began to sniff the air. With its keen sense of smell, it was able to discern through the smell of blood the scent of a woman nearby. So, it turned its head and faced towards Sumara, who could only look at it in shock.


    Realizing that she had been located, she aimed her hand at the monster and shouted, ¡°Oh, Spirits of Water, drown the enemy in a bubble!¡±


    In an instant, a magic circle formed above the monster before water rained down on top of it before it formed into a solid water bubble around its head. The monster began to struggle breathing as its head was submerged, and it tried shaking its head this way and that way to get rid of it, but the bubble of water kept on without letting it go.


    While that was happening, she aimed her hand down at her injured leg and muttered, ¡°Oh, Spirits of Light, heal my injury.¡±


    In an instant, green light surrounded the part of her injured leg and took a few moments for her to feel the pain disappear. Once the light subsided, she tested the leg and was satisfied when, all of a sudden, she heard a violent roar from the monster as it destroyed the water bubble around its head and sent waves of gusts in all directions.


    Caught by surprise, she put her hands forward and tried to defend herself with her magic. However, the speed of the waves were fast and smashed into her before she could complete the spell. And so, she got blasted away and thrown into the air, travelling for several meters before smashing heavily against the grassy ground that knocked the wind out of her.


    ¡°D-Dammit!¡± She muttered, wincing slightly form the pain in her back.


    She lay there, breathing heavily and feeling a little light headed from the head injury she sustained from the fall. It took her several seconds to push herself up and see the monster that was charging towards her because of it being able to smell her scent.


    ¡°So, is this where I die?¡± She muttered, not expecting a response from anything or anyone.


    However, she did not count on a familiar saying, ¡°No, miss. I¡¯m here for you.¡±


    She looked up in surprise and widened her eyes when she saw Lucky standing in front of her as if to defend her against the monster. Lucky was smiling confidently as he faced the charging monster without the slightest bit of fear on his face.


    ¡°It¡¯s time I show my true power!¡± He commented, and then said firmly, ¡°Let¡¯s do this!¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± The Decisive Player replied in confirmation.


    [ ====== ]


    Earlier, while waiting outside the town, Lucky watched his teacher depart into the town and then appear moments later flying through the air as she engaged in battle against the monster. He was surprised to see her lead the monster away, making him run into the town and arrive at a vantage point to watch her battle along with many other survivors of the town. It was there that he witnessing her fighting the monster with all of her might and was very impressed.


    However, her chances did not appear to be strong because the monster appeared to be quite strong judging from its size and ferociousness. The fact that it survived a hail of raining ice bullets proved that point, and he was not the only one who felt this way about her chances of success.


    ¡°This doesn¡¯t look good for her,¡± commented the Decisive Player in a voice filled with concern.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t there something we can do?¡± He asked the Decisive Player out loud since no one was there to eavesdrop on him.


    ¡°Yes, there is,¡± replied the wandering spirit to the kid¡¯s delight.


    ¡°Really? What?¡±


    ¡°Energy Force.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Energy Force?¡± Lucky asked, looking shocked. ¡°Why?! I thought I wasn¡¯t that great with it yet!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the only thing that can sure fire destroy that stupid mutt,¡± replied the Decisive Player confidently. ¡°Of course, it¡¯s a risk, but at this stage, should we even consider the risk when we got a gigantic monster rampaging around?¡±


    Lucky nodded and asked, ¡°So, I just have to do what I did in the morning? Gather it in my hands, aim it at the monster and throw it?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to throw it. What I¡¯ll be teaching you now is known as the Wave of Destruction. Basically, you¡¯re transforming your energy into an indestructible wave that will basically incinerate that monster from existence.¡±


    ¡°Oh! That sounds nice!¡±


    As Lucky replied, he heard the monster let out a roar and send a gust of wind in all directions. Realising his teacher was in danger, Lucky ran over to find a hole made by the monster in the perimeter wall and hurried as fast as he could to reach her while the townspeople desperately tried to call him back. He ran as fast as his legs would carry him while he watched her fly through the air and land heavily on the ground.


    ¡°That¡¯s going to stun her quite a bit,¡± commented the Decisive Player, noticing that she did not use any magic to cushion the fall the second time around.


    Lucky gritted his teeth and increased his running momentum to reach her, and arrived a few seconds later and replied to her words of, ¡°Is this where I die?¡± with his words of ¡°No, miss. I¡¯m here for you.¡±


    He stood in front of her and faced towards the monsters with a confident look on his face. His confidence stemmed from the fact that he was not alone, with the Decisive Player being both a friend and a mentor to him.


    ¡°It¡¯s time I show my true power!¡± He commented, and then said firmly, ¡°Let¡¯s do this!¡±


    He aimed out his right hand and opened the palm while focused on channelling his Energy Force into it. As he did, particles of light began gathering in front of his open palm and quickly formed into a small ball composed of his energy.


    ¡°Keep channelling more and more energy,¡± the Decisive Player urged him in his mind.


    Heeding his words, Lucky channelled his energy continuously into his energy ball, making it grow more and more volatile and unstable. While he was doing that, the monster roared and kept stumbling around as it was still unable despite using its great sense of smell to locate them.


    ¡°What are you doing, Lucky?¡± Sumara asked him from behind.


    ¡°I¡¯m channelling my Energy Force to blast that thing, miss!¡±


    As his declaration, she widened her eyes in shock and said, ¡°Stop, Lucky! Don¡¯t do it! Your control over your Energy Force is still unstable! If anything goes wrong¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Thinking negative leads to failure, miss!¡± He said, cutting her off in the middle of her sentence. ¡°I may not have control over it, but that doesn¡¯t mean I shouldn¡¯t try and control it, especially after knowing that I have the power within me to solve this problem at hand!¡±


    His teacher looked at him in shock and asked, ¡°What are you saying, Lucky? What kind of power are you talking about?¡±


    He was going to respond to her, but he winced when he suddenly felt a strong pain from his right hand. His energy ball began to cause sparks to erupt as he was forcefully trying to keep it contained while fuelling it with more and more of his energy.


    ¡°Almost there, Lucky! You can do this!¡± The Decisive Player told him encouragingly.


    ¡°Yeah¡­! Almost there¡­!¡± Lucky said, agreeing while struggling to keep the energy in check.


    As the energy became more and more unstable and volatile, his hand began to shake uncontrollably, forcing him to firmly hold it in place. Even the sparks began to get violent and went flying in all directions at random intervals.


    ¡°Lucky!¡± Sumara exclaimed, shocked by all the sparks flying everywhere in random and seeing him straining.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine¡­! Almost¡­ ready¡­!¡± He replied through gritted teeth while firmly holding his energy in place.


    Meanwhile, the monster stopped and shook its head before slowly opening its eyes. Its vision was still a little blurry, but it was now able to see enough to understand where it was and locate its target. It let out a wild bellowing roar and charged towards them in a mad dash to kill all of them.


    As it came, Lucky glared at it with rage when he suddenly sensed something strange about his energy ball. It was an indescribable feeling that he had, but he knew instantly that his attack was ready and so did the Decisive Player


    ¡°Now, Lucky, release it!¡± The Decisive Player advised him. ¡°It¡¯s like throwing water from a bucket, you¡¯re releasing everything in one go. It¡¯s the same thing here! Release it all!¡±


    Lucky gritted his teeth and glared at the monster before he shouted, ¡°Right!¡±


    So, with his focus on the monster, he pushed his arm out a little further and imagined that he was throwing water from a bucket. As he did, the ball of energy in his palm resonated violently and gave of a strange sound before a massive wave of destruction was unleashed. The wave surged forward, digging deep into the ground and destroyed everything in its path as it flew towards the monster.


    The monster was shocked at seeing the wave coming at it and attempted to get out of the way. However, there was no chance for such a thing to happen because it was much too close to the wave to do anything but meet its end.


    In an instant, the wave consumed the monster and wiped him out completely before it continued flying away. It smashed through the boundary wall of the town and soared several kilometres into the distance before an enormous explosion occurred. As it happened, a large dome like shape appeared in the distance where the explosion had occurred, destroying the nearby grassland.


    The wind bellowed everywhere and caused everyone to get buffeted from the wind force before it slowly died down. Everyone saw a large mushroom cloud rising into the distance from when the explosion occurred at. In the city, the monster was nowhere to be seen except for a deep groove like a line left behind by the wave of destruction.


    Lucky stood in the same spot as before, his hand still extended out while being supported by his other arm. Then he let them both drop to his side and breathed a deep sigh from the relief and exhaustion he had felt. A moment later, his legs shook as they struggled to support him because he had used up all of his energy in that destructive wave to finish the monster.


    ¡°Lucky!¡± Sumara exclaimed, struggling to her feet and supporting him as she realised that he could not stand on his own.


    ¡°I¡¯m tired,¡± he muttered wearily and sighed deeply, and when he closed his eyes, he instantly fell asleep from the exhaustion.


    ¡°Lucky?¡± She asked, but he was fast asleep and did not respond.


    Sumara looked surprised at her student before she smiled serenely and gently sat down on the ground while resting his head on her lap. Then she looked at the destruction that was left in the wave of the monster¡¯s rampage and the destruction from his attack and smiled wryly. There was a lot of work to do, a lot of repairs to be conducted, but at least, there was no monster to cause harm anymore.


    ¡°Well done,¡± she said quietly, and she smiled warmly down at his sleeping face and rubbed his hair affectionately.

 [ Arc 01 ][ 11 ] Reward

    Since the attack of the Two-Headed monster, a few days went by quietly. The townspeople had to camp outside while the mayor requested for professional magicians from the capital to come by and arrange for the town¡¯s repairs. So, several magicians came by from the capital city of Rodfox Kingdom and began working on repairing the damages.


    Meanwhile, Lucky was back home continuing with his daily routine of training in the morning with his father, studying through the day with Mariana, and training with Sumara in using magic. Nothing had changed in the slightest to what he was doing, except that the townspeople considered him now a hero.


    During the aftermath of the monster¡¯s defeat, everyone came to inspect the damage and then turned to look in amazement at the kid sleeping on Sumara¡¯s lap. The Demon girl simply told them to leave as he was tired and needed to sleep. Unable to say their thanks, they left, but they were grateful that they still had a town left to live in. The repairs might cost them their money, but at least they would not be left without a home to return to.


    From then on, whenever he visited the town, people would stop and notice him. Some even wave at him with smiles on their faces while others nodded at him in greeting.


    While Lucky simply smiled wryly at them, the Decisive Player said in his mind, ¡°They¡¯re treating you like a hero.¡±


    ¡°They think I¡¯m a hero, but I don¡¯t think I did much,¡± commented Lucky sardonically. ¡°After all, I arrived at the last minute to deliver the finishing blow. It¡¯s really Miss Sumara that should be praised as a hero.¡±


    He thought back to the events that occurred a few days ago.


    [ ====== ]


    When he woke up next, he found himself lying in his room with Sumara sleeping with her head on the edge of his bed. He was surprised and confused as to how he got there, and his restlessness woke up his teacher. She then told him how gallantly he defeated the monster before passing out from tiredness and later when she brought him to the house.


    ¡°And the monster? Is it really gone?¡± He had asked to make sure he heard her correctly.


    ¡°Yes,¡± she replied simply and smiled while placing a hand on his head, making him smile happily in return.


    Later that day, Indra arrived at town to hear the news of the monster attacking and a certain boy destroying the monster for good. So, he immediately rushed home with great happiness and joy.


    By then, Lucky was awake and was sitting in the hall with the rest of the family. When he arrived, Indra immediately walked over to his son and scooped him up into giving him a big hug.


    ¡°I always knew you were meant for greatness! I¡¯m so proud of you!¡± Indra had said at that time.


    ¡°Dad!¡± Lucky said, tried to break free from his father¡¯s grip.


    A moment later, he was released and stood massaging his arms while looking indignantly at him.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do much, dad,¡± he said and turned to his teacher. ¡°It was Miss Sumara who fought and weakened it that much. I just blasted it with my Energy Force. That¡¯s all.¡±


    At his words, Indra widened his eyes in shock and turned to look at Sumara, who smiled wryly.


    ¡°You did it?¡± He asked incredulously. ¡°Then, how come people are praising Lucky?¡±


    Lakshmi answered his question with, ¡°Indra, you should realise by now; she is not human. There¡¯s no way those people would praise a Demon for saving them, would they?¡±


    Her questioning him made him realise the truth and looked disgruntled before he turned to the Demon girl and spoke apologetically to her.


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry for the trouble the town¡¯s people are causing you. On their behalf, I am truly sorry for the inconvenience.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, sir,¡± she replied, waving her hand to dismiss his apology. ¡°It¡¯s not necessary because it was sort of my fault the monster ended up attacking the town,¡± and she explained about how Lucky first encountered it when the monster was chasing a cat.


    Once she finished speaking, he nodded in understanding and said, ¡°I understand, but that doesn¡¯t make it your fault, Sumara. Rather, it¡¯s our fault as adventurers for being slack when we should be putting in extra work dealing with such dangers.¡±


    ¡°But you were away on a mission, sir. How can you know a monster would come this far?¡± She asked him curiously.


    He shook his head and replied, ¡°I might not know about it, but it¡¯s still my fault that I wasn¡¯t around when my family needed me. It¡¯s thanks to you that nothing happened here, but as a result, the town got destroyed.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps, but¡ª?¡± She began hesitantly.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s best we don¡¯t talk about to with anyone,¡± suggested Lakshmi by speaking over her. ¡°She¡¯ll be in danger if they find out that she sent the monster flying there and right now a lot of emotions are running high due to the loss of their homes.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± agreed Indra and nodded in agreement.


    ¡°The same goes for you, Mariana. You too, Lucky,¡± said Lakshmi, addressing both Mariana and her son. ¡°This has to be a secret only between us and should never be spoken of again.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± replied Mariana coolly and bowed her head in acknowledgement.


    ¡°Sure. I have no problem with that,¡± said Lucky with a smile.


    Everyone then turned and looked warmly at her while she stared at them with a look that showed the many different emotions she was experiencing. She was happy that they felt so strongly for her, and was sad that they had to keep it a secret just to protect her. Then she looked at them and spoke her mind openly for all of them to hear.


    ¡°I might¡¯ve done the most damage to the monster, but Lucky saved us all by putting an end to it¡¯s rampage. Even if I cut the monster in half, it wouldn¡¯t have been an achievement when it could regenerate its body parts at will. That¡¯s why, I believe it¡¯s justifiable that Lucky is the hero for defeating the monster and saving everyone, including me. For that, I thank you very much.¡±


    With that, she bowed to him in the presence of his family. Lucky was started by her actions and looked at his father and mother for some kind of advice. They smiled and nodded at him, giving him the indication to simply accept it,A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    So, he smiled weakly and rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment while saying, ¡°I just did my best.¡±


    [ ====== ]


    ¡°I just did my best,¡± repeated the Decisive Player once his memory playback ended. ¡°That¡¯s the best line you could think of?¡±


    ¡°It was sudden and unexpected!¡± Lucky retorted indignantly in his mind. ¡°What would you have said?¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± The Decisive Player asked in surprise. He remained quiet as he thought about it before saying, ¡°I would¡¯ve said: I appreciate your words, miss, but it¡¯s not necessary. I didn¡¯t do it to receive thanks, I did it to save people. That¡¯s all there was to it.¡±


    ¡°Are you kidding me?¡± Lucky asked, sounding amazed.


    ¡°No, I am not. It¡¯s always pays to make a good impression to the other person!¡±


    ¡°More like show off your arrogance.¡±


    ¡°Huh?! How is it that I¡¯m showing off my arrogance? To be honest, people would think you¡¯re just an idiot with that simplistic dialogue.¡±


    ¡°No! Simple is better than complex stuff!¡±


    ¡°Suit yourself, but speeches sound more professional when you sound like you know what you¡¯re saying.¡±


    Lucky groaned, which made Sumara ask him, ¡°Is something the matter?¡±


    ¡°Ah. It¡¯s nothing,¡± he replied quickly and sighed before facing the front.


    The two of them were walking side-by-side along the street filled with people going back and forth. They were in town to shop at the grocery store, which opened very quickly considering the owner had paid a large sum to have his shop repaired first. They heard that he was complaining how his shop sold the greatest amount of food and vegetables and could not stay closed for too long lest the profits dwindle.


    ¡°He sure has his money where his mouth is,¡± commented Sumara upon hearing about it and sighed wearily.


    ¡°At least, he paid for the repairs from his own money to get it done, and it¡¯s good for us, miss,¡± said Lucky, looking at things the bright side. ¡°We now are able to buy groceries without needing to pay extra to the guy that brings the food directly to our house.¡±


    ¡°So, you say,¡± she replied with a chuckle.


    Once they completed getting their groceries and were on their way out of town, they saw the town mayor standing near the entrance. He appeared to be waiting for them because the moment he noticed them, he quickly came forward with a smile on his face.


    ¡°Lucky, my boy!¡± He said in a booming voice and caused everyone¡¯s attention to turn to them.


    ¡°Yes, sir?¡± Lucky greeted him politely, feeling nervous that he was speaking to an important person.


    The mayor pulled out a large bag that jingled from the sound of many coins stuffed into it and held it out for him.


    ¡°For your services in saving us from the murderous monster, I, as the mayor of this town, reward you with an amount of 10,000 coins.¡±


    The moment he announced the amount, there was a collective intake of breath from everyone around him before a buzz began to spread everywhere.


    ¡°What?!¡±


    ¡°10,000 coins?!


    ¡°That¡¯s a really large amount!¡±


    ¡°Yeah! One could live five to six years with that amount without doing anything!¡±


    ¡°Wow! That¡¯s a lot of money!¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a bit too much?¡±


    ¡°He did save us so it¡¯s only natural to reward him with a large amount of money.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but still¡­ 10,000 is too much¡­!¡±


    Lucky listened silently to the people muttering around him and heard their chattering despite them trying to keep their voices low. He knew his collective parent¡¯s income per month was around 150 coins to 200 coins, and since there were nine months per year, the total amount they¡¯d earn per year was nearly 1,500 to 1,800 coins. So, looking at it from the number perspective, an amount of 10,000 coins was like the amount his parents would have earned by working hard for five or six years.


    The thought of such a large amount did amaze him, but the thought of making his parents feel relieved to not work so hard for him made him feel even happier. He glanced sideways at his teacher to see what her impression of the situation was, but she merely smiled at him. However, he could tell that she was pretending because her eyes were slightly narrower than when she normally put on a smile.


    It was as if she did not like what was going on at that moment but decided to keep her silence for reasons he did not understand. He was suddenly riddled with doubt from her expression alone that told him that he was going to be making a mistake if he accepted that money. Sure enough, he began receiving advice from the Decisive Player on what was the right thing to do at that time.


    ¡°Don¡¯t accept the money,¡± said the Decisive Player in a quiet voice.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Lucky thought, sounding surprised. ¡°Why? This money is like the amount my parents would earn after working hard for five or six years, Decisive Player! I¡¯d be putting less stress on them like this.¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but you¡¯ll also become an enemy to everyone here.¡±


    ¡°Huh? I don¡¯t understand. How can I be their enemy when they are treating me as a hero?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t understand, Lucky, because you¡¯re much too young to realise how dangerous these people are. They will treat you like a hero and will look up to you, but that will change eventually. Soon, they expect you to do heroic things for them, saving them, rescuing them, and working for them. Soon, you will be someone as a hero in name, but in reality, you would become their slave.¡±


    His words shocked Lucky, who remained silent for a moment while digesting what he just heard before replying, ¡°T-They will? Are you¡­? Are you sure, Decisive Player?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear their mutterings earlier?¡± The Decisive Player asked, and Lucky did not say anything to it. ¡°They thought it was a large amount of money, but you just accepted it since you were a hero because they believe you would do the same in the future. By accepting that reward money, you¡¯re signing an indirect contract that you would protect this place with all you got.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that bad? I mean, isn¡¯t that that the job of the Phoenix Titan?¡± Lucky asked curiously.


    There was a moment of pause before the Decisive Player said, ¡°No, Lucky. You are wrong. The duty of the Phoenix Titan is towards the world, not to the people. Never misunderstand that part. Anyway, we can talk more about this later. For now, just decline his offer and just tell him it¡¯s better he spent that money in getting the town repaired instead.¡±


    Lucky was alarmed to hear that and looked hesitant at the large pouch before thinking, ¡°But¡­ What about my parents? Shouldn¡¯t I do something to decrease their burden?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but not like this. I know you¡¯re much too young to understand my advice right now, but it¡¯s okay. You¡¯re only seven and there¡¯s a lot of growing up to do, so it¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll teach you everything you need to learn by the time you turn fifteen! For now, just decline the gold and leave in peace. That¡¯s the best thing you can do to yourself and your family right now.¡±


    His words hurt Lucky, but he somehow got the feeling that the Decisive Player was giving him a good advice. So, he proceeded to shake his head at the mayor and decline the reward.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, sir, but I don¡¯t want the money.¡±


    The mayor was surprised and so was everyone around him, who began whispering again in amazement.


    ¡°He¡¯s declining?¡±


    ¡°What is wrong with him?¡±


    ¡°I would¡¯ve gladly taken it!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s like a dream come true!¡±


    ¡°So arrogant.¡±


    Lucky ignored the muttering and went on saying, ¡°Sir, I appreciate your offer to reward me for my services, but I didn¡¯t want any of this. I chose to save you all because it was the right thing to do, not for the money or for fame, but for everyone¡¯s sake. So, please, instead of rewarding me with that money, I think it¡¯s best if you use it towards the town¡¯s repairs. That would be the best for all of us.¡±


    When he said that, more muttering occurred that he just could not ignore even if he wanted to.


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s declining because of that?¡±


    ¡°What a great guy; thinking about us over his welfare!¡±


    ¡°I understood him wrongly. Damn.¡±


    ¡°This kid¡¯s good!¡±


    As he smiled, the mayor coughed and asked, ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s what you wish for?¡±


    ¡°Positively,¡± replied Lucky and grinned at him. ¡°It would please me to see the town go back to the way it was.¡±


    The mayor continued to look at him serenely for a moment in silence before he nodded in understanding.


    ¡°Very well,¡± he finally said and smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll accept your suggestion and will use this money towards the repairs.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± Lucky said, smiling cheerfully up at him. Then he turned to Sumara and asked, ¡°Let¡¯s go, miss?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Excuse us,¡± she replied and spoke to the mayor briefly before the two of them walked past him.


    As they went, the people began applauding to Lucky¡¯s decision of not accepting the money. He smiled weakly at them because moments before, he was on the verge of taking it. While he still felt a small twinge of regret for not accepting the money, he knew that there were things he was not yet fully aware of in this world and would learn about them soon from the Decisive Player.


    ¡°That was a good decision, Lucky,¡± said Sumara quietly to him and beamed at him.


    He grinned at her and said, ¡°Thank you,¡± and they walked together back to his home with smiles on their faces.

 [ Arc 02 ][ 01 ] Routine Training

    ¡°Argh!¡±


    ¡°Heh!¡±


    Followed by the sounds of two people yelling loudly was the sound of two wooden swords clashing with each other. The owners of the voices were Lucky and his father, Indra. Lucky was his nickname because it was the literal definition of his true name, which was Lakshman. As such, his family, including his magic tutor, Sumara Manjuvad, called him with it.


    ¡°Move your feet more,¡± advised his father as the father and son fought hard.


    ¡°I¡¯m doing my best!¡± His son retorted with a glare as he gritted his teeth while moving forward.


    It was early in the morning, with the father and son duo going through their routine training session. It lasts for an hour, where the two would run around the house for a while and do other body strengthening exercises while taking breaks in between. Finally, they would conclude the session by getting onto a mock sword fight, where Indra taught his son in the proper sword play.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think and act! It makes you slow!¡± Indra would say sternly, side stepping his son¡¯s charge and whacking him on the back.


    ¡°Ouch!¡± Lucky winced, rubbing his back and turning around to eye his father coldly. ¡°Dad, I¡¯m trying my best here.¡±


    ¡°I know you are,¡± his father admitted with a smile, but he became stern as he continued to say, ¡°but you¡¯ve got to move faster! You¡¯re pausing to think about what I¡¯m going to do. Don¡¯t do that. Use your instincts, get a bearing of my movements and strike back appropriately. Anticipation is key.¡±


    His son stared at him in dispassionately and muttered, ¡°I¡¯m know that.¡±


    ¡°Please, don¡¯t be too harsh on him. He¡¯s still just a kid,¡± said a voice from the entrance of the house.


    The owner of the voice was Sumara, who was seated on the steps leading to the entrance of the house. Like them, she wakes up early in the morning, but instead of training, she mostly sits down and watches them train. She was a magic user and lacked any close combat capabilities, but she would provide some helpful tips from an observer¡¯s point of view.


    ¡°If I don¡¯t be this strict, he wouldn¡¯t get any better,¡± replied Indra, turning around and looking at her sternly. ¡°Besides, he¡¯s not a kid anymore. He¡¯s already ten-years-old.¡±


    Indeed, it had been three years since the incident with the monster that had attacked the town and nearly decimated it. Since then, he had gone through a strict training regime; morning with his father in sword training, half the day with the family maid for his education, Mariana, and the evening with Sumara for his magic training. As such, his training had come so far that he was able to keep up with his father, but was still facing trouble in anticipating his moves.


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± she agreed with a small smile, ¡°but there¡¯s no need to be so hard on him. Look. He¡¯s been able to keep up with you and is fighting evenly, right?¡±


    ¡°He is, but that¡¯s not enough,¡± said Indra with a sigh. ¡°When you face a real opponent, you¡¯ve got to keep anticipating what their next move would be and counter it as quickly as you can. That¡¯s why I¡¯m trying to push him to reach new heights because, as he currently is, he will face problems somewhere along the road, and I wouldn¡¯t be there to help him at that time.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but there¡¯s no need for¡ª!¡± She began in an attempt to support her student by lowering his father¡¯s expectations.


    ¡°Father¡¯s right, miss,¡± said Lucky much to her surprise. ¡°I¡¯ve got to improve, otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t be able to move from where I am currently.


    ¡°Lucky?¡± She asked, looking surprised.


    ¡°So, you¡¯ve noticed your drawbacks?¡± Indra asked, looking impressed.


    His son nodded and replied, ¡°Yes, dad. When I see your movements, I can somehow feel that you¡¯re still holding back on me, and that I haven¡¯t reached the stage where I could make you break a sweat against me.¡±


    Indra stared at him in surprise before he let out a loud chuckle from the sheer amazement he felt inside.


    ¡°Oh, Lucky!¡± He boomed, grinning broadly at his son with great happiness. ¡°I¡¯m a Saint Ranked Swordsman, and you¡¯re just at the level of an Intermediate Ranked Swordsman. There¡¯s certainly a large gap between our ranks and skills, so don¡¯t overthink about your skills and leave the training to me, okay?¡±


    ¡°But, dad¡ª!¡± Began Lucky imploringly.


    ¡°No buts!¡± Indra said, drowning out his son¡¯s words with his loud voice. Then he smiled serenely at him and said, ¡°I¡¯m being stern with you now because I¡¯m trying to engage your basic skills by making them go to the next level. That way, you can reach the level of an Advanced Ranked Swordsman. Whereas, you seem to have set your goal a little too high, so cut it down and follow my lead, okay?¡±


    Lucky appeared to be slightly troubled at his father¡¯s decision, but he realized his father was more experienced than him. With that in mind, he nodded in agreement and smiled at him. Watching from the side, Sumara sighed and looked enviously at the wonderful relationship, where she felt as though she was watching the relationship of two friends having fun with one another instead of seeing a father and son at training.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s continue, shall we?¡± Indra asked energetically.


    ¡°Yeah! Let¡¯s¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Breakfast is ready!¡±


    A loud familiar voice suddenly boomed out from the entrance, making all three of them to turn their heads and see that it was Lucky¡¯s mother, Lakshmi. She was standing at the entrance way with a wide smile on her face as she watched them.


    ¡°What? Already?¡± Indra asked in surprise.


    ¡°It¡¯s already been an hour since you started training, silly,¡± she replied with a light chuckle.


    ¡°Oh,¡± he said, looking bemused. ¡°Time sure flies by without notice.¡± He turned to his son and said, ¡°Well, let¡¯s wrap things up here for today and get back to it tomorrow, Lucky.¡±


    ¡°Sure, dad,¡± his son replied with a smile and nodded his head in agreement.


    They set away the wooden swords in the storage shed right next to the house and entered the house. Since the two men had been training from early morning, both of them took turns to use the bathroom to have a shower and come down for breakfast.


    ¡°Man, training sure is fun and exciting,¡± he commented when was in his bedroom as he waiting for his father to finish having his shower.


    ¡°It runs in your blood,¡± commented the spirit that had taken residence inside of him. ¡°Also, don¡¯t aim too high too quickly. Let¡¯s aim for a steady growth, shall we?¡±


    The spirit was a being that had lost its original body quite a long time ago and had taken inhabitance inside the spirit of the person that saved him, which was the first Phoenix Titan. Since then, he had apparently been reincarnating with the spirit of the Phoenix Titan until now, which the spirit had reincarnated in the form of Lakshman. Lucky still remembered how shocked he was upon discovering such a spirit had been dwelling inside of him for so long and smiled bitterly, especially since the spirit gave himself the title ¡°Decisive Player¡± and wished to be called with it.


    ¡°Why? Isn¡¯t it beneficial to get stronger quickly?¡±


    ¡°Maybe it has its advantages, but for the life of me, I don¡¯t see any point in sacrificing your old age for today¡¯s satisfaction.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Sacrifice my old age? I don¡¯t get it.¡±


    ¡°You see, getting stronger fairly quickly is good, especially since you¡¯re the future Phoenix Titan, but the consequences of overexerting your body for that reason will be felt in your old age. By that, I mean muscle pains, digestion problems, and other things that I don¡¯t even want to think about.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Wow,¡± said Lucky, blinking in surprise and making a troubled expression on his face. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ um¡­ yeah¡­ bad.¡±


    ¡°Right? That¡¯s why, there¡¯s no need to rush things. Let¡¯s take it one step at a time, got it? Saves us the trouble of trying to come back and redo steps that we skipped.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I suppose so,¡± agreed Lucky with a smile.


    A while later, his father retuned from having his shower and informed Lucky about it. And so, the kid had his own shower and came out feeling very refreshed. Once he dumped his used clothes in the washing basket located in his room, he went downstairs and entered the dining room. There, he saw Sumara had already taken her usual seat and smiled warmly at him.


    ¡°You¡¯re here quicker than usual, miss,¡± he commented as he took his seat beside her.


    ¡°What can I say? The cooking by the ladies of this house is excellent,¡± she replied heartily, causing him to chuckle with happiness.


    A few seconds later, Indra walked in and took his seat at the head of the table and a few seconds afterwards, both Lakshmi and Mariana brought in their breakfast from the kitchen and laid them down on the table for everyone to serve themselves with.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s your plan for today, Lucky?¡± Indra asked his son while placing food on his own plate from the variety of breakfast set before them.


    ¡°I¡¯m planning on exploring the forest, dad,¡± he replied with a smile. ¡°Since mom and Mariana said I should take the day off from studying, I thought of going to the forest and exploring for a bit.¡±


    ¡°The forest, ah?¡± Indra asked, appearing to contemplate on his son¡¯s words. ¡°Should I accompany you?¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary, sir,¡± said Sumara after having her mouthful and smiling reassuringly at him. ¡°I¡¯m accompanying Lucky to the forest, so there wouldn¡¯t be any need for your assistance. Besides, I think you said something about you going on an important expedition to the capital?¡±


    Indra nodded and replied, ¡°Right. There¡¯s that. Bummer that I was put on duty for it.¡±


    ¡°Hey. Don¡¯t complain when the contractor is paying us a good deal of money for it,¡± said Lakshmi with a smile.


    ¡°That¡¯s the only reason I¡¯m going, otherwise I¡¯d be lying at home relaxing instead,¡± he commented with a laugh.


    Lakshmi smiled, and the family had their breakfast while making light conversation about the usual things. After having done with it, they went to wash their hands in the kitchen sink while Lakshmi and Mariana took care of the plates. With that over with, Indra got his sword and gear ready and bid the family farewell before he departed on his horse for the town.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get going, miss?¡± Lucky asked his magic tutor curiously.


    She nodded and said, ¡°Yes. Ah. Just a minute.¡±


    He waited as she hurried upstairs and disappeared from view. A minute later, she came back down carrying a small carrying bag while stuffing a book inside of it.


    ¡°Why do you need that, miss?¡±


    ¡°I want to jot down notes and such of anything that I find interesting or could be useful for future reference,¡± she said keenly. ¡°Alright. I¡¯m ready. Shall we go?¡±


    He nodded and turned towards the kitchen as he called, ¡°Mom, we¡¯re off!¡±


    A moment later, his mother hurried into the hall way and said, ¡°Okay. Be careful out there.¡±


    ¡°I can guarantee to that, so please don¡¯t worry, madam,¡± replied Sumara confidently in a reassuring voice.


    Lakshmi nodded and followed them as the kid and adult woman exited out through the entrance and set out on their way towards the forest.


    ¡°Should I carry us there with my wind magic?¡± Sumara asked her pupil curiously.


    He shook his head and replied, ¡°No. I want to walk there. It¡¯s good for exercise.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Okay,¡± she said, looking bewildered by his statement.


    As they set off, Lucky heard the spirit inside him say, ¡°Really? I could¡¯ve sworn I thought I heard it sound like you were too scared to get flown there and wanted to safely get there on your own two feet.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t scared,¡± thought Lucky indignantly. ¡°I just thought it would be nice to walk there since I mostly get anywhere simply by riding on our horses.¡±


    The Decisive Player laughed and said, ¡°Good come back. You¡¯re sounding more and more like your past-self, who was good at giving feble excuses to hide his weaknesses.¡±


    ¡°Very funny,¡± thought Lucky wryly as the spirit continued to chortle as he and Sumara went on their way towards the forest.