《Rebirth: Hero! [Discontinued]》 Chapter 1: Restart! Magic, the very foundation of the world, it is considered to be the most common type of power. Although very few can actually say they can truly be one with magic, over 86% of the world''s population can control magic. People who are in the 14% tend to be disgraced, but those very few people still have the potential to become a [Knight]. Oh yes, I forgot to tell you about me, my name is Kuroshi Kai, part of the world''s 86% who control magic. In this world there is 1 main rank: [Great Sage] and below that rank is [Sage] and below sage are 4 classes. Respectively [Magician], [Druid], [Knight], and [Celestial]. There are also 8 main races, these are [Humans], [Orcs], [Naga], [Undead], [Fairy], [Demons], [Angels], [Hybrids]. and the race that governs all the other races: [Gods], the strongest beings. As you may have guessed I am Human, the weakest race. The races are ranked in this order. [Gods], [Angels], [Demons], [Fairy], [Undead], [Naga], [Hybrids], [Humans]. Well that''s the basic part of the world, so for now I''ll get right to my story. ====================================================================================== Chapter 1: Restart! ====================================================================================== "Status!" ========================================== Name: Kuroshi Kai Race: Human (?) Age: 7 Level: 12 Health: 105/105 Magic: 80/80 Strength: 18 Speed: 20 Stamina: 8 Will power: 16 Defense: 5 Special Skill: [Memory] [Time] [Curse] [Seal][Logical Thinking] Skills: [Double Experience][Double Status] Magic: [Elemental Magic] Level: 3 [Time Stop] Level: 1 {5s} [Mana Surge] Level: 5 {5 per 10 seconds} Titles: [God of Time] [Prodigy] [??] ========================================== Hi, Kuroshi Kai here, I am apparently brought into another world by unknown causes. The trigger is when I died in my past life, or more like before I died completely. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.It felt like my soul got sucked out of my body then I woke up as a baby inside a broken carriage. I would probably do all I can to get back even if I died in my previous life but, apparently in this world there is such a thing as magic. That''s right, magic, I have yet to learn all of it but currently I am already affiliated with it. I can cast simple spells butI am a prodigy for this world cause nobody is as strong as me at my age. I had a strong sense for magic ever since I was born, and now knowledge of my previous life to boot? That''s basically cheating. I also have natural skills like [Photographic Memory] that transferred along with me. I currently live inside a forest and my only companion is my grandpa. His name is Chikara Shiro, although we have no real connection he has taken care of me ever since he found me in an accident site inside the deep forest. My parents were found dead and their corpses turned to dust so there was no way to identify them. Grandpa told me they were attacked by a monster called Time Eagle, it is apparently one of the most dangerous monsters roaming the land. There are only 8 of its kind, the one we encountered was the Silver Time Eagle, it turns back time of the one it hits by 10 years. "Kai, how is your magic training going?" "Good gramps, I can cast level 3 elemental magic now." "..At such a young age? Hahaha.. You really are a prodigy." "Hey gramps, is there any other way to improve my magic control than this method?" "Well you can keep using your magic, but of course my method is faster. Though you can try to find other methods it will probably take you awhile." "Oh so there are other ways eh?" "Well I mean magic has unlimited potential, it can make the impossible, possible. That is the true nature of magic." To be honest I already knew that, I just wanted someone experienced with magic from this world to confirm it. But that phrase at the end, it is used a lot in the previous world, like when people want a miracle to happen, they actually wish for magic. People are such weird beings eh? "What''s that smirk on your face for?" "What smirk?" "You seem really suspicious, but well you''re only 7 what''s the harm?" "Hehehehehe..." "..." Okay I admit that may have sounded a bit creepy but when I think about being really strong like destroying mountains and being admired by all it just makes me happy compared to my previous life. "Well, better get searching for a new method." "Good luck..?" Chapter 2: Unorthodox magic?! =============================================================================================================== Chapter 2: Unorthodox magic?! =============================================================================================================== Hi, It''s me again Kuroshi Kai, I have aged to 9 now, I made a new magic control practice method that is more efficient. Okay I admit it is not really new, I took it from anime and games.. Fine fine.. go resent me all you want, I''m still gonna continue this. "Hey Kai, how is your magic control training going?" "Pretty good gramps. My magic control is 20 times as much as before." "Oh well that''s go- wait.. Did you just say 20 times?" "Yes, 20 times." "What was your previous willpower?" "16." "So it is now 320..?" "Yeah?" "...." "What''s wrong?" "Oh, nothing is wrong at all." "Okay then? I''ll continue with my magic control." That was really weird? I mean grandpa had his jaws wide open.. Is it really that rare a sight? I mean I did it pretty quick so I''m not sure that it was THAT unusual.. Was it? "Oh well guess I''ll just train my strength too since my magic control is high enough right now." "Oh yes, how much is your strength now? Actually most of your statuses." "Hmm well they range from 10 to 20 times as much as before." "Oh I see.. Well grandpa has something to do so I have to go for now." "Alright grandpa." What was wrong? He had a really serious face when I told him about my status. Maybe it really is unusual? A WEEK AFTER Well I''ve kind of aquired a lot of new magic from these past 3 years so I''m gonna check them out. "STATUS" Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.========================================== Name: Kuroshi Kai Race: Human (?) Age: 9 Level: 94 Health: 555/555 Magic: 2100/2100 Strength: 198 Speed: 300 Stamina: 160 Will power: 420 Defense: 95 Special Skill: [Memory] [Time] [Curse] [Seal][Logical Thinking] Skills: [Double Experience][Double Status] Magic: [Elemental Magic] Level: MAX [Enchantment] Level: MAX [Nullification] Level: MAX [Creation] Level: MAX [Support] Level: MAX [Transference] Level: 3 [Time Stop] Level: 3 {15s} [Mana Surge] Level: 5 {1 mp per 10 seconds} Titles: [God of Time] [Prodigy] [Wise] [??] ========================================== Hmm these are pretty nice stats.. I guess I should tell grandpa to give me some pointers on how to get new types of magic. I got [Enchantment] and [Support] from an old acquaintance of grandpa. I think her name was Chikara Hana? Wait.. Chikara? So.. That was grandpa''s wife?! Oh wait.. Maybe sister?! No wait.. That seems too illogical.. Maybe I should ask grandpa directly. "Hey gramps, I got a question.." "Hm?" "Is grandma your sister?" "Huh? No I''m an only child." "Then is she your wife?" "Sorta.." "Sorta?" "We got divorced years ago, but we still remain in contact." "Eh? Really?" "Yes.. Really." Okay I sort of expected that but to hear the truth was still shocking in and itself.. "Oh by the way, how is your progress?" "Very good I think?". "You think?" "Well my lowest stat is defense and my highest is will power." "What is defense''s level?" "95." "95!?" "And will power is at 420." "420!?" "Yeah? Is it good?" "Well, Kai, I''ll be honest with you.. Your magical talent, no your talent at everything is too high.. A kid at your age would have at most 20 will power." "20?! Just 20?!" "Yeah.. and when you compare that to your 420.." "I have an abnormal growth rate?" "Yeah..." "Well enough about that, tell me what kind of magic you have now." I fill him in on my magic except time stop cause that is probably because I was chosen or something and it might seem impossible for this world considering how gramps reacts to my current level. "..." "So?" "..Give me a moment.. I need a second to let this sink in." "Okay.." "Well for now I''ll tell you straight out.. You are abnormal so do not under any circumstances reveal this to anyone I don''t approve of." "Okay..?" ''I''m gonna need extra help..'' "Hm? What did you say gramps?" "Nothing, nothing." Chapter 3: Threat! =============================================================================================================== Chapter 3: Threat! =============================================================================================================== This world is too calm even for somewhere in the deep forest when I heard that there were [Demons] I immediately thought that they were gonna try and take over the world, I mean when you hear the word demons don''t you always think of those words first. Well since it''s peaceful I can just keep myself safe inside this forest lazily spending my days until I reach the pinnacle of magicians without any battle experience whatsoever. I just wish there was some small threat or excitement or else I''d probably be bored out of my mind because there are no teenagers or anyone my age to talk to. If I talk to gramps about grown up stuff he may get suspicious or anything. As I was lost in thought I heard a knock on my door. Knock knock. After a few seconds the door opened and gramps'' head popped out. "Kai, we are gonna go hunting." "Hunting?" "You know that this is a forest right?" "Yes..?" "Well deeper down the road we can encounter monsters." "Can I defeat them?" "Of course you can." "Should I bring anything with me just in case?" "Bring your shortsword, scrolls, potions, and other weapons since we are hunting monsters and not regular animals." "Nn." I decide to not question any further and just follow gramps'' instructions. After I gathered my scrolls I put them in a bag located in my belt. This is not an ordinary bag as it actually includes a dimensional portal that puts anything in another dimension. It has limited space and last I tested it out it could handle up until 1 meter worth of space. Very limited but I''m not knowledgable enough or have the materials to make it bigger but apparently 1 meter is already an unimaginable storage space. I have very little knowledge of how strong this world is when it comes to magic but at least I''ll be able put up a fight when it comes to regular bandits or maybe a [Hybrid]. [Hybrids] are basically other races mixed with another race. If it is a cross-breed between human and cat naturally there will be a cat human, most people think this is amazing cause they can fantasize about cat girls and all that but this world isn''t that nice so I haven''t seen any [Hybrids]. Since [Humans] are the weakest race I still have no idea how I''m gonna defeat other races but [God] races are unstoppable war machines. My gramps once told me that one [God] can wipe out humanity with ease. When it comes to gifts humans tend to have the lowest talent, in a scale of 1-10, if a [Human] is born they will have 1, if a [Hybrid] is born they will have 2, and if a [God] is born they will have 15. Yes, that''s apparently how strong they are. Fortunately [Gods] are not the omniscient or omnipotent beings you think they are. They are just really overpowered beings that can squash all the other races but refuse to do so. You will never see a [God] with another [God] unless they are fighting or accidentally crossed paths with each other momentarily. They do not like the presence of each other or other races. The only race that dare defy [Gods] are [Demons]. [Angels] are like guards to [Gods] but in the talent scale they score a 9. That should be enough about other races and I''ll just continue the story. "Kai, are you ready now?" "Yes gramps." Gramps opens the door and we set off to a deeper part of the forest. Unlike other grandpas he''s not that too old-looking, probably a spell cast by him to make him look like a regular adult and not an old man. He is brown-haired, green-eyed, and is 5.6 feet tall. By the way I am black-haired, blue-eyed and currently 4 feet tall. What would you expect from a 10 year old? Anyway as me and gramps walk into the forest I look at the surrounding areas and just memorize them with my [Photographic Memory] but this is an upgraded version where everything has color and not just black and white. Wait now that I notice, how will I know where an enemy is or how strong it is? "Gramps how will I find the enemy?" "When you focus enough you can feel the life force of surrounding people and even monsters." "How will I determine how strong they are?" "Well some people are born with [Battle Sense] which they can feel how strong their enemies are but.." "But?" "Regular people have no way of knowing without some sort of skill." "I see." I think I have a skill that can help me figure that out. I cast [Observe] and look at gramps. ========================================== Name: Chikara Shiro Race: Human Age: 58 Level: 279 Health: 600/600 Magic: 880/880 Strength: 1000 Speed: 2600 Stamina: 2800 Will power: 4400 Defense: 3000 Special Skill: [Gifted] Skills: [Mana Regeneration] Magic: [Elemental Magic] Level: MAX [Creation] Level: MAX [Support] Level: MAX [Destruction] Level: MAX Titles:[Prodigy] [Alchemist] [Wise] The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.========================================== These status''s are inhumane, well he IS level 279 so it is acceptable. I wonder if I''ll be stronger than gramps when I reach that level. As for anyone wondering how this status window appears in front of us, it is only visible to the person trying to see it. So if you are checking on your own status nobody else would be able to see it. Which is really favorable for some who want to boast while nobody can really see it. Apparently strength in this world is absolute, anyone who is as strong as the ruler of a certain area may inherit it if the person defeats the previous owner, they will earn the right to inherit the position of ruler. Of course this doesn''t work on Kingdoms and only works on villages and cities, so if there are dukes or a village chief, they are all stronger than anyone in the village. I wonder why I have more skills, special skills, and titles than gramps. Well in terms of pure attack he''s still stronger. I better get stronger to not be treated as a pushover when I travel. "Hey gramps can you give me the basics on how to feel the surrounding life force?" "Well sure, first of all you have to stay calm and make your observation powers keen. Do not be distracted by bird chirping, other people talking, you must be calm as water." "I think I got that part down." "Now send over your magic in the surrounding area." "Won''t that just crush the plants around me?" "Release it bit by bit and make it go longer instead of stronger." "Okay." "Now everytime your magic hits a living being it should be able to send the signal back to you. When it does you will see an aura floating above those living beings." I focus on my magic, as gramps instructed I release it slowly and wave like signals come out, these also return when they hit something alive apparently. A wave returned to me, it feels just like a tool used in modern times. SONAR but I guess it''s a bit more advanced seeing as how I don''t need any special tools. I open my eyes and then I can feel an aura coming from gramps, the birds, and something deeper in the forest. "Gramps I see your aura." "Very good, most people would take quite a few tries. But becareful if an extremely powerful aura were to release their magic at you you''d be supressed." "Like how?" "I''ll show you." Gramps suddenly increased his magic power and I got the feeling of pressure he was talking about, it became harder to breathe and my body was as heavy as a rock. Then it suddenly vanished. "That''s an example of increasing magic pressure." "Amazing.." "Of course it won''t work against stronger opponents since it uses power rather than control and if you increase it high enough most people would be unconscious." "That really is powerful!" That means if I get stronger I don''t need to even get close to fight, I can just defend myself using my magic power, I don''t need to cast spells or anything, butI still have questions. "Gramps what if the other people don''t search for auras?" "They will still feel the pressure just the same as plants feel the pressure of being crushed." "I see." This is really good information I will definitely have to use this in the future. As gramps and I were walking I felt my breathing become heavier. I was getting tired and gramps seems to have noticed something. "Kai, stay back there is an extremely powerful presence here." Already?! I mean I can''t feel anything so what is it?! "My guess is it is an SS-Class monster. Its power is a bit too much for you right now seeing as it is probably a magic type monster, they can cast spells and other types of magic." "[Heal]" I relax my tired muscles with a green light from my hand. But now I feel hot? "Gramps I feel hot." "Me too. It feels like some sort of fire spell?!" "?!" I suddenly see an orange light in the sky and it was heading towards us. 1..2..3, there are 3 huge orange lights going down. "[Fireballs]?! Kai, get down!" "!" I did not question gramps and immediately got down but I kept looking upwards at the threat about to hit us. The [Fireballs] were at least the size of a boulder! "This might cause some backlash to the forest." Gramps cast a huge shield made of magic as he said [Barrier]. The [Fireballs] suddenly looked strange, they were shaking. A crack? I see a crack on the [Fireball]? "This is bad!" "What is it?!" "Those aren''t [Fireballs], that is [Fire Barrage]!" "[Fire Barrage]?!" I heard from gramps that [Fire Barrage] originates from a large [Fireball] and split into many small ones, the piercing power is better than a full one because of the barrage of fireballs with destructive power continously hitting, I never thought that the first time I would see it may be my last. "I can definitely defend against it, but I also have to douse out the water or else the whole forest will be engulfed in flames!" "I can help with that!" After thinking for a brief moment gramps answered. "Get your strongest water spell and aim it at the trees!" "I got it!" The [Fire Barrage] is now nearing only a few more seconds.. It looks absolute terrifying, once you see the sky it looks like it''s raining fire. The [Fire Barrage] lands on the barrier and we receive some of the shock. It felt as if there was an earthquake but it was even more terrifying. "Guh!" Gramps spits out blood as the fire barrage ends. "[Heal]" I use my heal on gramps which made him recover some of the lost blood and cure the internal damage. Then I focus on the trees and cast [Wave] a type of water spell and it doused the flames. "We need to move before they cast another spell, that spell took a long time to cast so they must be preparing for a new one." "I think I can feel their aura, it is 50 meters away." "It''s getting nearer. No wait, something is wrong, mage type monsters never go near the enemy." All of a sudden we were surrounded by monsters that looked frightening beyond belief but were just regular animals that became larger and had a more creepy vibe. But the focus isn''t their looks, but their number. "This is bad!" "Gyahahaha!" All of a sudden we heard a weird voice laughing behind the monsters. "How do you like my army?!" "Dark Guild..!" Dark Guild?! Chapter 4: Reality. Did gramps just say Dark Guild?! The only information I know about Dark Guild is that they do assassinations, kidnapping, and slavery. I heard that they also steal from carriages that look rich so most people hire bodyguards, they are basiaclly the rogues of this world. I can''t believe I''m gonna fight them right here! Wait isn''t gramps the strongest wizard in the continent? "Gramps can you take care of them?" "I can but.." "?" Now that I realize I''m also here, if gramps has to protect me and fight this army by himself he''ll have trouble. "Don''t worry gramps I can take care of myself." "I sure hope so." As me and gramps were talking the mysterious person suddenly laughed again and told us in an angry voice. "You two! I''m gonna kill you for my job so you better not resist!" "Job?" "I''ve been assigned to assassinate you two!" What kind of assassin would openly say what his task is to two people who aren''t even dead yet. He might think I''m not a threat but what worries me is, who ordered him to assassiante us? Is it one of gramps'' old enemies? As I look at gramps I see that we were thinking the exact same thing. "Charge Frost Wolves!" "!" I unsheathe my shortsword from the scabbard on my right leg and hang out some potions on my belt, as the Frost Wolves approach I am excited and terrified at the same time, I can not describe this feeling but the feeling of an actual battle is amazing. I chant some incantations and my sword glew silver. The sword is now as sharp as a katana and as light as a feather. I then enchant my body using [Mana Surge] and prepare for the Frost Wolves'' attacks. A pack of Frost Wolves suddenly jumped out and charged straight towards me. Gramps was casting something while looking at the Dark Guild member so I took the initiative and ran towards the wolves. I ran and made it so my shortsword would hit the wolf on my right when I got close. I then jumped with a giant surge of mana on my foot and twisted multiple times in mid air while slicing the wolves in front of me. Blood was spilling out of the sides of the wolves. Their eyes are now red with anger. I then use another jump but this time I cast magic. "[Earth Armor]." Rocks formed on my hand and covered it and I punched the wolf right in front of me using the momentum. It howled in pain as I used my sword to stab it in the heart while it was groaning. My sword is stuck! As I was thinking about this 2 wolves suddenly jumped towards me and I was terrified at what would happen and my life flashed before my eyes as I remembered about a skill of mine. "[TIME STOP]!" Everything stopped. I did not waste anytime and pulled out my sword and killed all the wolves around me. I sliced their necks and stabbed their hearts. I had to make sure none of them would move. Before the time ended I then cast [Fireball] and shot it towards the Dark Guild member. It exploded at him but I cannot see the effects until time starts again. As the few remaining seconds come by I decide to catch my breath while waiting for the next wave. I saw that the surrounding area suddenly had color and everything started moving and I also heard a huge explosion and saw that the Dark Guild member was lying on the floor burning. He used a water spell and doused himself while screaming. "Gyaaaa! [Wave]!" The dousing of the flames were heard throughout the battlefield but the flames didn''t surprise them, no it was the fact that the wolves all instantly died and the Dark Guild member got shot with magic without anyone noticing. "Wh-what happened!?" "Kai?!" "I''m okay! Let''s continue!" ".." Gramps looked at me for a moment and shook his head to get rid of other thoughts and focused on casting that high-level spell. As he finished he said in a loud voice so everyone can hear. "[Obelisk]!" 4 tall towers emerged from the floor and trapped everyone in a square position. Gramps then cast another magic quickly. "[Teslacoil]!" Suddenly the obelisk''s had symbols appear on its body and glowed blue. Lightning shot out encaging everyone in a lightning cage. Gramps then put his arms in a cross position in front of him and suddenly countless lightning bolts fired in front of him. It wiped out everything in front of him. So strong! This was simply unbelievable, the person and all the monsters that were in front of us disappeared like smoke. That is truly a frightening magic. The other monsters that surrounded us hesitated and one by one they all ran away. When the coast was clear gramps told me to go back to the house as fast as I can. We ran at least with all our might and used up some of our mana. As we reached the house and caught our breath gramps suddenly Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.started meditating. I was gonna ask what he was doing but because of what happened earlier I decided to not ask. I then head back to my room and decide to replenish all my missing mana. I placed a scroll out and bit into my front thumb and made a symbol. I made a mind recollection scroll. It replays a certain memory from one''s mind. Of course the person who''s memory will be seen has to give his consent before the scroll can be used so I decided to put my memory of the battle in the scroll. I reviewed what happened, of course it all happened in my point of view since it is my memory but when I remember that battle I shiver. If the enemies are that ruthless then I must get stronger, even stronger than I am now! As I was lost in thought gramps went in the room and talked to me. "Listen, Kai." "Nn." "That person was from the Dark Guild. They are a notorious guild that kills people for a living, they have no regard for human life." ".." "I was considered the strongest mage on this continent, therefore a lot of people in the darkness are after my head." "Nn." "I will be gone for awhile you will have to stay here, I may be gone for a month or two. I will certainly be back, if I don''t go back within the alloted time I will send someone here and they will bring this scroll with them." Gramps then brought out a scroll with a symbol and I memorized what it looks like. Gramps then kept looking at me with a stern expression as he continued talking. "I will eliminate a part of the Dark Guild with my old party members." "Eh?" "Do not worry, I am the strongest mage in this continent, the only humans who can kill me are the people who came from other continents. "What about the other races?" "I am the strongest human, not the strongest in the race." "I see." "Do not worry, the Dark Guild has very few races other than [Humans], they only have [Hybrids]." "What were you doing meditating earlier?" "I use telepathy to talk to my old party and tell them of my plan." This is really moving too fast, I mean we were just going hunting on a casual day and now gramps is gonna annihilate a guild? I mean I wished for some excitement but this is too much. "Remember to train, but this time train faster than ever before, if any of them come after you, you have to be able to defend yourself." "I got it!" Knock knock, we heard a knock on the door below and gramps answered it. I saw 4 people come through, one of them had a bow. Another had a giant sword, one carried a staff with a cross, and another had wings?! Is that what they call a celestial?! "Kai, these are my party members. You guys, introduce yourselves." "My name is Fumetsu Kinshi, I am a [Knight]." He was a tall buff man, he had black hair and brown eyes, if you looked at him from a child''s point of view you''d be scared out of your wits. "My name is Raikiri Aine. I am a [Healer] under the mage class." She looked young, is she really part of gramps'' old party? She had scarlet red hair and crimson eyes, she wore a white dress and wore a silver necklace. "My name is Chikyu Sai, I am a [Druid]." [Druids] are people of the forest, he wields a bow and I can see that he''s pretty experienced with it. He has green hair and green eyes, he looks really different compared to the other two. [Druids] can be any race, they just live and train in the forest so they are called [Druids]. "My name is Tatsumaki Gai, I am a [Celestial]. Part of the [Angel] race." [Angel] race?! Why is he here!? I heard that [Angels] only guarded [Gods]. He had yellow hair and sky blue eyes, and he has pair of huge white wings on his back. Piercing through his golden armor. These people look really menacing. "Do not be intimidated." ".." "I can see that Hana couldn''t join?" "She is on the other side of the continent on a secret mission." "So she sent you?" "Yes that is correct. Shiro-sama." I knew that Raikiri person wasn''t part of the original party, I mean she''s too young compared to the others. "Tell me what level you are and your battle experience." "150, I have raided level 200 dungeons with only a small party." "I see, well you can not join us." "Might I ask why Shiro-sama?" "Most of the enemies in the Dark Guild are 250." ".." "With a 100 level gap you cannot fight their and will just be a liability, and with your current level, healing us will be hard." "I understand." "But I have another task for you." "?" "Guard my grandson." "Grandson..?" "Over there, he is named Kuroshi Kai. His talent is extraordinary and I would appreciate if you would protect him from pursuers." "I will gladly accept this mission Shiro-sama." She sounds really emotionless, well her face does show no emotion, although she would be really cute if she smiled. I can guarantee that for sure. "Well then we will now set off." "Understood." "Got it." "Then let''s go!" """"[Teleport]"""" All of them brought out scrolls and casted [Teleport]. They all disappeared in a blue light and left me and Raikiri-san here. "Raikiri-san?" "You may call me Aine, Kai-sama." "Kai-sama..?" "You are the grandson of the strongest magician on this continent, of course I will adress you that way." This is really embarassing, from the looks of it she is only 15-16 years old. Although I am 10 years old here, I was only 20 years old before. "Aine-san?" She was staring at the door with a blank face nodding. She stopped after a few seconds. "That was your grandfather communicating with me telepathically. He told me that I will stay in the vacant room right next to yours, he also said that he contacted my mother and had my items delivered here." "O-okay." [Telepathy] is a really useful skill, I want to learn it really bad. "Aine-san." "Hmm?" "Do you know how to use [Telepathy]?" "Yes, I have knowledge of it, although I can only use it up until 500 miles." "How do you make the range higher?" "The more amount of magic you can release the farther it can reach." "I see. Can you teach me the basics?" "Gladly." She taught me all the basics step by step, it really is easy to understand and I succeeded on my first try. "I can see what Shiro-sama meant.You truly are a prodigy, grasping [Telepathy] on your first try. Even I couldn''t do that." "Hehehe." Come to think of it this is the first interaction I''ve ever had with a girl in this world. Now that I think about it this is also the first real crisis that is happening too. This world really isn''t fun and games. That means I have to get stronger and fast. Reality is harsh, not soft. I noticed that today when I was about to die unless I had that [Time Stop] power. If I had died what would''ve happened? Would I be reborn again? Would I be sent back? I will never know, but I know that this is my new world. People killing other people, making a living out of it. I can see that reality is not all that nice, I''m gonna have to get stronger or else I''d end up just like that guy gramps killed. Now I have to figure out what exactly this [God of Time] is. I better search gramps'' library. Chapter 5: The Message A FEW DAYS AFTER THE INCIDENT I have gotten used to living with Aine-san but as expected it is still hard to control myself when living with alone with a girl under the same roof. I mean when you first look at her you''d think she''s a regular female, and of course she''d show her charms every now and then which is really tempting. After all even if I have the body of a 10 year old I was only 20 years old before. She has been training me in the ways of [Support] magic and taught me [Utility] magic that even she has an advantage against gramps on. Gramps is apparently called an attack mage, he is stronger in terms of power but in terms of support he is at a disadvantage. Although I have grasped the basic part of [Support] magic I can''t quite get [Utility] magic properly. It includes stuff like [Telepathy] which is the one of the very few [Utility] magic that gramps knows. In case any of you are wondering, the level system on magic isn''t based on knowledge but rather based on use. Even if you only have 1 type of that magic it is still possible to max the level on it so that the amount of mana used and the effectiveness would increase. "Kai-sama, wake up." Eh? Is that Aine-san? Guess it must be morning I should probably wake up. I try to open my eyelids but I can''t and just decided to sleep a little more. I then heard Aine-san''s voice again. "How long are you gonna sleep? Wake up." Is she coming in my room to wake me up? No no she''s probably at the door, but her voice is heard loud and clear? Don''t tell me she''s personally waking me up?! I open my eyes and see that she wasn''t there. Figures. "Are you awake yet?" Hm? Ah, I get it, she''s speaking to me via [Telepathy]. I guess I''d better answer her the same way. I cast [Telepathy] using the basic image I have of it and then respond. "Yeah." "Okay good." She isn''t as emotionless as before and rather she started showing a bit of emotion like joy. "We are not gonna talk using our mouths for the whole day and instead talk using [Telepathy] so that you can get used to it." "I see. I guess this kind of training is also effective." She really has some efficient training methods. To make the user experienced with it instead of just teaching it. I can tell that she has taught more people than gramps. I mean gramps is the strongest person in the continent so it would be more surprising if he had a lot of pupils. Although training my [Support] and [Utility] isn''t bad I still have to make sure to train my attack power, seeing as how I couldn''t even damage that Dark Guild member all that much. "Kai-sama, we will soon test your [Support] and [Utility] training. Since you are progressing this fast, maybe a week? I will give you scenarios and you have to manually solve them." "Like?" "Like me giving you a wound while your goal is to heal it within the alloted time." "I see." Although I am familiar with healing magic it looks like she doesn''t know I can instantly heal wounds. "How long does it take for you to cure a minor wound? A scratch for instance." "I''d say 5 minutes." "Is that good?" "Of course it is! The average time is 10!" She said that with confidence, should I teach her how to heal wounds instantly? "Hey, can I tell you something?" "What is it?" Well I''m gonna get prepared for the overreaction. If it was her before I''m sure she would just say ''amazing!'' with a blank face. "I can heal wounds instantly." ".." "Hello? Is this transmitting correctly?" "Ah, yes it is. I''m sorry but can you repeat that, I thought I misheard something about you healing wounds instantly." "You didn''t hear wrong, I can heal wounds instantly." "Eh..?!" And there it is, I mean I''m used to gramps overreacting to my magic but since this is the first time that another person has overreacted I can tell I really am abnormal. She instantly barges into my room and took my hand and took a knife out and slashed her palm. I was surprised at first but she said: "Heal it with your magic." I then do as she had instructed and casted [Heal]. My right hand glew green and as my hand neared hers, the wound was cured. She had a blank look on her face and her eyes looked dead inside. {Aine''s point of view} His hand is glowing green, I guess that means he cast the magic. He then placed his hand near mine and the wound suddenly vanished. I tried to feel for pain but to no avail. He wasn''t lying.. That means all my hard work and boasting about being a fast healer was all for nothing when he can heal wounds like this instantly. It would''ve taken me 5 minutes at the least. This is simply unbelievable, I knew he was gifted with magic since Shiro-sama told me but to this extent I never knew. Okay I can''t talk not talking anymore when this just happened. "Kai-sama, you are a monster at magic." "Eh? Are we gonna speak now? Okay." {Kai''s point of view} Calling me a monster at magic isn''t very flattering but I guess it means that I''m very good with it which I can take as a compliment. Gramps should be sending a message back in a week or two. It has been a month and a week since gramps left with his party members. I miss gramps but I can see that he needs to do this important task or else the Dark Guild will keep fighting us. Now that I think about it, I can ask Aine-san about the Dark Guild. I look at her with a serious atmosphere and ask. "Aine-san, can you tell me anything about the Dark Guild that gramps is facing right now?" "I have encountered a few Dark Guild members but I have not faced the elite ones that your grandfather and his party members are fighting with currently." "Do you believe that there is a Dark Guild member as storng as gramps?" "I can not say for sure but I think there is." "How can you say that?" I look at her anxiously as she clears her throat and answers. "Your grandfather is the strongest attack mage in the continent on official records." "Official records? Wait that means.." If she means what I think she does then this is bad. "There may be enemies that are as strong or stronger than your grandfather off-record. There is also the possibility of other races allying themselves with the Dark Guild for profit." She really has thought this through, nobody would say all this without thinking about it properly. "But nevertheless your grandfather is still a very formidable foe. You should put more trust in him and wait until he comes back safely." "You''re right." Yeah, I just have to trust him or else I''d just end up feeling depressed about it. I can''t hope too much or else my expectations will be crushed but I guess this much is fine. In preparation of gramps'' return I decided to train my attack power after I complete Aine-san''s exam. "Aine-san I would like to do the exam now." "Hm? Are you sure? I haven''t seen you thoroughly practice the other types of [Utility] magic." "It''s okay I can handle it." "Hm okay." Even if I can''t master it I still have the basic idea of each and every one of [Utility] magic that she taught me. I can just change it a little bit to fit my standards. "Cast [Strength]." I cast it a swiftly and her strength increased by several folds. I did it but I changed the concept a little, this time there will be a longer time limit. "Cast [Speed]." I cast it and she had her speed increased several folds just like the first one. I copied the concept of the other one so that it also lasts as long as that one. "Alright, I''ve seen enough." "Eh?" "Your magic ability is too monstrous. Normally it would only enhance twofold but I can see that it enhanced more than tenfold. What kind of enhancement is this?" "Eh? Did I go too far?" "Of course you did, you even surpassed me." That was a bit anticlimactic but I guess it is acceptable. "You have passed my exam and are now very proficient in [Support] and [Utility] I bestow upon you the support medal." "Eh? Support medal? Why do you have that?" "Oh you didn''t know? I''m a professor at a magic school. I teach students [Support] magic." "Eh?!" I mean I expected her to be a tutor or something since she teaches so efficiently but I never would''ve guessed she''s a magic academy professor at such a young age! "By the way, if you ever wanna attend the academy I am currently working in, just show them this medal and you''ll immediately be let in. This medal symbolizes that you have been recognized by a professor from the academy." "There are no other procedures?" "Well of course they will have to call the professor in question and also test your aptitude for magic but you won''t have to take written exams." "That really is handy." Guess I basically got a free entrance to a magic academy. I have no intention of attending one as of the moment but I may go there in the future. After the conversation I head back to my room and practice [Destruction] magic. I saw gramps'' list of magic having that, but I think it includes magic like [Combustion] or [Detonate]. It can be the same and different from [Elemental] magic. I practice magic by using a new technique which I thought of when I saw gramps'' lightning cage combination. My magic swells outside my body and I use all my might to keep it from spreading, this will help me improve my mastery of controlling magic. I think I''ll call it, [Enclosing Mana Cage Technique], I''ll just call it [EMC] for short. This is at least twice as fast as my previous technique which I just improvised using gramps'' old technique of channeling our mana and spreading it throughout our body through the 36 points in the body that is responsible for the flow of mana. Disrupting it will cause major damage to mages but it requires full mastery of mana to even sense it. The very few people who can sense and disrupt the 36 points are called [Druids], [Assassins], and [Monks]. [Monks] and [Assassins] are sub-classes below [Druid]. [Druids] live in the forest but [Assassins] and [Monks] don''t. They are sub-classes because they are derived from the same origins, [Druids] use poison and long range attacks. [Assassins] are the ones nearest to [Druid] because they have the gift of poison magic from [Druids]. [Monks] gained the [Druid''s] mastery of the 36 mana points. Maybe I should try and figure out the 36 mana points? If I do get enough mastery then that means I can be one of the most formidable opponents, I''ve heard that even if it is known only for those classes, anyone can learn them since classes are not limited and only show what you are. A person can use a mix of classes and train, although you are only considered genuine once you pass the exams. A righteous swordsman is only a vigilante if he does not receive certification from a Knight school. I heard that there are less [Knights] than [Magicians] but they need to cooperate during fighting. A full party in this world has a [Knight], [Mage], [Druid], [Healer], and [Assassin]. Since [Assassins] are rare, they have changed the [Assassin] role into a free slot, most parties add another [Knight] with a sub-class for this slot so that they will have 2 people who can tank damage. I go to gramps'' library and open the door, the library is located in our basement with a door sealed with enchantments. I then find a book about [Destruction] magic. The library is pretty old, I think it has been here for 6 decades at the least. There are huge shelves twice the size of people and there are 5 rows with 6 columns, all arranged according to the subject. All of the shelves are so dusty that you can mistake it as a cave abandoned for years. It is also very dark considering it is a basement, there are no lights here. I always cast [Flare] before going down here. [Flare] is a light type magic that creates light on my surroundings, I plan to upgrade it in the future seeing as the range is really low. It illuminates at the reach of my arm but any further than that won''t be affected.Gramps'' library is full of mysterious stuff, from magic books to dark magic books. It also has recipes for various amount of potions. I guess this is where gramps keeps his recipe for alchemy. Gramps is an [Alchemist] on top of being an attack mage. An [Alchemist] is an existence highly praised by a lot of people, their potions could save lives and are sold for high prices.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. There are very few [Alchemists] in the world, I think I read once that there are only 10,000 [Alchemists] and among those, 100 are considered the best. The rest are inexperienced in being an [Alchemist]. Now that I think about it, since it is highly revered I should learn it too. If I become a great [Alchemist] I will gain a lot of fame and fortune which I can eventually use while travelling. Being an [Alchemist] is difficult or so I''ve heard, there are over thousands of recipes that you need to know in order to become a full fledged [Alchemist]. I should start on that another day, I still need to improve my attack power. I take gramps'' book of [Destruction] and head back upstairs. Now that I take a good look at it, it looks more like a dark magic book than the other dark magic books. It was a rather average-sized book, it had a purple cover with a skull in the middle. The texture is a bit rough, most likely due to age. When you look at it, you can''t help but think it is a dark magic book. It gave off a really chilling aura, like it could stare right into your soul. I am not all that affected because I have already experienced death, but the real deal is even more terrifying, I can''t help but shiver when I remember what happened to me the moment I died. I haven''t thought about it before but did my body disappear? Or was it still lying there when I got here? Did I get buried? I will never know the answers to these questions but all I know is that I must face forward and do all I can to not let such a thing happen a second time. "I should get started on the book." It gave off a basic introduction to [Destruction] magic. I got hung up on words written on second page at the middle it says ''Without destruction there would be nothing to create, without creation there will be nothing to destroy. Creation is destruction, destruction is creation.'' It sounds kind of weird but I kind of guess what it means, without the other the world won''t be balanced. Whoever wrote this must be very knowledgeable. I turn the pages of the book and I scan for anything that would look useful. Hm? There are no skills here? Only procedures? Does that mean there is no fixed spell and will continue changing? [Destruction] is really weird. I then try one of the first procedures. ''Imagine a blank space.'' I imagine myself inside a never ending place with nothing there but darkness. ''Now add an object.'' I imagine stars and the universe thoroughly being made. To do this you need a vast amount of imagination or else this will not work properly. ''Imagine a power greater than that of creation but can not destroy.'' Hm? What? I don''t get it? I scan my mind for a few minutes then I remember something. The sun! Its power is destructive yet it does not destroy those around it, it helps them. I try to imagine a huge round ball farming in the middle of a galaxy. It slowly takes shape then turns larger and larger. After a few moments, the sun was created. ''Imagine that power being too great that it destroys everything you created.'' I decide to implode the sun, it grows larger and larger until its main body can''t take it anymore. It grew to the size of 10 galaxies. After a few seconds, it exploded den all converged back in the middle until it formed into a black hole. It took everything I shaped pulling them in, becoming larger and larger. This continued for a few minutes until nothing was left. ''Whatever you imagined is now the form of [Destruction] you made.'' Eh? That means I just created a spell by imagining?! That seems a little too easy. I heard a sound. It sounded like a ding? Suddenly information just flashed in my head. I screamed in pain at the fast speed it was transmitting information in my head. I could feel my head splitting as something was forcing its way to enter. Then it was gone. No trace of the pain. I looked at my status immediately as I remembered the information forcing its way into my head at a fast speed. It may have given me a new spell! "STATUS!" ========================================== Name: Kuroshi Kai Race: Human (?) Age: 9 Level: 112 Health: 575/575 Magic: 25000/25000 Strength: 2000 Speed: 3700 Stamina: 1850 Will power: 5000 Defense: 1150 Special Skill: [Memory] [Time] [Curse] [Seal][Logical Thinking] Skills: [Double Experience][Double Status] Magic: [Elemental Magic] Level: MAX [Enchantment] Level: MAX [Nullification] Level: MAX [Creation] Level: MAX [Support] Level: MAX [Transference] Level: 4 [Destruction] Level: 1 [Time Stop] Level: 4 {20s} [Mana Surge] Level: MAX {1 mp per 10 seconds} Titles: [God of Time] [Prodigy] [Wise] [??][Milestone 1][Magician] ========================================== My stats are pretty high. My mastery of the magic has also reached maximum. I should use more [Transference] and [Destruction] magic. I cast [Observe] on [Destruction]. [Destruction] Level: 1 Magic: [Black Hole] [Black Hole]?! I can''t believe I have that strong a skill right off the bat. It should probably have a bit of backlash or would cost a lot right? [Observe] [Black Hole] A type of [Destruction] magic forged by ''Kuroshi Kai''. Its power is inhumane and can take anything and everything into a bottomless abyss who nobody knows goes where. Costs 5000 mana, cannot differentiate friend from foe. As I look at it, it does cost a lot and that backlash is a real pain. If it can''t differentiate friend from foe then does that mean it will suck me in too? I guess I won''t know until I use it. I shouldn''t use it right now since it is very dangerous, I''ll try it some other day but for now I should keep making more [Destruction] magic. Hours passed by as I kept making more and more [Destruction] magic. I have gotten used to the pain being felt as it was not really pain and more like mental overload. I made more magic like [Spacial Explosion] which opened up a new type of magic. [Spacial] magic, it also had [Black Hole] but for the reason why it didn''t appear the first time is uknown. There are also magic like [Detonation] which can make an area explode instead of just disrupting the space around it like [Spacial Explosion]. I open my eyes and see my room. It was mostly the same but a carving was marked on the floor where I was sitting and the book was placed in front of me. I should repair that but I may use it in the future so I''ll just cover it up for now. I get a rug and place it on top of the carving so I can remove it for future purposes. I haven''t gone outside my room for a few hours, I wonder if Aine-san is worried about me. I stand up and stretch a bit since my muscles weren''t moved for a period of time. I walk towards the door and as I near the door I reach for the doorknob. I turned it halfway before stopping. Something is wrong. I immediately open it and run towards Aine-san''s room. After I opened the door to her room the scene before me shocked me in words I can''t describe. There was blood everywhere and bodies in the middle of the room. Aine-san was leaning on the wall with blood flowing from her mouth and stomach. I paused for a moment before running towards her and casting [Heal]. She passed out due to the loss of blood but she will be fine in a few minutes. I helped her recover some of the lost blood but she will still feel faint when she wakes up. I cast [Recovery] to quicken the pace her blood will regenerate. I look towards the bodies with disdain as I approach them slowly. They were all wearing black cloaks and it looks like they got past the barrier with difficulties as I see marks of burns on their cloaks. They wore masks that covered the top part of their faces and only revealed their face below the nose. It looks like they are from the Dark Guild. I look at their shoulders through the ripped cloaks and it confirmed my theory. They were here for me. The Dark Guild sent a couple of people over to attack me and Aine-san got dragged into it. The rage I felt in that moment was insane I felt like charging through the Dark Guild and attacking everyone in my sight. I gain my rationality after a few moments as I dispose of their bodies using magic. I am still human enough to bury them properly. Who knows what kind of fate heaven has given them to join the Dark Guild, their families might be held captive or even they could not work and were only given money by the Dark Guild for completing all sorts of evils deeds. I go back to Aine-san''s room and look at her if there are any more wounds. I lift her up and place her on her bed. I cast [Sweep], a type of water magic that gently releases water with high heat and cleans the area. I aim it at the floor where the bodies laid before. Hot water releases from my hand and turns to smoke before dissipating. I do the same thing for the wall which she leaned on and the rest of the room. I cast [Surveillance], a type of [Support] magic that lets me see an area inside a certain range. I chose Aine-san''s room as the area and head outside the room. I walk to the path of the entrance and see a lot of scratches on the walls. I repair them as I walk by using magic but there was too much even for a fight. How did Aine-san hold up against this? I clench my teeth as anger consumes me but I calm down after a few steps. I fixed the whole house and see as they didn''t steal anything, I head towards the magic stone. It was the size of a small boulder. It was gray in color but emitted a faint blue-ish aura. It had a mark in the middle and the mark seemed to be slowly glowing dimmer and dimmer. I place my hand on top of the rock and focus my mana on to the rock. The light was glowing more than before. I inject more mana and the light is glowing brighter and brighter until a magic barrier suddenly burst from the rock and enveloped the house area. This barrier was made by gramps to protect the house from intruders and monsters. How strong would they have to be to break this? Gramps told me it can withstand blows from an SS-Class monster. That amounts to an army of magicians and knights, how were they able to do it? I got immersed in thought as I sensed something in Aine-san''s room. She woke up as she held her head. I walk back inside the house and head towards her room. "Aine-san how are you doing?" "Kai? I''m..fine but where are the Dark Guild members?" "You took care of them and I cleaned up the house." "I see.. I''m glad." Her expression looked very joyful since she found out she protected the house and me. "Thank you, Aine-san." "It''s fine, but what were you doing?" "What do you mean?" "You didn''t wake up to the sound of fighting in the house so I thought they got you first and I was really worried." Tears started to form in her eyes as she remembered the scene from before, although I do not know exactly what happened I know it was horrifying to even get her to cry. "I was practicing some magic in a nearly unconscious state." "I see." "You should go rest for now I cast some healing magic on you but you still haven''t regained all your lost blood." "I do feel a little light headed." "Then go rest." "Nn." She slowly lies down as I turn off the lights and close the door. I then head back into my room and jump on the bed laying down. I think to myself: ''Why is the Dark Guild targetting us?'' over and over in my mind but I can''t think of a valid excuse other than gramps. Could it be someone noticed that gramps was living in solitary here? I think of these thoughts repeatedly as I slowly drift away into sleep. My thoughts transferred to me in my sleep. Anxiety, stress, and other uncomfortable emotions lingered in my mind as I was sleeping. I had a nightmare, it was pitch black, I could only see myself. I walked and walked for countless hours then I saw a light at the end of the darkness. I ran closer and closer with an excited expression, ''I could finally see the light!'' That''s what I was thinking. As I went through the light, it was too bright that I had to shut my eyes. As I opened my eyes there were no signs of light. Only corpses, these corpses were stabbed with many holes in their body. I look at them with pity, they ended up like that without nobody knowing their names. I decided to step through the corpses. As I was walking, suddenly a hand grabbed my right leg and I immediately turned to face it. One of the bodies moved and touched me. I felt fear. The corpse raised its head and when I saw it I screamed. It was gramps'' corpse. He was in the mountain of corpses with multiple wounds and then some other corpses also stepped up. It was gramps'' party! Gai-san, Aine-san, Kinshi-san, and Sai-san. I turned around and ran as fast as I could, I didn''t even look at where I was running until I tripped. I turned around and saw everything was gone. I was in a flowery field. It was too beautiful that it could make one forget the scene shown before if given enough time. It had a tree with stunning features as it glistened under the sun. The flowers all arranged in colors similar to a rainbow. You could call it heaven. The clouds were drifting slowly with the blue sky as everything seemed to have calmed down. I take a second to regain my thoughts and look up at the sky. "Not a care in the world.. I wish." I couldn''t forget about everything, not when people''s lives are in danger. My gramps who went to the base of the Dark Guild, his party who went along with him. I was extremely frightened as to what I''d do without gramps. I calmed myself as I closed my eyes leaning on the tree. "Hey, how are you doing there?!" I immediately open my eyes and jump up. A voice surprised me, it sounded like a mad man. "Me? I''m fine! Listen, kid, how are you? I''m fine, very fine." This guy was talking to me as he talked to himself. Anybody would know he''s crazy when they hear his way of speaking. "Listen, I got a.. what do you call that? I know! Massage! No, wait.. a message! Yeah that''s it." He said that as he looked through his pockets with an excited smile on his face. "Ah! Here it is." He found an envelope in his pocket with a seal. The seal was a skull? Could he be from the Dark Guild? I''m getting too paranoid. "I''m from the Dark Guild and found this on your grandfather''s body. I decided to give it to you cause why the heck not?!" Gramps? I stare at him with a blank face before opening the letter with shivering hands. As I open the seal the guy suddenly jumped in front of me and stared down into my eyes. This feeling, I can''t grasp it. It feels like I''m dying.. "Wake..up!" I suddenly open my eyes and sit up straight on my bed sweating. I looked at my surroundings and see Aine-san shocked. She had been watching me in my sleep, I guess she saw me having a nightmare. I held my head as I looked down on the bed. "Kai are you okay?" She asked me with a worried look. Did I really look that bad? I guess I should when I just went through that. "Your grandfather had delivered a message. I thought you should be the first one to see it." I looked at her for a few seconds before she raised her hand and showed me the letter. She handed it over to me as I stare down at it. After a moment I regained my composure and opened the letter. Tears started to form as I was reading the letter which my hands grasped tightly. ''Kai, I know that you are worried about me. I am sorry to disappoint you but I have failed my mission. I couldn''t wipe out the Dark Guild. The Dark Guild themselves weren''t the problem rather, it was the person who formed an alliance with them. A [God]. I have suffered grave injuries but do not worry, I am still alive and will not die anytime soon. You need to get stronger, first of all you have to leave the forest. Give the second letter at the back to Aine. Remember, you are strong. You will not disappoint me, I know you are stronger than anyone in this world given the time. I have nurtured you for quite awhile but I''m afraid I cannot do that for a bit. I''m sorry Kai. I have to leave you for awhile, it may be years or even decades, I will not go near you as I attract danger. You need to introduce yourself to everyone as Kuroshi Kai, the Dark Guild know of your name as Chikara Kai. I have only told trusted people about your real name. You will leave the forest and it is up for you to decide what to do next. Aine will keep guarding you until you reach 15. She cannot stay any longer than that because I also need her for my plans. Remember Kai, live well and do not worry about me.'' Gramps.. "Kai.." My tears fell one after another as I grasped the letter tightly as Aine-san tried to comfort me by holding my hand. The letter meant he needs to leave me and will not meet with me until a certain period of time. My heart ached as I recalled all my past memories with gramps. All of a sudden a person attacked us and now we''re being separated? Ridiculous! I will defeat that Dark Guild if it''s the last thing I do! It took me awhile to gain some composure as I put the letter back and give the second letter to Aine-san. As she looked at it her expression revealed shock. I looked at her for a few seconds before feeling something solid from the envelope. It was a symbol carved in gold? This was the symbol that gramps told me he''d send when he failed the mission. There are no instructions on how to use it or what to do with it but I''ll find information for it later. A [God] huh? Who''s gonna turn my fate? A [God]? No! I''ll definitely defeat that [God] if it is the last thing I do! Chapter 6: Encounter. It has been a few days since the incident where the house got attacked. I have mostly calmed down, the anger from before is still there but I can manage to hide it. I have been training at frightening pace ever since the attack. Gramps told us to head out the forest and do whatever we desire as long as we do not endanger ourselves because gramps won''t be able to watch over me for some time. I''ve already decided on my goal, be strong enough to defeat a [God]. I made another dimensional pouch that can take 1 meter of space and took all the items I could from the house that were important. Gramps'' library was apparently mobile and could be stored in a cube anytime. I can''t really figure out how that works but since magic can make anything possible I''ll let it pass. I took every important item from the house, I left the furniture and only brought stuff that I need for travelling. Gramps told us to leave the house and someone will come to hide it soon, as stated in Aine-san''s letter. I am a little hesitant in leaving the house but since it''s for the best I will do my utmost to forget about this house. The best way to head right now is to a village, as long as I don''t introduce myself as Chikara Kai, I''ll be fine. Gramps actually registered me as Chikara Kai so that people will think I''m his grandson. I have to go into an alias using my real name which is kind of weird to be an alias. I should head to a place that seems likely to be a Dark Guild base. Aine-san told me the nearest village is a small one which has financial troubles on top of that also has a food shortage. There are an abundance of animals in the surroundings but they don''t have enough manpower to hunt for the whole village. She told me it''d be a good start so I can start solving problems like this on my own and get the support of a lot of people. On top of resources, what''s needed in this world is influence. If you have a record of achievements it''ll be easier to achieve anything you want. There are training grounds for high-ranking people. They all have several mana pillars surrounding them, when someone trains there, their training speed will increase by at least twofold. Of course those are for [Mages]. Training grounds for [Knights] and the other classes are different, all suited to their respective classes. I should hurry up and get higher in this world, once I do I''d be able to reach the level of a [God] faster. The weakest [God] has a power of 10,000 for each statistic, the strongest [God] right now apparently has 100,000. I learned all of this in gramps'' library books. But the age of those books were at least a thousand years old, [Gods] might be stronger now, maybe even twice as strong as before. I am curious about one thing in my status: [God of Time], this is making me really uneasy. My status says I''m a [Human] but with that title I am really confused. There is a (?) beside my status as [Human]. Does it mean I was reincarnated into a [God] in the body of a [Human]? Or was I born a [Human] who was granted the power of [God]? The only thing I know is that I will eventually have the power of a [God] and I will use it to fight against the [God] that injured gramps. I head to my room and take one last look at the surroundings. I felt a sense of loneliness when I remembered the memories popping up one after another. Although this is my second life, I have lived in this house for nine years. My eyes start to tear up but I shake my head and wipe the tears off my eyes. "Kai, are you ready?" "Yeah.." "Then we''ll head off for Zygel." "Nn." I take one last look and turn around to go though the door. I stepped out of the house and didn''t look back a second time. Aine-san has only been here for a few days but we made many memories here. I could see her looking back sadly. She turned around, wiped the tears from her eyes and walked straight forward. "Let''s go." "Nn." [Track], my new magic. I used it since it is useful for travel, everywhere I go it will record data of the surroundings. If anything changed with the landscape, the map will only update once I open it. It is rather inefficient with that I have to go back to the previous area if I want to update the map but I guess it is acceptable seeing asI don''t have to hold a map then risk losing it after buying it. Ah, now that I think about it, I don''t know how much money I have. "Aine-san? How will we get money?" "Hm? We won''t unless we get to the village and take requests." "But aren''t they financially troubled?" "They will have the money for quests since they won''t even put up requests if they can''t pay for it." "I see." I guess food is more important than money for a village that is in decline. I send out my mana to sense for surrounding threats. "Oh, you''ve learned how to track lifeforms?" "Gramps taught it to me before we encountered the Dark Guild." "That was only a few weeks ago, how were you able to achieve mastery over it?" "It was pretty easy so I didn''t think it was that big of a deal." "Most people in the world do not know how to use it and those who do don''t have this much mastery over it." "What about the other races?" "Only [Gods], [Demons], and [Celestials] have mastered it." "The others?" "They all have the same status as [Humans], most don''t know about it." "I see." So this is a very valuable skill. Since most beings don''t know about it then that means it is a lot easier to hide and stay in low profile with this. "How long will it take for us to reach Zygel?" "Roughly two days." I really need to figure out more about this world, I may study some books about this world when I get the time. "Ah, I also have a question, what type of currency do we use?" "What?" "What do we use to pay for items?" "..Kai, could it be that you don''t know what money is?!" "Hahahaha...no." "..." She has a look of amazement on her face but she also looks like she''s looking at me with pity. "Well we use bronze, copper, silver, gold. Although there are other sets for other continents." "What do you mean?" "For the Demon Continent they use Demonic Coins. They are split into: Purple, violet, black." "How about for the other continents?" "Gods use all types of currency and they have no continent but [Angels] use Angelic Coins. Yellow, pure gold, and wing coins." "Wing coins?" "They are extremely rare and only a few [Angels] have them but they have a wing mark in the middle of the coin." "What is it made of?" "I don''t know, there are very few [Humans] who know what it looks like." "I see." Hm? I should ask for the exchange from bronze to the other coins. "What''s the exchange rate?" "10 bronze is 1 copper, 100 copper is 1 silver, 1000 silver is 1 gold." "If you mix in Demonic Coins?" "1000 Gold is 1 purple coin, 10 purple coin is 1 violet coin, 100 violet coin is 1 black coin." "Angelic Coins?" "1000 Gold is 1 yellow coin, 10 yellow coin is 1 pure gold coin, 100 pure gold coin is 1 wing coin." "You can''t exchange Demonic Coins for Angelic Coins?" "No, you have to convert it back to [Human] currency before converting it to Angelic or Demonic Coins." I can understand the basics of currency here now. Although I still have a few more questions. "What is the average income of a small village?" "100 Silver for a small village, 300 silver for a medium-sized village, and 500 silver for a big village." "Yearly?" "Yearly." Money is so scarce.. "Although small cities get 1000 silver or 1 gold. Medium-sized cities get 5 gold and huge cities have 10 gold." "Money is so scarce.." "The average amount of money that a person needs for food and an inn is 5 bronze." "Eh? So that means with 5 copper you''d already have 10 days worth of living expenses?!" "Exactly." "Zygel is a small village right?" "Yes, I believe that they have a lot of merchants in the vicinity so they are a village that is slightly higher than other small villages." "Why are there a lot of merchants?" "Because of the surroundings, there are few monsters and there are also valuable resources." "Why are we gonna start there?" "Two reasons, one: it is the nearest. Two: to get some capital." "Oh, I see. Since it is not that economically disabled we can get some money?" "You catch on fast, though you do have a lot of questions." "I can''t help it." I look at my dimensional storage and see that I have 20 copper.20 copper, I think gramps forgot to give me money before he left. "Aine-san I have a total of 20 copper on me." "Hm.. That will last us roughly a month and a quarter." "You don''t have money?" "No, I didn''t think I was gonna take care of someone when I came here." "Oh.." It makes sense, when you''re gonna fight a bunch of enemies. We continue walking in the distance as I was asking questions about villages and quests. Quests are apparently only allowed to be taken who have an [Adventurer''s Card]. This is almost like a game! We even have to register for adventuring and quests. The fee for adventuring is 10 bronze. Quests are also split up like monsters: E, D, C, B, A, S, SS, and SSS. Any level of adventurer is allowed to take any quest except S, SS, and SSS. Only adventurers who are of S-rank can take S quests and so on. E-ranks can take E quests to A quests. You get a higher rank when you do achievements like completing 100 quests for your rank or completing a higher level quest 10 times and so on. Of course it is not limited to quests, achievements like defeating a great enemy without a quest is also viable for a rank up. A FEW HOURS LATER "Kai, do you want to take a rest? We''ve been walking non-stop for quite a while." "I can keep going but we should rest before any monsters attack us." "Nn." I bring out a tent from my dimensional storage and set it up. We set up a fire using sticks and fire magic. "[Ignite]." A small, thin flame sprouted from the tip of my pointing finger. I just touched the tip of the sticks with the flame and it all ignited. ".." "Aine-san?" "What do we use for food..?" "..." Ah, I forgot about that. "Let''s do this, you''ll hunt for training." "Aren''t you just throwing work at me while you relax?" "No, think of this as hunting training so you can hunt alone." It''s not really that convincing when she''s avoiding eye contact as she''s saying that. Her face is like an open book when telling lies. She either looks away from the people she''s lying to or she covers her eyes using her hand. "Aine-san, actuall-" "Save it for after you hunt."If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. I was gonna tell her that her face is an open book when telling lies but I guess I''ll hold that for another day. "I guess boar should do." I walk away from our camp as I put one of my hands on my shortsword. "I thought you were a magician, why are you using a shortsword and not a staff or wand?" "Do staffs or wands do anything special?" "They increase your magic power." "Well I use shortswords since magic needs to be aimed and charged." "Can''t you cast magic instantly?" "If I''m unprepared while casting, it may backfire on me." "But magic doesn''t backfire for magicians?" "My type of magic is different from others as gramps said." "Hm.." "Well off I go." "Take care." I walk towards the forest as I let my magic slip out to find some animals. Walking in the forest at night is really creepy when you can''t see anything much. "[Flare]." The area around me illuminates as I search for lifeforms. The trees in the forest are all shaped weird. As I continue to walk, I see a lot of strange markings on the trees. "Weird? The trees were all fine when I set off from the camp." Wait, now that I look closely, these markings were not carved, rather they were..burnt? I go near one of the trees and inspect the burn markings.. They look familiar? My hand is being drawn to the markings and I stick my pointing finger out and touch the markings as I trace the patterns. "AGH!" My head! It hurts! I place both my hands on my head as I scream. Symbols flow inside my mind, these.. symbols, I''ve never seen them before but I feel a sense of nostalgia from them. They all flash in front of my eyes at an unbelievable speed. My memory memorizes them all as they flash even at this speed. The pain is even more excruciating than before as it seems to be ending. As I keep screaming I keep my eyes open for the words. Then it stopped. All of a sudden, they stopped. It didn''t even show signs of slowing down before stopping. My vision is getting blurry and my body feels heavy. My vision is narrowing and one last word popped out: [GOD OF TIME]. My blurry vision and weak body restored itself slowly, as my vision started to return I stumble because of the shock I received. As I look around my surroundings I suddenly had a vision. Eh? A pig-like monster attacked me from the left while I was stumbling? Could this be a premonition?! Is it involved with my [God of Time] status?! I look to my left and I see nothing, could it be that vision was false? No, it may just be a little bit further in the future. "PUKYAAA!" "!" I immediately look towards the left again and see a red colored pig with black marks that look like veins. I place my right hand on my scabbard and unsheathe my blade. I use my left hand to cast magic. "[Fire Rockets]." I aim my hand facing the pig and a cluster of fire in the form of balls shot off at high speeds towards the pig. "PUKYAAAAAAA!" The pig got hit on the stomach area, I can''t tell if it groaned in pain or got angry. Its roar seems to be the same. Dust covered the area the pig got shot in because of the explosion. I squint my eyes to get a closer look at the pig, to see if it was still alive. Huh? The corpse.. it disappeared?! I get closer to the area and inspect the surroundings, it did disappear. It didn''t evaporate or anything of the sort, it was taken away by someone.. As I was lost in thought I looked at the surroundings once more and see a figure. It looked human? As I was thinking about it wings sprouted from the side and knocked away the trees that got hit. "Wh-?!" Before I could ask who that person was I saw it jump towards me. She had pitch black wings, black eyes with yellow outlines, and gray skin. I only know of one race which has these qualities: [Demon]! "Kid, looks like you took care of my pet." "Your pet..?" I was sweating as I looked at the [Demon] in the eyes. This is the power of a [Demon], I could sense the overflowing aura about to crush me with pressure alone. "Hmm..You don''t act as scared as other people, no in fact you are analyzing me." "!" She figured it out! I can''t believe [Demons] are like this, no wonder they''re ranked third! She looked at me as if she was staring at prey who had no choice but to submit to her, yet I feel that she won''t kill me, yet. "I think it would be a waste to kill you seeing as you have so much potential." "..." "How about this, I''ll give you 10 seconds to run and if you get away from me, I''ll leave you alone unless you provoke me. As an added bonus I''ll even pardon your companions if you have any." "Really?" "[Demons] lie a lot but I''m not one of those. In the honor of my name Mio, I will uphold this agreement." "How can I be assured you won''t kill me?" "I like a good challenge." I look at her in the eyes and not a hint of doubt could be seen. [Demons] are very proud of their names, one name being disgraced is the same as disgracing the ancestors of that name. I have no choice but to trust her, I swallow as I begin to talk with a slight hesitation. "I accept." "Alright then, 10!" "[Time Stop]!" Everything turned pale as I ran as fast as I can towards the camp. I could feel that time was moving too fast, most of the time I''d use 10 seconds and rest for 10 seconds but I need every last second I can get. A [Demons] sight is good, no, great even. I have to at least run 50 meters to get out of her sight using the darkness. "[Mana Surge]." My whole body''s mana flow suddenly became overcharged and improved all my abilities. I jumped using the mana to launch myself. The moment I landed, not even dust moved. Time had really stopped, I was once then reminded I needed to hurry. I then sprinted will all my might without looking back. If one were to look closely you''d see the wind being tossed aside at the speed I''m going. I saw the smoke from the camp and sped up. 4, 3, 2, 1. Time''s up. The color from my surroundings came back and the smoke that was stagnant moved. My face turned pale but I did not hesitate to use the last of my power to sprint farther. "Eh? Where did that kid go?" The [Demon] looked around and finally faced my direction and couldn''t find me. The [Demon] had a look of surprise written all over her face, that look of surprise then turned into a smirk. "That kid, he ran that far in a second.. I can''t help but feel something threatening from him.. It was something familiar, yet I couldn''t put my hands on it." I should eliminate him. I am a woman that keeps my promises but this kid is really making me uneasy. The [Demon] pondered for a moment before closing her eyes and thinking, after a few seconds she opened her eyes and talked in a low voice. "..I''ll let him live for now." The [Demon] turns around, looked back for an instant then faced the other way. She took a pose that made her look like she was gonna jump, sure enough there was a crater left behind after she jumped. There was an enormous amount of mana in that jump. It would make most [Humans] shudder at the thought of being hit by that vast amount of mana. "Another exciting person has come up, it has been a few years since I''ve seen a kid not to mention a [Human] who''s that strong. I turn around to see that the [Demon] did not chase me. She kept her promise, my eyes were filled with gratitude. I slowly walk back to the camp breathing heavily. As I approach, I see a vague shadow inside the tent. It was Aine-san, looks like she''s sitting inside the tent. I approach and see her stand up. "Hm? Kai you''re back?" "Yeah.." "Why do you look so tired?" "Aine-san, we need to get out of here." Aine-san''s expression turned serious as she asked. "Did something happen?" "A..[Demon]." "!" Her eyes displayed an expression of shock only for a brief second before she bit her lip and gathered everything inside the camp and stored it. It only took a minute or two before she was finished then took my hand and walked at a fast pace. "Kai, listen closely, [Demons] are not to be provoked. When you see one, immediately flee." "I know." "Will you tell me what happened with the [Demon]?" "I fled after.. talking to it briefly." "!" She looked with an expression of fear then it quickly got replaced with concern when she looked at me and scanned my body for any wounds. "[Scan]." [Scan] is a type of [Support] magic that senses any ''impurities'' from bodies to the surrounding areas. By ''impurities'' I meant wounds, illnesses, and even poison although it could still be improved to scan for mana flow. It is one of the most useful types of [Support] magic seeing as you can find the root of the problem and find a cure for it immediately. Most [Healers] do not have the ability to use this skill but there is no [Healer] in the world who does not know of it. [Healers] have a very high demand in the world, though there is an abundance of other classes compared to it, the amount of [Healers] in the world are still not in decline. A faint blue light could be seen from her eyes, she looked all over my body, focused. She looked all over me for a few seconds before breathing a sigh of relief. The blue light from her eyes disappeared and she stood up, she then looked at me with a stern expression and asked in a concerned voice. "Are you sure nothing has been done to you?" She was asking as if she was interrogating me. I didn''t hesitate and decide to tell her most of the story, I answered in a serious expression. "Yes, the [Demon] didn''t hurt me in the slightest. For your concern I will tell you all of the events that have happened." Naturally I will leave the part of the [God of Time] business out. I took one huge breath and answered. "I encountered a pig that was colored red and had black veins on it, I deemed it as a threat and killed it. As I approached it, the body disappeared until I saw the figure of a person in the horizon." ".." She continued to listen attentively to my story. "Before I knew it, the person that was there disappeared and appeared in front of me in the blink of an eye, I was shocked and looked at her features. She had gray skin, pitch-black wings, and last of all black eyes with yellow outlines." "Sounds like a [Demon], but how were you able to survive?" This part gets tricky, I''ll bend the story slightly. "She told me her pet was the pig and I killed it, she originally planned to kill me but she told me that I had potential and gave me a test to complete. This was to run for 10 seconds to get away from her vision." "That would take at least 100 meters, 50 if you use the darkness and surroundings." "Nn." She slowly digested the information and thought about it then asked me another question. "[Demons] tend to lie." "She told me that in honor of her name she would not kill me and even pardon my companions unless I provoke her." "Most [Demons] still wouldn''t be trustworthy." "Her second reason was that she wanted a challenge in the future." She pondered for a moment and shook her head. Could that [Demon] be? No, it isn''t possible. She had disappeared from the face of this world for years. She looked at me again and asked one final question. "Was her name by any chance, Mio?" A shocked expression was shown on my face as I nodded and said. "Yes." "!" She showed an expression of terror and she looks like she would question any further. "Listen to me Kai, this [Demon] is in the top 10 of the [Demons] in this world." "!" Then that means she could''ve flattened me and Aine-san in a second?! I was terrified as I thought of that possibility and continued to listen to her story. "A long time ago in the [Human] continent a certain city was being used as lodging by a single [God]. This [God] was the [God of Control]. Just as the name implies, he can control anyone below him, though only by half. The [God of Control] had very few attack skills from his [God Form] but had a frightening power nonetheless, he would control other people or beings to serve him and use them as shields in battle. He was a very wicked [God], very rare for his kind. Although he was a [God], he used subordinates to fight against strong [Demons] and [Gods]. Nevertheless, anything below can not scratch him." "Can''t [Angels] fight against them?" "[Angels] are at the same level as high-rank [Demons] but are not a match for major [Demon] leaders." "But aren''t [Demons] ranked below [Angels]?!" "They are of the same placement when aligned with other races." That means, [Demons] have the power to defeat [Angels] but not gods? Wouldn''t the [Gods] have already wiped them out? "There are more [Demons] than [Angels] when united but most [Demons], like gods do not wish to be in the presence of other races." Is that the reason why [Demons] are the same rank as [Angels]? "There was once a very strong [Demon] named Mio, who was actually righteous, or so the stories said. Nevertheless she is still a [Demon] so most people still do not believe her." ".." "Mio once encountered the [God of Control] and saw that he was holding a whole city as his personal lodging. She was annoyed and started a battle with the [God of Control] knowing full well he was one of the [Gods] with the weakest attack power. Their battles continued for several days and ended with Mio winning. The [God of Control] went missing and legends say that he has died or was recovering his strength. Mio also disappeared shortly afterwards." "Then why are you so wary of her?" "Because of the real reason she fought with the [God of Control]." "The real reason?" She only told me the legend and not the real story, legends are far from the real story as they are always exaggerated but I don''t think this is too far from the truth. "She killed every civillian in the whole city after the [God of Control] left." "!" Doesn''t that mean that she just took care of the [God of Control] just for taking the lives of civillians!? [Demons] really are fiendish. "Kai, under any circumstances fight a [Demon]." "I understand." She turned around and looked back at me smiling as she talked. "Let''s go." "Nn." Zygel, we''re headed for you! Chapter 7: Arrival! It has been roughly two days since we have departed from the house. During that short amount of time I actually encountered a [Demon] of all things. [Demons] are frightening creatures with powers second only to [Gods]. Zygel is a town located at the very southeast of Pearlhide kingdom. It is one of the so-called small villages, they are scarce on resources but their surroundings are filled with natural resources which they are incapable of acquiring. For a village or city to function what you need most is not money, but resources! Resources are the vital essence of a village, money is only second. Of course even with a wealthy village, as long as you are weak it will not give benefits, in fact it may give harm due to the amount of unprotected wealth. Of course there are mercenaries, but mercenaries cost a lot, especially when their job is to protect a whole village. From the information I''ve heard from Aine-san, she said that Zygel has no mercenaries because they do not have the funds to do so. They are the most successful small village in the southeast area, most villages in this area do not possess even half of Zygel''s wealth. My goal right now is to get money and influence, without these, my plan would be crumbled to pieces. Although it may not be as easy as it sounds, as long as I do things that shock the village, I may gain their support in the future. Of course this won''t amount to much but if they suddenly rise in fortune, I would greatly benefit. "Kai, we are almost there. You can see it if you look straight ahead." I look into the distance and see vague shapes of buildings, I then widen my eyes cause it has been the first time I''ve seen an actual village in this world. When you hear the word ''village'', you''d think of huts as houses but by no means are those huts. They were constructed with stone, and it looks like they are fairly well-built. As we near the city of Zygel, I use my power to search for any threats near the village, only when I figured out that there were no beasts did I let my guard down. I let out a slight yawn as I remember our tiring journey of walking for two days. "Tired? We''ll immediately check in at an inn once we get there so you can relax." I slightly nodded as I smiled when I looked at Aine-san and head forward. It looks like there are guards but no gates or any other form of protection, I can see what can make this place a target for bandits. "Kai, villages still need identification before you enter, here''s a card." "Card?" "It''s called Identification Card, there are many different types of cards in this world but this is just for basic necessities." I look down on the card she gave me and see that it is actually pretty neat, you''d think it wasn''t from this world and was from Earth. It had a light blue-ish color with the words forged in black. It looks like the words are carved and not just written there. "You can use it to enter villages and cities." "There are no other uses for it?" This seems like a card that doesn''t have much value. "You also need it when checking in at inns and other public services." "So without it?" "You''d basically be isolated to the forest." I take what I previously said back, this is really important! I look at her with wide-eyes but quickly gain my composure and hide the card. "Ah wait, imbue your mana first." "..Okay?" I hold the card and let my mana flow from my body to my arm, it headed like water streaming towards my hand and fingertips. The card suddenly glew a faint blue light and it looks like the words were enchanted. "Cards aren''t officially for use until owners use their mana to awaken it. When the owner of the card is verified, the owner will always know the direction of which the card is in. Although you can''t make it magically appear, the distance has no limit and can be found anywhere across the world." What started as something pretty simple turned pretty complicated. We conversed as we walked towards the guard. He was wearing armor made of bronze, equipped in hands were a sword and a shield. The guard raised his brow and said with a casual voice: "Identification Card." Aine-san held out her card and glanced at me to do the same. After a few seconds of looking back at the card and us his eyes'' gaze went up and said: "You may enter." It was that easy?! "Aine-san, won''t that mean that intruders can get in anytime?" "Not necessarily, they won''t let in suspicious people." What does she mean by ''suspicious''? Because a guy wielding a sword in broad daylight could not be considered suspicious here, black clothing maybe? Although dimensional storages exist, few have access to it. The main reason is the price, only the rich can afford one, if you buy the lowest-quality one then a small village may be able to afford one, but a single person who doesn''t have even a bit of money can not buy it. With my skills of being able to make dimensional storages, I can get rich just by making some and selling them, although rich people buy it all the time, the quantity available is scarce. One rich family buys at least 10 high-quality ones, a village buys 1 low-quality, this is for the village elder''s personal use. A village elder is someone who has influence inside the village and has quite a bit of wealth compared to the average citizen, they are also stronger. If a citizen is at 10, an elder is at 30, and a ruler or a chief has 50. As I''ve said before, a village''s ruler can change anytime, as long as they follow the proper duel instructions and defeat the old chief in single combat, they can replace them immediately. Anyone can see how flawed this system is, there is a loophole though, the person who will take over as chief has to be acknowledged by two elders. In a village, most citizens will be afraid of elders for their power and even follow their every whim. Like mindless robots being controlled, although they do not do it willingly, the power of an elder is not something anyone can doubt, the stronger the village, the stronger the elder and chief. I wanna see the status of the village right now, Aine-san told me that it is currently the best village around here. "I found an inn, over there." It looked pretty average, it had 4 floors and 2 rooms one side per floor as I can see. I''m guessing the first floor has the receptionist and the lounge. I looked up and saw a sign board at the very top of the structure, it said ''Ye ol'' inn'', how could I not have expected that? Of course the first inn we''ve encountered would be like that. We walked in and saw that it looked pretty good on the inside, the floors were shining and the walls were painted peach with proper care. I looked around for a moment before my eyes landed on the desk, a really cute girl with long straight brown hair and brown eyes, her figure was outstanding to say the least! She looked the same age as Aine-san, before I knew it I was already evaluating her, it appeared like she didn''t own the inn so I scanned around a few more times and saw that there were really no other people. We walked forward and she greeted us with her smiling face. "Welcome dear customers, what would you like?" "A room, one should do." "Beds?" "Two." "Right this way Ma''am." She put her hands in a guiding motion and walked towards the stairs, you couldn''t see a speck of dust in this inn! Who would clean this diligently?! "Your room is room 302, if you need any assistance please come down to the receptionist area." "Thank you." "It is my pleasure." These manners! It feels like she isn''t even a person from this village and is actually a sheltered girl from some rich family! She went back down descending the steps after she gave us the room key, I looked at her descending figure for a few seconds and head inside the room. As the door opened and I got a look at the room, it was actually not all that extravagant compared to the interior, they were probably all just for show so that they would feel like the rooms were as good looking as that. Aine-san sat on the bed and sighed. "What is it?" "I was just tired from the journey, and that girl from before, she''s strong." "You could sense it too?" "Yeah, at the very least I''d say she''s the strongest person in this village if she didn''t conceal her powers." When I was looking at her earlier, I managed to sense her aura a bit, I didn''t observe her status seeing as that was a bit rude, but I could feel that she wasn''t ordinary at all. She is a bit far from my strength but I''d say she can give anyone else here a run for their money. I may be strong but I lack actual battle experience, like with the wolf, I had power but I didn''t have enough skill to use it. I should improve my battle sense, just being strong without skills would be like a tiger with no fangs or claws. I said that but it is easier said than done, although my battle sense is a bit better than before since I fought wolves, I still had to rely on my time power to win. Skill is a big part of it but I should not forget that I have the body of a 10 year old. At the very least I should get used to fighting using a small body. "Aine-san, is it possible to train my battle sense?" "It is, just fight, fight, and fight." "So keep fighting until I get used to it?" "See, you catch on quickly, you''d get adjusted to battles in no time." Easier said than done. "Aine-san, since you''re a support, aren''t you also inexperienced in battle?" "I am a bit weaker at frontal battles but I am entirely used to fighting." "In that case, I need someone to train me in hand to hand battles." "..Well, the purpose of this trip was to improve your skills so you could survive alone." "Yeah.." "And that''s why we are not getting a trainer." "So I can adapt and experience on my own?" "Exactly." Why do I feel like we''re not getting a trainer just to save money? She is right though, my own experience is better than learning from a professional trainer. I might get to dependent on having people teach me that I would forget that I have my own skills and it should work better that way. Although I do have the experience of my past life, I''ve seen a bunch of fantasy shows and martial arts shows, I can probably train that, I doubt this world has them. This would be a lot harder for a regular person but my memory can remember anything with one look, this will be child''s play. I can remember my mistakes so I wouldn''t have to repeat them again. "Aine-san, I need an area to practice my skills." "Hm? What kind? Magic or physical?" "Physical for now." Aine-san pondered for a bit while looking up as she was trying to remember something. "Ah, I remember a place where you can spar with people using martial arts, beside that is a place with wooden targets for fighting. They are quite durable." The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon."Where is it?" "Northwest of this inn. Find a place called ''Zygel Martial Court''. It is really big but anyone who will practice martial arts are allowed, knights always gather at this place for hand-to-hand combat." "Are weapons not allowed?" Aine-san shook her head. "No, killing is also not allowed." "Heavy injuries?" "Barely acceptable." This might be the perfect chance! I can test my body enchantment magic. My fists would be as hard as a rock if I enchant it, I wonder if enchantments are allowed? I stepped out of the room and looked back at Aine-san. "Aine-san, I''ll be back soon I just need to practice some attacks to further increase my skill." "Nn." I go back down the first floor and see that nobody''s there, not even the lady from earlier, I wonder if something happened or this place always gets left alone like this. I walk out of the inn and nothing seems out of the ordinary, my senses don''t tell me anything. I am quite perceptive about my surroundings and see that I found nothing wrong other than the lack of people I head towards the northwest of the inn. As I walked I saw a lot less people, even less than yesterday. I wonder if something really happened? I head towards the court and saw a lot of people circling around it. Something definitely happened, the court was as wide as a stadium but for some reason, people are outside. I''ve heard this town isn''t too strong so the court might''ve gotten taken over or anything involving criminals. Then again I shouldn''t assume too fast. "Beat him up! I''m counting on you Yuto!" "I bet all my money on you, Yuto! Hurry and win!" The crowd was screaming as if their lives depended on it. Their voices were filled with belief that the person named ''Yuto'' will win. I was looking behind the crowd and realize that nobody is actually inside the court besides two people. A tall guy who had has his hands in a fighting position, he wore no armor and had no weapons. On the other side was a person who wore a cloak, they were a head shorter than the previously mentioned guy, judging by their appearance you could tell they are trying to hide their aura and figure. They did a pretty good job concealing themselves but it can''t fully escape my eyes. I cast [Vision], it enhances my sense of sight by three times. It can increase the range I see and also enhances the details. If I want to look at some text that is not even glasses can read I can do it effortlessly, at a distance even. My eyes went past the crowd and landed on the figure of the person wearing the cloak. By their slight movements I can tell that the person is a girl! Her attitude is pretty calm, much like she doesn''t notice what''s happening around her. Or could it be overflowing confidence that the enemy can''t hurt her? If that''s so then that means she must be pretty strong. I''d hope it would be the latter, if a girl was beat up right in front of my eyes, I might jump in and save her. I''m strong enough to defeat everyone here with magic, I''d lose when it would come to hand-to-hand combat though.. I shook my head and decisively thought to myself ''I came here to get stronger, not to see how weak I am''. When you encounter a scene like this you''d think the person who''s name was being shouted will win but I can''t help but feel that that isn''t the case. The girl was really calm and had no assumed fighting posture, it doesn''t look like she''s channeling magic either, could it be she''s waiting for the enemy to charge before attacking? Yuto looked like he had an overbearing confidence that he''d beat this girl instantly so his fighting posture was full of openings, if he faced an experienced opponent with that he''d get wiped out instantly. I even feel like I''d win easily against him.. "Hmph! I''ll give you a chance to attack, if you manage to make me heavily injured in three moves, I''ll surrender!" I was correct, he really had a huge amount of confidence in himself, most people like this die early. I look back at the girl and saw that she twitched, it looks like she''s mad. "You.." Oh? Looks like she isn''t hiding the fact that she''s a girl, she suddenly spoke out like that and everyone is looking at her dumbfounded. They actually thought she was a guy. "You..are..asking..for..death!" Her voice loudly echoed throughout the arena and I saw that the people near the front who had been shouting for Yuto shuddered. I can feel the strength in her voice, in terms of power she''s near Aine-san. She''s not quite at the level where she''d be Aine-san''s match but I can tell she''d at least give Aine-san an injury before losing. The girl''s cloak suddenly bursted out, the edges of the cloak at the bottom were fluttering like a really strong wind was pulling it out. Everyone''s faces in the arena were shocked and had fear. That girl is definitely a [Magician], why is she at a [Knight''s] training area? She stretched out her hand to the right side and a mana suddenly wrapped around it, it was invisible but the pressure it was emitting caused the surrounding area to have strong gusts of wind. Yuto''s face changed as he went from a fighting pose to a defending pose. It looks like he plans to grab her wrist when she charges and throw her to the side. I can tell he doesn''t want to injure a girl but I think he''s aiming for an instant knock out. I can feel that his right hand is slowly being filled with magic, he''d probably try to hit the area around her neck to shut her down. The girl walked a step forward and an immense pressure overwhelmed the entire arena, I can see why the people are outside now. As she stepped forward, she vanished into thin air along with her shadow. In an instant she went from her original position to the front of her enemy, she didn''t use magic and that was actually her natural speed! Her power is shocking but what''s even more shocking is that speed! It looks like she''s aiming for an instant knock out before the enemy can get to attack or defend! A smile formed from the side of the man and his hand suddenly switched positions as the girl''s fist was gonna hit his chest. His left hand grabbed the girl''s wrist and his right leg switched positions as he threw her to the side, before she left the floor his right hand at a frightening speed shot out towards her neck. Before it could reach, the girl looked like she had predicted everything and in an instant her right foot reached the floor and her body along with it. She sweeped down at the floor and caught the guy off-balance. "Wha-!?" The guy shouted but before he could finish, the girl''s right palm hit his chest, and with a loud cracking sound, he got pushed back by at least ten meters. The arena was as wide as a hundred meters and when they saw him get pushed back, everyone''s faces of fear and shock were even more filled with the same emotions! My eyes widened as I saw everything very clearly, she had used only a little amount of mana yet she already injured the guy! I can tell that the only attack filled with mana was her palm! With her footwork and skills you''d think she was actually a [Knight]! If I can be as strong as skilled as her then nobody would dare attack me carelessly! Everyone was speechless and the loud arena was so silent that you''d think there was nobody there. If one were to listen closely you''d hear the sound of a coin dropping towards the floor! "What happened?! The girl just vanished into thin air and Yuto countered but.. he was countered instead!" "How did that happen!?" "She''s even more skilled than Yuto! Who is she!?" Noises of disbelief erupted from the crowd''s silence as everyone finally digested what happened. Yuto was kneeling on the floor with blood at the corner of his mouth. He wiped it off and looked at the blood and his calm expression turned into that of rage. He glared at her and clenched his fist, he suddenly jumped out and covered the distance he flew in an instant but, he wasn''t nearly as fast as her! "You dare! I''ll beat you so bad that you''d wish you hadn''t crossed paths with me!" There it is, he revealed his true nature. The crowd''s expressions changed as they saw him and looks of disdain even appeared on some. They only appeared for an instant before retracting, it looks like this Yuto guy has a really terrifying background! The girl clicked her tongue and in an instant she jumped out towards him. His face which was filled with rage expressed shock as he suddenly increased his momentum to charge straight at her. He raised his right fist and shot it out towards the girl. He roared as his expression of anger returned. "[Stone Breaking Fist]!" "!" Everyone''s faces changed as they opened their mouths and stared wide-eyed. His fist looked like it actually grew a bit! His former smooth skin also looked like it could smash a tree in a single hit as his hand turned greyish. By the skill''s name I can guess that this makes his hand nearly as hard as stone! I should also get skills like that! The girl''s usual demeanor changed as she stretched out her left palm and also screamed. "[Redirection Arts: Rebound]!" "!!" Everyone''s expressions changed even more! It looks like this move was well-known because even Yuto''s face turned green. She stretched out her palm but the posture didn''t look like it was gonna hit him, no it was gonna catch the fist! As his fist landed, a cracking sound could be heard throughout the arena, if you heard it you''d guess it was from the girl, contrary to that belief, Yuto''s wrist was the one that cracked! It sounded really painful! His attack reflected back at him and hit out all at once, the force that he exerted went back and broke his entire arm as he groaned in pain. His eyes had tears streaming down but it didn''t look like he was gonna back down. "RAHH! YOU WRETCHED WOMAN! PREPARE TO FACE THE WRATH OF MY GUILD''S GREATEST ART!" His voice sounded really desperate, it was more like he was trying to get her to surrender before actually using the move. Everyone''s faces changed but it looks like they already knew who the winner will be. "The [Redirection Arts] are powerful. I''m afraid that even his clan''s greatest art would pale in comparison." "I agree, that girl is definitely from the legendary Blue Waters." "The Blue Waters are the only ones who learned the [Redirection Arts] in the past thousand years right?" "Yes, and that is what makes them the most fearsome, they are the only descendants." A group of adults conversed with each other even with the battle going on. "[IRON ROCK CLAN SECRET ART: MOUNTAIN KING''S FIST]!" "!!!" The group of adults who conversed with each other earlier face''s changed. "To think he had learnt the secret art at the young age of twenty-one, he''s truly a prodigy." "It''s a shame that he used that on the wrong enemy." By the fighting style of the man, it looks like he uses fists as his main weapon. And if you go with the flow of this battle, the damage he will do will just reflect back at him and injure him instead, did he not think this through? It would''ve worked on a different enemy but from what I heard, the [Redirection Arts] will reflect the damage back at him and even destroy himself with his own power! The girl was as tranquil as water as she stretched out her right palm in unison with her left palm. The flow of mana around her increased greatly as her hands gently made a rotating movement. Her hands went back to the side, it looked like she was dancing with her hands. The view was really a spectacle, if only she removed the cloak, I''d bet she''d entice a lot of males! "[Redirection Arts: Full Counter]." Everyone''s faces were now full of awe and shock, it looks like the ''Blue Waters'' was an extremely formidable guild. I don''t know the conditions of a clan yet, are they bloodline-related? I do not know yet but all I know is that everyone in the clan trust each other. If I will join a clan in the future, I need a good influence and a reliable source. By the power of [Rebound] earlier, I can tell that it only reflected fifty percent of his attack. Will [Full Counter] reflect one hundred percent? If that''s true then it may be the most dangerous and powerful art. As his left hand stretched out, a pressure like a mountain pressing on everyone''s bodies caused everyone to not look directly. It felt like a mountain was crushing them slowly but surely. His left hand looked like it was as hard as iron and approached the girl''s palms. As his fist landed, she pushed out her palms and a bright light passed through Yuto. It looked as if all the power was converted into magic and shot back! Isn''t that even more dangerous than a one hundred percent return?! The white light blasted Yuto as he was sent spinning as blood spurted out from his mouth. His whole body looked like it had been crushed as he landed on the wall of the arena. BOOMMMMMMM His body made contact with the wall and a large amount of dust burst out and covered a fourth of the arena. It took awhile for the dust to clear but when it did, everyone''s faces were filled with fear and respect. Yuto was inside the wall and a crater appearing five meters were stretched out from all angles. The people who were above that part of the wall were filled with fear and it looked like some of them even fainted. His body had bruises and blood all over, if one didn''t see what happened they''d think he was dead already. The girl held back, if one weren''t an idiot, they can tell. It was suddenly silent again until one person shouted. "Sh-she won!" With that, everyone''s silence disappeared and screamed as loud as they can. "It''s the first time I''ve witnessed such a battle!" "Me too!" "Are they really youngsters!?" "If you told me they were actually experts who look young I''d believe you!" More and more praise were given. It looks like that spectacle was really good, I would not know since this is the first battle I''ve seen that wasn''t by my gramps. Gramps would instantly defeat everything and everyone so I can''t really tell if this battle was good. Wait, if that girl is really that good, should I get her to join me and Aine-san? She might even train me! Do guilds allow members to leave temporarily or not be around the area? I hope so. "Huh? Where is she?" "She disappeared?" "She didn''t take the prize money for defeating an undefeated warrior." "They''ll probably keep it unless she takes it back." I scan the crowd for the person and saw a cloak being thrown. I could see the girl wear a different cloak to disguise herself and ran towards the exit. You may have fooled everyone but you can''t fool my eyes. I channel mana and with frightening speed, reach the exit before her. "Hey!" She shuddered back and took a fighting pose. I''d guess anyone would be scared if they suddenly fly towards you at blinding speed and greet you like it''s nothing. "Who are you?" "Me?" I point at myself and put an innocent smile on myself to hide my real intentions. "I''m Kai. Nice to meet you." Chapter 8: Blue Waters "..." Of course she wouldn''t answer, what else did I expect? She must be really cautious right now. "Hey? I''m not dangerous at all!" "..Would you believe a person who shot out like a beam of light in front of you then greeted you like it was nothing and tells you he''s not dangerous make you feel safe?" "..." She''s got a good point there. I mean even I would be filled with caution, although I am in a nine year old''s body.. "I''m a kid, how can I be a threat?" "You have a point but.. I''d rather not take chances, if you don''t mind I''d like to take my leave." She said that as she stood straight back up and walked out of the door slowly. It looks like she''s measuring me if I would fight against her.. I should prove my innocence, it''s alot easier with a child''s body rather than an adult''s. I smiled innocently as if I didn''t pose a threat at all and said in a joyful voice. "Hey, can I at least ask you to listen to me?" "..I can''t. I have to go back to my guild." Should I at least ask her why she''s leaving the prize money? That would be too much.. I know! I''ll make it so that she has to meet me for a second time! How I should go about doing that, I don''t really know. I pondered for ways for a brief moment as I closed my eyes. I opened my eyes and raised my finger. "I have a message from someone. I''m guessing you know who it is?" I asked with a cold smile. She shuddered as she eyed me again and held her cloak tightly. It looks like she''s shaking! Does that mean this girl is affiliated with someone important or is being threatened? They way I talked to her seemed too obvious, I acted like that not knowing that she''d react! "..What''s the message?" She hesitated for a moment before asking me with caution, it looks like she doesn''t completely trust me yet. I''ll make some other plans for tomorrow but for now I''ll do my best to make her meet me again! "He told me to pass it on to you tomorrow. We''ll meet in the central." ".." She nodded and left quickly. I doubt she''s gonna believe me and meet me there, I had no sufficient proof and why would a nine year old be working for someone very important? Although I made a really obvious lie, if she does meet me then that means she''s involved in something pretty dangerous. I can''t say for sure I''d be able to help her, but from the strength of everyone in this village, I can determine that I can single-handedly defeat everyone here. That would just give me a bad reputation so I''d rather not do that. I want influence, but not the bad kind. If I''m able to get a good enough influence, I may have the chance to make our life in this village easier. Getting jobs will also be pretty easy with that. I guess I''ll start by gaining favor from someone powerful and influencial at my age, then I''ll work my way up and gain favors from one of the elders. I''m not sure about taking over as village chief, but for now I guess I should at least gain favor. My start should be that girl, from what I heard, she''s one of the people from the strongest guilds around here and also learned a very rare skill. [Redirection Arts].. If I remember correctly [Arts] are for people under the [Knight] class. Although anyone can learn it, it is mostly beneficial to [Knights] and people below them, especially [Sword Arts]. "Hey move, move!" As I was looking at the direction of the girl who just left, a voice could be heard behind me. It seemed like it was in a rush, like an out of control carriage being ridden or an extremely arrogant man who wants people to clear a path for him. Whatever it is, I should at least take a look. I turn around and saw a carriage going at high speed and a man who was really anxious on top of it screaming ''move'', he looked to be in his twenties. The carriage looked like it was from a really wealthy family, even the horse was as white as snow. The carriage was shining yet, one of the wheels have been detached. I squint my eyes and furrow my brows, I guess my low-profile tactic won''t work and I''d get attention right off the bat. I let out my mana to envelop the carriage, it glew a faint blue light which was not too noticable unless one tried to look closely. The carriage slowed down like it was being forcefully stopped by something that blocked the wheels. SCREEEEEEEE An ear-splitting sound came from the wheels as it was being stopped, it lost its momentum but it still did not stop and was now only ten feet away from me. I raise my right hand and aim it towards the carriage. "Kid, get out of there!" "What is that kid doing!?" "Move away, kid!" I ignore the comments on the side even if they did annoy me. I close my eyes and a second later, I pushed my hand forward. "[Mana Hand]" I said in a low voice. It''s a power that allows me to use the embodiment of mana, right now I can only make hands and feet but it''s more than enough to stop this carriage. A blue hand as large as the carriage suddenly sprung forward and stopped in front of the carriage. The horse kept pulling the carriage until it saw the blue hand and it immediately stopped as it hit the hand''s palm. There was no sound of it being hit but it stopped. The blue hand just bounced the horse and the carriage backwards. A look of shock appeared on the face of the bystanders and one of them shouted in a trembling voice. "H-he''s actually a magician!" The voice snapped the other people out of their shock and immediately screamed one after another. "A kid who''s also a magician!?" "It looks like his strength far surpasses mine!" "At such a young age, how!?"This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. I guess child magicians are really rare and unfathomable. I wasn''t surprised at the fact that they said I was stronger than them because that is also a fact that I knew myself. I let out a sigh and turn around as I retract the mana hand. I started to walk but I wasn''t even two feet away from my previous position as a voice sounded behind me. "Wait!" I turn my head around see that the guy riding the carriage was panting heavily and kneeling. "I thank you great magician, this lowly one''s power cannot even be compared against someone of your caliber!" "..Thank you for the compliment..?" The way this guy talks is pretty strange, I know he''s wealthy but that form of speech really is just too strange. "May I ask for your name? My name is Ryo. This guy is really weird. "My name is Kai." "Hm.. I see.." He was pondering about something for a moment. I looked at the surroundings and saw that everyone had their mouths wide open with their eyes bulging as if they looked at a ghost.. Hm? They aren''t looking at me rather, they are looking at him. Does he have a really formidable background or something? I hope so. If he does, I already got favor without even meaning to. "I''m from the Blue Waters, future inheritor of the guild!" Okay I was correct. I eyed him from top to bottom and saw that his strength at the very least matched the girl from before! Furthermore, they also came from the same guild! Being a future inheritor of a really big guild, you''d think he would be arrogant, conceited, and will think of life of other people as grass that he can step on all he wants. This really gave me a huge shock, so not everyone is that arrogant. It''s the first time I''ve seen someone like this but even in Earth there are a lot of people like that. Stepping on life like grass, they think their influence can just let them sacrifice people all they want and be safe from divine retribution. I''ve met a lot of people like that in the previous world. If Blue Waters is as good as they say, I should try and join after assessing their background. If their young master is like this then that means most of the people there should be good right? "Pardon me for asking but, how old are you sir?" Surprised, I looked at him. I observed the look in his eyes and I finally got it. I couldn''t help but think to myself ''Ah, this guy thinks I''m someone at least as old as his grandfather disgusing as a kid.'' I couldn''t help but feel dejected. I''m in a kid''s body but I am still a genuine adult! "Nine.." I answered with a sad expression. "!" His eyes bulged as he found out I was actually really a kid. I wanna cry! He eyed me again from top to bottom and stood up from his original kneeling position. He then bowed his head and asked me in a polite tone. "Young one, who''s your master?" I should''ve expected that, nobody would think a kid would get so strong without someone helping him even if he started to train inside his mother''s womb. If they knew my actual level they''d probably cry blood with envy. "My master is currently training in solitary." "I see. He must be a truly strong expert to have raised a magician of your caliber at such a young age!" I decided to play along with having a master so they wouldn''t suspect my background. If by any chance that they figure out that I''m related to gramps. I''d be in a whole lot of trouble against the Dark Guild. The young man pondered for a moment and raised his finger as he thought of an idea. If you look at him from a bystander''s point of view without knowing his identity, you''d think he looked stupid. But with his identity nobody would dare think about it. He turned to face me with a huge grin on his face. "Would you like to join me in the Blue Waters?" He asked cheerfully. Everyone around us froze, if one were blind, you wouldn''t notice anything. Not even the sound of breathing could be heard. I guess it''s that big of a deal. "Nn." I nodded after a bit. Everyone was even more surprised. Normally if one were given the chance to join Blue Waters, they''d prostrate themselves and cry tears of joy but this kid, he actually just nodded once and even hesitated! The crowd was vexed and jealous but they knew they could do nothing, if it was a regular member of Blue Waters, it''s okay if they act a little bit disapproving but with his identity as the young master who would dare act like that in front of him and object his decision! Ryo''s grin turned even bigger as he placed his hand forward gesturing for a handshake. Why would I decline? I put my hand forward and answer his handshake. He grinned and said in a really loud voice, enough to be heard across the other side of the street. "Welcome to Blue Waters, young magician!" I nodded and smiled slightly. "You don''t talk much, huh?" "I get that a lot." "Hahaha! I like your attitude! Let''s go to the guild and have a chat!" Under the envious stares of everyone around us. He guided me with his hand towards the carriage, he stopped and stared at the carriage and laughed embarrasingly. "Hahaha, I''m sorry I forgot that the carriage was broken. I''ll call for someone to fix it." He reached for his pocket and rummaged through it hurriedly. He took out a white piece of paper with a magic spell written. I took one glance and saw that it was read as ''mid-grade telepathy''. It felt like it was regular writing but some magic was being emitted by the letters. He then placed his index and middle finger on his forehead with the paper and then chanted in a low voice. "[Transmission]" He closed his eyes as he seemed to be talking with his mind. So the [Telepathy] skill I learned from Aine-san without a seal means I can use free [Transmission]? I didn''t think of it much unless I needed someone''s help for battle tactics but I never knew that it would be that valuable. In this world if you have a spell that substitues for an item you can save alot of money and it will also be more efficient cause you''ll never run out unless of course you run out of mana, in which case items will do better. [Transmission] is divided into three. Low-grade, mid-grade, high-grade. Low-grade can reach up to ten miles, mid-grade can reach up to a hundred miles and high-grade can reach up to a thousand miles. Although if anyone wants to transmit further, they have to get a [Transmission Orb], it isn''t stationary and needs to be in a fixed place so this is useful inside houses and will never work outside. In other words, I should keep my [Telepathy] power a secret or else people might bug me about it. No [Human] would pose a threat to me but I can''t say the same for the other races. Zygel is a town which has ninety-nine percent [Humans] and one percent [Hybrid] they don''t house any other races as of the moment. They also want to get rid of the [Hybrids] but lack the manpower to do so. I also learned that the one percent of [Hybrids] when they come together, would destroy at least a fourth of the village. In my case, if I use an extremely strong magic I could wipe this village off the face of the world. A moment after he used [Transmission] a black-cloaked man appeared in the middle of nowhere, his face looked like he had not slept for days. For some reason he was really energetic. "Young master, here is the carriage." The black-clothed man said and gestured his hands behind him. A carriage came out of nowhere heading towards us. It had no rider and it looked like it was being called by some sort of magic. There were very vague traces of mana around the carriage. The carriage stopped right in front of us and the black-clothed man opened the door to let us inside. The carriage looked exactly the same as the broken one. "Step in." He urged us to go in, Ryo had no hesitation as he entered and I soon followed after him. The black-clothed man closed the door and guided the horse. Me and Ryo conversed the whole time until we arrived at the biggest building in this whole village no doubt. It had shiny white walls with pillars supporting it, it looked like some rich person''s mansion, but bigger! I thought this village was economically-challenged so why would a guild have a place as big as this! "Young master, you have returned." A lady dressed in a maid uniform greeted Ryo. She looked to be in her early twenties. Her hair just slightly longer than her shoulder. Her smile was very elegant, like it was being baptized by the Sun. I unvoluntarily stared and when I came back to my senses, Ryo urged me to go inside the guild. "Welcome to Blue Waters, young magician!" Looks like this is the first step! Chapter 9: Conflict I stepped in side by side with Ryo and the maid that assisted us, the outside of the guild looked amazing, when you see it you''d have alot of expectations for the inside too. Although I''d never expected that it would be this good. The walls looked like they were just newly built, the paint was shining like it was made of the finest materials and the stone was as smooth as can be! The floors were spotless and they glistened a faint white glow because of the light. The guild itself was brightly lit and it looked more like a modern mansion than an old guild! Of course I''m speaking in terms of comparing this to the previous world. A look of shock passed through my face but I retracted it as fast as it appeared. Ryo glanced at me for a second then he turned to face forward once more. The maid went ahead of us then turned to face us and said in a cheerful voice gestured towards me. "I welcome you to Blue Waters, savior of our young master." "T-thanks." I''m not used to this sort of treatment. I lowered my head slightly and followed Ryo as he stepped into the hall on the left. We conversed as we walked as he thought about something he asked me. "Are you restricted by anyone? Curfew? Or do you live with someone else?" "I''m currently staying at an inn with my mentor." "I see.. I can arrange for you two to stay here, how does it sound?" "If the arrangements are to her liking and she wants to stay here then I will have no say in the matter." "Then bring her here and when she likes the settlements then I will immediately let you two live here." "Nn." I nod slightly as I voiced my agreement. He might be a bit too trusting for someone he''s just met because an accident is easy to encounter. If by any chance that he encounters an accident and meets a person harboring ill intentions towards him then he might be in a whole lot of trouble. For a young master of a guild he doesn''t seem to be all that threatening, even more so because of the guild he is in. Blue Waters is the strongest guild around here and can walk around with pride that nobody can be their match or so I''ve heard. The main reason for this is because they''ve learned [Redirection Arts], I''ve heard that so far they can only deflect physical attacks but it is possible to deflect magic attacks. Physical attacks enchanted with magic are still counted as physical attacks so things like the [Iron Rock Clan Secret Art: Mountain King''s Fist] and [Stone Breaking Fist] would be blocked easily. [Knights] have a zero percent chance to win against them if they are smart. There are two types of [Redirection], one is turning the kinetic force into magic and releasing it all at once resulting in a stronger attack and the most basic one, reflecting the kinetic force and make it hit the target all at once, the former is the strongest because magic is still overall stronger than physical attacks. This is true for most people but I heard that in this world there are things called [Bodies]. A [Mage] when strong enough can acquire [Magic Sage], a [Knight] when strong enough can become a [Sage Knight], a celestial can get [Celestial Body], and a [Druid] can get [Natural Body]. They all have different attributes and can vastly increase the skills of a person by over tenfold! It can be acquired at the level of 300, which almost nobody in this continent has reached. I''ve heard that Gaia has five continents and the power gap for each one is as high as the heavens. The continent I''m in is the weakest where a level 300 is the pinnacle existence and only appeared once is called the Red Sky continent. The strongest is called the Heavenly God Continent, the reason why it is the strongest is because it has the most abundance of light energy so it can greatly increase light magic''s attack power and also [Angels] and [Gods] are frequently found there. The reason it is called that way is because apparently a [God] rules that continent, nobody from the other four continents have heard of his title so they just refer to him as [Heavenly God] which later became the new name of the continent under the [God''s] decree. He is one of the very few [Gods] who have settled down and is known by [Humans], [Gods] do not want the company of other races so I can''t imagine what was going on in his head when he thought of that. When I left the Blue Waters and headed back to the inn, the sun has already set and the crowd from the Martial Court earlier have dispersed. I walked through the Martial Court then straight into the inn, the lady from before is back on the counter smiling as I entered. "Welcome back dear customer." She said to me with a smile on her face that would say ''I''m pleased to see you''. I''ve said it before but I''ll say it again, her looks are above average and could charm any man if she wanted to, I''m no exception but since I am technically 29 years of age already I have a certain amount of immunity. I nodded slightly then walked towards the stairs. "The meal will be delivered shortly to your rooms." "Thank you." As I got up, nothing particularly changed, except the killing intent I feel coming from the door. I shuddered as I remembered my mistake, I haven''t told Aine-san about me going to the Blue Waters and she expected me to stay in the Martial Court. It is also late since dinner was about to be served. I''m guessing that she went to the Martial Court shortly after me then found out that I wasn''t there and got angry because I was leisurely walking around with a whole faction hunting me. I gulp and head towards the door. As I opened it I saw Aine-san with an irritated face and a menacing aura behind her. "I-I''m back." "Kai..!" She angrily said my name which made me shudder a bit, Aine-san is here for the purpose of protecting me and I casually stroll around the first town we''ve come in contact with, on the first day too! I''m guessing she wanted to survey the city for a bit before allowing me to stroll around. I also didn''t achieve my goal of training for today but I only planned to scout the Martial Court anyway. "Want to explain why you were with the Blue Waters on the first day?" The intimidating aura behind her suddenly increased. "Err, I saved the young master of Blue Waters and he invited me into their guild." "What did you say?" "I haven''t accepted yet, I told them I''d consult you first." The aura behind her slowly died down but it was still there. "You planned to ask me their background, right?" "Nn." She sighed and held her forehead. She made a face that has ''What am I gonna do with this kid?'' written all over it. "Alright, I''ll tell you." I gulp and listen to her attentively. "The Blue Waters, as you''ve most likely heard, are in control of a powerful Art. The [Redirection Arts], therefore [Knights] are pretty much useless against them, and with the long casting time and the lack of [Mages] in this city, they became the strongest. Though, this magic is not as simple as it seems. For something so strong there has to be a stronger backlash, and I only figured this out accidentally while using my [Clairvoyance] skill." I listen to her attentively and the moment she stopped, I gulped and asked her in a solemn voice. "What''s the backlash..?" "Before I tell you, I''ll explain what [Redirection] really is, it can defend you from people with a mana equal or below oneself completely, basically it will make you invulnerable to anyone weaker than you. If used on a slightly stronger enemy, it will consume mana and you will not be able to block one hundred percent of the attack. But if used on an enemy even stronger, then it consumes..life force." "!" Life force?! Doesn''t that mean if you want to use it against stronger people, you''d have to chop off bits and pieces of your lifespan!? "Of course, I said mana. If a person has high affinity for mana, say twice the amount of a regular person at birth, then in the future I doubt any [Knights] could cause trouble because [Knights] rely on their physical attributes rather than their mana." [Knights] aren''t an exception when using mana, using skills and spells require mana. Those who weren''t born with mana can only enhance their physical attributes and are weaker than regular [Knights]. If I learn [Redirection Arts], I can probably not be stopped by any [Knight] in the whole continent, I can''t say for sure because there exists something called a [Magic Knight], they use magic along with a sword. When they reach level 300, they can alternate between [Sage Knight] and [Magic Sage]. Mixed classes are the strongest of all because of this. A [Magic Knight] can cover the weaknesses of a [Mage''s] casting time and a [Knight''s] range. I also plan to become a [Magic Knight] in the future hence I am learning martial arts.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. [Knights] learn martial arts while [Mages] learn spells. If one wanted to become a [Magic Knight] he must be experienced in both. "When using it on weaker opponents, it consumes mana but only a fourth of the enemy''s attack. But when used on a slightly stronger or equal enemy, it consumes at least half of the enemy''s mana used in the attack. But when used on a stronger one, it consumes ten percent more mana than the enemy''s attack, and if the mana is drained the life force is drained, hence makes it the biggest weakness." Her expression softened. "Of course, it is rare to encounter someone twice as strong as oneself unless they travelled." She stopped for a bit and let me digest the information. "Now I''ll tell you how the Blue Waters are in possession of such a powerful Art. Back then during the creation of the city, the founder wielded the [Redirection Arts]. She built this city along with her friends, but she was the only one who had the power to learn it. She stumbled into the [Redirection Arts] in a book from a dark cave located two hundred miles east of here. She and her friends tried to learn it but she was the only one who had the abundance of mana to do so. Mana can also be transferred from bloodline, if a person has high affinity for mana there is at least a seventy five percent chance for the offsprings to acquire this affinity too." That means my parents must''ve been great [Mages]. "Nearly thirty years have passed since the creation of the village and the [Redirection Arts] were lost. The founder died three years after the creation, she was a young woman in her mid-twenties, she died by assassination from a neighboring village." ".." She looked at my reaction for a moment before continuing. "After the span of thirty years, a man in his late-twenties appeared and self-proclaimed himself to be the descendant of the founder and proved it by showing the [Redirection Arts] and the book that was lost. The founder''s friends revealed the secret that the founder was in love with a man during their travels and they stayed together for a year before they had to leave and she gave birth during the time." "..Eh?" Doesn''t that sound a little too suspicious? It was really convenient too. "Looks like you find it too convenient, it''s true though. They have conducted blood tests and it was confirmed." "I admit, it did make me a bit hesitant to believe it." "That''s what I happened to me too." Aine-san looked at me and smiled a bit. "You don''t talk or act like a kid you know?" "Haha.. yeah." I need to brush off this topic, I shouldn''t let anyone know about my reincarnation. All of a sudden a rustle was heard behind the building, faint but noticeable if you have keen enough perception. I turned around and looked outside the window and saw there was something in the bushes but I can''t quite make it out. "[Vision]." My perception became keener as the outside turned bright and I saw every minor movement. Checking for movements at this distance is as easy as breathing. There was a black cloth sticking out the bottom part of the bush, the figure of the body was pretty thin, definitely an assassin. By the structure I''d guess it''s a male. I look back towards Aine-san and the expression on my face changed. "Aine-san, we''re being watched." "..Where?" She got the hint and lowered her voice and acted like we didn''t notice. "Is he strong?" "No, I can kill him without him noticing." "Then please do so." I nod slightly then walk outside the room. "[Mana Surge]." I said in a low voice as I opened the window and jumped out at great speed, nearly leaving an afterimage behind. The man was inside the bush surveying the window. "The kid left, I was informed that the kid is a [Mage] who gained recognition from the young master of the Blue Waters." He said to himself in a low voice. "Oh well, what can one kid do?" He continued to look through the window and took out a dagger from the scabbard attached to his left leg. It had a green color at the blade and has signs that it has been dipped in poison. The dagger itself was regular, except for the mark on the handle. It had a black skull with red eyes. That is the symbol for the Dark Guild, all of their weapons and armor are marked by it. The man slowly walked outside the bush and inspected the area around him, once he was finished he turned to face the window and had his right hand in front of his mouth with his index and middle finger up. He was chanting something silently. "[Oh cover of the night, repent thy sins as thy think be necessary and help thy with your power.]" The man''s cloak looked like it was being swept up by the wind and a black light surrounded him like it was trying to conceal him. "[Camouflage]." In this world there are spells, skills, chants, curses, and many other forms of power. Chants are longer and strong types of magic, spells are instantly cast but when facing a spell casted from a chant head on, it has a disadvantage. The man disappeared in thin air and it was like he was never there before. ''Tch, hiding himself? How can he hide himself from my eyes?'' I thought to myself as I scanned the area for any signs of movement. A part of the grass in the area was being pressured. Got him. I jump immediately and rammed the invisible man out of his [Camouflage] and unsheathed my shortsword and left scratches almost everywhere on his body. It may seem like I''m attacking at random but I am actually hitting his muscles and joints so he won''t be able to maneuver properly. "Gah!" The man spat out blood and knelt on the floor. He looked up to see me holding a shortsword with a look of terror in his eyes. "I..thought you were a magician!" The man hoarsely screamed. Disbelief could be heard from his words, he couldn''t believe that a kid not even a third of his age would be able to sneak up on him and injure him without even fighting back! How could he accept that? Any [Assassin] won''t, that includes him too! "Stop your screaming, it hurts my ears. Nobody''d hear you anyway, I set up a magic field around us that negates sound." "So it''s true, you''re a magician!" "So what? I don''t need to be recognized by a dead man." The terror in his eyes was even more noticeable now. Beneath the terror there was arrogance, but once he heard those words the little bit of pride and arrogance he had left, disappeared. "Who.. are you?!" The man screamed which almost seemed like once he knew he''d get vengeance but at the same time it was a desperate attempt to live! "Hm..call me.." The man listened attentively as he gulped. He was shaking from head to toe and looked around for any escape routes but how could he escape? Even if he found an escape route, the kid in front of him is nearly ten times as fast as him! He knew it was time for death but he had not lost hope, he had a secret item with him that lets other members know if he died! If he died near this inn then the people will immediately know the mission he is in is currently dangerous and there maybe a chance that he''ll be avenged! "Oh wait, before I tell you, I''d like for you to take your mask off." The man knew he had no choice so he took it off after a slight moment of hesitation. "Now tell me who you work for." "Why would I tell you?" The man said in a hoarse voice. The blood from the cuts was gushing out and he knew the kid in front of him had cut his muscles. "You''d tell me either way. I have ways to make you talk." "I''d rather die than do that!" The man used one last bit of his power to take out his knife and stab himself. I sighed. "[Time stop]." Everything turned pale and the knife had almost reached his heart. The tip was also covered on the poison so if I was only a second late the man would''ve died. I took the knife from his hands and threw it at a distance. I put my thumb on the middle of his forehead and my other fingers on his head. I closed my eyes. "[Mind Search]." All of a sudden memories have popped into my head at a frightening pace. I memorized everything I needed from top to bottom. [Mind Search] is a skill I developed after the attack at my house, I realized that if I wanted to interrogate people without putting them through misery, I should have means to do it. I spent a couple of days for just this one spell but it is worth it. It searches the target''s memories according to the user''s wishes, if the user doesn''t want to see a certain memory, the user won''t. Of course it needs a frightening amount of concentration to pull this off or else I''d suffer backlash mentally. As I scanned the man''s memories, I found out that he was from the Dark Guild, it looks like he hasn''t figured out my identity but he has been ordered to because some person saw me interacting with the Blue Waters, also this guy has an [Imprint] on him. [Imprint] is cast by a magician of a higher level than oneself and does not give any effects other than the caster knowing where they died. It should be really easy to erase at my level. In a blink of an eye, twenty seconds had passed. "What t-?!" In the instant time started I imbued my palm with mana and struck at the man''s chest. "[Erase]". [Erase] is another skill I learned after the attack, it dispels magic. It is very useful against [Enchantments]. [Imprint] can also be counted as an [Enchantment] because it is imbued inside the body. The man''s chest glew faintly and disappeared shortly afterwards. "What..did you do to me?!" "I erased your [Imprint]." The man shuddered like he was experiencing an earthquake inside his body. He took a brief moment before continuing to speak. "That''s impossible! Our branch guild''s great mage used that on me himself!" "Ohhh really? Well that means your ''great mage'' can''t even take me on at his full power." [Imprint] is only possible to erase when the person erasing it is stronger because it is imbued with the other person''s consciousness. The man turned pale as I finished what I said. "Please..great one don''t kill me! I only did this because I was hired to!" "Ohh? But I saw in your memories that you volunteered for it." "My..memories..?" The man''s complexion turned even paler than before. "Am I really that scary?" He crawled backwards slowly until he backed up on a tree. THUMP He turned around to see that he had been cornered. "Curse you!" The man jumped directly towards me and I sneered. "You haven''t learned your lesson?" The man looked like an animal backed into a corner, these types are the most dangerous of all but against me, how could he fight back even the slightest? As he neared, I released my magic pressure to crush him on the floor. The man''s leap crashed into the floor and he was being buried slowly. "Gah!" The man spat out blood as the impact left a crater on the floor. "I''ll end your life quick, I don''t have any gain from torturing you, you''re just a bane on my side." I take out my shortsword once again and channel my mana. "[Enchantment: Sharpness]." I added another field that negated sound, it''s a skill I thought of on the way here. [Sound Barrier]. I placed one earlier but I set it up around us so I could still hear the sound. "You can rest now." I sliced his neck as fast as I can to avoid giving him any misery. I still have enough humanity left for that. "[Fire]." I set his corpse on fire to not leave a trace of evidence and left the scene after making sure he was ash. "Dark Guild.." I muttered in a low voice. "I guess I found my enemy." Chapter 10: The Assailants The Next Morning Dark Guild sent an assassin after my head due to a request, it was influenced by the Blue Waters'' fame. Looks like someone actually wanted to kill me just because I had contact with Blue Waters and had the privilege of joining their guild, you can see how famous Blue Waters was for people to want to attack a kid and his companion just for interacting with them, they maybe a rival guild. I''ve heard that the top three guilds in this city are fighting each other, Blue Waters, Blood Wolves, and the Fire Hawks. Blood Wolves are the most ruthless of the bunch, they are second only to Blue Waters because Blood Wolves focus on physical attacks, Fire Hawks have alot of mages but still lose to Blue Waters because of the casting time and skill over all. Blue Waters is a mixed guild, they have an abundance of [Magicians] and [Knights]. The [Knights] are more dominant since there are few mages in the city. That is also one of the reasons that the young master of Blue Waters sought me out personally to join them, a young [Magician] whose power surpasses that of many and with an age not even of double-digits, that''s a tempting offer, once trained a [Magician] of that age would become the most powerful in the future. If someone saves you, you give them gratitude but you don''t let them join the guild instantly and not even care about their background, he invited me because he knew that I was strong. The interview he held inside the guild was actually to assess my situation, after finding out I''m travelling with only one companion his doubts have been settled. And so, right now me and Aine-san are heading towards the guild. "Kai, are you sure there isn''t anything suspicious about that man?" "Nn." I nodded my approval. She hasn''t let down her guard because she doesn''t know if I can judge people properly just by their facial expressions or acting. Normally when a friend tells you that another person is trustworthy you''d believe them immediately, but a ten year old kid telling you that and the person he was talking about is actually a very important person with a terrifying background, you''d have doubts. She believed my story wholeheartedly but it looks like she needs time to trust the Blue Waters. I also have a hint of doubt as to whether they will really provide us with what we need. We walked down the side of the street while heading towards the direction of Blue Waters, I still remember the route I took going there and back. We stopped in front of a huge building that shone with blue colors. Aine-san indifferently looked at the guild and wasn''t surprised in the slightest. ''She must be used to it'', I thought to myself. The door to the guild quickly opened as a man dressed in blue stepped out. "Welcome back, Kai." The man who wore blue was once again Ryo. He looks like he really wants me to join. He even personally welcomed me. "Have you told your mentor about my offer?" "Nn." I gesture towards Aine-san and she nodded. "I am his mentor, Raikiri Aine, I''ve told Kai that I''d check it out before allowing him." "By all means." He doesn''t look angry or annoyed, in fact he looks desperate to get me to join. Could it be that a [Mage] has that much value in this guild, or is there some other reason? I think to myself but shook my head slightly when I couldn''t figure it out. Aine-san walked towards the guild with me following two paces behind her. Ryo was walking alongside her and seemingly looking at his surroundings like a bodyguard. His attitude is even more cautious than yesterday, is there some internal conflict or someone plotting to disrupt my initiation? I can''t tell. I have too many questions which will be answered in time. I release some of my mana to survey the surroundings and check for any hostility. Surprisingly I sensed some hostility, dark red with a hint of black as the color of an aura means they harbor ill intentions. What was even more surprising is, they aren''t directed towards me and Aine-san, they''re directed towards Ryo! At least every person within sight harbor killing intent! This is probably why he''s observing the surroundings to the best of his ability, it''s because he thinks that his enemies will strike his companions before him and would in turn lose his benefactor. By my speculations, Ryo is a very loyal man. The people who harbor ill intentions towards him maybe because of his lack of initiative and leadership, with his position anyone''d be angry if they had a gutless leader like this. "Kai, I''ll tell you right now since I don''t want you to harbor danger because of me." "?" Aine-san shot him a questioning look while I feigned ignorance and listened attentively. "Most people in this guild hold a grudge against my position and my skill, I''ve only been satisfactory and most of the combatants at my age can beat me with no effort. Because of this, practitioners started to hate me because they all worked harder and harder while I had a leisurely life being the son of the guild master. It turned from simple hate to an out of control grudge, a few years back some people impersonated me and my party and killed some of our members, only the high-ranking guild officials know of the truth but can''t convince the masses because they will think they''re just defending me." Aine-san nodded and gestured for him to continue. "So now most people who work under me or work with me are being pressured by others and become ridiculed. I am known as the ''Ingrate Ryo''." "So why did you choose to tell us?" Aine-san asked, I stayed silent while listening to the both of them converse. "Because I do want you two to become involved in danger. If you gladly welcome danger you can join through my influence but if you wanna start from the bottom and work your way up which''ll take a few years, take the exams, it is your choice." Aine-san shot me a look and gestured for me to voice my opinion. It looked like she approved of this man and is okay with me joining. "I will join you, I do not fear any danger that is within this village." Ryo''s eyes turned wide for an instant then his solemn expression turned joyful and he was grinning from side to side. It looked like a person who had been deprived of happiness smiling for the first time. "Thank you, Kai. And your mentor?" "No problems." "Thank you and welcome to the Blue Waters, Kai and Raikiri-san!" As those words were dropped, the killing intent on the background directed at Ryo were all of a sudden directed towards me and Aine-san. I expected that, it looked like they were waiting for me and Aine-san to deny him so they''d leave us alone. "Probably another one of those..traitors." A person in the background sneered. "Yeah, I bet Ryo recruited them from the Dark Guild or something." "I agree." People shot out insults one after another, low but enough for us to hear it. "How did the people impersonate you?" Ryo glanced at me and sighed. "I guess you still have suspicions about it." "Not suspicions, rather questions about the people who did it. They must be pretty brave or have some extreme background." Ryo nodded his approval and looked like he and his supporters thought of the same thing. "Or.." Ryo looked at me and furrowed his brows for a second. "What is it?" "Or there are people in the guild who are supporting them so they weren''t afraid of being caught." "!" Ryo stared wide-eyed like he just had heard the most unbelievable thing he has ever heard. Aine-san closed her eyes and nodded slightly. A bunch of people impersonating someone important, you''d think they were just brave or stupid. But when you analyze it closely, you need to figure out who would benefit from what happened, and of course it would benefi someone from inside the guild, an enemy of the guild master per say. I have a rough idea of the internal struggles of the guild right now, I''ll know more in the future, but first I should probably gain favor from one of the two factions inside the guild, I already joined Ryo so I should gain favor from his father and do everything in my power to take care of the other faction. I read in one of gramps'' books that alot of guilds in history have fallen due to internal struggles, it is a common occurence for any guild, one without internal struggles would need a very capable leader; someone who rules with an iron fist. I can''t say that I can rule like that, and I doubt people would take me seriously with this body. My power is not to be taken lightly but my age is too low and my body is still too small for people to take me seriously. In the future when I''m at least fifteen, people''ll take me seriously, fifteen is the age where kids are considered as adults. They can take on jobs and can live alone, they do not need any guardian''s permission for anything anymore, on Earth, an adult is eighteen but for Gaia it''s fifteen. Only five more years. For now I should learn what type of person Ryo''s father is. "Kai, I''ll show you to your quarters and I''ll be asking you to explain on the way." "Nn." He then turned towards Aine-san. "Likewise." "Nn." We headed towards the halls on the left, these were the directions to the quarters for the members. A member can choose to stay here or outside but once a member reaches the rank of 3rd-stage, they are required to stay inside. Because of this, there are quite a bit of people living in the quarters. Ryo told us everything he knew on the way and then I told him what I meant earlier. I also told him that when I know of the reasons behind the power struggle, I will lend a helping hand. He had a really happy expression like he saw a light at the end of an endless tunnel. Time passed by and it is now nighttime. We have gone to our respective rooms and I am now currently training my [Clairvoyance] and my other support skills. I have a feeling that I''m gonna be needing them soon, very soon. I supressed my power to the best of my ability so nobody should be able to notice it. I don''t need an increase in power, and when all else fails, I still have [Black Hole]. It''s a double-edged sword but there is more risk for the enemy. I''m thinking of countermeasures to make that double-edged sword, a one-sided attack. I''m thinking of another [Destruction] magic I have. It''s called [Gravity], it''s not a double-edged sword but it can crush everything in the area around me. It said I can still change it so that it won''t take my allies or anyone I don''t want to target. It would take quite a bit of effort for that, maybe I should make something like [Imprint]?This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. I had my eyes closed as I was training, an uneasy face revealed. I currently have alot of moves for attacking at long range but I don''t have too much of an advantage at close range, without [Time Stop], I''d probably have lost my life a few times already. As I remembered about [Time Stop], I''ve realized I haven''t checked my status in awhile, ever since I left the house at least. "Status." ========================================================================== Name: Kuroshi Kai Race: Human (?) Age: 10 Level: 145 Health: 600/600 Magic: 30000/30000 Strength: 2500 Speed: 4000 Stamina: 2000 Will power: 6000 Defense: 1250 Special Skill: [Memory] [Time] [Curse] [Seal][Logical Thinking] Skills: [Multiplied Experience] [Multiplied Status] Magic: [Elemental Magic] Level: MAX [Enchantment] Level: MAX [Nullification] Level: MAX [Creation] Level: MAX [Support] Level: MAX [Transference] Level: MAX [Destruction] Level: 4 [Time Stop] Level: 4 {20s} [] Level: N/A [Martial Arts] Level: 1 [Mana Surge] Level: MAX {1 mp per 10 seconds} Titles: [God Of Time] [Prodigy] [Wise] [??][Milestone 1][Grand Magician][Knight Recruit][Blue Waters Member] ============================================================================ "Observe" [God Of Time] Granted to the one who governs over time, allows the user to learn [Time Stop], [Return], [Forward], [Stasis]. Lasts for twenty seconds. No backlash. [Return], [Forward], and [Stasis]. I wonder when I''ll be able to learn those. I scanned my status once again and saw something below [Time Stop], it said [], what is it? Could it be a skill in progress? But it isn''t in any of the categories, does that mean it''s a skill for [God Of Time]!? My hopes are up and there''s a very low chance for what I''m hoping for to actually happen but for some reason, I''m okay with it being false. When I finally learn how to use my other [God Of Time] skills, I''d be unstoppable. I''m already unstoppable with [Time Stop] alone so if I gain those three other skills, I''d be a force to reckon with even amongst [Gods]! With my current state that should be enough to hinder a [God] but if I were to become stronger, I doubt any [Gods] would want to fight me. The power to control time, huh. Although this power is clearly strong, I shouldn''t use it too much. If by any chance I encounter someone who knows what type of powers a [God] can have, I''d be exposed! Aine-san has little knowledge about [Gods] apparently, since on this continent there are only five, if you include my pre-mature [God] powers, that counts six. I found out that I''m actually a [God] from the markings before. It all flashed in front of my eyes but my brain needed time to digest that information. I get bits and pieces of the million words I''ve seen there from time to time. Often during midnight and three in the morning. The levels on the skills and magic that are on the status is my mastery over it. It gets stronger each level and I''ll be able to cast it better, faster, and stronger. It will also consume less and less mana, once it reaches the level of five, which is also the maximum, it will lessen the mana consumption to the least amount. If a level one casts [Black Hole] and takes tEN thousand mana, a level two could cast it with nine thousand eight-hundred mana. It will keep going lower and lower as the level gets up. Martial arts work differently, if moves consume mana, it''ll lower but for most of the time, martial arts leveling up will improve my strength and ability to execute it. It''ll give me better understanding of any enemies using martial arts as well. I would be able to tell if it was a strong type of martial art by instinct. I learned some [Transference] magic back then, I''ve yet to use it in actual battle. I have skills like [Afterimage], [Blink], and [Teleportation]. Though they may sound really strong, [Teleportation] will only work if I set up a type of spell called [Mark] on an area or person. It can be erased pretty easily so I always use [Fortify] with it. [Fortify] makes a spell stronger slightly or makes a type of spell that is placed somewhere have stronger durability, so I always cast it on my talismans. It can make materials stronger as well. It''s a type of [Enchantment] magic. As I was observing my stats, a knock came came from the door. I open my eyes and close my status. "It''s Ryo." "Come in." Ryo opened the door, and his head poked out. "Kai, I came to inform you that you can meet father tomorrow morning." "Thanks." Ryo shook his head slightly. "There''s no need to thank me, this is the least I can do." "Nn." I nod my head and Ryo closes the door silently. As I saw the door close, my expression changes from calm to troubled. Killing intent, it looks like they followed Ryo to my room but he isn''t aware of it. It isn''t directed at him, rather it is directed at me. I guess many people can''t take the fact that I''m staying inside the quarters when I just joined and I''m also teaming up with Ryo. I should teach them a lesson never to provoke me. I got up and walked towards the door. I headed towards the outside of the guild after making sure they''d follow me. I stopped my steps and raised my head a bit. "Are you guys gonna fight me or not?" People came out of the sides of the guild and laughed. "Ha! This kid really thinks he can take us on?" "This is the funniest thing I''ve heard in my life!" Some youths shot out insults. "Haha, he really brightened up my mood." "I think Ryo hired this guy for comedy!" Two more youths followed up. There are currently seven people in my surroundings. I sense another five hiding. "Those five people hiding, you should get out here too. Not like you''d all be enough to take me on." Five people walked out from who knows where and laughed sinisterly. "Hahaha! He can actually sense us!" "That foolish pride will kill you soon." "We won''t leave a corpse behind." Five men who wore masks came out. A thought flashed into my head, ''Dark Guild''. Masks like these. I squint my eyes and observed the five of them. The masks aren''t as well-made as Dark Guild''s, it must be an imitation to hide their identities. I secretly sighed a breath of relief, if the Dark Guild had really found out that I joined this guild then they might be on to me when I eliminate their members. I''m not ready to take on the [God] with them yet. If it was only the guy who was sent to assassinate me, I can manage. People die on the job all the time, they must not care for him anyway. I raise my hand forward and gesture for them to come. "You arrogant brat!" One of the men charged towards me, raising his fist. It doesn''t look like he used mana. I sighed and formed a fist with my hand. I imbued it with a tiny bit of mana. It should be enough to send him flying. As he neared me I didn''t move an inch and aimed my fist towards his abdomen. "Ha! That kid thinks he can beat him in a punch, he didn''t even take a fighting stance!" "I''m dying of laughter!" Just before all of them could finish their remarks, Kai''s fist hit the man''s abdomen and the man instantly shot out with a spray of blood following. Everyone stared wide-eyed, but the five people who were found out earlier had no reaction like they expected it. "Stupid, he didn''t use even a tiny bit of mana and thinks he can beat the kid? Laughable!" "Why would Ryo do all he can to recruit him when he can''t do anything? Ever think of that?" "He''s a magician! Ryo was bragging about that before." The looks of the six people changed, one of their companions shot out and even spat out blood. It means this kid wasn''t as weak as they thought he was. "Next." Kai said in a low voice as he taunted for the next one to come. "You are too arrogant!" "Let''s go!" Two people shot out with their weapons, they used mana. It looks like they were cautious because of what happened to their first companion. "Take my scythe!" "My longsword will slice that head of yours off!" Kai still didn''t move and just looked at the two as they approached. He could run ten times the distance this fools jumped in five seconds, how could they compare to his speed? As the scythe and longsword landed, it hit but blood did not come out. Kai''s body got slashed through but it had no sound. The two who jumped out had their eyes wide open and clenched their teeth before they landed towards the floor. "[Afterimage]." A voice rang from behind them right as they landed. They turned their heads as fast as they could and they saw two Kai''s standing there. "Two of them?!" "Clones?!" They both charged out as they said those words. The result was the same as the first one, it passed through! "Fly." Before they could react, they suddenly felt a very strong pressure erupt from behind them. CRACK "Gah!" One of them groaned as he flew like the first person. The other one didn''t have time to say anything nor make sounds. His body got hit straight at the center of his back and he looked like he was broken in half before he landed on the wall, face-first. BOOM Dust scattered all over as the man left a crater on the wall on the other side of the street. A look of disbelief flashed through everyone''s eyes. Everything was silent for quite awhile and it looked like nobody even thought about speaking. "Who else?" Kai''s voice rang out in their ears. The remaining two people shivered and one wet his pants. The five people who were acting all arrogant earlier were also surprised and have taken fighting stances with all their weapons out. It looked like they were planning to go all-in. "He''s strong! Do not underestimate him! Attack him with all you have!" If I sensed it correctly then his power can kill all of us in a single hit! One of the masked men thought of a possibility as his forehead was covered with sweat. What he was afraid of was actually true, Kai can kill all of them in a single move, instantly. They aren''t even enough to take Kai''s five percent let alone one hundred! "Charge!" They roared as all of them besides the three other people who were scared to death attacked. They came from all directions hoping to not give Kai a chance to counter attack at all! What they didn''t know was, Kai was not only a [Magician] but also a [Knight]! Kai put his right hand on his right scabbard. As the five of the masked men neared, he closed his eyes. "[Gravity]." All the people charging in mid-air suddenly felt their bodies get heavier, at least ten times! "Gah!" One of them spat out blood through their mask on the spot. Kai turned off the gravity shortly afterwards and they charged once more. "Die!" The nearest one was a man with a dagger. He was behind Kai and took the chance to try and stab him in the back. Sigh, how can they be that naive? Kai thought to himself. Before the dagger made contact, Kai had already turned around and grabbed the blunt part of the dagger. He pulled on it bringing the man holding the dagger towards him. He positioned his shortsword to slice as the man was being pulled. RIPPPP Clothes being torn and wailful screaming could be the only thing heard. Blood spurted out of the man''s body as he was being opened while being pulled with a force that seemed to be as strong as a gorilla! Everyone else turned pale with shock but decided to use that chance to attack. Kai quickly pulled the man next to him and gave him a huge kick to the chest. CRACK Crispy bones cracking. This was the last sound that man would hear for at least two weeks or maybe his life. CRASH The man crashed on the wall like the other people but he slid down, blood being splattered. Before anyone had time to react, Kai had already jumped towards the farthest person. He was the burliest man and used a mace. "Wha-!?" Kai punched his stomach and the man spat out blood before falling down on his knees. A look of fear enveloped his eyes. "P..lease! Spare me!" Kai''s emotion was indifferent as he replied. "I won''t kill any of you. I''ll just give you a couple of months of intensive care." Before the man could scream, Kai had already sliced most of his body with frightening speed. Not even a hint of blood splattered as he was slicing. Wounds appeared all over the man''s body in an instant. Kai gave him a knee to the jaw sending him flying into the air. If one were to look from afar, they''d see a black object going above the buildings and another black object following it. Kai jumped as high as the man was sent flying and positioned himself above the man. "[Guillotine]." Kai kicked the top of the man''s head sending him crashing down with a bang towards his teammates. BOOOMMMMM That noise would be enough to alarm everyone two kilometers away, let alone the guild in front of them. Kai shot down so fast that whistling could be heard. BOOM He landed on the floor undamaged whilst leaving a crater in his wake. "M-monster!" "Run!" The remaining people shouted out before fleeing for their lives. Kai sneered and remembered their arrogant attitudes earlier. He''d of course give them a just beating. Three Kai''s suddenly teleported in front of the three of them. "AHH!" They all screamed like they saw a ghost and ran back towards the center. "Please spare us!" Kai stopped right in front of the three. "I''ll consider it." A look of hope flashed through the eyes of the youths. "If you do something for me." They nodded instantly before hearing the command. It was like a dog bowing to its owner. "Anything!" "Anything at all!" "We''ll do it with no hesitation!" Kai smiled sinisterly which made the three people shiver. "Go to sleep." With blinding speed he cast a spell. "[Explosion]." Kai''s hand glew orange as he jumped backwards and aimed it towards the youths. "NOO-!" KABOOOMMMMM The youths got blasted away, all bleeding heavily, one even lost his arm. "That should be enough." I better get out of here, Kai thought to himself. "[Blink]." Kai''s figure vanished into thin air before the gates of the guild could open. "What happened here!?" A man who looked to be in his fourties screamed. "An assailant!?" "That couldn''t be! We''re extremely well-guarded so these youths must''ve caused trouble and got beaten up!" A crowd quickly formed. They all asked each other what happened leading to alot of noise. "No, it''s in front of the guild. Which person would dare do this to our members? It has to be one of the two guilds." "The Blood Wolves and Fire Hawks?" "Most likely." The man pondered for a bit. "Everyone get back, there is nothing to see here!" His voice rang out and everyone present heard it loud and clear. They all quickly obeyed when they found the owner of the voice. The crowd quickly dispersed. "We have to fortify our defenses and our watches. Prepare!" "Yes!" The man who was beside him nodded and shouted with loyalty in his voice. "Blood Wolves and Fire Hawks, let me see if you still want to cause trouble against us!" Chapter 11: A New Face Time passed by quickly and it''s now morning. Kai had a meeting with the girl in the cloak yesterday but due to all the events that have happened, he forgot. That girl is in Blue Waters so Kai is currently walking around the guild to catch a glimpse of said girl. "Not here." Kai walks to another area. "Not here either." Kai walks to the training area for combat. "Where is she..?" Kai walks limping like he hasn''t eaten or drank water for days. "Is she not here or something..?" Ryo seeing the desperate Kai searching, decides to talk to him and ask him. Ryo approaches him from behind. "Hey..Kai?" "..?" Kai turns around and looks at Ryo, a glimer of hope flashed in his eyes. "Ryo!" Kai jumps and charged at Ryo causing his eyes to bulge out. "Gah!" Ryo fell on the floor and is now in pain from Kai''s hug. "Kai..please..stop!" "Ah!" I forgot that he''s alot weaker than I thought he was. "Sorry, it''s just that I saw hope for my search." "Eh..?" Kai stood up and waited for Ryo to stand of his own volition. Ryo stood up with ragged breathing while clutching the side of his chest. "What is..it?" "Do you know a girl in your guild who knows [Redirection Arts]." [Redirection Arts] can only be taught to high-ranking members or prodigies in the Blue Waters, because it is very important to the guild and leaking it out could cause their power to tilt. At this moment, Ryo gained some of his breath and stood up properly. "Let me think." He put his hand on his chin with his left hand supporting the arm. He pondered for a moment. "I know of five, if you remove the adults, there are three." "Can you get me to meet the youths?" "Hm?" He looked at Kai in surprise. "Well, I can arrange a chance for you to meet but I can only let you meet two." "Why?" "The other one is currently in secluded training. She doesn''t want to be disturbed while improving her mana capacity." Kai nodded. "Then I''d have to trouble you." "No problem." Ryo smiled and led Kai to the second floor of the guild. "Sit down on one of the chairs over there. One of them is always available so you can meet her now." "Thank you." Ryo waved his hand. "No need." With those words, Ryo left and went back downstairs. "Hm, if those two girls weren''t who I wanted to meet then I''d have to meet the other one. If they aren''t any of her then I''d have to ask Ryo if there is a chance that their [Redirection Arts] were leaked, or another person learned them." A few minutes passed. I wonder when they''d arrive. While he was thinking that, Ryo popped out and had a girl who looked to be thirteen or so with him. "Kai, this is one of the girls I''m talking about." Kai looked at the girl behind Ryo. "Nice to meet you. My name is Kai." "Likewise, I am Kanako." She seems really polite. Kai glances at Ryo and shook his head slightly. Ryo nodded in response. "Okay, since Kanako isn''t the one you wanted to meet, you''d have to wait for a week to meet the other one." "Thanks." Kanako glances at Ryo then Kai before turning back to Ryo. "I wanna talk with him more. Can I?" "Well if Kai wants to." "No problem." Kai nods his head. This girl is really naive, making you want to protect her, although I am currently younger than her I am alot more capable. "Well I''m gonna go, I have matters to attend to." Ryo bows his head slightly and walks away leaving Kai and Kanako alone. "What do you want to talk about?" Kai asked in a carefree tone. "Anything! I hardly get to talk with anyone close to my age or younger than me so anything is fine." She smiled making her look dazzling in front of everyone''s eyes. This girl is really cute, I wonder how she would look in the future. Kai thought to himself. "How old are you?" She asked him. "Ten." "I''m thirteen." I thought as much. "Kai?" "Hmm?" She looks at Kai in an admiring way. "Why do you feel so mature even though you''re just a little kid." Little kid. I wanna cry right now. I acted really mature in my past life just for them to avoid saying: "you''re too young." but it looks like I can''t avoid it, I don''t know if I should laugh or cry. These thoughts were rolling around Kai''s head.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. "I should be asking you the opposite question though." Kai smiled at her innocently. "Well, it''s ''cause they won''t let me get in trouble or anything! It''s like I''m being protected too much." Like? No, it definitely is. "Well I''m sure it''s because they don''t want anyone hurting you, maybe because you''re the cutest girl here?" Oh crap, I said that for real. Her face turns beet red at Kai''s compliment. It''s like staring at a tomato. "W-w-what are you saying?!" She turns around and crouches while covering her face. Ah, I know why she isn''t allowed outside now. Kai thought. She turns to face Kai, still crouching while covering her face. She peeks out slightly before turning red again and closing her hand after seeing Kai''s innocent smile. Too easy.. "I kind of know why you aren''t allowed now.." Kai mumbled. "What did you say?" She peeks out and asks. "Nothing." Kai waved his hand. In this world, trickery is still very common. Like the prior world, it''s part of the daily routine of alot of people. Take the Dark Guild for example, they kill people for jobs, but sometimes they also get requests like swindling or any other form of crime. This is how the world works, survival of the fittest. And with this girl''s demeanor it''ll be like taking candy from a baby. If she was a bit fierce, at least if she ignores strangers and can tell signs of malicious intent or anything, then she''d be less easy to trick and take advantage of. But with her current demeanor, taking advantage of her is even more easy than taking advantage of a child. [Assassins] also need to be skilled in the art of trickery and swindling. Just knowing how to assassinate people won''t make you a great [Assassin], you''d need to learn how to infiltrate places and hide your presence, know how to make a proper escape, and most of all, to keep calm to the end. Being an [Assassin] means risking your life at every second. Grudges can be a dangerous thing, it could turn a fly into a dragon. "If you''d like, after everything I''m supposed to do is over, I''ll help you go outside." "Really?" Her eyes brimming with excitement. She doesn''t feel like a thirteen year old, rather I feel like our ages are reversed. Well I am over twenty but that doesn''t change her attitude being lower than a girl her age. "Hey you two, what are you doing?" Hm? A person who wore armor appeared beside them. "What do you mean?" "The head guard had called for a meeting, he ordered everyone below the rank of elder to participate." Kai looked at the man and analyzed the words. "Why?" "Didn''t you hear the ruckus last night?" Ah, guess it was my fault. Kai thought. "Where are we suppose to assemble?" "You can come with me, I''m heading over there right now." Kai nodded slightly and stood up from the chair. Kanako followed closely. "Hey Kai, he seems a little creepy." "Shh." What is this girl thinking, he''s one of the guards. Would you call a guard creepy when he protects your life? Not to mention the fact that she easily gets scared, if this guard decided to shot out some insults, I doubt she''d be able to resist crying. Although Kai could step up for her, she''d be reliant. [Observe] ========================================================================== Name: Ishikawa Kanako Race: Human Age: 13 Level: 21 Health: 90/90 Magic: 250/250 Strength: 70 Speed: 80 Stamina: 100 Will power: 50 Defense: 50 [Special Skill]: [Insight] [Skill]: [Added Experience] Magic: [Elemental Magic] Level: MAX [Support] Level: MAX [Martial Arts] Level: 3 [Redirection Arts] Level: 2 Titles: [Prodigy] [Blue Waters Member][Cursed] ============================================================================ [Prodigy]..? You mean my level of [Prodigy] is the same as hers? Eh.. Isn''t this really unfair? Kai''s train of thought continued. What the..[Cursed]!? Could it be that something happened to her!? [Observe] [Cursed] Granted to someone who has been cursed, effects may vary. Makes the user vulnerable to mental attacks. "Uhh, Kai..?" She''s looking at me in a weird way. Ah crap, I''ve been staring at her! "It''s nothing." "I..see..." She looked at herself and checked if there were any problems. She then posed a questioning look then raised her shoulders. So that''s why she can easily be swayed by words, I never knew that [Curses] like that exist. [Curses] are types of magic, like [Chants] and [Spells]. [Curses] are long-term attacks. The effects vary from each one and only fairly strong people can use it. With Kai''s current power, removing a curse would be as easy as lifting a hand. "Hey, Kanako. Come here for a bit." "Hmm?" She went to Kai''s side with a look that she wanted to interrogate Kai. Kai reached out to her and light appeared on his hand. Ding "Eh?" The guard turned around after he heard Kanako''s remark. "What''s wrong?" The guard looked at her. "I just heard a ''ding''. Did anybody else hear that?" "No?" The guard answered immediately. It looks like he doesn''t want to waste time. "Now can we continue walking?" "Ah, yes sorry for the trouble." Eh? What just happened to me? When could I speak like that? Kanako flooded her mind with questions. She turned to look at Kai wondering if he was the cause. "[Status]." ========================================================================== Name: Ishikawa Kanako Race: Human Age: 13 Level: 21 Health: 90/90 Magic: 250/250 Strength: 70 Speed: 80 Stamina: 100 Will power: 50 Defense: 50 Special Skill: [Insight] [Skill]: [Added Experience] Magic: [Elemental Magic] Level: MAX [Support] Level: MAX [Martial Arts] Level: 3 [Redirection Arts] Level: 2 Titles: [Prodigy] [Blue Waters Member] ============================================================================ Ehh!? The cursed title is gone! How could that be!? Her mind was filled with surprise but also a hint of fear. If someone could remove a [Curse] that easily, curses wouldn''t exist! Wouldn''t someone have to be a really strong person who at least exceeded the person who casted it by at least fivefold to be able to remove a curse like this!? She turns to look at Kai. Kai flashes a smile. But this time she wasn''t embarassed or anything, rather she felt like nothing happened! Her mind was filled with joy and awe, she wasn''t stupid. She knew Kai did something to her! "Kai, how''d you do that?" "Do what?" "Don''t play dumb!" They whispered to each other so the guard could not hear their conversation. "I really have no clue, sorry." Grr, this man had been tricking her since they met, although the [Curse] was removed, this fact has not changed. Unbeknownst to her, her thoughts were already changing. From the shy and reserved, to joyful. This was her true attitude that had been locked away only because of a [Curse]. Magic is a scary thing, changing a person like that. But one should know, everything that changes can''t remove the roots. Her mind has already been used to her [Cursed] self. A portion of her attitude would still remain and would sometimes still dominate her real attitude. Only a truly evil person could do something like this, and Kai obviously won''t forgive them. Kai''s face flashed a look of seriousness for an instant that nobody else could notice. He''d get to the bottom of this even if it was the last thing he''d do. He can tolerate arrogance to a certain extent, he was a calm person in his past life. But he was also mature for his age, he''d look at things from everyone''s perspective before acting. He''d try to see if he would affect anyone before moving. He had seen far too many evil in his time. Theft and murder were common occurences. This is the world. Soon after they walked, they were led to the meeting hall. Disciples as far as the eye could see. It was filled from top to bottom. Kai could tell the matter he caused was of grave importance, he didn''t know that the trouble he caused would be like this! He miscalculated and hospitalized a few disciples and it turned into this. There must be a huge problem going on inside the guild, he had now regretted what he did. He should''ve just taught them a lesson to keep their mouths shut. "Everyone, I''ve sure most of you have heard of the ruckus yesterday." The man who spoke was the same one who first saw the seen Kai caused, he was the head guard! "As all of you know, trouble is stirring between the three top guilds. Yesterday, an attack was placedo n some of our disciples, they were fairly strong and only someone from the other two guilds could defeat them like that. We speculated that they have something to do with this so I advise everyone to report everything you see to us." Everyone discussed among themselves. Chattering could be the only thing heard. The man swept his gaze over everyone. "Also, we may need to take caution against traitors." Everyone was shocked but shortly most of them nodded. It looked like there really was internal conflict. "Therefore, we will hold an event in two months. Every youth who has reached the level of fifteen has to fight. Anyone twenty and below can participate. Those who do not fit the criteria aren''t allowed to participate. Of course since this is an event, awards will be given. They will be announced in the competition, two months time." Everyone roared like they just heard the most wonderful news in a long time. "Finally I get to display my skills!" "If only this event could''ve been held last year! I curse my age!" "I may have a chance at winning this!" "Fool, remember the [Redirection Arts], nobody can take the top spot from the users." Endless talking, it looked like everyone was really excited. Kai was no exception, if all youths have to participate, then undoubtedly the girl with the cloak would show herself. Kanako, who was beside Kai saw the excitement on his face. He looked quite confident in his skills. Not that she had any doubt, if he could clear a curse that easily, sweeping through this competition would be as easy as walking. "I''m looking forward to it." Kai had a mischievous grin. I guess playing a little in a competition could help vent my frustration and clear my mind. Chapter 12: Physical Training Starts! The competition that''ll be held in two month''s time, Kai has decided to make this a test for himself. He''ll strictly only use physical attacks and would not use even a hint of magic. Also he''ll only use at most ten percent of his total strength. This would make the competition quite a challenge, especially because Kai hasn''t trained much in terms of physical strength and is much stronger with magic that he could blow away everyone with five percent of his magic. Therefore he took this chance to get a tutor, of course this tutor is the girl who has learned [Redirection Arts]: Kanako. They have only met yesterday but Kanako already owes Kai alot! Dispelling a [Curse] that has plagued her for years itself is basically granting a new life. So she gladly accepted Kai''s request, she was thinking of ways to repay Kai so this was giving her an idea to repay him, even if he was playing dumb. She could tell that Kai was trying to keep a low profile so she didn''t tell anyone. Not like anybody knew about the [Curse]. Training area: Combat. Private Area. "So you can get your own place in the training area?" Kai asked her. "Yeah, as long as you have learned the [Redirection Arts], you''d be treated as a crowned jewel. Since there are only two or so dozen people who have it." There are roughly fifteen thousand in the guild, so if only two dozen people have it, they''d really be a big deal. Only four people who have [Redirection Arts] aren''t high-ranking here. One is Kanako, the other two girls that Ryo talked about are also some of them, the last one is male, he went missing a few weeks ago or so I''ve heard. "Hmph!" She striked out, her fist headed for Kai''s shoulder. Kai was calm, he moved his feet slightly and grabbed her wrist. This is gonna be easy. Kai immediately thought. Kanako smirked. and her hand that was heading for Kai stopped and a kick was let out. Kai got hit on the abdomen and crouched. "Ow ow ow." Kanako smiled while looking at an injured Kai on the floor. "Hahaha, you''re too overconfident. You should remember that it''s a battle, anything goes!" Kai stood up slowly with his hand still covering his stomach. I forgot to add defenses to my body, I''ve rarely been struck so I haven''t been paying attention to it. I don''t need to work on adding defense, just by surrounding myself in my mana, I''ll be invulnerable against anyone in the village. But dominating power with no experience will be the end of me. This is why I''ll fight at the competition without using mana, if I can fight with no mana then I''ll be able to gain some experience. My defense stat is really high but it won''t do anything unless I prepare myself. Basically I need to improve my reaction time, like when Kanako struck me with her foot, I was caught surprised cause I let my guard down. I shouldn''t let that happen again. Kanako struck once more with her left leg heading straight for my neck. I decided to attack instead of blocking. If I strike out towards her heel and redirect it towards the floor and counter-attack with a kick, I''ll win. Kai carries out his plan and strikes her heel, her foot was headed towards the floor with impact. "Eh?" She looks at Kai with surprise, her left leg redirecting like that is probably an unexpected move. Kai smirks before launching his right leg forward. As expected! Before Kai''s right foot could reach him, her surprised expression turned into a smirk as Kai''s face changed. He knew she found out during that moment. Her other leg turned and launched upwards. "Crap!" Her leg striked downwards and made Kai''s head sink down to the floor. Crack The ground cracked, anyone can tell the impact of that move if they weren''t stupid. Even a blind person could tell that would hurt. "Kai!" Kanako rushed out and shook Kai''s body. "Are you okay? I forgot to hold back!" My head is spinning, I should really stop letting down my guard. "Geez, you let down your guard again! I told you to not be overconfident even if victory is assured!" "Ow, sorry.. I forgot. I thought you got caught by surprise and purposely let down my guard." She giggled as she looked at Kai. "Well, you can''t become experienced in combat with just one spar so this is only natural." If it was that easy, I would''ve just challenged the strongest person here. She''s very experienced in [Martial Arts] so she should suffice as a training partner for the tournament. "But at this rate, I don''t think you''ll make it in time for the competition." She sighed. "As long as I hold enough skill to hold up against you in regular combat would it be enough." "Well, with your power you could just wipe away everyone with mana. You don''t need to train physically." Kai looked at her. "I do. Just by having domineering power and no skill will be the end of me." "That''s true." He''s too strong, I can tell he lowered his power to be lower than mine just to give me a handicap. Kanako pouted when she thought of that. "Kai, put your power on the same level as mine." "Eh? You can tell?" "Of course, I''m not stupid!" "Hehehe." She must have [Battle Sense], gramps told me that some people should have it. I guess she has good talent. Even I wasn''t born with [Battle Sense] she must be really favored by the heavens. "How do you ''sense'' my power?" "I don''t know, I just feel it. But I feel an aura from you if I try, I can tell that you''re holding at least seventy percent of your power!" "Hahaha." Looks like [Battle Sense] isn''t as reliable as sensing with magic. Kai''s hid at least ninety-seven percent of his power to match her and hid ninety-eight percent before. My power is just too high! How could everyone else have this low of a power! And she''s even considered as a prodigy! Kai thought this world was unbalanced as it could be. "Close but when you count it in numbers, you''re at least hundreds of numbers far." "S-seriously?" Kai nodded and smiled. "You''re a monster.." "Sorry, but I already know." Kanako sighed and shook her head. "You should use at least ten percent in the competition, or else I can guarantee your loss." "I was gonna use ten percent but are there people who can take on my ten percent?" "Yes." An immediate answer, guess they must be the prodigies of Blue Waters. Even more of a prodigy than her, never thought that someone could take my ten percent. He thought of all possibilities and became excited. If someone could take on ten percent of his physical power, and they had a good attitude, he''d definitely recruit them. They have good potential if they can really do that. He''d train them and mentor them, although Kai is most likely the youngest one who''s gonna compete. Of course people would only follow him; a kid, if Kai shows his supreme power. "Oh by the wa-" Before she finished, her fist struck out and was aimed at Kai''s chest. Too obvious! Kai caught her attack with his left palm and gripped her hand tightly.Stolen story; please report. "[Shockwave Palm]." Kai aimed his right palm towards her chest and said those words. Compressed air flew out and sounds could be heard before anyone could react but the pressure one would feel was immense. It was like a car was about to hit you. The sound itself felt as if it was tearing into your very souls. Before the compressed air had hit her, Kai retracted his palm and kicked one of her foot while she was in shock as Kai gripped her other hand tightly and threw her with the leverage the kick gave. "Wha-?" She fell down. That was it. "Ow ow ow. What did you just do...?" "It''s one of my original moves, I saw a hand-to-hand battle the other day, I could tell that once they reached close quarters, whoever is the smartest wins. So I made a move that can defeat my opponents from afar. I compressed air using [Martial Arts] and no magic at all. It''s like making a loophole for my ''no magic'' rule." "I see.." Kanako had her eyes wide open. "Amazing, to think you can pull it off like that, and you''re even three years younger!" "Yeah.." I am technically sixteen years older than you so you don''t need to feel to overwhelmed. Kai inwardly thought to himself. "Wait, I can see that you retracted that move before it hit, what would happen if I WAS hit?" "Er.." Kai looked away to the side avoiding her question. "Kai?" There''s no way I can tell her that it would instantly kill anyone at her level! She''d beat me up for using that sort of move in a spar for sure! "Err...something..." "Suspicious.." She stared at him for quite awhile and just sighed in the end. "Alright fine, I won''t pester you anymore. But don''t use any killing moves like that in a spar!" "Eh!? How''d you know!?" She glared at Kai. "So I was right! Why would you use a move like that!?" Eh? I''ve been tricked haven''t I? Was it the guilt or did I let my guard down cause I thought she wasn''t capable of seeing through me? "Well I retracted it anyway.." "That''s beside the point! Anyone would pee their pants if they were to face a move like that! The sound itself is frightening, and when I saw the air around me changing like it was about to explode, I panicked!" "Sorry sorry." "Hmph!" She turned her head to the side, it was obvious that this was an act now. Kai could see through her. Looked like she was quite happy for him instead for finding a move to keep himself safe. "Hahaha...Well should we continue?" "No, I think that''s enough for today. Continuous training is good but also bad. It can stress the mind." "I see." She sounds too smart for a thirteen-year old. Contrary to the fact that I used to think the opposite. That [Curse] only affected her personality so I wonder how she could change THIS much? Maybe she''s actually that smart? No use thinking about it, I should head back to my room and rest. "I''ll head back to my room first then." "Nn." Kai nodded slightly then left without another word. "Nobody can beat him in the competition, I''m sure of that. Not even my big sister would win." She sighed and went back to her room as well. Kai''s room I''m progressing quite nicely in terms physical training. At this pace if I just keep going for a month and a half, I''ll be ready. Kai sat down cross-legged on his bed while chanting. A faint blue aura could be seen surrounding him if someone looked closely. The faint blue aura is actually a new technique he created by recreating [Mana Surge], [Mana Surge] is a violent burst of mana inside the body, it enhances the body for a limited period of time, of course with Kai''s mana regeneration rate, the time limit is non-existent. He made the violent burst of mana into calming waves that flow through the body and fix mana flows. It would make mana purer and even enhance it. His level increases while he uses this method. "Hm, I''m satisfied, I should probably name it." He pondered for a moment before looking up. "Ah I know." He bumped his fist on his palm to emphasize that he figured something out. "[Mana Veins]." That should do for now, if I ever upgrade it in the future I''ll change the name with it. "I''m gonna keep training for the rest of the night." Next Morning Kai stands up from his position and yawns while stretching. "Tired.." His eyes were half-closed as he staggeringly walked outside. "I guess a child''s body still can''t take staying up twenty-four seven." I used to stay up for two or three days straight without trouble. Of course, I also took care of my body and had sufficient rest after a marathon. "Err..Kai?" "Hm?" I turn my head to the left and saw Aine-san standing there. "Why do you look like you battled for a whole day and just came back the day after?" Do I look that bad? I just stayed up for a bit. Could it be the training? "I had physical training yesterday and stayed up the whole night." "Oh so you found a trainer?" "Yeah." The tone of her voice changed from caring to serious. "How much did it cost..?" "Free." She looked surprised as she asked again. "Why was the training free?" "It was more like repaying a favor, she told me she''d train me all I want." "She?" Aine shot a questioning look at Kai. "A girl I freed from a [Curse]. She decided to train me to repay the favor." "A [Curse]!? You.Removed.A.Curse?!" "Yeah.." She looked at Kai with eyes slightly wide but retracted it as fast as it appeared. She sighed. "I''m used to it already.." She said in a low voice. She shook her head slightly and looked at Kai. "I''ve got news, a rumor has been spread around that the main branch of the Dark Guild had been attacked and suffered major damage." "Gramps'' work?" "Yes, it appears that the Dark Guild did all they can to hide the truth but a rumor still managed to slip from under their noses. It''s probably one of your grandfather''s tactics. Using outside help to deliver a blow to the Dark Guild." So gramps is gonna use righteous guilds or people who have a feud with the Dark Guild to lessen their power and fight the [God] once more? It''s a very smart plan but I get the feeling that the [God] should be stronger and smarter than that, he should''ve already figured it out. I doubt that the guilds would round up power over a few rumors. Dwindling the forces of the main enemy is good but that won''t erase the fact that the enemy is a [God]. A guild has to be extremely careful, rounding up an army would take enormous amounts of resources, and even more so attacking a guild with so many branches and back-up support because of a rumor. Especially the Dark Guild, they''re extremely crafty and would make great preparation and make deadly traps once they hear of armies preparing to attack. "Do you think he''ll succeed?" "Speaking frankly, no." Kai sighed. He had the same thoughts. "Do you think it''s just for them to increase their guard against others and lessen the heat on them?" Aine got surprised by Kai''s deduction. "I haven''t thought of that. But it''s highly unlikely." "Why?" Aine''s expression turned serious. "That''s because he''d do anything he can to save you. He''ll destroy them before they even have a chance to retaliate, I''m sure that''s what''s on his mind." ".." She''s telling the truth, I doubt gramps won''t charge in there alone if he knew I was held captive. Kai sighed after he realized her point. It was the irrefutable truth, his grandfather loved him too much to let even the slightest harm befall him. He was like his own son. "Enough about that." Aine waved her hand. "Have you gone and done quests yet?" "Quests?" Those exist in this world, she told me before, I have no idea how to take a quest though. Kai shot a confused look implying he didn''t know what to do. "I told you about quests but I forgot to tell you how to take them huh?" Kai simply nodded. "Well, you''ll first have to join a guild. Since we''ve already done that, we''re clear." Kai nodded again. "Next you''d have to go to the main hall. The quest board should be visible from there. You take it and go to the counter to indicate you''re taking it." "That''s it?" "Yeah, if it took a long time to do then nobody''d take quests." That''s actually pretty simple, just like a real game. "Are you going out on a quest, Aine-san?" "Nn." She''s fast. "How many quests have you done?" "Twenty or so." "..." No matter how you look at it, that''s too fast. It''s been only three or four days since we''ve arrived. "Aren''t you doing..too much?" She raised her eyebrow as if she didn''t know what Kai meant. "They''re all B-class quests anyway." Wait, isn''t F-class the starting point? "How''d you get from F to B so fast..?" "Well, some circumstances happened and I got to B faster than expected." Aine wasn''t looking at Kai when she said that. I wanna ask what sort of circumstances they were. Kai thought to himself. Did she beat up someone high-ranked? Was her level too high for the requirements? Nobody could figure it out. Kai let it slip by and decided to look for a quest before training. "If there are any quests I can finish before noon, I''ll take it." Kai walked towards the spacious main hall, the quest board was in full view. It had paper attached to it from bottom to top. "I guess it is pretty obvious." Kai walked towards the quest board. It''s size was at least seven meters, when compared to Kai''s body it looked like a [Human] challenging a [Titan]. [Titans] are part of the [Hybrid] race, like the name implies, they are huge creatures. They are mostly all violent and don''t listen to reason, but a [Titan] who is actually open to communication is called a [Giant]. [Giants] are scarce compared to [Titans]. Although they are both few in numbers, their power far exceeds [Humans]. It once said that if they ally themselves and attack the [Human] race, [Humans] would be on the brink of extinction before defeating them. "The quest board is filled with quests like: Find my cat, Kill goblins, hunt boars and bring back the pelts, and find missing people." Typical. "Hm?" Train my daughter with magic, required: level fifty [Mage]. "I can actually try to do this in my spare time, it doesn''t say I have to do it daily. I doubt her parents would let me train her though." Well there''s nothing here that requires me to be an adult, I bet that''s because there are only a few people here who are level fifty. I might try this in the future if it''s still available. Kai made a mental note. Using magic was easy, but teaching it to another person was a different story. Without sufficient experience, all you''ll be able to teach are parlor tricks. With Kai being as strong as he is, alot of people would line up just for a shot at being his disciple, although right now, nobody even knows his name. "I''ll go and find her now." Kai walked away from the quest board and headed towards the combat area. Thump Someone crashed into Kai with a thump sending Kai falling down. "Ow.." Kai groaned. His body was too small, it felt like he got hit by a truck. "Oh, my apologies for not looking, young one!" Kai looked up and saw a man at least six feet tall. ''Too tall!'' Kai''s first thoughts after seeing the man. "My name is Kane Farengar. Pleasure to meet you." His name.. is different? "I''m Kai." Kai said as he stood up. "Are you heading towards the combat area, Kai?" "Nn." Kai nodded his head in response. "I''m going now." "Okay." Kane stepped aside allowing Kai to pass. Kai nodded and continued down the hall. So that means all names aren''t based off of a single origin, just like the previous world. Kai thought. Kai got to the training area with no other complications and saw Kanako meditating on the floor. Looks like she''s training, better wait for her. Kai sat down next to her after that. ...... "Are the magical cannons ready?" A man who looked to be in his fourties yelled out. "Not yet! We need the shipments from the supplier!" A man who wore a bandana saluted and answered back. "Tell them to hurry up! We don''t have time to dilly-dally. We''ve wasted enough time!" The first man yelled. "Calm down, Shiro." That''s right, this man was none other than Shiro, Kai''s foster grandfather. "Just because Kai''s identity is revealed doesn''t mean they''ll attack him face to face. He''s still a formidable magician." Shiro sighed. "I know, but once you have a grandson who''s like your own son to you, you''d be as anxious as me, Gai." The man who threw a bucket of water over Shiro''s temper was the [Celestial] Gai. "Besides, Aine is watching over him. We all know she''s a descendant of Hana." Gai told him. "Slow and steady wins the race." Gai said before Shiro could speak. Shiro sighed again before turning around and walking towards his quarters. There was a book inside it, he flipped it open and started writing. "Looks like he''s gonna be in there for awhile." Sai the [Druid] had come up from behind them and said to Gai. "Yes, he''s been writing plans in that book ever since we got here." They both sighed and turned towards the horde of people rustling. "Soldiers! The operation to destroy the Dark Guild, namely Operation: Cleanse will begin in a fortnight!" "OOOOOOOOHHH!" People shouted as they raised their arms. "Just you wait, Dark Guild." Gai mischievously smiled. Chapter 13: Lions Heart Combat Area : Private Area Kanako was sitting cross-legged with Kai right next to her. It''s been two hours, has she cut off her five senses? Kai began to make some reasons in his head as to why she''s been meditating for so long. Did she feel like this was the time to level up? I better not disturb her. Kai came to this conclusion after rationing out everything. Unlike Kai, most people level up slowly. Most people can take two weeks to reach level twenty one from level twenty. Of course this is not without rewards, the higher your level, the longer your lifespan. Other races have lower lifespans, if a level two hundred [Human] has a lifespan of a thousand years, then a level two hundred [Hybrid] has a lifespan of two thousand years. This is also a reason why [Humans] are ranked the lowest, low lifespans. This means that other races can flourish faster and the old can still be around after and take care of the young. This is also one of the [Human''s] strong point, they have lower lifespans, in turn, their drive to get stronger is double if not, triple than others! Although the other races have many advantages compared to [Humans], this can be overturned with the [Human''s] will, the only trait [Humans] can boast of being number one. A few minutes later. Kanako opened her eyes to see Kai sitting right next to her, staring. "Did I do something..?" Kanako asked with uncertainty. "You meditated for two hours when I got here." Kai replied with a smile. "You didn''t wake me?" She replied as if it was common. "You shouldn''t wake up a person while meditating, everyone should know that." Kanako furrowed her brows at Kai''s answer. "Why..?" Kanako asked. "The person meditating might''ve reached a right time to level up or get stronger." Kai said. "I see.. I just had four of my senses cut off so that I could rest." Kai looked in surprise. "You can seal off your senses by will and can manipulate which ones?" "Nn." Kanako replied while nodding her head. She really has good talent. Kai said to himself. "Normally you''d need to use a skill of some sort in order to seal them off, only people born with a good affinity for mana can seal them without a skill, your potential as a mage must be superb." Kai complimented her. "I don''t know about that hahaha.." Kanako gave a dry laugh as she thought of her past experiences. "Enough about that." Kanako shook her head. "Have you met a person named Kane Farengar yet? He''s been here and just went out, you must''ve encountered him before you got here." "I have met him, it was only a slight exchange though." Kai thought back briefly before looking back at her. "He''s actually famous! He''s nicknamed [Lion''s Heart]!" Kai raised a brow. "[Lion''s Heart]?" "Yeah! Apparently, he''s never conceded a single battle nor cowered before a foe!" Kanako told him with eyes brimming with excitement. "So he''s got an iron will?" "That''s not all!" Kanako talked as if she was bragging about her own father. "He''s apparently strong enough to beat a hundred men just with his physical prowess alone!" Hm? That is impressive. "Are you sure that isn''t a rumor?" Kanako shook her head. "To be honest, I don''t know about that last part. All I know is that he''s really strong." A sweat bead formed on Kai''s forehead. This girl will get tricked someday, I just know it. Kai thought. "So should we go training already? Kai changed the topic. He wasn''t too interested in that topic seeing as his power could easily trample that [Lion''s Heart] guy. Kanako picked up on his tone and didn''t inquire any further. She too knew that he could easily destroy him with one finger. "Well then.." She jumped from her position and immediately began to attack. "Take this!" Her hand had markings on it. "[Cobra Fist]!"Stolen story; please report. She shot her hand out as it the markings glew green. The air around her hand felt like it was being ripped apart. Air manipulation? Looks like she has gotten better. I''m pretty sure she had just invented this technique seeing as there are too many flaws. Kai deduced. Kai sighed. He pounced towards her and took hold of her right arm. "Wha-?!" He put pressure on her arm forcing it to bend slightly downwards. Looks like I can''t stop the pressure with this little strength, her technique must be pretty strong. Kai made a decision. Her hand shooting towards the floor made the air pressure around her hand to increase twofold. BANG It hit the floor leaving a small crater as small as her fist. "[Air Palm]." Air shot out of Kai''s palm towards Kanako. [Air Palm] is a weakened version of [Shockwave Palm] that Kai had used against Kanako during their past sparring session. The air was like a reverse vacuum as it made Kanako''s face looked like it was being squashed as she made weird sounds. The corner of Kai''s mouth formed into a smile. "Sto...p it..." Kanako''s voice could barely be heard under the air pressure. "Looks like it''s my win." With that statement, Kai retracted his palm. "I thought you weren''t gonna use any mana attacks for the tournament, that clearly was not a physical attack!" Kanako exclaimed. "Ah." "You just realized?!" Their sparring continued from morning to mid-day. They only stopped once they heard the bell signifying it was noon. "Should we stop here today?" A sweaty Kanako asked Kai. "Nn, I think this is a good point to stop." Kai replied. "[Breeze]." WHOOSH Cold wind appeared from Kai''s palm as it swept up Kanako and himself. "Ah, so cold." Kanako said. All the sweat they had worked up disappearing. "I''ll also restore our energy, [Heal]." Kai''s hand glew green as he pointed it towards Kanako. "Ahhhh, it feels so good." Kanako said with a look of joy on her face. "[Self Heal]." Kai''s whole body glew green as his stamina that had been drained came back. After a few moments, Kai was full energy as the green glow faded. There are five ways to improve status points in this world; leveling up, training the status, potions, inheritance magic, and finally experiments. Of course the final one is banned, experiments shouldn''t be tested on anyone. Therefore nobody has heard of someone being experimented on, there were rumors but it never escalated further. By doing physical training, Kai''s strength stat has been steadily increasing, he first focused on being a [Mage] so his wisdom stat had been higher than any of his other stats, but now his strength had also improved. "I think I can destroy a lane of ten whole houses with my physical strength alone. I wonder what would happen if I imbued it with mana.." Kai felt confident. Kai turned around and was heading towards the quest board when Kanako''s voice rang out. "Kai, wait." Kai turned around. "What is it?" Kai said as he tilted his head. "Well, you see.. Can you come with me to see [Lion''s Heart] Kane?" Kanako said while playing with her fingers. "What for?" Kai asked with a look on his face that says he doesn''t get it. "Well you see, my big sister and him are actually in a relationship. So he looks after me from time to time." "I see.." Kai nodded for her to continue the story. "It''d be kind of awkward but I was gonna ask him to take me to my big sister, I haven''t seen her in three months." Kai''s face was full of confusion. "Why would it be awkward..?" Kanako lowered her head. "Well you see, he won''t allow me to meet her unless I could either bring someone strong enough to mop the floor with him or be able to do that by myself." "And that''s awkward how?" Kai asked again. "I always end up face first into the ground cause I wanted to meet my sister. The one who made the rule that he has to be defeated before I could meet her was my sister herself." "Why would she do that?" "It''s because I''ve always been too attached to her ever since I was a kid. She thought I would be too reliant on her in the future, so to improve on my own she had set this rule." Kanako smiled. "So can you please come with me?" Kanako said with her hands in a begging position. "Hmm.." Kai thought for a moment. "Fine, I doubt it''d take much energy to beat him anyway." Kanako''s smile got wider. "Thank you!" Kanako pounced at an unaware Kai. Thump Kai fell flat on the floor as Kanako gave him a surprise hug. "Ow.." Kanako immediately stood up as she heard Kai''s voice. "I forgot, you were smaller than me. Hahaha." STAB That hurts my feelings. Kai felt downcast. Kai doesn''t like to be called a kid, small, or anything related to that due to his experiences in his past life. They walked towards the hall into the quarters. "You shouldn''t expose your power much in front of him though." "Why is that?" "It''s simply because he''s part of the Knight Order, he might try and recruit you if he saw your potential, I don''t think you''d like that." Kai nodded. "Alright then, I''ll try and keep it as normal as possible." Kai smirked immediately after his words. Knock knock knock Kanako and Kai had arrived in front of a room labelled ''Farengar''. "Hm?" A tall man had opened the door. Of course this man was none other than Kane Farengar. "Kanako? Are you here to challenge me again?" "Yes!" Kane sighed. "Did you bring someone with you or are you gonna challenge me yourself?" Kane stepped out of his room into the hall. "I brought someone with me." Kanako stepped to the side revealing Kai behind her. "Oh, it was that kid earlier." STAB He called me a kid again. "So he''s gonna challenge me?" "Yes!" Kanako was filled with confidence. "Well, I could tell he wasn''t ordinary but you won''t blame me if you get hurt will you?" "Nope." Kai replied. "Alright then." Kane walked the path Kai and Kanako came from. "Follow." Kai nodded and simply followed behind him. They reached the training area they had just left but took a turn to the left. "This is the sparring area. Only a tiny bit of difference from the combat area." Kane stopped and turned around. "So are you ready?" "Yes!" Kai replied with firm resolve. "Start!" Kane yelled out. He kicked the floor and shot towards Kai. His right arm had been retracted and looked like it was gonna knock out Kai at the moment it hits. Looks like he takes everyone seriously. Kai praised him inwardly. Kai changed his battle stance as he tried to take the punch head on. "Wha-?" Kane had been surprised but continued his attack anyway. "Take this!" His right arm shot out towards Kai. Kai suddenly closed his eyes. His left palm shot out and received the blow. BANG It was like metal collided with each other. Kane flew back several feet while Kai stood at the same position with eyes closed. "Amazing.. To think that you''re stronger than me in physical prowess." Kane praised him. "Too bad this won''t be settled that easily." Kane took a pose that looked like he was holding a sword. He had worn regular clothes before. "[Equip: Golden Bear Armor]!" Kane glew a bright yellow light for an instant. In his hands appeared a great sword twice as large as a regular person. On his body, golden armor that seemed like nothing could penetrate it. His shoulders were covered with large shields and it looked like every corner of his body had armor. On his chest was a bear''s face carved in gold. "This is the strongest armor in my arsenal, hopefully you can receive a blow." He swung his sword towards Kai casually. The air suddenly split apart and headed towards Kai. "Hm?" Kai opened his eyes and received the blow once again. "[Tiger''s Claw]." Kai''s hands flashed a faint image of a tiger as he slashed towards the wave of air. DING A ringing sound rang out. The huge air wave had been cancelled out along with Kai''s move. He really is strong... A casual swing had been that strong, how strong would a strike at his full power could be?! Kanako looked like she was about to faint. Kane''s eyes widened. "You can block a blow from my great sword?!" Kane yelled out. Does that mean I have to utilize my special move? Kane''s back was drenched with cold sweat. "Don''t lose focus." Kai''s voice interrupted Kane''s thinking. A ball of fire had appeared a few feet before Kane. "He can use magic too?!" Kane changed his stance to prepare and slice the attack in half. His golden great sword had been raised up. "[Mountain Splitter]!" His great sword had sliced downwards preparing to make contact with the [Fireball]. "I don''t encourage that." The [Fireball] suddenly looked distorted. BOOM The [Fireball] had exploded right as it was hit by the great sword. "Gah!" Kane flew towards the wall like a rag doll; great sword released. CRASH Kane''s body made contact with the wall and made a large crashing sound. "Oops.." Kai scratched his head. "That was too much power." Kanako had long had her mouth and eyes wide open. "Kai..you.." Kanako struggled to let the words out. "I might''ve accidentally wounded him badly... I''ll heal him don''t worry!" Kai hastened to fix the situation. This is bad, I''ve shown too much. A sweat bead formed on Kai''s forehead. Chapter 14: Eyes on you Blue Waters Guild: Infirmary There lying upon the bed was a man covered in bruises. By his side were two children. When someone looks at this scene, they''d see a battle-scarred father being cared for by his own two children. Too bad the truth isn''t at all like it seems. If anyone was told that the smallest kid here was the one who injured the man to this state, anyone would think they''re crazy. "How''s it look?" Kanako asked anxiously. "It''s not at all life-threatening, he just fainted." Kai replied. "This would probably take a week to heal. I wonder how he got those bruises?" The one in charge of the infirmary asked. Although it would take me ten seconds at most. Kai inwardly thought. "He had a spar with some really strong person!" Kanako replied. "Hm? They must be really strong to reduce the vaunted [Lion''s Heart] to this state." Kai gave a dry laugh inside. "By the looks of these injuries, it looks like he had been sent flying and crashing into a wall at an unbelievable speed! It also looks like he was caught off-guard." The person in charge said as he analysed Kane''s body. He can tell? I guess he really is an expert. I wonder how many people he had to cure inside this room. Kai praised the man inwardly. "I wonder if I can know the name of the person who sparred with Mr. [Lion''s Heart] here?" The man said with his hands rubbing together. Does he smell profit? If he could link himself with the person who defeated Kane then he thinks he could improve his skills? The man was sly. Kanako thought. "We don''t know the name of the person who sparred with him, sorry." Kai answered before Kanako could speak. "Too bad.." The man sighed. "My name is Robby Krone. People call me Rob." Rob said with a voice full of pride. "My name is Kai." "I''m Kanako." The two answered shortly. "Wait.. Have you two never heard of ''Rob''?" A look of disbelief in Rob''s eyes. "Can''t say I have." Kai answered first. "I don''t think so?" Kanako tilted her head to the side. I''m pretty sure everyone has heard my name as the best healer in this whole village, could it be that someone has bested me? "Greatest healer in the village?" Kai shook his head at Rob''s questions. "Healing prodigy?" Kai shook his head. "Miracle Healer?!" Kanako and Kai shook their heads. "Could it be that you two really have never heard of my name before..?" Rob looked dejected. "Look, we''ve never heard of you before."This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Kai stopped Rob''s repeated questions. "Anyway, you don''t look like a [Mage] to me, are you sure you''re well-known?" Kai''s originally high opinion was dropping each time the man spoke a line. What happened to the really serious man I saw earlier? "I''m a medical prodigy even without using magic." "What do you mean?" Kanako tilted her head. "I can cure illnesses faster than magic users!" Kanako was surprised. "Even faster than magic users?" "Exactly!" Rob exclaimed. "On average, [Healers] would take a week or two with curing people of severe illnesses. But I on the other hand have encountered no disease which I could not cure in a day!" Rob said filled with pride. "Doesn''t that just mean that the [Healers] were incompetent or still new?" Kai cuts in. "No no, you see.." Rob takes a book out from a drawer. "This book contains my life research on illnesses. The fastest way to cure them, what causes them, and what they are." "How old are you exactly?" Kai was having doubts. "I''ve just became fifty-seven last week." Kai and Kanako''s eyes were wide in surprise. "But..you look so young?" Kanako''s reaction was like she heard the most unbelievable thing. On the other hand, Kai saw his grandfather also look young before so he was not as surprised, still he''d be lying if he said he expected that. "Hm?" Rob looked at Kai''s expression. "You don''t seem to be too surprised young man." Kai sighed. "I''ve also seen someone who was old yet has youthful looks already." Rob was astonished. "I want to meet that person, either that person has a hefty amount of magic power or... he''s a great doctor, like me!" It''s the former. You''d be disappointed when you would find out that he isn''t proficient in healing magic. Kai answered him in his mind. "Anyway, that''s enough chatting." Rob closed the book and placed it inside the drawer. "The patient needs some rest, it''d be best to not make too much noise." Kai and Kanako nodded and left the room silently. When they were far enough from the clinic, away from everyone else, Kanako whispered to Kai excitedly. "But to think you had such amazing power!" Kanako''s eyes brimming with excitement. "I wonder how much you''re still hiding.. You told me that you''ll only use ten percent of your power, I wonder how much that really is." Kanako stared at Kai for awhile hoping he would give an answer. Unfortunately for her, what she met was silence. "Alright, fine. Since you''re not gonna speak, I won''t force you. I just hope you''ll tell me in the future." Kai nodded seemingly agreeing to what she proposed. "Maybe when you''re half my current level, I''ll tell you. Kai whispered to Kanako. He just said ''Maybe''. Kanako fumed on the inside but at least it let out a ray of hope that he might someday tell her. 4 She gave a hmph and looked towards the side. She''s mad. A bead of sweat dropped form Kai''s forehead. "Alright fine, I''ll tell you when you reach half my current level." Kai reassured Kanako. "And what is your current level?" Kanako asked gently hoping that he would tell her accidentally. "I''ll tell you when it''s time. Just keep me updated when you level up." Kanako pouted. He didn''t fall for it. Kanako felt depressed. "Kai, I know I''ve asked you before but are you really a kid?" Kanako said seemingly annoyed. So she wants me to be the easy-to-fool type huh? Kai figured out her intentions. "I''ll be honest here, I''m actually..." Kanako gulped. "Over a hundred years old." Kanako fell down on the spot. Could it be that it was too exaggerated? Or did she actually fall for it? Kai couldn''t figure that one out. "A.." Kanako''s eyes couldn''t be seen. "A..?" Kai was waiting. "AMAZING!!" Kanako pounced on Kai and held onto his collar. "How did you do it!?" She kept on pulling and pushing on his collar repeatedly. "Are you really a hundred years old? How strong are you? Can you destroy mountains? Who''s older, you or my grandpa?" Kanako barraged Kai with tons of questions with no end in sight. "Wai-" Before Kai could stop Kanako, she had increased the pace of questions drowning out Kai''s voice. This girl...! "I was tricking you!" Kai''s voice reverbrated inside Kanako''s head. "You were tricking me?" She pointed at herself. "But it was too convincing! Are you lying to me again?" Kanako was doubting his truth but believed his lie. This girl is the very definition of the word naive. "No, I''m not lying. I''m ten years old!" Kanako looked dejected right after Kai''s last sentence. "I''m really worried about you. There''s a really huge chance you''ll get tricked in the future." Kai stood up and stretched his shoulders. "I''ll probably build an immunity to being tricked eventually because you always play tricks on me." Kanako pouts. If I was in my former body and she was near my age, I''d most likely fall for her. But along with my new boy, I''ve also matured. Ironic isn''t it? I''m more mature in a child''s body than I was in my old one. Just as Kai was teasing Kanako, a voice rang out from behind them. "Kaiiiii!" Kane''s voice rang out. Crap, he''s awake! I need to get away. But before Kai could run, Kane had already reached him by means of who knows what. Kane tackled Kai sending Kai falling. How many times have I fallen down today?! Kai was vexed. Before Kai could scold Kane, Kane had gotten on all fours and bowed his head until it smacked the ground. "Please join the [Knight Order]!" Kane begged. "Eh?" Kanako looked blankly. ".." Kai was speechless. This was what he wanted to avoid the entire time. Before Kai could refuse, another voice rang out. "No! Please join me!" It was Rob this time. "What''s your purpose, Rob?" Kai asked. "Once Kane told me your story, I figured it out! You doubted my medical skills simply because you are better! So I request you to join me!" Rob also bowed down. "Umm.." The commotion of Kane and Rob asking one person to join them quickly formed a crowd. What happened to my low profile..? Kai felt quite dejected. "I''m not planning on joining anything right now." Kane and Rob''s eyes glistened. "He said ''right now''." "Yeah, I heard that too." Kane and Rob whispered to each other then nodded. "Okay! We will not force you but, you will have to give one of us an answer in a day less before fortnight." Kai thought for a moment before nodding. "Alright." With that, Kane and Rob went their separate ways in preparation of giving Kai some motivation to join them. "Are you gonna join either of them?" Kanako crept to Kai''s side. "Nope." Kai answered nonchalantly "Then why did you keep them waiting?" Kanako was confused. "You never know." Kai smiled. "You''re really weird." Kanako giggled. Chapter 15: First Quest It has been three days since Kane and Rob caused the huge ruckus over Kai. Kai, in less than a fortnight, will give them an answer. Kai''s room Yawn Kai''s yawning could be heard throughout his room, it was like a huge monster just finished its hibernation. Kai''s half-closed eyes were trying to scan around his room as he stood up. His gaze stopped on a drawer next to his bed. His hand stretched out and took something from one of the drawers. His hand was trying to find something yet he could not grasp it. "There you are." Kai''s crisp morning voice rang out. He took out a violet book with an aura of death written all around it. [Grimoire], cursed magic books used by [Mages] good or evil to get amazing power. Their curse is not necessarily evil in the first place but their might is undoubtedly unparalleled. But without a doubt, the book Kai has in his hand is evil at its prime. It was a book stored in his grandfather''s underground library. He hadn''t searched it all and only found it the night before. "Having a library in my pocket is really useful." His grandfather''s library which could transform into a cube didn''t need to be opened to be searched. He only had to make his consciousness sink inside and he can automatically bring out or put anything back. "Dark Magic huh?" Kai aquired all of the basic elements: Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Lightning. He also had one of the strongest elements: Light. And his hand is the only other element which could match Light; Darkness. "With this I''d be able to control seven elements, although I am most proficient in Fire." The elements all started from one, it was called The first element. Nobody knew what its properties were. All people knew was that all elements came from it. From the first element, it turned into Time, Space, Void, Galactic, and many other big powers. These were then divided until the most basic elements were created. "As long as one were to comprehend the elements from the most basic and upwards, they can eventually control all types of magic." Kai''s eyes brightened. "I hope what this [Grimoire] promises is true." There were many different branches from the first element but, if you only focused on one, you''d still reach it. As Kai kept reading, his eyes flickered with different emotions, from joy, sadness, confusion, and wisdom. "[Grimoires] are really magical.." Kai was lost in thought. Kai shook his head after a few moments. "I shouldn''t be too tempted. I''ve also heard that because [Grimoires] are this profound that many people have strayed into the dark path." I musn''t be influenced. I musn''t be influenced. I musn''t be influenced. Kai repeated these words in his heart. After awhile, Kai sighed softly. "Phew.." Kai''s heart was clear. "This [Grimoire] should be top-class, not many of these would be able to shake my will." Kai praised the [Grimoire] inwardly. "But something''s weird." Kai furrowed his brows. "I''ve also read that [Grimoires] have their own consciousness and astral body." Kai stared at the [Grimoire] in his hands. Stare. Kai''s never-ending gaze would make any person back away or feel that it was inappropriate. He was like a tiger stalking its prey. But the [Grimoire] did not move an inch in the end. Kai sighed. "I guess it wasn''t true." Kai felt dejected but it wasn''t all that important. The [Grimoire] might be smarter than he is but it certainly wouldn''t be more powerful, right? "Well I''ll know if it ever appears." Kai stood up and left his bed. He put the [Grimoire] back in the drawer and closed it. He also added a seal on it to prevent it from being opened. If the seal was broken or touched, he would immediately know. He went out of his room and went to the training area immediately. Surprisingly, Kanako wasn''t there. "Hm?" Kai tilted his head in confusion. "She''s always early. I guess I''ll go look for her." Kai turned around and searched the whole building, even her room. Yet, there was no sign of her, not even a shadow. Just one place left.. Kai sighed. He went to the quest area and saw that Kanako was there looking at the quest board with a panicky expression. "Kanako?" Kai appeared behind Kanako. "Kyah!" Kanako shrieked. "Hey, don''t scream on my face!" Kanako looked at him. "It was your fault.. Approaching me from behind and all.." Kai sighed. What should I do with this girl? "But, I can''t train you right now. I haven''t taken quests recently and just found out that I have no money left!"If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Kai was confused. "But don''t they give you a hefty amount of money each month?" Kanako averted her gaze. "Um..well.. some stuff happened and.. yeah." Whistle. Kanako was whistling. "You..." Kai looked at her with wide eyes. "...got scammed didn''t you..?" Kanako felt a jolt. "N-no! W-what a-are you talking a-about!?" There was a really weird expression on her face. Bingo. She really can''t lie. "I knew this would happen..." Kai sighed again. If he counted the number of sighs he did in a week, he''d probably be bored of all the counting. And the one who made him sigh all the time? It was obviously her. "I''ll help you get a quest.. I also need one anyway." Kai led Kanako to the quest board. "So since you''ve run out of funds, that means we need to pick one that gives alot of money as a reward." Kai scanned his eyes on the board. "Is this one good?" Kai grabbed a quest. Kanako took it from his hands. "..." Kanako was speechless. "Kai, are you joking?" Kanako glared at Kai. "Of course not." Kai wondered what was wrong. "Hunt the Legendary Golden Tiger and bring back its canine as proof. The rest of the body may be aquired by the killer." Kanako glared at Kai then continued reading. "Reward is.. five hundred silver!!" Kanako shouted out. Everyone looked at her once and retracted their gazes. Just another one who tries to bite off more than they can chew. They all thought to themselves. "This Legendary Golden Tiger is not one we should take lightly.." Kanako felt dejected. "If only it was a weaker one then maybe I could take it down.." Kai took back the poster from her. "What are you talking about?" Kai looked at her. "Don''t you have me?" Kai stuck his chest out proudly. "Good point!" Kanako''s eyes brightened. "You''re alot stronger than Kane, so I''m pretty sure that you''re gonna be able to kill that tiger easily!" Kanako immediately took back the poster and ran towards the register. "I would like to register this quest please." Kanako said with all smiles. "Just a moment." A girl on the counter looked at the quest. She widened her eyes. "Ma''am are you sure about this?" She was hinting at Kanako that this quest was quite dangerous. "Yes." Kanako nodded. "Your rank is enough to challenge this B-rank quest but I advise that you get some assistance." The girl was quite nice. "Don''t worry, I''ve got some help." Kanako hinted towards Kai. After seeing the young boy even younger than the girl in front of him, the girl couldn''t help but sigh. "I advise you get stronger help. Here is your quest Ma''am." Kanako heard it but paid no heed to what she said and headed towards Kai. "Let''s go!" Kanako kept smiling. Looks like she was really excited. They walked outside the guild an eventually reached the forest. The place for their quest was behind the great forest, there were plains as far as the eye could see and a huge cave at the end. That was the place of slumber for the Legendary Golden Tiger. "So how are we gonna find this place?" Kai asked. "People say his home is something that nobody can ever find. If it was found, then people from the Knights Association would immediately go there to subdue it." Kanako replied. (A/N: I''ve changed Knight Order to Knights Association since it sounds better.) "Is it really that dangerous?" Kai was surprised. "Of course!" Kanako exclaimed. "Imagine a golden tiger the size of three people." Kai was speechless. "The tiger we''re hunting is the size of three people..?" Kai couldn''t help but ask again. "Yeah. And by people, I mean adults. So it''s basically six times taller than us or so." Kai didn''t know if he should get mad or not. No matter how big it was, when compared to Kai''s power it was still weak. But if this girl were to inform someone this late, they''d probably be steaming from anger. "You know..." Kai sighed. "Nevermind, let''s just go." They walked for quite awhile in silence. Monstrous beasts in this continent were quite strong, even though they were in the weakest continent. The Red Sky was the weakest since it had the lowest and weakest number of [Gods] and other beings. Although it is one of the most populated continents in the [Human] continents. [Human] continents are continents that have an abundance of [Humans], [Angelic] continents had an abundance of [Angels] and holy power, while [Demonic] continents were vice versa, they had an abundance of [Demons] and dark power. Other than the five continents that Gaia has, these continents excluding [Human] continents come from a place above Gaia. A continent above the sky. They cannot be seen or tracked by beings with low amounts of power. These are the main continents in the world of Gaia. The five continents can even be called the sub-continents of these two types of continents. To this day, nobody knows the exact number of continents above Gaia. Whoever created Gaia certainly very powerful. "So can you tell me how to attract it now?" Kai broke the silence first. Kanako smirked. "Well... They say that the Legendary Golden Tiger really likes.." Kai leaned in closer. "People with a really strong amount of magic power!" Ah, I get it now. Kai sighed. "So I''m gonna be the bait and also take care of it?" Kanako smiled. "Yup!" She didn''t deny it.. "Well I sorta expected that, but you could''ve at least told me that you''re gonna help me a bit." Kanako stuck her tongue out. "If I said that, I''d be lying." Kai felt helpless. "Well it can''t do anything to me anyway." Kai gave up on resisting. "So I just have to release enough magic to attract it?" Kanako nodded. "That''s basically it." Alright. Kai closed his eyes and stabilized his breathing. RUMBLE "Eh..EH?!" Kanako was searching around in a panic. The rumbling noise got louder and louder until Kanako fell on her butt. "Ouch! What is happening!?" Kanako had a look full of absolute terror. "An earthquake!? Why!?" Her eyes even had tears on them. "Hm?" Kai opened one of his eyes and saw Kanako with a face full of fear. "What is it?" The tremors stopped. ... ".......Eh? Seriously!?" Kanako''s face was priceless. "What''s with that face?" Kai was confused but couldn''t help but grin a bit when he saw her face. "The t-t-tremors!" "You''re trembling yourself." Kanako glared at Kai. "But still, that magic power was too much! I think you even scared the tiger!" I''m sure that a magic level of my own could cause only a small space to quake; to what extent? I don''t know yet. "My magic power could at most cause the area around us to quake, I don''t think it''ll affect the tiger." ROOARRR Just at the time a mighty defeaning roar resounded throughout the calm plains. "Or maybe it did.." A golden tiger could be seen running towards them at speeds that could leave the air around to be pierced. "So fast!" Kanako was shocked. "Didn''t you say it should be pretty far?" Kai was calm. "It should be! I guess that means it''s so fast that it can travel the plains in the blink of an eye." Or its home was just near and we accidentally stepped into its territory.. "Well, whatever. This should be great training for my close combat techniques." Kai took a fighting pose and waited for the tiger to arrive. The tiger had glints of anger hidden in his eyes. A prideful animal such as it wouldn''t accept that a mere [Human] isn''t scared of it. Just as the tiger were a mere three meters away from Kai he warned Kanako. "Stay back!" "Nn!" She leaped backwards. "Now, let''s see you take my techniques head on." The golden tiger fiercely bellowed. It''s right paw was raised up and then slammed down. "[Redirection Arts: Rebound]." Kai shouted out. "Eh?!" Kanako filled with disbelief. Kai didn''t pay any attention to her and just reflected the tiger''s palm. ROARRR The tiger roared fiercely again as it''s right paw had been dislocated. Kai didn''t give it any chance to recover as he jumped towards it. His left hand turned into a fist and aimed right for the tiger''s jaw. "Ha!" Kai shouted. His left fist shot out. The tiger''s instinct allowed it to barely dodge Kai''s attack. But Kai wasn''t done there. His right fist shot out as well and it''s target was the tiger''s body. The tiger was hit but it did not back down and pounced. "Heh." Kai formed a smirk. "I''ve been expecting that." His right and left fist retracted and placed near his waist. The tiger jumped above Kai and prepared to go down. Kai closed his eyes. "[Furious Fists]." He opened his eyes and a burst of pressure emerged from his atmosphere. He looked up and his right fist then left fist shot out. They retracted, shot out, retracted, shot out. They went faster and faster until it seemed like you couldn''t see his fists. Finally his fists landed on the tiger and assaulted repeatedly. The tiger groaned. Its body was being devestated by Kai''s never-ending fists. What''s more was that the fists weren''t thrown randomly, it was thrown at the tiger''s weakest points. It was like Kai knew that those were its weaknesses! "A-amazing.." Kanako was awestruck. Cracking sounds could be heard throughout the tiger''s body. It should be incapable of moving now. Kai''s attacks slowed down until he stopped. But before the tiger''s limp body could even touch the floor Kai''s right fist shot out again. It hit the tiger''s abdomen. He wasn''t done there, he twisted it to increase the pressure on the tiger. The tiger couldn''t make any noises as it was already killed after that last attack. "Kai, don''t throw its body! We need proof of quest completion!" Kanako was scared that Kai would make its body fly away. "Don''t worry!" After the final fist, the tiger crashed down. "Which part do we need?" Kai asked looking at the tiger. "We need it all." Kanako replied eyeing the tiger. STEP STEP STEP STEP STEP "Halt!!" A man at the front of the Knights stopped his steps and yelled raising his hand signalling the Knights to stop. The man then stepped forward and looked at the body of the Legendary Golden Tiger. "Are you two the ones who caused that [Magic Quake]?" Kai raised one of his brows. "What''s a [Magic Quake]?" The Knight''s facial expression changed as if looking at an idiot. "Well, as the name implies a [Magic Quake] is an earthquake but is caused by magic and [Magicians] all around will be able to feel the pressure." Eh? So doesn''t that mean I alerted everyone in the village? "We first thought it was the Legendary Golden Tiger causing it, but seeing as you have the tiger in your hands, it means that it must''ve come from you." The Knight deduced. "N-n-n-no t-that i-isn''t true!" Kanako stuttered while avoiding eye contact. She just blew my cover instantly. I didn''t even get a chance to defend myself from the Knight. Kai was speechless. "Judging from your reactions, I''m correct." The Knight looked calm. It looks like he had experienced this alot of times already. "We mean no harm." The Knight waved his hand. "I just want to offer a proposal." "What is it?" Kanako replied first. "I would like to invite you to the Knights Association!" Chapter 16: A Trail "But don''t get me wrong!" The Knight shook his hands. "I''m not inviting you to join the Knights Association itself, because from what I see, you''re a [Mage]." The Knight then straightened his back. "The Knights Association has branches, these branches have their own specialty. The Knight branch, as the name implies it is full of [Knights]. The Magic branch, full of spellcasters, any kind from regular ones to forbidden ones." He looked at Kai. "The Magic branch is the one we want you to join. Although there are also branches like the Support branch and the Vanguard." He then faced Kanako. "You little lady can''t join but once you grow up a bit, we''d welcome you with open arms." Not sparing Kanako another glance, he focused on Kai. "So what do you say?" Kai first looked at him then glanced behind him and saw his men with their disapproval. That was natural, seeing how old Kai actually was. "I thank you for the offer but I have things to do." He didn''t give them a proper answer, he didn''t want to involve himself in this kind of business. The Knights murmured right after his answer. "Who does this kid think he is? Just because he got scouted instead of joining himself, he thinks he''s all that?" One of the Knights sneered at Kai''s attitude. "Yeah, acting all high-and-mighty as if he doesn''t even put us in his eyes." "I bet any of us could beat him." "He''s only got potential in magic, what else? I don''t think he''s anything special." The Knights all had mocking comments worse than the one before. The person who led the Knights had no idea on what his men were saying but how could it escape Kai''s ears? He heard it all. Looks like their true nature shows themselves, they mock me if I decline but if I accept, they''d mock me even more for kissing up. Kai sneered. "Kanako, let''s go." Kai glanced at Kanako who was standing behind him and gestured her to follow. "Nn." Kanako was still speechless but followed Kai with her lowered head as if she was afraid of the Knights. When they walked a good distance away went closer to Kai. "Those people were very strong, any of them could take me on." Kanako shuddered. "From your carefree tone, they must''ve been pretty angry when you left just like that." "I already got scouted by Kane himself and still refused, what makes them think I''d put them in my eyes?" Kai''s expression was that of coldness. "You''re really cold, y''know." Kanako smiled a bit. Before they even arrived at the Blue Waters guild to turn their quest in, they had to deal with countless amount of gazes filled with envy, awe, and fear. Carrying the Legendary Golden Tiger said to be the strongest beast in the whole village was no simple feat. If it was one of the Knights, they''d rejoice but when two children did it, of course they''d be speechless. I should''ve just put it in my dimensional storage... Kai had a face full of regret. He wanted to keep a low profile but it kept on shattering because of the events that have happened.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. "Move out of the way!" Some men in cloaks were walking quite fast on the road. It looked like they were preparing for something. "Isn''t that the group who wants to eradicate the Dark Guild?" Kai''s ears twitched. The whispers of the crowd could all be heard by him. One conversation in particular made him very interested. "Their leader is a man in his forties right?" "Yeah yeah, I''ve also heard that the man is also very strong." "I also heard that he''s the strongest [Human] [Mage] on this continent!" "I heard that as well! I also heard his name was: Shiro." Kai stopped moving. "Kai?" Kanako went up to Kai and looked at his face. "Kai, what''s wrong?" Kai''s face was blank, his eyes were void. He stood still not moving. The people around who were looking at him before also noticed his strange movements. "Kai, you''re scaring me." Kanako was scared that Kai had suddenly broken. "Kanako.." Kai finally talked but in a low voice. "Kai, what is it?" Kanako was as close as possible. "I have to go." He gave Kanako the tiger and turned around. "Eh? Kai, what''s wrong?!" But he paid no heed to Kanako and ran towards the cloaked men. Everyone was looking at his figure but he vanished. Just like that, his body vanished. "Eh? Where did that boy go?" Everyone was amazed, if he could disappear in front of everyone like that, he had to be very strong. "Eh..?" Kanako was staring at the direction Kai fled. "What just happened..?" Kanako was confused as could be. ........ On top of a building, a kid was standing atop surveying the ground like a hawk. Naturally that kid was Kai. "They went over to that small building and their auras just disappeared." Kai placed his hand on his chin. "There must be some teleportation formation of some sort there." Kai jumped down whilst concealing his aura. ........ Kai arrived at the door of said building. "I don''t think there are any concealment formations on the teleporter." I hope. Kai opened the door and met with nothing. "I knew it." Nobody''s here, a teleportation formation is definitely located in here. The room Kai had entered was nearly empty. Other than some boxes and a carpet on the floor, nothing was there. "[Scan]" Kai''s eyes swept across the room and landed on the carpet. Typical.. Kai walked towards the carpet and pulled it. A symbol was on the floor. It looked like flowers and stars molded together. It shone in a translucent blue. "So I guess I just have to walk up to it?" Kai stood on the center of the formation. "Hm?" Kai furrowed his brows. "Don''t tell me there''s an activation key?" Kai looked around but to no avail, he found nothing. "This must''ve been to prevent people from entering, other than the ones who know the code." They''ve taken proper preparations.. "I''ll try imbuing it with mana." Kai closed his eyes and began breathing slowly. He pointed his hands toward the formation. "Open!" ... ... "Nothing happened." Kai sat down cross-legged and sighed. "Maybe a password?" Kai stood up again. "Open sesame!" .. "Alakazam!" "Abracadabra!" "Hocus Pocus?" .. "Of course none of those would work..!" Kai fell down on his butt and sighed heavily. "Gramps has a variety of spells, I doubt I can discover it easily." He sat cross-legged and closed his eyes. A few hours later. Kai, still sitting cross-legged opened his eyes which glew a faint blue. "I''ve relaxed my body, time to search for clues." His eyes scanned nearly everywhere in the room. Nothing. "This is frustrating." Kai vigorously searched again for an hour only to find nothing. "I rested my body for hours, searched for an hour. Yet, I still find nothing." Kai sighed and laid down on the floor. He closed his eyes for a bit. Hope. He opened them as fast as it was closed and looked up. Hope? "Is that the code? And why is it written on the ceiling?" But he spent no time thinking about it, he immediately leapt up and straightened himself. "Hope!" .... "Nothing.." Kai said dejectedly. Kai sighed heavily once more. But being dejected was being dejected. He never stopped searching for clues. "If ''hope'' wasn''t the code, then does that mean their ''hope'' is the the code?" But what could they classify as ''hope''? Kai pondered for awhile. "Shiro." Nothing. "Yeah, I guess that''d be too easy." Kai sighed again. If it isn''t the force''s hope, does that mean it''s ..gramps'' hope? This is gonna be embarassing. "Kai." The teleporter''s marking suddenly had a cyan line passing through. It kept going and going until it reached the middle of the teleporter''s formation. Sigh. "He really had to make my name the rebellion''s portal code. So much for ''secrecy''." He stepped onto the portal and his body disappeared. ......... Blue Waters Guild Hall "What did you say?! Kai disappeared!?" Ryo was shouting as Kanako informed him of the events. "Yeah! He just turned around and fled after he gave me the tiger''s carcass." -Kanako was worryingly biting her thumb. "Now now, don''t worry. Kai must''ve had a good reason." Kane was also there and had been informed of everything. "I would''ve thought that as well! But..Once I saw the look on his face, I couldn''t stop worrying. His face was just like my father when he left for mother." The room went silent as worry grew in their hearts. "Now now, everyone calm down." A woman in her late-teens talked first. The woman was Kanako''s big sister, Kyoko. "Kyoko, what''re you doing here?" Kane was surprised. "I heard you had been defeated." Kyoko glared at Kane. Kane gulped. She paid no more heed to Kane and looked at Kanako. "Do not worry, from what I''ve heard, there''s nothing in this village that can threaten him if he can defeat Kane in an overwhelming manner." Kyoko''s comforting only made Kanako more worried. "Yeah but...what if it isn''t from the village..?" The others were shocked. "Could it be some external force?" Kane immediately asked. Kanako shook her head. "I don''t know, but he started acting strange when he saw people from that group." Kyoko''s expression shifted. "You''re talking about that group? The one who wants to destroy the Dark Guild entirely?" Kanako looked down with a solemn expression. "Yes.." Kyoko immediately charged out of the room. "This is bad, if he''s doing what I think he''s doing, he''s in great danger. Especially with that name." Kai. I do hope that you''re not the one the leader is protecting, if you are, you''ll have to stay away from my sister. Chapter 17: Infiltration "Everyone get moving! The operation''ll begin in ten days!" A man in a cloak shouted out. "Tch. We''ll have barely enough time to start the operation at this rate." One of the workers said disatissfied. "It''s better than us being worked to death, we just want to see the Dark Guild fall." Another one of the workers retorted. "We can blame only ourselves, if we at least had enough power we could attack the Dark Guild with them, but it''s better to be involved in the destruction rather than not." All of the workers here are people who had either no affinity for mana or had insufficient strength. But all of them are here by choice. From grudges to absolute hate, against one thing and one thing only: the Dark Guild. Families slaughtered, lovers slain in front of their very eyes, and children taken just because they couldn''t fight back. The one who caused all this pain and misery is the Dark Guild. These workers are the survivors of those incidents, or relatives of the ones who had been killed. An organization as evil as that would be stupid to think they had no enemies. .... A certain area in the base. "Hey, did somebody just use the formation?" A man who looked to be a guard asked. "Our team just passed through a few hours ago." One of the cloaked men whom Kai followed answered. "But the formation shows signs of being activated just a few minutes ago." "Don''t worry about it so much, I mean even if it was activated, wouldn''t we immediately find the culprit?" A man placed his arm over the guard. "Hahaha, I guess you''re right." The guard laughed half-heartedly. "That guard is really sharp." Behind a crate, a silhoutte could be seen crouching. "[Camouflage]." [Camouflage] is a spell that makes the user''s body, clothing, and even aura merge with the background. Although not at the level of total invisibility, one would still need alot of focus to sense something different. I''m sure gramps and his party can see me with no difficulty if they want to. "My goal right now isn''t to meet gramps, though I really want to. If I do see him, he''s probably gonna detain me somewhere so I won''t be harmed during their operation." Right now, all I need to do is confirm it. Kai ran but no sound followed. "[Silent Steps]." This way I won''t be hindered by slowing down. Even so, this base is quite large, it might take me five hours to search it all. Roughly two hours had passed when Kai had arrived at the center of the base. ''To sum up the information, they''re called the Crimson Arrow, an independent force set on destroying the Dark Guild filled with non-magicians and magicians of various races." The place Kai had reached is where most of the troops are stationed. "None of this info matters to me, all I need to know is that if gramps is the leader. If any of his party members are here, that would also help me." Kai whilst concealing himself, headed into the center. ... "Move it there!" "Faster, faster!" "We won''t have enough time so go faster!" Yells like these echoed out. There was never a moment where the workers stopped to rest, they all had this unwavering determination in their eyes. "Goes to show that we have to destroy the Dark Guild as fast as we can." For these people, they lived all this time just to see the Dark Guild fall even if their own families and lives were ruined. "Gramps gave them this hope." Kai walked in the crowd while avoiding the people passing through. Nobody could notice him, even if they did they''d just at most ask Kai what he was doing there and kick him out at most. But even still, he was trying to avoid people noticing him. If any of gramps'' party were informed of a kid being in this area, they''d probably inspect it right away. It''s really dangerous for a kid in this area. Kai walked faster towards the place that looked like their main headquarters. But before he could even get near, he had been grabbed. "Mmm!" His mouth had been covered and he''s currently being dragged to the side. His eyes flashed with a ferocious light. He immediately stopped struggling and ducked down whilst kicking the ground. His stop in the struggle surprised the man and had caught him off-guard.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. When Kai had kicked the floor, the man nearly fell down. "[Air Palm]." Kai threw the [Air Palm] against the man; expecting the man to be thrown back a few meters. But it didn''t happen. Whooooshh The [Air Palm] had been swept away like it was nothing. "Wha-!" But before Kai could react, the man rushed towards him with hands brandished like blades. "Ha!" The man''s right hand shot out towards Kai''s shoulder. One word appeared on Kai''s mind when he saw that hand. Danger. This guy isn''t a pushover. Kai bit his lower lip to get out of the trance and his footing switched. His right foot adopted a tiptoeing stance. His left foot stepped forward stomped the ground as his elbows retracted. "[Rotating Cannon]!" His hands twisted and launched forward while they rotated. They hit the man by surprise and hit his chest directly. "Fly." His hands twisted the opposite direction and the man''s expression changed. BOOM. The man spat out blood on the spot, eyes devoid of color. The man flew a few dozen meters whilst hitting the ground repeatedly. Before his body hit a crate, Kai''s hands and footwork changed. His right foot went back to it''s normal position, with his hands retracting. "[Sound Barrier]." BANG Just before the man could hit the crate, Kai''s barrier had already been placed. The sound had been sealed and only he had heard it. Phew Kai breathed a sigh of relief. "Looks like I''m still not used to surprise attacks, I almost forgot to hold back." Kai walked towards the man and hid him. He then proceeded to sit down cross-legged right next to him. I have to regain my mana and stop letting it fluctuate, I might''ve been discovered already. Kai looked at the man who he had incapacitated. "I also beat up one of them even if they''re not my enemy." Wait a second. Smack Kai made a facepalm. "I could''ve just took one of the workers and used [Mind Search]." Kai sighed. He went through all this trouble for nothing at all. "[Mind Search]." He touched the man''s head and closed his eyes. Immediately after Kai closed his eyes, he opened them immediately with a trace of pain flashing through his eyes. Ouch! "Someone placed a barrier on his mind, concealing the memories involving the Crimson Arrows." No doubt, the leader is really gramps. "I guess I should leave now." But before Kai could stand up he felt a pressure enveloping him which forced him to kneel. "Gah!" His face turning red from the pressure, he grit his teeth and with eyes scanning for an area he could hide in. "There!" Kai''s figured vanished. "Huh?" The man got to the place above Kai. "Where is that person?" .... In an area hidden from sight, Kai was leaning on the wall panting. "That confirms it..." Kai said with rough breathing. "That was definitely Gai-san." Kai let out a huge breath of air and began making his way out. "[Camouflage]." Kai activated his [Camouflage] once more and ran as fast as she can. "I better hurry or gramps will get word of me." .... Blue Waters Guild Hall Kanako was sitting down with a look that was even more worried than before. "Kanako?" Kyoko sat across Kanako with a worried expression. Though the worry was more directed at something other than Kanako. "I''m fine, Onee-san." Kyoko shook her head. "It''s not that, but I have something to tell you." Kyoko stood up and gestured for Kanako to follow. She complied with a lowered head showing her worry. Kyoko sighed. Kyoko went to her room, Kanako following closely. As they arrived, Kanako stepped in first by the wishes of her sister. Kyoko looked around before stepping inside as well. "I have to tell you something about your friend." Kanako''s eyes looked up. "It''s not at all good news, in fact if it proves my suspicions are correct then things will only worsen." Kyoko looked downcast and gulped. "I can handle it." Kyoko raised her head and began. An hour passes as Kyoko told Kanako all about the Crimson Arrow. "So you''re saying, the leader is the strongest Human Mage in the continent and his reason for trying to launch a full scale-war against the Dark Guild is because of his grandson named Chikara Kai?" Kyoko nodded. "But Kai''s last name is different! He''s definitely named Kuroshi!" Kyoko sighed. "Let me tell you a legend of long ago, Kanako." Kanako was confused but decided to let her sister continue. "In the five Continents, with Heavenly God leading and Red Sky being the lowest, there was an ancient clan so strong that the current Heavenly God had no way of matching it." Kanako gulped. She knew the difference between the Red Sky and Heavenly God, so if a single clan could destroy that continent, it would have to be terrifying. "That ancient clan ruled Gaia, including the Continents above us." Kyoko stopped for a second before continuing. "It was said that the clan wasn''t ruthless and did nothing to others unless provoked, but when one of the strongest in the Continents above challenged them, they were wiped with no trace left behind." Kyoko was scared at the tale though it seemed a little too much to believe. "This legend had been brought by the founder of this village which she found in an ancient library during her travels, I came across it accidentally and took a few years to decipher it." "It spoke of unbelievable tales but the tale of that ancient clan was the one that struck fear into me the most." "I haven''t figured out the name of the ancient clan from the book cause it was torn but there was one thing that I saw that could lead to your friend." Kyoko stopped for a second to let Kanako absorb the information. "There was another legend about it but this time it was like a premonition. These were the words written: "Countless eons will have passed and the world ever changing, we will have long since been forgotten so I write this in hope that the world may find sanctuary against the coming storm. He shall descend and rule the world, from the ancient clan he has connections yet he does not know of them. His rebirth will have started from the weakest climbing his way up to become a God. Countless troubles and obstacles he will face yet he will not give in. Any being that he encounters will become a stepping stone, he will become a God of war and slaughter everyone of his enemies. At his arrival, thunders will roar, lightning will strike, monsters will howl, night and day combined. He is the storm that this world will face, Ku...shi.." Kyoko stopped talking. "Aren''t those the final words of a dead man?" Kanako asked. Kyoko nodded in reply. "To be honest, I don''t really believe this legend. Even if it was true, I doubt we''d live long enough to see it." Kanako, still shaken by the story had a face that was even more downcast. "Those last words, Kushi. Why did it feel like it was cut?" "Cause it was." Kanako stared in surprise with eyes begging for her to continue. "The book I found was in the ancient tomb of the ancestor, the one who created the [Redirection Arts]. The pages looked like they would tear off any second, and unluckily it was already torn, the words I have said to you aren''t the complete story. There were many ripped pages and even the words at the end." "The words were Ku then it was ripped and I only saw the words Shi afterwards. But when I heard your friend''s name, Kuroshi, two letters were the only thing that could fit in that small tear. At first I didn''t connect it to the legend but when the strongest Human Mage was protecting him I just told myself, was this a coincidence?" Kanako was shaken. "It said he will start from the lowest and become the strongest. It also mentioned the words ''rebirth''. Do not think too much of this story as I am still speculating about whether it is trustworthy." Kyoko stood up. "Let''s just hope that this story is false. And remember, never speak of this to anyone, especially your friend." BANG BANG BANG "Kyoko, are you there!?" Kane''s voice rang as he slammed the door. "What is it?" She hurriedly opened the door. "Kai is back!" Kanako leapt up and immediately ran outside. She was met with the sight of Kai, clothes slightly messy. But she did not mind it, she immediately lunged towards him with what seemed to be a hug. "I''m back Kanak-!" "Gah!" Kai had been attacked by Kanako''s move. "What did you do that for!?" Kanako, tears streaming down her face with rage written on her face. "How much do you think everyone was worried about you, you idiot!" Kanako smacked his head again. Ryo nearly burst out laughing but covered his mouth with his hand. "I''m finally back and the first thing you do is hit me!" "Of course I would, you idiot! Have you no idea how much we searched for you after you ran after those cloaked men!?" Kai was speechless. Kai breathed a sigh of relief. "Sorry for worrying you." He stood up and gave her a smile. Kanako immediately knelt on the floor crying. Ryo finally stepped forward. "Welcome back, Kai." "I''m back." Chapter 18: The Pieces Fall in Place After greeting his friends, Kai went back to his room. Though he was met with trouble because everyone was asking him where he had gone. Kyoko had already left the room when Kai had arrived and had not met him. ... Kanako''s room Kanako was laying down on her bed in deep thought. The story her sister had told her had been etched into her heart. It all sounded too real, like it predicted what was gonna happen. "Kuroshi.." She muttered. Knock knock "Kanako, are you there?" "Yes, I''ll be right there!" She stood up and opened the door. "I heard that your friend returned, uninjured no less." Kyoko sat down beside Kanako on her bed. "Nn! I trusted him so of course he would come back!" Kyoko rolled her eyes. "Weren''t you the one who was worried the most?" Kanako avoided her gaze. "N-no, I wasn''t worried at all." The side of Kyoko''s mouth curved into a smile. "Looks like you''ve made friends." Kanako looked back at her. "Back then, you''d always be alone. So negative in a corner and just training like every other person. Your talent far surpasses mine yet you did not train as vigorous as me." Kyoko looked up. "In a few years, you''ll surpass me. If you keep training at the pace you''re going now, you''ll definitely do it. But if you do your best in training, it''ll take only a year or two for you to catch up." Kyoko gazed at Kanako, eyes lingering with care. "That''s why, I won''t let harm come to you. Remember that, anything around you that I deem dangerous will be removed immediately." Her eyes showed a glint of over-protection. Kanako sighed. "You care too much about me, onee-san. Just go and settle down with Kane." Kyoko turned red. "W-what are you talking about!?" Kanako looked back at her with a smirk. "Nobody may have noticed but I did, you only made him my bodyguard so that you can watch over me and be near him at the same time!" Kyoko was shocked and embarassed at the same time. Her personality went a complete one-eighty from back then! "I would tease you with Kai but I can tell you aren''t in love with him. Your eyes show respect, not what a woman sees when she looks at a man." She changed the topic while making a serious face. Kanako noticed yet said nothing. She sprawled unto the bed. "It''s more like he''s my guardian, I don''t feel any love other than as friends." Kyoko inched closer to Kanako and stroked her hair. "You''ll find someone one day, and when you do, I won''t stop you unless he has ulterior motives. Whether he''s poor and weak, rich and strong, valiant and brave, as long as he doesn''t hurt you, I''m fine with it." She leaned down and kissed Kanako''s forehead. "Goodnight." "Night." Kyoko stood up and left the room. As she got out of the room, her expression switched. Instead of going back to the lobby, she headed straight towards Kai''s room. Knock knock "Yes?" Kai stood up and opened the door. "Kyoko-san?" "May I come in?" "Be my guest." Kai stepped to the side and gestured for her to come in. "I''ll cut to chase, are you related to the strongest Attack Mage in this continent, Chikara Shiro?" Kai was surprised momentarily but hid it and put on his best poker face. "No. I have no relations to him." They looked into each other''s eyes for awhile in search of lies. Kyoko sighed. "I can''t see if you''re lying or not. You''re good at hiding expressions. But whether or not you''re related, as long as you have come in contact with him, I advise you to leave my sister out of it." "Naturally." She left Kai''s room and headed into the lobby. "Is he really a kid?" ... Kai''s room As Kyoko left, Kai''s expression turned serious. "[Memory]?" She has the same status as me. "Something''s wrong with this village." Knock knock "Yes?" "Kai, it''s me." Kai opened the door as he was met with the sight of Aine. "Come in." She walked inside the room. As they shut the door, Kai placed a [Sound Barrier]. "Did you come in contact with your grandfather?" Kai shook his head. "No, but it''s confirmed, gramps is the head of the Crimson Arrow." "How''d you find out?" Aine questioned. "Gai-san intercepted me." Aine was wide-eyed. "He...intercepted you..?" Kai nodded. "I was found out by one of the guards and we had a battle, my mana must''ve been sensed cause as soon as the battle ended, I was enveloped by a large pressure, I managed to escape by using [Teleport]. The aura belonged to Gai-san." Aine pondered for a moment. "But you have not seen any of them in person?" Kai shook his head. "I didn''t want to be seen, if gramps caught word me sneaking around there, he''d detain me so that I wouldn''t be involved in the war." Aine grabbed Kai''s shoulders. "Kai, you''re not thinking of joining the war are you..?" Kai didn''t answer. "You can''t! I won''t allow it! That war involves Gods! Even if the God is one of the weakest out there, he''s enough to wipe out this continent!" "That''s why I must fight!" Aine was shaken. "If this God has the power to destroy this continent, then once gramps is defeated, who else will stand up to him? I won''t have time to get stronger!" Aine was speechless. "Then what information have you gotten?" Kai thought for a moment then answered. "They will launch a full-scale attack against the Dark Guild in approximately three months, just a month after the competition." "But in ten days, they will commence a purge." Aine furrowed her brows. "A purge, you say?" Kai nodded. "They will begin by sweeping every branch of the Dark Guild, their members and accomplices are scattered all across the continent and will begin their purge at the same time. Once the reinforcements are out, they will regain some of their lost power and destroy the main branch."Stolen story; please report. "This war will last nearly four months.." Aine sank into deep thought. "Is that all you''ve acquired?" Kai nodded. "I didn''t dig too deeply, if I had been a little stronger I could''ve snuck past gramps and his men but unfortunately I''m far too weak." Aine looked helpless at Kai''s remark. She knew he was right, even if Kai was still a child. "So are you gonna meet your grandfather in the battlefield?" Aine asked cautiously. "No, I won''t." Aine still didn''t settle down. "Even if I did meet him, he''d probably do all he can to teleport me back." Aine nodded. "So..I''ll just use a disguise." Aine was shocked but the alarm in her heart didn''t lessen a bit. "Even if you did do that, you''d still be in harm''s way! I won''t stop you but know this, if you die, I will hate you forever." Kai was happy, though his face did not show much. She really has this roundabout way of saying ''Good luck, please come back.'' "Nn!" .... The night ended peacefully as no other events occured. The trouble Kai stirred up by disappearing vanished. Combat Area "Ha!" Two figures could be seen sparring with intensity, if one person went close without the proper amount of power, they''d definitely be flung. "Take this!" Kai''s right fist aimed towards Kanako''s fist. Kanako smirked. Her right leg that was positioned behind her twisted and launched forward simultaneously retracting her left fist. Kai''s face changed but not in shock, rather in joy. "I expected that." Kai''s eyes flashed with light momentarily. Kanako''s left leg passed through Kai''s right fist. "Crap!" Kai''s whole body looked like it stopped and started fading. "Grr." Kanako retracted her left leg and stomped. CRACKK The ground cracked at Kanako''s stomp. Kanako twisted her body around with her left leg stationed at the floor causing her right leg to swing with force. WHOOSH But her leg met with nothing. "Checkmate." Kai''s voice was heard as a shadow appeared above Kanako. Kai swooped down with incredible speed. With face heading down first, Kai''s right fist retracted. "[Eagle''s Strike]!" His right fist shot out as he reached Kanako. "[Black Bear''s Absolute Defense]!" A dark-colored shield appeared surrounding Kanako. The corner of Kai''s mouth curved. As his fist hit Kanako''s shield, it didn''t even last a second before cracks started to form, another second for the shield to break completely. CRACK It shattered like glass. "Kyaaa!" Kanako''s scream was the only thing that could be heard next. She had a small bump on her head. "Ow ow ow ow." Kai laughed. "Hahahaha, sorry. I''ll just heal you." "[Heal]." Kai''s hand glew green for only an instant as Kanako''s bump disappeared without a trace. Kanako sighed. "Kai, I think you should stop training with me. You''ve already taken my techniques from a week of training..." Kai shook his head. "I can''t! If I don''t train with someone, my skills in close-combat won''t be enough." Kanako rolled her eyes. "You can just train with Kane." Kai tilted his head. "But isn''t he busy?" "Like hell he is!" Kanako shouted which earned a surprised yelp from Kai. "All he does is see if I''m doing anything that would harm myself and ...!" Kanako kept going and going about how her sister had instructed Kane to be near her at all times and how he was quite annoying. "I-I see." Kai could do nothing but listen to Kanako''s ranting. Minutes pass as Kanako kept going with no ending in sight. "H-hey, Kanako!" Kanako stops. "What?" She asks in a cold voice. "Don''t you remember what I was supposed to do..?" Kai asked unsure of himself. Kanako balled her right hand to a fist and slammed it into her left hand to indicate she remembered. "I remember!" "Good for you, can I go now?" Kanako nodded. "He should be in his room at this time." Kanako answered seemingly not caring about what she had said earlier. Kai gave her a small nod and walked towards Kane''s room. Kai arrived in front of Kane''s door but before he could knock, he heard sounds from inside. "Kyoko, give me a chance!" Hm? Kai''s hearing was sharp so he could hear the sounds inside. "No! You couldn''t even do the task, remember our deal?" Kyoko''s harsh voice reprimanded him. "Our deal was that if I guard Kanako until she''s able to protect herself, you''ll go out with me with the intention of marriage!" Kyoko turned red. "No, not that one!" Kyoko yelled with a hint of embarassment in her tone. "The one where you won''t involve yourself with the Crimson Arrow, specifically me during the operation!" Kai was shaken. "But all I did was send some support in the background! I couldn''t stand that you were throwing yourself in danger by being one of their Captains!" Kyoko glared at him. "I also heard that you asked them to tail me and to find out if I was doing anything dangerous." "How did you know?!" Kane had a horrified face. "I interrogated your little ''support''!" Kane was pale. "You didn''t give them your ''special lesson'' right..?" Kyoko gave him a light smile filled with mischief. She''s so cute.. wait now''s not the time for that! Kane shook his head to get rid of his thoughts. "A lover''s quarrel.." Kai murmured to himself. Unfortunately for him, his murmur was caught by Kyoko''s ears who had been carefully listening around the area. "Who''s there?!" The door swung open with Kanako''s power and they were met with the sight of Kai. "..." "..." "..." The three of them didn''t move nor talk. Kai was speechless because the scene in front of him was something that shouldn''t be seen by others. Kyoko was sitting on Kane''s bed with legs crossed over the other as Kane was on the floor with one knee down with hands holding Kyoko''s hand. "Proposal..?" Kai said one word involuntarily and immediately closed his mouth with both his hands. "W-w-w-w-wha?!" Kyoko was as red as a tomato. She has the same habit as Kanako with stuttering.. This thought ran through Kai''s head first. On the other hand, Kane was just staring at Kai before his eyes glistened with mischief. "Kyoko, will you marry me?!" He shouted enough for Kai to be shaken. Of course the most shaken was Kyoko. "Y-y-y-y-y-..." ''Yes?'' Kai and Kane thought simultaneously. "You idiot!" Kyoko slapped Kane in embarassment sending him flying to other side of the room. When Kai thought her face couldn''t get any redder, after Kane''s supposed proposal, she was steaming with a face already matching the deepest shade of red. A few minutes pass in silence. During that time, Kane took a seating position next to Kanako with a lowered head with Kanako glaring at him. Kyoko coughed twice to catch Kai''s attention. "So what''re you doing here, Kai?" I should ask you the same.. A bead of sweat formed on Kai''s forehead. "I was gonna ask for close-combat training with Kane." Kai revealed his true purpose. "But seeing as you two are involved with the Crimson Arrow, I guess that can wait." Kyoko and Kane''s eyes widened. "I''ll cut to the chase. Since you two know about the war, and Kyoko is apparently one of their captains, I''ll ask for your help." Kyoko gestured for Kai to continue. "I''m planning on joining the war against the main branch of the Dark Guild in three months." "What, why?!" Kane immediately questioned. "I can''t tell you guys the reason for now." Kai waved his hand. Kyoko who was pondering in thought finally spoke. "What do you need?" "A ticket to get in unnoticed." Kai smiled. Kyoko''s expression was shaken when she saw Kai''s smile that could hide a thousand secrets. This boy is not as normal as I thought he''d be. "Do you remember our discussion last night?" Kyoko said with a cold voice. "Of course, don''t worry. I won''t involve Kanako nor let her know I''m involved." Kyoko inspected Kai''s eyes for any signs of lying. "I trust that you''ll know what it means to fight against the Dark Guild?" "Of course." Kai answered with confidence in his tone. "We''re fighting a God here, an entity no Human can stand up against." "I know." Kyoko stared into Kai''s eyes. "Why are you trying to fight a God whose very being strikes fear into all?" Kai smiled. "Cause that God provoked me first." Kai''s expression turned fierce which caused Kyoko and Kane to shiver. "But I won''t involve myself in the purge." Kai waved his hand. "I''ll have to use that time to train my senses." Kyoko lowered her head with one hand supporting her chin. "Do you have confidence of taking down that God?" Kai gave a confident hmph. "That God is child''s play. I''m more worried about how the other Gods would react." "Kai, what is your true identity?" Kane finally spoke. "Me?" Kai pointed at himself. "I''m just an average kid." Kai grinned. "Well, I''ll be going now." Kai began to walk out. "Oh wait, I forgot. Kane, can you teach me close-quarters starting tomorrow?" Kane nodded. "No problem." Kai bowed his head slightly and walked out while closing the door. "That''s two problems solved." Now to test myself. Kai walked back towards the Combat Area. "She should''ve already left." Instead of going to Kanako''s private area, he went to the Sparring Area where he could fight anyone from the guild. In the Sparring Area, there was a booth for challenging a specific person, of course you''d have to have both consents. It''s called the Challenge Booth, it doesn''t allow killing. The Grudge Booth, sometimes personal grudges are involved so this forces both players to fight. Of course the grudge has to be deep in order for this to happen. Lastly, the Open Combat Area, it allows one person to make a challenge to everyone and anyone can fight him until the challenger passes out or forfeits on his own. Out of all the booths, the only one that allows killing is the Grudge Booth, so mortal enemies make use of this and fight each other to the death. The other booths allow nothing more than a slightly serious injury like bone-breaking. Near-death isn''t allowed and will be reprimanded immediately. Kai went towards the Open Combat Area, people did not mind thinking he was there to watch. But when he walked towards the booth specifying he was there to challenge, he was eliciting gazes full of scorn. "Does this kid think we''re pushovers?" "Tch, he thinks just because he got in here through that coward, he thinks he can take us?" "Ryo must''ve put him up to it. Making us look bad." "If we challenge him, it''s like we''re bullying him but look, he''s the one challenging us." "I guess we shouldn''t hold back! Hahaha!" There were countless comments like these hoping that Kai was truly challenging them. Not one person here didn''t know that Kai got in through Ryo''s invite. "I''d like to issue a challenge to everyone." Kai walked up to the booth and said. At first the guy inside the booth didn''t notice due to Kai''s small stature but after a few tries Kai finally got his attention. "You want to challenge everyone..?" The man narrowed his eyes. "This challenge is mostly used for one to temper themselves. It''s not the right place for kids." Kai rolled his eyes causing the veins to show on the man''s head. "Fine!" He walked out of the booth and rang a bell in his hand to gather everyones attention. "Attention everyone! This little gentleman here is issuing an open challenge to everyone." Everyone sneered at Kai. "Tch. I knew it." "His head is too big." After a few minutes of nobody speaking up Kai got tired of waiting and decided to provoke them again. "What''s wrong? You''re all too scared I see." Everyone went mad. "HUUUHH?! YOU THINK WE''RE SCARED OF YOU?!" A man who had an easy temper yelled out. Everyone would''ve mock that guy for challenging a brat but did nothing when they figured out who he was. "Isn''t that the Mad Bull?!" "He was here all along?!" Many people were surprised as they recognized the man. Mad Bull? Kai tilted his head. I think I remember that title from one Kanako''s reminders. "There are seven people in this guild called the Seven Prodigies, me and my sister are two of them and the others are.." Yeah, that''s it. I heard about Mad Bull there. "Out of all the Seven Prodigies, Mad Bull is often easy to provoke so do not threaten him or do anything to get on his bad side, he''s vicious when he''s mad." I didn''t really mind that warning back then seeing as I can take him with a flick of my finger. Kai''s hand pointed towards Mad Bull and he gestured for him to come in a mocking manner. Mad Bull''s face turned red as he grit his teeth and veins showed on his temple. "YOU''RE AN ARROGANT KID AREN''T YOU?!" Mad Bull stepped unto the stage as Kai followed. "I''ll let you go first." This kid is crazy, provoking the already fuming Mad Bull everyone thought. "HAAAA!" Mad Bull roared with rage as he rushed towards Kai. "He''s using his special move right off the bat! Looks like he''s really angry!" "[MAD BULL''S CHARGE]!" His head was lowered while charging forward just like a bull. "I see where he got his name.." Kai didn''t move an inch. "Ha! Look, the kid''s scared out of his wits!" These people are annoying.. Kai rolled his eyes as he waited for Mad Bull. The stage they were on was at least fifty meters apart. When compared to other stages it was small since only Knights use this stage. Most people with great physical ability or magic could clear that fifty meters in less than five seconds. Just when Mad Bull was a feet away from Kai, his right knee shot up. CRACK That kid''s bones probably cracked! Many thought with closed eyes. Even before Kai''s movement, they already had closed eyes. Everybody was already mourning for the overconfident kid except a few who opened their eyes. But those few already had mouths agape and eyes as wide as an owl. Thump When those sounds were heard, the people who had closed eyes opened them imagining Kai on the floor. When they opened their eyes, their faces were so amusing it made Kai want to laugh right then and there yet he remained a calm composure. He turned his head around to the announcer. "What''s wrong? Announce my victory already." "Uhh, right." The announcer said blinking twice. "Challenger, one! Challenged, zero!" Nobody noticed the announcer as they were still staring at Mad Bull''s limp body. It was a complete knockout. One person in the crowd who had his eyes closed before asked the man next to him. "Did you see what happened?" "No, I had my eyes closed thinking the kid would be broken in half.." "I saw it." A man behind the two said. "Quick, tell us what happened!" "Yeah!" "I''m not sure if you want to hear it.. But I''ll spill." A few seconds earlier Right as the audience closed their eyes, Mad Bull arrived in front of Kai and was about to hit him. But before Mad Bull''s head came in contact with Kai''s abdomen, his face met Kai''s knee. CRACK His face was already black and blue from the hit but Kai wasn''t done there. His right knee stretched and his right foot kicked Mad Bull''s abdomen. When the kick made contact, Mad Bull flew across the stage landing ten meters away and hitting the floor. His eyes already lost consciousness after the second hit, the first only made him suffer a concussion. Present "So he was defeated in an instant..!" "How..?" The man shrugged his shoulders. "I don''t know. I just told you what I saw. With just the power of his kicks, he made Mad Bull suffer a slightly-serious injury which was on the border of serious." "Did he.. hold back? Mad Bull is one of the Seven Prodigies, I don''t believe he''d be taken out just like that.." "Mad Bull was probably caught off-guard!" People around them refused to believe Kai didn''t win by chance. But everyone''s conversations were halted when a confident voice was heard. "You don''t believe me?" Kai was sitting on the floor with one leg down and one knee raised up with one hand over. "Then, come at me." Chapter 19: Prodigy (1) Kai''s provocation worked as many people from the crowd roared with rage at his words. They even forgot how one of the Seven Prodigies: Mad Bull had been beaten in an instant. "If one''s not enough, send two, if two''s not enough, send four. If even that''s not enough, all of you come at me." His calm voice resonated throughout the arena, his absolute confidence, or in the crowd''s eyes, arrogance, had enraged even more people. Until one person couldn''t take it and stepped forward. "Hooh. Come up." Kai said as he stood up. "I''ll wipe that arrogant attitude of your face, brat!" The opponent charged forward without letting Kai make a stance. Though he was a bit slower than Mad Bull, his speed was still enough to hit the five second mark. The opponent leaped towards Kai with a fist positioned behind him. "HAA!" The fist was heading straight for Kai''s face. Kai sneered. Kai''s feet moved into a stance. His right foot moved backwards with his knees bending slightly. Kai''s right hand shot out. "Gah!" Kai''s fist directly hit the man''s abdomen. The opponent''s eyes were devoid of color as he was forced to cough out his saliva. The opponent''s head was positioned nearer to Kai than the rest of his body. The corner of Kai''s mouth curved into a smile. CRACK His right knee hit the man''s jaw, dislocating it with a terrifying crack. The man spun in the air multiple times before landing a few meters before Kai. "Next!" "Challenger: two! Challenged: zero!" The announcer''s voice rang out right after Kai. Yet, no noise followed afterwards. The whole arena was silent. ... Kanako''s room Kanako let out a heavy sigh. "I can finally rest properly.. That training hadn''t taken much of my physical stamina since it was restored each time, but my mind is exhausted!" Kanako closed her eyes as she laid down on her bed. She didn''t sleep and just continued thinking about their sparring sessions. "I think I could achieve a new level on my [Redirection Arts] with this.." ... Combat Area "So, who''s next?" Nobody answered. Kai was getting tired of this. They were too intimidated. "I said you can go in with more than one person." Kai reminded them. The crowd started whispering to each other and nodding. From one area to the next, the whole arena was filled with murmuring. After that, two people stepped up the stage. "Alright, let''s go." Kai took a stance. "It''s bad manners to not introduce yourself before a battle." The man on the right said. "Alright, you first." The man nodded. "I''m Kail." "I''m his younger brother, Hal." "Kai." The two adopted a stance. "Come!" The two ran. Kail jumped with magic. Hal ran faster. Easy tactic, Kail charges at me from above, Hal slides down. The sliding attack forces me to jump, Kail''s attack will hit me, on the chance that it doesn''t hit me, Hal will leap and attack. Kai said as he glanced at the two. "I''ll play with you." Kai said in a voice nobody else could hear. Hal was the first to arrive as he slid down with increasing speed. Kai jumped as Hal was nearing. "[Eagle''s Strike]!" Kail yelled as an eagle twice the size of Kail appeared behind him. "Hooh.." When a move is mastered, it changes. The might of a mastered move and a regular move is the difference between Heaven and Earth. A mastered move has increased strength, increased speed, and even the eagle behind Kail also happens when a move is mastered to a certain point. Though he did master the move, it isn''t fully-mastered yet. Although the gap between mastered and fully-mastered sound small, the truth is that the gap for it is even bigger than a regular move and a mastered move. Kai kicked the air slightly, enough so that nobody could notice. "HAA!" Kail''s hand met nothing as Kai''s position moved from his previous position. "Wha-!?" Kail said as he looked to the right where Kai''s hand grabbed his wrist. CRACK "GAH!" Kail''s wrist was immediately dislocated. "Brother!" Hal shouted as he stopped sliding and leaped upwards. "[Battle Burst]!" Hal''s whole body and aura seemed to change. "He has such a strong battle skill." Kai was surprised. [Battle Burst], like the name implies, gives a burst of energy. It heightens physical and mental prowess for a few seconds. It turns around the tide of battle really fast. If magic was gonna hit the user at the last second, he could cast [Battle Burst] and easily dodge to the side. It triples a user''s power for only an instant. Though there are different levels to [Battle Burst], for every level, the time lessens, but the amount of power you receive is higher. Of course, a move that heightens physical prowess like this will have a price. Since the power you use is stronger than what your body can take, it leaves the body in a vulnerable state for a few seconds and lessens overall battle power until recovery. It''s basically a double-edged sword designed for ending a battle. Kai kicked the air below him and positioned himself above Kail. "Let''s see if you can hit me with your brother on the line!" Kai yelled at Hal, making Kai seem scared of Hal''s move in the eyes of everyone else. Unbeknownst to Kai, Kail''s face was that of excitement. The crowd knew the source of his excitement. "As expected of the shinobi brothers." (A/N: I called them ''shinobi'' instead of ''ninja'' cause it sounds way better. Ninja brothers, shinobi brothers.) "Yeah, this match is done for sure." The crowd murmured. Kai was watching Hal''s every move and was surprised cause it looked like he had no intention to stop. Then his brows furrowed. "Come on!" Kai provoked him again. "Don''t do it brother!" Kail shouted trying to mask the excitement in his voice. But he cannot hide from Kai''s ears. They''re up to something, especially with that kunai on the floor that Kail dropped as he jumped. Kai said as he observed. (A/N: Kunai is a Japanese dagger associated with the ninja, a.k.a. shinobi. I don''t think I need to say what a shinobi/ninja is.) "[Substitute]!" Kail disappeared from below Kai as Hal was only a foot away from Kail''s previous position. The sudden disappearance of the person below him caused him to be unbalanced. "Wai-!" Thud "Eh?" Hal''s fist that had a metal glove hit Kai''s abdomen but was met with a dull sound. Ding "Armor!?" Hal yelled out. The corner of Kai''s mouth curved. "Are you so na?ve to think that?" Kai said as he positioned his leg above Hal''s head. CRACK Kai''s foot hit the top of Hal''s skull with a loud cracking sound.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. BOOM Hal''s body fell with a force equal to being bombed as the arena took damage with cracks appearing everywhere. A crater was left behind along with Hal''s body. "Brother!" Kail yelled as he saw his brother''s current state. "I''ll destroy you!" He glared at Kai as his aura and mana surged. "Then get over here." Kai said as he landed on the floor next to Hal with light steps. Kail reached into the bag on his waist and took a kunai that looked exactly the same as the one Hal dropped. The corner of Kai''s mouth curved into a smile. "He has armor on his body, not rare but even my brother using [Battle Burst] couldn''t break it. That armor must be a real treasure." Kail glanced all over Kai''s body as he threw the kunai with force. Kai took something from behind him and placed it in front of him. "[Substitute]!" Kail yelled but before he froze. He was teleported right in front of Kai. "I knew it." Kai grinned. Kail was filled with fear the moment that happened. He looked once at Kai when he brought out something and used his move. To think it was his brother''s kunai. "So your [Substitute] requires you to look at your target." Kai figured this out when Kail was so intently focusing on his kunai and only looked at Kai at the last second. Impossible! He figured that out in just two exchanges?! Kail''s eyes were filled with disbelief. "I wanna fight more people, you two really gave me a chance to get new skills. So right now.." Kail was trembling with fear as Kai''s hand grasped his neck. Sooner or later, he was gonna admit defeat. The only thing stopping him was his brother''s efforts. As Kai''s words faded, he gulped. Everyone in the audience was looking with a mix of fear and anticipation. Fear, because a little kid is this strong, enough to take down very strong opponents that could defeat most people here. Anticipation, because they want to know what this kid who has might that can shake the world, would do. "...I''m gonna end this." Kai raised the hand choking Kail and gave a smile. BOOM Kai slammed his hand down along with Kail. The back of Kail''s head went first and left his head inside a hole. The area around them had a crater cause of the sheer force of Kai''s slam. Wind scattered rendering the audience unable to see. Once the wind stopped running wild, the announcer and everyone was frozen stiff. When Kai slammed down, all they saw was Kail crashing down and the crater being formed, rocks cracking, and breaking apart. But when they saw the scene afterwards, all of them were shaking in fear. "Next." Kai''s calm voice resonated. "C-challenger: four, Challenged: zero.." The announcer''s voice soon followed; stuttering. Nobody murmured, nobody moved, everyone sucked in a breath of cold air. "Anyone?" Kai''s voice woke them up from their state. "S-strong..." That one voice made everyone feel as if talking was allowed; not like it was forbidden in the first place. "He even has such strong armor..." "Paired with that strength, isn''t he unstoppable..?" Many comments like these were spreading out. "I think you people are misunderstanding something." Kai faced the crowd. "It''s true, I''m strong. Stronger than any of you-" The crowd''s eyes twitched and veins appeared on their temples. "-but, I''m not using any heaven-defying armor." Nobody talked, they didn''t believe him a single bit. "Looks like none of you believe me." Kai glanced at the crowd''s expression. Kai took off his shirt and showed his body to the crowd. Everyone was shocked or more like disturbed. A kid had a frighteningly robust body. It was like he was trained ever since he went out of his mother''s womb. Though, if they knew that Kai was actually a Mage and only recently practiced close combat, they would question him on how his body looked like it was being trained non-stop vigorously for years. The truth was that, Kai''s technique [Mana Surge] also trains the body by fortifying it with mana, as long as he uses it, his body will always feel like it is being trained every second; or more like tortured. It felt like having [Battle Surge] on threefold every second. But, Kai had already grown accustomed to this as he doesn''t even flinch when it activates. The strain on himself being filled with mana that would normally be above his regular capacity would obviously put enormous pressure on his body. Kai returned his top as he glanced at the crowd''s expression with a satisfied face. "So, have any of you seen my armor?" The whole crowd was silent. "Oi, didn''t we hear a ''ding'' when one of them punched his abdomen?" "Y-yeah.." People were murmuring; speculating about what they heard. Until one voice stopped their thoughts. "Don''t tell me.. The ''ding'' we heard was.. his body?!" "..!" Many people were alarmed. Cause if his body itself was heaven-defying armor, then how could they even hope to defeat him? Their chances were slim but when they found out this truth, their chance dropped to zero. Kai rolled his eyes. "You people are annoying.. I just said come at me, didn''t I?" The crowd started to discuss something. After a few minutes when everyone was informed, they all nodded at each other. Four people stepped up first. Three men and a woman. In the back of their formation, the woman held a staff with a red orb attached to the end; the staff was made of wood. The one who was in front of the three was a man who wore really heavy armor and a greatsword, it looked like he was the leader. On his right was a man with regular armor and a longsword, and right in front of the woman was a man holding a large rectangular shield that covered his whole body, the armor he wore was thick yet easy to move in. Kai raised his brows, he was impressed. Good formation. Kai thought inwardly to himself. The man who looked to be the Vanguard charged forward with his greatsword and heavy armor. He should''ve been slow but his speed was being manipulated by the heavy armor and the greatsword, like he couldn''t stop even if he wanted to. The Knight with the longsword charged right behind the Vanguard. The Shielderwas in a leaping position in front of the Mage. The Vanguard leaped forward when he was within the greatsword''s striking range. Kai held out his right hand in attempt to catch the greatsword. Kai took the edge of the greatsword and held it firmly. He pulled but was knocked out of balance instead. "Eh?" Kai looked at the greatsword''s edge in his hands dumbly. The Knight''s hand pulled the Vanguard by his back. But Kai was staring at him cause the Knight didn''t look like he had that much power to pull the Vanguard. But when Kai''s gaze landed on his arm that was bulging he was dumbstruck. "[Battle Burst].." Kai said in a low voice as he identified what he used. But how..?! [Battle Burst] normally affects the entire body equally so Kai was surprised when he saw that [Battle Burst] affected his entire body but was more focused on his arm. Because of that, Kai was surprised. "Close." The Knight heard his murmurs as the Knight was at attacking range. The Knight swung out his sword horizontally and hit Kai. No sounds of dull metal resounded nor even a slashing sound but he was confident that he had slashed Kai when he felt impact. Kai was flung backwards and landed on the floor. "It''s my own specialized skill originating from the original [Battle Burst], I call it [Battle Burst: First form]." The Knight began to explain. "It enhances my whole body, not as much as [Battle Burst] but it enhances a certain part of my body more, I can choose anything so I chose my arm and pulled him. Even though it was weakened, [Battle Burst] is still [Battle Burst], so it still enhanced my body giving me enough power to charge forward at you. Leading me to a slash." The Knight''s mouth curved into a smile. "Ah, I get it now. Thanks for the explanation." A calm voice sounded out from Kai''s body who laid down on the floor as he stood up. "I just wanted to know so I let myself get hit." Kai said as he grinned. "I-Impossible!" The Knight was trembling, that was his full power added with [Battle Burst: First Form], and it directly hit his abdomen! How could Kai stand up like it was nothing!? "Well, I''ll give you a little explanation. Though even if it struck me directly, it would do me no damage, I thought about showing off a bit." He went to his previous position, five steps away from the Knight. "When the edge of your sword had reached me, I move my left hand forward and made your sword touch my palm, giving you the feeling of you hitting me. So that it felt like a slash, I moved my hand at the same pace as your sword so that it felt like you were slashing something. You should''ve felt something wrong like per say, no sounds of my blood spilling out or anything." Kai took a step forward. "So, do you want to continue?" Kai said in a relaxed tone. "TAKE THIS!" The man who had a greatsword before charged forward again, his hand was empty but was formed like it was holding a greatsword. "[Equip: Greatsword]!" A greatsword that was shaped and looked exactly the same as his greatsword that was taken by Kai formed. "[Equip]? You people are really proficient." [Equip] is a type of skill that allows on to temporarily wield a weapon, anything is possible and in any form. Though the power itself would depend on the person. So if the person using it was weak and had little control, their weapon would become incomparably weak and shaped oddly compared to the actual thing. But this person completely perfected his weapon to look like his original greatsword. He must''ve been holding that greatsword for years and has studied it closely. But it looks like, he studied it for this specific technique. "[Holy Vanguard''s Heavenly Strike]!" His greatsword''s silhouette became ten, twenty, thirty, fifty times larger! Until the greatsword itself increased in size and matched the silhouette, but the man looked like he had no trouble holding it. "Dodge it!" The Knight stopped hesitating and leaped to the side. "HAAA!" The Vanguard''s greatsword raised up and slashed down with might that could shock the heavens. "Hooh?" Kai looked towards the giant greatsword slashing down on him that came with boundless pressure. The greatsword finally sliced down and a blinding light along with a giant slash formed in the air. The slash was piercing the air around it as it was reaching Kai. The slash was at least a dozens of feet tall and two to three meters thick. Kai punched forward and a shockwave passed from his hand. "Destroy." Kai''s punch immediately destroyed the slash. BOOOMMM The air around it exploded and launched a huge shockwave making everything around it feel a massive wind pressure trying to make them fly away. The Vanguard''s large greatsword already disappeared after that slash. Without a weapon in hand, the Vanguard stomped his foot so hard that it left cracks on the nearly destroyed stage. He put his arms forward in attempt to block the oncoming wind. "Gah!" The Vanguard grit his teeth. But the wind that was created from his own move was too strong for him as he was being pushed back slowly until he couldn''t take it anymore. His feet finally left the ground as the last of his power ran out. "DAMN IT!" The Vanguard flew in the direction of the Shielder and the Mage. The Knight who was right beside Kai when it happened had long since been flung away without any resistance since he was caught off guard. The Shielder who wasn''t moving this whole time finally sprang into action. He jumped in the direction that the Vanguard was being flung and he caught him with his shield. BANG "T-thanks.." The Vanguard said as he landed along with the Shielder before fainting into unconsciousness. Because the shield caught him, his injuries lessened a bit from the impact, if he flew farther and crashed into somewhere, that would''ve been worse. The Shielder used some magic to lessen the impact of his shield. Kai glanced at the Shielder. He has the highest talent out of all of them. Kai made a mental note. Kai began to step towards the Shielder and the Mage behind him chanting a spell. "[...From the Master of Fire, the one who grants fire to all, grant me a tiny bit of your power to let me unleash this spell..], I''m nearly done! Hold him back for a few more seconds!" That''s quite a long [Chant], it must be a spell above her capacity. Kai deduced. [Chants] have two uses, for someone who has no capacity to use a spell has to borrow power from something using [Chants]. [Chants] also provide stronger magic. [Chants] need to be chanted at a slower pace to ensure success, a single mistake in the words could ultimately cause the [Chant] to fail. The Shielder nodded at the Mage. "[Absolute Defense]." [Absolute Defense] is a really useful spell, when used alone it protects the user''s whole body at all angles, but when used with a weapon that uses defense like the shield, the effect multiplies and changes. Using it with a large rectangular shield would ultimately cause the shield''s aura to expand and close the area. An aura would appear around the shield and expand, though the shield only covers the front, the back is ultimately vulnerable to attacks, but in an arena this small, it would be quite easy to close the area where they were standing. The only way for Kai to reach them is to break this shield aura or go around which would cause him to go down the floor. The top is too far to jump over and is too flat to climb. But of course, for Kai, a jump that takes about fifteen meters is no problem. But why would Kai do that? Kai stepped forward and touched the barrier. "Excellent aura! You must''ve taken years to master this.. It also looks like it''s been tempered for years, you''re being trained by someone especially strong aren''t you?" The Shielder''s eye twitched. What''s with this guy? He''s being faced with my shield aura and is still calm enough to observe me?! Not to mention the Mage behind me who''s chanting a particulary high-level spell! "I don''t wanna crush your confidence but I have no choice." Kai retracted his right fist and punched the barrier. BANG A crack appeared in the place Kai had punched. It spread slowly and reached the end of the whole barrier. "Impossible!" The Shielder yelled out in disbelief. The barrier shattered leaving the shield with cracks. "My Imperial Shield!" "Ah." Now that he mentions it, there is a symbol of a lion on that shield. "Kane?" The Shielder''s eye twitched again. "Right on the money." Kai''s voice immediately followed when he saw the Shielder''s eye twitch. "Let me tell you a secret.." Kai went close to his ear. "I defeated him just recently, though that would be news to anyone since it was kept a secret. I suggest you do the sam-" "It''s done!" Kai''s voice was interrupted when the Mage behind them yelled. "Got it!" The Shielder immediately took his shield and rammed Kai. Kai retreated five steps to avoid him. "[Grand Fireball]!" The Shielder immediately jumped to the edge of the arena. A small ball of flame appeared from the edge of the red crystal. "A fire Mage?" Kai raised one of his brows. "That crystal looks quite pricy." Kai glanced at the Mage seemingly unaware of danger. "It multiplies my magic power by a whole one and twenty five. And it also lessens my consumption by an eighth!" "It must''ve cost quite the fortune." The small ball of flame on the crystal expanded slowly. "TAKE THIS!" The Mage shouted. The flame expanded immediately into tens of meters. Kai whistled once. "That''s quite the large spell, you must be out of mana by now." The Mage knelt on one knee with both hands on the floor. "You got it.. But that''s enough to take you down, it has more than thrice the attack power of [Holy Vanguard''s Heavenly Strike]!" "I see." Kai looked down. The Mage was confident this would take him down. "Since you''re so proud of it.." Kai dragged his words. "..then I''ll show you something better." Kai made a palm and faced it towards the giant ball of flame. "[Water Cyclone]." Kai said in a low voice. Water shot out of his hands and surrounded the whole [Grand Fireball]. "Impossible! Such a high-level spell in an instant and he didn''t even use a chant! Your magic capacity is that frighteningly high!?" The water began to spin around on the floor at a high speed. It covered the fireball as it was travelling. The water shot up and formed a huge tornado of water. SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS The [Grand Fireball] burnt out. It was removed in an instant. ""..."" Everyone was silent. "Level thirty spell?!" When those words were out from the Mage''s mouth, the crowd gasped. "He''s level thirty?!" "Impossible! He''s so small and yet..!" "He''s that frighteningly strong!?" Kai smiled wryly. People misunderstood his spell as the level thirty spell [Tornado of the Depths]. Even though that spell couldn''t hold a candle to his [Water Cyclone] which was made by a level one hundred, himself. "Sorry, but I wanna end this quick." Kai once again made a palm. "[Gale]." A large gale of wind appeared on Kai''s hand and sweeped the whole arena. It didn''t just face the direction of his palm, it shot out in all directions and made everyone on the arena fly away. "Kyaa!" "Ahhh!" The Shielder and Mage both yelled. The Vanguard who was on the floor was rolling down the arena at a fast speed and would undoubtedly crash on the floor when he drops, though he can''t feel it since he''s unconscious right now.. when he wakes up that would add some pain to his already exhausted body. "Next." Kai didn''t even bother to look twice at the Shielder and Mage as he said those words. "Challenger: eight. Challenged: zero!" Chapter 20: Prodigy (2) "Challenger: eight! Challenged: zero!" When those words rang out, everybody finally registered what was happening. The little kid in front of them was either level thirty or above level thirty. When that thought reached their minds, they shuddered in fear. The kid in front of them probably hadn''t reached twelve! What kind of talent does that kid need to have such a frightening amount of power at such a young age, they knew he was strong, but they didn''t know he was THAT strong. When judged by his strength to defeat Mad Bull, he should''ve been level twenty at the least but they didn''t think he was a whole ten levels above that. Most of the people their age were in the levels ten to thirteen, prodigies were undoubtedly fifteen and above. Even the one with the highest talent in the Blue Waters, Ishikawa Kyoko, the head of the Seven Prodigies, is level thirty-five, her age has already reached eighteen, three years due for marriage. She was their most talented prodigy, being followed by her younger sister who had a leveling pace even better than her sister but skill that could not match any of the seven. So when a kid who was even younger than Kanako yet had a level that was infinitely closer to Kyoko appeared, everyone freaked out. The Seven Prodigies, one of them would be replaced in the coming competition, everyone was looking at Mad Bull who laid unconscious on the floor, all thinking the same thing. He''s gonna get replaced. Of the Seven Prodigies of the Blue Waters, Mad Bull had the lowest talent being level fifteen at age sixteen. Only slightly higher than any other regular member, but he had superior fighting skill which landed him that spot. This isn''t enough.. Kai thought to himself. "You know what, all of you can come at me at once." The crowd was silent; before, they would have looked at him with disdain, but with his level and power, he just might actually succeed. Other than the fact that he was well-versed in hand to hand combat, his magic power was even more terrifying. "Is he aspiring to be one of those.. Magic Knights?" Everyone was surprised at that whisper. "Magic Knight? Also rumoured to be the hardest class using both magic and hand to hand combat resulting in double- no, triple the effort of other classes?" "Yeah.. But that class, only people whose names were renowned achieved that, the only person who achieved that in our guild is the founder." "I heard that the royal capital has a squad of Magic Knights. Numbering only in the tens, all very well-known people!" These whispers lasted awhile leading Kai to yawn a bit. When everyone heard Kai''s yawn, they remembered the reason they were there. Just when many people were stepping up, Kai yelled. "Stop!" He waved his hands. "This stage is too small, can we expand it?" He turned to look at the person overseeing the booth. "Ah, right!" He placed one of his hands in front of his face and formed signs with his hand. "Release!" The stage rumbled, the height increased and the sides began to expand, the fifty meter arena soon became two hundred meters. Just the right space for a full on battle. Though it was a little tight. This type of stage was used for competitions, yet right now it was being used for a battle with a small child. The one overseeing the booth smiled wryly. He had the authority to use it, but for such a battle, he felt like it was far too unnecessary. Even if the one challenging them is a level thirty. He, who was also a level thirty had no confidence in taking on half of the crowd, not to mention all of them. Everyone backed out when the arena was being expanded and only went close afterwards. All of them stepped up leaving the arean a bit crowded. "Then come at me!" """"HAAAAAAAH!"""" A roar rang out as the crowd charged forward. Kai grinned and adopted a battle position covering all his blind spots. "This''ll be fun!" .... A few minutes after the commotion Kyoko''s room "KYOKO!!" An urgent voice rang out as someone entered her room. "What is it?!" Kyoko, thinking it was something dangerous immediately questioned Kane. "T-t-t-the arena!" "Arena?" Kyoko tilted her head in confusion. Just then another set of footsteps were speeding towards them. "Onee-san!" Kanako came running with disheveled hair. "t-t-t-the arena!"Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. She stuttered more.. Kyoko sighed. "What about the arena?" ""Kai!"" Both of them shouted at the same time. "Kai?" Kanako tilted her head for a moment then immediately came to a conclusion. "Did he get beat up!?" They both shook their heads. "Was he injured?" They shook their heads yet again. "Did he cause trouble?" The two of them looked at each other as one of them shook their head and the other nodded. "JUST TELL ME ALREADY!" "Yes!" Kane answered and straightened his body. "He took everyone single handedly, not only that but it was a complete victory! There wasn''t a single scratch on his body! All the elders reported to me that someone went in the arena and defeated everyone as a one man army!" "Did they say that it was Kai?" Kane and Kanako shook their heads. "But they said it was a kid that looked even younger than me!" Kanako followed. "When I heard, that I immediately ran towards the arena and saw Kai yawning in the middle of the arena. He was laying down without a care in the world with everyone piled up on the sides. It was a horrific sight.." "So where is Kai now..?" Kyoko asked after a small pause. "He''s sleeping in his room." Kane answered. "And the Seven Prodigies have been called for a meeting, onee-san." "Meeting? It''s probably about the placements. But.." Kanako furrowed her brows. "Even if he did defeat all of the regular members in the arena, wouldn''t the placements change during the competition? Unless.." Kanako nodded. "He defeated a member of the Seven Prodigies, Mad Bull." "So, the new head of the Seven Prodigies will be Kai, and we all move down a rank, correct?" Kane didn''t deny nor confirm what she said. "That''s what we''re expecting, but this meeting may also have some other reason, as we all know, the Seven Prodigies vote on what to do. The head counts for two votes so we currently have only three votes of you and Kanako." Kane, although always in the Blue Waters, he isn''t part of it. He''s part of the Knights Association which branches all the way to the capital. Of course, a person with such a background would be allowed here without restrictions other than things that require permission from high ranks. Of course, that part was settled by Kyoko, head of the Seven Prodigies. "Kai''s already waiting there." "I see." Kyoko nodded at Kanako and Kane as they proceeded towards the meeting room. ..... Meeting Room Kai was sitting down on a chair in the middle of seven pedestals with chairs behind them. They all had a symbol of the Blue Waters guild imprinted on the center. The room was dim but wasn''t dark enough to cover the people sitting behind the pedestals. The pedestals were about half the size of a person enabling the person in the middle to see everyone. The only light in the room were the dimly lit candles surrounding the room and Kai. "..." THIS IS SO SHADY! Kai inwardly thought as he glanced around the room. It''s like some sort of cult practicing a ritual, mostly because they used candles instead of lanterns, maybe that''s for intimidation? The door behind Kai opened as three figures walked in, they were Kyoko, Kanako, and Kane respectively. Kane headed towards the corner of the room as Kyoko and Kanako sat on the chairs nearest to the door. Kyoko glanced at the other figures around the room save for one near the opposite of hers. It was obviously empty seeing as the person who should''ve sat there is currently injured in bed. "Alright, let''s start." Kyoko glanced at the person to her left. The man to her left nodded. This man was named Simonand was ranked third of the Seven Prodigies in terms of talent. "He defeated everyone in the arena area alone and more than that, he fought them all at once. But the real reason.." The man named Simonglanced at Kai in the center. "..Is that he defeated a member of the Seven Prodigies. Even if it was the seventh rank Mad Bull, his fighting skill is more than enough to fight our sixth rank, Garou. Though his strength isn''t enough to defeat him, Garou would need a bit of time to defeat him, don''t you agree, Garou?" Simonglanced at the pedestal next to the empty one. A man with a bulky build was there as he nodded. He had his arms crossed and looked more like an adult instead of a teen in his early twenties. "Although his level can''t compare to me, with his fighting skill, if we were the same level I''d need to exert my full power to defeat him. Though his fighting skill is lower than mine." Garou said with a calm voice like he was strictly analyzing the facts. "He''d most likely defeat our second rank, Kanako who has the lowest fighting skill." Garou said as he glanced at Kanako. Kai furrowed his brows at this. So Kanako was being looked down upon when here skill was actually superb. It may have had something to do with the curse Kai had removed. Kanako didn''t reply much to Kai''s displeasure. He wanted to see her prove him wrong, guess he has to fix that soon. "Garou, you''d be surprised at her skill now. If you fought her, no doubt you''d lose instantly." Garou furrowed his brows at this. Kyoko gave Kai a glance as Kai nodded at her. Looks like she noticed that Kai had furrowed his brows from that comment. "Can we cut to the point?" Another man to the right of Kanako spoke up. This was the fourth rank, Wilt. Wilt pointed his comment at Simon, who started the debate. Simon snorted coldly as he began to talk again. "Alright." Simon adjusted his position to lean on the pedestal in front of him and covering the view of his mouth with intertwined hands. "The Guildmaster is still out so we have full authority on this decision. The elders recommended Kai to be part of the Seven Prodigies because of his skill, and talent that surpasses even the second." Simon got to the point as he told them all the purpose of this meeting. "But still, it''s an honor to grace us with your presence, fifth rankAoi." "Shut up and get to the meeting." The girl named Aoi answered coldly. Kai''s eye twitched as he heard that voice. It was the girl who he first met, the one who held the [Redirection Arts], the one in closed-door training. Though Kai doubts that she really was in closed-door training. Probably training herself by battling people. Kai thought as he remembered her challenging people when they first met. "You guys are too serious." Simon commented. "So, what do we do with him?" The atmosphere turned serious. "Will we add him to the Seven Prodigies, and allow him to be the head since the Seven Prodigies are decided by talent and not by time, or.." Simon dragged out his words. "..remove him?" As that sentence faded, Kai didn''t move an inch. The others think he was scared but the three- no, four people know that he isn''tscared even a bit. "But frankly, right now we can''t decide that. As you all know, for a decision to apply we need to either have an odd number of members or a complete set. This is why there are seven of us." Simon glanced at Kane in a corner. "I would invite you but seeing as you''d be biased towards him we can''t allow that." Simon glanced at Kyoko and Kanako. "Though since the head counts as two votes, we can still decide on this. I''d just like to hear everyone''s consent." Simon glanced at everyone of the prodigies. "Let''s vote, everyone who wants to add him to the Seven Prodigies and remove Mad Bull, also replacing the head: Kyoko from her position to add Kai, raise your hand." Kyoko and Kanako raised their hands immediately. "As we all know, when a decision is made, the rest of the seven have five minutes to think about it. Kyoko and Kanako vote for Kai to become a member and the new head of the Seven Prodigies, that counts as three votes." Kai glanced at the girl named Aoi and saw her expression. Looks like she was contemplating on voting for him. "I suggest you vote for me, because if those others try to ''remove'' me, I can assure you, I''ll leave nothing of them." This transmission shocked Aoi as she stared at Kai''s expresionless visage. "Since you don''t know how to respond to me, I''ll just let you contemplate, use these five minutes wisely." But Kai didn''t know that the reason she was staring so intently at her was that his attitude was completely different from how they first met, when they first met she was met with a kid who couldn''t be called threatening even if he tried. But now, his aura is basically saying comply or die. "Oh and let me clear this up, I have nothing to do with who you''re in trouble with. I just used that for a chance of being trained in hand to hand combat. In case, that''s why you''re hesitating." Aoi''s eyes widened but it disappeared as quickly as it came. Four minutes pass "There''s only a minute left. In case any of you plan to change your minds, now would be a good time to do it." Aoi''s hand raised up at the last few seconds much to the surprise of the others. "Since it''s a majority decision, he will join the Seven Prodigies. But.." Simon looked at Kai with disdain. "..I don''t think he''s fit for the position of head." [Important Final Announcement] As everyone who were still reading this series realized; there has been a multiple month hiatus. This is only because that I was thinking of a way to fix the story drastically. Through the previous chapters, anyone who has observed properly would see the amount of changes and the things disappearing from the previous chapters. I actually got this story from an old story I used to write on my computer and I revised it here and there but now that I realize it, the amount of flaws I saw numbered nearly everything I had wrote. Just the origin of the story was uncertain, so I''m gonna rewrite this entire thing. To those who have read this story, I apologize but I am gonna rewrite it. Nearly any knowledge gained from this one will not be transferred to the rewrite, I may still use the character names but the leveling system has to go. Even the power rankings will be removed. I just reread it and just couldn''t continue anymore. It just felt so wrong to continue a story that even I, the author knew would not fix itself as more and more chapters come to pass. So I just decided to trash everything and rewrite. I apologize to those who have read the previous chapters and were planning on continuing it but I really just can''t continue this.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. To anyone who has liked this story, once again I''m doing a completerewrite; much better and more detailed. Thank you for reading.