《I DON'T WANT TO BE A FARMER》


 Prologue *Revised

    Tilling the land, planting a crop, taking care of said crop, harvesting the crop.


    From spring to spring.


    Seven Days a Week.


    Too many fucking hours of a day.


    ....


    "I HAD ENOUGH OF THIS"


    Shouting this is familiar line for who knows how many times I looked over a to my family plot of land


    Father, as usual, inspecting the crop condition.


    Brother is nowhere is seen most likely to going out with one of his girlfriend


    And me here standing around looking like a farmer i was.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    I think this is it, it''s time to search for a different occupation before I die from boredom.


    "I WANT TO BE ADVENTURE".


    Hearing a kid voice of similiar age i took a glance.


    I saw kids my age playing around with a wooden sword.


    The village head son is playing adventure with his lackey again.


    "Ha ha".


    I laugh at our difference between him being as carefree as a child should be and me working a job i certainly did not like.


    I can''t stop but wonder how exciting being an adventure be compared to being a farmer.


    Adventure is a dangerous job of fighting with monsters or delving into a dungeon full of unknown risks


    Maybe it was full of risk, but with risk comes the reward that defenitely will make you rich.


    Well of course that is if you are still alive.


    What a chance the village head allowing his only son becoming an adventure?


    Thinking for a while i instantly come with an answer, none is the only answer I can think of.


    Well, If the village head ''only son'' can''t be adventurer, then I will inherit his dream.


    His dream is my dream and my dream is my own. Yeah I think I like the sound of that.


    "I WILL BECOME ADVENTURE", Declaring my inherited dream, I shouted full of vigor.


    Hearing me shouting that, My dad looked at me with tired eyes and sighing.


    "Not again".

 Chapter 1 *Revised

    I still remember my first story.


    I was 9 years old boy just starting to help with my my father farm. I was just another farm boy who got nothing better to do but just wander around the village in my spare time.


    But at that day, it was different.


    This village well not to brag, but I think it was a pretty well off village, maybe because we have a witch doctor, so disease is not a life and death matter anymore well we were afraid of her though so we usually got our consultation and medicine through her granddaughter.


    Maybe it was also because we have the hunter who can even defeat a monster so the village is safe from harm or food shortage as the hunter can hunt it easily even in a dangerous cold winter season.


    With a good healthcare and a guardian the village managed to flourish. They can even send their son and daughter to a city.


    Some farmer son learn the way of blackmith from a city and came home to become the village blacksmith. So from then on the villager can go to the blacksmith if they want something to make and do not need to travel far to the city anymore.


    Anyway, it was a good village, for anyone but me, why? beacuse this village is boring. At least it was for me, i already explore every nook and cranny of the this village safe place the places that i haven''t explored are the deep part of the nearby forest and the witch doctor house that i deemed to dangerous to explore.


    Maybe it was harsh for me to judge, but I was a child and as a child I was as honest as I could be.


    So when a traveling bard, I came to our village, I was the first one running to the venue.


    And it was there that for the first time I heard an adventure story.


    It was about a noble being punished because he was sleeping on a job. this is a story from a different land from ours and the bard even said "I want to try a different thing so i took a story from another land and change it so my honored audience can understand the story better".


    The bard bow to his audience and with a smile he started to tell the story.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    There was once a a son of a noble knight who was being punished becuse he was sleeping on his lesson. He was punished by his father to send a letter to a temple but it was not an ordinary temple.


    To reach that place he needed to scale a mountain infested monster, travel pass a dangerous desert before finally he must going through an impassable river.


    Of course, as a son of noble knight he got an escort that his father place on a different point on his travel.


    The first escort was a rebel leader who was being sentenced to a community service for live because he was rebelling against ... well, let''s just say the highest order.


    The second escort was a former noble knight who was being punished for an inappropriate use of a king of knights artifact, let''s just said he was a perverted knight.


    The third escort was also a former noble knight if the perverted knight being punished because an inappropriate use of artefact than the third one was being punished becuse he outright destroyed the artefact. He always thought his mistake of that day until he is often found daydreaming let''s just call him the musing knight.


    The fourth escort is not an escort but a horse used for transportation because even thought the son of noble knight is not yet a knight, he will be in the future. So for his sake, his father send him a horse to get him get used to it.


    By the way the horse was send because he bit on some noble knight hand.


    Together they journey far and wide passing through the monster infested mountain, almost give up in the dangerous desert and finally they did the impossible by traversing the impassable river and managed to deliver the letter to the temple.


    After finished with their task they were givena pardon for all their crime and they live happily ever after.


    The End.


    I was fascinated as the story progressed, i laugh, i cried and i hope for the story to never reach the ending because if the story came to an end i will be brought down from my land of beautiful fantasy back to the land of painfull reality.


    In this story my favorite character is the rebel leader.


    The rebel leader was born with a special constitution that allowed him to learn a special power and with a guidance from his beloved teacher he managed to learn that special power.


    The power is so special that the highest order hire him, but as a new hire he was given the worse job anyone could get at that place.


    So even thought it was okay at first, day after day the rebel leader rebelious nature finally bursting out of his shell.


    He fought, he stole, and he bring trouble everywhere he went. and at he peak of his life he went back to his old place and started the rebelion.


    He fight and fight and fight some more being a special person he managed to bring a trouble to the highest order, but in the end his force couldn''t contend against his enemy.


    Even thought he alone managed to bring the highest trouble anyone could give. In the end he lost when he truly confront against his enemy leader.


    It was not even a fight. He lost easily.


    Even though he lost, his story was so fascinating that i can''t get it out of my head.


    Can I be like him, that was i thought as the crowd started do disperse untill i was the only one left.

 Chapter 2 *Revised

    I walk and walk and walk.


    I walk and walk and walk some more.


    I walk and walk and walk out from the village road and into the forest.


    I walk and walk and walk in a daze of a dream.


    I walk and walk and started to run.


    I run and run and run pass the wood, pass the river and back to the village once again.


    I run and run and run the smiling visage still plastered on my face as it can not be taken off.


    With a smile on my face I run and run and run some more toward the never ending journey of adventure in my dream.


    In a daze, in a daydream, musing on every step i left the control of my body to the nature and run with only my spirit toward the bright road, toward the rainbow bridge and toward the unknown place no one ever know.


    and before i knew it my body naturally brought me back to a familiar place.


    My home.


    A simple home for a simple family.


    Looking through a window i can see my father tired face as he sat near the hearth.


    His ash coloured hair is full of dust and his green eyes can''t be seen through from his closed eyes as he was sleeping on the chair


    Bang


    I opened the door forcefully to wake my father, sleeping can be done at a later time but what i am about to tell me is something that must be done right now


    "Haah!!"


    Father woke up with a startled face looking left and right before he turned his gaze toward me in all of my glory.


    I step inside my home a face full of smile i stared at my father as he looked back at me with a weary eyes.


    I took the most amazing pose that i could imagine and shouted .


    "FATHER!!!"


    Before my father can reply, i shouted my newfound dream.


    "I WANT TO BE A REBEL LEADER!!!"


    Hearing my passioned declaration my father started to clean his ear with a confused look on his face


    "I am sorry son, what did you just said?"Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    Old age must have gotten my father hearing. Even though i shouted at him with a clear and passion filled voice he still can''t hear me


    But worry not father because i your dutiful son will once again declare my newfound dream.


    "FATHER, I WANT TO BE A REBEL LEADER!!!"


    With a throbbing that i can even heard from a far away father shouted in anger, the familiar voice that i often heard when he scold me.


    "WHAT THE FUCK RAI WHEN I JUST WANT TO REST PEACEFULLY YOU JUST WOKE ME UP!!!"


    "That is right father, sorry for waking you up just now you can go back to sleep right away." I replied innocently as i started to slowly step back.


    "AND WHAT DID YOU SAID JUST NOW!!! YOU WANT TO BECOME A REBEL LEADER? I WANT TO SAY SOMETHING SOOO BADLY BUT I JUST HAVE NO WORD FOR YOU BECAUSE HOW ABSURD NEWFOUND DREAM IS!!"


    "Father, please do not shout at your heartbroken son and if you have no word to speak than staying silent is also a good option."


    Father face started to morph into something really terrifying for me to describe.


    Taking my advice to heart he really didn''t say anything not because he has forgiven me but because he was ready to take an action.


    As expected of my father he really know his stuff, if you can not speak than just take action because an actions speak louder than a word


    Knowing this, I place my hand on my head as a defensive measure


    Too bad father i know your usual move, your fist will not reach the top of my head today.


    But as i waited and waited with closed eyes, his fist never actually reached the top of my head.


    Instead when i opened my eyes what i found was a fist sailing through the air toward my jaw.


    "Fuck!!" a curse escaped my mouth.


    The old man predicted my move, he knew i will be protecting the top of my head so instead of that he changed his target toward my jaw.


    Before i can think of further move his fist found itself landing neatly on his target.


    Propelled by my old man beautiful uppercut i was pushed outside the door and straight toward the outside.


    As i found myself flying unwillingly, I took a look at the beautiful blue sky along with white cloud and thought.


    What the fuck just happen!?


    That is the last thing i thought before all thing turn to dark.


    ...


    When i groggily opened my eyes the first thing i saw was a beautiful woman with a red hair talking with my father.


    "He is fine you don''t have to worry Mr. Edward," the red haired woman said while smiling slightly.


    "How could he be healthy? i just punched him hard right on his jaw!" my father asked worriedly.


    "Than that just means he is a strong and healthy boy Mr. Edward. Do not worry, the only thing i saw was a little bruise on his jaw, it will be healed in no time at all!" the red haired woman answer my father reassuringly.


    I shut my eyes before they can realize that i was awake, it''s better to just fake a sleep and pretend to be a patient than facing my father right now.


    Before long the conversation between the red haired woman and Edward coming to an end and the red haired woman left the room shortly.


    Edward stared at his son, still deep asleep, his son green eyes closed and ashen colored hair rested on a bed. His son inherited much of his appearance from him rather than his mother, maybe the only thing his son inherited from his mother was her wild and chaotic nature.


    Thinking of her made Edward grit his teeth. He close his eyes and exhale a tired sigh, looking at his son for one last time, he left the room and closed the door.


    ...


    I open my eyes after i think everyone left the room, i saw a wooden ceiling.


    The only reason i could see it was thanks to the light of a moon that shine much brightly than usual today.


    Fuck, I mess up today. Shouldn''t have said i want to be a rebel leader. Even though i admire him greatly, it doesn''t mean that i actually want to be him. What i actually wanted to say to my father was that i want to go on adventure.


    In a daze, akin to a drunken state, I actually told him the first thing that came to my mind.


    And what a disaster that turned out to be.


    "Haaaah" I frustratingly exhale.


    Thinking any further than this will only get me nowhere, so it is better to just go to sleep than thinking of what if situation that will only make me drown in a swamp of regret. So, once again i close my eyes and succumbed to sleep.

 Chapter 3 *Revised

    Cock-a-doodle-doo


    Waking up to my family damned rooster, I stared at the wooden ceiling in my room once again.


    The bruised part on my jaw is now gone, as expected of the witch granddaughter. The ointment that she smeared is really effective even though it was cheap.


    I was wondering if it was true that you could make such effective medicine with a cheap ingredient or if it was just a witchcraft.


    Well, calling her expertise a witchcraft is pretty insulting if you ask me, in the first place as far as i know there is no such things as a witch. It was just an old folk tales that no one really believed.


    The only reason we called an old woman a witch is just because she has a black cat, make such an effective medicine with a strange utensil and sometimes we heard a strange scream coming from her home.


    But the witch didn''t matter right now.


    The one who actually matter is my father, What should i say to him when i meet him? Should i just pretend yesterday incident never happen or should i, once again confront him with my honest feeling, Like the one that happen yesterday.


    "Heh" a chuckle escaped my lips


    If i am brave enough to do that then, i can''t see myself living past 18, such a bravery usually cost a lot and doesn''t pay for much.


    But, ...... do I truly want to let that go, do i want to let the chance to go on adventure? Over such a trivial thing such as talking to my father?


    No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No!


    I don''t want that! I want to go on adventure and living on exciting experience! Exploring an unknown territory, slaying a dangerous creature and challenging an impossible odds those thing is a far, far better choice than dying of old age as an ordinary farmer in an ordinary village.


    And if the price is my live than, I will happily pay for it.


    So, What did i am afraid of! Talking to my father is a such a trivial task, it make me want to laugh at myself for being scared of it.


    What the worst thing that can happen?! Getting hit once again? Being scolded? Grounded? I deal with that almost every other day.


    Did that stop me from doing what I want?


    Of course it didn''t!


    No matter what happens, I always rush forward without getting afraid of the consequence.


    Because fuck consequence! I do what I want to do and no one can stop me!


    Not even my own father.


    So why?


    Why do I still can''t get up from my bed!


    ...


    Getting out of bed right know is harder than swimming against a waterfall. But driven by the calling of adventure i push myself forward. So, With a bated breath i get up from my bed and go toward the door in my room.


    Grabbing the door handle, I pushed it forward to open the door.


    Taking a step out of my room, I walk toward our living room, there is a chance of meeting father in there, the chance is slim because at this time of the day he normally already left for the field.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    When I finally arrive at the living room a miracle happened, I found my father sitting on the chair.


    I unconscious touch my jaw


    Even though the bruised part is gone and the pain already subside when I remember what happen yesterday i can feel some piercing pain coming from it once again.


    Gathering up all the courage that i could muster, I walk toward my father in order to confront him.


    The first step toward adventure is the hardest step, so by facing him this also means in a roundabout way also facing the adventure i wish for.


    thud.


    Taking my first heavy step i walk toward my father.


    thud, thud.


    With each step my leg feel lighter and lighter.


    thud, thud, thud, thud, thud.


    I can feel the chain of fear binding my leg getting broken one by one.


    thud, thud, thud.


    And before i knew it i finally stand in front of my father.


    With his head resting on his face he looked unusually serious. His serious face is something that i rarely see. Because the one i often see are the tired face or the angry one


    The serious face is usually reserved for the important talk.


    Like the day when my mother left us.


    Stunned i can only look at him speechlessly.


    "Rai!"


    Father spoke before i could, he uttered my name in a deep and heavy voice.


    "Sit down!"


    Before my mind could process what my father said, My body moved first following his command.


    Father looked at me with his serious face and giving me a goosebumps. I think this situation is more terrifying what happened yesterday.


    "Do you know why i am sitting here waiting for you, Instead of going to work in the field" Father asked me with his deep voice.


    "Because of what happen yesterday?" I answered feeling uncertain.


    "No, Even though what happened yesterday have something to do with this talk, it is not the actual reason."


    "Did you still feeling angry because I want to become a rebel leader?"


    "No, I did not, I know you well enough to know that you did not actually want to become a rebel leader."


    "Really?"


    "Yes, you are not a stupid person, The stupid one is your brother not you, so even though you are a rebellious kid, you do not actually want to become a rebel leader"


    "He he he" I laughed at my father praise.


    "Haaah" Father sighed tiredly.


    "Wait a minute if it was not because what happen yesterday then what is the actual reason you haven''t left for the field father?"


    Father didn''t speak for a while. His silent state speaks more of the situation than any other word could.


    He turned his head to the side, staring at the window before he finally speak.


    "Do you know why i strongly ask of you to help me in the field, Knowing that you will not inherit it" Father asked me with a tired voice.


    "Because my brother is a stupid, lazy and often ditch his job to play with a girl." i Instantly answered


    Father smiled wearily "Well .... that''s a part of it, but no that''s not the actual reason"


    "Then, Can you tell me the actual reason father?" I asked curiously.


    Father turned his head once again and come face to face with me.


    "It''s because of you"


    Feeling insulted i ask my father "Huh? What is wrong with me?"


    When my father heard me say this he has a face that wanted to say something but manage to hold it at the last possible moment.


    "Haah" Father sighed once again with an even more tired voice.


    Father massage his throbbing head and said.


    "You are an adventurous kid."


    I blushed at my father praise.


    "I blame my wife for that, Why did he always take you on a forest even though i said it was dangerous, heck the forest is even dangerous for an adult, So why did she took you to that place."


    "That is the question that I never dare to ask to my wife."


    Father make a fist for a moment before he reluctant relaxed his hand "But what is done is done and you are already become like this so, it is no use crying over a spilled milk, what is more important is the present."


    I continue to listen to my father lecture.


    "So even though, I knew you won''t actually inherit my field and not going to stay in this village when you become an adult, I forcefully order you to help me helping in the field, Do you want to know why, I did that."


    I nodded my head.


    Father smiled and for the first time i knew it was coming from his heart.


    "That is because you are my son"


    Stunned, I can only continue to stare at my father without giving him a response


    "More than anything, I want give you the second most precious treasure that i can give so, when you go on a journey and feeling lonely you can think of it and know that i always love you"


    Father continue to talk "I don''t have a precious artifact to give you strength, no precious technique that can save your live, and no amount of money i can give you will amount much."


    Father smile sadly "because I am just a simple farmer."


    "I am not a wizard, knight or even a merchant, i am just a farmer in ordinary village and as a farmer the only thing i can give you is a knowledge about farming."


    "I ask of you to help me farming not because i am giving you a punishment for doing something bad."


    "I ask of you to help me with farming because i want to to give you my second most precious treasure."


    My father extend his hand and i flinch in reflex.


    But the fist i expected to receive on my head never come, Instead what i received is a loving stroke as he softly caress my head.


    "My second most treasure treasure I have is my farming knowledge but, my most precious treasure I have is something that I can''t give you because you already own it."


    With his most heartfelt smile my father told me


    "Because you, my son, are the most precious treasure of all."

 Chapter 4 *Revised

    My throat is hot and my eyes are getting blurry.


    Drip, drip, drip.


    Touching my face i can feel something wet and i realize that i am crying right now. The wet thing that i was touching are tears.


    I rub my eyes to clear the tears that coming out of my eyes.


    But it was useless.


    It still coming out, The tears still flowing from from my eyes no matter how hard I try to stop it.


    Hicks, hicks


    I started sobbing.


    My eyes is getting red and I don''t know if it was because i am crying or because i rub my eyes too hard.


    Hicks, hicks, hicks, Waaaahhh!!!


    A sobbing turned into wailing as i cry my heart out.


    I can''t, I can''t think of anything right now. I just wanted to let out this foreign feeling that keep that burns my heart as i let out a wail.


    Thud, thud.


    My father is in front of me before i knew it. Even though i can''t see him clearly i knew he was also crying. This is the second time i see him crying, the first time was when mother run away from home and left our family.


    That night, I could see him crying, a cry without a sound and when I saw him that night crying, I swore to myself.


    To never let him cry once again.


    Because It hurts! .... it hurts! so much looking at him like that. He should be angry at me, He should just scold me but never should he cry like that ever again. How can my strong and stern father let out his tears, that is something that should be forbidden to do.


    Everything is fine except him letting out his tears.


    Because seeing him like that is hurts me more than anything that I could imagine!


    Ohhh, how can i forgot my oath! How could i forget it!


    I blame those villagers and their mind blowing information, When i heard their conversation my mind felt like it was blown away, together with an oath that i made that night.


    Curse them! I hate!, hate!, hate!, hate! I hate all of you!


    While i curse those villagers in my mind I suddenly feel something warm enveloping me.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    It was dark, but warm. I can''t see anything in front of me but i know that my tears stain my father clothes.


    I raise my head upward. I saw my father with a clear line of tears on his face and my face turned pale.


    I beg my father "Stop that father, please! please stop crying!"


    "It''s okay Rai, it''s okay. let it all out, let all your feeling out. That''s what a children supposed to do, a children should cry when they are sad, laugh when they are happy and yell when they are angry."


    Hicks, hicks.


    I hugged him tighter.


    "Maybe it is my fault" Father looked up


    "I never actually consider your feeling, I never question why you did what you do" He looked at me with a sad eyes


    "But i think finally understand, I finally understand it"


    Father caress my head


    "You just want my attention, aren''t you?" father smiled


    Stop it father, I am not that good of a child my intention is not that pure don''t actually want your attention, what i want i an exciting adventure, so please! father please stop crying! please just scold me like you usually do!


    "Maybe, It was because Ellena left to early that you don''t get enough attention and love that a parents supposed to give you as a child."


    Father sighed.


    "With Ellen gone I turn all my focus toward the farm and neglected both of you"


    "Asher is a lacking in intellect but he made it up with his well spoken action and handsome face. Asher is a blessed person, he inherit all the good looks from his mother and thanks to that people flock to him.


    Father chuckled


    "Especially girls."


    Father caress my head once again "so, even the little bit of sadness left in him was blown away thanks to the girls around him, he really likes them girls"


    "Heh" Father chuckled once again


    My face blushed red from embarrassment.


    "Stop that father! your joke are not funny!" I told him


    Father finally separated himself from me


    "Ha ha ha, maybe, but at least you finally stopped crying"


    Stunned i touched my face and realize that the tears finally stopped flowing from my eyes and all that was left was a red eyes along with a red face.


    Father continue to speak.


    While Asher was fine, you on the other hand was not. You were your mother favorite after all, so when she left you, you were hit the hardest.


    I don''t know what to feel when i saw you that day.


    Should i feel relieved because she didn''t brought you or should i actually feel sad because she didn''t brought you along with her.


    "I feel those two feeling mixed up in my heart and because of that I didn''t do anything to you"


    Father clench his hand "because i didn''t know what to do ..."


    Father relaxed his hand and for a while both of us keep our silent


    "........"


    "........"


    "I am such a failure of a father" Father was the first one to break the silent


    I shouted with anger "Stop that father you are not a failure, i am the failure you are the best dad in the world!"


    "Ha ha ha, thanks son, that really make me feel better!"


    Father suddenly squat down to my eyes level. He touch my head and said


    "Rai, I know you will be bored working in the field, but please bear with it for while."


    Father stand up and lifted his hand, He moved his sleeve until I can see his whole arm. He smiled and show off the muscle on his arm.


    "Do you know where i got this muscle?" Father asked me.


    I stay silent as i let my father answer his own question.


    "It was thanks to the field work that I have done everyday!" Father said proudly


    Father looked at me with a serious eyes "Treat this as a training for the sake of your journey and when you go on journey later and meet you mother ..."


    Father showed me a grin "Give her! the strongest punch! that you can give!"


    Father face suddenly seem to be getting younger and said something like a kid planning his biggest prank.


    "And said this to your mother, Father gives his regards!"


    "HAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHHAHA"


    I can''t help as a laughter escaped from both father and my mouth, so I showed him my biggest grin and answer.


    "Okay father, I promise! i will give her the strongest! and the hardest punch! that will knock some sense into her muddled head!"


    With both of us still laughing we bump our fist to seal the promise.

 Chapter 5 *Revised

    When I was 6 years old my hobby was to search for a stone, from a round shaped stone, triangle shaped stone and weird shaped stone I collected all of them.


    Of course, as a collector I didn''t just took anything willy-nilly I have a pretty strict criteria after all, I only collect the one that have wonderful color, like yellow, white or a red one.


    But, the one I like the most is definitely that one.


    In one of my stroll to the forest, I found it, it was stuck together with other stones in the river, if it was not because of my keen eyes then, I wouldn''t be able to find it.


    I dive into the river to get it and with sense of accomplishment lifted the stone as I observe it carefully.


    It perfectly matched with the size of my palm, round and flat in shape with a distinct sky blue color, I just can''t help myself from falling in love.


    I named it Azure matching its color and majesty that it radiates.


    The first week after I found Azure felt like a fleeting dream, I always brought it everywhere with me and I even talked with Azure, praising it for it looks. So, it was not a strange thing for me to be shocked when I woke up only to find Azure was gone.


    My face turned pale when I didn''t find Azure in a place I usually place it. I rummaged throughout my collection of stones only to feel agony as I didn''t find it.


    In desperation I asked for the help of an expert in finding missing things to help me find Azure.


    I called out to my mom.


    "MOM!!!!"


    "He he he, what''s wrong Rai, did you miss me already!"


    "Stop joking around mom! come help me find Azure!"


    "Cheh you are no fun Rai, where did my loving son go? since you found that stupid stone, you hardly ever play with me!"


    "It''s not important mom! just help me find my missing Azure"


    "Fine, fine, I will find your stupid stone, but I did this only because you are my lovely son! If other people ask me, they won''t even find me moving a finger for them" Mother puffed her chest.


    "Okay, okay, mom, I am your lovely son, now find Azure already."


    Mother think for a moment before she finally said "Alright, but first close your eyes."


    I close my eyes halfway as I want to take a peek of what mother about to do.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    "No peeking!"


    I close it my eyes all the way when she said that.


    Satisfied, mother then instruct me again "You can open your eyes now"


    I opened it only to be feeling disappointed.


    She didn''t have it, The only thing she showed me was her open palm with nothing in it.


    "You can''t find it mom?" I asked


    Mother chuckled and said "look carefully".


    I blinked once only to find Azure is on her right hand.


    I looked at her in confusion. She looked me back and with a grin she said.


    "Amazing isn''t it! One moment it was not there and another moment it was there, Do you want to know what happened?"


    I shake my head up and down clearly eager to know what the hell just happened.


    "This trick is a called a magic and I am a Wizard!"


    In awe I looked at her, was my mother a wizard? How come I didn''t know until now? Did this means I am a son of a wizard, will I become a wizard in the future too."


    That was what I thought before mother said something strange


    "Hu hu hu, look at you believing everything I just said, How foolish of you my son, I didn''t remember teaching you to be such a foolish person"


    I looked her questionably why did mother suddenly speaking funny, She never actually taught me a single decent thing, she usually just play around with me in the forest leaving every basic and proper education to dad.


    "Ehem"


    Seeing me looking at her like a strange person she coughed lightly


    "Anyway, you are usually sharper than this, So did you know why you didn''t notice the trick?"


    "Why?" I asked curiously


    "Because love make you blind! your love for that stupid stone made you unable to see it"


    "Really?! Is that true!"


    "No, I am just messing with you, here take your stupid stone"


    She place Azure in my hand as she make an infuriating comment.


    "Huh?"


    Looking at me feeling puzzled she said "Well, you looked like you were having fun with that stone, You even dare to forgot me! your mother, so I stole the stupid stone and hide it in my pocket." She confess her crime to me.


    Feeling anger and embarrassment I stared at my mom in silent.


    "So, Did love really make people blind" I asked mom trying to suppress my anger.


    "Of course not! how can love make people blind, if it was true then your father is the blindest person in the world" She smiled foolishly


    Father! look! look at the person you were married to, I even started to doubt your eyes father, are you blind or are you not?


    Suddenly I remember one of my father teaching when in doubt then just ask, so that is what I will do


    "So love really didn''t make you blind?"


    Mother answer "No, of course not you silly"


    Mother grinned and continue speaking


    "It only make you dumb!"


    "Huh?"


    "I mean, you actually believe me when I said that I am a wizard! only an idiot would believe a little trick like that as an actual magic, E he he, thank you for loving me Rai!" She hugged me


    Mother separate herself from me and walking toward the door. She came as she like and leave behind a lot of trouble when she left, that''s the aspect that I used to like from her, but now that I become a recipient from that aspect of her a like suddenly turn into hatred.


    Unable to suppress my anger I hurl Azure to my mom.


    Anticipating this she duck and grab Azure midflight.


    "A ha ha, thanks for the gift Rai, I will make sure to treasure it"


    After saying that she run toward the outside and successfully escape from home.


    I chase her and that was the beginning of our game of tag.


    The game ended with mom as a winner, I am too exhausted to continue chasing her and coming back home in tears. I told my mother inappropriate behavior to my father, but father said to give up, because mother is a lost cause.


    So in tears I go to bed and thinking of my revenge. No matter how many years it will take, I will have my revenge mom and when I do, I will claim back my Azure.


    But the revenge I was planning never come to fruition ... Because mother left a year later after that day.

 Chapter 6 *Revision

    ¡°A dream huh¡±


    Waking up early than usual I thought at a dream that I just had.


    Thinking of mother made me want to grit my teeth, How dare she ran away before I got my revenge! She even brought along Azure.


    ¡°Fuck¡± I can¡¯t help but mutter a curse thanks to my mother, thinking of her appearance, her golden hair, blue eyes, and beautiful made her looks like some kind of princess in a fairy tale story.


    Yes, she is as beautiful as a princess ¡­ as long as she can shut her mouth for a second.


    I wonder why did father marry mother? The contrast between father responsible personality and mother willful personality doesn¡¯t seem like a great match.


    It must be because the she was his childhood friend, that¡¯s the only reason I can think of.


    Stretching my stiff body, I got up from bed and walk toward the kitchen, Since mother left the cooking duty is done by both me and father in rotation since brother rarely come back home these days.


    Lighting up the fire and pouring the water into the pot I start to cut up the potatoes and carrots not to forget some meat that father got from Ms. Nana the veteran hunter of our village. I pour all of it into the boiling pot. As I stir the pot my mind start to think idly.


    It has been a year since my father hoodwink me into doing his binding.


    Don¡¯t think I didn¡¯t realize it father! I knew you just want some help in farm since brother never helped you with farming work, I can¡¯t help to shake my head thinking of my brother.


    My brother Asher, nicknamed ¡°Ash¡±, It¡¯s funny when you think of it, I was the one with ashen coloured hair but he was the one who got the nickname ash even though he had none of the characteristic.


    I mean he totally inherited mother looks, He was basically mother but with a different gender ¡­ and personality too I guess.


    Where mother can be described as wild and chaotic, Asher can be described as a ¡­ woman magnet, he was such a diligent person, Helping all the woman around the village in helping solve their trouble be it from a girl around six years old to a woman already past their fifty, all of them came to him when they have even a slightest bit of troubleThe author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    It was no wonder why he became the most favourite person for a woman in this village.


    If only he just gave a little bit of attention to our family, I am sure that father will not have to worry about the future of our farm, but given who the Asher mother is I don¡¯t think he will change at all. Borrowing my father word, I think he is a lost cause case.


    Well ¡­ not that I can comment much about him since I was also a lost cause.


    I thought of my father and thinking ¡­ be strong father even though your wife ran away and two of your sons is hopeless, you are the only hope of our household so do not break under this your hopeless situation father!


    Now that I think of it, Father is the only sane person in this family doesn¡¯t that means he is kind of ¡­  an odd person?


    ¡­ thinking any further than this will only make me question father sanity even more, so I focused my attention back to cooking, I sprinkle the secret ingredient to the pot and stir it again, The secret ingredient written as ¡°Love¡± read as ¡°Pepper¡±.


    Because love is expensive after all and that¡¯s why it was delicious, the only reason why we have it is because my brother managed to secure it from who knows where.


    Calling my father for a breakfast I sit on a chair and started to eat my food


    As I concentrate with my food father starts to speak


    ¡°Did you use pepper?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t hmm me answer properly¡± father use a stern tone as he continue to eat


    ¡°I use pepper father, there are you happy!¡± I dismissively answer him as I continue to eat my breakfast, food better enjoyed hot after all


    ¡°Haah, where did you get the pepper?¡± Father ask a question his hand still scooping his stew.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know father, you better ask brother where he got it¡±, even I want to know where the hell did he managed to secure a pepper, it was such an expensive thing after all.


    Ahh, the art of blaming others, the wonderful art of giving the burden to someone else, what a wonderful art that is, just saying it was his/her fault and not me can make you feel better even thought it didn¡¯t actually change anything and you still have to deal with the consequence of your own doing, at least your mind will be guilt free and that what matter the most.


    Giving up questioning me father continue to eat his breakfast, Father really can¡¯t be honest with himself if it was delicious then he should just enjoy it and don¡¯t ask me such a complicated things first thing in the morning.


    After finishing our breakfast we walk toward the field, The field in the village is just combination of all the field in the village, our ancestor decided to have one big field instead of a separate one so we can have easier time irrigating the field.


    Some people might have a problem with that decision, But thankfully since my father taken over the duty of managing the farm as a whole the dissenting voice is all but gone, father can even handle mother much less a bunch of ordinary farmer.


    Nobody actually dare to question father considering confronting him also means confronting all the woman who love my brother, so they just give up and just follow my father lead.


    Because he was busy managing all of it that was why he asked me for a help with farming our part of the field and that was why I am stuck in this situation.

 Chapter 7 *Revised

    Chapter 7


    But that changes today.


    Finding myself standing in front of the door of our village hunter I start to knock on the door.


    Knock knock.


    Knocking the door once again I am waiting in patience ¡­ not.


    Knock knock knock.


    How can I wait in when this is the day that I have been waiting for.


    Knock knock knock knock knock knock knock.


    Today is the day my father and the selected people in this village going to a city to sell our crops, Including Mrs. Nana the mother of the person I am about to meet


    Knock knock knock knock knock knock knock knock knock knock.


    With this precious free time that I have been gifted, I will change my situation by learning how to hunt.


    Alright, alright be patience for a bit will you, stop knocking on my door!


    After a while that felt like a long time the door finally opened revealing the person that I want to meet.


    He was Cain the son Mrs. Nana whose job is also a hunter, I want to learn hunting from him.


    Why did I not just learn it from Ms Nana the veteran hunter?


    Because he is in love and people in love is dumb enough to fall for a trick, Even if it was from a ten years old kid.


    ¡°Teach me how to hunt!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Teach me how to hunt!¡±


    ¡°Wait, wait!¡±


    ¡°Teach me how to hunt!¡±


    ¡°Why did you want to learn hunting I thought you are a farmer Rai?¡±


    ¡°I want meat, I want to eat meat.¡±


    Eating meat is good for a muscle after all, a farming work won¡¯t give me muscle I need for my adventure, I need more meat.


    With a long sigh Cain walked deeper into his house and before long come with a skewered meat that giving out a delicious smell.


    ¡°Here take this and don¡¯t bother me again!¡±If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    With that Cain close the door with a bang leaving me with a food on my hand.


    Maybe I was hasty, asking for what I want before offering what I can help him with is not a good move.


    Eating a piece of meat skewer and swallowing it with a gulp I shouted.


    ¡°VIRGIN FOR LIVE!¡±


    I turn and ready to run away.


    But before I could take my leave someone already grabbed my shoulder.


    ¡°What the hell is that?¡±


    "What''s wrong, Uncle Cain?" I asked in confusion.


    "What''s wrong with your head, you came with a sudden request and left with an abrupt curse!" Cain shouted in reply.


    "But ... isn''t that true. If you don''t marry before twenty then you will be a virgin for life. That''s what the other uncles and aunties in the village said."


    "Those damn villagers, teaching a kid unnecessary things, what did they know about me!"


    "Well, you are 19 years old and haven''t married ... so maybe that''s why?"


    Cain suddenly slapped me.


    "Shut up! kids shouldn''t ask adults and I am not an uncle. I am not old enough to be called uncle.


    "Well, you looked old enough for me to call you an uncle.¡±


    Once again, Cain slapped me.


    "Shut up!¡±


    With despair in his voice, Cain began his tirade.


    "In the first place, who wants to be a virgin? It''s not me for sure. I also want to get married quickly and have a beautiful wife and good child where we spend the rest of our life living happily in our home ¡­"


    Looking at the hopeless adult tirade, I started to chew my meat skewer.


    ¡®Hmm taste like a rabbit.¡¯


    It took ten more minutes before Cain finally got out of breath and stopped talking. Rai skewer was already on the ground, thrown after it finished its task.


    "Hah ... Haaah Haah"


    "So are you done speaking?" I asked.


    Cain looked resentfully with his bloodshot eyes toward Rain, the little brat that started it all. He really wanted to struggle this little shit neck so badly, but he was too tired to be doing anything, so he just nodded his head.


    "Mother used to say, love makes you blind. I think it was used to describe people like you."


    "Huh?"


    "I mean all the people in the village know that you love Lucy, the granddaughter of the witch."


    "H-How do they know?"


    ¡°I don¡¯t know? Maybe because they have eyes.¡±


    I tilted my head as I stared mockingly at Cain.


    Red from anger, Cain looked like he was about to punch me.


    But before he could punch me, I give him an unexpected piece of news.


    "Those uncles and aunties also know that Lucy also likes you."


    Forgetting his anger and everything else, Cain suddenly found himself speechless.


    Cain and Rai stared at each other for a while before Cain finally processed what Rai said.


    "W-W-W-W-W-W-W-WHAT IS T-T-THAT TRUE, DID L-L-LUCY LIKE ME???"


    ¡°That is what I just said¡±


    Grinning ear from ear, Cain felt like he could forgive everything this little brat did. No, not little brat but his brother.


    Cain patted Rai shoulder again and again. "Did you say you want to learn wanted to hunt. It''s easy from tomorrow we can begin."


    "Are you sure?! Thanks Uncle Cain"


    "Didn''t I say, stop calling me uncle, call me brother and from now on you are my brother"


    "Okay, Brother Cain as your brother I will help you get the love that you deserve."


    "Really! That''s great, thank you Rai."


    Cain hugged me full of emotion.


    Rai smiled, full of satisfaction because he finally got what he wanted.


    "No, thank you Brother"


    ....


    Finished with my mission, I left Cain''s home.


    On my way home, I started thinking about what I will learn from Cain and whether the lovestruck hunter will really achieve his love.


    After all, virgins are famous for being a coward. Well, let''s just hope Cain get what is the best for him.


    I doubt that thought.


    Because who is brave enough to court the witch''s granddaughter.


    Maybe Cain isn''t blind from love.


    Maybe his instinct made him to unconscious ignore Lucy advance.


    Is that why even though Lucy gave him a clear signal, He ignored them.


    Doesn''t that mean that I actually pushing him toward his death?


    .....


    Well, as long as Cain is happy, isn''t that good enough!


    Let''s just stop thinking about this. Maybe Cain is just blind from love and I am not about to push someone toward his death


    Yeah, that sounds good.


    Happy thought! happy thought!

 Chapter 8 *Revised

    Once more I find myself standing in front of Cain home.


    I swung the door and entered without any reservation.


    A messy place and alcohol smell is what I found when I entered. Looking around, I found Cain sprawling on the floor.


    I give him a kick to wake him up. How dare he sleep when I came all the way here to listen to his teaching?


    Cain woke up with a startled face.


    ¡°Huh? Where am I?¡±


    ¡°You are in my house now.¡±


    "Really? I thought this was my house.¡±


    Good, at least he is still not drunk enough to forget his own home.


    I looked at his condition.


    A messy hair and tired eyes are a sign that he was lacking in sleep; I guess he was a little too overexcited that he can¡¯t catch a sleep.


    ¡°Cain, brother, tell me, what do you think we will be doing today?¡±


    "Huh, of course I will confess my love for Lucy, and we will get married right away, and ehe he he..." Cain''s hand started wiggling, and his face morphed into a perverted one.


    Before he showed an even more pathetic form of himself, I will stop him.


    How can you wake up a person from his fantasy?


    The easiest one is by giving that person a beating.


    I kick him hard on his leg.


    "Aaargh"


    I grab his shirt, and while he is still confused, I slap him.


    Slap


    "Wake..."


    Slap


    ...Up"


    Slap


    and a third slap to make sure he was really awake


    Even with a pain in my palm, I can''t stop myself from smiling.


    I finally got my revenge.


    Wait, that''s not it!


    While Cain was still in a stunned state, I spoke


    "Brother, did you finally wake up?


    "Huh?"


    I lifted my hand, ready to slap him again, but before I could do that, Cain quickly distanced himself from me.


    "Wait, wait, why did you slap me?"


    "Well, you are dreaming just now."


    "Huh, what do you mean by that?"


    "I mean, look at you. You look as awful as you can be. Will you really confess your love while looking like that?"


    "I-I-I..."


    Cain''s eyes looking left and right as he started to think of an excuse, which of course he did not have


    "I know I said love is blind, but really, brother, have some mercy. Lucy''s love will wither if you stay like this."


    Cain, shoulders slumped and looking deflated, started to speak.


    "Aaah, I am really hopeless. I almost ruined the most important moment of my life."


    I puffed my chest and smacked Cain back.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    "Do not worry, brother. That''s why I am here to help you with Love Live."


    "R-Really, thank you; you are a lifesaver," Cain said while looking at me with teary eyes.


    ....


    After fixing his look and resting for a while, Cain regained a little bit of energy.


    He is staring at Rai, who began asking him a question.


    "First, let me ask you, what do you think you are lacking?"


    Cain confidently answered


    "Definitely a handsome face!"


    Rai grabbed his face and sighed.


    "Wrong answer, try again!"


    "Ehhhh!"


    Cain answered again, this time with less confidence.


    "Maybe ... money?"


    "Better, but ¡­ it¡¯s still a wrong answer."


    Before Cain can think for another Rai answer his own question


    "What you are lacking is confidence!"


    "What!"


    "Yes, it''s definitely confidence; while your look is not the most handsome, it''s good enough. I give it 7 out of 10.


    Cain touched his face.


    He had a good feature with brown hair and eyes, a good physique thanks to his hunter job.


    Thinking about it now, he might actually be a good catch for women. His eyes suddenly filled with the light of hope as he thought


    ¡®Yes, I am quite handsome!¡¯


    Just like knowing what he was thinking Rai continues to speak.


    "Yes, you are quite handsome, and one of the good catches in this village. The reason why women didn¡¯t flock around you is because my brother already caught most of their attention."


    Rai continued his lecture.


    "And money, while maybe you are not the richest person in this village, Lucy definitely is, so you don¡¯t have to worry about that. As long as you can bring food to the table, which you can surely do, it will be fine.


    ¡°You are a hunter after all.¡±


    Rai suddenly clapped his hand


    "And that brings us full circle and back to your weakness, which is also the weakness of all virgins."


    "Hey, that''s really rude." Cain felt offended as he responded with an irritated voice.


    "Shut up and listen to me, or you will be a virgin for life. Is that what you want?"


    That quickly made Cain silent as he stared meekly at Rai.


    "The best way to gain confidence is by having an experience, so that is what we will be doing from now on."


    Cain cocked his head to the side as a question mark appeared inside his mind.


    "Experience, you mean some dating experience.¡±


    ¡°Can you ask her out?¡± I asked


    ¡°No way, that¡¯s impossible.¡± Cain replied while waving his hand faster than I could see.


    ¡°Right, that was what I meant it is impossible for a virgin without much experience like you to ask a beautiful lady like Lucy to go out.¡±


    A smile slowly formed on Rai''s mouth as he spoke.


    "Don''t worry, it''s not dating I was talking about, but the more advanced version of that¡­ Yeah, it''s a more advanced task than a mere dating experience.


    Cain''s arms were prickling with goosebumps, and a shiver ran through his body as he listened to Rai''s chilling voice.


    Rai said as he started to laugh eerily


    "It''s a child-rearing experience!"


    "Child-rearing experience?!" Cain shouted.


    "That''s a right child-rearing experience," I responded while nodding my head.


    "I am not even married yet, and you want me to raise a child, and... what about the mother?"


    I clicked my tongue.


    "Of course there will be no mother. How insensitive of you, Papa."


    "Huh??? What do you mean?"


    "Don''t you remember? Mother left after you gambled away all of the money in our household."


    "Huh??"


    "Now, there''s only two of us left in this house, Papa. I know it must be hard, but let''s do our best to weather this storm, Papa," I said while hugging him and giving him the best sad eyes that I could give.


    "Wait, wait, wait for a fucking moment!!!"


    "What''s wrong? Papa, did you finally understand how bad our situation is? Will you finally stop gambling? Will you finally come back to your past self as the best hunter of this village?"


    Cain grabbed my shoulder and shook it again and again.


    "Wait, I said, wait a fucking moment. What do you mean by gambling, and did d Mother leave? I haven''t even married yet, and do not call me papa. I definitely do not remember giving birth to a son like you."


    With a sneer, I answered his question.


    "Oooh papa, did you finally lose your mind? Of course it was not you who gave birth to me."


    "Mother, the one who gave birth to me, after all, how can a man give birth? You are so silly, Papa."


    I said while smiling innocently.


    "OOOOOOOAAAARRGHHHHHH"


    Finally losing his mind, Cain headbutted me in the face.


    The impact made both of them cry in agony while holding their heads.


    "Ouch, that hurt. Why did you headbutt me?" Rai said in a pained voice.


    Holding his head with both hands, Cain responded


    "Thank God, you finally stopped calling me Papa."


    "What kind of father headbutted his own son?"


    "The one who actually had you as a son, of course."


    "Ouch, that actually hurt more than the headbutt!"


    "Hahaha, finally I got one win from you. Anyway, what were you actually doing just now?"


    Standing up, Rai patted his clothes and answered with a beaming smile.


    "That was a situation I created to let you experience how dreadful a child-rearing, or should we say child-raising, situation is."


    "Huh??"


    "How was that? Isn''t that scary? It''s definitely scary from the way you reacted."


    Speechless, Cain looked at Rai and just nodded dumbly.


    Rai grinned and said, "Imagine if you can actually complete this trial of child-raising experience; everything else will become a breeze for you."


    Cain imagined the situation where he became a perfect gentleman for Lucy and grinned.


    "So, did you want to continue, Papa? Or did you want to be called something else, Dad? Father? Pops?"


    Cain looked at Rai and thought


    ¡®Even though this method sounds ridiculous, it may actually be ridiculous enough to succeed.¡¯


    So, with an eye full of fire, Cain said


    "Just call me father."


    "Okay, I will call you father from now on."


    ¡°So, what will we do from now on?¡±


    ¡°First, as a father, you must fulfil your promise to your wonderful son.¡±


    ¡°What promise?¡±


    ¡°Haah, as I thought, you forgot it. How awful of you, father!¡±


    ¡°Hey, what did I forget?¡±


    ¡°You promise to take me to your workplace.¡±


    ¡°My workplace! You mean the forest?¡±


    ¡°Yes, now let us go with haste, a place where you will teach your son an important art passed down from our ancestor.¡±


    With a grin on my face, I said


    ¡°Let us go for a hunt!¡±

 Chapter 9 *Revised

    I looked at Cain and, with an annoyed expression, said


    ¡°My brother, as a handsome person, had all the girls he helped in the past help him soothe his troubled heart.¡±


    "So, with a workaholic father and a mostly useless brother out of the picture, that left just me alone to deal with my own sadness.¡±


    I continue my story while walking


    ¡°With no one to look after me, I started to wander alone, hiding in unnoticed places and dark corners of the village, and¡­ I noticed something.¡±


    "What is it?¡± Cain asked curiously.


    I wave my hand to him, indicating for Cain to get closer and when he is in front of me, I said in a whisper.


    "I could hear it!"


    "Hear what exactly?"


    "I can hear everything in this village, from a mundane conversation between family to a secret that should not have been leaked.¡±


    ¡°I could hear it all.¡± Rai said with a huge smile


    Speechless, Cain can only look at Rai dumbfoundedly. He took a moment to think before finally realising what Rai just told him.


    "You mean you know Lucy likes me because you were eavesdropping!"


    "Well, yes!¡±


    While looking offended, Rai said


    ¡°But calling it eavesdropping sounds a bit harsh, let''s just call it ... surprise hearing¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Cain said curiously.


    ¡°Because what I overheard sure surprised me!"


    Half curious, half shocked, Cain asked.


    "What did you overhear?".


    Rai grinned, and with outstretched hand, he said, "Our village head did not have only one son... he actually had a lot of secret children, and when I said a lot, I meant it.


    ¡°A lot? Like two or three?¡±


    ¡°Try a third.¡±


    ¡°A third, a third of what?¡±


    ¡°A third of this Village!¡±


    ¡°WHAT!!¡±


    ¡°Yes, that was exactly what I meant. Wasn¡¯t it surprising? Who would have thought that old fart actually managed to sire a third of this village''s children? And then it suddenly hit me.¡±The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Did you hit your head?¡±


    ¡°No, I did not hit my head; I mean I got an enlightenment.¡±


    ¡°What kind of enlightenment did you get from that messed-up information?¡±


    ¡°Heh heh, did you want to know, or did you totally want to know?¡±


    ¡°Never mind I ever asked.¡±


    Dismissing his dismissal, I continue to speak.


    ¡°When I heard it, the first thing that I thought was, ¡®Our village sure is one big family¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t it mean I might actually be one of them?¡±


    ¡°Did you mean your mother cheated on your father?¡±


    ¡°I mean, I knew it was basically impossible considering how my mother usually acts.¡±


    Cain, remembering Ellen''s past act, nodded his head and muttered, ¡°Well ¡­ that¡¯s true.¡±


    ¡°But maybe, just maybe, we might actually have a common ancestor, and everyone might have some kind of relation down the family line, and that got me thinking!¡±


    ¡°What else did you want to say?¡±


    I close my eyes and say, ¡°As a family, there should be no secret between us.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I like where this is going!¡±


    ¡°As the dutiful son that I am, it is my duty to uncover all the secrets of our family, and that is why I continue to eavesdrop on those villagers until now.¡±


    ¡°Aha ha ha ha.¡±


    Elated that I have finally revealed the secret that I have been hiding, I laugh my hearts out.


    Cain looked at the little kid in front of him and found himself pitying Rai''s father, Edward. Not only did his wife left him even his son became a twisted kid.


    He started to doubt whether this child-rearing experience was actually worth it; did he actually have to deal with this kid?


    This trial sounds more and more difficult than what he asked for¡­


    Before Cain can tell Rain his intention to give up, he suddenly remembered Lucy.


    Her smile that shines like a sun and the beautiful red hair that made everything else pale in comparison made him thought


    ¡®If I can¡¯t even handle this twisted child, am I even worthy to have the love of the most beautiful woman in the world?¡¯


    So, with a renewed determination. Cain continued trekking the familiar forest path with a heavy step, followed by Rai, who is still laughing at his back.


    ...


    It doesn''t take long after my conversation with Cain before we arrive in the deeper part of the wood.


    The unfamiliar scenery giving a rise to my adventurous spirit, I looked left and right, trying to memorise the route that got me to this place.


    "Rai!¡±


    I looked back only to see Cain with a different aura than before; if at the beginning he had a more leisurely atmosphere, now he had a serious look on his face, his sharp eyes kind of reminding me of my father.


    Cain, with a low voice, said, "Now that we have entered the deep part of the forest, it means that the danger increased and you must listen to all my instructions from now on.¡±


    I nod to show my agreement.


    "Good! Let us begin your training¡±


    Cain raised his finger and asked a question.


    ¡°First let me ask you what is the most important thing in hunting!"


    "Hmmm, ... I don¡¯t know, maybe how to hide your presence?" I hesitantly answered.


    ¡°That is not a bad answer, but not the one I was looking for. The correct answer I meant is tracking. Hunter who can''t even find his prey isn¡¯t worthy to be called a hunter.¡±


    Standing ramrod straight, Cain continued his lecture with a stern look.


    ¡°Look around you and tell me, what ¡­ do you see?¡±


    ¡°I observed the tree, the fallen branch, and the shrub around the forest trying to see what Cain wanted me to discover.¡±


    Tracking is the important point of being a hunter. From what Cain told me, that means he wanted me to find a clue to where the prey might be hiding.


    So, I observed with more concentration and finally found what I was looking for hidden behind a layer of shrub.


    "Rabbit footprint!"


    Cain smiled and gave a compliment. "Good, you have what it takes to be a hunter finding an animal track on your first try.¡±


    He started to point to different parts of the forest that I didn''t notice.


    ¡°Not only a footprint, the trampled grass, a claw mark, or the smell of animal urine can also tell you the location of prey or some animal that you must avoid, so train your senses until it becomes second nature for you to find all the things you need to find your prey.¡±


    Trying to remember all the things Cain told me, I finally started my lesson as an apprentice hunter.

 Chapter 10

    Two people are holding their breath as they watch a deer munching on some grass. One of the people, a man, is watching intently as he aims his bow at the deer.


    While the other man, or a boy to be exact, is actually not seeing the deer but at the man beside him, he only occasionally takes a look at the deer to make sure it is not running away yet.


    The man is Cain and the boy is Rai. It is already the second month since the day Cain took Rai as his student. While Cain sees Rai as a problematic student/son, he really can¡¯t refute that he has some talent in hunting.


    Rai takes all the knowledge that he was taught and easily applies what he learnt in real life.


    Cain drew his bow and was ready to shoot ... but Rai suddenly shouted loudly.


    ¡°WAAH!¡±


    Taking it as a signal, Cain shot his arrow without much change in his expression. The deer, who heard Rai shout, startled and ready to flee, but before it could take another step, it was hit in the chest.


    The deer fell down and died shortly after.


    Cain walked over and approached the deer, ready to dismantle it before it got bad.


    ¡°Boring¡±


    Hearing Rai, Cain looks over and stares intently at him. Even though Rai takes his teaching really well, he was a troublemaker who makes Cain have a lot of headaches.


    ¡°Please stop doing that!¡±


    Rai replied without feeling guilty. ¡°Father, isn¡¯t this what you asked for when you took me as your son?¡±


    Cain covered his face with his hand, trying to hide the regret that he felt even though he knew it would be a trouble. Cain did not think it was this much trouble.


    A list of problematic actions includes things like


    Taking him by surprise when he shot his arrow, either by shouting or by trying to tickle him


    Or luring a wild boar to him while laughing along the way, making him run for his life


    And more importantly, he used the knowledge that he gained as a hunter to play hide and seek with him.


    Rai became harder and harder to find, making him not know if it was for the worse or for the better.


    Worse because Cain was afraid that Rai would get even more daring and eventually take more than he could chew, effectively getting him into a life-threatening situation.


    Better because hiding your presence is one of the important skills as a hunter.


    ¡°Haah, but¡­ can you at least tone it down for a bit? You know this is still a dangerous place after all.¡± Cain said while he cut the deer and watched the blood flow out of its corpse.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    I refuted his complaint, ¡°Because this is dangerous, it is the better ... The thrill while hiding from dangerous animals like bears or wild boars really sends a tingling down my spine¡­¡±


    ¡°What will I say to Mr. Edward if you really get hurt¡­¡±


    ¡°Then just ask Lucy out, and we can stop doing this pretend family.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask the impossible!¡± Cain said while he started to extract the deer organs.


    ¡°That is why we are still doing this. I can¡¯t believe how cowardly you are¡­ even though you bravely killed that wild boar using only a dagger.¡±


    ¡°That is because that is an emergency. The main weapon of a hunter is a bow, not a dagger. We used it only when we had no other choice.¡±


    ¡°Then what about when you are dismantling animal ¡­ didn¡¯t you use a knife?¡±


    ¡°That did not count; I meant when we are hunting, not dismantling.¡±


    ¡°Okay, so what will we be doing next? You already taught me how to track and find my way in the forest, ... When will you allow us to actually start hunting for real?


    ¡°Can you hit the practice target that I made?¡±


    I said proudly. ¡°Yes, I can.¡±


    ¡°Did you hit the center of the target?¡±


    ¡°... Did that actually matter? I hit the target?¡±


    ¡°Every arrow counts.¡±


    ¡°If you can¡¯t hit the center, 8 out of 10, then you are not allowed to use a bow for hunting purposes.¡±


    ¡°Tch ¡­ what a cheapskate¡±


    ¡°Arrow is not grown on a tree, you know!¡±


    ¡°But an arrow is made from wood that came from a tree!¡±


    ¡°You know what I meant. It still needs to be made by a craftsman.¡±


    ¡°Then how about the arrow I used for training?¡±


    ¡°Those are different They used a blunt point, so it is safe to use, longer-lasting than a usual arrow and ...


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, giving a kid a weapon is a recipe for disaster and blah blah blah¡­ So, if I can¡¯t start killing part of the hunting, then what will I do?¡±


    ¡°You already have a good hearing and keen eyes, so let¡¯s train your sense of smell next.¡±


    ¡°Heh heh, I knew that years avoiding those villagers judging eyes and overhearing their conversation was not a waste of my time.¡±


    ¡°Who knew doing a bad thing is actually a good thing for you?¡±


    Proud of my past accomplishment getting praised, I puff my chest with pride. ¡°So, a sense of smell, huh? Is it that important? I think I was already good enough.


    ¡°That kind of thinking is dangerous.¡± Cain warned me with a serious face.


    I tilted my head. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Sense of smell is important, as there is an animal that can walk behind you silently without you knowing it any better. I don¡¯t want you to die without me knowing, so let¡¯s train your sense of smell.¡±


    ¡°Is that how you manage to find me even when I perfectly cover my tracks?


    ¡°Do you think those amateurs like you can fool someone like me who has been a hunter for years?¡±


    ¡°Well, who knows? Maybe I am that much of a genius.¡±


    Cain laughing with pride, ¡°Hahaha, true, but if you want to trick me, you still need to train for at least 10 years more.¡±


    I whine in response, ¡°That is too long.¡±


    ¡°Because that is how long I have been a hunter.¡±


    ¡°So, you became a hunter when you were 9 years old.¡±


    ¡°Yes, now that I think of it, that is the first time I met Lucy.¡±


    ¡°What did you do at that time?¡±


    ¡°My mother introduced me to Granny Amala so that I can help her with gathering all the ingredients she needs for her medicine.¡±


    ¡°Medicine? You mean the witch potion!¡±


    ¡°Hey, no matter how much it looks like a witch potion, you better not start calling that ¡­ I don¡¯t want people to think of Lucy as a granddaughter of some evil witch.¡±


    I looked at Cain as he smiled and started reminiscing about his first meeting with Lucy.


    ¡°Fine, I will not call it like that again in the future.¡±


    ¡®At least not in front of you.¡¯


    Cain packed the meat he dismantled from the deer and said, ¡°Let us go back and start to prepare for your next training.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°If you give me that lesson, won¡¯t you have a harder time finding me in the future?¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but it is a better option than you dying¡­ and¡±


    ¡°And what?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate me, my son; no matter how well you hide, I can still find you.¡±


    Cain said while giving me his best hunter smile, ¡°I am a hunter, and what I did the best is finding my prey.¡±


    I clap my hands while praising him, ¡°Wow, that was cool, Father, so when will you ask Lucy for a date?¡±


    Cain moved his hide to the side. ¡°Hmm, we have wonderful weather today.¡±


    ¡°Humph, virgins.¡±


    Cain smacked me on the head. ¡°Stop saying what I knew already.¡±

 Chapter 11

    Farmers usually have one day of rest every ten days, but thanks to the bribe that I gave to my neighbor, I managed to add the count by two, which made me a happy little farmer with three rest days.


    That made my dad question why our neighbor farmer was helping with our farm work.


    So, I just said the truth that I paid him with a meat that I got from Cain.


    That got me the usual scolding from Dad.


    Angry and apologetic, my father made his way to Cain House and met with Mrs. Nana.


    Thankfully, Mrs. Nana is a woman with a big heart; she forgave me easily.


    Not only did she forgive me She said what I have done to her son is a good thing because it gave him a sense of responsibility and made him mature more, so she asked me to continue doing what I have done.


    With permission from Mrs. Nana, I was saved from further scolding from Dad, and more importantly, I can continue hunting without hiding anymore.


    Cain Home, in the backyard


    I focused my eyes on the target with steady aim and breathing technique that Cain taught me. I relaxed my shoulder and released the arrow that I held.


    The arrow flew and managed to hit the center of the target.


    The arrow falls down with a thud after completing its task.


    Looking over at the arrow that fell down, I raise my fist in celebration.


    ¡°Yoosha¡±


    Clap clap clap


    Moving my head to a side, I stared at the person who just came


    Cain came without a hint of guilt, which made me feel a bit irritated.


    He left me here in the afternoon and left after saying he needed to prepare something for the training.


    Giving him an annoyed look, I said, ¡°Look who finally came here. Do you know how long I have to wait for you?¡±


    ¡°Come on, it¡¯s not that long, is it?¡± He replied without feeling any guilt.


    ¡°Look at the time! The sun is almost setting already!¡±


    ¡°Have some patience, buddy; at least I got the thing.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, can you say the same if I am Lucy? Just so you know, women dislike a man who makes them wait.¡±


    ¡°Do not bring up Lucy; this thing needs time to be made.¡±This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    As Cain spoke, he took out a porcelain bottle.


    I got closer to him and looked over


    It was filled with blood-colored water.


    I look at the suspicious water and back at Cain.


    ¡°Is that blood?¡±


    ¡°Nope, it isn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°How about you drink that first, then we can start talking?¡±


    Cain smiled. ¡°This is not for me; this is for you. Just so you know, it was not easy to procure the flower needed to make this potion.¡±


    With a suspicious look, I asked again. ¡°So, what exactly is that?¡±


    ¡°This is a potion, and it can temporarily improve your sense of hearing and smell.¡±


    ¡°Those effects sound amazing, but I thought we were only training my sense of smell?¡±


    ¡°Well ¡­ I also want to do that, but the potion that only enchants sense of smell is rarer than I thought, and it was also harder to make, so please just make do with this.¡±


    ¡°So, what is the potion name?¡±


    ¡°This is called the bloody Lupine Potion made from a flower with the same name.¡±


    ¡°That did not sound good.¡±


    ¡°Of course, it isn¡¯t that flower is bloody poisonous!¡±


    ¡°Did you just say poisonous?¡±


    ¡°Yep, I did.¡±


    ¡°Prove it!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Drink the potion; if you are fine, then it was not poisonous!¡±


    ¡°Fuck, did you want to kill me? I said, This is for you, not me.


    ¡°Tch, that did not work, huh?¡±


    ¡°What did you say?¡±


    ¡°Nothing¡±


    ¡°So, I just need to drink that right. Give it to me!¡±


    ¡°You sure are a brave little kid. I just said the flower is poisonous, but you still want to drink it.¡±


    I looked at him with a mocking smile. ¡°Only a stupid person will tell that he wants to poison the victim right in their face, so are you an idiot?¡±


    Cain angrily replied, ¡°I am not.¡±


    I shrug my shoulder. ¡°That is why I am not afraid of that potion.¡±


    With a defeated smile, Cain said, ¡°It is as you suspected bloody lupine by itself is poisonous, but thanks to Lucy''s magical works, the poisonous flower turned into a magical potion.¡±


    The jerk just admitted that he used me as an excuse to talk to the girl he liked.


    ¡°Is that why it took you so long to get back?¡±


    ¡°Yes, isn¡¯t she amazing? This is also what I drank when I started my training as a hunter. Thanks to this, I got an amazing sense of smell and hearing.¡±


    ¡°How about the taste?¡±


    ¡°The taste did not matter!¡±


    ¡°Got it! Then it must be terrible."


    I easily concluded from his reaction


    Cain moved his head to the side and started to whistle.


    I snatch the potion from his hand. ¡°Just give me that.¡±


    Cain moved to the side to avoid me.


    ¡°Let us wait until the night falls.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s better to train in the night; with a lack of visibility, you can concentrate your other senses better.¡±


    An hour later the night finally arrived.


    ¡°Uweeegh¡±


    I drank the bloody lupine potion and found it tastes like a rotten egg.


    ¡°Aha ha, nothing better than to see people who suffer the same fate.¡±


    ¡°Fuck! I think my tongue just died!¡±


    I looked at him accusingly.


    He shamelessly said, ¡°Just as the old people said, the worse the medicine tasted, the more effective it will be.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I drank it; now what?¡±


    Before I can say another word, a change appeared as the world around me started to be more clear.


    To be exact, as Cain said, my hearing and sense of smell improved drastically.


    ¡°The potion is already working, huh? That was faster than I expected.¡±


    I started to concentrate on those two aspects.


    My sense of smell expanded. I never knew the world could have a lot of different smells. Is this what the world that Cain sees? If that is true, then it was no wonder that he could find me everywhere I went.


    My ¡®scent¡¯ is different from the rest of the forest and its inhabitants.


    As I finish with the sense of smell, I start to concentrate on my sense of hearing.


    I hear the noise of birds and insects singing, I hear the wolf howling, and I hear many more noises that I did not recognize.


    I close my ears with my hand as the noise starts to overwhelm me.


    But it did not work.


    I look over at Cain as he smiled and said, ¡°Heightened sense is not always a good thing, as it can hurt you as much as it can help you.¡±


    ¡°Block all the unnecessary sound and focus on your sense of smell.¡±


    He said as he lazily leaned on the nearby tree.

 Chapter 12

    Cain is sitting lazily as he looked up, totally ignoring me, who is struggling over here.


    He really had no intention to give me any advice.


    Without help from him, the only one I can rely on is myself.


    The realization did not give me any peace of mind, but at least it is one step forward than doing nothing at all.


    Let¡¯s think for a bit.


    My problem right now is that I can¡¯t cope with my enhanced sense of hearing.


    Who has the same problem as me?


    Beasts, like wolves, have better hearing than ordinary humans, so let''s use the wolf as a reference to solve my problem.


    How can they cope with their sense


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The answer is they don¡¯t.


    They were born like that.


    Different from me, who used a potion to imitate their sense.


    Cain said he wants to train my sense of smell, not hearing, so why should I deal with this problem that came out of nowhere?


    Calm down; complaining won¡¯t help with anything.


    Let¡¯s think about the wolf more, as that is the only reference I got.


    I can¡¯t be like Wolf because of our different bodies, but I can try to think like one.


    Wolf is a beast, so what do they think?


    Eat, shit, and procreate.


    Short, simple, and easy to understand


    Unlike humans who think too much


    A human like me


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    That is my problem.


    I think too much.


    Trying to categorize every noise I heard into something that I knew was an easy way to burden my mind.


    Especially now that my senses had been enhanced


    I close my eyes and relax my mind.


    Don¡¯t think


    Let every noise that came from your right ear flow through and out of your left ear.


    Just like when I heard my father lecture.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    With that, every noise that I heard became a background noise.


    I let out a sigh. ¡°Haah.¡±


    Now that I have dealt with one problem, let¡¯s move to the real problem at hand.


    Training with my sense of smell


    Different from my sense of hearing that I have trained for so long, I don¡¯t know what to do with my improved sense of smell.


    Even if it was improved, my smelling is a lot weaker than my hearing, so it did not overwhelm me or anything.


    Once again, I looked at Cain.


    Now he was sleeping against the tree.


    As unreliable as ever


    For now, what do I want to do with my improved sense of smell?


    Of course it¡¯s smelling time! That is what I am going to do.


    Taking a deep breath, I try to smell every aroma from this area.


    The scent of a tree, sharp, sweet, and refreshing


    The scent of flowers, from light to strong, the fragrance is sweet yet subtle with a little bit of variance in each flower.


    The scent of herb, a bitter aroma that stings my nose


    How about my scent?


    I start to smell my body.


    It was a combination of earthy smell, salt, and a bit of pepper.


    Is this how Cain always finds me!


    Because I was reeking of the smell of spices!


    I open my eyes and look at Cain; closing my eyes, I try to perceive his scent.


    All I got from him is he smells like a tree because he was sleeping against it.


    Basically, he was scentless¡­


    How can he do that!


    Taking a little rock nearby, I threw it at Cain.


    He easily avoided it despite closing his eyes and looking like he was asleep.


    ¡°Already done? That was fast!¡±


    He said as he opened his eyes and looked at me.


    ¡°Are you sure you were not a dog in your past life?¡±


    ¡°If I am a dog, then you are the dog father.¡±


    I retorted while glaring at him.


    He smiled and made a joke. ¡°I am fine being a dog as long as I can get close to Lucy.¡±


    ¡°Spoken like a true loyal dog,¡± I mock him.


    ¡°That sounds like a compliment to me.¡± He takes my taunt as praise.


    Refusing to give up, I continue my taunt.


    ¡°The only missing thing is the potion to make you a dog. How about you ask Lucy to make it?¡±


    Cain, looking uncomfortable, said, ¡°How can I bother her with a trivial thing?¡±


    ¡®He really is hopelessly in love with Lucy.¡¯


    Better end this topic. ¡°What¡¯s next?¡± I said this because I am afraid of what he will do if I take things too far.


    He got up and patted his pants. ¡°Go home¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it for the training?¡±


    Cain stared at me with puzzled eyes before realizing something. ¡°Oh, that is not what I meant.¡±


    He pointed toward the direction of my home. ¡°Going home is your test; do it while closing your eyes; use your nose as a guide to make it home.¡±


    I got up and stretched my body.


    ¡°Sounds easy enough.¡±


    ¡°Heh heh, that was also what I said the last time when Mother trained me.¡±


    I asked curiously, ¡°What about it?¡±


    ¡°If I said it, the element of surprise will be gone, and it won¡¯t be fun anymore.¡±


    ¡°Surprise? Sounds good enough for me. I started to close my eyes and use my nose in place of my eyes to ¡®see.¡¯


    To get home I just need to remember the unique scent from my home.


    What is the most unique smell from my home?


    It is the pepper, of course.


    This training will be easy enough to complete.


    Using the scent of pepper that is still lingering in my body, I am walking toward my home.


    One step, two steps, and three steps...


    I stumbled and fell down on the eleven steps; walking with my eyes closed is kind of making me dizzy.


    Is this the surprise Cain was talking about?


    If he thinks this is enough to count as a surprise, then I am disappointed in him.


    Surprise is something that moves your heart like crazy, like meeting a bear while strolling in the village.


    That was what I would call a surprise.


    Still closing my eyes, I did not immediately raise myself.


    Instead, I sit up and start to think of this test.


    At first, I thought this test was about finding my way home using my sense of smell, but it seems I was wrong.


    This training also tested my sense of balance and direction.


    While sense of smell can give me a vague sense of my surroundings, it still feels different from normally using my eyes.


    With no eyesight, I can¡¯t tell if I am going left or right, easily making me lose my way, and it also makes me walk like a drunk person, making this test harder than I thought it would be.


    Even though this is not the surprise that I wanted, I think this test is fun enough!


    I smile and get up, ready to start things again.


    I raised my hand and shouted, ¡°Let¡¯s go home!¡±

 Chapter 13

    After what felt like forever, I finally arrived in front of my ¡®house.¡¯


    Or what I thought it would be


    Opening my eyes, what greeted me was a house with great lighting. I walked quietly to the window and looked over


    I saw a family of three sitting around a table, a man in his thirties with an acceptable look currently talking merrily with a beautiful woman with long flaxen hair; their son was talking as he lifted his fork to deliver steak that smelled heavenly.


    Yup. This is really not my house, but the village head''s house. As expected of the second richest person in the village, he ate a pepper steak that misled me into his place.


    Sniffing around for a moment, I also smell what I thought to be a wine


    It was not from their dining table because I didn¡¯t see a bottle of wine over there; the smell is coming from what I believe is the basement area.


    The village head is the only brewer in this village; his family has made wine since the founding of this village, at least if the idle gossip of the neighborhood aunties was true. He was also a person who liked to share his wealth.


    Mainly by donating his wine at the village festival and giving pocket money to children at every new year that also served as a cover for him giving his illegitimate child a gift from what I suspected.


    The current village head is from the fifth generation, and in his time the brewery expanded thanks to him and my father''s efforts. That is why he can share his wealth without much burden on his mind.


    Why and how did my father help him?


    The only entertainment in this village is food, sex, and alcohol, and some festival that may or may not happen, so when my father started coordinating with the farmer as their head, the first thing they did was ask him to grow more grapes, which my father did, and the village head brewery was expanded as a result.


    My father and he were best friends since then, or at least the village head saw him like that, as he often came to meet him regularly as he brought along a gift, which my father often refused.


    Ending my idle thoughts, I close my eyes. I leave the village head house and continue my journey home.


    I really need to train with my sense of balance if I want to survive this test. The bruise and scrape I got are not much, but they will surely accumulate as I stumble and fall down again and again.


    I need a teacher!


    Who? Cain? Nope, not him. This is the test he gave me in the first place, and if I ask him for training, he will just say, ¡°Did you give up already?¡± while giving me a condescending look.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Is there anyone with a great sense of balance in this village?


    ¡°Meow¡±


    The answer suddenly came to me. Cats are the animals who have the greatest sense of balance. If a human can''t do it, then ask an animal.


    I just need to follow and observe how a cat walks and follow their example.


    Smiling from the great revelation that delivered itself to me, I continue my way home, and after another round of painful bruises, I finally stand in front of my ¡®home.¡¯


    Or I hope so!


    How many houses in this village can cook with a pepper? If they have it, then they better pray that I won¡¯t steal it from them.


    I thought as I opened my eyes and relieved as I finally got the right house.


    Standing in my view was a house that is not bigger than the other house around the area, with, oh, not so great lighting.


    Different from the village head house that used a magic lamp as a source of light, our house only used an oil lamp as our lighting. I still remember when the village head, Uncle Mark, offered to give us some of his magic lamp.


    My father refused him and said, ¡°What use is a magic lamp for a mere farmer? We wake up at dawn and rest at sundown; we don¡¯t need such extravagant things in our house.¡±


    My father was a modest man with simple wants; as long as he could feed his family, he was happy. At least that''s what he said to me; I remember it only because he told me repeatedly in his lecture.


    I opened the door to my house and turned around. Cain was standing in front of me.


    ¡°I finished the test. Will we continue this training for the next couple of months?¡± I said while not feeling surprised at his presence.


    Even though I didn¡¯t know where he was looking, I just knew he was always following me behind.


    He was surprisingly a caring man; the only reason that I dared to play in the forest part where beasts roamed was because I knew he would be there to protect me.


    Cain nodded his head. ¡°Yes, but we will only do this once a week, and we will do it at a different place each time, so prepare yourself for that!¡± He waved his hand and suddenly disappeared from my view.


    I sometimes question myself if he was a hunter or an assassin.


    But when I thought about it, hunters and assassins are not that much different; they are both making a living out of killing.


    What differentiates them is that hunters kill beasts while assassins kill people.


    I entered my home before a sudden realization struck me.


    ¡®Do I have to drink that rotten egg-flavored potion again?¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Better not to think too much of it; right now I am hungry, and food is the top priority, as I want to wash the rotten egg taste from my tongue.


    What will I make today? Will I stew meat better, or will I make some rabbit skewer or maybe some grilled fish?


    I can¡¯t wait to try them all.


    When I made my way to our dining table, which also serves as a living room, I looked at the dinner that had already been served.


    It seems I was too late getting home as my father had finished cooking even though this was my turn.


    It was some basic gruel served with some cheese.


    Even though it was a decent meal, I still feel unsatisfied.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± father asking me as he saw me frowning


    ¡°Nothing,¡± I replied, my shoulder sinking as I felt terribly exhausted.


    My father didn¡¯t ask me why I am covered in wounds, as this is not the first time that this has happened. I was a child that liked to roam the outskirts of the forest, so I was often scraped by some plant with thorns.


    I sat down and started to eat with my dad, and after that, I finished with my meal. I got up and made my way to my room, feeling frustrated.


    Wanting a delicious meal is a normal thing to hope for after a hard day of training; the result of getting home late is really coming back to bite me.


    Swearing to myself that I will finish the next one faster, I go to my bed and close my eyes.