怊A Returnee Wants to Play VRMMO怋


 1 Prologue

    In a realm far away from the reach of a normal mortal. Where the perception of time and space do not exist, and where only the mightiest of beings can come. Two individuals looked at each other, one standing, and the other laying on the ground dying.


    One is a seemingly young man standing tall at about 187 centimeters, bearing an extremely handsome and manly body features with well-built muscles, he had a head full of dark silver hair and silver eyes that appeared as if they made of electricity. He was wearing rough clothes and in his hand, there was a glowing sword that looked like it was both ethereal and not. Although his body was covered in numerous wounds that each seemed like they would be a normal man just from the pain and shock, on his face was nothing other than tiredness and relief like a man who just finished a very burdensome job.


    While the other individual was a strange being who seemed like a hybridization of a dragon and the devil. He had a huge and imposing body at over 8 feet, with black scales instead of skin, there were three sharp horns standing high on top of his head and a pair of gigantic bat-like wings who constantly burned in gray fire. He had a face who resembled a flat-faced reptile more than a humanoid being, with completely black eyes except for yellows slits as irises. Similar to man his body too, had fatal wounds all over his body, only that he was clearly seemed to about to give in to his. In fact, his body already started to crack and crumble to dust.


    "So." the strange being opened his mouth "you finally managed to defeat me, the all-powerful and ancient the Otherworldly Devil King Dramiel. Do you have anything you want to ask me? Now that you have saved this dimension and its inhabitants." he said while looking deeply at the young man.


    "What a long a*s way to call yourself," The young man then sighed and replied, "can you stop acting like a "last boss" already? This was nice and all at the beginning but now it is way past just "getting on my nerves". Furthermore who the hell call himself all-powerful when he lay dying in front of the guy who killed him? Did living too long in this wicked realm rotted your brain?."


    "Hur, hur, hurrr”­" the Devil King Dramiel then let out a sound that makes one not sure whether he is laughing or coughing. "I can say a very similar thing about your attitude Nexus, to think that a mortal who lived for as long as you can still keep acting like that."


    "Hmph! That''s not the business of a dying lizard like you" Nexus snorted.


    Dramiel mouth then twitched a little as if he is trying to smile, "since you don''t have anything to ask me then let me ask you something. What are you going to do now that you have me defeated and can finally go back to your homeworld? Be a king or an overlord, maybe finally accepting godhood?"


    As if hearing something good Nex smiled and said:


    "play games and laze around all day like a fucking pig."


    "...huh?"


    Nex then continues "you know how annoying this backward dimension!? People here have the almighty magic power for them use, but they can''t use it efficiently enough for daily use except for some royals and nobles who use it most of the time for things like slave collars. Every second person here is a battle junkie muscle-head idiot and every third is a psychopath wannabe magician. Most People here will stab their friends and family in the back if they think it will give them power or knowledge, and they won''t feel much regret when they don''t succeed. Every few years there is a new religion coming up saying they will help mankind reach new heights, only for it to be found out as a devious cult who called everyone who doesn''t agree with them a heretic and burn them alive. And don''t make me begin about the few entertainments around here, except a wooden sword the kids around here won''t play with anything else, and the nobles? Their idea of enjoyment is to see commoners kill each other for food or just enslaving and torturing them. And don''t think that I didn''t try to change that but even after working my a*s off for decades finally changing their twisted way of life, they just go back to it the moment I am gone for a few years. So that it! Now that I at last finished off you, the main a**hole who kept sending his minions to corrupt even more this damn society, I will go back to my home world and do nothing besides living quietly where no one knows me, and where there is an actually normal and humane civilization."


    "It seems that you have been through a lot." Dramiel said awkwardly, "But do you really want to forsake all that you know here for something so mundane? Everyone knows about your relationship with-"


    "she will understand" Nex cut him off while his eyes dimmed a little "I already told her back from the start that that''s what I am going to do"


    "Hur hur, hur" Dramiel chuckled", Never thought that someone like you can be so cliche about that kind of thing"


    "Zip it lizard!" Nex pointed his sword at him "What do you even know? Your whole existence is one big cliche, from your appearance to that f**king name, not to mention how you strategize, you know that you could have given me some hard time in the beginning just by sending one of your stronger muppets, but nooo! You had to send ones who are always weaker than me without end. Do you know how annoying it is to pee without suspecting anything and then suddenly having some lowly goblin trying to stab you in the n*ts?!"


    "..." Dramiel sweated "we both aware that that''s was my strongest ogre and not some goblin right?"


    "Who cares!" Nex dismissed him "an annoying dog is still a dog, it doesn''t matter if it is a chihuahua or a pitbull"


    "Haa”­" the dying Devil King sighed "as usual you are impossible to deal with. I remember hearing stories from what of my spies of time you acted like what you later called "A chunni", there was one that makes me laugh about you when you tried to hit on an old dwarf thinking its a-"*kick*


    "Sheesh, look how much time take for you to die, here, let me help you."


    Nex then starts to kick Dramiel like he''s extinguishing a fire while clearly avoiding what he has to say.


    "Haha!, you got shy huh?"


    "Shut it, Dino!"*kick*


    "Can''t you let me speak like a person?"


    "Sorry I don''t consider a reptile as a person"*kick*


    "You bastard! At least let me say some last word"


    "What? I can''t hear you with you turning to dust like that"*kick*


    "Damn you!..." And just like that, the Otherworldy Devil King Dramiel has died, and his terror will no longer be present in the world.


    Looking at the scattered parts of what was once a fearful ruler, Nex sighed and said: "it was a good fight, Dramiel". Then, he put his sword back to where he keeps it and began to stretch as if he just had a good work out, and suddenly all his wound disappeared as if they never existed in the first place "it''s a pain fighting while pretending you actually got hurt, who knew he was so weak? I guess I trained too much," and while saying several more things that will most likely make the Devil King cry, Nex looked into a certain direction and smiled.


    "I guess it is time to go home"


    And with those words, Nexus the Transcended has left the Perias dimension and returned back to his homeworld, Earth.

 2 Chapter 1

    The year 2172, GA(Global Alliance), New World Zone, in a small alley inside New Horizon city. A handsome young man who seemed around his mid-twenties, with dark silver hair and bright silver eyes wearing strange clothes that seemed like they don''t exactly belong to the era.


    His body was glowing while he moved weirdly as if he isn''t accustomed to some parts in his body.


    That man was Nex.


    "Damn" he cursed "I didn''t expect that unsealing my emotions back can be so uncomfortable”­ Oh well, it probably won''t disturb me much haha" he mindlessly laughed it off.


    Looking around at where he is for a few minutes, and finally, understanding that he is at last back on earth. He began to gleefully roll around on the ground while kissing it and shouting: "finally I''m out of that godforsaken place!"


    A very long time ago, Nex was summoned to a fantasy world named Perias. In the beginning, he was happy since as an orphan whose parents died early, he didn''t want to stay in a place where he has nothing and no one except video games and movie. But, soon enough that dream became a nightmare, this so-called "happy fantasy" world was nothing more than a hellish place with full of malicious creatures and people. For quite a while he had to fight day after day against countless enemies, and no matter how much stronger and experienced he became, there was always someone with enough strength to ruin the quiet life he was trying to build and hurt the few good people he met.


    And finally, after countless years of suffering, where he long had most of his emotions sealed in order to not go crazy and had grown stronger than any mortal dared to reach as failed try''s to find some peace and quiet, he found a way to undo his curse and return home to Earth. By defeating the enemy of countless worlds and the one who would be his biggest nemesis, the Otherworldly Devil King Dramiel. The Devil King was strong, stronger than he ever imagined, and so he decided to train, and train, and train. Until he thought he was strong enough. And luckily he was right(By a bit too much) and he managed to finally defeat Dramiel and at last return to the good old Earth where there is no monsters or another fantasy-type element.


    Or so he thought...


    Suddenly during his happy celebration, Nex stop and sense something, something he was so familiar with that since a long time it can be considered a part of him. He ran to the street and there he saw something that fortified the fact he wanted to desperately deny. Walking normally on the street where seemingly regular people, although some walked with weapons and gear that seemed like they come out of fantasy, but didn''t matter to him as what gave him despair was something else. It was the undeniable certain energy that was coming off everyone''s body.


    "Nooooo!"


    That''s right, earth, Nex long lost home has gotten himself magic power while he was gone.


    "Hey, you! Come with me to the station!"


    ???


    The investigator in the police station didn''t know what to do, half an hour ago arrived a man wearing clothes that didn''t seem from this millennium, who was arrested for public disturbance which usually stands for a night in the cell, but because of the unusual attire and bizarre action''s and the fact that this is the border area, it was decided to not take any chances and keep him for investigation.


    Normally, in these situations, the investigated person only needs to show some identifications and answer some question in order to be released. But this person isn''t showing signs of wanting to cooperate and just keep muttering things the investigator didn''t understand under his breath.


    "God damn it, I should have expected that from the beginning, now what should I do"(Nex)


    "Excuse me? all you need is just show your ID and you can go back home"(investigator)


    "Damn it! Damn it! DAMN IT!"


    Having veins starting to pop up on his forehead, the investigator tried to keep calm without exploding with anger.


    "And now I stuck in this place with this weirdo"(Nex)


    "HEY A**HOLE!"


    Well, he tried.


    "Huh? Me?"


    Nex pointed on himself surprised(?).


    While holding himself, back the investigator asked him again: "can you please take out your identifications?"


    "ID?" Nex blinked and then smiled refreshingly.


    The investigator who saw hope in that smile waited for him to continue.


    "Of course I don''t have any!"


    "Why you little!"


    Here''s a fun fact about getting back your emotions after a long time like Nex.


    "Ahh! Not the face!"(Nex)


    It makes you(sometimes) a moron.


    ???


    "So," the police station chief said while he looked at Nex "you don''t have an ID nor an address, and you aren''t even registered in the GA database. Do you even understand how suspicious does that sound?"


    "I suppose so?"(Nex)


    "Then what do you have to say for your defense?" the police chief asked.


    ''Damn! Who knew that unsealing emotions will give this kind of results? Anyway, let''s give this guy something convincing.'' As a person who experienced countless things, Nex managed to quickly recover from his previous "slip-up" and immediately came up with an answer.


    "My name is Nexus, but you could call me Nex," he said with an assertive smile and then continued: "I lived on a distant island with my master until lately there I learned how to fight and growing stronger through something he called cultivation."


    The police chief that although he hadn''t sensed anything that indicates a lie from Nex body language and confidence, he couldn''t help but furrow his brows and ask "Even though you said that you lived in the distant island, how do you expect that I will believe that you never did something so obvious like getting yourself an ID?.


    After Nex heard that his face darkened and he replied while gritting his teeth, "Its all because of that old bastard! That delusional old man thought that we are some kind of "Earth last protectors" and that our existence is some kind of grand secret. And because of that, he didn''t allow any kind of connection with the outer world and even proof that we exist like having a registered ID! Stuck on that island I had nothing to do besides training and watch an old tv show''s from god''s know where from! Do you know what it feels like to be stuck on a remote island since you a kid by a crazy bastard and his loon friends!?"


    At this point, Nex face was streamed with tears while his eyes become bloodshot, and due to the crazed look in them, the police chief didn''t dare to stop him.


    "Do you know what was the worst? It wasn''t unknowing of the outside world, nor was it the lack of thing to do there." Nex then took a deep breath as if to calm his raging(?) emotions and then he continued with a voice filled with anguish. "The worst thing was that except the old friends of that old son of a bi*ch, there were no females there. For the best years of my youth, I met no ladies anywhere close to my age. Tell me is this what would you call this aside from living hell!?"


    Although feeling his eyes getting wet as well, the police chief still tried to keep his cool and asked: "how did you succeed to get away from there?"


    Hearing the question Nex eyes brightened and he said.


    "I ran away"


    "Ran away?" the chief became confused "Didn''t you said you were stuck on a distant island?"


    "That right it was a secluded island" Nex nodded "But I have a special power of teleporting, I can teleport to a distance of a few kilometers several times in a row. The problem was that normally that there was always the old man and his friends to watch over me so that I won''t escape, but to my luck they one day disappeared and after realizing that they may not come back soon I teleported like crazy till I arrived here to this city." he finished his ''story'' and then added lastly." The reason for my earlier public disturbance was because I found out about the time gap between now and the time the show''s I watched was quite large and their next season''s air time are long since finished."


    After hearing the whole story, the emotional chief still had one more point he wanted to make clear. "Although I trust your story, there is still one more thing I want to make sure even though it can be implied by what you said, are you a Hunter?" he asked with a serious face.


    Nex, as if waiting for that moment confirmed, "is that what cultivators called? Anyway yes, I am, but I don''t know how the levels here are divided, so I don''t think I can answer you what my rank by what is normally judged." he said while scratching the back of his head.


    "That''s not a problem, as later after we will get you truth test about what you said and register you as a citizen, we will have someone explain you some basic world knowledge and then we will have you go to register as a hunter and have your ability tested at the hunter association."


    "Thank you for trusting me"


    Nex smiled happily and thanked the police chief while secretly thinking ''good thing it worked''.


    ***


    After passing a truth-testing machine that which to Nex convenience used magic power to test changes in the magic power and through that indicate whether someone lying or not, a thing that to someone with an experience like Nex it wasn''t a problem to change the results, he registered himself into the database and got himself an ID.


    Next was the part he waited for the most, learning about the world and what happened in the last 100 and something years.


    ***


    Hundred and fifty years ago, happen an event called "The Great Awakening", what happened in that event was that earth started to produce a new type of energy known as "Magic Power" and caused two great changes. The first one was the emergence of a new type of beings that can be divided into two major faction''s Light and Dark.


    The Light faction is made-up of Spirits which are living elements and nature force of Earth, and the magic beast''s which are an evolved version of earth''s animals. This group are friendly or natural toward humanity and are mostly lives together with them in society.


    The Dark faction, on the other hand, was composed of demonic beings and devils, both of which are vile creatures that feed on destruction and death, they supposedly arrive from another dimension and use a type of energy called "Demonic Power" which they use to turn other beings into what called a Corrupted and another member of the Dark faction. Their hostility to humans and ones from the Light faction are great and will always try to kill them.


    On the moment the Dark faction appeared, the world fell into chaos. They attacked mercilessly and destroyed whatever the saw, normal weapons were useless against them and the help that the Light faction who was just born could give was minimal. Numerous countries were destroyed and more have lost most of their population. At that moment that is seemed that no hope has left they emerged.


    The Hunters.


    A short time after Magic Power was introduced to the world, cultivation who was once considered something from novels has become reality. To most people it only made them live longer with a more healthy body, but to those who could break past this level will turn into a superhuman being who can directly fight the members of the Dark faction.


    So along with the new force named as Hunters, the remaining people of the world united into one large alliance called Global Alliance(GA), which created the Hunter Association whose job was to fight and restrain those from the Dark faction and the Hunters who have misused their power. These newly created power managed to repel the Dark faction and had it fall back into the territory that they emerged from.


    And so, after much loss, the war for survival has ended and the world has entered a time of peace. That, of course, expect minor attacks from the Dark faction. The hunters that didn''t work directly for the alliance began creating their own organizations and attack group''s that are hunting the Dark faction for their high-quality materials that can be gotten from their remains. The world has begun to advance forward and together with the changes to the world, technology has advanced into an unthinkable direction thanks to Magic Power and helps from the Light faction, stuff like the (almost)absolute truth machine that Nex went through before and new kinds of energy and health developments began to pop-up rapidly everywhere making the life quality reach a whole new level.


    "And now, in the year 2172, the world has reached can be said to belong to a whole new age then what it was more than 100 years before." concluded the teacher from the police, a kind old man. Who smiled after his explanation and then asked Nex "do you have any question now? Because after this you are on your own in the outside world."


    Nex nodded and said "yes I have one question, do you have now a VRMMO''s games." he asked with zealous eyes.


    The old man was surprised and then smiled amiably.


    "Hoho, yes we have them. I personally played one and if may say they quite immersive."


    Delighted, Nex almost danced from joy and further asked the old man. "Which one do you recommend me to play?"


    The old man deepened smiled and he replied without a doubt: "I recommend without a doubt the new game that is soon coming out, I heard that its immersive ability is on the level of a real world."


    Nex eyes widened and he asked earnestly "what''s its name?"


    Knowing that this question will come, the old man, while trying not to laugh from how serious Nex seems just now, answered:


    "The game name is The Mythical Age."

 3 Chapter 2

    After finishing his business at the police station, Nex got directions to the Hunters association there he will register as a Hunter and will get a permit to hunt and sell demonic beasts and devil remains.


    Through the old man teaching, he learned about the ranks of the hunter''s. The ranks are in order from F, the lowest, all the way to SSS, the highest(although the old man implied that there may be higher ranks then SSS). F to B rank is considered low-leveled and is mostly indicate rookies and ones without much talent, their capability is limited and they won''t have much combat potential in real battles and their earnings aren''t much better than a normal person. Afterward, there is C to A rank they are considered mid-level Hunters and have abilities that far surpassed the ranks below them, and their earnings are comparable to the monthly pay of executives in large companies in each time they have a successful hunt. And lastly, there are the high-class, S to SSS rank each of them is an important person with high social standing, their power is said to have surpassed the human realm and they have the ability to get a high-level job in whatever they desire, in addition, their earning from hunting can reach to the billions(of credits the GA currency) and they considered as idols to the general public.


    Getting to know all of this, Nex decided immediately what rank he should aim for.


    ''A rank, of what I heard it the ranks with the least constraint yet highest earning, and in addition, since that there is a lot of people in this rank it should be the best rank for me if I don''t want to raise the public awareness about me and live a quiet and peaceful life.''


    While thinking that, he arrived at the hunters association. Entering there he saw a reception desk and a cute girl wearing work uniforms sitting behind it. Walking over to her Nex smiled while passing her the letter he got from the police station and told her.


    "Hi! My name is Nex and I came to register as a hunter, and I have been told to bring this from the police"


    The recipient, momentarily dazed by his handsomeness, came back to her senses and took the letter from him while smiling back.


    "letter from the police? Let me check what it says, and if everything is well then we shall have you tested," she replied while opening the letter and reading it. After a while, she looked back at him with slightly sad eyes. "It must have been rough," she said to him softly.


    Nex hearing what she said, understood that she meant about his "backstory", and answered back while flashing a reassuring smile "it''s okay, I over that for some time now"


    "Then that''s good!."


    Hearing Nex replay and seeing his smile cheered the girl and she told him, and then as if remembering something continued: "look I forget for what you came for, didn''t you what to register as a Hunter? Well if so go to floor 3" she pointed to an elevator room while she continued "I will already inform them about you by the time you reach there."


    "Thank you"


    Nex said while smiling one last time toward her and walked to the elevator.


    ***


    "Welcome! Are you the new guy who has come to register right? If so then please follow me"


    Arriving on the third floor, there was already another recipient, another cute looking girl, waiting for him there.


    Nodding, Nex walked after her and asked "sure, do you know how will I get tested?"


    Staring at him with a weird face and then starting to giggle, the recipient apologized to him: "sorry, it''s just the first time I heard that someone doesn''t know how does he get tested."


    Nex smiled awkwardly and rubbed the back of his head.


    "Let''s say that I was in a distant place for a while."


    The recipient let out another giggle and continued "As for the answer, it is simple, we use a device that scans the level of the magic power in your body, and according to it, we will assign you a Rank and will have you do a combat test in order to access your combat potential. If you pass that test we will grant both aHunter ID and a Hunting License, if not you will get only the Hunter ID and will not be allowed to hunt until you managed to score otherwise in the combat test. And that''s pretty much everything you need to know in order to get tested."


    "Okay, thank you" Nex nodded again and replied while smiling gratefully.


    And as if just realizing his handsomeness, the girl blushed and said shyly. "No, no, its one of my duty to help you know about this." and then after gathering some courage, she tried to say something to him as they were about to arrive.


    "by the way, my name is -"


    "Haha! I see that you caught our little Tina heart, just that you know that we will not let you take her away!.


    Cutting off what the girl, who Nex learned that was called Tina, was trying to say, was a giant and burly man standing at over 2.2 meters that stood at the entrance they were about to enter.


    "Geez”­Goz, are you going to do it every time you saw me talking with a guy who comes to get tested?" Tina said while blushing harder.


    "haha, and when was the last time you have spoken to a guy so much? You should be more honest with yourself" replied the burly man Goz while grinning mischievously.


    "Ahh! Just shut up" she yelled at him while she couldn''t even look at Nex direction."Anyway, take him to have the test okay?! I''m going back." she said while starting to walk(run) away.


    "He, he, it''s rare to see her acting like that," the giant Goz said, then he turned to Nex, who had a confused face about what just happened now. "Just as you heard my name is Goz and I''ll be the one who will test you, now let''s go have you go through the measuring test. And immediately turned and entered the entrance that was behind him.


    Nex, without much hesitation, entered behind him and followed him into a small room with a device at the center that was composed mainly of a large screen and a crystal ball.


    Without waiting for Nex, Goz walked into the device and began pressing a couple of buttons which seemed to turn it on and making the screen turn-on and the crystal ball to glow. He then turned back to Nex and began explaining.


    "This is the measuring device, you put your hand here and the crystal ball like this," he put his hand on the crystal ball, making it start to glow and the screen to change until it showed the letter A, "and as you see it check the magic power in your body and then reveals your Rank accordingly like here that it shows the letter A meaning that I have an A-rank magic power energy in my body, in other words, I''m an A-ranker. Simple right? Now it''s your turn now, but do not think of changing your result it''s impossible" he moved and cleared the way for Nex to put his hand on the crystal ball.


    ''So the amount of magic in his body is considered an A-rank? It''s a little more then what I guessed. Oh well, it is still easy enough to mimic.'' Nex thought while walking to the device and putting his hand on the crystal ball.


    ''Hmm? I see it''s forcibly measuring my magic power quality and quantity I have and through that deduct my rank, no wonder he said it''s impossible to cheat the results.'' Nex frowned while staring at the crystal ball that has begun to tremble.


    "What is this? Is this broken?" Goz furrowed his brows while he stared at the flickering screen and the trembling crystal ball.


    But then, Nex suddenly smiled.


    ''That''s of course applied on people other than me''


    The screen suddenly stopped flickering and showed the letter A. seeing this Goz released a sigh of relief. "Good thing that it went well, or else I don''t dare imagine how many forms I would have to fill." the then turned to Nex with a smile "Congratulations you''re an A rank. It''s your first test, right? It doesn''t happen often that someone registers directly to rank as high as A."


    Nex just smiles and says: "Let''s say I didn''t an opportunity to do it before"


    "Ha! I heard about the reason you couldn''t do it before, why do you think I have been dispatched to test you? Or do you think it''s normal to have an A-ranked Hunter to test someone who it''s his first time?"


    Nex smile turned awkward, "news sure travels fast."


    "Ha! Enough chitchat now let us go to my favorite part." Goz smile turned wider.


    "The combat test."


    ***


    After walking a few minutes they arrived at a large arena with seats around it.


    "This is the arena we use when testing a B-rank and above Hunters, the materials that used to make this place are quite high quality and can withstand a battle of SS-rankers so you don''t have to worry about destroying things around here," Goz explained while showing Nex the place and walking him to the center of the arena. "Usually, we either test you against someone from the association or have you fight and kill a Demonic Being(another name for Dark faction member) depending on their abilities, but, since we have no previous record of your abilities we decided to have you do both. So, what do you want to do first? Fight me, or fighting a lousy demon beast?" he finished while grinning.


    Nex looked thoughtful and then answered: "since you seem eager to have a good fight, it''s better if I warmed myself up beforehand. I choose to fight the Demonic Being first"


    Goz, although a little disappointed that he would need to wait for Nex to finish the first battle, still nodded with expectation and said: "that''s probably for the best, very well let''s begin with it first."After saying that, he opened his communication device and pressed said a few words into it, after getting a reply he walked to the outskirts of the arena and yelled to Nex from there:


    "Wait there for the gate over there" he pointed at the direction that in front of Nex, there was a large metal gate, "when you see it open get ready because the Demonic Being about to come from there. For now, choose a weapon from the pile over there." and then he added with a mysterious smile. "In order to push you to your limit, we decided to give you a different from usual opponent"


    A bit disturbed by Goz last word, Nex walked to the weapon pile and chose a medium-length sword. Finishing with that, he now walked back to the center of the arena and begun to adjust his breathing and waiting.


    After a few short minutes, the gate began to tremble and slowly go up. Behind it came the sound of not a large monster, but instead something that sounded like someone walking with boots made of metal. And soon the gate opened and out of it came out a humanoid being. It had a crimson skin and was around 1.95 meters tall, it had on his hand and feet scales and sharp thorns, among his other features, was a bunch of tattoos that seemed to be imbued on all of his body and moved as if they have a pulse.


    ''Pretty hardcore for a test isn''t it?'' Nex smiled wryly, he didn''t need to ask to know what it is.


    The strongest of the demonic being and the ones one should avoid the most unless they are among the strongest in their rank. In front of Nex stood a Devil.


    ***


    "I thought they would turn me to a lab rat, yet instead they let me fight against someone like you."


    After looking at each other for a few moments, the Devil opened his mouth first and talked in a deep voice.


    "Hey, dude, is that supposed to be an insult? Anyway, I''m just as confused as you. That big guy over there said that I would fight against a lousy demonic beast, not a lousy Devil."


    Nex said while pointing at the direction of where Goz sat, and surprisingly, there were to more people sitting there with him. One was the girl Tina who looked at him with worried eyes, and the second was a middle-aged man with graying hair.


    ''That probably a higher Rank hunter who came to make sure the fight won''t end in a bad way''


    Nex looked back at the Devil, who, instead of being angry from what he had said. Looked at him with a heated gaze while steam started to come out of his body.


    "Khuhu," it seemed to laugh "normally If you were someone else I would have tried to kill twice, once for insulting me, and the second for turning your back to me when we about to fight," he said while starting to walk slowly toward Nex " but there is something different about you, something I sure that bastard''s over there noticed too." and immediately afterward, he disappeared from where he was while his voice echoed in the arena.


    "And I want you to show me exactly what it is."


    Less then a moment later he showed up behind Nex, with a scythe coming from his arm and aimed directly for Nex''s heart.


    "Here''s the thing..." finally reacting Nex spoke along with the Devil scythe stabbing his heart.


    "Hmm? What is this?"(the Devil)


    No, not stabbing but passing through. That wasn''t the body of Nex, but an afterimage.


    The bewildered Devil who didn''t understand why his attack did not work, suddenly felt a cold touch at his neck and his vision beginning to spin. The last thing he felt was a voice


    whispering in his head while his vision darkened.


    "... you are not worthy for knowing."


    Without ever knowing what happened, the Devil has died.

 4 Chapter 3

    A few minutes before.


    "I can''t believe you Goz, who let someone fight a Devil on his first combat test!? And you too Mr. Raymond, who as the S-ranker in charge, approves of a thing like this!?"


    The moment she heard about what Goz and her boss has done, Tina left her job come running to the arena, where she saw both her Goz and her Boss, Mr. Raymond, the S-ranker in charge of the testing sitting around chatting like they about to see a nice show. Angered by their attitude she immediately began to berate them and asking them where are their conscience.


    "Don''t you worry that he will die before we manage to interfere? You could lose your job for doing something like-"


    "Ahh! Enough! My head hurts from all of your naggings," Finally couldn''t tolerate it anymore, Goz cut her off while she spoke, "I didn''t want to do this either, because if even if that brat win, he will probably too exhausted and full of injuries to fight me. This is all because of him" he said while pointing at Raymond who sat near him with an amiable smile.


    "Huhu, he''s right I was the one who told him to do this," the middle-aged man opened his mouth, "however, I have support from the higher-up to do this, after all this is too weird that an A-ranked Hunter popped out of nowhere without any previous background."


    Hearing this, Tina still tried to argue, "but he passed the truth test of the police, and it proved that he is speaking the truth, so why is do you still need to suspect him."


    "Because that he is speaking the truth the higher-up wanted to use that kind of means to test his abilities." Raymond''s face turned serious. "After all, a hunter that trained completely outside the jurisdiction of the association isn''t something that happens often."


    "But still, using a Devil is a bit too much," Tina still tried to argue.


    "Enough, this is the final say I have about this situation. In any case, you shouldn''t worry about him getting killed, the Devil he is fighting against is drugged and will only fight at 50% of his ability, and in addition, there is a bomb inside him that will explode at my decision, so you shouldn''t worry so much about him dying."


    After finally calming Tina down to some degree, Raymond looked back at the arena with eyes full of curiosity. "In addition, my instincts tell me there is something unique about that man, so for now no more talking, I don''t want to lose any detail about this fight."


    And as soon as he ended his words, the Devil has begun to move started to walk toward Nex, but before any regular eye could notice, the devil vanished from where a was and almost instantaneously appeared behind Nex and stabbed a scythe through his back.


    "Kyaa!"


    Tina shrieked and covered her eyes to horrified to look, but in contrast to her the people next to her who knew what truly happened and that it wasn''t Nex, but an afterimage of his, had a different reaction, Goz looked in disbelieving eyes while Raymond smiled brightly as if his hopes come through.


    But none of them prepared for what happened after.


    Before the devil managed to move after realizing that his attack didn''t succeed, Nex appeared next to where he was and swung his sword down in a simple motion. And as if cutting through butter, decapitated him.


    And at that moment silence fell on the three who watched this scene, and each a different expression on his/her face. Tina mainly astonished and relieved, Goz happy and full of battle intent, while lastly, Raymond had a face as if he trying to comprehend what he just saw.


    Swinging the sword to clear off the purple Devil blood, Nex looked back at his "audience".


    "Well, did I passed the Test?"


    After staring at him for a few moments, Raymond finally reacted and sighed deeply and answered: "yes you have passed the test, normally, if the matter was my decision I would give you the license immediately, but since it is an order from my superiors, you would need to defeat Goz additionally."


    Goz, who sat next to him a moment ago, was now standing in front of Nex while making a clicking sound from his body while stretching.


    Nex stared at Raymond, and then at Goz who was Grinning at him and shrugged. "Sure, that what I expected anyway." he then threw his sword back to where he picked it from, and then signaled with his finger for Goz to come. "Come, I want it to finish it quickly"


    Goz seeing this begun to chuckle, "hehe, I''m not like that half-assed demon, you would probably need the sword in order to wound me."


    Nex shook his head. "I only use a weapon to kill or when it is truly needed, now we are only sparring and since your level isn''t higher than mine I would fight barehanded."


    "You dare to look down on me?!" Feeling angry and humiliated, Goz yells at Nex.


    Nex, clearly not caring about what Goz said, just shrugged his shoulders.


    "If you want me to do otherwise you would have to prove it."


    "Haha! Very well I will prove you by breaking your bones first." with those words, Goz charged at Nex in breathtaking speed while his body began to glow in threatening light.


    For a normal person, witnessing a giant like Goz running toward them like that will scare them out of their wit. But Nex was completely calm as he stared at him unfazed.


    And the moment that Goz arrived where Nex is and was about to punch him with, time seemed to stop for a second along with the sound of a whip followed by the sound of something crashing.


    *Bang!*


    And then the world seemed to change in an instant.


    Where Goz just was stood Nex with a pose that looked like just punched something with his fist stretched out, and on the other side near the wall of the arena, there was Goz lied on the floor seemingly dead with his body shape slightly embedded on the wall.


    "Goz!"


    Managing to finally shake off the shock he felt, Raymond ran to where Goz was while Tina followed behind.


    "Oh, you don''t have to worry about him I only knocked him out"


    Ignoring what Nex said and Arriving where Goz is, Raymond checked Goz pulse and then released a sigh of relief, "he''s okay." After making sure Goz is okay, Raymond turned to Nex and said without disguising the surprise in his eyes.


    "That was quite a punch, It''s hard to believe that someone with only A-rank magic power could do this." he looked deeply at Nex who seemed unfazed by the meanings of this sentence, but then he smiled "luckily I saw the results so you won''t be suspected for Rank forgery."


    Hearing this, Nex smiled as well. "Does that mean that I can now get the hunting license?"


    "Haha, of course, in fact, we will issue it immediately as someone in your state would probably want to earn money soon aren''t you."


    Hearing this Nex nodded.


    "You read my mind."


    ***


    "This is the Hunter ID, its color is black meaning you have a Hunting license and eligible to enter danger/hunting zones according to his Rank, where you have not passed the test, you would have got a white ID notice that it can also be used as a credit card and a bank account for your convenience. In addition here''s a communication device that given for an A-rank Hunter through in it has a high-level computer and navigation device, do notice that a new one will cost money if you ever lose or break this one. And that''s all, is there anything you want to ask?" Tina said while giving him what seemed like a black credit card and a futuristic(at least from Nex point of view”­) wristwatch.


    Nex thought a bit and then spoke.


    "I have one question."


    "Please ask."


    "Where the Demonic Beings worth the most?"


    "..."


    ***


    Goz woke up inside a hospital be inside the treatment room of the arena, trying to understand how he got there he remembered what happened earlier in his fight against the guy who he was supposed to test until he suddenly heard a voice.


    "Oh? I see that you are awake? Good, I want to hear what happened there from you."


    Turning his head Goz saw Raymond standing next to his bed. Thinking of what his boss just said Goz smiled grimly.


    "There isn''t much to explain, while I was about to hit him with my fist, he suddenly had a different air around him like I was standing in front of someone who can see through all of my openings. The next thing I know is that I felt like a truck hit me in the guts, and afterward is that I waked up here."


    Goz then looked at Raymond who had a similar expression on his face and said: "Boss, I think we just met someone incredible! To be so strong already at A-rank."


    Raymond sighed and said while looking toward the arena where Nex was a short time ago.


    "Its more than that Goz. Even though he showed power well over A rank, his magical power never actually passed that level.


    ***


    In an A rank hunting zone beyond the city border.


    "And here another 100,000 credits~~"


    A certain man sang while removing a dark gem from a gigantic monster corpse, although the corpse looked grotesque, the man didn''t seem to mind as he threw the stone to a small sack and cleaned his hand of blood.


    "Only a few more for workless life!"


    That man was Nex.


    After getting instructions on how to get here and what things he should look out for from Tina. Nex walked(teleported) directly toward the hunting ground in order to earn money fast enough because he was tight on time to get a place to live and money but most important of all...


    ''Who knew that the game would come out in two days?! That old man made it sound like it will be only in a month. Luckily this hunting-thing is quite profitable so it seems that I will make it on time.'' such type of thought passed through Nex head while he searched for the next monster.


    After he casually checked through his communication device about the game "The Mythical Age" and found out it will be coming out in two days from now and headsets are long since begun to sell, he began to hunt Demonic beings like crazy, and in order to save time he took only the magic stones from the monster corpse and left the rest as it would be too time-consuming to take each time the demon corpse to the Hunter station(where hunters sell their loot) and have it sold.


    And so, he began hunting and soon enough he was close to earning the amount he set as a goal and the best of it was that no one will disturb him while he doing it.


    "Hey, you! What do you doing hunting in my area!"


    ...Or so he thought.


    Although the voice that talked was quite pleasant and cute, Nex still turned around with a frown on his face, only to have his expression freeze for a moment.


    In front of him stood a stunningly beautiful young girl less than 18 with short brown hair and gray eyes wearing fancy battle clothes, her face was without any marks and blemishes with a little baby fat which exuded cuteness and although her youthful face she seemed to already develop a feminine and curvy body which would turn quite a few heads, and if one were to describe in a few words her looks he would say that she is a top-level beauty!.


    "Hmm? Brat what do you want? Don''t you need to be in school right now? Shoo, shoo, go away."


    But that didn''t matter to Nex! Even though Nex froze a little when he first saw her, that was because he still didn''t completely synchronize with his now-unsealed emotions, he, who saw(and slept with) countless beauties back in Perias wouldn''t begin to act strangely just because of someone looks.


    "What did you say!?" the girl looked incensed, she lifted the weapon that was in her, a large spear, and began to attack him. "Who do you think calling a brat!?"


    But although her attacks skill was way above a normal hunter, they were all dodged easily by Nex, who silently assessed her abilities.


    ''Oh? She''s probably an A ranker like that guy from the association, and although her experience lacks little she make-up for it using raw abilities and well-trained moves that she has plenty of. And although she seems like an arrogant little princess, she purposely avoids hitting all the vital zones with her attacks.''


    He then looks at her hand filled with calluses and injuries, ''it seems that she also doesn''t slack in training as well. So overall, not a bad kid.'' And so, Nex decided to not bother her in the end and go away.


    "Damn it! Uncle will stop moving around so I could hit you already!"


    ''... on other thought, every good kid need a lesson here and there.''


    Waiting for the girl next attack, Nex disappeared from where he stood and then appeared in front of her-


    "What the hell-!" *flick*


    "Good kids shouldn''t use bad words."


    And flicked her forehead so hard that she flew and crashed a few meters away.


    ''Well, that will teach her a lesson.'' Nex thought in satisfaction(and immaturely), he then looked around to make sure there aren''t any demons around, and turned around and started to walk away.


    He walked for a few minutes until he heard something and immediately turned back.


    *Skree!!!*


    ''Damn!, I thought those things would not be in this zone!''


    ***


    Elise woke up feeling a headache.


    ''that damn uncle.''


    Never in her life, she was so humiliated. But what intrigued her, even more, was that although he clearly used the same level of abilities as her, that man was overwhelmingly stronger than her or any other people she met of the same rank, and because of that, she became determined to find him and make him tell her his secret.


    She stood up and picked her spear, she was about to leave but suddenly felt something stare at her.


    "I got you now uncle!"


    Thinking it was the man from earlier, Elise turned around and attacked with her spear with all her might!.


    *stab**Skree!!!*


    It wasn''t the man, but a humongous bird that had two pair of wings and gold-like feathers.


    ''Oh no! A Gilded King! How did an S-rank demon get here? This is an A-rank zone!''


    She got ready for a fight and pressed the emergency button in her communication device, now this is a battle of survival until help arrived, luckily for her the part she stabbed was the demon''s eye so as long as she stays in its blind side may have a-.


    *Smack!*


    Before she managed to react, the bird hit her with a swing of its wing, making her fly away while blood has begun to rise in her throat.


    ''H-how?'' she thought while her vision began to darken, ''don''t tell me! It''s a variant!...'' immediately desperation filled her as she saw the demon begin to come close to her ''i guess I''m doomed to fail in my goal.''


    But suddenly a handsome figure showed-up between her and the demon and started to walk toward her, ''is that?'' she suddenly felt warm energy enter her body and heals her injuries as the figure put its hand on her.


    Her vision gradually began to get clearer, as she tried to stand up but the figure stopped her.


    "You will faint if you get up."


    The figure that now along with his voice now made Elise sure who it was, turned his back to her and looked at the monster who stopped to examine him and begun to madly rush at them.


    *Skree!*


    "Shut up already."


    And as he said it, the man lightly chopped his hand downward.


    *Skr-!!*


    And abruptly the demon stopped at its place, and without any further warning, it started to split apart until it turned to two bloodied half''s.


    The man then turned back to the shocked Elise with terrifyingly calm eyes that as he looked at her turned gentle.


    "Kid, I''ll be glad if you keep this a secret."


    Saying these words along with the most handsome smile Elise has ever seen, the man vanished like he was never there.


    "Hey wait!"


    She tried to get up and run after him, but the moment she stood, a wave of fatigue came over her body and she lost conscious.

 5 Chapter 4

    After selling the magic stones, Nex earned quite the fortune so now he was going to do the next step, getting a house.


    With the amount of money he now had, he could get a house almost in every part of the town so what he has to do now was only to choose where, since living in a high-class area will probably cause him to mingle with troublesome people, he set his way to more normal districts.


    While he tours one of the districts, Nex suddenly froze and looked toward a certain direction, there, was a small apartment building that has on one of its windows a "for rent" sign. While unclear emotions raging in his eyes, Nex walks into the building.


    ***


    In an empty of property, looked at each other, one was Nex who tried to look respectful although he was still wearing his weird clothes from before, the other was an extremely beautiful young lady that looked just past the early twenties, she had a clear black hair and blue, sapphire-like eyes, her body has matured perfectly with large chest and shapely bottom all the while keeping a thin waist, in other words, another top-level beauty!.


    "So let me get, you, an A-rank Hunter, want to rent a shabby apartment and live in a mid-class neighborhood instead of a top-level villa in an exclusive compound full of luxury." concluded the young lady.


    "Yes" answered Nex with a smile.


    "Haa," she massaged her temples, "you know its suspicious with you popping out of nowhere and asking to rent the apartment like that right?"


    "This”­" Nex rubbed the back of his head, "is there any way for me to get your trust? I really want to live here."


    Seeing the sincerity in his look, the young lady sighed and said: "start by telling me your backstory, I don''t want to enter my building someone I do not even know the name of."


    Having his face turn from hopeful to complicated, finally opened his mouth, "then let''s start by my name, my name is Nexus but I prefer Nex, and about my past, there isn''t a lot I can say. A lot of time ago when very young, I found myself agreeing to what was once my dream job but which soon after was found out to be a scam,"Nex had a face like he trying to not sink to melancholy," and from that moment my life turned to a nightmare, every day was a constant fight for survival without any chances for breaks. The ones who I thought of friends proved they actually the opposite and the ones that I thought of as enemies were found out as friends when it was too late. But luckily I grew strong along the way, strong enough to escape the reality I was trapped. And because of all that happened, I decided that I will live a normal life of peace and quiet, so can I please live here?. He finished with an honest face full of hope.


    ''If she is similar to the one I know, then she would probably sense that I''m speaking the truth and would start crying and comforting me.'' thought Nex under his expression.


    And indeed the face of the young lady turned soft, while she looked at him as if she is about to console him.


    Nex sighed internally ''As I thought, she is the same type as the one I-''


    "Get out."


    "...huh?"


    ***


    Sitting outside on the sidewalk Nex sighed with dumbfounded emotions.


    ''"You heard what I said, get out. Not only you are acting shady with your intention you also come out with a third-rate backstory that doesn''t give real information of where you were or what you did in your past. only a full will not think you don''t have some issues."'' he remembered the words the young lady said with an angry face while she shooed him away with a broom.


    ''Since when did people with that type of soul would act that”­ fierce'' but for some reason, he thought that it oddly suited this girl and even found it adorable.


    He then quickly shook his head, ''these damn emotions its a bit more hard to control then I thought. Anyway, I thought I could do this slowly without her being aware, but it seems like I need to take a more direct approach.'' thought while entering back to the building.


    *Knock**Knock**Knock*


    "Yes, what is it?"


    Said the young lady while opening the door, only to have her face crumpled when she saw who stood behind it.


    "Oh it''s you, don''t even if you a Hunter, the police-''"


    "Listen to me for only one minute, and then if you want me to go, I will not bother you anymore," he said while looking into her eyes.


    Staring at him back and seeing the seriousness in his eyes, the young lady sighed.


    "You have one minute."


    "Thank you," Nex smiled and then his face turned back serious and he began to speak.


    "Did you ever feel like you aren''t really connected to the rest of the world? feel like almost everything is an illusion?"


    Just with those two simple questions, the young lady expression froze and she stared at him with shock.


    "You-"


    "Did you also," ignoring her, Nex continued, "when you were young, made people feel great pain every time you touched them? No, I think this also true for today if you don''t keep your emotions under control."


    These words were like a knife to her heart, she knew he was speaking the through but from the surprise, she couldn''t even close her mouth.


    Looking at her reaction, Nex expression softened as he finished: "I know what your condition is and if it won''t get treated, it will start to hurt not only you but also the ones close to you, and that''s the reason why I wanted to live here, because I wanted to help you and make sure you won''t hurt anyone by mistake." after saying those words, Nex looked at her waiting for her reply.


    The young lady stared at Nex with a complicated gaze until she finally sighed and entered back into her house, after the sound of a short conversation was heard, the door opened again and the young lady came out again.


    "Let''s speak about this in another place," she said shortly.


    ***


    "I want you to tell me everything you know."


    The young lady said while walking alongside Nex on the street.


    Nodding, Nex begins to speak: "your situation has a few names in where I was, but if you ask me, I prefer to call it OverSoul," he stopped for a moment and then started to explain: "you see, we humans consist of two halves, the body, and the soul, the soul is our spiritual essence of what we are, while the body is the corporeal essence, and together they complement each other keep each other at balance."


    He then looked at the young lady, "and your case is that you born with a unique soul that possess several special traits that can make you capable of great things, but unfortunately, in your case, the traits are too great in either quality or quantity and so the body can''t handle the load and causes the soul to become unstable. And because of that, you feel like you aren''t connected to reality or feel like your inside an illusion."


    "Then what about causing pain to people by touch?"


    Nex smiled, "that''s because your soul radiated itself, and one of the thing souls are most sensitive to are other souls."


    The young lady nodded and then asked, "you said that if I don''t get treated I could hurt myself and others, how?"


    Nex face became distant and he said slowly, "because the soul keeps growing stronger than the limit of the body thanks to the traits, at some point the soul, that constantly repressed herself to match the body, will explode and cause an explosion that can at the very least severely injure if not completely extinguish every soul in a few kilometers radius."


    He then turned back to the young lady and said solemnly.


    "And I can tell that you feel it, that your time is near."


    The young lady, after hearing his words, instead of starting to cry and panic like someone else in her age, only turned slightly pale and sighed tiredly, "I had a feeling that something will happen, but I didn''t dare to think that it will be that severe."


    She then looked at the man beside her, "Nex right? Is that the only reason you wanted to help me so much?"


    "So you figured out,"while smiling Nex replied, "yes indeed, aside from the obvious reason of not wanting to see a disaster on the level of nuclear magnitude, the main reason I wanted to help you without using more forceful methods was because one of the traits you have is similar to a child I once met."


    "A child?"


    "Yes," Nex said while his thought ran back to the past, "a very pure and lovely child. Back then when I first met her I was very young and naive and didn''t know much about where I was, after learning about her condition I tried my best to help her but alas, I didn''t have the proper knowledge and because of certain circumstances, it was already too late for her."


    The young lady, hearing the last words felt something in her throat, "then”­"


    "Her soul exploded," Nex said simply, "and from that moment I made myself a decision, and that is that I would never let that happen to someone who doesn''t deserve it again."


    "Is this the only one? I feel like there is more to this story," she asked curiously.


    Nex originally gloom face turned to a smile, "that is a story for another time, for now, let us focus on what that matter now."


    He looked at the young lady, "if you want me to help you, then you have two options. One is that you let me place a seal on your soul that will limit your soul functions to a normal one, although you will still feel disconnected, it will be in a much smaller amount, the plus here is that you get to live a normal life of an ordinary person."


    Hearing this, the young lady nodded, "And the other one?"


    Nex smiled turned wider.


    "I will help you get your body to reach a level where you can unleash the true potential of your soul and let yourself be much more than just connected with the rest of the world, but do know this once you agreed to this offer, you will never be just another person."


    After this Nex finished, "these two are your options, you are free to pick whichever you want."


    After thinking shortly the young lady asked, "can I have a proof of that so-called options?"


    Hearing what she said, Nex nodded as if it is an obvious thing, "of course, let''s begin from the first option, can you please close your eyes for a moment?"


    Having decided to put some faith in his word, the young lady closed her eyes, and suddenly she felt a calming sensation as if her mind turned peaceful and quiet.


    "Okay, you can open them back."


    Opening her eyes the young lady froze, it wasn''t what she saw, aside from getting a little clearer her vision hadn''t changed by much, it was what she felt, something she didn''t felt for years, her sense of being part of the world.


    Although the great excitement that she had, she still kept her composure and looked back at Nex, "now the other options."


    Nodding in approval, Nex opened his mouth, "close your eyes again."


    Nodding back and then closing her eyes again, the young lady sensed that the calming sensation disappeared, and instead she felt that her mind started to brighten and become more balanced.


    "Since I can''t instantly increase your body level to match with your soul, I can only help your soul use its full potential for a short time."


    She heard Nex voice as she started to get used to the changes that happened in her consciousness and finally she heard Nex say.


    "You can open your eyes now."


    At the moment she opened her eyes she was almost convinced that she entered a whole different world, she felt that before this she saw the world in a bad quality of black and white and only now did she truly experienced colors, and not only that she felt the same about her other senses again, when she was busy looking around she suddenly heard Nex speaking behind her.


    "Pretty neat right? That''s just the tip of what you can be capable of."


    Turning around, the young lady felt like she forgot to breathe for a moment.


    She already knew that Nex was very (very) handsome but for some reason, it felt like he had an aura around him that prevent people to actually notice that. But now, it was like she could see through that aura and see the real him, and the real him was the most handsome man she ever saw, with his perfect facial features and ideal body build, but most importantly the eyes, his silver eyes that although were full of signs of exhaustion and melancholy, still showed mainly optimism and expectation for the future.


    "Well, what do you think?"


    Still dazed from what she saw, Nex flashed to her a bright smile that made her wake up from that state and blush like a little kid who was caught.


    After seeing that she is listening Nex then opened his mouth.


    "So, have you made your choice?"

 6 Chapter 5

    "Well, I think I finished with all I need to have in the apartment."


    Nex smiled in satisfaction as he looked around his new home that was now fully furnished. Two days ago after he convinced Jane (the young lady) to let him help her, she agreed to let him rent the apartment, and in only two days he managed to turn it into a proper, fully-furnished, house.


    *knock**knock* "big brother Nex! Open the door!"


    Suddenly hearing knocks along with a young voice from outside the entrance door, Nex smiled as he knew who it was.


    Opening the door he saw an adorable young boy about 10 years old holding a gift basket along with Jane smiling and standing behind him.


    "Congratulation on moving here!"


    "Oh? Is this for me Eddie? Thank you," Nex said while taking the basket from the kid and patting his head.


    He then looked at Jane and smiled, "come on in, I just bought a few snacks."


    Seeing his smile Jane blushed a little and entered along with Eddie to the house.


    After starting to teach Jane how to train in order to have her body and soul balanced, Nex got to meet Eddie, her younger brother, and soon enough Eddie who found Nex cool especially with the fact that Nex is a Hunter and Nex quickly got fond of Nex and even started to call him big brother, and will always ask him question about hunters and demons, Nex who liked the boy answered him with a smile for whatever he asked.


    Immediately after sitting on the couch, Eddie asked Nex, "big brother did you already bought a VR Helmet for the game? Me and big sister already bought one for each of us and waiting for today in the evening when the game will be released."


    Nex smiled while a (figurative) fire burned in his eyes, "of course! That the first thing I bought after getting the apartment."


    "As expected big brother! And you decided what class are you going to play? I going to be a warrior class and big sis said she will be a healer one."


    "What class?" Nex smiled confidently, "of course I am going to be an Explorer!"


    "Explorer?" Eddie became confused, "I heard that this class is the weakest as it doesn''t start with any combat skill, its only good point that it allows an extra two profession slots."


    "That right," Nex agreed but then added with a smile, "but that is what I want to do! To adventure and craft thing while I explore the game! And besides, did you forget that I''m a Hunter? If I want to have a cool fight I will go fight some devil or a large demon."


    "Oh, I see," Eddie nodded, and then a big smile formed on his face.


    "Big brother is so cool"


    On the Jane thought with a wry smile ''when was the last time Eddie admired someone so much?''


    ???


    After Jane and Eddie walked back to their house, Nex checked his communication device for information about the game one last time before he starts to create his character, as the game is about to open its server in less than an hour and character creating is already available.


    The game is developed for several years by several organizations amongst them was the Hunter Association and the Global Alliance, the reason for this was because the game was originally designed to develop combat experience of the Hunters and only later on it was decided to be accessible to the whole world.


    But even though the game is now open to the wide audience and people all ages, its original goal to train hunter didn''t change, and because of that, the game difficulty is high to a level that a high-rank NPC is more skilled than 99% of the hunters.


    In order to cope with that, it was decided that the game will have three difficulty mode. First one is Beginner mode, a player on that difficulty mode will have support from the system when it comes to applying skills and fighting so that as long as the player skills are high enough, the player can fight even boss head on! Other pros that this mode has is that it allows the players to change the pain sensor as they wish (although that only for adults) and also have the system support when conversing with NPC.


    The second mode is Professional, this mode is more inclined to low and mid-level hunters as it requires to have some skill and fighting experience in order to play, the reason for this is because the system in this mode will have less help for the player and will act not only based on the player skill level but also his judgment capability, another thing in this mode is that pain sensors start from 20 percent and can only be adjusted to be higher.


    Lastly, there is the Master mode, players of this mode will not any assistance from the system when it comes to fighting and crafting, it will only grant them the ability to create their own skills, something that absurdly hard since the system only consider it a skill when the player is thoroughly familiar with it. Not only that the pain and even the sense of fatigue of the player will be at a whopping 100 percent! And because of that, this mode is called in forums "mode for crazy people" since almost all people who will play this mode are not well in their mind.


    "Why do they say that about that mode? How else do they want to enjoy crafting and adventuring if not through blood and sweat?"


    here is a good example of one of those people.


    Continue reading, Nex found out that the game is developed by a combination of top-class AI and what seems to be a special type of spirits that can simulate souls so that NPC will be as life-like as real people!


    ''Interesting. This is the first time I heard about this type of spirit. But to think that they can even simulate soul, this is sure is something to expect for.'' thought Nex in curiosity, but as he continued to read he came across information that intrigued him even more.


    Apparently, the game developers managed to "clone" a digital copy of another dimension and based on it develop the game world and its inhabitants!


    Without noticing a smirk rose on Nex lips.


    "Well that, I gotta check it out."


    ???


    After making sure that everything is ready and that he could log into the game, Nex put the game helmet on and said the password he set beforehand:


    "Lazy a*s returnee!"


    Immediately his vision turned black and by the next moment, he found himself standing in a white room with nothing there except a beautiful lady wearing simple white clothes.


    "Welcome to The Mythical Age! My name is Yuno and I am the goddess of this world."


    The lady presented herself and then began to speak.


    "I''m sorry for suddenly summoning you into this place but my world is in danger and you are..."


    ''Hmm its been a while since I heard these words'' ignoring the words of the goddess, Nex started to raise memories from the past.


    "And that''s why I had to summon you and you''re friends since you are the only ones who could help this world." Yuno finished with an apologizing face.


    ''It is always this sentence that brings a bad taste to my mouth the most,'' thought Nex with a disgruntled smile, he then looked at Yuno and said.


    "Fine! I accept your request!"


    Hearing his words brought a smile to the goddess'' face, and she clapped her hand, "good! Then let us start to create the avatar that you descend with to the world."


    Then, a screen appeared in front of Nex.


    "Please select your name"


    "Nexus" Nex answered simply.


    "Great! I see that this name is available. Now for the next step, adjusting your appearance"


    "Pass"


    "Then for the next one, stats, there are six main stats in the game: Strength(STR), Agility(AGI),


    Vitality(VIT), Mana, Wisdom(WIS) and Accuracy. every player other than Explorer receives two points in each stat upon leveling up and two more points to put in any stat they wish, in addition, they will get three more points on the main Stat of their class and they can''t put there their free stat points."


    "You know? For such a large scale of a game, I expected that there will be fewer cliches."


    Although his words Yuno still smiled, "Next: selecting your race and class. Which one do you want to hear about first?"


    ''Now that I think about it, I read that the character creation part will not be managed by the real AI.'' "Race"


    "Would you like to know the backstory of the race or just their traits?"


    "Boring, traits."


    "Alright then, for now, at character creation, you can only choose from four major races: first Humans: jack of all trade, all their stats are balanced(1X) and they are capable of learning an extra profession."


    Second Elves strong on Agility(1.2X effectiveness) and Mana(1.1X effectiveness) get also 10% increase damage when using a bow or when being inside forest, but low on Vitality(0.8X effectiveness) and Strength(0.9X effectiveness).


    Third, Beastmen: have high Strength(1.2X effectiveness) and Vitality(1.1X effectiveness) and get 10% extra damage in melee weapon and when HP is low and when fighting in plains. But, low on Mana(0.8X effectiveness) and magic based Skills(0.9X effectiveness).


    And lastly, Dwarfs: have high Vitality(1.2X effectiveness) and Strength(1.1X effectiveness) and will have 10% extra damage when in a rocky or mountains area. Additionally, they will have a 10% increase in crafting success rate. But will have lower Agility(0.8X effectiveness) and Mana(0.9X effectiveness).


    "That is all the races you can choose for now, would you like to hear about the Classes? And as well know only the properties?"


    "Of course that... Yes, who would want to hear stupid stories instead of playing anyway."


    "Very well, there are 7 main classes that every player must begin from:


    Warrior: get 3 stat points in Strength, and will have a 20% increase in Physical Attack.


    Shield Bearer: get 3 stat points in Vitality, and will have a 20% increase in Defense.


    Archer: get 3 stat points in Accuracy, and will have a 20% increase in Accuracy and Attack Range.


    Thief: get 3 stat points in Agility, and will have a 20% increase in Critical Chance and Stealth.


    Priest: get 3 stat points in Wisdom, and will have a 20% increase in Support Skills.


    Magician: get 3 stat points in Mana, and will have a 20% increase in Magic Attack.


    And lastly, Explorer: instead of getting three fixed stat points on level up, the player will get an additional stat point in each stat and an additional free stat point to put wherever they wish(altogether 3 stat points in each stat and 3 free stat points on every level up), in addition, they will get an extra two profession slots, and lastly, instead of learning combat skills they will have to create them on their own."


    "And that is the "storyless" description of classes, do you know already what to choose?"


    "Finally!" Nex sighed exhaustedly, "I thought that it going to take forever, anyways my choices are human and Explorer."


    "Great! Now one before last, Mode. there are three-"


    "Master obviously, the other two doesn''t sound as fun as this one." Without even letting her finish, Nex already told his choice.


    And again while smiling without care, Yuno continued. "And so we reached the final part before you descend, where will you arrive, in the region that you are in you will reach the Cloud kingdom, in which part do you want to begin? The north, the east, the south, or the west?"


    "If possible, I want random," Nex said after a short thought.


    "Very well, you will begin from Spring beginners village in the southern part of the kingdom." Yuno smiled and then held her palms together as if she prays.


    "I shall pray for you to succeed on your task."


    "You understand the irony of what you just did right?"


    And along with those words, Nex disappeared.


    ???


    The Mythical Age, ???, Cloud Kingdom, Spring village.


    Appearing inside a small town square, Nex first looked around to perceive his surroundings, seeing a seemingly normal middle-aged style village that didn''t feel any different from reality, he nodded in satisfaction.


    "Quite admirable, while I did expect for high realism, this is going above and beyond what I imagined!"


    He then closed his eyes to sense his body, "hmmm”­ seem like my body is on a level of a normal person with an average amount of mana inside him”­" he suddenly furrowed his brows, "weird, that mana”­ it feels the same as the mana of”­" he suddenly extended his hand.


    "Light"(Unknown Language)


    [Congrtulations! You''ve created a skill]


    And to his despair, a shining ball of light appeared gently on his palm. While watching the orb shining softly he suddenly remembered a certain line he just read a few minutes before.


    ''Apparently, the game developers managed to "clone" a digital copy of another dimension and based on it develop the game world and its inhabitants!''


    "No." Nex fell to his knees.


    Yes, Nex found himself "back" in the place he wanted to be the least.


    "Why did it have to be Perias!"

 7 Chapter 6

    "Mommy why is that man crying?"


    "Shhh, I told not to point at strangers, especially weirdos!"


    Ignoring the painful-to-hear conversation, Nex sat on the corner of the village square with his head on his knees and tried to get over his depression while mumbling things.


    "Damn it! Why did it have to be fu**ing Perias of all places? Why of all the dimensions in existence did it have to be that hellhole."


    After a few more minutes like that(and quite a few stares from the pedestrians), until finally, Nex overheard something that made him snap out of his current state.


    "Wellcome! adventurers from another world! To our world, Superbia!"


    ''Superbia?''


    With this name, hope bloomed in Nex. ''That''s right! This isn''t Perias this just a copy of this world, and since this game is open for everyone, then it probably won''t be a hellish place like the original! Damn! These emotions are causing trouble again!''


    At last, getting over his depression, Nex stood up with light in his eyes.


    ''Well, first let''s check my status, after all, this is a game.''


    "Status"


    [Name: Nexus.


    Titles: None


    Class: Trainee Explorer.


    Profession: None


    HP: 100%


    MP: 98/100


    Level: 0


    EXP:0%


    Fame: 0


    Strength(STR): 10


    Agility(AGI):10


    Vitality(VIT): 10


    Mana: 10


    Wisdom: 10


    Accuracy: 10]


    ''All in all, quite a generic status, I see that MP is not full because of the light I just made, but I wonder”­'' lifted his hand in a similar pose from before.


    "Light"(unknown language)


    And once again a shining ball of light appeared in his hand, but not caring about that, Nex instead looked at his MP.


    MP: 94/100


    ''So far so good,'' and along with these thoughts, Nex opened his mouth again.


    ''Light''(unknown language)


    This time instead of a small ball of light was a much larger one that shone so brightly that it seemed like a miniature sun, but also different, was that this one shone about half of the time.


    "Aack!"


    "What is this light?!"


    Quite a confusion happened in the street, but when the light went out, no signs of the culprit where found.


    In an alley, nearby Nex smirked as he stared at his status screen.


    "Maybe this game world being a clone of Perias isn''t so bad after all.


    MP: 92/100


    But then Nex shook his head and closed his status.


    "But that was true if I was gonna use it all the time to things like fighting. all I want is to go out on adventures, I''m sick and tired of fighting."


    Now finished with his little experiment, Nex checked his other privileges as a player, skill window and inventory window.


    "Well I expected it will be this way," Nex sighed as he saw what would be his empty skill window if not for what he just did.


    [???(Active)


    Activating the skill will produce light that depending on the mana consumed and the user proficiency, will vary in size, brightness, and duration.]


    But that is only the obvious result as Nex chose to not only play in Master mode that doesn''t allow the player to have skills that give support from the system such as proficiency skills but also play in the notorious Explorer class that doesn''t allow the player to learn or have a combat skill that he didn''t create by himself.


    "Well, I will do something about that when I would need it," sighing and naming the skill Light,Nex opened the last window, Inventory.


    [Gold:0, Silver:0, Copper:50](1 Gold = 100 Silver = 10,000 Copper)


    [Trainee Shirt(Normal).


    Level:0


    PHY.DEF:3


    Durability:10/10]


    [Trainee pants(Normal).


    Level:0


    PHY.DEF:2


    Durability:8/8]


    [Trainee Shoes(Normal).


    Level:0


    PHY.DEF:1


    Movement speed +5%


    Durability:10/10]


    "Seems normal so far," said Nex as he looked through his equipment, but then his face turned strange when he saw the last one.


    [Trainee Wooden Sword(Normal)


    Level:0


    PHY.ATK:5


    Durability: ”Ž]


    "Although I have to admit that this is quite handy, it probably weird to have an item with this function given out at the start of a supposedly realistic game."


    Saying that he pulled the sword out of the inventory and examined it closely, it was old-looking short-sword made of common wood.


    After examining it for a while and finding nothing note-worthy aside from its durability, Nex shrugged and strapped the sword to its waist.


    Since things like friends system and guild aren''t important for him right now because he needs to meet Jane and Eddie face to face in the game to register them as his friends and message them, Nex, at last, started to search for quests in order to level up and get out of the beginner village and the outside of the game.


    After walking around and asking a few people, Nex arrives at the village head house which is actually a large manor that is even guarded by a few guards.


    "Halt! Only those who have been approved may enter the gates and meet the Village head!"


    Stopped at the entrance by one of the guards, Nex blink and then smirk in his heart. He bows lightly and says in a respectful and formal tone.


    "Oh, respectful guards excuse me for my rudeness. I am a traveler from another world(one of the in-game names for players) and I came with the purpose of helping this world, and so I wanted to ask the Village head if there is anything I may help and do for the villagers."


    Facing such treatment from Nex, the guard expression softened and he said, "that isn''t a problem although I agree with the sincerity in your voice, I fear I still can''t let you meet the village head. But if what you looking for is things to help the villagers with there is something you can help me with."


    The guard turned around and after a few moments returned with small boxes and a note, "can you please deliver these for my wife Dorothy, she works at the restaurant a few streets from here, I will give you for these 10 Copper and a meal okay?"


    [You got a quest request!


    Deliver the lunch box back.


    Summary: Return the lunch boxes and the note back to the guard''s wife


    Difficulty: F


    Reward: 10 Copper coins, a meal and a small amount of EXP.


    Do you accept?]


    ''Well I have to Start from something,'' "Sure, no problem"


    [Quest accepted]


    After getting walking instructions to the restaurant, Nex walked for a few minutes and soon arrived at a small restaurant that had a sign on him that said "Dorothy place", entering the place he walked to the counter where a middle-aged lady stood.


    "Welcome handsome, would you like to order something?"


    "Thank you but I have been asked to deliver something," Nex shook his head and passed the boxes and note while he continued, "are you by any chance Dorothy?"


    The lady nodded as she received the bundle, "yes I am, I see that you have brought my husband lunch boxes? along with a note as well I see?"


    After Opening the note and reading it Dorothy sighed, "seem like soon things will stop being quite," but soon enough her frown turned back to a smile as she looked back at Nex, "Thank you here your reward."


    [Quest completed!


    EXP:10%


    For the rest of the reward talk with Dorothy.]


    "Here 10 Copper, and as for the meal seat right here I will bring it for you soon."


    Soon after sitting, Nex received a plate with some food and bread from Dorothy, "here you go."


    Looking at the seemingly-normal dish, Nex inside was slightly somber as he remembered the similar-style yet flavorless foods he ate back in Perias. But in order to not insult Dorothy, he still took a spoonful of food and put it in his mouth.


    ''Hmm!? This is good! In fact very good!''


    And to his surprise, the food tasted nothing like what he expected! After finishing the food speedily, Nex learned two things, one, he should think of this world as "another Perias" but as a different world. And second”­


    (bows)"Please teach me how to cook!"


    His first profession will be a Cook!


    "Oh my, although I appreciate your enthusiasm, I can''t teach you as you haven''t finished your first awakening," apologized Dorothy.


    "Oh, I see," said Nex dispirited. First awakening is the NPC way to call first class advancement that players do when they reach a city at level 10, in other words, Nex has to be at least level 10 in order to learn a profession.


    "Well, so can buy at least another dish?"


    "Fufu, of course!"


    After ordering another two meals which costed him, 10 Copper, the now satisfied Nex realized something.


    ''Hmm it seems that although I there isn''t a parameter that indicates it, you or at least your avatar can still get hungry inside the game and consume food normally. Interesting."


    Having thought that Nex stood up from his seat and asked Dorothy, "Dorothy, do you know if there is someone who needs help with things like hunting monsters or doing chores?"


    ???


    After doing some more simple chores which leveled him to level 1 and 5%, Nex got a quest which required him to hunt a monster, a Small Slime and get an item called Slime core. Finally, Nex is going to have his first fight in the game.


    After walking out of the Village for a few minutes he arrived at a field where he saw numerous players hunting a small monster that seemed like a moving ball of jelly. Closely looking on the monster letters appeared above it.


    [Small Slime(Normal) LV:1]


    Monsters are divided into 9 ranks. Normal, Rare, Elite, Lord, Royal, Imperial, Sovereign, Demigod, and Divine. In addition, they are divided into two types, Normal monster which can at most be Lord rank, and Boss monster which for far stronger than a normal monster even at a rank above it. Furthermore, The difference between each rank is huge and most players won''t be able to bridge it unless they are stronger both party-wise and equipment and Skills-wise.


    While sorting that information in his head, Nex searched for a place where there are fewer people hunting as he will probably attract attention when he hunts, but alas, he didn''t find any place in the hunting field of the Small Slimes that wasn''t full to the brim in players.


    Sighing, he began to search for other places that can have Slimes, and soon enough he found a place that may answer his demand.


    [King Slime(Rare Boss) LV:5]


    [Big Slime(Rare) LV:3]


    Seeing the 3-meter and 1.5-meter tall Slimes and the empty area around them, Nex nodded in approval. Since almost no player reached high enough level or skill to fight these monster, this field was quite empty and no people can be seen around.


    "Well let''s see the so-called Rare rank first." walking to a slightly distant Big Slime, Nex pulled out his sword and started to get closer to the Slime.


    Sensing someone getting closer to him the slime charged at Nex with surprisingly agile moves, but Nex, without even flinching waited for the moment just before the slime touched him and lightly side-stepped, seemingly dodging the attack with ease.


    ''Compared to the normal Slimes, although I should also count the level factor, there is indeed a not a small difference between their strength.'' thought Nex while continuously jumping to the side while avoiding the slimes attacks by hair breath, ''oh well, guess I should now finish this''


    At the next attack of the slime, Nex instead of dodging closely to the side like before, this time Nex jumped backward and at the moment the slime about to finish his charge and just as the slime about to start his next charge, Nex kicked the ground and appeared in front of it swinging his sword at its core.


    But the sword seemed too short to reach the core so that the swing missed it by an inch, making the attack seem to have not succeeded.


    But then a strange thing happened. Although having a perfect chance to hit Nex, the slime didn''t move and in fact even begun to melt until there was left a few Copper coins, and a small core that as it touched the ground it split cleanly in half.


    Nex picked it up and checked its information.


    [30+ Copper]


    [Big Slime core(Excellent)


    Level:3]


    After putting his loot in the inventory Nex checked his EXP bar.


    EXP: 15%


    "This much EXP for a monster this weak? This is sure is disappointing," Nex sighed. Were other players hear him say that they would have tried to choke him until he says sorry. Normally, a player with stats and Level like Nex couldn''t even dodge the first attack of the monster and be instantly killed if not severely wounded.


    But that is only true for most players, using the Master mode that directly makes real-life abilities have the same effect as skills if the player capable enough he can already at the start have the capability of a player with high-level skills!


    In order to cope with that and not make the game ruled by people who are high-level hunters in real life, the developers made the game world so that its laws are the same as the world it was cloned from so that in order to reach the truly high level of skills the player would have to learn them from zero so that everyone will have to start from the bottom if they truly wanted to reach the top.


    "That sounds like a pain in the a*s."


    Well that of course, aside from a certain someone.


    "Good thing I don''t have to do it."

 8 Chapter 7

    "Well, I sure hope that he will receive those cores instead of the ones I need to give," sighed Nex as he throws the 30th [Big Slime core] into his inventory.


    For the last two hours, Nex hunted Big Slimes till he "fulfilled" the demand of the quest he was supposed to do, thanks of all of that hunting he Leveled to Level 3,12% and earned a grand total of 9 silver, now he there is only one thing he wanted to do before going back to the city.


    "Let''s hope that the large one over there will drop something else besides core and money, Rare rank my a*s!"


    Since he was disappointed in the capability of the so-called "Rare-rank monsters", Nex decided to now challenge the boss of the area, the King Slime!


    Instead of making the monster attack and then kill with a counter like usual, this time Nex charged directly at the monster with the intent to attack it head-on.


    And instead of rush at it attacker like a Big Slime, the King Slime stayed in place without moving, a thing which Nex reacted to like he was expecting that and continued his rush without showing sign of stopping.


    But suddenly in the minute that Nex entered the 4-meter radius of the monster, the slime shot out of him at blinding speed tentacles which attacked Nex from various angles.


    All while still advancing forward, Nex dodged and parried back in a speed that shouldn''t be possible for someone with his stats. And as he reached less than 1.5-meters from the slime he swung his sword diagonally.


    "[Partial Enchantment]"


    [Congrtulations! You''ve created a skill]


    As these words left his mouth, the sword edge shined and for a split of a second seemed to look not like it made of plain wood but of searing steel.


    But, immediately after the sword passed through the King Slime body, the gap made by the sword seemed to regenerate back to its former state as it seems that the attack didn''t reach the core.


    After being healed of the attack the slime began to shake as if it is angry, and countless of tentacles came out of it with the intent to kill Nex.


    But instead of being worried about this situation, Nex just strapped his sword back and crossed his hands as if waiting for something.


    "Maybe I should find something more threatening than a slime."


    The moment he finished to say these words, just before he was hit from the tentacles, the King Slimed froze. And slowly a thin line was stretched across the slime and the slime-along with its core was separated into two equal half.


    [Congratulations!


    You are the first one to both kill and solo a Rare-rank Boss!


    You have received 10 Gold!


    You have received 100 Fame!


    You have received The Title "Who Said I Can''t?"


    Would you like to announce your name? (you can put a nickname)]


    "A nickname huh?"*Smirk*


    ???


    [World Announcement: The player "Everyone else is a Noob" is the first to both kill and solo a Rare-rank Boss, Congratulation!]


    [World Announcement: The player "Everyone else is a Noob" is the first to both kill and solo a Rare-rank Boss, Congratulation!]


    [World Announcement: The player "Everyone else is a Noob" is the first to both kill and solo a Rare-rank Boss, Congratulation!]


    Few seconds after this announcement was released, players all over the game became shocked.


    "Soloing a Rare Boss just a few hours after the start of the game!? And what the hell is this nickname!? He is asking for a beating!?"


    "Hurry and find who it is! Our guild can''t give up on this kind of player!"


    "He must be cheating! I couldn''t defeat a normal monster that is Rare rank!"


    "Dude from above maybe it is because you are too weak(LOL)."


    ???


    Not caring about the mess commotion he just caused, Nex took a look at his loot and new title he just earned.


    ["Who Said I Can''t?"(Excellent-Higher)


    Effect:


    10% in all stats if against a Boss that is at Rare rank.


    An additional 5% for every rank above Rare.


    Another 10% if the Boss is at least 5 levels higher.


    Note: for all those who said it is impossible, what about now?]


    "Quite useful if I was going to mainly fight in this game," after saying that he passed his gaze to his loot.


    +3 Silver


    EXP:60%


    [King Slime Core(Excellent-Higher)


    Level:3]


    "Well that is expected," said Nex, he then looked at the ring that was dropped.


    [King Slime Ring(Excellent-Higher)


    Level: 5


    All Stats + 3


    Mana + 4


    Regenerate 1 MP every 3 seconds]


    "Not too shabby, too bad I can''t wear it now."


    Item grades divided into 9 ranks, Normal, Excellent, Superior, Unique, Legend, Epic, Mythical, Demigod, and Divine. In addition, items can have "Higher" in their grade which means their quality is almost at the level of a rank above it, but, these items cannot be gotten from a normal monster. In addition, to drop brand new Items the monster has to be a Boss monster so that you can''t get a perfect-condition Item from any monster you hunt.


    After Nex put the loot into his inventory, he turned back to the village.


    "It''s time to go back for now."


    ???


    Arriving back to the village Nex walked to the alchemy shop where(through a recommendation of Dorothy) he got the quest to hunt and get 30 [Small Slime cores].


    *Doorbell Ringing*


    "We do not sell health potions-, Oh It''s you, did you bring the cores?"


    At the shop stood a slightly-disheveled middle-aged that was busy examining a strange herb, it was the owner of the store and the one who gave Nex the quest.


    Hearing the question Nex smiled wryly.


    "Kinda?"


    The middle-aged man brows furrowed, "what do you mean by "kinda"?"


    "Well," Nex scratched the back of his head, "there were too many people hunting the small ones, so I instead hunted the bigger ones." as he said this he passed a [Big Slime core] to the man.


    "This is”­ a [Big Slime core]! and how it is perfectly cut into two pieces! None of its essences has vanished! Even with special tools, I have a low chance of doing that!"


    The moment the alchemist saw the core his eyes lit up and he immediately snatched it fromNex hands and begun to examine it with a zealous gaze.


    Seeing the reaction of the man, Nex smiled and said, "if you want, I have more of those."


    Hearing Nex words, the alchemist whipped his head at his direction, "more?"


    *Smirk* "Yes, including the one in your hands I have about 30 cores like that. And in addition, this little thing." said Nex as he pulled a certain item from his inventory and showed it to the man.


    *gasp* "A [King Slime core]"


    But before the alchemist reach it, Nex put the core away, "so what do you say do you receive these cores instead of the ones that I was supposed to bring, or I should go to another-"


    "I do! I do!"


    *Smile get thicker* "Just what I wanted to hear."


    [Quest update!


    Old Quest: Bring 30 [Small Slime cores]


    New Quest: Bring 30 [Big Slime cores] and 1 [King Slime core]


    Quest completed! Please give the items to the quest giver!


    Reward:


    15 Silver coins


    A medium amount of EXP


    For more reward talk with Bruno(the alchemist)]


    "So, Bruno, don''t you think 15 Silver is too cheap compared to what I''m about to give you?" Nex asked while playing with a much larger core than the one he gave to Bruno.


    "T-t-the [King Slime core]!!" Bruno stuttered while staring at the core in a trance.


    Seeing that he didn''t hear, Nex spoke again, this time louder, "so? Do you have something to give or”­" he moved his hand to put the core back.


    "Yes! Yes! I have something!" said Bruno and ran to the back of the store.


    After a few noises of doors opening and things falling, the alchemist came back while holding a small and ominous looking potion bottle, "although its side effect is a little severe, it can prove to save lives at a crucial moment and can be worth quite a lot."


    "Hmm, let''s see," Nex took the bottle and inspected its details.


    [OverBurst(Excellent - Higher)


    Restore all wounds and MP and for five minutes all stats doubled and 2% MP will regenerate every 3 seconds.


    Side Effects: for the 3 hours after, all stats are halved and the player will experience extreme pain if the player is playing in Professional and Master modes. If the player is in beginner mode then he will have difficulty moving his limbs.


    (Useable until level 10 only)]


    "It should indeed sell for quite some money, especially at this stage of the game." Nex nodded and then passed the cores to Bruno, "here you go."


    Without even waiting for Nex to extend his hand, Bruno immediately took the core and studying them one by one as if they''re jewels.


    [Quest Completed!


    Rewards:


    +15 Silver coins


    A medium amount of EXP


    1XOverBurst(Excellent - Higher).]


    [Level Up!]


    Level:4,3%


    "T-this! All of them really are without having their essences leaking or damaged! Just how did you..." he then turned his head to Nex who was already on his way to the exit of the store, he finally was noticed the weapon that was strapped to Nex''s waist, "don''t tell you did that with a wooden sword!?"


    Without turning around Nex said while exiting the store, "I long since stopped to cut using just a weapon."

 9 Chapter 8

    "Argh!"


    [Level Up!]


    "Oh? Level 6 Already?"


    6 hours(in game time) since the start of the game, Nex decided that leveling through normal questing is too bothersome and slow, so for the last two hours he begun to hunt monsters at the outskirts of the [Forbidden Forest], an area that no one wants to enter to hunt at this stage of the game since the minimal level of the monsters are level 6 and their major rank is Rare, and aside from Nex, the highest level player is just level 5.


    But for Nex, since there is no one here and the monster quality here is better than the rest of the areas of Spring Village, this was the perfect area for him to hunt!


    "But, man! I thought that at least being humanoid will let the monsters here have more battle capability! But oh well, maybe its because they are too low level."


    Nex sighed while staring at the corpse of 2.3 meters tall level 7 [Hobgoblin(Rare)] that was lying on the ground with his throat sliced. And after staring at it for another moment, Nex began to kick it and turn it around.


    After having it flipped, Nex bent over and picked up the loot that was hiding underneath it before.


    "Damn this game”­ why the hell the monsters in this game doesn''t disappear after they''re dead!"


    Yes, in order to increase the realism, not only do the monsters don''t have HP bar and will only die when they are injured fatally enough, they also do not disappear and instead, their corpse remain unless their characteristics tell otherwise like with the slimes that for example has their body made of special liquid that made and sustained from their mana, so when their core has damaged their body can''t survive and will melt and disappear leaving only the core(and the loot for the players). In addition, in order to not scare younger players, a different sight will be seen to them that will be less realistic and more kid-appropriate.


    "Well, for now, let''s continue leveling so that I can leave this place and finally learn a profession, I do not play this game to fight!"


    Saying that Nex climbed to the tall trees and begun to jump between them like an agile cat.


    "I don''t understand why people call it forbidden zone, this place is perfect for ambushing and hunting monsters!" Nex spoke some anger-inducing words while scanning his surroundings for his next pray.


    And soon enough he found a pair of Levels 6 and 7 [Hobgoblins(Rare)] walking in the forest with a meter distance between them carrying a large club and a blade respectively.


    ''Perfect''


    Without making any sound, Nex arrived at the branch that is behind the level 6 one, once he positioned himself there, he crouched his legs in the direction of the monster and accumulated in them strength along with minute amounts of mana, making them have small-almost unnoticeable flickers of lights.


    ''[Partial Enchantment]''


    And as he chanted in his mind these words, his sword blade part begun to shine as well and once again in a way that made it seem like a blazing metal.


    Closing his eyes for a little, Nex kept them close until suddenly snapping them open.


    ''Now!''


    *Crackle!* *Swish*


    And at the next moment, and before the level 7 Hobgoblin processed what happened his comrade''s head fell and only after it made a sound of *thud* when it fell to the ground did he managed to react and swing his weapon at the assailant.


    "Light"(Unknown Language)


    But that was too late, as he swung his blade a bright flash of light momentarily blinded him and at the next moment he lost the sensation of the hand that held his and immediately after an extreme pain from where it once was.


    "Aargh!"


    Covering his stump with his remaining hand while looking at the man in front of him in terror, The Hobgoblin knew that he didn''t have any chance to win so he began to run back at the direction of his tribe in hope of reinforcements.


    *Stab*


    Only to be frozen in the middle of the run and see the blade he held before exit from his chest where his heart his.


    "Argh”­"


    And with that final sound, the Hobgoblin fell, never to rise again.


    Before he began to loot the corpse, Nex stared at the direction that the Hobgoblin tried to and pulled out a piece of paper and a rough pencil, and scribbled on it some things.


    "So there is their settlement is, I sure hope that there are monsters more capable there," Nex sighed as he folded the paper and put it back in the inventory, afterward, he picked the coins that dropped from the corpses and used a hunting knife to dig out a core from the level 7 Hobgoblin head, "this game is too stingy, to have such a low chance of dropping cores from monsters at this rank, good thing at least that it can(for me at least) be sensed if a monster has it or not."


    After Nex finished taking care of that, he picked up the weapons that the hobgoblins used.


    [Hobgoblin Club(Normal)


    Level:6


    PHY.ATK:20


    Durability:40/55]


    "Although its attack is much better than the wooden sword, it only applies if high had higher strength. But it should still sell for quite a price," he said while putting it inside his inventory.


    Next, he checked the Blade.


    [Hobgoblin Blade(Normal-Higher)


    Level:7


    PHY.ATK:25


    Durability:48/62]


    "This is much better," he nodded in satisfaction while putting it in his inventory, he then looked at the full inventory and sighed, "looks like I need to go back to the village."


    After about 15 minutes, Nex arrived at the village and entered the hunting shop where he bought his things like the hunting knife and the paper and pencil that he uses to draw a map of the forest.


    "Hello there! Did you come back already? I thought that you going to the outskirts of Forbidden Forest? What happened? I told you that it will be too hard for someone your level to be there! Do you want me to tell you now about more suitable places for you?"


    Facing the sudden bombardment of words coming from the young girl behind the counter, Nex just smiled.


    "I came here to sell," and as he said that he placed all the loot he had gotten on the counter, "you do accept things from the Forbbiden Forest, right?"


    Seeing the object that was placed in front of her, the girl eyes widened and she picked one of the items, "this is the magic stone of a Hobgoblin! And it was extracted just a short time ago!" she picked another item from the pile, a blade, "and this is the weapon that their warriors wield!" she turned back to Nex, "so you really did hunt there! How did you do that with your level!?"


    Nex just smiled, "let''s say that I am very good at fighting. Anyway, can I sell these things here?"


    Waking up from the shock, the young girl nodded her head, "yes! Yes! Of course! Just let me call my boss!" after she said that, she ran upstairs to the second floor of the shop.


    After a few minutes, she came back with a tall, burly, middle-aged man, the man looked at the pile of items on the counter and then stared deeply at Nex, "are you really the one that hunted all those monsters?"


    Staring at the man deeply as well, Nex smirked, "what? You don''t believe-"


    *Swish*


    Before Nex managed to finish his words, a giant fist appeared in front of him and was about to hit him in the face! But without getting excited he slightly ducked to the side while tilting his head and pulling his sword.


    *Bang!* "Kyaa!"


    And at the next moment, the following scene appeared, the store owner fist was stretched out above Nex shoulder and a centimeter away from his face. And on the opposite side, Nex''s sword was on hit squarely on the store owner throat, but strangely enough, didn''t leave even a mark. During this moment the pair looked at each other without breaking eye contact as if testing who will do the first move.


    "No way”­ against Boss!?" the young girl became shocked, only to afterward shake her head and begin yelling, "Geez! Boss! I told not to do things like that to customers! People will stop coming here for good if you continue to do it!"


    Ignoring his employee words, the middle-aged man straightened his pose and gave Nex another look before throwing him a small letter and walking back upstairs, "Bring this to the Adventures Guild," when the last words were heard he was already gone.


    Nex caught the letter and stared at where the shop owner where before furrowing his brows and staring at the young girl, confused,"what just happened?"


    Hearing his question the girl sighed, "that the owner character, he loves to test people and if he approves of them he gives them rewards like a weapon or skill," and then her face became strange as she looked at the letter in Nex hands, "but is the first time I saw him give something that precious."


    Nex looks at the letter that looked a bit worn-out, "this is precious?"


    "Yes! Very!" The young girl nodded frantically, "This is a recommendation letter for the Adventure Guild! It allows you to join the adventure guild and have a chance to go on legendary missions alongside the greatest heroes around the world!"


    "Oh? And your Boss can give out a thing like that?"


    The girl nodded once again, "Yes, Boss was once one of the top Adventurers in the kingdom which is by the way amazing that you managed to counter his attack! How did you do that?"


    Nex just smiled and asked, "you should ask your boss for the answer," and ignoring the pouting girl he continued while pocketing the letter, "can I sell now the things I brought?"


    "Oh right! Yes, of course! Here, I will calculate it for you."


    ???


    After selling all the loot he earned besides the [Slime King ring] that he finally remembered to wear and a single [Hobgoblin Blade] that surprisingly had full durability, Nex walked out of the store with a satisfied smile, he now had a grand total of over 14 Gold coins, most likely making him the richest man who plays solo at this stage of the game.


    Now finished with his business, Nex began to walk back to the Forbidden Forest in order to continue his leveling.


    "Hey did you see that? That dude has a ring!"


    "And he wearing only beginners gear! Quickly tell Leader that we found some prey!"

 10 Chapter 9

    Contrary to his earlier walk to the village that only took a bit more than 15 minutes, his return to the forest is taking Nex over 20 minutes and he is only half way there.


    The reason for this was that instead of going straight like before, Nex now goes through a more complicated and twisted road. This routine continues for a few more minutes until Nex stopped at a small area where only low-leveled monsters like level 2 [Horned Rabbit] are present. After pretending to look around to check that no one is there, Nex begins to hunt a monster in a clumsy-like manner as if it is his first time using a sword.


    ???


    Staring with contempt at this scene from the shadows, DarkBlade sneered and turned back to his leader with annoyance, "Leader why did we have to follow this noob for so long? We could have just ambushed him when he leaves the village and then force him to give up his ring and tell us where he got it."


    The leader, DarkCaptain, shook his head and said, "And if he doesn''t say? It will take too much time to force him to tell us. By then, the value of what we could earn will decrease. Other than that, the reason why I insisted on following him was that he would lead us to the secret that he is hiding but now..?"


    He then stared once again at the player who swung his weapon at the monster like a 3-year-old and snorted, "Hhmph! It seems that I overestimated him. He is just an idiot who doesn''t know the limits of his capacity. Judging by his amateurish movements that are very much contradictory to his decision of selecting the Master mode, he is nothing but a fool. Let''s take his ring and whatever other things he has and get back to leveling. The last thing I want is to fall back too much."


    Hearing his words, DarkBlade and the rest of the gang grinned with evil intent and began to spread around the area of the oblivious player.


    ???


    After a minute of struggling against the small monster, Nex finally manage to land a hit that killed it.


    While he was ducking to pick-up the loot, he suddenly heard a whistling sound and immediately rolled to the side, avoiding an arrow that hit where he was just at.


    "Oh? You actually managed to dodge that?" The ridicule in the voice could be heard clearly.


    Standing up, Nex looked at the direction of the voice and saw a man holding a large sword. Behind him was an archer who was using a longbow. He looked around and saw 2 more people. Another warrior and a mage, both at his rear. This warrior just crossed his arms and had an air of dignified arrogance around him. ''So, that''s the leader.''


    Smiling, Nex started to dust off his pants, "Honestly, I didn''t think I would attract that many people at once. But oh well.." He leaned to the side, dodging and doing a motion as if catching something in front of him.


    "How-!"


    Suddenly a dagger-wielding thief appeared at the side of Nex that had his wrist held by him. Just as the thief began to react, Nex swung his wooden sword that was surrounded by a glowing aura, and at the next moment, the thief''s head fell to the ground.


    "Luckily, five is my favorite number."


    The group was stunned into silence for a second. It took another one for them to wake up from their stupor.


    "You bastard!"


    "How did he do that!?"


    "Quickly attack him!"


    Upon hearing the command which probably came from their leader, the group began to move. The two warriors started to charge at Nex from both his back and the front; the archer began to aim his bow while the mage started to chant.


    *Swish!*


    "Argh!"


    The warrior who was charging at the front of Nex saw him flick his hand. Afterwards, he then heard strange voices coming from behind him where the archer was. Turning around, he froze as he saw the archer holding his own neck while a hunting knife stuck deep inside his jugular. He turned to stare at Nex with shock, ''Oi oi, first decapitating using a wooden sword and now this!? What''s the deal with this dude!?'' He hastily shook those thoughts out as he saw his leader was about to clash with Nex and resumed charging.


    The second warrior from the rear arrived where Nex was at and swung his weapon diagonally at him. "Oh? So that''s the so-called swordsmanship skill of the system? Slightly better than I thought.." As he said those words, Nex easily dodged the warrior''s attack although there was a clear difference in stats, "But," he swung his sword at the warrior''s wrist. Once again, it glowed at its edges and the wrist was cut off cleanly from the warrior''s body.


    "It''s still too early to be counted as something."


    "Ahh!"


    "A Professional player, I see. Don''t worry I will take care of you after I finish with the other two."


    The first warrior from the front immediately launched an attack as soon as he arrived at the spot where Nex and his Leader clashed. Coincidentally, the mage from the rear had just finished chanting his spell and coordinated his attack with the warrior.


    "Die!"


    "FireBall!"


    Seeing the sword about to hit him and the fireball coming from above, Nex just sighed, "Sheesh, so disorganized." He lightly stepped to the side effortlessly, dodging the warrior sword. He then kicked him in the back of the knee, throwing him off balance.


    "Wha-!"


    Ignoring the warrior''s surprise, Nex grabbed him by the nape and threw him upwards, where the fireball was rapidly descending.


    *Boom!*


    "Ahh!"


    Seeing his comrade exploding like that and realizing that he was next, the mage turned and run as fast as he could. Before he managed to get far, he heard a voice in his ears and his vision began to darken as something went down his throat.


    "They expect the mage to be the strongest, but they don''t teach them how to use their power properly."


    Nex pulled his sword out of the mage''s throat. It gradually stopped glowing that when he swung it to the side to shake off the blood, it reverted back to its original modest wooden state.


    The moment the warrior was thrown into the air, Nex had already began moving towards the mage. And because of the obvious difference in physical stats, Nex caught up to him after a few seconds and stabbed his throat.


    He then looked at the corpse that slowly began to turn into light particles. Players in the game will be like this when they die and will continue to be in this state for 10 minutes. If the player didn''t revive during this time, they could only respawn back at the city after they lose some EXP and their equipment will drop. In addition, they will get a 12-hour real-time ban.


    "Well, now that we are done with that, let''s go to the less fun part," Nex began dragging the mage''s corpse back to the clearing where the fight was originally at. There is still someone waiting for an interrogation.


    ???


    Arriving at the clearing after a few minutes, Nex threw the corpse of the mage to where the thief''s corpse was and then stared at whom he guessed to be the leader of the party.


    The warrior from the rear who got his hand cut off is now lying pitifully on the ground, groaning in pain while blood constantly flowed out from the stump.


    "Well, I can''t ask questions with you like that," Nex crouched and pressed a few pressure points with mana-covered fingers.


    Gradually, the bleeding halted and he also stopped making wretched sounds. It appeared as though he had fainted but color could be seen returning to his face after just a few moments.


    Seeing this Nex lightly slapped his face, "Don''t pretend, I know that you''re awake."


    Knowing that he has no other choices, the man opened his eyes, "What are your questions?"


    Without kicking around the bush, Nex opened his mouth, "Why did you come after me?"


    Hearing his question the man snorted, "You seriously don''t know? It is obviously because of the ring that you''re wearing!"


    Nex looked at his ring confused, "Because of this cheap thing? You just need to hunt a Boss to get this thing."


    Hearing Nex''s words the man became incensed, "Cheap thing? Just hunt a Boss!? Don''t tell me”­! You''re the one who soloed the Rare Boss!?"


    Nex nodded, "Yes, why?"


    The man turned even angrier, "Joking with me huh? Never mind, even if you are so strong, because of what you just did, our guild will turn your life to hell-"


    "No longer useful words I see? Then off you go." Not letting the man finish his words, Nex swung his sword lightly and cut the man''s head off.


    After finishing with that, Nex looked around.


    "Now, for the loot."


    ???


    "Damn it!"


    *Crash*


    DarkCaptain threw the game helmet on the ground. Never was he and his team got defeated by a single man like that. The shame and anger almost made him go crazy! That man has toyed with them as if they had no way to retaliate.


    Despite the rage he felt, he took a deep breath and tried to calm himself as much as he can. He then picked up his phone and dialed a number. After a few beeps, the call got picked up.


    "Hello? Leader? I found the player "Everyone Else is a Noob", he is in my Village."


    "Oh? Tell me everything."


    After telling his leader his version of the events, DarkCaptain hung up the phone and looked outside and said grimly.


    "It doesn''t matter if you are him or not, you did a grave mistake by offending me and my guild."

 11 Chapter 10

    [Level Up!]


    "Finally!" Nex sighed in relief.


    He had been hunting monsters in the [Forbidden Forest] for the past 2 hours and a half to level up but the level gap between him and the monsters is becoming apparent to him. Hence, he abandoned his hunting grounds at the outskirts to delve deeper into the forest. To even further improve his leveling speed, he chose to kill monsters of Rare rank with levels of either 9 or 10.


    Looking at the loots from the monster he had just slain, a certain awareness made him grin, "Found it!"


    Aside from leveling up, Nex wants to find better loots than the rough weapons and loincloths he keeps on getting for some time now. For him to achieve such goal, his plan is to look for the monsters'' main village where he could find higher ranking monsters. Hopefully, he might stumble on a Boss there too! The experience points and loots gained from a Boss hunt is incomparable than those from normal monsters. Of course, the same can be said when it comes to the thrill and challenge when fighting a Boss but Nex isn''t willing to admit this point.


    Looking for the monsters'' den proved to be an arduous mission. This was what he had managed to deduce from the direction which the last monster he killed tried to run to. The time he spent doing this task was a lot longer than he had estimated.


    "Never mind that now. At last, I found the place."


    Nex jumped speedily between the trees until he finally found himself in front of a large village that was as big as half of [Spring Village]. Inside were mostly monsters like Hobgoblin, goblins from outside the forest but with higher ranks and those Orcs that he had been hunting for the past few hours. All of them weren''t the ones that Nex was hoping for. After jumping around the trees and surveying the area, he eventually confirmed his initial suspicion. The truly high-leveled monsters are not here.


    This fact did not cause Nex to lose heart though. He continued his vigil. Soon enough, he found something that caught his eyes.


    A carriage escorted by eight Level 10 Orcs went out of the village and entered the most inner part of the forest.


    "I sure hope it will lead me to the right place."


    ???


    Following the carriage for a few minutes, Nex arrived at a large cave; in its entrance stood two Orcs with bodies bigger than the normal ones. When Nex came closer and examined them, it brought a smile on his lips.


    [High-Orc Warrior(Elite) LV:10]


    "Bingo."


    Despite seeing the Rare ranked Orcs, Nex still continued watching and waiting for the right opportunity.


    Like any standard operating procedures, the carriage had to stop by the entrance for checking. One of the escorting Orcs said a few words in a foreign language to the Elite Ranked ones and was then replied to with a simple nod. One of them moved to inspect the contents of the carriage while the other remained guarding at the same spot. The moment the escorting Orcs saw this, they vacated the area with a sigh of relief.


    "Oh? I thought I needed to wait for a while. Oh well, this is a good chance!"


    As soon as the inspection began, Nex also began his move. He ran quickly yet stealthily towards the inspector. While running, he drew his sword out of its sheath and pumped it up with mana. As soon as he reached the inspector, he put his palm forward and uttered words from another language.


    "Silence."


    As those words were issued, it was as if a blanket had covered the area and eliminated all sounds.


    Even though the Orc proved its rank was not for show by noticing that something wasn''t right, it wasn''t able to do anything but turn around to face its attacker.


    ''[Intermediate Enchantment]''


    *Stab*


    A glowing wooden sword passed through its neck.


    Without even being able to make a final grunt, the Orc soundlessly fell to the ground.


    Seeing that the Orc fell, Nex furrowed his brow and sighed, ''The difference is a bit bigger than I thought, good thing I decided to use [Intermediate Enchantment].''


    With the passing of the Orc came the restoration of sounds. Questioning cries of the other Orc resounded which made Nex smile. Instead of sneaking around like he did before, he boldly showed himself to the Orc.


    "If you''re looking for your friend, I''m afraid he''s in the middle of a nap."


    The sight of Nex made the Orc angry. It became even more furious upon hearing his taunts and started charging at him. Its speed is incredibly fast for its build and size, defying common logic.


    Unfazed, Nex injected a small amount of mana into his feet and jumped to the side of the Orc. He swung his sword towards its arm but with fast reflexes, the Orc parried the attack with his glaive.


    "Oho? You are quite quick, aren''t you?" Instead of jumping back or continuing the attack, Nex only increased the mana in the sword making it seem like it was covered in light and continued his attack, despite the huge difference in their physical stats.


    "[Intermediate Enchantment]!"


    *Swing!*


    *Thud*


    *Clang!*


    An Orc''s cry of pain resounded.


    Instead of being knocked back, Nex was actually able to cut not only through the Orc''s weapon but also his arm! This attack wasn''t enough to kill the opponent though.


    The Orc then held on to his wound with his other hand while staring at Nex with anger and hatred. Seeing the look on his opponent''s face, Nex lifted his sword and pointed at him.


    "Come."


    Picking up what was left of his weapon, the Orc began to run at full power towards Nex. And as a response to him, Nex started to run, meeting him halfway.


    The Orc attacked first by swinging to the side of Nex at an amazing speed. But as if expecting this ahead, Nex had already rolled to the blind side of the Orc and brandished his weapon towards the Orc''s neck.


    "[Intermediate Enchantment!]"


    *Chop!*


    And with that, the Orc''s body lifelessly went down to the ground; its head rolling off along with it.


    Seeing that his enemy fell, Nex sighed and sheathed back his sword and checked his MP.


    [MP: 260/410]


    "Just for this and over a third of my MP is gone? This was a little harder than I thought. It''s hard to believe that I even had to use [Intermediate Enchantment] on a monster with that level!"


    From a viewer''s point of view, the fight seems to have been done easily. It was far from the truth for Nex who had barely managed to hang on and don''t get killed off. Every step and move was calculated to the extreme as the moment he took a blow from the monster, it would be game over for him. His mana is too lacking in both quality and quantity and had to be allocated precisely so as to avoid unnecessary actions that could very well spell trouble for him.


    At first, he really wasn''t aware of the seriousness of the situation. He had fought Rare ranked monsters quite easily with just [Partial Enchantment] but against this rank, more effort needs to be expended. His performance this round was subpar according to his standards!


    "But it sure does give out decent experience points! Not to mention the good warm-up." Nex smiled broadly while staring at the previously-empty EXP bar now filled with a whole 8%.


    After picking up the loot and actually finding Magic stones in both the Orcs, Nex now turned to the thing that raised his curiosity since the beginning.


    "Now, let''s check what is in this carriage!"


    Walking into the back of the carriage Nex took a peek and was taken aback by what he saw.


    Inside the carriage was a little Elf girl around 8 years of age wearing a lovely dress with a style that Nex had never seen anywhere in the village. She had a cute little face that no one could resist the urge to pinch but the most dazzling feature of her was her hair. Long, silky grayish-white that appears to have been extracted from the purest silver metal, it tempts one to run their fingers through the soft strands.


    But what shocked Nex the most wasn''t her looks. It was the race that her hair symbolized for him.


    ''It''s the same as her.'' Nex''s expression became a little melancholic. Soon enough, he shook his head mentally, ''No. It isn''t them. Even though they seem the same, this is just a game and there is no way she would be here. She had been dead for too long.''


    Sighing, Nex kicked these thoughts away and turns his mind back to the girl. ''There shouldn''t be anyone in the village that could afford these kind of clothes. Where the hell did she come from?''


    Nex didn''t want to startle the girl. He quietly approached her and with gentle motions, he started rousing her. "Hey, wake up."


    "Mhm”­" Her eyelids started moving slowly to open like how a butterfly starts to spread its wings with delicate grace. Shockingly, Nex''s stared at a pair of eyes that looks to be the same as his own!


    ''She''s not her. She is a computer program.'' Once again, Nex tried to ignore his thoughts and smiled warmly to the girl, "Are you okay?"


    "..." The girl stared at Nex for quite some time before breaking into a wide smile and then jumped on him.


    "Daddy!"


    "..."


    "Huh?"


    Nex was stunned that he wasn''t able to do anything but receive her in his embrace.


    "Tee-hee! Daddy!" The girl happily rubbed her head on Nex''s chest while unshed tears of joy were evident in her eyes.


    Seeing her like that, Nex felt somewhat reluctant to separate from her, so he just sighed and patted her on the head.


    "Kid, I am not your father. You know that, right?"


    "No! You are my father! You have the same eyes as mine, and your soul also smells the same!" Her cute voice was in contrast with the firmness it held as she insisted on her belief.


    ''Eyes? Soul smell?'' At the girl''s words, Nex paused and stared at her more clearly. After confirming his suspicions he sighed, ''She is part of that clan! No wonder she is so similar to her”­''


    This girl could easily become a part of a certain ancient clan back in Perias. The likelihood that the clan could also exist in this game is really high. For certain reasons, his body and soul will appear similar to the people with very high ranks of that clan. It appears to be that this girl''s background isn''t so simple as just a lost noble girl.''


    "Daddy, why are you not saying anything?" The girl lifted her head and stared at Nex with an adorable expression.


    Now understanding the reason for her behavior, Nex patted her head gently, and said, "I am sorry but I am not your daddy. I am just a handsome big brother."


    "No!" The girl fiercely denied, "You are my daddy! I hate that I only have a mommy!" She began to cry while hugging him tighter.


    Not knowing what to do, Nex tried to awkwardly calm her down by lightly hugging her back while patting her back. Surprisingly, the action managed to calm her for a bit but not totally. Her weak cries continued but it gave Nex an idea.


    "Did you know? For me to be your daddy, I need to get mommy''s consent?"


    Finally stopped crying, the girl replied, "Really?"


    "Yes!" Nex nodded, "Because if we don''t do that, mommy will get very sad and won''t let us meet anymore."


    The girl became very agitated and she shouted, "I don''t want to make mommy sad and separate me from daddy!"


    Seeing her reaction, Nex smiled, "Then it is very simple. We get you back home and convince mommy to give her permission!"


    As if finding hope in his words, the girl stood up, "Then let''s do that!"


    Satisfied with her answer, Nex stood up and stretched to her his hand, "Then let''s introduce ourselves! My name is Nexus or you can just call me Nex."


    With shining eyes, she held Nex''s hand closely, "My name is Iris! Please take care of me, Daddy

 12 Chapter 11

    After the introductions were done, Nex started asking on the more serious matters. "Iris, how did you get here?"


    Iris turned her head around and shook it, "I don''t know, Daddy." She then furrowed her brows and tried hard to recall the events. "I went out for a walk with my friend when all of a sudden, I felt dizzy then everything turned black. Then daddy woke me up." She then looked up at Nex and grinned with pride for her accomplishment in her recollection.


    "What about your friend?" Nex asked with a brow raised.


    The grin on the girl''s mouth vanished and her brows crumpled again. "She''s supposed to be here." She reached into one of her pockets only to find it empty. She started rummaging through her other pockets, panic starting to show on her face. "Where could she be..." She kept on mumbling.


    After all of her pockets had been scoured, she closed her eyes and made a focused face, which quickly turned even more hysterical, "Oh no!"


    Seeing her like that, Nex asked her, "What happened?"


    Iris threw herself into Nex''s arms for comfort while sobbing, "Something happened to her!"


    "Something happened to your friend?" Nex asked in a grave manner. "Can you tell me more?"


    Tears were continually flowing out of her eyes when she nodded and between hiccups started telling Nex, "She is my contracted spirit. We are linked by the soul but when I tried to check where she is, I could only feel that she''s in trouble and that something happened to her. I can''t sense her location though."


    [Quest Request!]


    [Help Iris find her friend!]


    [Difficulty : ???]


    [Reward : ???]


    "Linked by soul, you say?" Nex pondered for a moment before smiling, "I think I can help you find her."


    The melancholy swiftly faded away from the little girl''s face as if it had been wiped away and was replaced by hope and joy. "For real, Daddy? You can help me?"


    Nex nodded and then said to her seriously, "But I need you to listen to me, okay?"


    [Quest accepted!]


    All her cute little teeth were on display as she happily replied, "Okay, Iris promises Daddy!" She even placed her hand upon her heart to show her sincerity.


    "Good!" He patted her head. "I need you to close your eyes and when I tell you to, concentrate on your connection with her, okay?"


    "Mhm!" She replied with a nod of her cute head.


    "Now close your eyes." Nex saw her obediently follow his command. He then placed a couple of his fingers on her forehead, "Now focus on your link."


    In an unknown language he said mentally, ''[Enhance]''.


    Iris, who was trying her hardest to concentrate, felt her senses become sharper. She felt more and more when suddenly she opened her eyes and exclaimed, "I found her! I found her!"


    She threw herself once again in Nex''s arms and rubbed her cute head on him. Her hug turning tighter as she declared, "Daddy is the greatest!"


    Nex patted her head once more then created a distance between them before asking with a smile, "Then where do you sense her?"


    She lifted and arm and her index finger pointed at a certain location. Nex''s gaze followed the direction and his smile froze.


    "Iris, by any chance, it can''t be that you''re sensing your friend from a cave-like place, right?"


    Not noticing the solemnness if his voice, the little girl nodded with excitement, "That''s right! Can daddy sense her too?"


    Slumping his shoulder, Nex sighed with resignation, "No, I just guessed."


    ???


    "Remember; make sure to tell me if anything comes towards you. Always keep a meter of distance away from me unless I fight. When I fight, you should immediately go and hide so that the monsters won''t find you. Do you understand?" Nex reiterated his instructions with a stern face.


    As if not understanding the gravity of their situation, Iris beamed, "Okay!" Even her eyes were twinkling.


    "Good girl," Nex helplessly sighed.


    In the beginning, he tried to convince her to hide somewhere or even take her back to the village but she just started crying and throwing tantrums. "Daddy, don''t leave Iris alone!" She kept on wailing.


    Knowing that telling her the truth of him being not her actual father would only bring worst results, Nex could only agree to take her with him. Despite the fact that the cave probably holds the highest ranked monster of the area, he could only resign to his fate of being a babysitter.


    Standing in front of the cave, he made sure his preparations were complete.


    MP full, Check.


    Iris beside him, Check.


    He then proceeded to enter the cave with a torch that he bought in the hunter''s shop in his hand and his sword on the other.


    After several minutes of walking, Nex noticed some light and when they got closer, he found out that the cave is partly lit on some areas. Although partly relieved that he no longer needed the torch that could probably expose them to the monsters, he got worried of the sources of the light which were the special magic stones on the wall.


    ''Although those monsters are considered strong in this area, they aren''t smart enough to use these kinds of things. Things here got more complicated.''


    They continued their journey into the cave and was about to make a turn on the right when they heard a set of heavy footsteps. Immediately giving Iris a signal to hide, Nex grasped his weapon and pointed it towards the direction of the footsteps.


    Soon enough, an Elite Rank Orc came through the corner. Upon seeing Nex, it started charging with a roar.


    ''[Intermediate Enchantment]''


    Slash


    The Orc courageously brandished its weapon at the opponent in front of him. With the momentum from his charge and his Orc-ish super strength, surely this intruder would be dealt with just one strike. A strange unexpected phenomenon happened that made it stop running. The man vanished! The Orc turned his head around in bewilderment.


    A flash at its throat and its senses began to dim.


    The nameless insignificant Elite Ranked Orc died with question marks still hanging up his head. ''Where did the intruder go?'' were his last final thoughts.


    Nex sighed as he wiped the blood off of his sword while ignoring the sore feeling in his leg. In order for him to finish this fight as quickly and as quietly as possible; he had to use [Intermediate Enchantment] on his body. There is no one else who could use this skill better than him but his body as of now is still too weak to handle the strain from the technique.


    After picking up the loots and taking out the magic stone, he called out for the little girl, "You can come out now." He stood before the Orc''s corpse so as to block her from seeing the gory scene as much as possible.


    An adorable face came out of the huge rock. Seeing Nex standing there alone, she abandoned her hiding spot and ran as fast as her little legs could carry her towards Nex. She clutched at Nex''s arms.


    "Daddy, I was sooooooo scared!"


    Nex squeezed her gently to comfort her, "This is why I wanted you to wait for me in a safe place. This cave is dangerous for you."


    "It''s not that," She shook her head. "I was scared that something happened to you."


    Hearing those words, he was torn between fondness and defeat. His heart is warmed by the concern she showed for him and at the same time it grew more confused, ''Just how much does this kid think that I am her father?''


    They resumed their path inwards the cave for a few more minutes when Nex heard something.


    *Grumbles*


    He turned around to see Iris blushing hard while holding her stomach. Understanding what just happened, Nex gave her a teasing look and said, "Hungry, aren''t we?"


    Filled with embarrassment, Iris hid her head further down her chest like an ostrich does and murmured in an aggrieved little voice, "Daddy is a big bully."


    Seeing her like that, Nex couldn''t make himself tease her further. He announced, "Let''s take a break."


    He then took out two sandwiches he had bought beforehand from Dorothy. Before he took a seat at a corner with flat stones, he handed one to Iris, "Here."


    The girl stared at the offered food for a few more seconds before taking it. Still a little hesitant, she took a tiny bite. It took only a couple of chew and the doubt written on her face vanished and was then replaced with delight. Her chewing went faster and her cheeks began bulging like a squirrel on a nut feast. The sandwich was wolfed down in just a minute.


    Amusement filled Nex as he watched her eat with gusto. He couldn''t stop the teasing in his voice, "Eat slowly. I still have some if you want more."


    Realizing how much of a rogue she had been acting, Iris'' face turned red once again. She lowered her head and her voice was as quiet as a mouse, "Iris is sorry."


    Nex regretted teasing her a bit when he saw how she apologized like she had done something real bad. He smiled encouragingly, "I don''t really mind. You can be yourself as much as you want around me. I am not here to teach you how to be a proper lady after all."


    Hearing his words, the girl''s eyes went round as marbles and emitted brightness at once, "Really, Daddy?"


    Nex nodded, "Of course."


    The hug addict girl once more threw herself at Nex with a wide smile, "I knew it! Daddy loves Iris! Daddy is the bestest!"


    When the whole fluffy moment between the supposed father and daughter panned down, they resumed their meal. Nex remembered something and asked, "Iris, where do you live?"


    "In"


    *Bite*


    "The"


    *Chew*


    "Capital"


    "Oh? Really?" Nex replied in surprise. Inwardly he began to ponder, ''The capital? That will be quite troublesome. A player needs to be at least Level50 to enter..."


    Iris didn''t notice anything and just continued with enthusiasm, "Yes! We have a very large house there with lots and lots of pretty things!" Her voice grew a little somber, "We also have lots and lots of servants but aside from them, it''s just me and Mommy. Mommy is also not feeling well..."


    Seeing her downcast expression, Nex comforted her, "Don''t worry. In the future, I will come and visit you there. Who knows? Maybe I can help your mother."


    "Of course you will!" Iris agreed surprisingly not in excitement but in solemnness. Her cute face was also showing a grave expression as though they were discussing management and logistics of a big corporation. She continued her business plan, "After all, you still have to get together with Mommy and we will be a family. You and Mommy will have to make tons and tons of little brothers and sisters for me to play with!"


    "Pu!" Nex almost choked on his food.


    *Cough*


    He placed his hand on his chest and started massaging, trying to relieve the tension from almost choking, "Where did you get this idea?"


    "Hmm? I heard it from the old maids back at home."


    "..."


    Nex was at a loss as to how to begin extracting himself out of the unexpected predicament he got into. He was still trying to formulate his alibi when he suddenly heard familiar heavy footsteps. Unlike before, more sets could be perceived.


    Nex''s face turned grim. He immediately pulled out his sword while turning to Iris and whispered, "Quickly, go hide. Don''t make any noise."


    Understanding the severity of the situation, Iris hastily ran and found a hiding place behind a bunch of rocks. She did her best to be as quiet as possible.


    Nex does not want to alert the enemy of Iris'' presence. Instead of waiting for their arrival, he ran straight to where the footsteps came from while consuming mana to expand his perception.


    He mentally chanted in an unknown language, ''Sense.''


    Four Elite ranked Orcs.


    *Nod*


    Easy as eating pie.


    Then he saw the towering figure in the middle. Tension gripped him as insecurity filled his heart. This Orc has an imposing aura and its body is larger than the other five.


    [BloodTooth (Elite Boss) Lv10]


    Its presence shook Nex''s confidence a bit as it was not just another average monster. That''s the boss! The pinnacle existence of the area! The ugliest one too! Despite this, Nex psyched himself up for the battle. Anyway, he wouldn''t be able to successfully outrun the Orc boss while holding Iris. Might as well take a gamble and grab victory in a fight.


    Nex had already mapped out the exact location of the enemies. When he arrived there, he didn''t bother on waiting for them to react. He immediately activated [Partial Enchantment] on his feet and used [Intermediate Enchantment] on the sword in his left hand. His right hand took another weapon out of his inventory which was a short spear while he targeted the Orc closest to him. He slashed through half of its chest, almost instantly killing it. He then used the inertia from the slash to throw the spear into the eye of the next closest Orc.


    ''[Partial Enchantment]''


    *Pierce!*


    As he only used [Partial Enchantment], the spear didn''t break and managed to embed itself through the Orc''s skull. Even after all these moves, he wasn''t able to take a breather. He felt a sense of imminent danger.


    He used [Intermediate Enchantment] on both of his arms as he held on to his sword and swung it on instinct.


    *Clang!*


    *Bang!*


    At the last moment, Nex barely managed to deflect a gigantic sword that came swooshing for his head. Even if this unbelievable show of strength is successful, the shockwave created from the sword hitting the ground was more than enough to blast him over 8 meters to the side. The whole cave even shook.


    Nex rolled on the ground then quickly stood up after the vibrations stopped. He saw two Orcs running towards him with their weapons out; killing intent practically oozing out of them.


    Impatient, Nex clicked his tongue and calculated the distance between the two while drawing out another blade from his inventory. With a weapon in both of his hands, he met their charge.


    He activated [Intermediate Enchantment] on each weapon while evading the attacks from both Orcs. He then jumped and slashed a weapon for each Orc. As soon as his feet touched the ground, the bodies of the Orcs froze then trembled a little before splitting apart at the middle. The pieces then fell down on the cave''s floors.


    As if finding a respite, Nex leisurely dropped the crumbling blade and stretched. His actions were so casual for someone who was right in front the Boss of the enemy. In truth though, his attention never left the Orc Boss.


    "So you''re the combat-idiot type, huh? I should have expected it."


    Ignoring Nex''s ridicule, he took a battle stance with his giant sword in his hand. He smiled roughly and said in his own language, "Strong opponent."


    "Yeah. Yeah. That''s what they all say." Nex tensed up and also entered a battle stance. "Come at me, you oversized son a b*tch!"

 13 Chapter 12

    Nex stood in front of the Orc Boss with a short distance of only 4 meters, almost at the reach of the Orc''s sword. Their eyes held unrestrained provocation as their fighting spirits continued to surge. Each of them waiting for the other to act first.


    Breaking the status quo, the Boss moved. In a snap, it arrived at Nex''s side and struck his sword horizontally. To its astonishment, instead of smashing Nex to a pulp, it didn''t hit anything as the spot where Nex stood was now vacant!


    The Orc, with his superior senses quickly discerned Nex''s position. It tilted its head upwards and saw Nex coming down with his sword aimed straight at its head.


    ''[Intermediate Enchantment]!''


    Unperturbed, the Boss lifted its sword to fend off the attack with the fuller part of his sword --- the wide side of a sword. Nex just smiled and poured more strength into the hit.


    And at the last moment, the Orc became cognizant of the danger from the attack. He then raised his weapon higher.


    *Stab!*


    Amazingly, Nex''s weapon managed to pierce through the Orc''s giant sword! If not for the latter''s timely reaction, its head would have been stabbed through. Nex who was now hanging on the Orc''s sword smiled as his leg began to glow.


    ''[Intermediate Enchantment]''


    *Bang!*


    A horrible bruise appeared upon the Orc''s already horrible-looking chest where Nex''s leg had landed. After being pushed back by the force of its opponent''s kick, the monster seemed to have been stupefied as he could only watch Nex retrieve his sword from being stuck.


    Recovering from being dazed, the Orc issued a smile. The extent of the damage from Nex''s kick was not enough to cause panic to the monster as it still had the guts to issue that smile eventhough blood is now flowing out of its mouth. It was such a gruesome sight!


    The Orc then swung his sword. Seeing this and the expression on his adversary''s face, Nex can only sigh in resignation while he channeling mana to his legs.


    "Battle-idiot..."


    Nex jumped right in front of the Orc but didn''t enter its attack range so as to avoid the incoming attack. Taking advantage of the Boss'' delay in its execution of attack, Nex hastily approached the monster. In a blink of an eye, he was within the Orc''s personal space. He swung his sword at the Boss'' sword-wielding wrist, cutting the tendons there.


    Despite having received another critical hit, the Orc continued to be creepy as it still maintained its laid-back smile. He threw a punch at Nex with his free hand.


    Nex also became a creep by continuing to smile even if a gigantic fist that could easily kill him is about to hit him. He once again accessed his inventory and drew another sword from within. Switching the wooden sword to reverse grip, Nex stabbed it through the Orc''s fist. These set of actions were done rapidly so that the opponent''s attack was ceased. He didn''t waste another moment and proceeded to stab his other sword through his opponent''s heart.


    The Boss'' eyes widened in disbelief and stared at the sword embedded deep within its heart. Blood gushed out of its mouth as it moved around in desperation, trying to undo the damage. Its movements were now sluggish that it wasn''t able to do anything but grasp the sword loosely.


    Nex calmly retrieved his wooden sword and moved back a few steps. The Orc followed clumsily, swinging his hand for a last attempt at attacking but it was useless. It fell down to the ground with its final breath and its eyes dimmed.


    The moment the Orc died, Nex took a deep breath to relax his aching muscles and mana veins. Although the fight went as he intended to, he still had to use most of his MP.


    "*Sigh*


    ''Well let''s check the loo-''


    [Congratulations!]


    [You are the first one to both kill and solo an Elite-rank Boss!]


    [You have received 100 Gold!]


    [You have received 1000 Fame!]


    [The Title "Who Said I Can''t?" has leveled up!]


    [Would you like to announce your name? (You can put a nickname)]


    "Oh, I have forgotten about that. Yes, announce using the previous nickname."


    Nex dismissed the popping window and moved to obtain and organize his earnings.


    +2 Gold


    4x [High Orc Core(Superior)]


    1x [BloodTooth Core(Superior-Higher)]


    [BloodTooth Sword(Superior-Higher)]


    *Level:10(8 for Nexus)


    *PHY.ATK:115


    *Attack Speed + 30%


    *Berserk(Active) : For the price of losing 4% HP per second, all stats will be raised by 40%. HP drain limit 10%.


    Cooldown: 30 Minutes.


    *Durability: 250/250


    *Note : This object is imbued with Bloodtooth''s dying will. It will only submit itself to the one who defeated Bloodtooth.


    [BloodTooth BattleBoots(Superior-Higher)]


    *Level:10


    *PHY.DEF:50


    *Movement Speed + 30%


    *Dash(Active) : Movement speed will double for 2 Minutes.


    *Cooldown: 30 Minutes.


    *Durability: 70/70


    *Note : This object is imbued with Bloodtooth''s dying will. It will only submit itself to the one who defeated Bloodtooth


    "Quite good," Nex murmured in satisfaction as he equipped the items that shrunk down to fit him. Finally, he replaced the wooden sword.


    He then looked at his newly upgraded title.


    ["Who Said I Can''t?"(Superior-Higher)]


    *Effects :


    -20% in all stats against a Boss that is at Elite rank.


    -Additional 7.5% for every rank above Elite rank.


    -Additional 10% against a Boss that has at least 5 levels above the player.


    *Note : For all those who said it is impossible, what about now?


    "More useful than before." He nodded in approval.


    Now that he finally finished everything, Nex made his way back to Iris as the sounds of the battle must have scared the child.


    ???


    [World Announcement : The player "Everyone else is a Noob" is the first to both kill and solo an Elite-rank Boss, Congratulations!]


    [World Announcement : The player "Everyone else is a Noob" is the first to both kill and solo an Elite-rank Boss, Congratulations!]


    [World Announcement : The player "Everyone else is a Noob" is the first to both kill and solo an Elite-rank Boss, Congratulations!]


    And once again, Players all around the world became dumbfounded.


    "God damn it! Again with this name!?"


    "He''s 100% a cheater! Where the hell are the GMs!?"


    "No, it is impossible to cheat in this game. The only conclusion is that he has some secret; or he discovered something that wasn''t supposed to be discovered in this stage of the game”­"


    "He must be backed up by a major guild or some hidden force. There is no way that nobody was able to find clues about him yet."


    "Anyway, one thing is for sure. A new legend has been born."


    ???


    "Daddy, I can sense Maple''s aura again! She''s near!"


    After he had pacified her and let her hug him as much as she wants; Nex convinced Iris to continue walking in order to find her Spirit. Soon enough, Iris excitedly tugged on Nex''s clothes after having positive results.


    Patting Iris'' head, Nex smiled, "That''s great! You will be reunited with her soon."


    Despite his show of optimism in front of the girl, there had been a nagging feeling eating at him. After he had slain the BloodTooth, he kept feeling an increasingly ominous sensation. This kept on as they walked deeper into the cave.


    They arrived at a large hall after a few minutes of walking.


    The moment Nex saw what was inside the hall, a grim expression came on his face, ''Damn! I never thought this thing will exist here.''


    Inside the hall was a large cocoon-like thing that seems to be made of strange black flesh; it moved like a beating heart. In front of this cocoon stood a large Orc Shaman that was holding a small cage containing a little fairy in his hand; a staff on the other. Strange lines were being chanted in an eerie standard Orc-ish voice.


    "Maple!" Iris cried out in distress upon seeing how the little fairy is writhing in agony.


    This shout made the Orc stop its chanting. It turned around and stared at them with contempt. It seems that causing a disturbance when an Orc Shaman is conducting Orc-ish voodoo rites is a big taboo. In the Shaman''s point of view, Iris should be subjected to torture in a thousand and one ways before permitting to die.


    "Passed through that fool, I see," He opened his mouth and surprisingly spoke eloquently in Common language. "This doesn''t matter anymore. The ritual has been completed and soon the king will rise back and you will be his first meal!"


    Although he had already confirmed his suspicions, Nex''s face still turned somber at the Orc words. He turned to Iris, "Iris I need you to wait for me outside the hall and don''t come out until I said so, okay?"


    "But daddy-" She started to disagree.


    "No buts!" His voice heavy with seriousness but his face softened a little when he continued, "I will rescue Maple so don''t worry, okay?"


    Understanding their predicament, Iris could only nod reluctantly, "Okay”­"


    "Good girl." He smiled and patted her head, "Now go."


    After seeing her leave, Nex turned around. The warmth in his eyes rapidly cooling down and turning glacial. All of the gentleness they held when he was conversing with the girl is now gone. There was a hint of hostility that made the Shaman think that something was amiss.


    "Human, who are you?" The Orc asked.


    But Nex ignored his question and checked the Orc.


    [SkullEnchanter (Elite Boss)]


    "How do you know the process of this ritual?" He finally opened his mouth.


    Hearing his words, the Orc laughed, "Dead man needs no information."


    "I should have expected this answer. No more talking then. All that needs to be done is eliminate you and end this abomination before it awakens." Nex declared while pulling out his sword and walking towards the Shaman.


    "You dare!" SkullEnchanter''s face contorted in rage and he lifted his staff.


    "[Blizzard]!"


    The spell was instantaneous that dark clouds appeared around the zone where Nex was in and countless of icicles rained down on him.


    ''[Intermediate Enchantment]''


    As soon as the Shaman lifted its staff, Nex had already streamed mana into his legs. When the dark clouds appeared, he was already sprinting in a blinding speed towards the SkullEnchanter. Just like that, he appeared in front of the Orc.


    ''[Parital Enchantment]''


    *Slash*


    "Aargh!"


    The Orc wailed as Nex cut off the hand that was holding the cage. He then secured Iris'' Spirit before turning back once more to take the enemy''s life. The poor Shaman was in so much pain that it can''t be bothered to defend the slash aimed at where its Magic Stone was. It passed away only knowing what pain actually means and nothing more.


    [Level Up!]


    This prompt brought great relief to Nex as it confirmed that he had truly terminated the SkullEnchanter. He turned his attention to the cage and casually slashed through it, releasing the Spirit.


    Seeing how weak the Spirit is, Nex lifted it up and began to inject small amounts of mana into it. "Everything is alright now, little one."


    When color started to gradually return to the Spirit''s face, he turned and walked back to the entrance of the hall. Iris who saw him ran to him with an excited face.


    "Daddy!"


    Nex didn''t share Iris''s enthusiasm as he was still unsure about the Spirit''s status. He handed it to Iris gently, "Maple is very weak because of what happened. You should give her mana but you have to do it slowly. Rushing it will only do more harm."


    "Iris will follow what Daddy said!" Her expression turned serious as she nodded and immediately started on her task.


    It didn''t take long before she noticed Nex''s expression, "What''s the matter, Daddy?" Concern was written all over her face.


    After handing Maple over to Iris, Nex''s gaze was stuck to the giant cocoon that was now beating harder. "I need you to run away as fast as you can. Something terrifying is about to come."


    "No! I''m staying here with you!" Iris adamantly refused.


    "You promised you will listen to my instructions!" He turned his gaze back to the lass as his voice went an octave higher due to the urgency he was feeling. "This thing is-"


    He wasn''t even able to finish his statement when his attention was forced back to the cocoon. The thing began to extend fleshy tentacles that shot straight towards the corpse of the SkullEnchanter. The tentacles coiled around it then drew it back. It happened so fast that within moments, the dead body was absorbed whole.


    "Sh*t!" Nex cussed and then he yelled at Iris, "Run away! Now!"


    Seeing the look on his face, Iris became frightened and ran out of the hall while holding Maple.


    Now that Iris is out of immediate danger, Nex pulled out his sword and ran toward the cocoon.


    "[Advanced Enchantment]!"


    He yelled using a foreign language while slashing down his gleaming sword.


    *Ting!*


    *Bang*


    Before his sword managed to touch its target, a giant hand came from the cocoon and blocked the sword with a ringing sound. With just a small motion, Nex was then blasted to the wall; almost killing him right there and then.


    Puking a large amount of blood, Nex looks at the monstrosity that is emerging from the cocoon.


    [Corroupted Orc King(Royal Boss) LV:10]


    Thanking the Beginner Village effect, Nex then looked at his status and sighed.


    "All 27 free stat points to mana."


    As soon as he felt his MP capacity has doubled, he takes out a certain potion from his inventory and consumed it at once.


    [You consumed OverBurst!]


    [All injuries are healed.]


    [MP restored.]


    [For the next five minutes, all stats are doubled and 2% MP will restore every 3 seconds.]


    Standing up from the ground, Nex lifted his sword and gazed at the fully "hatched" monster.


    ["Who Said I Can''t?" Title is in effect!]]


    "This game is starting to annoy me."

 14 Chapter 13

    A large Orc wasn''t enough to describe it nor was it a living horror. It was a being of over 6 meters tall with gruesome black muscles covering every inch of its body. It had a small head with two sickening eyes. Although Nex made an assault that caused large injuries to it, it didn''t seem to have an effect to it. To prove how ineffectual the attack is, the muscles and veins all over its body began to quiver before covering the damaged area. It has recovered to its previous perfect hideous self!


    Upon seeing this ridiculous recovery speed, Nex sighed, "Seems like I would need to think of another plan."


    He then looked at his status.


    OverBurst : 4:05 minutes left.


    Dash : 1:10 minutes left.


    HP ; 80%


    Sighing once again, Nex activated [Intermediate Enchantment] and dodged an enormous fist that came at him at an absurd speed. He then appeared next to the monster''s leg and slashed his empowered sword through its shin.


    The Corrupted Orc King let out a roar full of rage but Nex continued his onslaught so as to not give the monster a moment to regenerate its lost leg. He immediately jumped up to its shoulder.


    ''[Intermediate Enchantment]''


    Getting cut again, this time through where its heart is supposed to be at, the monster didn''t show any other reaction aside from roaring and trying to attack Nex who was still in mid-air. These feeble attacks were useless as Nex landed on its shoulder and swung his sword through half of its neck.


    Without inspecting his handiwork, Nex returned to the ground once again but he wasn''t able to stand at the spot for more than 5 seconds before he leaped forward. He glanced back to where he was standing before and saw that a crater had been formed around the Orc King''s fist that is still occupying the area.


    "So things like these are nothing but a waste of time huh?" He murmured as he looked the now perfectly fine behemoth. Seeing the monster preparing to launch a counter-attack on him, Nex''s expression turned grim.


    ''This leaves me no choice.'' He then entered a strange pose and extended his sword to his back and suddenly, his body began to shine.


    In a foreign language he then uttered, "[Martial Secret : White Shadow]"


    *Bang!*


    A loud explosion reverberated from where Nex was but not even a second has passed when the spot turned empty. A shining figure appeared above the monster''s back.


    In the same foreign language, he issued, "[Martial Secret : Mana Sword]". The sword in his hand shone with mana and with just a swing, the monster was halved.


    Landing on the ground, Nex stared at the falling body of the Orc before inspecting his MP.


    MP : 50/1917


    Nex shook his head and closed his eyes, ''Using a [Secret Arts] of this level is still too early for this body to handle.'' Just as he was about to begin restoring his MP, a cute voice resounded happily.


    "Wow! Daddy! You did it!"


    He felt as if a bucket of ice cold water had been splashed all over him. He turned his head towards the entrance of the hall and saw Iris running towards him; excitement clearly written on her little face.


    "Why are you still here? I told you to run away!"


    Iris stopped on her tracks, startled. She didn''t expect that instead of a warm doting smile, she would be met with an angry and distressed face.


    What showed on his face was not even a third of what Nex is currently feeling on the inside. As if to worsen the situation, he saw in his peripheral vision that the Orc King''s corpse began to twitch.


    "F*ck! Iris, run! Now---"


    He didn''t even get to finish his urgent commands when a tentacle made of flesh came from the corpse and flung Iris away to the wall.


    "Iris!"


    Witnessing the situation at hand, Nex''s eyes became red in fury as he stared at the monster that is now rising from the ground. It had grown countless of fleshy tentacles. He wasn''t even able to notice the weirdness in this --- an Orc King somehow evolving to a hybrid of an Orc and squid. The author also didn''t notice, I think, but the editor, yours truly, did! I mean, how much of a freak can this guy turn into?


    "[Berserk]"


    "[Soul Sword First Art : Eradicate]"


    The monster was only able to display his repulsive evolved self when a large slash made of light cut through it.


    *Screech!*


    The monster that seemed impossible to kill is now beginning to make horrendous sounds as it was being consumed by bright silver flames.


    Nex paid no heed to the dying big Boss. He ran straight towards where Iris was blasted to. He was able to relax when he saw her condition, "Thank god."


    Due to Maple''s timely reaction, Iris was protected from the attack by a shield that the Spirit summoned using most of its regained power. It collapsed from exerting all of its effort into this defense but held on to her consciousness as it continued safeguarding the little girl.


    Lifting the small spirit, Nex injected her with mana gradually in gratitude, "Good job, little one."


    Sensing that the danger is over, Maple finally let the flicker of vigilance go and give in to exhaustion. Nex placed the fairy beside Iris so that both will be more comfortable. His attention was diverted to a couple of messages from the system that suddenly popped out.


    [Level Up]


    [Congratulations!]


    [You are the first one to both kill and solo a Royal-rank Boss!]


    [You have received 10,000 Gold!]


    [You have received 100,000 Fame!]


    [The Title "Who Said I Can''t?" has evolved into "The Impossible Man"!]


    [Would you like to announce your name? (You can put a nickname)]


    "Yes, the usual."


    Nex sighed as he looked back at the burnt corpse of the monster, or at least what was left of it. Although using this skill has finished it in one strike, the risk he had to take was a dangerous one and he may have died without even achieving anything. The backlash soon happened as his sword began to crumble and turn into dust while numerous wounds appeared all over his hand.


    *Cough*


    His face suddenly became pale and copious amount of blood gushed out of his mouth. The strength on his legs quickly ran out and he fell to the ground. A message appeared in front of him.


    HP : 2%


    [OverBurst Duration has ended. Side effects will now begin.]


    "Damned game”­"


    And with those words, he lost consciousness.


    ???


    [World Announcement : The player "Everyone else is a Noob" is the first to both kill and solo a Royal-Rank Boss, Congratulations!]


    [World Announcement : The player "Everyone else is a Noob" is the first to both kill and solo a Royal-Rank Boss, Congratulations!]


    [World Announcement : The player "Everyone else is a Noob" is the first to both kill and solo a Royal-Rank Boss, Congratulations!]


    "...Cheater."


    "Cheater."


    "There must be a bug."


    "Undoubtedly, a cheater."


    "... I think we found where the GM is."


    ???


    A long time ago, in Perias...


    In the middle of a ravaged battlefield, a young man around 19 years of age gasped for breath while sitting on the ground. Around him were countless of dead bodies of warriors and remains from various species. Despite the diversity, they all had one target --- him.


    ''Isn''t this enough already?!'' A distressed voice of a girl was heard inside his head. ''You could have just given up and ran away! You could have asked for help from other people! Must you always do things this way?!'' At this point, she was already crying loudly.


    In contrast to her emotional outbursts, the young man was calm when he stood up.


    "I already told you before, I won''t do it anymore. Except you, everyone I get close to, either dies or lose something important to them. They regret even knowing me and some had even become my enemies. Why should I bother getting help when all I get is bitter resentment?"


    ''Then why do you keep on doing this? Why can''t you just let it go and leave with me?'' She seemed to have regained her composure when she said this in a softer tone.


    The young man shook his head with a wry smile, "As much as I want to, I can''t. The moment I accepted this burden, I have already lost my freedom. I have to see this to its end."


    ''But that doesn''t mean you can just---''


    "Enough." The young man stopped her. He then pulled out a sword out of nowhere. "We need to end this conversation now."


    As he said that, the area began to be filled with innumerable beings from all directions. Their battle cries resounded as they started sprinting towards the young man.


    ''Stay safe”­'' The girl said her last words gently in resignation.


    The young man smiled as he readied his sword; his eyes surveying the opponents before him.


    "Well then," He said as his silver eyes began to glow.


    "Let''s blow off some steam."


    ???


    "Daddy! Please wake up!"


    "Iris?"


    Nex woke up from his dream upon hearing Iris'' crying voice. Although the pain is currently rampaging all over his body, he still stood up and received the sobbing girl in his embrace.


    "Daddy!" She began to cry even harder as he hugged her. "It''s all Iris'' fault! I didn''t mean to though! I''m so sorry you got hurt! Iris is a bad girl! Please forgive me, Daddy! Don''t hate Iris!" Her frantic bawling came continuously.


    "It wasn''t your fault, it''s mine. I should have finished the monster sooner." Nex smiled and tried to soothe her, "I don''t hate you so stop crying now. Did you get hurt anywhere?"


    Hearing the reassurance in Nex''s voice she seemed placated enough to shake her head and reply, "No, Maple saved me! Ah! That reminds me, Maple come out and say hello to my Daddy."


    Slowly, a small fairy came out from Iris'' hair and looked at Nex formally as if she is meeting a very important person. Gathering enough courage, she curtseyed and began to make sounds of greeting.


    "Ya, ya!"


    "Hello to you too!" Nex smiled gently and rubbed her head, a thing that the Spirit accepted with delight.


    Iris who saw the development from the side, opened her eyes wide, "Wow, Daddy! Maple usually never lets anyone, aside from me and Mommy touch her, she must really like you!"


    Nex continued his gentle smiling as he passed Maple back to her, "She is a good child take good care of her and cherish her, okay?"


    "Mhm! I know that already! We are already bestest of friends!" She said innocently while hugging her Spirit.


    Feeling that he recovered enough, Nex stood up despite the ongoing ruckus the pain in his body is doing and dusted off his clothes. He stared at the ruined hall and then at the remains of the monster and then said to the girl, "Iris, I need you to stay back for a moment. I am going to check on something."


    "Okay”­" Although worried, Iris learnt greatly from her past mistakes complied, albeit reluctantly.


    While going towards the remains, Nex checked his new title.


    [The Impossible Man(Legendary-Higher)]


    *Effects :


    -30% in all stats against a Boss that is at Lord rank.


    -Additional 10% for every rank above the Lord rank.


    -Additional 3% per level difference between the Boss and player. The boss must be at least 5 levels higher than the player.


    *Note : Rules and differences never binds me, for I am the Impossible.


    "Quite useful."


    Arriving at the remains, Nex found 4 glittering items.


    +30 Gold


    [Corruption Bane Necklace(Legendary-Higher) Level 10]


    *All stats +20


    *Mana +25


    *Strength +15


    *+10% all stats against demon-kin and corrupted beings.


    *Mana Revive(active) : when activated, MP will be fully restored and for the next minute, all skills that cost less than 10% of total MP will require no mana on casting.


    *Cooldown: 1 Hour.


    [Corruption Bane Bracelet(Legendary-Higher) Level 10]


    *All stats +15


    *Vitality +30


    *Agility +20


    *+10% all stats against demon-kin and corrupted beings.


    *Mana Shield(active) : By injecting mana to the bracelet, a shield made of mana will be created to block attacks. The durability of the shield will be determined by the amount of mana and the user mana control (mana affinity skill for players of non-Master mode).


    *Whistle!*


    "These two alone are enough for me to have stats twice more than that of normal players." Nodding in content, Nex placed these items inside his inventory before looking at the last item.


    [Purified Core(Legendary-Higher) Quest Item!]


    *Note : This purified core was a great terror. Bring this item to the Spring Village Head and receive your rewards.


    "Well, I hope this quest will be worth something." He pocketed the item as well and after checking that nothing was left, he went back to the worried Iris.


    "Daddy!" She hugged him for several minutes that Nex had to trick her to regain his freedom. He convinced her that bad guys were still lurking and they have to flee to safety.


    They finally left the cave and were walking in the forest towards the direction of the village when Nex look up at the sky. He then checked the time and his face turned strange. ''I''ve been in the game for almost 36 hours; although part of it, I wasn''t conscious, that''s still 12 hours in real life.''


    "Hmmn?" Suddenly, he stopped in place then looked towards a certain direction, smiling, "Iris, your pick-up has arrived."


    The puzzled Iris looked in the same direction and after a few moments, a figure appeared there. Seeing who it was, Iris cried in surprise and happiness.


    "Grandpa James!"


    She quickly run to the middle-aged Elf dressed in butler clothes and hugged him. The latter smiled pleasantly and put his hand on her head.


    "Thank god that you''re okay. You don''t know how much you made Her Highness and I worried." He then turned his head to Nex and bowed his head slightly, "Thank you, young man."


    "That''s fine." Nex dismissed the formality with a smile. "I just did what should be done. There is no need for such recognition. I only ask that I could say my goodbye to Iris before you take her home."


    "Why say goodbye?" Iris asked in panic and ran to Nex and held his clothes, "Didn''t Daddy say that he will take me home?"


    Nex smiled and bent down to her eye-level and softly said, "I am sorry Iris but I can''t go home with you right now."


    "Why?" She began to sob in earnest. "You don''t want Iris anymore? Is it because Iris didn''t listen to you before? You hate Iris after all!"


    "It''s not that." He patted her head, "It''s just that I can''t go with you now as I am too weak to go to the capital right now."


    "Then I''ll stay with you!"


    "No." He shook his head and patiently explained, "I am going to probably meet a lot more monsters in the future and they will be far stronger than the ones we met. I am unsure if I can protect you during dangerous times, so I can''t take you with me now. I need you to promise me that you will return home and wait for me to come, okay?"


    "Okay." She unwillingly promised. She then took out a small token and gave it to him, "Then take it. When you arrive at the capital, it will help you find me."


    "Thank you." He stood up then gave her a pat on the head for the last time and then made a signal for her to go back to James.


    He then stared at the middle-aged elf then bowed his head a little with sincerity and said earnestly, "Keep her safe."


    James'' strength although highly superior to Nex by immeasurable amount felt his blood ran cold when he saw the look at the latter''s eyes. The fear he felt was blocked by his pride and was not able to show in his face. His face held iciness as he grabbed Iris before disappearing along with her.


    Looking quietly at the spot where Iris was just at, Nex heaved out a sigh. He then turned back to the city.


    "I guess I can try to have someone close again."


    Editor''s note: the term "bestest" was intended for the purpose of stressing Iris'' innocence and age.

 15 Chapter 14

    At the ruined hall where Nex and Iris were just at; a robed figure appeared. He wasn''t any muscular by all means yet his undeniable terrifying aura that could easily cause suffocation undulated around.


    "So those foolish Orcs have failed." His voice was raspy and sinister. "To think they even used ancient spirit and still did not succeed. Not that much was expected from those depraved creatures."


    He then looked around until he fixed his sight on the remains of the corrupted being, "A Soul Art? There is actually someone who can use it in this barbaric place?" He extended his hand from under the robe to touch the remains.


    *Tsss!*


    "Argh!"


    Immediately retracting his hand, the man stared at his finger that now had a burnt mark. It was a mark that could be acquired from touching a burning lump of coal. Seeing that a mere amount of lingering energy caused him an injury, a wave of fear washed over him.


    "To be able to achieve this feat using a scant amount of soul strength, just what kind of a grandmaster was here? Damn! I sure hope that he isn''t planning to further interfere with our plans or else this matter has to be brought up with the higher-ups."


    And with those words, the robed figure disappeared from his spot.


    ???


    Arriving back to the village, since Nex has reached level 10, he could now get out of the village and go to a city. He went straight to the Village Chief''s house to get the permit.


    "Oh, it''s the young man from yesterday. Here for another quest?" The guard stopped him at the entrance. Although his posture is straight, he had a friendly demeanor.


    Nex shook his head and said, "No, I''m here to get a leave permit from the Village Head."


    "Haha! Yeah, right! There is no way that you are on the verge of your first awakening already”­" Initially, the guard thought that Nex was joking with him, but as he looked closer, the laughter in his voice began to fade until it completely stopped. He stared some more as if trying to convince that what he is staring at is the truth and not some hallucination. After realizing the validity of Nex''s claim, he was confounded.


    "Y-you have already reached that level?! That''s illogical! You were only an Unawakened yesterday?!"


    Nex responded with a hint of a smile, as if trying not to further startle the guard. "Well, I have a lot of previous experience. So you can say I am a bit more battle-hardened than your everyday average Unawakened. Anyway, can I get in and meet the Village Head?"


    Upon hearing the other''s question, the guard seems to have recovered some of his senses. He nodded and cleared the way, "Yes, of course!"


    Nex thanked him with a slight nod before entering the manor.


    As the guard stared at Nex''s back, he murmured under his breath, "To get to the verge of First Awakening in one day, what''s the deal with this fellow?" He scratched his head in wonder.


    After walking for some time, Nex asked a few servants for directions. He then found himself inside an office, standing in front of an old man who stared at him with a gaze similar to that of the guard from earlier.


    "So, are you saying that you have reached the threshold of reaching First Awakening and want a permit to leave in order to go to the city?" He confirmed with a bit of instability hinting in his voice.


    "Yes," Nex nodded, "Is there a problem?"


    "Is there a problem?!" Like a balloon blown up to its capacity, the old man exploded. "Don''t you think you''re going too fast? To reach that level in just a day; isn''t it insane?"


    Nex just dismissed the Head''s overly dramatic reactions and shrugged in a flippant way, "Maybe I''m a genius."


    Seeing this kind of reaction, all the emotions storming inside the Head vanished into thin air and he could only sigh in defeat, "You will make other geniuses cry if you say it like that."


    "Not my problem anymore."


    The old Village Head understands that there is no point in continuing such idle talk. He pulled out a stamp from one of his drawers, "Give me your hand."


    Nex stretched his hand in front of the Village Head. The old man placed the stamp at the back of his palm and with just a right amount of force, left a shining mark that was embedded into his skin.


    [Congratulations!]


    [You are the first to gain a permit to leave the Beginners Village]


    +50 Gold!


    +500 Fame!!


    ["Pioneer"(Unique)]


    *Effects :


    -Additional 10% stats in unexplored places


    -Additional 10% EXP gain


    -Additional 5% Skill growth


    After a quick glance at the gained rewards and his new title, Nex closed the windows. He didn''t dwell on those as he had more pressing matters to discuss. He returned his attention back to the Village Head as he pulled something out of his inventory.


    "I have come here for another thing and that is to bring you this." He passed the purified core to him.


    "This is”­.!" The old man stared at the core and immediately, his pupils contracted. He looked once again at Nex but this time, his gaze held fierceness while oppressive aura surged out of his body in large amounts causing the whole manor to shake. "Where did you get this?"


    The calmness that Nex displayed should be commended. The frightening display of such unassailable power could easily make the average player lose consciousness or at least make him fall to his knees. As if they were just discussing the current weather while sipping tea, Nex replied in such a relaxing manner, "I hunted it from a corrupted monster in a cave inside the Forbidden Forest."


    "Hmph!" The old man snorted in derision, "You expect me to believe that someone like you, who hadn''t had his first Awakening yet, managed to eliminate a Royal Rank corrupted? Do I look like a 2-year-old kid whom you could easily fool?" His index finger that was pointing at Nex was trembling with rage.


    By this time, the aura from the old man had spread all throughout his manor in thick volumes that made his servants feel as if they were in hell. Being in front of the old man, Nex is experiencing it in full blast. Unlike the tragic servants though, he wasn''t affected in the slightest. To prove how unaffected he was, he even pulled out his sword and began channeling mana into it.


    "Wanna test it out?" He even had the gall to grin evilly.


    This made the old more livid.


    ''Surely, this boy is jesting! Is this what they call a last desperate show of false bravery? So, if I make a move against him, he will automatically submit himself in defeat? What naivetئ! Unfortunately, it won''t work on me boy! Nope! You can''t trick this old set of bones!'' The old man mentally mocked Nex. He didn''t stop berating Nex in his mind until he sensed the energy coming from the latter. His expression changed.


    "You know Soul Art?! How can it be? Who taught you that advanced skill?"


    Nex casually replied, "What? Did you forget that I came from another world and this is just my avatar?"


    The old man found it hard to accept but he didn''t have any alternatives, "But to think you can even use that skill despite your current strength”­" His eyes brightened with realization. "If it is someone like you then”­"


    For the first time since they had started conversing, Nex showed a reaction He was astonished as the Village Head suddenly disappeared and showed up in front of him in an abrupt manner. Once again, the back of his palm is being stamped on but this time, by a weird, ancient-looking silver stamp that strangely turned to light after the old man used it.


    "Hey! What the hell are you doing, old man?!"


    Nex had already noticed the senior''s movements beforehand, but even with his experience, he was far too weak and slow to block him. Staring wryly at the strange tattoo that is now in his hand, Nex had no choice but to dismiss it with a sigh, "I didn''t get any information from the system about this. I sure hope this won''t bring me unnecessary trouble."


    He turned back to the aged man who is now both nodding his head and smiling in satisfaction. His expression was akin to a child being rewarded with a snack after doing a chore. Seeing such euphoric countenance, Nex retracted his dismissal, "What is this thing?"


    The elderly just laughed his question off, "Just a recommendation letter."


    "To what exactly," Nex narrowed his eyes while veins began to appear on his forehead.


    Ignoring the young man''s expression with a sly grin, the old one replied, "That''s for me to know and for you to find out. You will know when you do your first Awakening."


    As realization dawned on Nex, he tried keeping in his anger but it still leaked out in his voice, "You mean it will mess with my Class?"


    "Maybe~" In a sing-song voice teased.


    "Damn it, old man!" Nex went livid and once again pulled his weapon out, "If you dare touch my profession slots, I swear to god that I---"


    "Hmm? Why is a young man like you still here chatting like an old gossipy lady? Go out and enjoy the world! Capture your youth while you can!" With a wave of his hand, a magic circle appeared under Nex''s feet. A flash of light then Nex was nowhere to be seen inside the room.


    Once he was alone again, the vibrant expressions from before are now dimmed as his eyes become deep in contemplation.


    "Things are happening way too fast."


    ???


    "That old bastard!"


    Nex removed his game helmet in rage.


    "To think that someone at his low level of strength made me look like a fool! How long has it been since someone had the guts to do that? What the hell is wrong with this game?!"


    Getting up from the bed, he went to the kitchen to eat something and cool off when suddenly, he saw at one of the mirrors a scene he didn''t expect to see.


    "I am”­ smiling”­?"


    He thought for a while then started to laugh without care.


    "Yes!" Finally, after waiting for so long that he couldn''t even remember that he was waiting or what he was waiting for, he can now live a life that has some sort of normalcy. Feeling distress after getting scammed in a virtual game; not thinking about what kind of enemy will come in the next few seconds; not caring if someone gets too close to him and calls him "Daddy".


    Now that he thinks about it, it had been like that ever since he came back to Earth and unsealed his emotions. He just didn''t notice it until now!


    *Beep!*


    *Beep!*


    "Hmm?" Nex opened his watch --- a device that hunters used to communicate, and checked the message.


    [To all hunters: Demons have infiltrated the city! All available hunters should heighten their vigilance and report anything unusual!]


    Reading this, Nex''s face which held traces of elation, hardened instantly. Only after a few minutes did it begin to relax again.


    "Who cares about that? There are tons of hunters in this city! They don''t need my help. Besides, there are only two people I care about around here. Eddie is currently at school and Jane is on the way ----"


    He abruptly stopped his thoughts when he remembered an important fact about Jane and Eddie.


    "No, it shouldn''t be," He murmured to himself as he frantically extended his senses to check for the siblings'' location and situation.


    "Eddie is okay. Jane should be---"


    "Damn it!" Nex cursed and teleported away with a flash of light.

 16 Chapter 15

    Jane had been having an eerie feeling ever since she dropped Eddie off at school. It was as if something had been following her and watching her every move. It made her feel unsettled enough to the point of being terrified.


    At first, she thought that it will just pass but even now after she has finished shopping for groceries, the feeling is still there.


    She tried reassuring herself by thinking that it may just be a side effect of the training she had received from Nex while she hurried back to her car.


    Walking swiftly, she thought about asking the said person about this whole ordeal when suddenly, everything around her darkened. The bright and clear morning skies turned black as if a starless night had arrived. The warmth in the air is slowly dissipating to give way to the chill that is starting to creep in. The streets that were once filled with boisterous people going on with their everyday lives turned empty with no signs of life in sight.


    Jane prided herself as a strong and capable woman but seeing such scenes and hearing nothing except her own quick breaths really pushed her sanity to its limits.


    Abandoning all pretense of calmness, she started running towards her car while her fingers were busy trying to dial Nex''s number to ask for help.


    [There is no connection in your area!]


    "Damn it!" She cursed loudly in frustration upon seeing the prompt.


    She was still caught up in the helplessness that she was currently feeling when she perceived a creeping sensation at her back. She turned around only to freeze with shock.


    From the shadows behind her, a humongous creature rose. One that could easily rival those monsters from horror films, if not make those look pretty and meek.


    It had numerous moving limbs that greatly resemble the tentacles of a squid but instead of suckers lining across them, each tentacle had scythe-like protrusions. Although its legs ranked number one in peculiarity scale, it didn''t affect the creature''s mobility at all, judging from the way it is currently charging at her with enthusiasm.


    The moment the creature sensed Jane, its mouth in the middle of its giant body opened wide into a strange smile, revealing countless of sharp and lengthy teeth. Large splats of saliva fell into the ground while infinite slimy tongues waggled around.


    Of course, Jane promptly started running away. Who sticks around like an idiot when a hungry beast like that is aiming for them? Thanks to Nex''s training, she managed to run faster than the average person does. She even felt she can outrun the beast! Hope slowly trickled in the recesses of her heart.


    *Whipping Sound*


    "Ahh!"


    Alas! Reality proved to be a lot different from expectation, crushing down that tiny sprout of hope that was slowly budding inside Jane. The monster wasn''t that stupid not to use one of its tentacle-like limbs to take a swipe at her shin. This resulted to an injury which Jane resolutely ignored despite the agonizing pain she felt. Who cares about all that blood gushing out of their shin and that biting ache when they are running for their very lives? Thus, Jane continued going forward.


    *Whipping Sound*


    "Ahh!"


    She howled once more. This time, the attack landed on her back, making a nasty wound across it. On instinct, she turned around to take a look but of course, she wasn''t able to see the extent of her wound. Instead, she caught a glimpse of the beast behind her and a realization quickly dawned on her.


    The monster is only playing with her! It had countless of limbs yet only one of them struck her when it could simultaneously move them all for her capture. If that monster wanted her dead already, she would have been eaten a long time ago! Plus, that monster is spreading its mouth in a jeering grin, which was a dead giveaway.


    Understanding her predicament, Jane made a single, crazy decision.


    She will fight back!


    She started running again but this time, her eyes kept looking around for something that could give her a fighting chance. She knew that with her current capability, she wouldn''t stand a chance with a head-on clash. She must use a bit more of her brainpower for this.


    Soon enough, she found something that gave her an idea. Quickly turning her direction towards a construction site, she kept running. The monster dished out a couple of attacks separately but excruciating, nonetheless, which she continued to ignore even if the pain made her want to faint.


    She arrived at a crane that held a massive amount of heavy metals but didn''t stop her mad dash. For her idea to work out, she had to lure her mob under those metals and do the little trick that Nex had taught her.


    With her mind extremely focused on her plan, she mentally counted.


    ''Now!''


    The second she finished her counting, she turned around and aimed her palm at the link that connected the crane and the pile of metals and muttered the strange word that Nex taught her.


    "Blast!"(Preias Magic Language)


    As soon as the word left her mouth, her palm began to glow in blue light. The light then condensed into a ball that quickly darted out of her palm and hit the link.


    *Bang!*


    She didn''t expect much from that palm-sized ball. Just a small blast would suffice, as long as it breaks the link. To her astonishment, the result was actually a colossal explosion that not only broke the link but also flung the metals underneath at a great speed and an equal great force with its shockwave. It almost smashed the monster into tiny bits.


    From being shocked to being elated and finally relieved at the results of her plan, Jane fell to the ground after the effects of the adrenaline rush that pushed her to her limits wore off.


    But her happiness didn''t last for long.


    To her horror, she saw the remains of the monster turn into thin smoke that quickly grew denser by the second. It made jerking movements and in a flash, the beast is back to its perfectly horrid self. It all happened right in front of her, so it wasn''t just an illusion or hallucination.


    "No”­"


    She could only whisper such in misery and surrender as she saw the monster coming closer to her with a not-so-happy expression. Without an ounce of energy left in her, she closed her eyes and waited for the inevitable.


    "Sorry I was late."


    She didn''t realize it until that moment that it was a voice she had irrationally wanted to hear under such circumstances. It had to be a dream! A wishful thinking that she could still be saved! The graveness of her situation made her pessimistic but a warm hand patted her shoulder.


    "Nex!"


    Her eyes flew open and she saw the familiar face of the silver-haired man.


    Only this time, the usually present smile in his lips is gone. His casual self is nowhere in sight. His demeanor now is not something she had seen before as she could feel the fury that radiates off of him even if his face had a calm expression. She knows that that entire ire is not aimed at her but it still made her shake in trepidation.


    As though sensing her emotions, Nex turned to her with his usual warm smile, "Sorry that you had to see that. Don''t worry, I will finish it now."


    He then turned to stare at the creature darkly. It was then that she turned her attention back to the monster.


    It wasn''t moving towards her as it had previously done. Instead, it was just thrashing around madly like it is being held by invisible chains. It couldn''t do anything but make creepy wailing sounds that sounded a lot like frustration.


    "Scram!"


    Blinding bright light made Jane turn her head away and close her eyes. When she felt it was all done, she finally opened her eyes and what she saw made her forget to breathe.


    The morning sky returned again with the sun glaring brightly up high. Sounds of people everywhere could now be heard. It was all normal once again except for the spot where the monster once stood. It brought a shock on Jane as she saw the presence of a glaring pit that was about 3 meters wide with a depth that should be more than 10 meters in place of the monster.


    She then turned and stared at Nex, unable to find the right words to say, "You”­ How”­"


    Nex just shrugged his shoulders while scratching the back of his head as he smiled awkwardly at her, "I guess I went a little overboard”­"


    He looked at his handiwork and smiled sardonically, "That is sure to attract people."


    Without waiting for her reaction, he continued, "Get ready."


    She blinked once and then everything around her twisted. She wasn''t bothered in the least as she is now with Nex. She blinked again and she found herself inside the confines of her own home.


    He didn''t let her react still as he looked at her and passed glowing energy to her through his hand which began to heal her wounds and minimize her pain into oblivion.


    That was when she finally managed to process the earlier events. She turned and stared seriously at Nex, "What the f*ck was that thing?"


    "A Soul Devil." He replied calmly.


    "Explain," She said without breaking eye contact.


    Nex took a large breath before he began his lengthy explanation.


    "As you know there are normal demons and devils in this world and the thing they love the most is to destroy and kill. Then there is the Soul Devil. They are a devious mutation of a devil that experienced something similar to OverSoul. Their main purpose is to consume souls of people. Most of them are very picky and will only choose to eat special souls that attract them."


    "Like my OverSoul?" Quick on the uptake, she asked.


    "Yes," Nex nodded gravely, "Your OverSoul is quite alluring for them and will naturally be more attractive because it had started to awaken along with the training. Since they live in another dimension, they couldn''t easily reach this place. The probability of them coming here is miniscule, that is why I didn''t bother telling you about it."


    Jane nodded as she processed all the information given to her but still said fiercely, "I would need more than that in order for me to not slap and kick you out of here. Rare chance, my a*s."


    Instead of getting upset from her rough words, Nex just looked at her and smiled in amusement which made her blush a little on instinct. He pointed at the TV that suddenly turned on.


    [Until now, there are no further developments about the situation of the Gray Gate. According to our sources, the Gray Gate is an extremely rare type of gate that opened not far from here and caused the emergence of never-seen-before Demons and Devils. Records show that the last time it had appeared happened 30 years ago which caused great mayhem, more in this subject is”­]


    "So? Still unconvinced about the rate of its appearance? Should I use the 30-year mark as a basis for reference?" He teased her a little.


    Although having her words countered like that, with a slightly redder cheeks, Jane still persisted, "But this monster was attracted to me because of the training you---"


    "It would have come anyway." Nex cut her off, "It would have sensed the scent of your soul. In fact, it would have smelled it from other people you are close to."


    Gone was all the teasing in his eyes as he looked at her deeply before continuing, "Especially Eddie."


    At his words, Jane turned pale at once and in denial, "You''re lying..."


    "No," Nex shook his head gloomily, "In fact, because of your soul not having awakened, the Soul Devil would have gone directly for Eddie as it would have sensed him better."


    "Stop”­" Various images all horrific and bloody flooded her mind. Images she never wants to ever see happen in real life.


    Ignoring her rejection, Nex just continued in hopes of letting her understand the graveness of the situation, "Tell me, do you wish for that scenario to occur?"


    She stayed quiet for a while, trying to rid herself of the ghastly scenes inside her head. She then looked at Nex, "No but what should I do?"


    Hearing the confusion yet a slither of determination in her voice, Nex smiled brightly.


    "That is very simple! We get you strong enough to kick the a*s of the next bastard who wants to mess with you or Eddie."

 17 Chapter 16

    "Sir, you have to look at this."


    "Okay. Let me see."


    Raymond stretched out his hand to receive the exam results handed by his subordinate.


    After a few minutes of staring at the documents, he lamented, "To think that a Nightmare Demon managed to infiltrate that deep into the city." He used the official term of the Hunter Association for the Soul Devil that attacked Jane.


    He then looked at the giant hole in the ground that was in front of him, "But who the hell can create this much damage without being noticed by people”­"


    Suddenly, a certain name entered his head.


    ''There is no way”­'' He shook his head, ''After all, he is just an A---''


    And like a movie on replay, images of a man blasting Goz away with a punch played inside his brain that ended his internal debate. ''No. If it is him, then maybe”­''


    After deliberating for a short while, he turned to one of his subordinates and issued his commands, "The classification of Hunter Nexus'' information will be changed to Grade S. Start monitoring his activities outside of his home."


    The trusty subordinate saluted before respectfully replying, "Yes Sir! Right away, Sir!"


    Raymond once again turned his attention back to the pit, half expecting for it to give him a rerun of what happened a few hours ago.


    "Let''s see what secrets you hide."


    ???


    "Put more strength to your attacks!" Nex instructed while deflecting another punch from Jane. "Where is the breathing technique I told you about? Clearly, you aren''t even trying!" His mouth castigates her as much as he was moving to either attack or evade.


    "Damn you! I only started training today!" Jane could only complain feebly, as she was more focused on trying to regain her footing after being blocked that resulted to her being thrown off balance.


    The moment Jane agreed to learn how to fight properly, Nex didn''t waste any second and immediately began coaching her, once he had ensured her wounds were all healed and her stamina restored.


    And now, here they are at an open area just outside the city, where Nex had teleported them, going through the motions of basic fighting. The training comprises of just punches and kicks; it was really more of Nex giving her real-time tips than actual sparring as she isn''t anywhere near his level.


    "You have the magic power inside your body that has unlimited possibilities. Why aren''t you making use of it?" He continued berating her while blocking her kick.


    ''Good thing she has a talent for fighting. Together with her OverSoul, she could actually be able to take care of a few weak demons.'' Although he was constantly verbally criticizing her with a strict voice; mentally, he was praising her innate ability to fight.


    Jane didn''t have an ounce of inkling about Nex''s thoughts and just heard his words as it is which really pissed her off big time.


    "As if it''s that easy!" She grumbled out loud once and continued her complaints inside her head.


    ''Give me a break! I barely kept my life after meeting that monster and he decides to drag me for combat training! My heart is so totally not prepared for this! Is he out of his mind? Who does that? Not only that, he acts like he has been teaching me for months and months that I should move like an expert. Hello? Newbie here! Why the hell did I even agree to do this?''


    "Big Sis! Do your best!"


    Her mind filled doubts, complaints and negativity instantly cleared when she heard Eddie cheering for her. Her motivation was rejuvenated, ''Yes, this is all for him”­ So that nothing can threaten his existence as long as I am here”­ He can live his life happily with no worries”­ Because I am his big sister whom he loves the most”­''


    "Wow! Big Bro Nex! You are much cooler than Sis! Compared to you, she is way too lame!"


    Lame”­


    Lame”­


    Lame”­


    "”­"


    "Oh?" Nex was flabbergasted. "Your attacks are now strong--- wait!


    "Ahhh!"


    "No!"


    "Stop aiming there!"


    Nex dodged her ferocious attacks while sweating on the inside, ''So she''s one of those Type A personalities huh”­''


    ???


    "Finally, it''s over."


    After a few more hours of training, Jane ultimately collapsed to the floor, completely exhausted. Normally, with her physical capability, she wouldn''t have lasted even a fifth of what she had gone through.


    Whenever she was at her limits and felt like giving up, Nex would inject strange energy into her and along with her breathing techniques, she would be back to full capacity in just mere minutes.


    "Damn it, Nex! To train for so long without any proper rest is simply inhumane!"


    Sadly, Jane didn''t find herself appreciating this kind of tenacity.


    "Is that so?" Nex who now completely shook off his trainer mode, could only scratch his head awkwardly. "Sorry about that. It''s just that the last few times I had to train someone, it required me to use some extreme measures."


    Seeing the expression on Nex''s face that pretty much resembled to a kid getting caught for stealing a piece of candy, Jane could only let the matter go with a reminder.


    "Forget it. Just next time, try to be a little more”­ considerate." She moved her sore arms and shoulders to release some leftover tension there.


    "Sure."


    He suddenly remembered something he had wanted to ask the siblings ever since he logged off of the game.


    "Oh, right. Jane, Eddie what levels are you in the game?"


    "It''s---"


    "We are both on the verge of Level 7! Big Bro, what level are you? Did you really select the Explorer Class? And also, in which area did you begin?"


    Before Jane could start answering, Eddie cut her off enthusiastically and with follow up questions to boot. She could only shake her head once and go back to massaging her sore limbs.


    "Not bad." Nex nodded.


    "Well, I started at the southern part of the kingdom in the Spring Village; and yes, I did select the Explorer Class and I am now Level 10." He answered all the queries on one go with a smile that wasn''t anywhere near being boastful yet with little humility at the same time.


    "Oh! So you''re in the southern part”­ No wonder we haven''t met there yet." Eddie slumped his shoulders; disappointment written all over his face.


    After a few seconds, his head shot up again when Nex''s last words finally sank in, "Hmm? What level did you say you are again?"


    After being cut off and ignored, Jane wasn''t really paying much regard to the boys'' conversation and just continued through her massaging. Upon hearing Eddie''s words, her attention was brought back to the two with incredulity shown in her face.


    Nex found their reactions a bit weird. He doesn''t understand their behavior as he raised an eyebrow, "I said I am at Level 10. Why? Is there something wrong?"


    "What?! Level 10?!" The siblings chorused in astonishment.


    Jane was the first to recover and said in skepticism. "How can it be? It is only possible if you play without taking any breaks until now, but you obviously have played just an hour more than us. Just what did you do to reach that level, that fast?"


    "Hunting Rare and Elite monsters." He shrugged as if it is the most obvious thing in the world.


    "What?!"


    "Wow! Big Bro, you''re so awesome!" Eddie spoke with reverence and his eyes were big and sparkling like stars.


    He shortly shared their own experience, "We once tried to fight a Rare Rank monster and almost died. How were you able to fight them? You must have found a great party!"


    "No." Nex finally understood the situation. He wanted to earn more cool points in front of Eddie, so he decided to act like some guru of life.


    "Know this Eddie. If you want to succeed in life, you have to learn how to be self-reliant. You don''t have to put your fate in another person''s hands or depend on them for survival. Things like friends and partying with them for level ups would only make you lazy and reliant. Only by soloing can you live an autonomous yet courageous life!"


    *Smack!*


    "Don''t teach my little brother how to be a loner!"


    His speech which he articulated confidently was met with a fierce opposition from Jane.


    "Yes, Big Bro! I will remember what said!"


    It seems that Jane''s resistance was a bit tad too late as she failed to save the little boy from Nex''s corruption. He is now under the hermit''s spell.


    She gave Nex a deadly glare then went back to the subject from before.


    "How did you even succeed to defeat those monsters, anyway? It just isn''t feasible at all! Even if you have great battle abilities and play in Professional Mode, there is no way that you would have managed to level your skills enough to take on an Elite monster."


    Nex smirked, "Whoever said I play in Professional Mode?"


    "Then”­" Jane''s eyes widened when she thought of the only possible option.


    "Don''t tell me you play in Master Mode?!"


    He gave a nod and a simple, "Yep."


    "Are you out of your mind? Who plays in that crazy Mode?!" Her voice went up a few decibels before giving it a more thorough analysis.


    "No, even if you have succeeded to create decent skills in that mode, you still wouldn''t be proficient enough to solo Elite monsters. The inadequacy in mana would pose a big hurdle."


    "Oh, that." He made an alibi at an instant. "There was a time that I trained and fought in a place with a very similar environment to the one in the game. The familiarity made it easy for me to fight properly this early on and allowed me to take on monsters of Elite Rank."


    This brought another wave of admiration in Eddie as he wowed again. "The in-game Bro is just as amazing as the real one!"


    He was rewarded with a doting pat at the head by his hero-master.


    Nex then turned towards Jane.


    "The techniques that I am teaching you are actually from that place as well. Although you can''t use them to strengthen your character, they still work quite well as combat skills."


    "What?! Those skills can be used inside the game as well?" Jane scrunched up her brows, baffled. "Just what kind of place is that that could enable one to learn skills that can be used in places with different mana settings?"


    "Actually, all techniques are applicable as long as the user himself adapts accordingly. As for the ones I taught you, they are a little unique. So I would be very glad if you won''t expose them to others too much. They may attract some unwanted attention."


    "Of course!" Jane solemnly promises at once. She didn''t want any unnecessary trouble for herself.


    "Good, then let''s go home."


    ???


    After returning from training and eating dinner with the siblings, Nex returned to his home with a relaxed smile that never left his lips.


    Today, with the incident with the Soul Devil excluded, is probably the best day he had for a very long time. He could no longer remember the last time that he had a good time with someone he could consider his friend. That is, except for a certain someone.


    *Sigh*


    Remembering the person made him slightly melancholic. He stared at the moon through the window”­


    "I hope that she is doing okay."


    ???


    In an unknown location in Perias dimension.


    Inside a bright hall that was too glamorous for mortals, an unearthly beautiful woman with golden hair sat in lotus position in deep concentration.


    The woman''s closed eyelids trembled and unfolded, revealing shiny, multi-colored eyes. They were full of tears and complicated emotions.


    She straightened up then looked towards a certain direction while mumbling under her breath.


    "Nex, you f*cking bastard! I''m coming to beat you up!"

 18 Chapter 17

    [Welcome Back to The Mythical Age!]


    And with that message, Nex was back in the game.


    The first thing that he did when he entered is to look around. This is the basic standard operating procedure for any experienced gamer. Always check your environment upon re-spawn so as not to be killed by either monsters or another player.


    More so for Nex who found himself in Amberdawn, also known as the Southern City.


    "So that damn old man has teleported me to the city, huh?"


    In the Cloud Kingdom, aside from the capital, there are four major cities; one for each direction. Each city has its own background story and specialty, but since Nex was too lazy to learn about them, he doesn''t even know their names.


    "Who needs to learn about boring stuff like that? How exactly is it going to help me?"


    Here is a fact about Nex: he is a gaming idiot.


    The earlier display of careful examination of his surroundings was just him sight-seeing and nothing more.


    This is something that goes back even before he arrived at Perias. When it comes to games, he is the laziest. He will not bother to learn about quests or back stories and just jumps straight to exciting stuff for him like fighting and crafting. Unless it is a precursor for his favorite parts, he will never do any quest or try to raise an affinity with NPC.


    His incompetency extends to his skills selection. He will always pick the flashiest or the most damaging but only single hits. He never bothered thinking about combos so he could increase his maximum damage output nor going through conditions that could give critical hits.


    With this weakness, he was easily beaten by players with even lower levels than him!


    These shortcomings, except the skill part that he had to fix in order to survive in Perias, have remained throughout all these years. Sadly, even in his current time in this particular game, he does not plan on changing his gaming habits.


    "Yeah. Yeah. Let''s go to the Explorer Guild and do this class upgrade so that I could learn how to cook already!"


    After a few minutes of walking and asking people around for the location of the guild, he found himself standing in front of a large building with worn out walls and a peeling sign.


    Thinking back to the strange faces he received from the people he had asked for directions, he could only sigh. ''I guess there isn''t much to expect from the people here.''


    And with those discouraging thoughts, he opened the door.


    "Who wants to put lotion on my muscles?"


    "Hey! This is not fair! If you will be like this, then I''m gonna get naked too!"


    "Stop! Don''t you dare touch my collection! Do you know how hard it is to get paintings of old people in their underwears."


    "What is this entire ruckus about? You are disturbing me in the middle of testing a potion that makes you speak only in Z''s!"


    "Zzzz zzzz!"


    For a moment, Nex was petrified as soon as he was greeted by these various scenes but he quickly recovered and entered surreptitiously so as to avoid attracting someone''s attention.


    Luckily, he succeeded and managed to arrive at the counter without any misfortune befalling upon him. There, a smiling receptionist of a young boy in his teens is waiting for him, dressed in maid clothing and petting a skull.


    "Welcome! I see that this is your first time here, right?"


    "Yes," Nex said with a wry smile, "I''m here for my First Awakening."


    "Is that right? Did you bring your recommendation letter from your Village Head?"


    "Recommendation letter?" Nex remembered something. He did not get any letter for his Explorer Class. He had gotten the damn tattoo instead!


    "Can I get this recommendation letter from somewhere in the city?"


    "No." The boy slowly shook his head and patiently explained in a voice that was neither fast nor slow. "For travelers like you, the only way to do the First Awakening is by using the recommendation letter that you have received from your respective Village Head."


    Understanding that he had been left with no other alternatives, Nex could only show the tattoo on his hand begrudgingly to the receptionist.


    "Here."


    "A tattoo? How rare! Let''s check." The boy pulled out an item that pretty much resembles a very fancy magnifying glass.


    He placed the item just above Nex''s hand and peered at it. His initial calm and encouraging face gradually morphed into unsettlement.


    "This is”­ Wait here! I am going to call the Guild Master!" Even his steps are harried as he moved upstairs in a hasty manner.


    ''I''m having a sense of dئjؤ vu right now. Let''s hope it''s not another muscle-brain.''


    Nex did not wait for a very long time. The receptionist ran back along with a thin middle-aged man, who was wearing a bunny girl uniform.


    ''”­on second thought, I think I want the muscle-brain one.''


    "So you are the one with the special crest?" The Guild Master''s eyes surveyed him once from head to toe before asking.


    "I guess so." His tone didn''t show it, but the wariness inside Nex is gnawing at his heart. ''Hopefully, that man won''t give me a "test" as well.''


    The Master stared deeply at the tattoo before his face suddenly froze and then turned solemn, "So you''re the one that old man picked, huh?"


    "What do you mean?"


    "It''s not important right now." The Guild Master shook his head and handed him a map. "Go to the temple marked in this map. There, you could do your First Awakening and probably get some answers for your questions."


    With his piece done, the Guild Master turned and walked back upstairs. He was gone as quick as he came in.


    Seeing that there isn''t anything he could do in this place right now, Nex went outside and perused the map.


    After studying it for a minute, he sighed in relief. "Luckily, this place isn''t far from here. Let''s go and finish this quickly."


    With his declaration said out loud, he went forth on his journey.


    ???


    "I am going to beat the crap out of that pervert!" Nex grunted while he dodged another claw.


    At first, the way to the temple seemed like a normal desolate road without any dangers but as Nex progressed forward, monsters started appearing. The further he went on, the level of the monsters increased. The aggression also increased.


    It wasn''t long before Nex found himself being sandwiched by two wild bears out of nowhere.


    [Strong Bear (Normal) LV:18]


    [Strong Bear (Normal) LV:18]


    Although they were Normal Rank, because of the level difference, they were as dangerous as Level 10 Elite Rank ones. Not just your everyday average next-door Level 10 Elite Rank mobs but ones that had undergone their First Awakenings already!


    After a being does its First Awakening, even if their level and stats stay the same, the effectiveness of their current stats are doubled, hence a being should be twice as strong as it had been previously.


    So if any other player or even a party was put in Nex''s situation, they will just be slaughtered by these bears in a blink of an eye.


    The level gap should never be taken lightly! First awakening have a tremendous impact on a player and should be given utmost priority once the required level is reached!


    These two key points aren''t the sort of things that Nex really pays attention to. So aside from getting pissed by the Explorer''s Guild Master, he really wasn''t disturbed much and just effortlessly dodged a couple of attacks from the bear duo.


    "[Light!]"


    *Roar*


    Momentarily blinding the two bears in front of him, Nex immediately got behind of the left bear and swung his sword upwards.


    "[Intermediate Enchantment!]"


    Having its spine sliced in half, the bear died instantly. Its body began to fall to the ground but Nex didn''t wait for it to reach its destination and continued to dash towards its still-breathing companion.


    Unfortunately, the surviving bear has superb instincts that it was able to sense where Nex would appear. The moment he came out from behind the falling corpse, a large paw is already greeting him with hostility.


    Nex with his sublime reflexes --- as sublime as his stats allows him to, went down and rolled towards the bear''s legs. He slashed at them.


    The bear let out a roar of pain but Nex just quickly went to the side to dodge the giant bear that had lost its balance and came crashing down.


    *Bang!*


    *Roar!*


    Nex took a deep breath and jumped lightly. He landed on the back of the thrashing bear.


    "Maybe in your next life, you won''t be just a chess piece."


    And with those words, he stabbed his sword through the bear''s heart, ending its un-bear-able life.


    After the last breath has been snuffed out of the monster, Nex withdrew his sword and shook the blood off it. He started having some thoughts.


    With his keen senses, there was no way that he won''t notice the duo''s arrival but for some reason, he couldn''t.


    ''There are two possibilities for now.'' He continued his analysis while picking the loots up.


    ''One is that the area here has some kind of an array or a trap that camouflages the presence of the monsters here. Which is highly unlikely as something that can affect my senses won''t house monsters this weak.''


    He started walking again.


    ''While the other possibility”­"


    After a minute of moving around, a large ancient-looking temple appeared in front of him.


    "”­is that there is someone who deliberately hid the monsters'' presence."


    ???


    "Greetings, young man! I heard about you before and I want to see a little bit of your capabilities."


    Inside the temple, there was no one else aside from the old man wearing worn-out robes with a cordial smile.


    Which was greeted by a frown from Nex and a litany of complaints.


    "Damn it! Old man, if you are going to give me a bunch of tests and trials, I''m going to rip every strand of hair on your face!"


    Hearing the threats, the old man froze as both his eyebrows and beard trembled a little. It was just a passing reaction as the smile quickly returned. "Tell me, which Class do you think is the best?"


    Without any hesitation, Nex answered promptly, "The one with the most Profession slots! This reminds me, if this Awakening touches any of my three, you will lose the rest of your hair on your whole body!"


    "How can it be?" Feeling the same tremors but now, they ran all throughout his entire body. He started averting his gaze from Nex and denied the young man''s claim.


    "You will retain all three Profession Slots. But who knows? Maybe there will be something extra."


    "What do you mean extra?" Like a boy who had been told he gets candy before dinner, Nex''s eyes widened. "Old man, you better tell me the truth!"


    "Hmm? Look at the time! Young man, off you go to your First Awakening!"


    In a familiar way, the aged man waved his hand and soon enough, a magic circle appeared beneath Nex.


    "You bastard! If there is some kind of freakish trial, I will find you and ---"


    Nex wasn''t even able to finish his renewed threats when he disappeared, making the old man feel a great sense of relief.


    ???


    "Fucking a*shole!"


    Nex found himself inside a place that seems like an underground that had stone walls. He was still caught up in splitting curses.


    "I am so going to beat that old man into fine powder when---"


    [First Awakening Test Begins!]


    A prompt halted his words.


    "That old man should hope that it won''t be a crazy test or something." Nex grumbled while checking the details of the message.


    [First Part : Determination of The Worthy]


    -Defeat 100 Rare Skeleton Warriors that are inside this underground labyrinth (0/100).


    "Son of a b*tch!"

 19 Chapter 18

    [You killed a [Skeleton Warrior(Rare) LV : 15]!


    [Quest Updated! (47/100)]


    "Ugh! This is going to take forever! There is no alternative but to do that, if I want to finish this immediately."


    Nex has been fighting for the last two hours but unfortunately, he had a hard time completing the quest quickly.


    The labyrinth was much bigger than he thought and the monsters were scattered all over the place. He was having a hard time spotting just one.


    And so, he came up with a plan. Instead of finding the monsters, the monsters will find him. There is only one tiny bit of a problem.


    "They will come in droves."


    Although the monsters were at Level 15, they haven''t had their First Awakenings, so disposing them isn''t a problem at all for our hero. Even if they come in groups of three or four, it will still be a walk in the park.


    The complication though lies in the flow of incoming monsters. It would be continuous.


    What this implies is that Nex has to take out each group swiftly to prevent gathering too many monsters at one time. Over-luring isn''t advisable due to really obvious reasons.


    This gives us the second implication that he has to use his mana effectively. He needs to avoid mana wastage on unnecessary moves, or it will be dead end once he depletes all of it.


    To the average player, it won''t be worth the risk. Better to go about this slowly but surely. To the lazy Nex, with the advantage of having his hunt time decreased, it was acceptable.


    "Well, whatever, let''s just do this."


    Taking a torch from his inventory, Nex held it and muttered a few words.


    "[Soul Fire]"


    Few sparks began to spew out of the torch, eventually turning into a silver fire that burned slowly.


    "All three stat points to mana."


    Instead of admiring the fire, he immediately sat down and started to regulate his breathing, slowly restoring his mana and soul force.


    It takes one to be at least at the Grandmaster''s level to perform any kind of Soul Arts, even if it''s just a lowly skill such as this one. For someone to execute it with Nex''s current level with having experience in the subject like the said person would mean one thing: Soul Combustion.


    Soul Combustion means his soul will burn completely, leaving nothing behind.


    It was the reason why the Village Head was so shocked when Nex claimed to have used it and was still standing in front of him, telling him the tale. He also had a bit of a taste of it, proving the truth in Nex''s claim. It really is impossible in normal cases but Nex is far beyond even expert in this regard, he manage to use it smoothly with only moderate consume of soul force.


    Nex have been through countless of battles before. Naturally, situations like this; he knows how to handle better than anyone. He managed to restore his strength right before he heard a few footsteps coming his way.


    Soon enough, three skeletons arrived but strangely enough, their gaze wasn''t directed on Nex. They were fixed on the torch that was on the ground.


    Using this opportunity, Nex ran straight to one of them and slashed at its head with his sword.


    ''[Intermediate Enchantment!]''


    Its skull was sliced into two effortlessly.


    This action finally caught the other two''s attention. They both lifted their weapons, a sword and a spear respectively and started to charge at him.


    Parrying the sword of the nearest one, Nex then kicked the monster away. He turned to the other one that aimed its spear on him. He leaned slightly to the side to avoid the incoming spear. He grabbed at the weapon once it reached his personal space and pulled on it slightly, throwing the skeleton holding the weapon off balance.


    Once again swinging his sword, Nex eliminated the spear-wielding skeleton. He turned to the monster he had discarded before. It had already regained its footing and was about to slash at Nex.


    ''[Partial Enchantment]''


    Nex reinforced his leg and with this increase in agility, he arrived at the side of his opponent and stabbed his sword through its head. The skeleton died without even having any chance to counter Nex''s assault. It was even still immersed in its offense of slashing.


    [You killed a [Skeleton Warrior(Rare) LV : 15]!


    [Quest Updated! (50/100)]


    Nex didn''t pay attention to the treasures that scattered all over the floor, courtesy of the skeleton''s corpses. He immediately sat down and once again started restoring his mana. Although he hadn''t consumed much this time and there are no signs of another batch, he knew he can''t be irresponsible and act indolently if he wants to be done with this quest as soon as possible.


    "It''s not like I can put out the fire until I recover."


    What Nex used to lure the monsters wasn''t the Soul Fire but what he made it with. It was an ignited soul force that gave life to the fire and not just a spell. So at the moment that the soul force drifted into the air, it send a signal that no undead would ignore.


    ''There is a soul of the living here.''


    If there is something that a low-level undead can''t resist, it is a soul of someone alive. It attracts them like bees to honey; food to gluttons; drugs to junkies. To them, the soul fire is like a giant feast of mouth-watering soul. Yummy!


    Once again, footsteps could be heard.


    Nex who managed to restore most of the mana he consumed, stood up.


    "Time to hunt."


    ???


    [You killed a [Skeleton Warrior(Rare) LV : 15]!


    [Quest Updated! (66/100)]


    Nex sighed as he looked at the other two remaining monsters and then at his remaining MP.


    [MP : 520/770]


    "32 more to go."


    ???


    [You killed a [Skeleton Warrior(Rare) LV : 15]!


    [Quest Updated! (85/100)]


    [MP : 270/770]


    ???


    [You killed a [Skeleton Warrior(Rare) LV : 15]!


    [Quest Updated! (92/100)]


    [MP : 180/770]


    "MP is still at a tolerable range, but this is a problem." Nex sighed as he watched eight Skeleton Warriors coming his way.


    If he had some decent weapon, he could finish it without dispensing too much mana. Sadly, the one proper weapon he found was destroyed because of the Soul Arts he used to defeat the Corrupted Orc King. He couldn''t kite them either because they will just catch up to him in no time.


    "Time to get a little messy."


    Nex picked up the still-burning torch and waved it in order to attract the attention of the monsters while walking towards them slowly.


    Surely, like moths, their gazes were locked on the fire burning on that torch. The moment Nex saw them entranced, he threw the torch in their midst and activated [Partial Enchantment] on his legs.


    The skeletons that were so focused on getting the torch that they even turned their heads away from Nex. They didn''t notice that the latter is now right in front of them, swinging at them with his sword that became brighter than normal.


    ''[Advanced Enchantment]!''


    And the sword not only cut through the skeletons it grazed, it even fired a glowing arc of silver light that destroyed the skeletons behind the first ones! Killing five skeletons in just one move!


    Nex didn''t wait for the remaining skeletons to respond. With a few quick steps, he arrived right in front of them and raised his sword again, killing another one.


    Unfortunately, the other two skeletons managed to dodge this time and launched towards each side of Nex.


    Gritting his teeth, Nex ignored the backlash from what he just did and activated [Intermediate Enchantment] on his arms. He slashed his sword diagonally, blasting away both of their weapons.


    The power behind his blow was so strong that not only both skeletons lost their weapons, they were also thrown completely off of their feet, giving Nex the opportunity to finish them with just [Partial Enchantment].


    [You killed a [Skeleton Warrior(Rare) LV : 15]!


    [Congratulations! Quest Completed!]


    [HP and MP restored!]


    [You will be passed to the next part in five minutes.]


    Finally finishing the quest, Nex stared at his MP bar before it was recovered.


    [MP : 20/770]


    "Well, this was a close one." Nex blinked as the pain in his began to disappear.


    Normally, he would have hard time to moving his arm properly for a while as the backlash of using [Advanced Enchantment], but luckily for him, one of the rewards of the quest was that his HP was restored, so his injuries will all be healed. He channeled the skill mainly to the wooden sword that was more capable to take the load. If he didn''t, then his hand would have most likely been destroyed completely.


    If he had more mana, then he would have used the more safe Secret Arts. Sadly, those have really high mana consumption and in the state that he was, he would have entered Mana-Deprivation just by initiating it. It was a condition he didn''t want to happen.


    Mana-Deprivation state is when mana goes into the negative zone and when something like that happens, the results are very simple. The body will exchange health points (HP) for mana and not just for it to go back to the normal zone, but fill a large amount of it altogether. Even though Nex has some ways to deal with it, in the end, his mana is more than twice his Vitality.


    So at his current situation, he needs to make sure not to do any mistakes as it may end up being lethal.


    "Never mind that now," Nex shook his head. "As it seems this was just the first part. I sure hope there will be missions more suitable for me."


    He then looked around. The monsters were just Rare and weren''t Bosses, not to mention that the weapon that these monsters dropped were just at Level 15 so they were all useless for him. And because these monsters were made up of just bones, they was nothing useful to harvest from them.


    [Time Ended!]


    [You will now be transported to the second part area.]


    And with that message, Nex''s vision darkened and the next time he opened his eyes, he found himself in a different place.

 20 Chapter 19

    [Second Part : Strength of The Worthy]


    The next moment he opened his eyes again, Nex found himself standing in the middle of an arena inside a large coliseum. It appears to be a normal, standard arena but the huge metal gates on each direction were more imposing than usual. Strangely enough, there was no one except for him.


    While Nex was still looking around, a message containing the details of the quest popped up.


    [To prove if one''s strength is worthy, the player should win three rounds in the arena.]


    [Every round, the number of opponents will increase by 2. (First Round : 1; Second Round : 3; Third Round : 5)]


    [There will be a 10-minute break after each round.]


    [All opponents will be at Elite Rank Level 15.]


    [Are you ready to begin?]


    "Oh, so it''s like that. Okay, sure. Accept!"


    After checking the contents of the quest, Nex felt relieved, so he didn''t think twice and accepted. Even though he is going to fight against Level 15 Elites, it won''t be as stressful as the previous quest wherein he needed focus in conserving his mana all throughout the entire battle.


    It should also be pointed out to him that the one who caused all of the stress he had suffered was no one else but himself. Alas! No one was present to do this job!


    [Round One]


    With the prompt came the sound of grinding metals. The metal gate on the northern side slowly opened. A large man carrying a giant great sword over his shoulder appeared. He donned on a bulky metal armor and exudes an undeniable aura with his every step.


    [Swordsman(Elite) LV : 15]


    "So it''s a simulated person and not a real one huh?" Nex muttered as he stared at the approaching warrior. He was totally ignorant of the danger and just further surveyed his opponent leisurely.


    Both sides of his lips curled up to form a mocking smile. "It''s a little weird for them to call someone who carries that thing a swordsman. He can probably only clumsily swing that thing."


    "Hmph!" With a snort, the Warrior kicked the ground and began to run towards Nex at a speed that was more fitting for a thief rather than a heavy-armored warrior.


    This nimbleness didn''t bother Nex in the least. The mocking smile still hadn''t left his lips. He even had the audacity to gripe.


    "Work every time."


    Just as the complaint left his lips, the Warrior appeared in front of him and swung down his weapon with great momentum.


    *Bang!*


    With a deafening sound, the Warrior''s strike managed to smash a deep crater on the arena floor. Nex who was supposed to be standing on that spot wasn''t there though. Not even a mangled corpse was present.


    Seeing that his opponent had vanished, the Warrior became more vigilant that when he sensed something had appeared behind him, he immediately aimed his sword sideways while he turned around. His sword hit air.


    There was nothing behind him.


    ''[Martial Secret : Vanishing Step]''


    "Too bad for you kid, I have more than enough mana to end this quickly."


    Those were the last words the Warrior heard before he felt a blade going through the gap of his armor where his neck is located.


    Nex pulled out the sword from the dying Warrior''s neck while nitpicking, "They don''t train fighters well in this world either."


    [Round One Finished!]


    [In 10 minutes, the Second Round will begin!]


    Once the messages disappeared, the swordsman''s corpse also vanished. The arena returned to its previous pristine state.


    Nex didn''t pay any heed to all these. When the break began, he sat down at once and began to do breathing exercises. This one though is different from the prior breathing techniques he did.


    Instead of using the normal one that can regenerate mana while he is conscious, this time, he used a technique that will put him in a pseudo-coma state. This type of technique restores back MP in an explosive state! He only dared to do this as he knows he won''t be attacked while on break.


    As fast as a couple of minutes, he opened his eyes with a completely full MP bar! He didn''t do anything unnecessary but stood up and crossed his arms. He also closed his eyes back and stayed like that until a message popped up.


    [Round Two]


    Once again, the clanging sounds of metal filled the air. This time, not only one but three of the doors opened simultaneously.


    Out came three figures. The first one is a thin-looking thief dressed in black clothes akin to that of a ninja''s. He held a menacing dagger in each hand and had a blurred aura around him that camouflages his presence.


    [Assassin(Elite) LV : 15]


    The second one is an Elven archer wearing green leather clothes with a bow that looks very exquisite. Clearly, it wasn''t made from just any common wood.


    [Archer(Elite) LV : 15]


    When he saw the last person, Nex let out a small laugh.


    [Swordsman(Elite) LV : 15)


    "Came for a second beating, I see. What a masochist!"


    Although Nex couldn''t see the Warrior''s face which was under a helmet, he was quite sure that his opponent is pissed. Contented with his teasing, he turned to the other two and asked, "Sooo”­ When are we going to sta---"


    *Swish*


    *Tang*


    Nex wasn''t even allowed to finish his query when he had to tilt his head to avoid the arrow that came straight for it. Just barely finishing this action, he had to parry the Assassin''s daggers that were about to stab his chest. The moment he did so with [Intermediate Enchantment] in his arms, he did a counter by delivering a kick to the side of the Assassin. This made the Assassin fall a few meters to the side, right in the way of the running Warrior.


    The moment the Assassin and Warrior are momentarily out of commission, Nex made his way towards the Archer while activating [Intermediate Enchantment] on his legs. He was closing in on the bow-wielding opponent rapidly.


    *Swish*


    The Archer wasn''t imbecile enough to remain idle. He started firing arrows non-stop at a frightening rate. Despite this violent barrage, Nex still managed to continue his onslaught. He was a brilliant sight to look at when he dodged and avoided the arrows, seemingly knowing when and where each arrow will hit.


    He was at a distance of a few steps in front of the Archer in no time but he did something unexpected. He turned around and stabbed the air behind him!


    "Kuhk!"


    A sound echoed as the air seemed to change. The empty space slowly revealed the figure of the Assassin with Nex''s sword deeply embedded through his chest.


    "That''s what happens when assassins rely too much on their stealth." He shook his head condescendingly while he pulled his sword out. He then grabbed the dead body and threw it towards the Archer, blocking the arrows the latter is sending his way.


    "Now, for the next one..."


    Nex jumped sideways without even looking, dodging a furious attack from the Warrior. He pulled out a knife from his inventory and pumped mana to it. He then took aim and threw it at the gap of the Warrior''s armor. Once again, he pierced the swordsman''s neck even before the latter had managed to land a proper attack.


    These set of actions happened in just a flash. It didn''t even reach a 1-minute mark.


    "And for the last one”­"


    Nex slashed his sword sideways while activating [Intermediate Enchantment], cutting an incoming arrow into two, from the tip to the tail.


    "Ever heard of the little Elf who tried to run?"


    ???


    Pulling the sword out of the Archer''s forehead, Nex discontentedly complained as he shook the blood off. "This little elf isn''t good at running at all."


    [Round Two Finished!]


    [In 10 minutes, the Third Round will begin!]


    Nex did the same as before. He sat down at once and began using the pseudo-coma breathing technique in order to replenish his mana.


    Just as before, his mana completely recovered before the break was over. And just like before, he did the same thing again, crossing his arms while standing with his eyes closed.


    [Round Three]


    This time, all the gates had opened. On the eastern gate, two shared the same exit while the other gates only had one.


    As expected, his opponents from the previous battle came. There were only two new ones.


    "Well, I can''t say I''m surprised about that. Recycling is indeed important." Nex muttered while turning his head to the two new faces.


    [Priestess(Elite) LV : 15]


    A lady is dressed in a black and white tunic, with a scapular, cowl and a veil. This outfit clearly resembles that of a nun but it was customized to be more suitable for a battle. She held a small wand and a book. What caught Nex''s attention wasn''t the costume nor the little trinkets in her hands but the large amount of holy power that came pulsating out of her body.


    "So you''re not just a normal healer huh?"


    He then glanced on the other new face which was also a female.


    [Mage(Elite) LV : 15]


    This one was wearing common mage clothes but with higher quality to the cloth. She held an ancient-looking staff in her hand and similar to the other members of her party, she too had undulations of power coming off her.


    "So, I see they finally brought out the casters."


    "”­"


    Receiving no reply, Nex shook his head in disdain, "What a boring bunch! Never mind! Just come at me, you pompous bunch!"


    It''s as though they had received the signal they''re waiting for, the group began to split around, acting as if they had planned this ahead. The Warrior charged directly at Nex, while the Assassin blended into the shadows and disappeared. The Archer began to nock arrows into his bow and started firing at once. The females began to chant their spells.


    Nex didn''t panic. He started meeting the Warrior''s charge while sidestepping and dodging the rain of arrows. Sometimes he had to parry some but all his moves were lithe like a feline''s grace. It just took a short amount of time and he was right in front of the Warrior who was brandishing his giant sword at him at a frightening speed.


    In the face of this massive sword, Nex smirked and swung his glowing sword.


    ''[Advanced Enchantment]''


    Nex''s hand that was holding the sword disappeared for an instant and appeared quickly a few inches away from where it originally was. Without warning, the Warrior''s body froze and began to slowly fall into two halves.


    He didn''t stop just yet as he saw the Mage and the Priestess were about to finish their chants. Continuing to parry the arrows with his sword, he extended his other hand at their direction and said one word.


    "[Hush]"


    To these casters, it''s as though their vocal chords have stopped working for a second. Their chants that were almost at their ends were cut off unceremoniously. As a result, the energy from their chants violently rampaged inside their bodies, nearly causing their internal organs to explode.


    Ignoring the acute pain in his arm that held the sword, Nex then turned his gaze away from the injured casters and fixed it on the Archer instead.


    "Let''s see if the little Elf can run better this time."


    He already cut the distance between him and the Archer when he was done with his teasing. With the additional speed boost from using [Intermediate Enchantment], he arrived in front of the panicking Elf. The latter desperately tried to run but didn''t even manage to get far.


    ''[Intermediate Enchantment]''


    *Slash*


    Nex''s sword went through the Archer''s back and scattered all the arrows he had in his quiver to the air. At that moment, the space next to him began to tremble and out came the Assassin who was aiming his daggers towards Nex.


    "Finally decided to act, I see."


    Towards this imminent danger, Nex wasn''t alarmed at all. He grabbed one of the falling arrows with his left hand while using [Intermediate Enchantment] and stabbed the arrow through the Assassin''s hand with such force that the latter was thrown completely off balance.


    "Argh!"


    During the time that the Assassin was incapacitated, Nex''s right hand finished his slash through the Assassin''s chest at an impossible speed. The slashing happened so fast that the Assassin didn''t even have the chance to block or avoid it.


    Pulling the sword out of the dead Assassin''s chest, Nex then turned and started to walk towards the Mage and the Priestess.


    "This is why casters are useless in their early stages. You stop them during their little chants and they become worthless." He shook his head and then stared at the two injured ladies with cold eyes.


    "No worries, ladies. This male here is the most exemplary gentleman in all lands. I won''t let you suffer any longer and end this quickly."


    ???


    [Round Three Finished!]


    [Congratulations! Quest Completed!]


    [HP and MP restored!]


    [You will be passed to the next part in five minutes.]


    ???


    After 5 minutes, there was a flash of light.


    Nex found himself once again in a completely different place.


    This time, he was inside of a hall that looked like a throne room. In that ceremonial chair sat a young man who was dressed in elegant battle clothes and held a sword that was so fancy it almost looked ornamental!


    The extravagance and ostentatiousness of everything inside this place made Nex amused but when he saw the details of the man, his face turned grim in an instant.


    [Fallen Hero(Lord - Boss) LV : 15]


    [Final Part : Will of The Worthy]


    [Defeat the Fallen Hero]


    "Damn game! All of these just to let me learn a f*cking profession!" Nex spat out while removing items from his inventory for him to wear.


    [Corruption Bane Necklace Equipped!]


    [Corruption Bane Bracelet Equipped!]


    ["The Impossible Man" Title is in effect!]


    When he was done with his preparations, Nex lifted his gaze towards the Boss in front of him.


    "No more Mr. Nice Guy."

 21 Chapter 20

    Nex has a bad habit.


    He tends to hold back his power and not use his full potential. This habit began way back in Perias. To raise his battle proficiency, he will always use the minimum amount of power. As long as the opponent he is up against weren''t too weak or too strong, he would always do this type of "training".


    Due to this habit, he didn''t allocate the free stat points that he gained after his fight with the Corrupted Orc King nor did he equip the Corruption Bane Necklace and Bracelet.


    Not until now.


    "Damn habit," Nex muttered as he got used to the power surging inside him. "I could have finished this First Awakening nonsense way sooner if I had worn these items beforehand."


    He then angrily looked at the guy who still sat on the throne serenely.


    "Well? Are you coming or no---"


    Only to stop when he saw the Fallen Hero disappeared from his seat. The Fallen Hero''s abrupt vanishing act may have halted Nex''s speaking but it didn''t manage to vex him at all.


    Nex turned around in place and slashed with his sword while activating [Intermediate Enchantment] in his hands.


    *Clang!*


    And with a violent clash, the two swords met and caused a shockwave to echo around.


    ''Oh? This is better than I thought.''


    If it was before, when he was unequipped with the Corruption Bane items, even with [Intermediate Enchantment], he would still be blasted back by the enemy''s sword. Now, the Fallen Hero was the one who was pushed back, albeit slightly.


    Despite the knockback, the Fallen Hero almost immediately came again in front of Nex and slashed with his sword again; this time, with a sharp glow covering it.


    ''Raising gear, I see.''


    ''[Advanced Enchantment]''


    *Clang!*


    This time, the clash was so strong that the Fallen Hero was thrown back quite a few meters! Even Nex was pushed a few steps back.


    ''Oh? His sword is not bad,'' Nex thought while regaining balance to his footing.


    As his thoughts stopped, he leaned slightly forward while holding his sword to the side. This sword unsheathing pose is quite similar to that of a samurai''s but his sword is already drawn out.


    He took a deep breath and observed his opponent who had already regained his footing and is now charging at him with magic circles floating around him.


    ''[Martial Secret : Mana Break]''


    With blinding speed, Nex slashed his sword towards the incoming Fallen Hero who was still some distance away from him, sending a barely visible wave that caused the air, no, the mana in the atmosphere to vibrate and inflict damage to the surroundings.


    *Bang!*


    The Fallen Hero who was still in the middle of charging was caught off guard. He couldn''t stop nor dodge in time and was swept by the wave causing him to be blasted back. The magic circles he created were also destroyed by the attack.


    "So, just that and you are done?" Nex asked while staring at the man who was struggling to get up with blood gushing out of his mouth.


    Hearing Nex''s taunt, the eyes of the Fallen Hero shone with anger. He then roared, "Awaken!"


    *Boom!*


    Suddenly, black smoke began to come out of the Fallen Hero''s body. Soon, it covered every bit of the Hero.


    "Huh?" Nex raised an eyebrow. "Talk about clichئ."


    He didn''t maintain his spectator role for too long. A dark figure came out of the smoke. With a blink of an eye, he was already in front of Nex, smashing down his sword.


    ''[Intermediate Enchantment]''


    Although Nex was able to block the sword, their outcomes have reversed. This time, he was the one sent flying away while the Fallen Hero was able to withstand the shockwave and was pushed back by only a few steps.


    Nex didn''t idle around. He immediately stood up.


    "So this is what Fallen means”­"


    His opponent now has black and red eyes with strange tattoos shining all over his body. His once-clear eyes are shrouded, no longer holding any bit of sanity in them. The stalwart man from before has now dark and wicked energy rippling all over his entire body. There is no doubt, this is a corrupted being.


    The Fallen Hero didn''t allow Nex to survey him any further. He once again appeared in front of Nex with his sword.


    ''[Advanced Enchantment]''


    This time, another reversal happened. The Fallen Hero was thrown back but he didn''t waste a beat and came charging at Nex like a beast


    "Too bad for you, it seems that your transformation is now complete."


    [Corruption Bane Necklace Effect is on! All Stats +10%]


    [Corruption Bane Bracelet Effect is on! All Stats +10%]


    With those messages, Nex also started charging at the Fallen Hero who was coming for him at the front. It didn''t surprise Nex when he saw the sword of his opponent is now completely covered in black light.


    ''Well, I suppose they had to be color coordinated here too. Never mind”­''


    ''[Advanced Enchantment]''


    *Clang!*


    ''[Advanced Enchantment]''


    *Clang!!*


    ''[Advanced Enchantment]''


    *Clang!!!*


    It didn''t take long for the entire throne room to be filled with sounds of clashing swords. One was made of metal and the other of indestructible wood. It seemed never ending but it only lasted for a few moments before Nex jumped back away from the Fallen Hero.


    He isn''t going to deliver some sort of mind blowing skill or land the last awesome hit. Nope. He was about to run out of mana!


    "Damn it," He gnashed his teeth. "Is this as far as I can go?"


    The Fallen Hero, who obviously sensed the situation, used this opportunity to his advantage. He charged at Nex while behind him, numerous magic circles began firing spells at Nex.


    It was a situation that was impossible to come out alive from. There wasn''t even a hint of silver lining. So it was a conundrum why Nex''s depressed expression turned to a smirk. He even snickered when he lifted his sword over his head.


    "Psych."


    ''[Mana Revive]''


    Sets of unknown language filled his mind.


    ''Fusion Art : 100x [Mana Art - Starlight Shot]''


    ''[Martial Secret : Falling Moon Strike]''


    Countless of magic circles filled the entire area above Nex. Both sides had summoned innumerable magic circles but it could be clearly seen that Nex had summoned more than what the Fallen Hero did.


    They littered the ceiling like the stars did. The sword held above his head began to shine in familiar silver light. If the room had been dark in that moment, the scene would be like an elegant night sky.


    With a yell, Nex smashed down his sword at the Fallen Hero who was getting nearer to him.


    "[Lunar Sky Barrage]"


    Then there was a pause.


    A rain of shooting stars happened.


    With Nex''s shout, a large ray of light from his sword hit the ground. As though taking this as a cue, the magic circles above him issued out smaller beams as well.


    The Fallen Hero was so keen with his charge, he ignored this beautiful display. Thus, he got pierced through his chest by the large beam. With the hail of smaller beams, not only did his magic circles get dismantled, his body also got riddled with small holes from these beams!


    He died without even knowing how he did or how exquisitely it was done.


    [Congratulations!]


    [You finished the First Awakening Quest!]


    [Calculating results”­]


    [You got the [Worthiest Token]! Please submit it to the quest giver.]


    [Would you like to transfer to the awakening place now?]


    "Hold that for now." Nex dismissed the message and pocketed the token.


    After he did that, he immediately started to steady his breathing. What he did back there wasn''t just physically exhausting but also mentally taxing.


    Although the [Mana Art] didn''t require mana because of the fact he was under the [Mana Revive] effect, to cast and combine it at once together with a [Martial Secret] cost him quite a bit of mental energy.


    When he returned his breathing to normal state, it was then he noticed that another message has appeared.


    [Congratulations!]


    [You are the first one to both kill and solo a Lord-rank Boss!]


    [You have received 1,000 Gold!]


    [You have received 10,000 Fame!]


    [Would you like to announce your name? (You can put a nickname)]


    "Yes. You already know what name I want to use."


    He turned to where the remains of the Fallen Hero were. "Now, let''s check the loots."


    Walking over, aside from the money, there were only two items there, a sword and a pair of something that was between gloves and gauntlets.


    [Fallen Hero Sword(Unique - Higher) LV : 15]


    *PHY. ATK : 180


    *MAG. ATK : 100


    *Attack Speed +40%


    *Mana Swordmaster(Passive) : All magical and martial attacks and skills channeled through this sword will have a 30% reduction in mana cost.


    *Durability : 450/450


    "Oh?" Nex lifted the sword and slash it with most of the mana he recovered.


    ''[Advanced Enchantment]''


    An arc of light came out of the blade, far larger and stronger than normal. It even cut through the ground cleanly.


    Seeing this, Nex looked at the sword with a satisfied smile. He equipped the sword with while nodding, "Quite good."


    He then looked at the gloves.


    [Fallen Hero Magister Gloves(Unique - Higher) LV : 15]


    *PHY. DEF : 70


    *MAG. DEF : 70


    *PHY. ATK : 40


    *MAG. ATK : 120


    *Attack Speed +20% (additional 20% when used without a weapon)


    *Magister Wisdom : All spells cast through this item will have a 30% reduction in mana cost.


    *Durability : 250/250


    "This one isn''t that bad as well."


    Without further hesitation, Nex also equipped the gloves and looked at his new pieces of equipment like the cat that got the canary. He was really contented with his gains.


    "Although the penalty can be a little annoying”­"


    With the exception of most accessories, players can wear items that are above their level. While this is possible, there is a penalty that reduces the overall ability of the item by 5% for every level difference. This kind of restriction was implemented so that players wouldn''t be able to use high-level equipment while they are still at the start of the game.


    Looking at the half-ruined hall, Nex didn''t find anything that attracted his attention and said to the system, "I''m done here so teleport me to do that First Awakening thingy."


    [Transferring to the Awakening altar...]


    And once again, Nex was teleported away.


    ???


    [World Announcement : The player "Everyone else is a Noob" is the first to kill and solo a Royal-Rank Boss, Congratulations!]


    [World Announcement : The player "Everyone else is a Noob" is the first to kill and solo a Royal-Rank Boss, Congratulations!]


    [World Announcement : The player "Everyone else is a Noob" is the first to kill and solo a Royal-Rank Boss, Congratulations!]


    "Damn! Where the hell does he find all those Bosses?"


    "I think he is trying to make a collection."


    "If so, then too bad for him because someone else already has the first kill and solo of a Normal Rank Boss."


    "You fools! He is a GM! Normal rank Bosses aren''t entering his eyes!"


    ???


    When Nex regained his vision, he found himself back in the temple where he started in. He suddenly heard a calm voice behind him.


    "So, you successfully came back from the Trials, what did you learn from them?"


    Nex turned around and saw the old man from before looking at him with an amiable smile.


    "I, I''m not sure”­" He answered with a blank look. "I feel like my eyes were opened to a different world."


    "Oh? Care to tell me about it?" The old man asked with an I-knew-it smile.


    "Yes." Nex bobbed his head.


    "I know now what I should do. And that is”­"


    He came slightly closer to the elderly.


    He pulled his newly acquired sword and slashed at the old man, declaring”­


    "To beat the crap out of you!"

 22 Chapter 21

    "So you finally calmed down," The old man warily stated as he looked at Nex who was standing in front of him, restrained by numerous chains and ropes of mana.


    "Yes, yes. I promise I won''t attack you anymore." He vowed solemnly. He reluctantly accepted the fact that with his current strength, he was far from being a match to the old man.


    ''You just wait for a tiny bit. I will become strong enough in no time. By then, I will beat you black and blue until you look like a pig.''


    The elderly smiled knowingly. He never believed a single word that the young one had spoken. He already saw through that facade and could very well guess Nex''s train of thought. He didn''t expose the other''s silly duplicity and let it just pass. Besides, there were more pressing matters to be discussed. Hence, he released Nex.


    "Let''s do the First Awakening now."


    Acting like a petulant child minus the pout, Nex replied, "Fine!"


    "Good. Give me the token that you received upon completing the trial."


    Nex took out the [Worthiest Token] and threw it to the old man.


    The elderly offhandedly caught the token. It was just like any other ordinary inspection.


    "Hmm? Let me see what token is this..."


    Gradually, his eyebrows creased when he perused the token. It didn''t take long for his whole face to be frozen in shock.


    "This! This is the [Worthiest Token]! How did you get this?"


    Nex didn''t see any reason to fuss over something ordinary like a badge. He just shrugged indifferently.


    "I don''t know. I just defeated everything the quest told me to defeat. I don''t think I did something---"


    "Wait!" The elderly cut him off in total surprise.


    "Did you just say that you defeated every monster that was said in the trial? You killed them all?" He had to ask. He just couldn''t believe what he is hearing right now. It is a preposterous claim!


    "Yes. Isn''t that the goal of the quest? What else should I have done?" Nex is completely confused.


    "How can you say it like it was an easy thing to do?!" The old man looked at him like he was the most moronic being in all worlds that exists.


    "No one managed to pass the trial like that before their First Awakening. Normally, they will die and end the trial at the second stage and get a normal token!"


    The rays of enlightenment shone down on the naive Nex. Thus, he exploded.


    "What?! Are you saying that I could have finished this thing sooner if I had just died against those losers? Why was I not informed about this?"


    "Because it was as obvious as the sun glaring on a summer day, you idiot!" The elderly couldn''t control his temper at the other''s idiocy and he raised his voice too. Conversing with this young man made his brain cells die slowly.


    "No normal warrior who just started to develop his powers is able to hold on his own against opponents of that caliber!" The struggle to hold his temper back is real but somehow as he said this, he had steadied his voice a bit already.


    "Ahhh! Damn it!" Nex on the other hand though, is still hung up on it. All the time he wasted when he could have finished this sooner.


    Waving his right hand in dismissal, the old man didn''t want to dwell on this matter anymore.


    "Never mind that now. Considering what I was told by that guy in Spring Village, then I have no choice but believe in what you are saying."


    His expression turned serious before saying, "Follow me."


    Nex didn''t hesitate and took after the old man. They went deeper into the temple until they arrived in front of an ancient altar.


    Located in the middle is a large crystal ball that is filled with lights of different shades and colors.


    The elderly returned the token along with an instruction, "Take the token and put it on the globe. After that, all of your queries will have answers."


    Nex took the token and approached the center of the altar. He placed the token on top. Once the token touched the globe, it began to shine in brilliant light while he felt strange energy entering the tattoo at the back of his hand. A sense of strength then spread throughout his body. When the lights dimmed, messages began popping up.


    [Your class has been promoted to a ???Explorer!]


    [Stat effectiveness has doubled!]


    [The stats growth rate has increased : 6 points in each stat and 6 free stat points upon leveling up!]


    [Inventory has doubled!]


    [Profession slots raised to 4!]


    [Level Up!]


    [Level Up!]


    [Level Up!]


    Thanks to the quality of the monsters inside the trial and what left from killing the Orc King, Nex earned quite a bit of EXP but because he wasn''t done with the First Awakening, it had accumulated. First Awakening Quest must be completed in order for a player to progress with leveling. It wasn''t until now when he promoted his class that the amassed EXP was released.


    ''Who cares about that? The profession slots have been raised!'' Nex thought in glee while ignoring the ridiculous increase in power and growth rate. With excited eyes, he checked for further details in the status, only to have his face frozen when he saw the Profession Slots details.


    [Player Information]


    *Name : Nexus


    *Titles : [The Impossible Man], [Pioneer]


    *Class : ???Explorer


    *Profession : None (One slot available. Next slot will be unlocked after the Second Awakening is completed.)


    *HP : 100%


    *MP : 3,100/3,100


    *Level : 13


    *EXP : 42%


    *Fame : 111,600


    *Strength : 108 (58 + 50)


    *Agility : 116 (58 + 58)


    *Vitality : 123 (58 + 65)


    *Mana : 155 (88 + 67)


    *Wisdom : 96 (58 + 38)


    *Accuracy : 96 (58 + 38)


    *Available Stat Points : 18


    One slot available. Next slot will be unlocked after the Second Awakening is completed.


    ONE SLOT AVAILABLE. NEXT SLOT WILL BE UNLOCKED AFTER THE SECOND AWAKENING IS COMPLETED.


    The lengthy details of information blurred out and these words seem to be the only legible thing in Nex''s eyes. They even echoed in his ears as he stood straight in a stunned state.


    "What?!" Nex became furious once he recovered. He immediately turned around to face the old man.


    ”­Only to see the room completely empty except for him and the inanimate things around him.


    "You bastard! Where are you?"


    He saw a note where the old man stood before. Picking it up and skimming over it made Nex''s forehead pop more veins out.


    ''Haha! You brat! You will have to become a great warrior first if you want to learn your beloved professions! Good riddance! =p''


    His rage is already bubbling like fiery hot lava and that little emoticon was the last straw. He erupted vehemently.


    "You f*cking a*shole!!!"


    ???


    "So this is the Cooks Guild. Let''s hope that they''re not a bunch of weirdoes as well." Nex muttered as he stood in front of a large building with an equally large sign at the top of it.


    After falling into a rage fit for a several minutes, he finally managed to get a hold of himself and go back to the city. He had cooled down enough to sensibly put all of his equipment in his inventory.


    Finally, he can do the thing he bothered to level for all these time; to learn the Cook Profession.


    Entering the Cooks Guild, he heaved a big sigh of relief after seeing such a normal scene.


    The place is divided into three areas. One had a lot of cooking equipment that reminded him of a cooking competition he once saw a long time ago. That area greatly resembles the kitchen from the cooking show.


    Pots and pans arranged neatly; boards and sinks sparkly clean; different bottles of herbs and spices arranged in straight lines; sanitized countertops; few basketfuls of different vegetables and fruits of different kinds. A cook''s heaven it is!


    The second area is a small library with shelves full of books. It doesn''t take one to be a genius to deduce that those books are cooking-related ones.


    The last area had reception desks and some boards with missions signs attached to them.


    Without further ado, Nex went straight for the third area. There, a normal-looking receptionist behind one of the desks that had a "Recruitment" sign is waiting with a cordial smile.


    "Hi! Welcome to the Cooks Guild! Are you here to register?"


    "Yes."


    "Great!I see that you are a traveller from another world. You need to present the proof of your First Awakening."


    Nex showed her the back of his hand where the tattoo was. After his awakening, it turned silver-blue and looked a lot more intricate and more vivid than before.


    "Let''s see... Oho! This is a high-level proof! Please wait for a moment. I need to call the guild master."


    She didn''t wait for Nex to respond and just turned her back to him.


    Even though this woman was able to maintain her composure despite her surprise, Nex still began to have a bad feeling about the familiarity of the situation. He had no other choice but to wait in trepidation since he wants to learn this profession.


    "I apologize for making you wait."


    After a few minutes, the receptionist came back with a man who was wearing a chef''s uniform. He even had a few different cooking tools strapped to his belt. His mere presence commands respect.


    "Hi there, young man. I heard that you have a somewhat special proof."


    Nex gloomily raised his tattooed hand, "Here."


    The Guild Master carefully studied the tattoo. After a short time, the concentrated expression gave way to a smile. He then murmured, "Finally, this legacy can be continued."


    His gaze returned to Nex''s face and met the latter''s eyes. "Sorry but you can''t learn how to be a normal cook."


    "What? Why not?" Nex asked in a slightly indignant tone.


    "That is because of the class that you have awakened. It doesn''t allow those who have it to have a normal profession. But I have a solution for you."


    Nex who was initially depressed found hope when he heard the man''s last statement. "Really? What is it?"


    The man gave a friendly smile. His tone is courteous but had certain magnetism to it as if he is trying to entice someone to agree with him.


    "Not something difficult. I have a profession that is very suitable for someone like you. You can do everything that normal cooks can do and even more. So what do you say? Sounds good?"


    "Very!" Nex nodded enthusiastically. "What should I do?"


    Having baited the silver-haired young man successfully, the Master smiled even more and in a casual way explained, "It''s very simple. We first teach you the basics of cooking. After that, we will give you a trial to see if you have the right aptitude for this profession as well as gauge your ability to learn this art. It''s actually not complicated at all! Basically, it''s just getting and working with a few "special" ingredients and make a dish out of them. Child''s play, right?"


    "Yes!" Nex agreed. Too happy to notice the implication of the word "special" when the other said it. Nor did he notice how the Master acted when he was explaining things and the way he smiled convincingly.


    ''Finally! A simple task that only asks me to do simple and mundane things like gathering ingredients and cooking.''


    "Great! Then, let us begin!"


    ???


    Aside from his interactions with Iris, the next few hours were the best time Nex has ever had in this game.


    No fighting against barbaric monsters. No doing annoying trials. No one scamming him and screwing over his plans for playing the game.


    It was just pure cooking. How to work with ingredients, peeling, dicing, chopping, mixing and just cooking. It was an activity of a normal person and Nex is actually doing it!


    "Damn, my eyes are getting wet..."


    *Whisper* Look at the new guy. Why is he crying?


    *Whisper* Maybe he found out about the profession he got. Poor guy.


    These words never reached the too-emotional Nex. No one can penetrate his bubble of happiness.


    After calming down, he finished cooking the simple dish he just learned and gave it to the guild member who was supervising him


    "Oh? Done cooking that dish already?" The man asked with a friendly smile. "You are quite something. First, learning both theoretical and practical basics in just a few hours and now, you''re making a semi-advanced dish already! I wish I was as zealous as you when it comes to cooking."


    After he said his piece, the member gave the dish a taste. He then grinned and gave Nex a thumbs up. "It''s good! All you need now is more practice. Go to the Guild Master and tell him that you passed. He will then give you the final test before you can get the profession."


    "Thank you very much! I am going to see the Master." Nex said with a slight bow and walked straight towards the Guild Master''s office.


    He told the Master of his achievement and received a smile and a nod of satisfaction. Seeing this, pride swelled inside Nex''s heart. He did a normal person''s activity and he did it right!


    "You''re quite talented. You''re just the right guy for this profession."


    He passed a scroll and a bag full of cooking equipment to Nex before continuing. "Take this scroll and cooking tools and go to the southern forest. Once you''re there, open the scroll for the ingredients you will need. You have 24 hours to return with the dishes that you made using the tools in that bag. The taste will determine your result. You can go now. Good luck!"


    "Yes. I will return soon." Nex grinned with excitement and left the Guild eagerly.


    ???


    Having reached the forest, Nex looked around to make sure he was in the right place. He opened the scroll the Guild Master handed him.


    "Let''s see what ingredients I should gather."


    [Profession Quest Starts! Birth of The Mystic Gourmet!]


    [The Mystic Gourmet is a cook who makes the most magical dishes using the best ingredients. In order to prove one''s qualification for this profession, the player has to display the ability to make dishes that are exquisite and delectable using the required ingredients. Submit the dishes to the Cooks Guild Master to be assessed within the indicated time. Time remaining : 23:30]


    -Ten different dishes made from ten different Elite Boss ranked beasts that you hunted (0/10).


    -A dish made from Lord Boss ranked beast that you hunted (0/1).


    "”­"


    "F*ck!"

 23 Chapter 22

    "I need to make sure that in my next retirement, it will be devoid of scammers who love to make a fool out of me at every turn."


    Nex lamented on his luck as he stared at the Boss in front of him.


    [Nightmare Crow(Elite - Boss) LV : 15]


    *Craw!*


    A crow, as big as a minivan, is staring at him from mid-air.


    Its feathers were a mix of black and purple. It had vicious large claws that can tear apart metals and a beak that is so sharp, it seems like there is nothing it couldn''t pierce. Ominous energy continuously oozed out of its entire body, so it wasn''t surprising that it is capable of using dark magic and use illusions that can put its target inside a horrifying dream.


    "That bastard sure is loud. I hope its meat lives up to its reputation. A lot of people say that it is dreamy. It should satisfy that scammer''s tongue."


    As to how the meat''s real taste, Nex didn''t really care that much. He thought of this monster as one thing and one thing only ØC the ingredient for his fourth dish.


    For that reason, unlike his fights from the other Bosses before, this time, he took the initiative to attack.


    ''[Intermediate Enchantment]''


    By just strengthening his leg, Nex managed to jump high and fast enough to instantly close in on the crow. He swung his sword at once, not letting the bird react to his abrupt offense.


    ''[Advanced Enchantment]''


    *Craw!*


    Displaying its keen animal instincts, the crow was able to fall back and evade most of the impact from the attack at the last moment. So although it received a hit, the assault wasn''t enough to cause severe damage.


    "Not done yet, birdie." Nex smirked.


    ''[Mana Step]''


    Nex stopped mid-air as if he found a solid ground to stand. He bent his knees while using [Partial Enchantment] and like a bullet, he shot straight towards the crow.


    Not even a second was consumed before he appeared at the back of the crow. This move was executed so fast that the bird didn''t get the chance to avoid the stab that Nex delivered in its spine with [Intermediate Enchantment].


    *Craw!*


    This time, the wound is fatal enough to make the bird lose its strength and feel great pain. The crow submitted to the force of gravity and began to fall down. In its haste to try to shove Nex off, it even forgot to flap its wings to stay in the air.


    ''[Attach]''


    Nex didn''t stop. Gluing his legs to the back of the bird, Nex started to stab down his sword at the other vital parts of the monster in order to kill it without letting it rampage for too much.


    Soon enough, the dying crow was about to hit the ground.


    But how could Nex take the chance of ruining his main ingredient? Stretching his hand towards the spot that they were about to crash into”­


    ''[Cushion]''


    The crow''s descending body stopped completely before resuming its fall. This time, it had slowed down greatly and gently touched the ground like it fell into a soft pillow.


    *Craw!*


    And with that final cry, the Nightmare Crow succumbed to its injuries and died.


    [Level Up!]


    "Already? Leveling sure is easy after you reach the city."


    He jumped off from the dead crow''s back and began dissecting it with his sword.


    If there were other players present in the area to hear this comment, they will start attacking him while berating him nonstop. Even though more and more people can solo a Rare ranked monster after their First Awakening, to slay an Elite Boss like Nex did, is still an impossible feat for them.


    It only took barely 3 hours after his Profession Quest started for him to solo 4 Bosses. If normal players who need to expend much effort to defeat an Elite Boss knew this, they''d probably cry bloody tears.


    Nex doesn''t care for any of these details. He just wanted to enjoy what this game has to offer to him and play it without care. Sadly, it seems that his luck sucks big time on that aspect.


    "Damn it, these emotions of mine once again got in the way. To think that I didn''t notice all the shady stuff about this profession."


    He continued to grumble as he pocketed the magic stone and the meat he had selected from the crow. After he was done with that, he checked the loots from the bird and then shook his head.


    "Again, no usable thing. It seems that the drop rate for accessories is lower than I thought. Oh well, I will just save this for Jane and Eddie. I''m sure they will love it."


    It wasn''t that the gear isn''t usable for Nex. It''s just that he truly didn''t need it against the current monsters that he is facing. Their attributes weren''t enough for him. The types of equipment that could attract his eyes are accessories that raised stats and stuff like the [Fallen Hero Magister Gloves]. It had abilities that are suitable for his battle style that combines the use of spells and martial arts.


    Finally, Nex got to his favorite part - cooking the monster.


    "Hmmm. I think the best way to deal with this kind of meat is to fry it. I should marinate it first. Maybe I should serve it with a dipping sauce. Should I garnish it with some greens?"


    After finalizing his plans for the dish, he took a bowl and began mixing herbs, spices and sauces for the marinade. He then placed the meat into the bowl and sealed it before putting it back in the inventory. It should be soaked in the marinade for some time so the meat could absorb everything and be flavorful.


    When he was done with that, he stood up and started to make his way towards the next unlucky Boss.


    After a few minutes of scouting, Nex found his next target. More exactly, targets.


    Inside a small glade, he found two monsters fighting. One was a huge green snake and the other was a giant gray wolf.


    [Wood Mamba Ruler(Elite - Boss) LV : 15]


    [Alpha Wolf Ruler(Elite - Boss) LV : 15]


    The two were rampaging as they fought and as a result, the entire surroundings were in ruins. Their ferocious attacks caused destruction wherever they reached. It makes one wonder how can someone below level 20 even get close to such monsters.


    ''Nice. Two at the same place.''


    Nex didn''t feel an ounce of worry at all. In fact, he was even relieved that he managed to find two suitable Bosses at once. What a time-saver!


    He walked a few meters back and stopped. He turned once again after a moment and began to run forward while channeling mana into his legs.


    ''[Advanced Enchantment]''


    Once he reached the spot where he stood before, he jumped high into the air, reaching the area above where the two bosses are fighting.


    ''[Mana Step]''


    When he reached the peak height, he then activated the spell. He stretched his hands out and seized the [Mana Step] that was in the air. He grabbed it with both hands, as if holding a board, then placed his feet on the surface so that now he is hanging upside down.


    ''[Attach]''


    Fastening his feet to the [Mana Step], Nex then let go of a hand and held his sword with it.


    Staying like that, Nex watched the fighting Bosses that were so engrossed on their battle that they failed to notice that another threat is just above them. He continued to watch for an opening while streaming mana throughout his body. When an opportunity arose, he suddenly straightened his legs.


    ''Now!''


    ''[Martial Secret : Meteor Blade]''


    He shot down so fast that it wasn''t even possible for a normal eye to catch. Right before he reached the target he preferred, he swung his sword down.


    The giant snake wasn''t even able to sense him in time and got decapitated instantly by Nex''s mana-imbued sword.


    *Bang!*


    The upper part of the snake''s body was smashed to the ground and raised a large cloud of dust. Nex landed on it in order to avoid kissing the ground at the speed he was going at.


    The shocked wolf quickly fell back in order to get away from where the thing that just killed its enemy was. After it determined that it was on a safe distance away from the unknown killer of its opponent, it turned its attention back to the scene. It wanted to know what exactly had slayed its foe.


    After the cloud of dust has settled, a human can be seen rising up and dusting his clothes from where the remains of the snake were. To the relief of the wolf, the power it could feel from the human was far from strong enough to threaten it. He most likely used a technique that overdrafts vitality in order for him to kill the snake.


    And because of that deduction, the wolf arrived at a conclusion that there will be no problems in getting the remains of the snake. It only needs to get rid of the puny human who is most likely too exhausted to fight after killing the snake. Yes, it will kill this human and take the snake''s remains. It''s a simple and easy task that would be completed in no time at all!


    "Oh man, I landed hard. Well, at the least the parts that I want are still okay."


    Nex continued to dust his clothes off as he stared at the body of the snake which lost most of its shape after he used it to cushion his landing. Although he had less destructive ways to kill the snake, he decided to go with this way so as to intimidate and confuse the other Boss. This tactical move will give Nex enough time to catch his breath and prepare for his fight against the wolf.


    As soon as he was done checking the state of the snake''s corpse, he turned around to see that the giant wolf had already approached him with clear hostility and greed.


    "Ayyy”­ And they say that wolves are intelligent ones." Nex muttered as he pulled out his sword and held it on the side. He moved it slowly towards the incoming boss.


    ''[Martial Secret : Invisible Death]''


    The advancing wolf that was still sneering at the human''s attempt to fight back had half of its neck cut in half without any sort of warning. It was dead in just a beat.


    "To fall for this kind of trick, how this wolf survived until now is beyond me. It was even the ruler for them all."


    Nex shook his head as he sheathed his sword back. What he used was a very simple attack that its only merit was that it couldn''t be seen or sensed. If the wolf was slightly more cautious and moved to the side for a bit, then it would have not been hit at all. It could have dragged the battle for at least 2 minutes and give some sort of a challenge for him. What a pity.


    "Well..." Nex stared at the two corpses of the Bosses that could each have terrorized any party at this stage of the game.


    "”­What should I make out of these ones?"

 24 Chapter 23

    "And that''s the tenth."


    Nex muttered as he finished organizing the remains of the monster he had just killed. It was a very large boar. After hunting various types of Bosses, from aerials to plant-types and mammals for over ten hours, he finally finished procuring all ten Elite ranked ingredients that he needed for the quest.


    "Now, all that''s left is hunting for a Lord Rank. Good thing I already found clues as to where I could find one." He muttered as he stared at the deeper part of the forest.


    While traveling around the forest, he saw that monsters keep avoiding a certain valley. This raised his curiosity. And now that he is done with hunting for the ingredients from Elite Bosses and no longer stressed for time, he decided to go see what exactly is in that place.


    Starting to walk towards the direction of the valley, Nex noticed on his way that the number of the monsters and living creatures overall began to decrease, while a certain sensation that he felt began to increase. This sort of sensation, only the strong have the ability to spread.


    Of course, instead of having second thoughts, Nex, in his usual manner, only had a wide smile in his face.


    "Found it!"


    ???


    After several more minutes of walking, Nex arrived inside the area of the valley. Surprisingly, instead of staying low profile and covert, he began to run at a high speed while making obvious noises directly towards where he sensed the strong presence is coming from.


    A moment of running later, he reached a small clearing at the center of the valley and saw the scene he had expected ØC a completely empty area.


    "So it''s like this huh?" Nex smiled and pulled out his sword. Without any further warning, he stabbed it at the ground with a large force while twisting the blade in the process.


    ''[Martial Secret : Drilling Pierce]''


    The mana-covered sword was stabbed to the ground so deep that only one-third of it is still visible above the ground. When Nex pulled the sword out, the result was a round hole was seen and it was so deep that it is estimated to have reached at least 6 meters down.


    ''[Intermediate Enchantment]''


    When Nex pulled his sword out, he strengthened his legs and jumped high into the air. The moment he left the ground, it began to crazily shake around like it was about to get destroyed by an earthquake.


    *Roar!*


    Suddenly, a colossal dark brown dragon-like head came out from where Nex was just at. It opened its mouth for a bite but didn''t manage to catch him on time. Consequently, it let out a blood-freezing roar out of anger.


    Seeing the gigantic terror-inducing beast that came out of the ground, Nex checked its details while standing mid-air using [Mana Step]. He beamed with joy.


    [Adolescent Earth Drake(Lord Boss) LV : 20]


    "This is exactly what I needed."


    Dragons”­


    They are the ones who ignore the difference between mortals and divines. They are the ones that only the most powerful could aim to threaten and defeat. They are the beings that are considered the paragons of magic and owners of the strongest physiques.


    Only a handful can compare to its existence.


    This young Earth Drake is far from being called one of those pure-blooded dragons and only had a small amount of bloodline inside of it. That small amount of bloodline however, is more than enough to make it one of the strongest Lord Ranked Bosses in its level.


    It is so strong that over 95% of the high-ranking parties that will face it before their Second Awakenings will find themselves wiped out within just a few seconds.


    "Although their meat isn''t as good as pure dragons, it will probably be enough for a satisfactory dish. I just need to make sure I could make it really tender and easy to chew."


    And here is a fool who was busy thinking of the quality of the Drake''s meat instead of how to survive.


    The Earth Drake was pissed at the fact that Nex was standing in the air and didn''t pay attention to it. The latter even had the gall to stab it in its back when it was underground! This human should grovel and ask for his paltry life to be spared! Its inborn pride didn''t allow itself to calmly receive this sort of casual treatment from such a weak being. And so, it roared at the human furiously while infusing mana into its voice.


    *Roar!*


    With this roar, the air began to shake violently and cause destruction throughout the area it has reached.


    Before this attack arrived at Nex, the latter lightly waved his hand while saying a few words.


    "[Mana Art : Vibration Wave]"


    From where Nex waved his hand, the air rippled and moved towards the incoming attack of the Earth Drake. It neutralized the attack from the Boss, so what reached Nex was nothing more than a gentle wind.


    Staring back at the Earth Drake that was momentarily shocked that its attack was blocked with such ease, Nex shook his head.


    "It really doesn''t matter how pure their bloodline is, they always start to attack in the same foolish way."


    *Roar!*


    As if understanding Nex''s words, the Earth Drake roared furiously and decided not to hold back anymore. No more Mr. Nice Dragon! Your humanly atrocious existence shan''t continue for long!


    Suddenly, a dozen of magic circles appeared on the ground. From them, large pillars made of black stone shot out from the ground and extend directly towards Nex in a flash.


    "Finally, the fun starts."


    And with this statement came Nex''s disappearance from where he was.


    The drake didn''t think much of this and just snorted. The pillars along with some new ones were shot towards a certain direction at an even faster speed. The spot where they landed was the same spot Nex appeared but he dodge these pillars by jumping around in the air. He kept on using [Mana Step] as he continued to evade the incoming attacks like he didn''t even need to see them.


    Seeing how the human effortlessly evade its attacks, the Drake felt offended. Consumed by rage, it increased the amount of mana pumped into the spell. This made the pillars once again increase in number and movement speed.


    Facing such assault, Nex abruptly changed his direction and instead of keeping a distance away from the Drake, he went straight towards the Boss!


    Now that the human is coming directly for it, the Drake scoffed at this human''s suicidal move. Its chest move upwards like when one is inhaling. When it opened its mouth once again, it released something far more frightening than a roar.


    Out of the Drake''s jaws came a cone of berserk mana mixed with black stones that extended in a 60-degree angle forward and destroyed anything in its way.


    Dragon Breath, one of the one-hit moves of the dragon race and its subspecies, which was the most terrifying attack to take head-on. Facing such brutal attack, Nex was undaunted. He stayed at his spot and calmly put forward the hand with the [Corruption Bane Bracelet] and stream mana to his shoes. Several spells and techniques were issued out.


    ''[Dash]''


    ''[Martial Secret : Mana Phasing Step]''


    ''[Mana Revival]''


    ''5x[Advanced Enchantment]''


    ''[Mana Shield]''


    ''[Add Property : Mana Resistance]''


    And then an amazing sight happened.


    Instead of being eradicated by the rampaging mana, Nex''s figure became slightly transparent. He jumped from one [Mana Step] to another, without being affected by the magic power that destroyed any other thing in its path. Whatever came his way, he would just block them with a strengthened shield he made out of his bracelet or just slice it with his sword.


    The reason for this phenomenon is very simple. Nex did a movement technique that matches the mana around him to the vibration frequency of the Breath. This way, he could move through it without being obstructed, or worst, being shredded to death. This trick however, is only possible when there is just one type of pure mana like this one.


    And just like that, Nex breezed through the Dragon Breath like how the fishes swim in waters. The Drake who thought the human was long dead, stopped its Breath and closed its mouth. Only, after the Breath disappeared, Nex is right in front of it with a smile.


    "Hi!"


    The Drake didn''t even get to reply hi in roar-form when Nex jumped using [Mana Step] and swung down his sword.


    ''[Martial Secret : Mana Sword]


    And from Nex''s blade, a giant blade made of mana was extended and pierced through the Drake''s skull, killing it instantly.


    [Level Up!]


    Hearing this message, Nex jumped down from the Drake''s head and then turned to face the corpse of the beast. He stared at it with satisfaction.


    "Now, what should I cook out of this one?"


    ???


    3 hours before the Quest''s deadline.


    The Cooks Guild Master sighed as he stared outside of the window in his office. Truthfully, he didn''t really think that Nex will be successful in this mission. Although his class crest indicated that he had one of the better classes, it was still no more than a strengthened version of the explorer class. Its only true value is that he will have the ability to get rarer professions instead of normal ones. It wasn''t necessarily a good thing.


    The profession that he is testing for now is a good example of this. The ones at this level who can hunt monsters of this caliber are very few. Not to mention that almost each one of those people is an owner of a legendary class or a disciple of a great force. So not to mention hunting a monster, Nex will probably be very lucky to just keep his measly life intact.


    As these thoughts ran through his mind, he suddenly saw from outside, a familiar figure coming towards the Guild building. It made him heave a big sigh of relief.


    That figure is Nex.


    "So he survived." Even though he didn''t think Nex could pass the mission, he still thought of him as a talented young cook. He might not be capable of making true dishes like someone who has a cooking profession but he still can do pretty tasty meals. So when he saw that Nex came back alive, his mood improved greatly.


    He hastily went to the entrance of the Guild so he could welcome the young man. Once he met Nex, he gave him a consoling pat on the shoulder.


    "It is a good thing that you have survived, even if you didn''t finish the mission."


    "What are you talking about? I finished making all the dishes." Hearing the middle-aged man''s words, Nex was confused.


    "Yes. Yes. You finished making all the dishes." The Guild Master said absent-mindedly. He was bent on soothing this talented man''s feelings. Nex must have been feeling dismal with his failure, he has to give comforting words to this guy!


    "Still you should appreciate the fact that you managed to get out of there alive. It''s the most important thing, to be able to keep your life."


    "Dude, are you high?" Nex furrowed his eyebrows. "I just told you that I finished making all the dishes!"


    "It''s okay to complain, I know it''s hard to accept defeat." The Guild Master shook his head. "Any other person in your situation would have”­"


    When he finally managed to comprehend Nex''s words”­


    "”­"


    "What did you just say?!"

 25 Chapter 24

    "This one tastes impeccable as well." The Guild Master commented as he put his fork down. He looked at Nex with a mix of veneration and wonderment.


    "You actually managed to hunt 10 Elite Bosses in less than a day. Not only that, but you also made a perfect dish out of each and every one of them. Tell me the truth; are you really just an Explorer?"


    To this, Nex only smiled with a shrug of his shoulders. "Of course I am. The fact that I am an Explorer doesn''t mean I can''t fight and cook well, is it?"


    Facing such an answer, the Guild Master understood that he should no longer think of this guy, in front of him, as a normal person or else his world view will be in danger.


    "Never mind, forget that I asked. Anyway, since we both know the result of this mission, let''s just finish this quickly. Bring me your last dish."


    "I was waiting for you to say that." He brought out a large pot from his inventory while explaining, "Since the main ingredient of this dish is a little big, I made a large amount of it so that everybody could get a taste."


    He placed the pot on the table and opened it.


    "Enjoy."


    Immediately, a mesmerizing scent of cooked meat rose from the open pot and attracted all people around.


    "What is this smell? How can it be so”­ appetizing?"


    "It smells so good that my mouth is drooling already."


    "I wonder what kind of meat was used to make this dish."


    Contrary to the other Cooks who were oblivious to the origins of the meat, the Guild Master knew very well what kind of meat can emit this particular scent.


    "Y-you hunted a Dragon-Kin."


    "Yes. Although it was just an Earth Drake, its meat should be enough for the quest, right?"


    Thus, the Guild Master exploded.


    "Just an Earth Drake?!" He almost choked Nex at the latter''s nonchalance.


    "Do you know how hard it is for someone in his First Awakening to defeat "just an earth drake" that you can say it so casually?"


    "Hmm”­" To this question, Nex pondered deeply and with confidence he answered”­


    "”­Like sleeping with a virgin Elf."


    "You little”­!"


    "Ahhh! Not the face!"


    ???


    Leaving the Cooks Guild, Nex looked at his status screen with a bruised face yet, a bright smile.


    [Congratulations! You have acquired the Mystic Gourmet Profession!]


    [You received the skill [Magical Cooking]!]


    [You received the skill [Magical Ingredients Processing]!]


    [Magical Cooking : Any food that you make will have a better taste. If the ingredients'' rank is high enough, there is a chance for the food to have special effects. In addition, by using mana while cooking, the cooking time will be greatly reduced and the dish will be made according to the Cook''s preference, provided, the user''s proficiency is high enough.]


    [Magical Ingredients Processing : By using mana, you can process the ingredients speedily and more accurately. If the user is proficient enough, the ingredients'' quality will be slightly raised.]


    "Yes! Finally! This is what I had expected from a Profession in this game."


    After all the crap he had to go through, he finally got his Profession. If before, he had some doubts as to why would he even need a Profession if he could cook without it. It just seemed like an unnecessary chore. Now, they had all completely vanished.


    Although he hadn''t tested it yet, just looking at his new skills, it could be seen that the difference in ability and versatility of having and not having a Profession is immense.


    "It seems that this crappy Profession Quest wasn''t so crappy after all." He said to himself in glee.


    Not only did he get an amazing Profession, he also gathered a lot of equipment for Jane and Eddie. He even found for himself a few things that attracted his eyes.


    [Earth Drake Adept Earring(Unique - Higher) LV : 20]


    *All Stats +28


    *Mana +40


    *Vitality +20


    *+5% to all stats when fighting against Dragon-Kin


    *Earth Manipulation : By consuming mana, the user can control the ground in his surroundings. The power and stability of the skill will be determined by the amount of mana and the user''s mana control (Mana Affinity skill for players of non-Master mode).


    [Draconic Earth Battle Robe(Unique - Higher) LV : 20]


    *PHY Def : 220


    *MAG Def : 220


    *+5% to all stats when fighting against Dragon-Kin


    *Dragon Fear : By using mana, Dragon Fear aura will be emanated from the wearer and will cause intimidation and lower opponent''s stats by 10% if they are normal monsters and 5% if they are bosses. Applicable only to non-Dragon-Kin creatures that are Lord Rank and below with no more than 5 levels above the user and isn''t above Second Awakening.


    *Durability : 600/600


    The earring is perfect for him as it mainly added just the stats that he needed right now which were strength and mana. As for the robe, it''s also quite good. Aside from the skill it had, it also has high amount of defence stats and durability.


    Furthermore, it is made from black-red material that was elastic yet durable and more importantly, it doesn''t stand out at all. It looked like a simple battle robe that trainees and beginners usually use. This fact made Nex very relieved as his trainee clothes were on the verge of becoming rags.


    ''Well, now that I have a Profession, it''s time for the next stage”­ Going on an adventure!'' He decided when he suddenly remembered something.


    ''Oh wait. Now that I think about it, I can go register with the recommendation letter that dude from the hunting shop gave me at the Adventures Guild. I should find there a suitable mission to do while I''m on adventure.''


    And with that idea, Nex set his way towards the Adventures Guild.


    After a few minutes, he found himself in front of a not-so-big yet, very imposing building with an equally imposing sign right above its entrance : Adventures Guild.


    Nex stared at the sign before moving his gaze towards the City Hall that was on the other side of the street. ''To be located so close to where the mayor is. It seems that what the girl in the hunting shop said is not so ridiculous at all.''


    And with those thoughts, Nex entered the building. He went straight to where a cute receptionist was. The latter welcomed him with a sugary smile.


    "Welcome! Are you here to make a request for a mission?" The young girl asked while her eyes roamed all over him slowly.


    It started from his bruised face down to his simple-looking clothes and further down to the [BloodTooth BattleBoots] on his feet which were low-key as well. Her eyes travelled slowly back to his eyes while she thought of something.


    "Do note that we don''t accept request to harm other civilians unless they are criminals."


    Hearing her words, Nex touched his face with a wry smile before handing her the recommendation letter.


    "Actually, I am here to register."


    "Oh? Is that right? I am very sorry." The young girl bowed slightly, her cheeks flushing a little. Then she took the letter and opened it. After a moment, her cry of surprise echoed.


    "What?! From Mister Armstrong!"


    She then looked at him in a gaze completely filled with shock and admiration. She just needs to confirm. "You received a recommendation from Mister Armstrong?!"


    "Is that his name?" Nex nodded, "Yeah. He gave me a quick test and then gave me this letter."


    "You passed the test that he gave you?!" The shock in the girl''s eyes deepened and then she pulled on his hand without asking permission. "Come with me! The Guild Master said that anyone that is recommended by Mister Armstrong has to meet him before registering!"


    ''Is there a Guild Master I won''t have to meet every time I enter a guild?'' He thought mockingly as he was semi-forcefully pulled by the hand.


    Soon enough, his thoughts had gone in another direction as he tried to move his hand. ''This girl”­ She is strong. It seems she''s at level 33-42 which is at least mid-Second Awakening. To have someone as young with this kind of strength, serve as their receptionist, this guild is indeed a little interesting.''


    In a short amount of time, Nex found himself barging into an office with the young girl. There, sat in front of a large desk is a middle-aged man in his fifties. He began his litany of sermons at once, without giving the girl a chance to open her mouth.


    "Stacey! How many times do I have to tell you not to enter my office like this!"


    But the girl was too excited and ignored his yelling. She handed the letter and spoke to him without being perturbed.


    "Guild Master! This man has Mister Armstrong''s recommendation!"


    "What?!" The Guild Master''s eyes widened as he took the letter from the girl''s hand. After reading it thoroughly, he looked at Nex with a penetrating gaze.


    "Tell me, boy. How did you get this?"


    Nex who has just managed to extricate himself from the girl''s grip just shrugged. "I don''t know? Guess I am just talented."


    The Guild Master, who had experienced enough throughout his life, narrowed his eyes, "Oh? Is that right? Just because of talent?"


    In the next moment, the Guild Master suddenly vanished from where he was and appeared immediately in front of Nex, slashing a sword at the younger man.


    ''x2[Advanced Enchantment]''


    For this abrupt offense, Nex seems to have already been prepared. He pulled both his wooden sword and [Fallen Hero Sword] out, one for each hand. He then slashed them in a certain direction separately. When the Master arrived in front of him, the wooden one parried the Guild Master''s sword and the other one is right at the Master''s neck.


    *Clang!*


    *Bang!*


    "Kyaa!"


    The next scene happened because Nex moved his [Fallen Hero Sword] first, that it was about to touch the Guild Master''s neck. But because of the difference in power, the older one became aware of it. With a snort, he added power to his sword. So when the moment it met with the wooden one, the force blasted Nex to the wall with a loud noise, scaring the receptionist out of her wits.


    The Guild Master stared at Nex, who was standing back up while giving a stare back at him with a smirk. The young man was sheathing his swords already when he suddenly felt an itchy sensation on his neck. Touching there, he felt a small scratch where Nex almost hit.


    "Oh yeah, I also did that."


    He gave Nex a probing stare, especially that tattoo on the other''s hand. The Guild Master sighed in resignation. "Stacey, go register Nex as a First Awakening Master and introduce him to the place."


    The shocked girl, who has just finished recovering from what she had just witnessed, entered a shocked state once again.


    "What? Guild Master, are you sure? He isn''t even a mid---"


    "Enough! That is my decision. Now go away." The middle-aged man stopped her complaints with a stern voice.


    Understanding that she shouldn''t ask questions now, Stacey reluctantly went back while taking Nex with her.


    She then showed him the various facilities and areas of the Guild. From the mission board to the training area that is located underground. It didn''t take long for them to cover the entire place.


    At the end of the tour, Stacey gave him a blue badge with a single silver star inscribed on it. Once he dropped his blood on it, it showed him a message.


    [Adventurer Guild Badge]


    [Rank : First Awakening Master]


    "The badge will serve as your identification for the Adventures Guild." Stacey explained. "The number of stars signifies your awakening while their color signifies your rank. Each Awakening has different ranks except the two at the top --- Master and Paragon has silver and gold respectively. These ranks are only given to those who went beyond limits of normal people and are considered the strongest in their level."


    She then looked at Nex with admiration, "And now, you are one of those people. You should be proud of yourself."


    "Thank you." Nex smiled and put the badge on. He then asked Stacey the most important question.


    "This means that I can now take a mission, right?"

 26 Picking a Mission and Training

    "Hmmm.. What should I choose?"


    Nex contemplated as he stared at the mission board. He wanted a stress-free mission that he could do leisurely, so he can still have enough time to cook every now and then.


    The heavens must be going against him. Almost all of the missions available involve either fighting or defending. The other ones were mostly inside the city area and not actually outside.


    *Bzzz*


    While he was in deep in his thoughts, the tattoo in his hand began to shine and slightly vibrate.


    "Hmm? What is this?" His attention shifted to his tattoo.


    He knew this tattoo wasn''t normal but since it didn''t do anything out of the ordinary, he just let it be and didn''t really mind it.


    Now, it suddenly moved. Moreover, it seems to draw Nex''s attention towards a certain direction in the mission board.


    "You want me to take this mission?"


    The tattoo led him to a particular mission. Its content involves delivering magic stones used for crafting to a dwarf settlement located on the western side of the city.


    Normally, a delivery mission like this one won''t be issued to the guild. This time, however, due to the package being precious magic stones, the delivery should be done by someone with good strength so that the consignment will be completed as fast as possible.


    *Bzzz*


    The tattoo vibrated once again as a response of affirmation.


    Seeing the tattoo''s reaction, Nex checked the location and details of the settlement. Upon studying the particulars of the mission, he quickly deduced the routes he could take and calculated his travel time.


    If he goes through the forest and mountains, he could reach the settlement within a day. Then if he continues on, he could reach the Western City in just a few more days.


    ''This is great! I can go do this mission and continue forward to the Western City where I could meet Jane and Eddie. By this time, they probably have reached the area already. It will be hitting two birds with a stone!''


    "Good job!" He petted the tattoo like a pet while making his way towards the reception.


    ???


    After leaving the guild''s building, Nex looked at the sky in satisfaction. As the magic stones weren''t ready yet, he couldn''t start the mission and has to wait for more than 24 hours. This suited him perfectly for he has been in the game for over 36 hours already. He needed to log out and go train Jane.


    "Hey! Can you wait for a second?"


    While he was about to go offline, he suddenly heard a voice calling him. Lifting his head, Nex saw a bow-wielding player approaching him with a friendly smile. Behind him was a group of players with different classes.


    "What is it?" Nex asked.


    The Archer smiled, "Nothing. I just wanted to know if you are interested to join my party when you log back."


    "Sorry but I like to play solo." Nex replied, wondering why, out of the blue, he was asked to party.


    It was then that he noticed that he still had his sword on him. Not the wooden one, but the fancy-looking [Fallen Hero Sword].


    ''Damn. I was too focused on getting a mission!''


    "Oh... Is that so?" The archer said in dejection.


    This lasted for just a second before perking up once again. "Then at least let''s register as friend---"


    "What?"


    Nex acted like an old man with difficulties in hearing. His body began to glow.


    "I can''t hear you over the sound of me logging out. Oh well, farewell young ones!"


    And with those words, he disappeared.


    "That a*shole!" One of the people from the Archer''s group cursed. "Boss, why did you even bother talking to someone like that? You should have just told him the name of our Guild so he will have no choice but to agree!"


    "Shut up!" The Archer''s face contorted, turning fierce as he yelled at his subordinate. "What do you even know? That man has just left the Adventures Guild! Do you know how only a few managed to join there so far? Not only that, but all of them are legendary players who had made a name for themselves! Not to mention that that man had a badge with a silver star! It''s completely different from the other ones that only managed to get green or blue!"


    The Archer then looked at the spot where Nex was just at, his eyes narrowing.


    "More importantly, that sword”­ You have to defeat at least an Elite Rank Boss to get it. Whoever that person is, I want you to find out everything you can about him. You absolutely can''t offend him, no matter what the circumstance may be. There is no way that this man is just a normal solo player."


    ???


    "Did he pick a mission?"


    "Yes." Stacey answered the Guild Master. "It is a normal delivery mission. He also said that he will continue from there to Starshine."


    "Is that so?" The middle aged man said while looking at where Nex just logged off from. "This sure is an impatient man. Not even two days since he arrived in this city and he is already itching off to go to another one."


    "Guild Master”­" Stacey then voiced out what had been bothering her.


    "Now, can you tell me why did you give him a Master rank? Even if he managed to hit you back, you were just using the peak of the First Awakening power. Even if he is a genius, he should still get only an Advanced rank."


    Hearing her words, the Guild Master smiled and shook his head.


    "What that man displayed earlier wasn''t talent. If it was just talent, then Armstrong would not have given his recommendation."


    "What?" Stacey is confused. "Then what was it? How did he manage to do that?"


    "With experience." The Guild Master''s eyes turned sharp.


    "From the moment he entered the room and saw me, he was already prepared for what I would do. And at that moment I made a move, he reacted like he had been in this situation for about hundreds, if not thousands of times. No talent can do that. Not without the experience of having to fight with his life on the line for a few years."


    He further explained what he had observed.


    "Not to mention that crest. To be able to get that means that he has defeated Lords when he was still Unawakened. Maybe even Royals. So someone with his capability is more than worthy to get a Master rank. One thing is for sure. This man will do great things in the future."


    ???


    ''What Profession should I learn next?'' Nex pondered while effortlessly blocking Jane''s offense.


    ''Maybe Blacksmithing?''


    He deflected a punch.


    ''Nahhh”­ I would have to be confined in a workshop all day. Boo-ring”­''


    He dodged a kick.


    ''How about a Bard?''


    He lightly kicked Jane''s leg, causing her to lose balance.


    ''Not that either. I hate to sing and I will always have to play for people. Nope. They should be the ones singing and playing for me!''


    He evaded another punch.


    ''How about taming?''


    He used some force to flick at Jane''s forehead, causing her to fall.


    ''Hell, no! I would constantly be surrounded by pets that I have to take care of. They should be the ones taking care of me and my needs!''


    ''Hmm”­ Maybe”­''


    "Hey, you jerk!"


    Jane''s angry voice woke him up.


    "If you are going to train me, at least don''t do it while thinking about something else with a blank face!"


    "Oh, sorry. I was thinking about the game." He apologized and then remembered something.


    "The things that I have taught you, did you apply them inside the game?"


    "Yes, I did." Jane''s anger went down a little as enthusiasm slowly flooded her. "I still can''t believe that it actually succeeded. Not only that, it even turned into a real skill!"


    "Of course, it did." Nex smiled. "The system recognized it as a skill because it had fulfilled the necessary requirements. It has a working way of manipulating and channeling mana like the breathing technique that I taught you or the mana affinity skill in the game. It has a proper trigger, which in your case is the chant. And most importantly, you could visualize what you wanted to happen and turn it into reality. So basically, you just need these three conditions done and you can create any skill that you want."


    "What? It''s that easy?" Jane was both confused and shocked. "I thought that creating skills is supposed to be very hard and only possible by using extensive experience and practice?"


    "Of course, it is." Nex nodded seriously. "I only explained what you need to do for the game to declare a skill as created. In order to truly create a skill or technique from zero, you have to do research first and go through a long process of trial and error until something that works properly will be created. Other players that don''t have a working trigger along with a complementing breathing technique or a manual knowledge of how to channel the mana will have to practice bitterly and raise their mana affinity skill until they can succeed in creating something useful."


    "You speak like you know how the game works." Jane said with narrowed eyes.


    ''No, it''s just that I know how Perias works.'' This remained in his thoughts as he verbally replied to her, "Again, it''s because I spent a long time in a place with the same environment and did some testing myself inside the game. So it was easy for me to find out about simple things such as these."


    "You also said something familiar before." Jane became curious. "Just what exactly is that place?"


    "That place”­" Nex''s gaze became a little gloomy. "It''s a place where I lost too much compared to what I gave."


    Seeing the ever-smiling Nex having an expression like that, Jane understood that she touched a sore spot and quickly apologized, "Sorry, I didn''t mean to---"


    "It''s fine." Nex cut her off with a smile. "I can now put that in the past."


    "Besides”­" His tone then changed as a smirk formed in his lips.


    "What are you doing now when we should actually be training? Gossiping like the old ladies in a tea party, 200 punches while using the breathing technique!"


    "Damn it, you a*shole! You said you will stop training like that!"

 27 Setting Out and...

    [Welcome Back to The Mythical Age!]


    Nex respawned back to where he was before he logged out of the game, right in front of the Adventures Guild.


    After being done with getting used to having his avatar body back, he entered the Guild building to check on his mission. He was then informed that the stones will be ready in an hour. By then, he can finally begin his journey onwards the Dwarf Settlements.


    To kill the remaining hour, he decided to go out and do some final preparations for his outing. He still has to repair his equipment, look into some hunting gears and most importantly, buy some local spices and herbs, ingredients and cooking utensils.


    This time, he is wise enough to put his sword back inside his inventory. On the surface, he seems like another mediocre player who is just scrutinizing a ladle. Who would ever pay attention to someone like that?


    But for someone like Nex, whose sense has been honed by years and years of constant battling, it was plainly obvious to him that he was being followed right from when he reentered the game.


    Since he was only doing mundane things and these stalkers were polite enough not to interrupt his shopping spree, he just ignored them. Besides, he couldn''t fight them inside the city. So he happily tested if he had a skill in bargaining and haggled for the ladle with the shop keeper.


    When he was through with his phase of being a shopaholic, he returned to the Adventures Guild once again.


    He reemerged with a large bag, which was full of security locks and spells, slung over his shoulder. As he had expected, he was met by the same people from the other day with the same smiles on their faces.


    "So, we meet again."


    "Don''t tell me that crap when your little muppets have been following me for the last hour!" Nex complained.


    "I apologize for that." The Archer said with a sincere face. "But you should understand that I just couldn''t give this opportunity up."


    "Oh?" Nex raised an eyebrow while folding his arms. "And what exactly is this opportunity you''re talking about?"


    "To have a chance to do a quest issued by the Adventures Guild." The Archer answered without a shred of hesitation.


    "It isn''t hard to find a delivery quest for you and your group to do, don''t you think so?"


    "You may be right." The Archer conceded before pushing his argument.


    "But this obviously isn''t some normal quest but one that is issued by the Adventures Guild. If we manage to be a part of this quest and fulfill it well, we may have a chance to attract the eyes of someone from the Guild and get recruited. This is something we can absolutely not give up on."


    "So this is the reason why you''re being persistent." Nex shook his head and walked past them.


    "Sadly for you guys, I''m not interested in creating parties with you. I want to do this mission on my own, so you should find someone else to help you."


    "I think you should stay and talk some more." The Archer furrowed his brows at other''s unwelcoming attitude. So he spoke with a threatening tone while walking up to Nex and stretching his hand towards the latter''s shoulder.


    "I didn''t say that this conversation is over yet."


    And then that happened.


    "Oh?" Nex stopped and looked back.


    "And what exactly is your ability to prolong this conversation?"


    This frigid tone made the whole group freeze. Not a second has passed when they begin to shake out of fear as they heard a faint but clear sound of a roaring beast somewhere near. A sense of powerlessness filled them. The Archer, who was the nearest, took a few steps back until he fell to his butt. His face became deathly pale and he couldn''t make any sound, not even a grunt or a whimper.


    For the next few seconds, the whole group felt as if they all stood naked on top of an icy mountain. This sort of stifling feeling along with the coldness, it was akin to staring death itself!


    Only after a minute or two did they manage to regain their consciousness and looked at each other with terror. A single sentence was in their heads”­ ''What the hell is this thing?!''


    Even though he bore most of the brunt, the leader already managed to recompose his self. Being an expert hunter in real life, he began to marvel at what he had just experienced.


    ''That thing was definitely a skill or at least part of it. As for the other part”­'' He slightly shuddered; remembering the terrifying feeling those silver eyes gave him.


    ''This person is at least a high-ranker hunter. Not just any high-ranker but a high-ranker who had his fair share of killing people.''


    ???


    "This Dragon Fear sure is useful." Nex muttered while he ran through the forest, now fully equipped.


    "I can unleash small amounts of my killing intent through it and increase the intimidation effect without scaring my opponents too much. I don''t even need to use too much mental strength to control it."


    For people who had done a lot of killings, killing intent is just lusting for a prey''s blood. This sensation would cause most people, especially the ones with weaker minds, to be intimidated to the point of being scared.


    But for people who had reached a very high level of strength, both in body, mind, and soul, it''s another story. Killing intent or fighting spirit can evolve into terrifying support abilities. Those legends of awesome mental attacks and mental battles that could result in insanity, if not death, would no longer be legends but realities. If a user is strong enough, it can even rival innate skills like the Dragon-Kins'' Dragon Fear or blessings made by gods.


    Since Nex''s avatar is weak right now, both in body and soul, using his killing intent is too taxing. It''s not even worth mentioning right now. Luckily, he has the Dragon Fear skill to assist him. He could use it in small amounts and it will not put too much stress on him.


    After running for some time, he stopped and surveyed the area. He compared it to one of the maps he had memorized.


    "So, with the pace, I was going at for the last two hours, I can reach the settlement in about four hours." He calculated.


    He shook his head, "But that would be too boring for an adventure. If I want for it to be truly called a journey, I would have to do additional things other than the delivery mission and cooking. Not to mention the fact that I was given 18 hours to reach the settlement."


    He deliberated more for some time before he decided to pass through an area that was next to his route. The reason for going there was that the area was marked as a newly created Spirit Zone. If you have good intentions and have an abundant amount of luck, there is a chance that you could meet baby Spirits.


    It wasn''t as if he hadn''t seen Spirits before nor does he want to play with the endearing creatures. It was because he wanted to make sure of something he had noticed ever since he met the monsters inside the game.


    The monsters and creatures here have all originated from Perias. That is a fact. However, what was puzzling to Nex was that they were from different periods of time! Yet, in this game, they appeared at the same time. Moreover, there were differences in strengths.


    For example, the species of the Hobgoblins and Orcs that he met inside the [Forbidden Forest] came from an era where they were much weaker. Whereas most of the monsters he met inside the southern forest, when he was hunting for the Profession Quest, were supposed to exist in another era where they were much stronger!


    This may have caused some shock to Nex but in the end, he didn''t put much of his mind into it as such things were possible if the creators of the game were able to clone Perias properly. They should be able to access the genes of the creatures and research them well enough. Things were made completely possible considering the Earth''s technology advancement. The only important thing in all of these is that this is a simulated world and not a real one.


    He wanted to go and meet the Spirits, so he could examine them and conclude in what age of Perias the game was in. The Spirits were beings that were made directly by the elements of the world.


    "Too bad I couldn''t check it through Maple." Nex shook his head in regret.


    Maple is a very special and powerful type of Spirit that was called Innate Spirit. She was born from not only the world''s elements but also from a person''s soul. So checking the era of the game through her was too troublesome for the current him.


    "Now that I think about it, I wonder how Iris is." He thought with a smile.


    He wasn''t really keen on admitting this but he had found himself quite fond of the little girl who insisted that he was her father. He even felt a bit sour when he parted from her. Even if he knew that she was not a real person, he became attached to her because of his unsealed emotions.


    Iris also reminded him so much of someone who is very precious to him. He still finds it hard not to think about that person and feel concern for her wellbeing.


    "What am I thinking?" Nex stopped his thoughts at once and started to move again. This time, he is headed at the direction of the Spirit Zone.


    Unknown by him, a small token inside his inventory shone for a moment, as if trying to pass a message.


    ???


    "wuuu! I''m still unsuccessful in contacting Daddy! I really want to talk to him!"


    Inside an extremely large manor in the center of the capital of Cloud Kingdom, an adorable silver-haired little girl, wearing a princess-like dress, sat on her bed and pouted. She was staring gloomily at the token in her hand when she suddenly heard a doting voice coming from the entrance of her room.


    "Oh? Can you tell me more about this Daddy?"


    Hearing the voice, Iris excitedly lifted her head and saw a stunningly beautiful Elf lady with silver hair like hers and much lighter silver eyes that were looking at her with a gaze filled with love.


    "Mommy! You''re awake!"


    And with a brilliant smile, Iris ran straight to the lady and hugged her tight. To which, the woman responded by hugging back and petting the back of the little girl.


    "Mommy, I met Daddy!" Without wasting any more time, Iris told her mom about the little adventure she had with Nex.


    "And you''re sure that that person is really your Daddy?" The lady smiled after hearing the story and asked the little girl gently.


    "Yes!" Iris said with conviction. "We have the same eyes and our soul had almost the same smell."


    The lady''s eyes widened, "Iris, are you sure about that?"


    When it comes to things like sensing souls, Iris has the highest potential throughout the clan history. So if she claims things are such, the matter should be taken seriously.


    "Of course! I wouldn''t recognize a wrong Daddy!"


    Hearing her words, the lady sighed. Due to her illness, plus, their clan''s low numbers and their high status, Iris has grown without many friends and family who truly loves her. The number of people she had learned to trust and be close to was just a few individuals.


    So earlier, when the lady woke up from her sleep and heard from James about how Iris treated a human male like he was her father, she couldn''t help but worry that something''s amiss.


    "Iris, what is this man''s name?"


    "What do you mean "this man"?" Iris pouted. She then pointed a finger towards the lady while her other hand was on her waist. The little girl looked so formidable while scolding her mother.


    "When he reaches the capital to do his Third Awakening, he is going to be your husband!"


    ''Ahhh”­ I need to know what lies those old women fed to this child.''


    Iris'' mom smiled bitterly and then rephrased her question.


    "Okay, can you tell me what the name of my "future husband" is?"


    "That''s simple." Iris giggled in contentment. Her chubby cheeks flushed a little with glee.


    "His name is Nexus but he told me I can call him Nex!"


    Nexus”­


    The moment the lady heard this name, her head suddenly began to hurt like she has tried to remember something way too hard. Emotions began to fill her but were abruptly interrupted by the moving of the seal inside her soul. It made all those feelings disappear, leaving her with only two messages inside her head.


    One full of relief, while the other, of reluctant emotions.


    Finally, he''s here.


    But I can''t meet him yet.


    Full Title: Setting Out and Iris Mothe

 28 Spirit Zone

    "Hmm?!"


    Nex suddenly stopped running and whipped his head towards the northern direction. He had a strange look on his face as he kept staring there for quite some time before shaking his head and resume his running.


    "I must be imagining things."


    The capital is towards that direction but he didn''t know this and what it implies. So, the only logical thing to do is discard such disturbing thoughts off his head. He focused his attention to the area as he increased his pace. It took him 4 hours of running and he could almost reach the Spirit Zone.


    This Spirit Zone is a little out of the way from his route to the Dwarf Settlements but with fast speed, it will just take him less than an hour and a half to proceed there afterwards. With 14 hours left till his deadline, it was more than enough.


    Soon, he could feel the sensation of breaching a barrier and in the next moment, the view in front of him changed. He found himself inside a magnificent forest with beautiful tall trees, luscious green grass and glamorous streams of light flying in the air.


    ''This is a Spirit Zone, alright.'' Nex thought.


    He could feel the rich mana and the high concentration of Nature energy all around him. While comparing this Spirit Zone to the ones he''s familiar with, he suddenly heard a bunch of excited little voices.


    Countless of small creatures flew towards him. It didn''t take long before he was surrounded by this motley of baby creatures which varies from humans to cubs, kittens, calves, lambs, foals, puppies, infants, joeys and a lot more.


    "Hooo! Who is this?"


    "I don''t know! But he seems really kind!"


    "I know! This is a super good friend!"


    "A super good friend?"


    "Yep! A super good friend is someone reaaaaaally nice who plays with us and helps us whatever we ask of him!"


    "Whaaaaaaat! Really?! I wanna play with him!"


    "I also heard that a super friend gives candies too!"


    "...Also tells stories."


    "...Gives back rides."


    "...Gives hugs and tummy rubs."


    "Hello, super friend! Can we play?"


    "Can you tell us a story about the outside world?"


    "Can you rub my tummy?"


    "Can you..."


    "Can you..."


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Being bombarded with questions, requests, and affections from the Spirits, Nex smiled wryly, ''It seems that those traits will follow me even in this game.''


    "That is enough, little ones. It has been a long time since a special guest like this one has arrived. What is your name, oh virtuous one?"


    The sudden intrusion of an ethereal voice of a woman disrupted Nex''s thoughts of pacifying the little kids. The age of the speaker was indiscernible but it did the job. The little ones were now a little more settled.


    The smile in his face distorted slightly when he heard how he was addressed by the woman. Nonetheless, he replied politely.


    "My name is Nexus, but you can call me Nex. I assume that you''re the Mother Spirit of this place."


    "That is correct." The voice answered with a slight surprise.


    "It has been a long time since an uncontracted human has known the existence of the Mother Spirit."


    "You can say that this isn''t the first time I met one of your kind." Nex nodded.


    "Is that so? Considering your affinity with us, meeting another one is indeed logical." The Mother Spirit agreed before continuing, "Oh where are my manners? Welcome, Nex, to our home. Is there something we can help you with? I''m assuming there is a reason for you to seek us."


    "In fact, there is." Nex agreed. He liked this trait of being straightforward of the Spirits.


    "I want to have a [Mana Link] with you through touch. Of course, as an exchange, I will play with the children here for a few hours and fulfill any requests that you have, as long as it is within my capabilities."


    "W-what?" The previously ethereal and regal voice of the Mother Spirit became coy, greatly resembling that of a teen-aged girl''s.


    "You want to do [Mana Link] with me with t-touch? Do you realize what you''re asking for?"


    "Yes and I''m sorry if I seem to be presumptuous, but this is something that I must accomplish," Nex said with honesty and sincerity.


    "B-but! Still! This is---"


    "Please!"


    Desperation painted Nex''s face but he was being eaten by guilt inside.


    The Mother Spirit wasn''t acting coquettish in a sexually-romantic way. Like most spirits, she is not susceptible to these kinds of emotions. It''s just that, this request is too much and he knew how it is for them. He, being a stranger, is asking the Mother Spirit to divulge her innermost secrets on their first meeting. This is just plain wrong on so many levels.


    "Ahhh! I don''t care anymore!" The Mother Spirit finally reached a decision.


    "Kids, please escort Nex to my place."


    "Okay, Mommy!" The curious little Spirits chorused and they started to guide Nex deeper into the forest.


    They arrived in front of a very large tree, probably the largest inside this forest. There, a pregnant middle-aged lady sat on a chair made of flowers. Despite her aged face, she managed to maintain a pure complexion that made her look exquisite.


    She looked at Nex with a complex face that quickly turned surprised, which caused her to inelegantly blurt out her next words.


    "You not only have a [Crest of the Chosen] as an Explorer, but also have the [Affection] of a baby Innate Spirit?!"


    "So this is what this thing is called?" Nex looked at where his tattoo was with slight annoyance.


    "All I did was to kill an annoying corrupted and suddenly I got this weird---"


    *Bzzz!*


    "Fine! Not weird, but still unexpected thing."


    *Bzzz!*


    "Okay. Crest”­"


    "No. No. To get this crest, what you have slain could not have been just an "annoying corrupted"." The Mother Spirit quickly figured out this young man''s personality and could only give out a sigh. She didn''t linger on the topic and voiced out her curiosity.


    "What truly gave me shock isn''t this crest, but how you met a baby Innate Spirit and got their [Affection]. Moreover, you managed to hid the signs for that so well."


    "Oh, that?" He stared at the hand that he had used to pet Maple back then, while he smiled fondly at the memory.


    "That child was in trouble, so I saved her and for some reason, both she and her Spiritualist have established a good rapport with me, so for me to get her [Affection], is quite expected."


    When it comes to Spirits, [Affection] is something that they will give to a person whom they have gotten close with. Unlike [Blessing], it is only a way to show others, mostly Spirits, that this person is trustworthy enough to have an affinity with a Spirit.


    Furthermore, a young Innate Spirit is aloof and usually doesn''t get close to anyone other than their Spiritualist. To get their [Affection] is not an easy task.


    "Is that so?" The Mother Spirit who didn''t sense any deceit in his words gave him a grateful gaze.


    "I must thank you for helping that child, but I still have to know why and how exactly did you hide the [Affection]."


    "It''s simple. You know very well what the value of a young Innate Spirit is to those with bad intentions. If they find out about the existence of that kid, she may find herself in trouble once again. I will not allow for that to happen. And as for how I did that..."


    Nex smiled slyly.


    "You will find out when we do the [Mana Link]."


    The Mother Spirit looked at him before giving in.


    "Okay. Then, let''s do it."


    Once she learned about the crest and the young Innate Spirit''s [Affection], she decided to invest more trust in this silver-haired man.


    "Don''t worry, I promise it will be okay." He reassured her before going in front of her. He then held his hand out.


    Slightly reluctant, the Mother Spirit reached out her hand and grabbed Nex''s palm.


    "Here I go."


    He began to stream mana mixed with soul force into the other''s hand. In response, she did the same for him.


    [Mana Link]


    This process of linking each other''s mana enables the participants to communicate, share thoughts and sensations. For species such as humans, this technique is mainly used in conversations where language can''t be used to express oneself. The usefulness of this doesn''t mean much, in this case.


    In the case of Spirits, however, where such beings are made mostly of mana, soul, and Nature energy, linking with others means exposing the very essence of their being to another. The gravity of this process to them is very heavy and it is not something they do on a daily basis as even they, who lack common sense in that department, feel embarrassed by the exposure.


    And so, as Nex and Mother Spirit shared mana and soul force to each other''s body, the pair became more and more aware of each other''s mind and soul. They slowly learned more about the other''s true self. At least, it was like that, for one of them.


    ''How is this possible? How could one''s Soul Depth be so... Unfathomable.''


    The Mother Spirit has never been flabbergasted like this before.


    Normally, a person''s soul has three parameters. First is Strength, which decides the power and capacity a soul can exhibit and handle. This parameter is limited by a person''s overall strength and his ability to develop it.


    Second is Purity, which is responsible for the power and capability of the mind, especially its ability to think. It also affects the explosive power of the soul. This parameter can only be raised through specialized training that most of the time only people with high enough level of strength are capable of doing.


    The third and final one is Depth or more commonly known as size. Not much is known about this parameter and what exactly it entails. It is not limited by power level, as weaker people can have deeper souls than normal; nor is it limited by a person''s mental capability.


    In fact, no one is really sure what exactly one can do when they have deep souls. One thing is for sure, although not every great person is the owner of a deep soul, all the greatest people are!


    To raise this parameter, it can be summed up to one word, comprehension. Only by learning and understanding more about one''s self and the world around him can they slowly deepen their souls. Experiencing what other people normally can''t, taking risks to know more, enlightening their minds, broadening their horizons, such things take a lot of time and unimaginable effort but necessary for the improvement of this parameter.


    What Mother Spirit is seeing right now, is an endless pit that seems to go down forever, with no more than a few sparks that barely made light here and there.


    To have a clearer picture about the current state of this parameter of Nex''s as compared to a normal person''s, the comparison could be made between a plastic drinking straw and a country''s water system. There is no point in comparing at all!


    ''Just what has he gone through for his soul to become like this?''


    Before her unsettlement could begin to subside, she suddenly felt that Nex''s soul begin to retract and go back inside his body. She was once again, back on her chair with him looking at her with the same gentle smile. All she can do is to stare back at him with a completely different look.


    "Y-you”­" She stuttered, both in awe and nervousness.


    "May I know exactly what is esteemed Sir''s age?"


    As if expecting this question, Nex chuckled gently while he patted her head like she was like one of the curious baby Spirits from before. She could only flinch to this gesture, which he never noticed.


    "That, little one, is a secret."


    If it was before, she would have become angry at his actions, but now? Although he was much weaker than her, all she dared to do was to meekly let him pat her like an obedient cat.


    "Well”­" Nex retracted his hand.


    "Now that we are done with that, it''s time for me to do my part of the deal. Is there anything that you would want me to do?"


    "No. No." She quickly shook her head.


    "This one does not dare to---"


    *Boom*


    A loud sound of an explosion shook part of the barrier of the Spirit Zone.


    "Oh no! They are here again!" The Mother Spirit''s face changed and become filled with distress.


    Nex looked towards where the sound came from and the warmth his face held, all faded.


    "It seems that there are those types of fools here, as well." He muttered with undisguised anger. He turned to look at the Mother Spirit with a reassuring smile.


    "It seems that there is something I can help you with now, does it?"


    His next words were heard but he could no longer be seen from where he was just standing at.


    "Don''t worry; all you need to do is watch."

 29 Donā€™t Mess With What I Hold Dear

    Spirit Merchant.


    One of the most hated Professions by the ones who are not affiliated with evil powers and dark organizations. They kidnap and enslave Spirits when they are mostly young and weak, and then sell them to the highest bidder. Usually, the winner of these auctions is a twisted person who will have no remorse and may even rejoice in experimenting, taking the vital energy, or just plain torture these poor baby Spirits.


    As a response to such people, all the kingdoms in the Superbia who are part of the Light Side or even on the Neutral Group has made this Profession illegal and whoever still works for such organizations will be given extreme punishments such as execution or life sentences. Even so, because of the lucrative price of Spirits, there are still quite a number of people who still pursue this Profession.


    A few days ago, such people came to the Spirit Zone.


    Although Mother Spirit is in a critical condition due to her advanced pregnancy, she still was able to deal with those Spirit Merchants. Luckily, they were still in their First Awakenings.


    But the price for successfully scaring them was severe. Her pregnancy entered a dangerous phase and she can no longer move freely. She can only do communications and use a minute amount of mana or risk losing the children in her womb.


    This puts the Spirit Zone in a dire situation. As it is still young, it has not yet managed to develop properly and raise another strong spirit that can fill the job of a guardian. There was no one who could protect the place at this moment.


    It seems that those Spirit Merchants are well aware of this fact as well.


    ''But how did they found out?'' The Mother Spirit thought in desperation as she stared at the scene through her connection to the Spirit Zone. A dozen of people wearing black clothes of the same style were chasing after the small Spirits and stuff them into special cages.


    ''Furthermore, considering the fact they all have the same black clothes, the same power level, being at peak First Awakening with only difference in rank and the way they are moving in an organized, well-trained way, there is only one conclusion. They are part of a strong force.''


    The Mother Spirit is in low spirits as she couldn''t do anything but analyze the situation. She was still trying to soothe the painful clenching of her heart when she suddenly saw a flash of light appear at the scene.


    In the next moment, two of the Spirit Merchants'' head fell and the cages they held all broke. The baby Spirits confined in them were released which alerted the other Spirit Merchants.


    "Nex!" Mother Spirit cried as she saw the silver-haired man appear. Her joy dimmed afterwards.


    ''He''s still at the early level of First Awakening, even though he has a terrifying Soul Depth and has already managed to kill two of the Slave Merchants, the rest are far stronger.''


    As if sensing her thoughts, Nex turned to the point she was watching from and gave her a reassuring smile.


    "I already said that you don''t need to worry. All you need to do is watch."


    ???


    After saying those words to the Mother Spirit, Nex then turned back with a completely different expression and stared at the Spirit Merchants who looked at him warily.


    6 [Spirit Merchant(Rare) LV : 25]


    3 [Spirit Merchant(Elite) LV : 25]


    1 [Spirit Merchant(Elite - Boss) LV : 25]


    Every one of them is right before their Second Awakenings.


    Nex''s face held a flinty expression and his voice is glacial.


    "I don''t care who sent you, nor do I care for their strength. All that I want to know before I kill you all is how did you know the state the Mother Spirit is in."


    The Spirit Merchants, who were still slightly on guard after the death of their comrades are now much more relaxed after confirming the strength of this intruder.


    "Haha!"


    The closest one to him, a Rare ranked one, even began laughing while walking towards him.


    "How can a weakling like you say that you will kill all of us? All that you can do is watch while we take those little brats---"


    "Annoying."


    Nex didn''t even give him a glance and swung his sword slowly at him even while he was still at a distance away. It was done so casually that it seems there was not any strength or mana behind it.


    "Why you! Do you think that you could actually do something to---"


    The man became furious at Nex''s response, but before he was able to finish his words and take a step forward, he suddenly froze in place. Without any further warning, his body was separated into two parts and fell to the ground with a dull thud.


    "What?!"


    "How did he do it? I felt no mana from this attack!"


    "It doesn''t matter! Kill him now!"


    While the Rare ranked Spirit Merchants were shocked, their superiors were able to keep cool and one of them quickly gave them an order and then charged at Nex himself with his heavy sword.


    Facing the incoming enemies with stats higher than himself, Nex''s cold expression didn''t change. He stared at them like they are already dead before saying a chant in a language different from the one he usually uses.


    In Perias'' Spirit King''s Language he said”­


    "[Spirit and Body Fusion]"


    His eyes and hair began to glow and turn to a mix of green and silver as all the Spirit energy and Nature forces around him were drawn towards him.


    And then he disappeared.


    "Where did he go to?"


    "Search for him! Quick!"


    "Wait! I think I saw some---"


    They haven''t even began to spread and look for Nex and one of them fell to the floor with a stab wound in his chest, right where his heart is. Almost right after that, another one fell down.


    And another one”­


    And another one”­


    It didn''t take long before all the Rare ranked ones were slain. The Elite ones haven''t even noticed it.


    "Damn you!"


    *Bang!*


    In order to find Nex, he swung his sword down to the ground, causing it to shake and even break the nearby cages, releasing some of the Spirits. When he looked around, he saw that Nex was still nowhere in sight.


    "You idiot! Above you!"


    He suddenly heard his leader yell at him. And right before he could react to the warning, a shining wooden sword flew at a speed that couldn''t be produced by those of First Awakening. His head was completely destroyed.


    *Clang!*


    But before the wooden sword can hit the ground, Nex who was still in mid-air, twisted his body while swinging his sword, parrying a spear that was aimed at his direction at the very last moment.


    Flying slightly back from the force of the attack, he then landed on the ground and stared at the owner of the spear. The guy was also thrown back from the force of Nex''s counter and is now struggling to regain his footing.


    To survive a hit from the current Nex, even as a peak awakening Boss, this man should have a good position in his organization. He soon retracted those thoughts upon seeing the ring on the man''s finger.


    ''So that''s how it is.''


    Meanwhile, the Spearman fell back to where his two remaining subordinates were. Ignoring the numb feeling in his arms, he issued his instructions.


    "I need you two to distract him while I am sapping his stamina. For someone at his level with this kind of power, he must be using a secret medicine or a forbidden skill that can''t last for a long time."


    The previously terrified Spirit Merchants regained most of their confidence after hearing their leader''s logical explanation. With renewed spirits, they began to charge at both sides of Nex while their leader took the front.


    "Too bad for you, guys..."


    Nex swung his sword at a wide arc. A large crescent blade made out of semi-transparent energy was shot. It sliced through anything it passed through, with the exception of Spirits and trees of the Spirit Zone.


    [Level Up!]


    "I already got what I needed."


    He then sheathed back his sword as he watched the falling halves of the Spirit Merchants, who died without even seeing the blade that was coming for them. He then immediately went to the body of the leader and took his ring.


    "I know that you are listening to me." Nex said without preamble.


    "Since we are both aware of each other, please make my life easy and just tell me where you are, so I could come and kill you."


    To the third person, seeing Nex talking to a ring will come to the conclusion that he looks half a bit foolish. If not, then he must have lost his sanity.


    Out that ring though, a giggle sounded. It was all weird as the voice seems to belong to an old man. A giggling geriatric ring? That''s just plain creepy, if not for the frightening aura that spread in every direction, causing extreme pressure to everything in Nex''s surroundings, including the small Spirits.


    "Hihihi”­ To think that a kid only at First Awakening could be so capable! To even use a unification technique without another being! You are definitely worth to be researched on!"


    "They say that patience is a virtue but unfortunately, it''s not one of mine. I hate waiting so don''t even try and make me." Nex said with indifference and waved his hand.


    In the same language as before, he uttered another word.


    "[Barrier]"


    Almost instantly, the entire aura that stretched out of the ring came back and concentrated around Nex.


    "Hihi”­ These chants again!"


    It was still in a playful tone but his next ones were spoken with malicious intent.


    "Tell me, Kid! What kind of language was that? To command spirit power and nature forces in the surroundings like that! I have to know! Tell me!"


    Nex just ignored the wicked inquiry and just repeated his earlier probing.


    "One last time, tell me your location."


    "Hihihi”­ You''re still about that? It''s no use, Kid! You can''t kill me with your scanty strength. All you can do is wait until I arrive and take you along with all the other experimental specimens! To think that I would get to finally experiment on a pregnant Mother Spirit! I can''t wait to see the inside of her soul---"


    "[Soul Art : Immolation]"


    Nex didn''t let him finish his disgusting delusions and used a [Soul Art] on the ring, or more exactly, the part of soul that was inside it. This caused to ring to burn in a silver-black flame.


    "Hihihi”­ It''s pointless, Kid!"


    "This weak flame can''t hurt my soul”­"


    "Arggggh!!!"


    "W-what is this flame?!"


    "A [Soul Art]! Argh! How could you know how to use such thing when you''re not even thirty?!"


    The voice was jeering at first. Then it became cries of pain. In the last moment, it became realization mixed with disbelief.


    "How sure are you that I am under thirty?"


    It was Nex''s turn to mock.


    "Argh! Then what is your real age?!" The voice had a hard time resisting the pain but his curiosity won''t let him stop speaking.


    "It doesn''t matter anymore. What matters is that thanks to you being a chatty Kathy, I had ample time to analyze your soul, enough to find it with ease. So be prepared, because I will come to you one day in the near future. And when that day comes”­"


    Nex''s shining eyes become even brighter as he poured soul force to the ring, causing the silver-black flame to blaze to the maximum. The ring burned to ashes slowly, taking the small part of the soul that was linked inside.


    "Ahhh!"


    "To mess with what I, Nexus, holds dear, you will know the consequences."

 30 Helping the Mother Spiri

    "Mommy!"


    "My babies!"


    The Mother Spirit gave hugs and kisses to each of the frightened little Spirits who were just saved from being taken away. She had a tearful face yet relief is clearly evident as she made sure each of her children is fine and no one was hurt from the ordeal.


    Each Spirit Zone starts with a Mother Spirit and from her body, the Nature Forces create new Spirits. Every Spirit in a Spirit Zone is birthed by the Mother Spirit and will then be raised by her until they have the capability to travel by themselves. It''s natural that each of them considers her as their mother and for her to recognize them as her children.


    After she was done thoroughly checking each of her kids, she then bowed her head to Nex in gratitude. The little ones followed suit.


    "Thank you so much for saving us."


    "Thank you!"


    Nex just smiled warmly.


    "You''re welcome."


    If there is a race he will always voluntarily stand up for wholeheartedly, it will most likely be the Spirits. Almost every member of this race is a pure being that is innately good-willed. They will never hurt someone who doesn''t threaten their close ones and fellow Spirits.


    During his long stay in Perias, one of the very few beings that always gave him support was the Spirits. Even when the adversaries were many and the situations were bleak; his friendship with them never wavered.


    Because of that, if anyone dared to harm a Spirit in front of him, it will be their last mistake that will most surely bring their demise.


    For Nex, he can accept all the enmity of the world, even its thirst for his blood. He would even spread his arms wide open for a welcome. But the moment these few people whom he holds dear in his heart were wronged in the slightest, all hell breaks loose.


    "Well then, I have to talk with your mommy for a bit, so in order for you not to be too bored, I will give you something to play with."


    His coaxed the little ones in a gentle, doting tone that was so unlike his usual self. He then turned his back to them and extended his hand. Once again, in the Perias Spirit King''s language he uttered a word.


    "[Bubbles]"


    Countless of round and multicolored spheres fell from the sky and they were shining in enchanting lights in all shades of colors. It was a magnificent sight to behold.


    "Whoaaaa!"


    "So pretty!"


    "I wanna touch it!"


    The little Spirits became enthralled at the sight of the falling bubbles. They got even more fascinated when these bubbles flew up again when they touch the ground. It seems that the traumatizing event that occurred just a while back didn''t even happen at all. Their faces held lighthearted jubilation that every child should experience.


    Seeing her kids in such a state, the Mother Spirit beamed as she encouraged few of the little ones who were a little bit apprehensive as some bubbles were bigger than them.


    "Why are you still here? Mister Nex made all of those for you to play, so it will be alright. Those won''t hurt you at all! Now, quickly go!"


    "Okay, Mommy!"


    The innocence of a child is so pure that once they were given assurance by the person they trust the most, that bit of hesitance will erase into nothingness.


    The little ones set off at once and Mother Spirit watched them running with a sigh and turned back to Nex and bowed again.


    "I can''t thank you enough for saving my children. I thought for sure we all will be obliterated by those Merchants."


    "I told you that all you need to do is just watch."


    He was smiling lightly as if the situation from before wasn''t even dire in the slightest. Then his expression turned solemn.


    "Do you want me to check the condition of the fetuses? I think I can help."


    Normally, thanks to the support of the rich Spirit Power and Nature Forces in the atmosphere of a Spirit Zone, the pregnancy of a Mother Spirit is mostly very stable and usually won''t get any complications.


    But this time, it is different because the Mother Spirit was soon to give birth when the Spirit Merchants first attacked. She had to overexert herself in order for them to be chased away, making her pregnancy enter a critical situation and immobilize her almost completely. This caused the lives of her unborn to be distressed.


    "You can help?" The Mother Spirit became overjoyed and quickly nodded.


    "Then, here I go." Nex placed his hand on the Mother Spirit''s belly and then closed his eyes and muttered a chant with the same language he used when he summoned the bubbles.


    "[Examine]"


    The Mother Spirit stared at Nex with anticipation while a little part of her was also intrigued as to why the chants that he used made her feel familiarity and”­ reverence.


    She didn''t get to wait for too long when Nex opened his eyes and stared at her belly as he said another chant with the same language.


    "[Bless]"


    The Mother Spirit felt a warm sensation once the second chant started. The warmth filled her belly and after a moment, the feeling of strength flowed through her. What made her feel ecstatic though was the feeling of the life forces of the unborn Spirits going stronger.


    "They were a little lost. Because of the sudden disappearance of Spirit Power and Nature Forces, they didn''t know what to do and entered a state of stasis. All they needed was a little push."


    She heard Nex explain as once again tears of joy filled her eyes.


    "This is more than a little push! You gave them a [Bless]-ing!"


    Mother Spirit was a little dense and only just realized what Nex had done. This brought her astonishment.


    "Of course, I did. There are two little ones there that need to be strong enough to protect their home." Nex said casually like commenting on the nice weather they are having.


    "Strong enough?" The Mother Spirit asked in confusion, only to look at Nex with a shocked face after she realized his words.


    "You mean that they are going to be Guardians?! How can it be? This is too early for both me and the Spirit Zone to”­ Wait! Don''t tell me that it was your [Bless]-ing''s doing?"


    "Bingo."


    The Mother Spirit looked at Nex like he was the most difficult puzzle to solve in all the existing worlds. Her gaze was full of curiosity which was natural as she had been feeling such from the very first time she had seen him use his powers.


    "Nex, tell me honestly. How can you do all of these? You obviously are a human and not in a contract with any Spirit, not to mention that your body and soul strength is just at the middle of First Awakening. So how can it be that you have defeated those Spirit Merchants easily?"


    She pointed out the basic anomalies in Nex. He was just too overpowered for his level. She then pointed out the things that he shouldn''t be able to do.


    "Furthermore, you used a Spirit-Man unification technique that is only possible for high-level pair of a Spirit and Spiritualist. In fact, the proficiency and quality of all the chants you showed should only be possible for high ranked Spirits!"


    "Indeed, I am only a human and yes, I don''t have any contracted Spirit. My body isn''t all that strong. But for what I did, all the things you have mentioned are not as necessary as you have stated."


    Mother Spirit became more puzzled.


    "What do you mean?"


    "Simple, what I used is something that is in great quantities and qualities here."


    Nex spread his hands.


    "Something that wants to protect this place just as you do. Normally, it can only use its power through you."


    Mother Spirit''s eyes widened.


    "You don''t mean”­"


    Nex nodded.


    "Yes. I used the Spirit Energy and Nature Force that is inside the Spirit Zone. The reason that I can do it is that I have a special trait that allows me to have a high affinity with them and can easily communicate with life forms that are based on those powers. As they have a will of their own, however small that is, this Spirit Zone is considered a living being."


    "But that still doesn''t explain how you know all those chants and techniques! It only explains how you had the power to back them up!"


    "Oh that?" Nex''s smile turned mysterious.


    "Let''s say that I spent a lot of time in a distant place with super-strong Spirits and I managed to learn a few things from them."


    The Mother Spirit sighed, understanding that Nex probably won''t explain about this subject any further and what she already asked isn''t appropriate. In fact, it is considered rude to ask the one who saved her and her children from a horrible fate.


    "If you say so”­"


    Thinking back to when she saw Nex communicating with the voice in the ring, she knew that the person he talked to is probably the mastermind behind this incident. He should be far stronger than the subordinates that he sent and she couldn''t help but feel worried again.


    "Nex, what should I need to do about the man you have talked with? The power I sensed from him is greater than me at my peak condition and the two children probably won''t be strong enough if he comes here sooner."


    "Oh, that man?" Nex said placidly.


    "That fool was stupid enough to link his soul to a ring and then let a weak subordinate carry it around. A simple [Soul Art] was enough to make him pay for it. He will probably hide somewhere, licking his wounds for a while."


    This brought another wave of shock to Mother Spirit before she understood why the silver-black flame she saw caused her so much fear. She didn''t let go of the main issue though, which was the safety of her kids and their home.


    "A [Soul Art]? But what if he sends other people to do the job for him? What should I do then?"


    "This is very simple." Nex said and walked up to her and then placed his finger on her forehead.


    "[Transfer]"


    Instantly, the Mother Spirit felt pieces of knowledge and memories flow into her head. It was about how to cultivate and install arrays on Spirit Zones, raising Spirits and increasing personal strength.


    "Inside those memories, you will find how to make an array that will make the Spirit Zone completely invisible and sealed off to those who don''t get your approval. Even if this fool will come himself, he will never be able to find this place as long as you will it."


    She slowly digested the new pieces of information as Nex explained them.


    "So now that I helped you”­"


    She lifted her head and saw him going towards the young Spirits which were in the middle of playing with the magical bubbles and joins them.


    "Make sure to raise these children well."


    ???


    "I sure played with those kids for a long time."


    Nex muttered as he ran in high speed towards the Dwarf Settlement. He played with the little ones and taught Mother Spirit how to use the memories he gave her well. Before he knew it, it was already two hours until the deadline. So after hastily saying goodbye to the Spirits, he began to run straight for the Settlement.


    *Bzzz!*


    *Bzzz!*


    When he was halfway through his destination, the tattoo began to glow and vibrate as if signaling something.


    "You want me to go faster?" Nex asked in confusion. At the speed he was going, he was sure he could reach his destination with forty-five minutes to spare.


    *Bzzz!*


    "Emergency, you say? How do you know--- never mind for now. I wouldn''t want something to happen to them. It may affect my mission and mess things up for me."


    Agreeing to the tattoo''s request, Nex began to run at his fastest speed while executing a breathing technique that replenishes his stamina and mana. He wouldn''t want to enter a battle with empty stamina. Only idiots would do that.


    After a few more minutes, Nex found himself in front of a battlefield right at the entrance of the settlement.


    There were a few dozen Dwarves desperately fighting even if they were outnumbered. These creatures they were up against were slightly taller than them and with vicious faces. They have black and red scaled skin, a red horn, and sharp teeth.


    "Damn it! Why did these bastards appear here?"


    He pulled his sword and charged to help the Dwarves that seemed like they were about to lose at any moment.


    Those vile creatures were beings he knew all too well. It was the race he fought and killed the most during his stay in Perias. Even though they looked a little different than the ones he knew, there was no way that he wouldn''t recognize them.


    Those creatures were Demons.

 31 Damn My Luck!

    Demon-kin.


    Except for certain subspecies, all of their kin is a vile group that thirsts for nothing but destruction and conquest without any possibility for negotiation as similar to the Demons on Earth.


    Everywhere they went, chaos goes with them. Everyone they meet ends up being annihilated. Only very few beings are exempted to this kind of treatment or had the means to survive such ordeal. It only takes a very short time to be at odds with them and that usually results to disasters and lives being at stake.


    It could be said that these beings are the greatest enemies of most species.


    They mainly live in demonic realms that usually have a connection to a world that they consider as their prey. They would conquer this world with all their power and make it their new home. Thanks to their great might, many worlds and even dimensions succumb to their rule.


    In fact, one of the reasons that Nex was summoned to Perias dimension was because a small world there was about to be destroyed by demons and he was tasked to help in the fight.


    It all started from that task and Nex, throughout the many years he spent in Perias, have found himself fighting and killing an absurd amount of Demon-kin.


    From the lowest ranked Demons to their ruling species of Devils and finally, the one standing at the top, the Devil King, they have all been seen and fought with by Nex.


    ''I didn''t think that I would have to fight with these annoying things again so soon. They sure have missed me so much.''


    Nex cursed his bad luck as he entered the battlefield with amazing speed and chopped off the heads of two demons that were about to kill a Dwarf.


    ''I mean, come on! The chance of meeting demon-kin in low-level areas is miniscule. About point zero, zero, zero, zero, one chance, I think. And that''s just a humble estimate. It should be in the negatives, to be totally honest.''


    He moved through the battlefield and easily killed any demon that he passed by. These demons were luckily in their mid-First Awakening with most of them being Normal or Rare ranked, thereby posing no challenge to Nex at all.


    ''I need to find some Luck increasing items. Maybe that will do some help and let me avoid these ugly creatures. Oh, and scammers too. Yeah. I desperately need luck to avoid those especially.''


    He aimed his hand at a zone where a large number of Demons were congregated at and issued a chant.


    "[Mana Art : Spreading Shots]"


    Numerous spinning bullets made of mana were shot from Nex''s gloved-hand and accurately pierced through each of the Demons'' foreheads. They were all dead in an instant.


    Just like that, Nex easily killed over half of the demons in just a few short moments.


    But he wasn''t done yet.


    ''[Intermediate Enchantment]''


    Turning around and swinging his sword, he was able to not only block a sword attack from an Elite ranked Demon but also cut through the Demon''s sword and head. It was dead with just a single move.


    Its falling body was totally ignored by Nex as he had already moved on to his next target which was another Elite ranked demon that was slain in no time.


    The entire battlefield had been going on and Nex''s intrusion was initially not noticed by either side. It was after he had obliterated half of the Demon''s population that they were able to see him and recognize the impact of his addition to the battle.


    Demons and Dwarves alike were shocked and for a while they were like on auto and were just brandishing their swords at the opponents they were facing. It wasn''t until Nex had disposed of his second Elite ranked that they were able to wake up from their stupor.


    The two remaining Elite ranked Demons started fleeing upon realizing that they would face their doom if they didn''t make a run for it. They even dropped their weapons as if their speed would be hindered if they continue to hold on to them.


    This made their subordinates terrified and they too started going back to where they came from. The Dwarves cheered when they saw the tides were turned and their supposed demise would not happen.


    Strangely enough, Nex didn''t chase after the demons and just waited until they were distanced from the Dwarves. When this happened, he strengthened his legs with mana and like a cannonball, he flew from the ground and went right above the escaping Demons. Once there, he aimed his hand and activated the power from his earring.


    ''[Earth Manipulation]''


    Countless of sharp and long spikes came out of the ground and pierced through all of the Demons. They were as if aimed at each Demon''s vitals that resulted to their instantaneous deaths.


    It was a scene that was cut from any hell.


    The Dwarves could only stare with their mouths agape. This kind of massacre was so mind-blowing that they were stunned and only their eyes can make movements as they follow the silver-haired man.


    He jumped in mid-air and landed in front of them. He then brought the bag on his back in front of him, presenting it to them.


    "Excuse me. I came to deliver the magic stones that you have ordered."


    Yes. Just like a normal pizza delivery guy, he presented the goods as though he hadn''t committed mass murder just a few moments ago.


    ???


    "Here, the proof for the completion of the mission."


    An old Dwarf handed Nex a signed letter with a wry face.


    "Now, can we please talk about the crisis that my home is currently facing?"


    "Hmmm."


    Nex took the letter and examined it closely. He spent a few more minutes perusing the document before he nodded and hid it in his inventory.


    "Yeah, sure. What is the problem?"


    ''Finally, he is willing to listen!''


    The old Dwarf sighed and then started talking about the situation.


    "It all started yesterday. While we were mining in the mountains nearby, we found a cave and suddenly Demons started flooding out of it. At first, we were able to fend them off and call for help. But as time passed by, the Demons got stronger and their numbers grew that we were forced back to the entrance of the Settlement."


    "And about getting help?"


    This should be the logical step the Dwarves should have taken and Nex is curious about it.


    The old Dwarf shook his head.


    "We couldn''t succeed in doing that. They have some sort of device that blocks communication signals in the area. When we found out about it, we sent a messenger to call for help. It was only a few hours ago and at the pace that the messenger is going; we won''t be getting any help for the next few hours."


    Nex closed his eyes shortly after getting his answers.


    ''Communication blocker? Although weak, there is indeed something that blocks signals from going in and out of this area.''


    He sighed as he opened his eyes.


    "I understand the situation now. Very well. Tell me the direction of the mine so I can go there and take a look. Seeing the level of the Demons, I should be able to hold them off until the help arrives."


    The old Dwarf looked at him with eyes sparkling with hope.


    "Really? You would do it for us?"


    "Sure. Why not?"


    He sighed again and his thoughts run off again.


    ''Now that I think about it, I ran into situations like this one all the time back in Perias.''


    Although he was a little depressed about this line of events, he still wasn''t cold-hearted enough to decline the Dwarves'' request for help; even more so now that his emotions are unsealed once again.


    "Thank you very much! As the head of this Settlement, I will remember your kindness. I and my race will forever be thankful for such a kind-hearted human as you."


    The old Dwarf bowed his head in gratitude.


    "Fine. Fine. Stop saying it like I am about to die and just give me the directions of the mines already!"


    ???


    "Head, are you sure it''s okay to allow this man to go on his own?"


    One of the young Dwarves asked the old Dwarf as Nex''s back was seen disappearing towards the way to the mine. This question was in every Dwarf''s mind.


    "You are still young. Did you not see the badge he showed to prove his identity?"


    The young Dwarf remembered but it only strengthened his hesitance towards Nex.


    "It was a single star badge of the Adventures Guild, wasn''t it? But that only means that he has the strength of First Awakening! Even though he showed great strength for his level, he couldn''t possibly hold all of those Demons off! There were even signs of Boss ranked there!"


    "I see that you didn''t look close enough. What was the star color?"


    "It was silver but so what? That probably means that he is a special member and most likely related to someone with status, judging by his looks and number of magic equipment. Besides, I heard him say that the mission he came here to do was his first mission! Can he really handle it on his own?"


    He was resolute with his reasoning that the rest of the Dwarves were showing signs of agreeing with him. This Dwarf''s argument was reasonable too so some of them were even nodding their heads.


    "You fools! Did mining and crafting all day clog your brains?! The Adventures Guild was never a biased place and never will it be! There is only one way to get silver grading straight on registration and that is by showing battle capability and experience surpassing one''s current awakening."


    The usually calm old Head suddenly became furious and berated the young ignorant Dwarf.


    "What?!"


    "People like that truly exist?!"


    "Furthermore, a Traveler! Didn''t he start from being an Unawakened just a few days ago?!"


    Incredulous whisperings ran throughout the place. They were all in disbelief upon hearing their Head''s explanation. The old Dwarf can only shake his head with regards to the naivetئ of his populace.


    "Now you understand why I allowed him to go on by himself?"


    The old Head explained and looked towards the mines and murmured in a voice that only he could hear.


    "Although he shouldn''t have a problem dealing with those levels of Demons, why do I keep on having a bad feeling?"


    ???


    "Weird, there should have been more Demon-kin."


    Nex scanned his surroundings as he made his way towards the mines. Luckily, there was only a single road in and out of the mine and the rest was blocked by high mountains. If he should meet Demons, it is only through this road but strangely enough, he met none.


    "They are probably planning something that will bring me headaches. Why is everyone fond of doing that? Don''t they realize how annoying it can be?"


    He furrowed his brows, sighed and increased his pace.


    Soon enough, he heard several sounds of steps along with raspy and slightly deep voices that are common for most low and mid-ranked Demons coming from behind the corner of the road. Although these voices were talking in Superbia Demon Language, Nex has no troubles in discerning them.


    "What is taking those bastards so long?"


    "Those weak Dwarves couldn''t possibly stand against them. Those fools probably stayed to have a meal."


    "Those idiots! Couldn''t they control themselves? The captain''s orders were to kill the Dwarves and immediately return! They will be lucky if they don''t get tortured for that!"


    "Enough! We should increase our pace and get those weaklings back before they get out of the device range and attract unwanted attention."


    The last statement was voiced out with authority and strength. It wasn''t like the three previous ones who spoke casually.


    "Yes Sir!"


    ''What a bunch of gossipy ladies. So they are only a group that came to call back the attackers of the Settlement. But there seems to be someone with capability among them. I should get some information.''


    At the next moment, he moved from where he was and ran to where the voices came from at a speed that didn''t allow the Demons to react. Before they knew it, he was in front of them.


    [One-Horned Imp(Elite) LV : 18]


    [One-Horned Imp(Elite) LV : 19]


    [One-Horned Imp(Elite) LV : 20]


    They were surrounding someone large.


    [Two-Horned Imp(Elite - Boss) LV : 21]


    "What! How did this human get---"


    Without letting him talk any further, Nex chopped the head of the One-Horned Imp that was standing at the front.


    Almost immediately, he moved his head to the side and dodged a fist that came from the Two-Horned Imp.


    "Now, it''s my turn."


    Nex streamed mana to his fist and punched back at him.


    ''[Advanced Enchantment]''


    *Bang!*


    "Kuhk!"


    The Demon was blasted back a few meters.


    Without letting the other two Imps recover from the shock of their leader being hit like that, Nex quickly disposed both of them in one swift motion.


    And just like that, in a few short seconds, Nex was done with the One-Horned Imps and managed to cause injury to the Two-Horned one.


    But even though it took a strong attack, the Two-Horned Boss still stood up and charged at Nex.


    With an indolent expression, Nex swiped his leg the moment the Imp got close enough and threw it off balance, causing it to fall on its back. Before it can even hit the ground, Nex stabbed his sword through its right chest and nailed it to the ground.


    "Argh!"


    Nex disregarded the Demon''s cry and with one leg stepping on its left hand, he came closer and asked in a language that made the Imp terrified.


    "What are the goals that your superiors hope to achieve here?"


    "H-how does a human know the Devil''s Innate Language?"


    The Imp shook in terror as Nex''s voice caused a primal fear in him to raise. It was the language that only Devils can use! Itself was a Demon but dares not use such language! And yet, a normal human is using it fluently!


    "I won''t ask again so you better tell me what you are doing in those mines."


    "I-I can''t say!"


    "Is that so?"


    The Imp was frightened to stuttering while Nex''s tone was cold. He then said a chant.


    ''[Sear]''


    The blade of Nex''s sword began to turn white from heat and scorched the flesh that surrounded it. It made the Demon that supposedly had superior healing and durability scream in pain.


    "Argh! Okay! I''ll tell! I''ll tell!"


    The agony it felt caused the Demon to give up in just a short time.


    "Good. Now talk."


    Recovering for a moment, the Imp dared to not delay any further and opened his mouth.


    "Our plan is to open a gate for---"


    He suddenly froze in place.


    "Damn!"


    Nex pulled his sword and jumped back. The Imp''s body began to combust and burn in black flames.


    "[Soul Seal] huh?"


    Seeing the black flames, Nex didn''t need to know the rest of the Imp''s words to know what their plan is.


    The ability to put a seal like this one on a Demon can assure what kind of being is behind it.


    Nex couldn''t stop himself from frowning and complaining.


    "Damn my luck! They are planning on summoning a Devil."

 32 I Know Exactly How To Deal With You

    "What the---"


    "Human---"


    "Ahhh!"


    "Damn it---"


    The air was filled with various shouts of fury, consternation and frenzy all spoken in Superbia Demon Language. There were even last groans of the dying as Nex swept through the mine and did a mass slaughter. No Demons were spared and they were all caught off guard with no means of countering such onslaught.


    If it was before, he wouldn''t do such recklessness. This time, with a Devil being summoned, he didn''t have a choice. Even if it was one with the lowest rank, a disaster that could probably destroy the entire southern part of the kingdom would happen. At his current strength, he doesn''t have the capability of dealing with it cleanly.


    Thus, he needs to move quickly to prevent the success of the summons.


    Moving at the fastest speed for him, he began searching through the mine and killed any Demon he met. As he got deeper and deeper into the mine, the Demon''s rank and level rose until they were all Elite rank with a few Bosses in between with a level of at least 22. This made Nex increase the amount of effort and mana he had to use to kill them.


    [Level Up!]


    Luckily, his level rose as well. Although this may not restore his health, it still restored his mana and fatigue.


    He didn''t even notice it but he is already at Level 18 and is halfway to the next level. He was so fixated on his goal that he had now swept most of the entire mine.


    "So that''s where all those bastards came from."


    He found himself in front of a tunnel that was larger than normal. This tunnel gave an eerie feeling to those who look at it but Nex took no notice of it and proceeded. He already knew what he was about to see there.


    Indeed, after walking shortly, he arrived at a large cavern that had three tall Demons inside, streaming mana into a black magic circle. It covers a giant, wormhole-like red gate that revolved slowly and seems to be growing bigger thanks to the magic circle.


    [One-Horned Fiend(Lord) LV : 24]


    [One-Horned Fiend(Lord) LV : 24]


    [Twin-Horned Fiend(Lord - Boss) LV : 25]


    "Soon the Master will set foot on this land and claim it as part of his kingdom."


    The Twin-Horned Fiend that was right in front of the gate, said excitedly in the Demons language. His two subordinates agreed both in subservience and devotion.


    "Yeah, about that”­"


    This exemplary master-subordinate scene was interrupted by a cheeky voice coming from the entrance of the cave.


    They turned their heads around, only to be blinded by a bright light.


    ''[Martial Secret : Shining Kill]''


    "Argh!"


    A dying howl echoed and when the two Demons regained their sight, they saw a silver-haired man pull out his sword from one of the One-Horned Fiends. It was embedded deep into its heart.


    "I prefer for him to stay wherever he is now."


    "Brother!"


    "Damn you, human! How did you get here?"


    The Two-Horned Fiend yelled angrily at Nex.


    The recipient of the yell slouched as he put his free hand on his chin and titled it up slightly, as if considering seriously how to answer the question.


    "Well about that”­ I had to go through this entire mine while a bunch of ugly little ones came at me from all directions. Then, I finally found myself here, with my sword going through this guy''s heart. Come to think of it, those little ones from before looks a lot like you. Are you, by any chance, related to them? Grandfather? Father? Uncle?"


    "I''ll kill you!"


    The remaining One-Horned Fiend had already been angered when its brother had been killed. Hearing additional taunts from one measly human ignited its fury even further. It charged at that human blindly in rage.


    "Wait!"


    The Twin-Horned Fiend tried to stop the subordinate but its shout wasn''t able to do much as the mad Demon was already swinging its spear down at Nex.


    "I guess, they don''t train Demons well these days. Lacking in discipline and even ignoring commands”­ Ahhh”­ What a pity. Tsk. Tsk."


    Before it could even be discerned clearly if it was a taunt or a complaint, the speaker vanished.


    ''[Martial Secret : Vanishing Step]''


    "Argh!"


    The rash Demon could only grunt as Nex''s sword went through its chest. It couldn''t do anything but make a few dying sounds before its eyes turned dim.


    "Now that I am done with those two”­"


    Nex pulled his sword without looking at the corpse. His gaze was fixed with the Two-Horned Fiend.


    "”­It''s time for you to get your piece."


    ["The Impossible Man" title is in effect!]


    "Impudence!"


    The Demon shouted as it started to manipulate the mana inside and outside its body. Before a moment has passed, it was already in front of Nex, swinging its fist at him with immeasurable force.


    Nex didn''t dare to play around this time and dodged the attack of the Demon while maintaining his distance from where the attack was about to hit. The moment he fully dodged the attack, he held his sword to his side and slashed when the Demon turned to him, sending a sword wave that made the air vibrate.


    ''[Martial Secret : Mana Break]''


    "Kuhk!"


    The Demon was able to stay in place after taking Nex''s attack head-on, thanks to his strong body. This didn''t mean it was able to withstand and still be perfectly fine though. The Fiend became greatly injured as its internal organs shook and many blood vessels inside of it body have ruptured. If not for its vitality as a high-ranked Demon, it wouldn''t be capable of holding on.


    "If you think it was enough to bring me down, then you are sorely wrong!"


    The Demon roared and began to attack Nex with a fast barrage of punching and kicking, determined to kill the human brutally.


    ''[Martial Secret : Vanishing Step]''


    Nex disappeared from where he was so he could dodge an attack, only to do it again the moment after he reappeared. Although he vanished from where he was, the Demon always managed to predict where he would appear and attack there accordingly.


    "Haha! It is simple for me to predict the movement of a weak human such as you! You should give up and just die!"


    The tides seemed to have turned, enough for the Fiend to do the taunting this time. But a moment after he said it, a strange thing happened.


    Nex once again dodged its attack by disappearing from where he was. This time though, the Demon couldn''t sense where Nex would appear at all!


    Frantically looking around, it didn''t find any signs of him, even when he looked upwards. The moment it aimed its vision back down, the Demon suddenly heard a voice coming from where it just looked at.


    "Looking for me?"


    Lifting its head, the Fiend saw Nex''s shining sword coming down and was about to hit. Without having time to think how the human did it, the Demon lifted its hands and put all of its mana there in order to receive the incoming attack.


    "Wrong direction."


    It heard Nex but this time, it was from the front.


    ''[Martial Secret : Blade of Light]''


    The Two-Horned Fiend saw a flash of light and it fell to the ground with both his head and hands still pointing upwards.


    [Level Up!]


    Upon hearing the system''s message, Nex sighed in relief and sheathed his sword. He had to use complex yet fast movements that will confuse the Demons and let them attack at the wrong time. But techniques like these puts great strain on the body if used for a long period of time. Luckily, he managed to finish the fight or else he would have been in trouble.


    "Now that we have finished with that, let''s take care of this thing before trouble comes knocking."


    He turned towards the gate that has definitely grown bigger since he came in.


    Nex started to move quickly again and started landing attacks on certain points on the magic circle, causing it to stop working and break down. The gate shrank down as well.


    "Don''t"


    *Bang!*


    "Bother me!"


    *Bang!!*


    "On my retirement!"


    *Bang!!!*


    At his last strike, the magic circle broke down completely and disappeared causing the gate to rapidly shrink down.


    *Roar!*


    "F*ck you! Behave and just stay there!"


    Suddenly, an enraged and unwilling roar came out of the gate and caused it to twist and forcefully expand back. An occurrence that raised anger in Nex, who began to madly attack it, like he was trying to knock whatever behind it unconscious. He was blasted back by a shockwave that came from the gate.


    *Smash!*


    Nex stood right back up from the crater he was in and cursed upon seeing the gate explode into black and red light.


    "Ahhh! F*cking hell!!!"


    When the light died down, Nex saw a figure where the gate was just at.


    Its entire body was covered in black and purple scales and had vicious purple eyes. Compared to the Demons from before, its three horns were far larger and it was over all more malevolent than them.


    These details are just visual attributes. If one is courageous enough to stare at this being, one would soon find oneself crushing under the unnerving amounts of mana and demonic power it gave off. Proper strength is needed to even look at this being straight in its eyes.


    This sinister being that inspires fear amongst humans was met instead by an annoyed groan.


    "Why does it always happen to me?"


    In front of Nex, stood a Devil.


    ???


    True to its status of being one of the top beings of its race, the deep voice spoke splendidly like royals do.


    "So, you are the meddlesome human who made my arrival here so”­ troublesome. To think that my plan was ruined by a single human who is still in his First Awakening. I had to pay a great price just to come here. In compensation for the inconvenience you have caused me, I shall take your life. Do you have any last words before I rip---"


    "Yeah, yeah. Keep talking, sunshine. I am just checking something here."


    The magnificent speech was cut off abruptly like it was just a kid''s incessant chat. Nex stared intently at the Devil like he was trying to find something.


    Receiving an attitude like this, the Devil''s eyes began to shine with rage and its body began to burn in purple flames.


    "You dare to cut---"


    "Yes! I knew it!"


    Nex pumped his first in a eureka moment as he saw the Devil''s status.


    [Cyoklos ØC Devil Viscount(Royal - Boss) LV : 25(Soul Projection)]


    "You are just a part of your soul without any true body to hold it!"


    Being exposed, the Devil didn''t panic and instead scoffed off.


    "Even though I am far weaker than my full form”­"


    An explosion of demonic power came off him.


    "”­It''s still more than enough to kill you!"


    "Maybe if you had a real body, you just might."


    Nex put his sword back into the inventory and pulled out something else.


    "Hmmn?!"


    The Devil''s eyes widened in anger after seeing what terrifying weapon Nex decided to use.


    "A wooden sword! Are you mocking me now? How can you even think you can harm me with that?!"


    "Here''s the thing”­"


    Nex started to activate some skills.


    ''All 54 free stat points to mana.''


    ''[Mana Revival]''


    ''[Dash]''


    "You are mainly just a piece of soul”­"


    He continued to activate another skill.


    ''[Mana Art : Mana Body]''


    "And souls”­"


    Nex felt immense power fill his entire body and his sword began to change form into a brilliant silver sword that made the Devil feel a little bit of fear for the first time.


    ''[Soul Sword Zero Art : Unsheathing]''


    "”­Are thing things I know exactly how to deal with."

 33 The Truth Of The Soul Sword

    "This one broke as well, huh?"


    A silver-haired young man discarded a handle. Just a minute ago, it had been a legendary weapon that only a few can wield yet it had been reduced to nothing but a useless thing.


    Not even taking a moment to mourn for the loss of such a great weapon, the man took out another weapon. It has the same quality to the one that was used before. He then surveyed the scene around him.


    "You know, you could have attacked me all these time, right?"


    He had a slight smile on his lips as he spoke gently. It could have been a normal, casual scene, if not for his weird audience. As far as he could see, he was being surrounded by countless of Demons and there were even Devils in the mix. There wasn''t even a vacant spot on the whole area!


    He was alone in the middle of a sea of these beings but not one of them dared to make a move. They all knew that he could annihilate them even without a weapon. And yes, they also knew that if they disturbed him from getting a weapon, he would be unnecessarily pissed which could make him go on a killing spree on just a whim.


    "Why are you staring at me like this?"


    The man shook his head as if he knew what they were all thinking.


    "Using techniques like those is too bothersome and too consuming for my current power. If you had tried to attack me right now, who knows? Maybe you could have gotten a chance to get close."


    For a moment, his eyes flashed in silver light that made some of his opponents take a step back warily.


    "Well, look at me yapping here."


    The man sighed and took a battle stance.


    "I trust that you will help me find out the durability of the weapons I have brought."


    A bright flash of silver light appeared and everything disappeared.


    "Mehhh... So in the end, none of these can last."


    The young man stood in front of a pile of broken and shattered weapons in the middle of the ravaged battlefield and sighed.


    These weapons were legendary weapons that were made from top-grade materials and crafted by sought-after blacksmiths. Their individual prestige have spread all through-out the lands, so of course, any of these can actually hold on for a very long time for any individual who is lucky enough to obtain such. It might even outlive its wielder.


    This wasn''t the case for this young man, however. The techniques and spells that he uses are way above what someone at his level could do. So any weapon that he wields couldn''t stand the power used behind those techniques and spells and would break after just a few uses.


    "No choice."


    The look in his eyes changed. It became resolute.


    "I will create my own weapon. A weapon that will hold on for as much as I can."


    ???


    ''Although I wanted to do it without a medium, it is still too early for that.''


    Nex shook his head after he checked the level of the sword that he had just formed.


    "Human... What is that... thing?"


    He lifted his head and looked back at the Devil who stared at the sword with caution.


    "Obviously, it is just a sword. If there is one thing special about it..."


    He suddenly disappeared from the spot he was standing at and reappeared right in front of the Devil with his swinging sword. So far, this has been the fastest speed he had ever displayed in the game.


    Although Cyoklos, the Devil had been wary of the sword, it didn''t lose its composure. A lot of defense spells coated its hand that moved upwards to block the sword attack.


    *Rumble!*


    The face of the Devil contorted as the sword touched the first defense spell while a giant slash mark appeared across the wall of the cavern and made the whole place tremble.


    This mini earthquake wasn''t paid attention to in the slightest as both human and Devil stared at each other. While the latter had a mix of expressions on its face, Nex was wearing a smirk on his lips.


    The Devil Viscount is now standing 20 meters away from its original spot, with one hand less.


    "...That it has a bada*s creator."


    "Damn you!"


    Cyoklos gnashed in fury while ignoring the searing pain that the amputation caused.


    "I don''t know what sort of sword you''re using or why someone with a low level like you can use it, but you will no longer get another chance as you did before!"


    The Devil began to move towards Nex, even faster than the speed the latter had shown before. In the Devils Innate Language, it shouted a spell.


    "[Sword of Rage]!"


    A dark red sword formed in its hand and it was then slashed at Nex with immense force. The man reacted with a slash of his own.


    ''[Advanced Enchantment]''


    *Bang!*


    As both swords clashed, two terrifying energies met and caused a large explosion that shook the whole cavern. This made both Nex and Cyoklos fly back for dozens of meters away from each other.


    "[Baleful Rain]!"


    But even while being thrown back, the Devil didn''t stop its offense and cast another chant in Devils Innate Language.


    Numerous magic circles appeared around Nex and began to barrage him and his surroundings with magic attacks that seemed like black lasers. This destroyed the area and caused for dust clouds to rise all around Nex.


    Seeing that the human didn''t get away from the area of the attack, the Devil relaxed a little and then checked the situation of its wound. Its blood went cold.


    What that strange sword did was more than just cut off the hand physically. It also cut and even burned the part that its soul was connected to, making the task of healing the wound much more difficult.


    "Just what kind of power is---"


    Cyoklos was in a little awe and a little confused as it turned its head towards where a heavily-injured-Nex should be. Contrary to this expectation, it saw Nex was still perfectly fine. He was even right in front of the Devil and aiming his sword towards its chest.


    ''No way! Did he block it all with his sword?!''


    The Devil Viscount could barely sense the remnants of its spell on the human''s sword but it wasn''t granted enough time to even consider how this human has succeeded in going right in front of it unnoticed, much less mull over how Nex had successfully defended against the attack. It swung its sword to block the human''s attack.


    Just when it was sure that its defense would be successful, it then saw the jeering look on the human''s face.


    ''[Martial Secret : Triple Strike]''


    The poor Devil''s mind must have been distracted from all of the unexpected variables of this battle as it had not noticed that Nex''s stab turned to three. It can only block one of them and both unblocked stabs would hit unfavorable spots on its body.


    "Argh! Damn you, human!"


    "You Devils are so annoying with your stupid extra hearts that are too small to be called one."


    The Devil didn''t have the luxury to reply to Nex''s words as it rapidly backed off and tried to isolate the burning pain from spreading throughout the rest of its body. Normally, as long as at least one of its three hearts remained whole, it could rapidly recover the destroyed ones. That should be the case here as well, if it wasn''t for that damned sword and its wielder!


    The Devil knew very well that if this human was not taken care of right at this moment, he could pose a great danger to Demons and Devils! Considering his frightening battle powers and the fact that as a Traveler, he can still grow as long as he kills, sooner or later he probably might bring disaster to them all!


    "[Forbidden Art]!"


    Cyoklos yelled knowing that it had to use every means available to it in order to cut this budding threat to its race. With its sword lifted and pointed at Nex, it drew all of its mana, Demonic Power and a copious amount of Soul Force.


    "[Wicked Extinction]!"


    Like a wave, a terrifying gray-red beam of light shot towards Nex. It was so big that it was threatening to engulf everything in a radius of two meters and disintegrated anything in its path.


    "Looks like I gotta bring out the big guns as well."


    Nex who fought countless of Devils knew very well what this one have planned the moment it had entered a certain stance. As a result, he prepared an attack of his own, as well.


    Entering a stance similar to the ones that trainees use when they train their stabs, Nex took a deep breath and closed his eyes. The moment before the beam reached him, he opened them. A silver light was revealed as he stabbed his sword forward.


    "[Soul Sword Second Art : Piercing Void]"


    Just before the tip of the silver sword touched the beam, a pencil-thin ray of silver light shot from it and met the far bigger gray-red one. Instead of being swallowed and destroyed as anyone would expect, a horrifying yet amazing thing happened.


    The silver ray sucked all of the energy around it as it passed through the beam, causing whatever part of the beam it went through to lose power and disappear. Accordingly, it began to increase its own size, power and speed.


    Before the Devil could even notice, its attack completely disappeared and a frightening streak of light at the circumference of a football went through its chest and utterly destroyed its remaining heart.


    "How can someone”­ have so much”­ power?"


    The Devil''s body fell on the floor as it began to disintegrate back to its previous form which was a small part of a soul.


    Nex knew that there is still a bit of time before this small part of a soul would truly vanish, so after returning his wooden sword that was restored back in its previous form in his inventory, he walked to the Devil''s body and crouched in front of it.


    "Currently, how many Princes are there in the Devil''s realm?"


    Without wasting any more time, Nex began his interrogation.


    "”­Why are you asking?"


    After a moment, the Devil finally opened its mouth and replied warily.


    "So I would know how many more a*ses I will need to kick in the future."


    "Haha”­"


    Cyoklos laughed weakly but in contempt.


    "You won''t be able to do a thing to them”­ The moment you killed my soul projection, you have already been marked with my curse. From now on, you will be hunted by all of the demonic and corrupted beings on your realm! Forget about the Seven Excellency. You probably won''t meet another Devil before you die!"


    "Oh boy!"


    Nex shook his head in a mix of ridicule and reprimand.


    "Until now, you still didn''t understand what I killed you with? Not to mention giving me a curse, you will not even return to your main body with whole memories!"


    "That''s impossible!"


    Although the Devil was in denial, its face still turned grave.


    "There is no way that someone with your level of power could wield a weapon that can harm souls!"


    "It isn''t a normal weapon. In fact, your body is a good example of what it truly was."


    Realization dawned on the Devil as the last parts of its body began to vanish.


    "It can''t be”­"


    "That''s right”­"


    Nex spoke to Cyoklos who no longer can make any replies.


    "That sword is my soul projection."

 34 Please Let Me Fight You!

    "God damn it!"


    Nex moved his body uncomfortably while dealing with the excruciating pain that was going throughout his body and soul.


    The techniques [Mana Body] and [Soul Sword Zero Art : Unsheathing] that he used were very consuming of stamina that even slightly overtaxed his body and soul.


    [Mana Body] is a technique that dispenses a large amount of mana per moment in order to make his body on the same level as his mana. In the game language, it makes his physical stats equal to his mana stats.


    But using this [Mana Art] at his current level of strength is still too early. Until either his mana or body reached a certain high enough level, he has no choice but to suffer this backlash of physical damage after every time he uses it.


    As for the [Soul Sword Zero Art : Unsheathing], although it is not as consuming as a normal [Soul Art], it still contributed to Nex''s fatigue for a myriad of reasons.


    Using it for a prolonged time with a rough and inadequate wooden sword as a medium and even overlapped it with another [Soul Sword Art], in the end, the state of his soul wasn''t any better than the rest of his body.


    "Good thing I leveled up from that piece of crap."


    Nex grumbled as he began to do a breathing technique that restored his body at the price of mana.


    "Or else, it would have been a nightmare to restore enough mana with my body''s current state."


    And thanks to the mana that he had, he quickly restored his body, enough to move properly and stand back up after a short time.


    "Now, let''s check out the loots!"


    Nex reached out his hand in order to grab the equipment that was dropped by the Devil Viscount. Before his hand managed to get close, the tattoo suddenly shone and before he managed to react, all of the loots from the Devil and demonic power in the air was sucked into it, leaving nothing behind but an additional marking to his hand.


    "”­"


    Nex''s expression froze at first. After a moment, he calmly pulled out his sword and put the tip of it over the tattoo.


    "I can handle perfectly without my hand. Can you do it too?"


    *Bzzz!*


    *Bzzz!*


    "What do you mean it will help me more? Prove it!"


    *Bzzz!*


    It shone once again and projected a hologram of a radar.


    "What is it?"


    *Bzzz!*


    "You mean that this radar will locate any special ingredients or treasures related to my Professions?"


    *Bzzz!*


    "”­Want me to find you some more Devils?"


    ???


    "Still, no signs of any Demons."


    The old Dwarf sighed deeply as it stared at the direction of the mines. The last few hours were the most nerve-wracking ones it had in the last few years.


    But no one can blame the Head for that.


    Right now, there is probably an army of Demons inside the mines and the only one who is standing between them and the settlement is a young man in his twenties. He might have an amazing battle power, but in the end, he is still alone. This kind of battle statistics isn''t really encouraging in the slightest.


    Although the old Dwarf has had its fair share of thrill before retiring to this settlement, the times it had been under this magnitude of pressure can be counted to only one hand.


    They couldn''t fight back. The Demons were stronger than them both in quality and quantity. They couldn''t get help.


    The communication device signal is blocked and there is still some time until the messenger they sent will come back with reinforcements.


    Run away? They are in a mountainous area and even though they have a natural advantage as Dwarfs, they will not be able to escape along with the young and weak ones. They will be caught by the Demons in no time.


    Facing such a hopeless situation, the settlement Head could only pray that Nex will be able to do the impossible and hold the Demons off until help arrives.


    "Fate sure loves to mess with people."


    The settlement head shook its head and turned back.


    "Yeah. She is quite a b*tch."


    Upon hearing that familiar voice that agreed with it, the old Dwarf froze. It took a moment before it tilted its head in confusion and looked around. A silver-haired man sat near the inner part of the gate. He was munching on a kebab while examining a black gem that resembles a marble but emits an eerie aura.


    "Say, if I remove the creepy feeling it gives off, do you think a core of a high-rank Demon will be a cool gift for a ten-year-old boy?"


    "Y-you!"


    The old Dwarf pointed at Nex with a shaking finger.


    That man was here, unharmed and not fighting in the mines. But why were there no signs of Demons? Why haven''t they attacked?


    "Oh! Where are my manners?"


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    Nex acted as if he remembered something and pulled another kebab from the inventory and offered it to the old Dwarf.


    "Earth Drake Kebab?"


    ???


    After finally eating the surprisingly tasty Kebab that Nex incessantly offered, the settlement Head, at last, managed to get an answer from the man as for why he came back and also what happened to the Demons.


    "Oh, about this?"


    Nex shrugged under the old Dwarf''s expectant gaze.


    "There was a rift to a Demonic realm under a Viscount Devil''s rule. Since it was limited to only First Awakening Demons, there weren''t any strong ones there. So after killing all of the Demons, closing the rift and destroying the soul projection of the Devil Viscount that came out---"


    "Stop! Stop!"


    The old Dwarf waved its hand to cut Nex off.


    "You didn''t only slaughter what can very well be hundreds of Demons; you also destroyed a rift to a demonic realm. To top it off, you also slew a soul projection of a being that can easily destroy over a third of the kingdom."


    "That pretty much, sums it up."


    Nex nodded in agreement, he was actually satisfied by the summary but he added a key point.


    "But it was easier than what you made it sound. After all, they were all at First Awakening in terms of power."


    "”­Are you even human?"


    The old Dwarf asked weakly after a brief silence.


    "Well, that''s just rude."


    Nex frowned while patting his chest proudly.


    "Do you know how much crap I had to go through to get my body back to one of a human? Before, every time I got close to someone, they cried and ran away!"


    "I see."


    The old Dwarf sweated while its thoughts were in disarray.


    ''What kind of hellish creature was he before?!''


    "Ahhh! I remembered!"


    Nex suddenly cried out.


    "I canceled the blockage of the communication signal when I destroyed the gate. Now, you can communicate with the outside world. In addition, there are tons of Demon corpses back at the mine, so you should do something about them soon. You can keep the things there. I already got what I wanted."


    He flipped the Demon core in his hand like it was a coin.


    "What?!"


    Like every other being that met Nex, he got surprises after surprises.


    "You don''t know the value of this many Demons? You can earn a fortune that could set you for life!"


    "Don''t need it. I earned enough money for now after defeating some Bosses. I don''t like carrying too much on me. Besides, you should use the money to get some capable fighters for this place. If it had a proper fighting force, you might have not needed my help at all."


    "But still”­"


    The old Dwarf still tried to find a way to reject such generosity. They were already in such a great debt to him.


    "Just take it. I am on my way to Starshine and I am going on a rough way. You can''t expect me to carry all of those, right?"


    "Wait, are you saying that you are going to Starshine?"


    Upon hearing the name of the Western city, the old Dwarf''s eyes shone and he ran to his house. After a few moments, he came back and handed Nex a letter along with a badge.


    "Give this to the Mayor and tell him what happened here. This letter and badge will prove your identity, so you won''t get any problems. Although I can''t offer you much by myself, as I and that man are close friends, he will surely give something that will satisfy you."


    "Thank you."


    Nex didn''t reject and politely received the items. Who knows? Maybe there will be uses for them.


    After getting the letter and the badge, Nex suddenly noticed that it was time for him to log off.


    Telling the old Dwarf that he needed to go and with reassurances that the settlement is no longer in danger, he then logged off.


    The old Dwarf stared at where Nex disappeared with a flash of light as if he was trying to digest what just happened. After a few moments, it shook its head and walked away.


    "I am too old to think about those things. I should just be thankful for what I get."


    ???


    ''How much time has passed since I went on a leisure walk in the park?''


    Nex leaned on a bench inside the park while closing his eyes, unknowingly letting out an irresistible aura that made all the women around blush and stare at him foolishly.


    Since Eddie needed help in studying, Jane cancelled all training except for the morning ones. She then kicked Nex out so that he won''t disturb Eddie from studying.


    It should also be said that it was an indirect move to prevent Nex from further corrupting her brother.


    So without anything better to do, Nex decided to go for a walk around the neighborhood. After walking for a while and saw what the place has to offer, he stopped and sat on a bench in a public park.


    ''Honestly, I thought that I would get bored from walking around pretty quickly. But this is more”­ relaxing than I thought. I am actually starting to like it.''


    He let out a small smile that made the women around blush harder and even let out sighs and "Kyaa!" noises from the younger ones.


    Strangely, they were all content on just staring at this guy and no one dared to get close to him.


    "F-finally! I-I found you!"


    Being disturbed from his daydreaming by a slightly familiar yet stuttering voice, Nex furrowed his brows and stared with slight annoyance at the beautiful young girl who looked at him while heavily blushing.


    "Oh, you''re the kid from before."


    "D-don''t call me kid!"


    The girl said without being able to look at him directly in the eyes.


    "My name is Elise!"


    "Nex. Now that we have finished with the introductions, what do you want from me on this pleasant day?"


    Hearing his question, Elise managed to somewhat recover and after taking a deep breath, she stared at Nex straight and with a resolute voice, she made a declaration.


    "Please let me fight you!"

 35 Teacher!

    "Oh?"


    Nex raised his eyebrows and folded his arms while staring with interest at the young girl.


    "And what is your reason for asking me that? I am sure you have already seen the gaping gap between us."


    After Nex woke up from his daydreaming, he retracted his precious aura and instead, gave off the one he usually has that "camouflages" his charm, causing the gazes from the rest of the women to be withdrawn.


    But since Elise have already met Nex''s charm head-on twice, the "camouflage" was less effective on her. Luckily, it was enough for her to get her wits back and leave her with only a slight, charming blush.


    "Because I want to be the strongest in my rank! Strong enough to even be counted as powerful amongst the S-Rankers!"


    "Is that so? And what does it have to do with me?"


    "Don''t make fun of me. I never heard of an A-Ranker who managed to kill a Glided King as you did. If I manage to defeat you, then it means that I am strong enough to reach my goal."


    The resolute look in her face and how her shaking fists are clenched so tight that her knuckles turned white reminded Nex of a memory. This kind of look, he knew very well.


    He acted very similarly during his earlier days back in Perias. And because of that, he knew that this girl in front of him won''t take no for an answer.


    "Very well”­"


    Nex sighed and almost immediately, Elise''s lips blossomed into a beautiful smile that would have caused any normal hot-blooded guy to be in a daze.


    "Thank you! My family owns a training ground near here. So if you''re ready we can---"


    "No need."


    "Wha---"


    Ignoring her surprised reaction, Nex grabbed her shoulder and in the next moment, her vision twisted and she found herself at an open field outside the city.


    "How did we get here? Ahh! I know! You''re an Awakened with teleportation superpower, right?"


    Elise looked around initially with a questioning gaze but soon cleared when she realized what happened.


    "You could say so. You''re an Awakened as well, right?"


    Nex let go of her shoulder and walked away, putting an ample amount of distance between them as he stood in front of her.


    Among Hunters, there are those who are lucky enough to awaken a superpower when they breakthrough in cultivation, or when they have enlightenment or when they consume a special item. They are usually the most talented and powerful amongst their ranks and are usually referred to as Awakened or Espers, depending on their type of power.


    "That is right."


    Elise nodded and reached out her hand.


    Her hair began to glow in bluish hue and out of thin air, a magnificent, translucent blue spear formed. It landed on her hand which gave her a heroic yet mystical image that made one think she was a battle spirit.


    "I can make weapons using my mind power. But this power is nothing but a curse. The weapons I create are too weak and break easily. When they break, I instantly become weak and would have to recuperate without cultivating for days."


    The spear on her hand turned into an exquisite bow. It was an amazing thing to witness, can ever render one to be speechless. But the person who did such a wonder stared at the weapon in her hand with a melancholic expression. Her eyes were downcast.


    "Is that so? I think it is a very beautiful superpower. A useful one, too! I''m sure that in the future, you could overcome its weakness and turn it into the most powerful one. I bet lots of Hunters would be envious of such superpower."


    "You really think so? You really think that I could make that superpower into the strongest?"


    Elise have never been encouraged by such words that when she heard them, her face instantly brightened.


    "Yes. I know that if you put more effort into it, you could do amazing things."


    "T-thank you."


    Meeting Nex''s charm head-on again, Elise could only murmur while lowering her head bashfully.


    "Well then, since we have finished chatting, let''s move to the reason why we came here. Do you have everything you need before we fight? I am now ready."


    "Yes? Yes! I am wearing high-grade Hunter Clothes and as for my battle gear, I always carry my Hunter Armament around."


    She was confused at first but realized his words quickly.


    The bracelet on her wrist shone in bright light. A moment after, a full battle attire appeared over her normal clothes. In her hand, there was a shining, semi-futuristic spear.


    ''Hmm”­ So this is the famous Hunter Clothes and Hunter Armament”­ Quite nice.''


    Nex looked at Elise''s gear with interest.


    Hunter Clothes. This apparel were made from special materials and claimed to have great ability to enhance defense and movement. Don''t be fooled by its appearance that looked similar to normal clothes. Their costs are quite exorbitant that it''s usually only the high ranked hunters and people with affluent backgrounds can afford them.


    As for the Hunter Armament, they''re pricier than the Hunter Clothes. This seems reasonable as they are more complicated than the clothes with special technologies and magic formations involved in them. Any Hunter can pull out their weapon in a moment''s notice with this which is very convenient and a must-have for Hunters.


    To carry both Hunter Clothes and Hunter Armament, Elise sure is rich!


    "Mr. Nex? Aren''t you going to use your gear as well?"


    "It''s fine. Let''s start like this. If you managed to show enough power, then I will pull out my gear as well. Don''t worry, I have something similar to Hunter Armament as well."


    After he said that, the look in his eyes changed slightly. He made a signal to her.


    "Come."


    Remembering once again, how Nex defeated the Gilded King, Elise didn''t question him any further and charged at him without wasting any more time. Cracks appeared at the ground where she stepped as she closed on him swiftly.


    Nex stayed in place and continued to look at her, not bothered in the least.


    The moment she arrived at his range and swiped her spear at him, he jumped backwards slightly and dodged her attack.


    Elise, however, wasn''t done yet. Changing her stance in an instant, she injected magical power into her spear and stabbed rapidly, shooting a fast shot of mana with each stab.


    ''Not bad.''


    Nex dodged the shots as he walked backwards. She was shooting stabs at wherever he was about to go to, seemingly sealing his ways to escape.


    He just smiled at this situation and stepped backwards with some force this time and instantly increased the distance between them by a large amount.


    Before Elise managed to cover the distance, Nex used a strange movement technique and began to circle her while letting her see nothing but after images.


    "Don''t think you can get away just with that!"


    Elise yelled and stabbed her spear strongly into the ground while using a large amount of magical power.


    Instantly, countless of blades made from light were shot from the ground into the sky and cover everything in dozens of meters around Elise.


    Seeing that Nex''s after images are quickly vanishing upon getting hit, Elise looked around in order to find the real one. But while she searched for him, she suddenly felt someone tap her shoulder.


    "Got you!"


    Turning around and sweeping the magical-power-enchanted spear in 360 degrees, she caused waves of powerful and sharp magical power to come out wherever her spear passed. A tornado of magic blades were made from where she stood.


    "Kuhk! Not bad!"


    A sound of something getting hit and Nex''s pained voice could be heard.


    A hit! She hit Nex!


    Elis became excited and turned to where she heard the voice from, only to see Nex''s hand right in front of her. The nail of his middle finger was covered by his thumb.


    *Bang!*


    Having been flicked in the forehead by Nex once again, Elise flew backwards and fell on the ground. This time though, she didn''t lose her consciousness and even jumped back on her legs by tapping her palm on the ground and spinning in the air.


    She entered a stance once again, ignoring the pain coming from her forehead and stared at Nex with fighting intent stronger than ever.


    "Even though you lack a bit of experience in fighting against people, you are quite good for your age. But you should give up. You won''t be able to defeat me with your current strength."


    Nex was nodding with approval in his assessment of her skills. They were good and she was able to react with good judgment to the changes in the battle flow. Not to mention her determination is top notch.


    A fight like this one may seem all about physical attacks. But it isn''t at all. How one''s mental state can determine a win or a loss. If she had been a little more delicate mentally, after receiving an attack that caused her to stumble, her morale would be affected in the least. This can cause unnecessary mistakes and may lead to her defeat.


    But she wasted no time in standing back up and was ready to continue the fight. She has good mental strength which he appreciated.


    But he became solemn when he advised her to give up on fighting with him.


    Comparing their experiences, it was like comparing a crawling baby to a professional runner. This fight has a winner right before it has even started.


    "No! It isn''t over yet! Until I defeat you and prove that I am strong enough, I won''t stop! Even if it means I will die trying!"


    She began to channel every bit of power and energy inside her body and charged at Nex with all her might. True to her words, she was truly planning to put her life on the line.


    "You are too young to say things like that."


    He shook his head before staring at her with a sharp gaze.


    "Very well, give me everything that you got."


    But she could no longer hear his words nor be able to process them. Elise was already buried so deep in her emotions that all she had in mind was to defeat Nex.


    She closed the gap between them in no time and jumped as soon as she was near enough. She then swung her spear down at him mid-air with everything that she has.


    The attack was packed with so much power and speed that the spear began to blur and the air around it began to fiercely vibrate. Even an SS-Ranker will get injuries from being hit directly by it.


    When the spear was just half a meter away from Nex, something that Elise couldn''t even imagine happening had occurred. The time seemed to move so slow that the spear almost seemed like it was frozen in the air.


    To her horror, Nex lightly raised his hand to grab the spear by the blade. She wanted to yell at him that he will lose his arm! But to her shock, the moment that he grabbed the blade, all the energy from the attack dispersed into the air like it was a small cloud of dust.


    "Only fools will recklessly sacrifice their life like that."


    She heard Nex''s berating tone in her ears and before she knew it, she was already back in the ground.


    Lifting her head, she saw him looking at her with a serious face. It was so unlike his usual casual expression.


    "You didn''t experience enough of life to just throw it away just like that. You still need to enjoy life and have fun. Maybe go on a date or have a fling or two at the same time. Travel the whole world and eat all kinds of cuisines. Learn different languages and master your craft. Perhaps you can create a secret move for your own. But if you put yourself under that kind pressure”­"


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    He squeezed the spear blade, making the SSS-Rank weapon break like it was made of thin glass.


    "”­You will find out that you have paid too great of a price."


    "I-I”­"


    She stuttered with a blank face as she suddenly felt she had been woken up from his words. Her eyes became misty and she let go of what remained of her spear. She then hugged Nex and began sobbing into his chest.


    Facing this slight surprise, all Nex could do was to lightly pat her head and sigh.


    "There, there. Although I hope that you let it all out, if someone sees us in this clichئ situation, some not-so-nice guys from the police will come."


    But Elise didn''t listen to him and continued to soak his t-shirt with tears that only increased as he patted her. For too long, she felt alone with no friends or caring family. There was no one to encourage her or stop her from being reckless.


    She just kept on pushing herself to get stronger and didn''t even notice the ever-increasing pressure that she has put herself under.


    And now that she met this stupidly handsome silver-haired man who recognized what she is going through and even comforted and showed her care, she couldn''t help but unleash all of her locked emotions.


    After over twenty minutes of crying and sobbing, Nex was starting to feel a little awkward and began to think about how to get out of this situation. Luckily, before he needed to do something, Elise opened her mouth and said something that made him doubt whether it was good or bad.


    "Teacher”­"


    Something isn''t right here.


    "”­I promise I won''t do it again. From now on, I will only follow what you instruct me to do!"


    Nex lowered his head and stared at the young girl who still had her head burrowed into his chest.


    "What teacher?"


    "You. My teacher."


    He felt a slow headache starting to build. He only wanted to go on a walk and before he knew it, there is now this girl that is calling him her teacher.


    "Can I refuse?"


    "No! And I will not let you go until you accept it!"


    She took no notice of the bitterness in his voice as she tightened her hug around him. She was determined to lock him in place.


    ''Come on!''


    He could only groan internally. Sensing her emotions, he knew he didn''t have much choice.


    "Fine!"


    He tried to console himself internally.


    ''Since I''m already training Jane, what does it matter if I take another one?''


    "Really?"


    She lifted her tear-stained face and stared at him intently, trying to see the honesty in his eyes. Upon seeing that and his nod, her face brightened as her lips turned upwards in a beautiful smile. A smile that Nex has to admit was the most beautiful one he saw from her by far.


    "Thank you”­"


    She didn''t get to finish what she wanted to say when her eyes closed due to exhaustion and passed out. Her head landed back on Nex''s chest who quickly held her so she won''t fall to the ground.


    Seeing how his new student was unconscious, Nex shook his head. She overtaxed herself long ago and managed to barely hold on using sheer will power. Staring at the young face that now seemed full of relief and joy, Nex gave out another bitter sigh.


    "In the end, I am still too good of a person."

 36 Elise Story

    "So you''re telling me that while you were in the park, this young girl who saw your strength came to you and asked you to fight her. After fighting with her, you defeated her and as a result, she asked you to be her teacher. Then, when you agreed to her request, she fainted. Sine you thought that bringing her to a hospital will attract unwanted attention, an underage girl whom we knew nothing about and most likely has a great background is now lying unconscious on my couch. Is that right?"


    Jane''s face was completely serene when she summarized everything that happened to Nex.


    "Yes, I guess so?"


    Nex wore a sardonic smile. He knew very well that calmness usually precedes a storm.


    *Smack!*


    "Don''t you dare act nonchalant in this kind of situation!"


    Yep. He called it. The storm came pretty quickly.


    "I just can''t believe it, you beast!"


    Jane''s face became ferocious and if Eddie wasn''t studying in his room and saw it, he would immediately run to hide. This was the famous seriously-pissed-off-face and also one of the things he feared the most.


    "Not only did you take this kid to the middle of nowhere, you also beat her up so much that she lost her consciousness. Then you brought her here where there is no one who could properly examine her and check if she''s okay!"


    "But I checked her---"


    When Jane is on a roll, no one can stop her. Nex wasn''t even able to defend himself properly before he was cut off. Her face turning more livid by each passing moment and her voice start to shrill, building a crescendo that threatens to rupture eardrums.


    "And not only that, if what you said is true, then this kid has great powers backing her up. They probably won''t be glad when you suddenly took her away to an unknown location and return with her completely out cold and covered with battle marks! What will you do if they come looking for trouble?"


    "That''s simple. I''ll just beat them up until they go."


    As expected, he replied his favorite solution to every problem. Jane wasn''t buying any of it though. She even gazed at him sharply that made him feel somewhat hurt.


    "Are you an idiot? Unless they are from the Dark Faction, the moment you start a fight with them, we will probably be targeted by most of the world even if you win! The last thing I want is for Eddie to live a life of a fugitive. Do you hear me?"


    "Oh”­ Right”­"


    What Jane said made sense and he realized that lately, he was once again behaving in a not-so-rare moments of idiocy. Unlike in Perias, due to the constant presence of the Dark Faction, almost all of the large forces of the Light Faction that are united will support each other when one of them is in trouble.


    "But you still don''t have to worry. Now that I am this girl''s teacher, she will---"


    Nex still tried to ease Jane''s worry”­ to no avail. He was once again cut off as this was what bothered her most.


    "And finally, this subject. Did you not really understand what you have agreed upon that you are treating it so casually?"


    "It''s just teaching her how to fight, isn''t it?"


    He furrowed his brows, perplexed. It was just a simple teaching job. Why should he worry? It doesn''t even involve preparing syllabus or complicated worded reports.


    Jane could only sigh and shake her head.


    "I always forget that you lived under a rock somewhere out there. To accept someone as a personal teacher or student for Hunters is something they will have to think through thoroughly a billion of times and never act lightly. The reason for this is that the teacher and student will share each other''s secrets and abilities. Through this, the student will learn the teacher''s way of training and techniques. And because of that, the student will most likely have only one teacher for all of their entire life. Not only that, the bond they will have may even turn into one of an adoptive parent or even one of a l-lover."


    At her last word, Jane stuttered and even blush a little. Something that Nex noticed and made him reach a realization.


    "Don''t worry. I will not enter such a relationship with this girl."


    Jane stared at him enough to see his honesty.


    "As long as you understand”­"


    She turned her head away, blushing from his smile.


    ”­Only to feel a rush of coldness creeping on her back with his next words.


    "Not to mention that you can be considered as my student as well, yet we obviously don''t have that kind of relationship! Haha!"


    "Oh? Still in the mood for jokes, are we?"


    Her voice was bitingly cold while an aura emitted from her that made even Eddie, who was in another room and couldn''t hear anything, feel the chill.


    "No dinner for you tonight!"


    "Please! Anything but that!"


    Almost instantly, Nex fell to his knees and hugged Jane''s leg while staring at her like an abandoned puppy.


    After all the crappy food he ate back at Perias, eating Jane''s heavenly meals is something he never wanted to miss out on. The so-called godly meats and fruits there are utter garbage when being compared to her food.


    "What are you doing? Let go!"


    Jane was completely unprepared for Nex''s "surprise attack" on her legs but it wasn''t the thing that made her feel uneasy the most. No. What made her blush deep red and weakly attempt to pry off his grip was the face he was making.


    Not only was Nex ridiculously handsome, when he was deep in his thoughts or feeling great emotions, he will spread around an aura that made him seem so unnecessarily”­ charming! So Jane knew that if she stared at his current expression, her brain will short-circuit and she may do something she will definitely regret!


    "I will not let go unless you cancel the punishment!"


    "Are you a kid?! It''s just a meal!"


    "For you, it''s just a meal! For me, it''s paradise!"


    *Blushing harder*


    "Y-you fool!"


    "Mhmm”­"


    "!"


    While they were having their little argument, a young voice was suddenly heard. It made them both freeze in place.


    "Teacher, is that you?"


    Elise slowly rose from the sofa and turned to the current scene of Nex kneeling in front of Jane, hugging her legs and making pitiful expressions. He was even pouting!


    "”­"


    "”­"


    After an awkward moment of silence, Nex and Jane managed to get away from each other. Elise went straight to where Nex was and hugged his arm while looking at Jane with vigilance. She looked very much like an adorable small animal.


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    "Don''t bully my Teacher!"


    Upon seeing this situation, Jane knew that if she doesn''t do something quick, she would be mistakenly condemned by this girl who was becoming increasingly cute by the minute. Jane immediately acted.


    "Is that how you talk to your Senior Sister?"


    Jane lifted her head arrogantly and stared straight at Elise.


    "Senior Sister?"


    Elise had a cute frown on her face as she became confused. She lowered her vigilance a little and gave more thought to what the woman said.


    "Of course!"


    Jane had a warmer gaze and waved her hand, causing sparks of light to appear in the same way that Nex once had showed her.


    Seeing the trick that was of the same style as the abilities that Nex had shown before, Elise became unusually excited.


    "Really? I thought that Teacher is a loner who doesn''t have any friend. I also thought that I will be trained alone!"


    Feeling pricked in the heart, Nex opened his mouth.


    "Since when did you get this---"


    But he didn''t manage to finish his sentence when another prick came.


    "Oh, he indeed doesn''t have any friends. My brother and I are the only ones he knows. It''s mainly due to him being a bum. Aside from training me and eating my food, he doesn''t do anything but play games. Don''t worry, your Senior Sister”­ No”­ Big Sister is here to make sure he won''t make you suffer."


    She took Elise in her arms and even began to petting her like she would pet a puppy.


    "Elise, don''t listen to her! She is doing it just to---"


    Nex tried to argue and salvage his defamed image. Tried being the keyword”­


    "Big Sister!"


    Partly because of Jane''s mesmerizing charm and beauty, but mostly because of the fact that she got the Big Sister figure that Elise always wanted, the latter didn''t take a long time to hug Jane back with sparkly, round eyes filled with joy.


    "Yes, I am here."


    Jane continued to pat the younger girl as if she was her baby sister. While she was doing that, she finally noticed the gaze that Nex gave her. She knew exactly what the meaning behind it was and returned it with one of her own.


    ''And you call me a beast, huh?''


    ''Oh, shut up! Can''t you see how cute this girl is? There is no way I''m giving up on her!''


    Understanding that there is no point in continuing the subject, Nex decided to ignore it and move on to something else.


    "Elise, now that I am your Teacher, I need you to answer me a few questions."


    Once she was called, she immediately let go of her Big Sister and obediently answered.


    "Yes, Teacher! You can ask me any question!"


    Sneaking a victorious smile at the annoyed Jane, Nex then turned back to Elise and asked her with a serious expression on his face.


    "Why do you want to become stronger so much? I know there is a reason behind it."


    "This”­"


    Elise''s face became slightly uneasy but she took a deep breath and continued.


    "There is a story behind it."


    ???


    Elise was born as the daughter of the Clan Leader of DiamondFang, one of the greatest guilds in the world. As she grew up, she didn''t disappoint the expectations placed on her. She showed great talent in cultivating and her results were far above her peers.


    Sadly, as per the agreement made by her grandfather and the previous leader of another great clan, when she turns 18, she will marry the latter''s obnoxious grandson who was two years older than her.


    She tried to annul the marriage several times on her own but she didn''t manage to succeed as there was only one way to do it. Defeat her fiancئ in a battle.


    At first, she thought that with her talents, that won''t be a problem. Before she knew it, something happened. It changed the situation completely.


    Her superpower awakened.


    Although it showed low gains despite having high cost, she tried to train and improve it. But even after she had wasted many hours of cultivation, she was still unsuccessful. As a result, she lagged behind and fell to the level of the rest of the people in her age group.


    Now, she found herself a whole rank behind her fiancئ and her eighteenth birthday only a few months away!


    Thanks to her incessant training, she found herself without any friend. Her mother had died when she was young. Her father and grandfather are both strict and show little care for her difficulties. They only rush her to train more.


    But it seems that luck didn''t give up on her and a few days ago, she found someone who might be able to help her.


    ???


    "And so, after searching in the area, I finally found Teacher again and here we are."


    Elise concluded while leaning on Nex''s hand without anyone noticing.


    "So this is the reason”­"


    Jane murmured before snatching Elise and hugging her close.


    "Don''t worry, Elise. Nex and I won''t let anyone take you away."


    Elise''s eyes became misty. She was so overwhelmed by Jane''s protectiveness. So this is what it actually feels like to have a Big Sister.


    "Elise”­"


    Nex''s serious voice burst the little bubble of both girls. They both looked towards him and saw, to their surprise, his brilliant smile.


    "I need you to tell me how hard you want to beat him so I could train you accordingly, okay?"


    And like a broken dam, Elise''s tears poured from her eyes as she nodded. Having Teacher is awesome as well!


    Looking at the little girl, Jane couldn''t help herself from taking her back into her embrace and pat her back.


    "There. There. Let it all out. I don''t mind that my cute Little Sister is a cry baby."


    Nex smiled wryly as he stared at how Jane had easily "tamed" Elise.


    ''She sure loves to be a big sister.''


    After Elise had finished crying, Nex told her to call back home so that people won''t think something bad might have happened to her.


    And just as Elise finished doing that, a young voice was heard.


    "Wow! Sis! Big Bro! I didn''t know you knew Elise from the school!"


    Eddie exclaimed and went to Elise and slightly bowed.


    "Hello, Miss Elise!"


    Facing such attack of cuteness head-on, Elise did exactly what Jane would do. She immediately wrapped her arms around him and hugged.


    "It isn''t Miss Elise, it is Big Sister! I never thought that the Little Prince of the school will be the little brother of Senior Sister!"


    "Hey there, he''s not a toy."


    Her gaze told another story.


    ''Only I am allowed to hug him like that.''


    Nex tried to hide the smile on his face when he saw Jane''s reaction. He immediately tried to lighten up the atmosphere.


    "To think that you would know Eddie and even study in the same school."


    Elise reluctantly let go of Eddie who immediately hid behind Jane.


    "It''s not exactly the same school. He in in the elementary section and I am in the high school one. Not to mention inside the school, even other schools know the famous Little Prince who excels in any subject while keeping a distance from other people."


    Nex turned to the blushing Eddie and teased him.


    "Oh? I didn''t know you are so famous Eddie. You must be popular with the girls. Am I right?"


    Eddie blushed harder but still nodded shyly.


    "Yeah, a little."


    Nex had a teasing smile on his lips.


    "Have anyone you like”­"


    *Piercing glare!*


    "Don''t bother him with this subject. He is still a kid!"


    It was a subtle way of saying, "there is no way in hell I am going to let vixen a take him and corrupt him!"


    Realizing that he stepped into a dangerous territory, Nex stepped back and changed the subject once again.


    "Never mind. Anyways, how do you know Elise?"


    "That''s simple. Everyone knows miss, I mean, Big Sis Elise. She is the most beautiful and talented person in the school if she didn''t have her training injury, she would have long been an S-class Hunter. She''s amazing!"


    After managing to hold Elise back from "assaulting" Eddie again, Nex once again diverted the conversation.


    "Elise, you are playing The Mythical Age, right?"


    Elise nodded as if it is the most obvious thing in the world.


    "Of course, Teacher. Every young Hunter that belongs to a large clan is required to play the game at the very least during their sleeping time."


    "Good, then what is your level and in which city are you?"


    "I am level 14 and I am in the Northern City."


    "If so, then can you teleport to the Western City in a few days? I am about to reach there soon."


    Elise''s face turned uneasy at first then resolute.


    "Western City? No problem, Teacher! Tell me when and I will be there!"


    Hearing Nex''s words, Eddie came out from his hiding place and ran to him.


    "Big Bro, you are coming to the Western City?"


    Nex patted the kid''s head.


    "Yes. After all, I did promise I would play with you and Jane."

 37 Dealing With Some Kids

    "This is a restricted area!"


    After having dinner with Jane, Eddie and the new addition to the bunch, Elise and then making sure that the latter is capable of returning by herself, Nex logged back into the game.


    Instead of the quiet Dwarf Settlement, he found himself surrounded by countless of city guards and armed adventurers who stared at him with excessive caution.


    "Show proof of your identification or we would have to use force!"


    One of the higher ranked guards came out and asked Nex warily while putting his hand on his weapon, ready to draw it at any moment.


    Nex didn''t get excited nor let out a battlecry like a battle-hungry idiot. He instead had a calm voice when he murmured his reply.


    "You sure arrived with a delegation. Weren''t you told I already took care of this?"


    "You think you can fool everyone? How can a First Awakening man deal with a demon rift? I bet you took all the credit from the one who really did it!"


    An arrogant voice was heard before the guard can open his mouth. A young blond boy in his teens came out of the crowd, wearing fancy clothes and had an Adventures Guild Badge on his chest. It was different from Nex''s as it had two green stars which indicates the lowest rank in his awakening level.


    Nex gave the young man a what-do-you-want-from-me-kid kind of glance before turning back to the guard and handed him his own Adventurer Guild Badge.


    "Here you go, young man. One proof of identification."


    The middle-aged guard''s mouth twitched as he took the badge and examined it. His eyes widened in shock. On the other hand, the young boy was fuming from the reception he got. He reached for his sword.


    "How dare you!"


    But before he can completely pull out his sword, several earth spikes came out from the ground and stopped just a few centimeters from his vital spots. He was forced to stay in place, unmoving.


    Almost immediately, everyone pulled their weapons out and pointed them at Nex. He remained unperturbed during this entire event and just stared at the guard with a calm gaze.


    He acted like this whole event wasn''t related to him in the least as he patiently waited for the guard to finish inspecting his badge.


    Indeed, the guard waved his hand at the crowd as he sighed.


    "Stay your hand. He is a Master Rank."


    Hearing his command, the people lowered their weapons and began to whisper to each other.


    "So, he is the new Master Rank?"


    "I heard he managed to land a hit on the Guild Master!"


    "On the Guild Master? Then it really might actually be him who destroyed the rift!"


    Nex wasn''t interested a bit to the gossip mill and just talked to the guard.


    "Say, where is the Settlement Head? I need to continue on my journey and I want to say goodbye before I go."


    "You can meet him. He is in his home. Before you go though, I need you to give me the full account of events so I could pass the record to the Kingdom and the Adventures Guild. This should be done so they can reward you accordingly."


    Nex knew that he would have to do it as it was the protocol. He simply nodded.


    Seeing Nex''s compliance, the guard''s face brightened as he internally sighed in relief. Usually, people with this type of rank are a bit... eccentric. Most of the time, they have troubles with these types of procedures.


    "Great! Then, please follow me."


    The crowd that previously stared at Nex with wariness and doubt are now looking at him with admiration and awe. All, except for a single pair of eyes that looked at the silver-haired man''s back with hate.


    ???


    In the last few days, the Guard Captain heard a couple of interesting rumors.


    A young man in his First Awakening managed to hunt an Earth Drake along with ten different Elite Bosses all on his own. Not only that, the reason for all the slaying was just to learn how to cook!


    The young man also went to the Adventures Guild in order to register. He used a recommendation letter from the legendary Mister Armstrong and immediately got a Master Rank after being tested directly by the Guild Master himself!


    In addition, he heard from his old friend who was a guard in a remote village that a young man with similar features was able to reach the peak of Unawakened from being powerless in only a day and a half! What an unbelievable feat indeed!


    And now, standing right in front of him was the very same young man. This young man was telling him how he had killed an army of Demons and even managed to defeat a soul projection of a Devil!


    What?!


    To be frank, if he didn''t get a message from the Guild Master telling him not to underestimate this young man, he would have long thought that everything was nothing but one giant hoax.


    "So you are saying that you defeated all of the Demons that came out of this rift. We searched the mines and indeed found a large number of Demon corpses. The bit of a problem here is that do you have any proof that you are the one who killed all of them?"


    "Hmmm..."


    Nex rubbed his chin and thought of some shiny small objects. Demon cores.


    "I gathered these from the stronger ones and as for the mobs, I can show you the type of attacks I have used. You can see if they match the corpses'' wounds."


    The Guard Captain''s eyes turned round upon seeing the peak First Awakening ones. He lifted his head and stared at Nex deeply before shaking his head.


    "No need for that, we saw that the Demons that those cores belonged to were slain in the same way as the lower ranked ones. However, we didn''t find any signs of the soul projection of the Devil that you spoke of. Do you have any way to prove your claim?"


    Nex removed the glove from his hand to show the tattoo there.


    "Well, I do have something. This is also the reason why nothing remained from that soul projection."


    "This...!"


    The Guard examined the crest more closely, only to feel great shock rising inside him.


    "It''s a [Crest of the Chosen]! But I never heard of this before. Since when did the main mark become so blurred?"


    His vision landed then landed on the smaller marking that was next to the large one.


    "This is a [Proof of Devil Slaying]!"


    The Guard lifted his head and stared at Nex with a weird gaze.


    "To think that the first [Devil Slayer] in the last decade did it while he was in his First Awakening... People won''t believe me even if I swore to them!"


    He felt a pat on his shoulder and saw Nex staring at him with an encouraging gaze.


    "It''s fine. I sincerely hope that they won''t believe you."


    "..."


    ???


    After saying goodbye to the Old Dwarf, Nex left the settlement and continued his journey towards the Western City. He planned to arrive there in about six days and do a couple of stops here and there.


    But before half an hour had passed since he went out of the settlement, he stopped in place and groaned.


    "Why do people love to bother me?"


    He murmured helplessly to himself before turning towards the forest behind him and yelled.


    "I know you kids are following me!"


    "Then you''re not as incompetent as I thought."


    A snickering voice was heard then the young boy from earlier came out along with three other kids with similar age, gear and Adventures Guild Badge.


    "But don''t think that it means that you are truly the one who killed those Demons! Not to mention the ridiculous story of the Devil! No matter what your rank is, you are still a nobody at mid-stage of First Awakening!"


    "You followed me all this way just for this?"


    Nex gave them a weird gaze then his face changed into wariness.


    "Don''t tell me you are here for my body! You followed me all this time because you were too mesmerized with my handsomeness to do anything else!"


    Nex hugged his body like a girl who is about to be molested and gave a terrified and tearful expression.


    "I can''t let you! I won''t be able to marry anyone if you do something to my inexperienced body!"


    Imagine if the wife saw this scene and heard his claims...


    "Don''t misunderstand!"


    *Giggle!*


    The young boy denied with his face bright red and his body trembling with rage and humiliation. The two girls in his group, a cute and petite Thief and a lovely Elf Mage started to giggle and laugh.


    "Maybe you should let it go, Sean? He got the approval of the Guard Captain after all. He is obviously not a bad person."


    It was a struggle for the Mage to finish the entire sentence in between giggles.


    "Thank you, milady."


    Nex bowed slightly and flashed a smile towards the girl. It made her suddenly realize how handsome the man in front of them was, eliciting a deep blush from her. The other girl stared at her with envy.


    "That''s right, Sean."


    The last member of their group, a burly Beastman Shield Bearer boy agreed.


    "I can''t feel anything bad from him. He most likely helped the one who killed the Demons hide his identity from the public."


    As he said this, he pulled out two large shields and stared at Nex with fire in his eyes.


    "But I do feel that fighting with him will be fun."


    "Hold it, Paddington."


    Nex held his hand and signaled for the Shield Bearer to stop and stared at the rest of the kids.


    "If you wanted to fight, you could''ve just asked! You didn''t need to try being cool like that blonde over there."


    "Why you..."


    The blonde kid seemed like he was about to explode but he somehow managed to hold it in and turn to the girls.


    "You heard what he said! You don''t have excuses now, do you?"


    "Okay, then."


    The Mage rolled her eyes and turned to Nex with a sweet smile and a slight bow.


    "Thank you for letting us fight you. I know it''s disrespectful to challenge Masters and Paragons."


    "It''s fine."


    Nex waved his hand dismissively and signaled them after replacing his sword with the wooden one.


    "Come. You can give me all you''ve got!"


    Immediately, the kids spread out. The Thief vanished in the shadows. The Shield Bearer charging head on, like a mammoth with the blonde kid, Sean, in tow. Lastly, the Mage girl was lifting her wand and chanting at incredible speed which caused magic circles to appear at once.


    "I see... So this is the power of Second Awakening. A little stronger than I initially thought but still manageable."


    Nex stood there with his arms crossed. It was like he was just watching a movie and not waiting to be attacked. He was leisurely enough to give out comments.


    The phrase "still manageable" is something that only Nex could say to the current players. The difference between First and Second Awakenings isn''t just on the tripled stats effectiveness that will draw clear disparity in power. There is also the wider amount of additional abilities and most importantly, the greatly increased skill effectiveness that depends on one''s job or proficiency that can exhibit powers far greater than before.


    To exhibit the gap in the simplest way, imagine a stack of several rocks that should be broken through by using a skill. Before the Skill Enchantment, one could only manage to break two but after it, one could go through the eighth stacked rock. The discrepancy in the skill''s effectiveness before and after the Skill Enchantment is that great.


    By the time that Nex is done with his examination, the Shield Bearer arrived right in front of him and swung on his shields like an elephant swinging its trunk. The power behind the blow was nothing to joke about as the shield rapidly closed in on Nex and caused the air to vibrate.


    "Well, I guess it''s time for me to move."


    Nex murmured as the shield smashed where he was. He was supposed to be messed up and bloody considering the force used and the weight of the shield but it just passed through its body like it had hit nothing but air.


    "It''s an afterimage!"


    The Shield Bearer yelled. After he sensed danger from his side, he immediately turned with his shields covering his body, only to feel something hit his head. He heard a voice in his ears as his vision darkened.


    "Your Beastman instincts are quite good. However, once you meet someone who has experience in fighting Beastmans, they will be nothing but a hindrance."


    "Damn it! He got him!"


    Sean cursed as he saw the Shield Bearer getting knocked out after getting a single hit from Nex. But as he saw the magic circles appearing around the latter''s body, his mood turned better and he stepped back.


    ''Charging skills”­ And now single target spells”­''


    Nex smiled. The magic circles in his surroundings flashed. They shot fast and concentrated elemental bullets to where he was.


    ''These kids aren''t half bad at all.''


    *Bang!*


    "Did we get him?"


    Numerous colorful explosions occurred when the bullets reached their destination. Since the elemental explosions obscured their vision, the kids weren''t sure whether the Mage attack was able to hit Nex.


    To their surprise, a heavily cracked hill, around 2 feet in circumference and 7.5 feet in height appeared at the spot where Nex was supposed to be.


    "He''s now trapped there!"


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    Knowing that their opponent could manipulate Earth, Sean wasn''t surprised much. Instead, he used this opportunity to his favor. Streaming mana into his sword, he used a skill and smashed the hill with his sword.


    *Bang!*


    The hill easily broke upon meeting the sword. But to Sean''s shock, there was nobody there. Instead, the hill was full of stones. Suddenly, he heard the crying voice of the Mage.


    "Ahh!"


    The Mage took a step back in surprise and fear when Nex suddenly appeared in front of her. She clumsily tried to hit him with her wand but he easily dodged it and closed in on her.


    "I''m not that scary, am I?"


    Nex smiled at her warmly and tapped her forehead lightly.


    "Ah”­"


    Being exposed to Nex''s charm directly, as a young girl, the Mage couldn''t do anything but make unclear noises. She stared blankly as he tapped her forehead with mana imbued finger that caused her to lose her consciousness as she heard his words.


    "Using a wide variety of elemental spells at your level is only useful when fighting against an enemy that can either defend against only one at a time. Or when wanting to find out what is the enemy''s weakness. For the rest, it''s just a pointless waste of mana and chanting time."


    Lightly putting the young kid on the ground, Nex then took a step back immediately and put his bracelet forward.


    ''[Advanced Enchantment]''


    ''[Mana Shield]''


    The moment the shield was formed, he was met with an invisible blade. The force was strong enough to send Nex further back and break the shield a moment after the blade''s momentum ended.


    "Quite a force for a small girl”­"


    Nex smiled as he watched the little Thief vanishing into the shadows once again. The moment she completely faded, Nex turned around in an instant and swung his sword.


    ''[Advanced Enchantment]''


    ''[Martial Secret : Soft Force]''


    *Thud*


    Instead of the sound of two swords clashing strongly, the small sound of tapping was heard as Sean''s sword met Nex''s. Sean''s eyes widened in shock as he felt that all the momentum and power in his sword and hand disappearing.


    ''[Advanced Enchantment]''


    "How---"


    Nex didn''t give him time to speak as he kicked his chest and threw him dozens of meters back. Without wasting any more time, he turned around in place and clapped his hand strongly.


    ''[Martial Secret : Stun Clap]''


    *Boom!*


    Like a flashbang, Nex''s clap caused an ear-deafening sound and spread a flash of light that for a moment, made the world white.


    "Argh!"


    The pained voice of a young girl was heard and when the light died out, the little Thief was crouching on the ground, holding her ears tightly while closing her eyes.


    Nex got right in front of her in an instant and put his hand on her head.


    ''[Restore]''


    The girl felt warm energy entering her head and spreading to her eyes and ears. Slowly opening her eyes, instead of white, she saw Nex smiling amiably at her and patting her head.


    Blushing heavily, the girl tried to go away but for some reason, she couldn''t nor she wanted to get away from his warm hand.While she was in conflict, she heard Nex speaking to her as her eyes started to close.


    "Your stealth and firepower are quite good. But you are too hesitant when it''s time to act. Remember, a good assassin only needs to do one thing right. That is, to deliver the right attack at the right time."


    Laying the girl on the ground softly, Nex then stood up and smiled at Sean who looked at him with shock and fear.


    "Now then, from where do I begin with you?"

 38 Showing Some Power

    *Clang!*


    *Bang!*


    "Is that all you''ve got? You had quite the spirit earlier. What? Are you tired now?"


    Nex yawned and stretched lazily.


    "Damn it, you bastard!"


    The disheveled Sean spat dirt and tried to lift himself back from the ground.


    "How many times was it?"


    The Thief girl asked as she nibbled in delight on a piece of roasted meat and watched her team leader being beaten like a ragdoll.


    "13 since I woke up. But forget about that! This meat is awesome! I have never tasted something this tasty without it being cooked inside a proper kitchen!"


    The Mage answered as she ate a piece of well-cooked meat and watched the show.


    "That''s right."


    "Mmph mmmm”­"


    Which is also "that''s right" in mouth-full-of-food-language.


    The Thief and the Shield Bearer agreed with her zealously. All of them grew up in a wealthy environment and got to eat high-class meals of various kinds and different cuisines. But this simple-looking roasted meat that this silver-haired man gave them was the best they ever had when it comes to field cooking!


    *Bang!*


    And while they were enjoying the food, the poor Sean was once again smashed into the ground, only to stand back up right away.


    "How do you do it? My raw power and skills are both greater than yours. How can you easily deal with my attacks and hit me back?"


    Sean''s voice was filled with fury as he yelled. He couldn''t understand how such thing is possible. It''s simply illogical.


    "There you go again, crying. The way you move is too obvious. How do you think that I won''t be able to do something about it? Anyway, I need to go back on my way soon, so let''s finish it for now, okay?"


    Sean lifted his sword once again as he voiced out his objection.


    "No! Not until I defeat you and prove that you aren''t strong enough to defeat those Demons and that you are not worthy of saying that you are the one who did it!"


    Nex thought for a few moments and came to a conclusion.


    "”­So all I need to do is show you some firepower, is that right?"


    "Very well”­"


    He entered a battle stance, something that made the kids become tense as they hadn''t seen him using one until now.


    "Since I showed you what you can do without using much force, this time I will show you what will happen when you use all of it."


    He began to stream mana to his sword and focused his vision to where Sean, who was in the middle of charging at him, was.


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    ''[Mana Revival]''


    ''[Soul Sword Zero Art : Unsheathing]''


    "W-what is this sword?"


    The Mage who had the greatest senses amongst the group began to mumble in fear as she saw the beautiful silver sword that kept sending her danger signs.


    Sean stopped in place and shivered in fear but Nex ignored him. He readied his sword for a slash while taking a deep breath like he was breathing everything around him into his body, mind and sword.


    ''[Fusion Art : Glacial Eclipse]''


    He made his move but all one could see was nothing but black and all one could feel was a piercing chill.


    With the speed that he used, they knew something came and it disappeared just as quick, like it never was there.


    "W-what did just happen?"


    The Thief asked weakly, trying to recover from the shock.


    At her words, the other two started to recover and look around. Their eyes widened in terror upon seeing the scene around them.


    Every tree in over 100-meter radius had numerous black lines around it that continuously spread a chilling feeling like one would get frostbite just by looking at it.


    "How can a First Awakener have this power? It''s impossible”­"


    While the three were busy watching the horrifying scene, Sean, kept mumbling nonsense. He felt the attack power the most but he was trying to deny what he had just experienced.


    "Well, since you saw what you needed, it''s time for me to go."


    Nex put the wooden sword back in the inventory and began to move his shoulder as if he was trying to relax a stiff muscle.


    He then threw a large bag over to the three that woke them up from their daze.


    "There is more food there. Give some to that kid when he returns to his senses."


    And with those words, he disappeared from where he was.


    *Thud*


    "Sean!!!"


    The three ran to their team leader. Once Nex left, he lost his consciousness and fell. Before they got close, someone got to him before them.


    "He is just like his father. They have too much pride in their blood for their own good. It''s a miracle that they and their ancestors didn''t die from it when they were kids."


    "Uncle Orvil!"


    The three cried in joy.


    "You brats! I told you not to call me like that outside of home!"


    The Guard Captain smiled at them with fondness.


    "Uncle, you were here all this time?"


    The Mage ignored his words and started discussing more pressing issues.


    The face of the Guard Captain, Orvil turned serious as he shook his head.


    "I arrived just before that man unleashed this”­ thing."


    He looked around in trepidation at the trees. Before anyone of them could notice, these trees had turned black and stiff from where the lines were.


    "Uncle, do all the Masters and Paragons have this kind of level of strength. Are all of them like this?"


    The Thief asked with curiosity written all over her face. To be that strong, and he isn''t just the only one. The different skills they have and how powerful are those. If those can compare to what they had just seen. Countless of thoughts ran through her mind. Anyone would understand her interest.


    "Isn''t it obvious? Other Masters and Paragons might be able to fight and defeat people who are an Awakening higher than them, but this?"


    Orvil had a bitter smile as he gestured to their surroundings.


    "To do this with his level of strength, he can''t be any less than a freak!"


    *Bang!*


    As if on cue, not just the trees, but also the ground began to crack and shatters like a block of ice that someone tried to slice with a sword! Not only that but also the entire area began to get covered in a layer of frost that spread in all directions. Strangely enough, the frost stayed away from the inside area, where Orvil and the kids were.


    Orvil watched the now totally ruined area and sighed.


    "And one heck of a freak at that”­"


    ???


    "I am too soft-hearted to kids”­"


    Nex sighed bitterly as he thought back on the last day.


    Whether it''s Elise or Sean''s group, instead of just shooing them off, he instead trained and helped them. Especially with Elise, whom he agreed to take as a student; he may have done it before but only on extremely rare occasions.


    "Forget it. It will pass when I get used to my emotions."


    When Nex sealed his emotions, he didn''t completely seal them but instead lowered their function levels. If before, they were at 100%, then after sealing, they were at less than 5%. Furthermore, the part of the emotions that were sealed did not stay in the same state and for some reason even returned to how they were when Nex was in his teens and twenties!


    So when Nex unsealed his emotions, the part that was not sealed and grew along with Nex for a long period of time in Perias was mixed with the "youthful" newly unsealed ones. It made Nex''s state of mind become somewhat unbalanced.


    Thanks to his battle-hardened mindset, he will not be affected during crucial moments. The countless years of battling were deeply ingrained in him that he need not think of anything more but the next offense he has to make. No amount of sealed or unsealed emotions can make a dent on this kind of fortified habit.


    But during normal times, where nothing special happens, his behavior will sometimes be a little erratic, childish, hot-blooded or moronic.


    Luckily, there are things that he will act strangely only for the first time. For example, when he first saw Elise, he was slightly stunned by her beauty. Immediately, he has managed to recover his bearings and has adapted his usual behavior in these kinds of situations. When he met Jane, who was at least as charming as Elise, he acted normally and not like a dazed youth.


    "Never mind that now. I should increase the pace and catch up with my schedule. It''s just the first day and I am already lagging behind! Eddie will be disappointed if I will be late and maybe he''ll think I have bailed on them. That would make him sad and Jane will kill me for it!"


    A chill ran through his back as he thought of an extremely beautiful face turning into Demon-like ones. He increased his speed and quickly vanished into the horizon like he was running for his life.


    ???


    Inside the Southern City Adventures Guild, the Guild Master was staring solemnly at the pictures that were being shown to him through a crystal ball he held in his hand. Among the pictures was a picture of a massive amount of dead Demons, three corpses of high-ranked Demons known as Fiends and one of them clearly was a Boss. A hand that had strange tattoo that wasn''t clear aside from a small mark at the corner. Finally, a newly sent picture of a completely ruined place that once was a lush part of a forest.


    "Just where the hell did this bastard came from?"


    The Guild Master massaged the bridge of his nose and sighed at the incoming headache he could feel.


    "To do all of these while he wasn''t even near the peak of First Awakening. If I didn''t feel his mana signature myself, I would have thought he was just pretending and his real strength and age are at least on the level of a high ranking dragon!"


    "I am quite sure that he came from the village of that annoying old man."


    A voice was heard. If Nex was here, he would have recognized it as the voice of the Guard Captain, Orvil.


    "I heard from an old friend who lives there about a similar young man. In addition, that old man is the only one who can give a crest amongst the villages that the Travellers start at."


    "That makes sense. Yes, he would have come from there. I will send that geezer a message about---"


    "No need. I''m already here."


    An aged voice cut him off and made him smile both bitterly and fearfully. Turning around, he bowed respectfully towards the old man who suddenly appeared in his office.


    "Greetings, Master Nicolas. How was your vacation?"


    After all the words that pertain to this man have been spoken out loud, it wasn''t a surprise that he became awkward at this unexpected turn out of events.


    *Smack!*


    The old man named Nicolas smacked the Guild Master''s head as if he was a kid.


    "You brat! Don''t think I didn''t hear what you two just said!"


    "”­Sorry! I have to go! We are entering a---"


    After a moment of silence, Orvil''s frantic voice was heard and before he finished his words, the signal was cut off.


    "Hmph! I will deal with him later!"


    Nicolas snorted as he took the orb from the Guild Master who was trying to recover from the surprisingly strong smack.


    "To massacre all those Demons and even kill three Fiends, this boy sure is good!"


    Nicolas nodded approvingly as he watched the pictures. That was until he saw the later ones.


    "This damage to a cavern is large”­ What exactly did he fight there?"


    "[Proof of Devil Slaying]?! How the hell did he manage to do that?"


    "”­Please tell me that this destroyed forest area isn''t as big as I thought."


    *Sigh*


    The old man put down the crystal ball and began to massage the bridge of his nose while the Guild Master who has now recovered, looked at him with sympathy.


    Nicolas then opened his mouth and started talking.


    "Did you know? After this”­ "thing" left the village, I asked around to see if he is known amongst the rest of the Travellers. Do you know what the answer they gave me?"


    "”­What did they say?"


    "They never heard of him. Although that man said he was powerful in his original world, no one has ever heard about him or knew his name."


    He then shook his head and stared with a smile towards the north-west, where the Western City, StarShine was.


    "But if the rumor I heard was true, then soon enough, that bastard will be Joseph and Frank, those brats'' problem and not ours!"

 39 Elise First Training

    "Well then, it''s time to start your first training session, Elise."


    "Yes, Teacher!"


    "Next time, inform us before you teleport us somewhere and not after!"


    While Nex and Elise were in high spirits, Jane on the other hand was grumbling. The enthusiasm that the two had didn''t change her mood for the better.


    That bastard, according to Jane, appeared out of nowhere right after she had dropped Eddie at school. The next thing she knew, she found herself, along with Elise in a place where they usually train. Only this time, the area looked quite different.


    "Wait, did you do your fight here?"


    Jane''s eyes widened as she surveyed the totally wrecked area.


    "That''s right, Big Sister."


    Elise''s shining eyes roamed around as if appreciating her own handiwork.


    "So this is the result of a fight between A-Rankers. So destructive..."


    Jane was shocked. She never thought that Hunters could make so much damage! When she thought nothing could shock her further with regards to this matter, she heard Elise say something.


    "Big Sister is misunderstanding something. This wasn''t a fight between A-Ranked Hunters nor did it show the real power of the individuals involved."


    Elise giggled for a bit before explaining more.


    "First, this was just a spar between Hunters. So most of the attacks that we used were less threatening and aimed more towards knocking out the opponent. We never aimed to seriously injure one another nor kill each other. Second, I did all of the damage and all Teacher did was to dodge, block and one time flick my forehead. Lastly and most importantly, the real reason why it can''t be counted as an A-Rankers fight is that Teacher''s power is way above an A-Ranker!"


    "What?!"


    At the first part, Jane was shocked. The second part, she stared at Elise with wonder and newfound light. When the third part was said, Jane felt as though a bomb exploded inside her head.


    Her brain was a gory mess inside her skull so she weakly turned towards the silver-haired man. He was just watching them converse from the side, not really bothered that he was being talked about.


    "Nex, didn''t your rank in your Hunter ID indicate that you''re an A-Ranker?"


    He nodded as he rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.


    "That''s right. I thought that having a high rank will be bothersome, so I faked the result. Hahaha..."


    *Smack!*


    "You, a*shole! And how long were you going to keep this fact to yourself?"


    "I didn''t think that it will matter. At least, not until you got to A-Rank..."


    "So you didn''t say anything?"


    "Come on. What would have happened if you knew earlier?"


    "I would still have my trust in you!"


    "...Sorry."


    Elise was awed by the exchange. She watched how her Senior Sister berated their teacher with wonder.


    ''Senior Sister sure is strong.''


    After unleashing her anger at Nex, Jane somewhat felt a little calm. She sighed before asking him something that made her curious.


    "Now that we have finished with that, can you tell us your real strength?"


    He made a complicated face.


    "This... I train according to a special system. So I can''t say what my real rank is. But if you want, you can think of me as a very powerful High-Ranker."


    Seeing his reluctance, Jane can only let the topic go as if it had been answered clearly. Elise made a similar expression of disappointment.


    "Well, never mind it now. Let''s start training now instead of wasting time!"


    Nex quickly changed the topic with renewed enthusiasm.


    He then turned to Elise.


    "Elise, I need you to show me the way you usually train.


    "Of course, Teacher!"


    Elise moved like she was about to pull out her spear before freezing on the spot.


    "Ah! I forgot about my spear!"


    Nex was confused.


    "You didn''t buy another one?"


    Elise lowered her head with a slightly red face. Her voice was quiet and tiny she could barely be heard.


    "I couldn''t. The one Teacher broke cost all of my savings."


    He was put in the awkward spotlight. Immediately, he tried to appease her.


    "Oh, sorry about that. Don''t worry, I''ll get you a new one! Just wait for a moment!"


    As he said that, a small gate opened in the air. He shoved his hand inside of it as if he was searching for something.


    "Found it!"


    Both girls didn''t even have the time to say something when Nex cried out happily. He pulled out a very large spear from the gate.


    It was a very imposing and powerful-looking spear. Elise and Jane felt their skin shiver as they stared at it but all he did was nod in satisfaction. He passed shining energy into it, making it shine completely.


    "Just a little touch up..."


    The spear''s form began to change and get smaller and more suitable to use for a girl like Elise. He then passed the transformed spear to Elise after he was thoroughly satisfied with its changes.


    "Here."


    Elise warily received the spear. The moment she held the spear in her hand, she felt like its was made for her. With it, she could be invincible. Nevertheless, she still bit her lip and handed it back to Nex.


    "Teacher! This spear is too precious for someone like me!"


    "Nonsense! If I gave it to you, then it means you are worthy of it! I have no use for this toy anyway."


    He shook his head and pushed the spear back into her hands.


    "I can''t, Teacher! I didn''t do anything for you to---"


    "Just take it."


    He cut her off with a serious face. He then gave her a warm encouraging smile.


    "If you don''t, I''ll be sad."


    Elise''s eyes became misty.


    "Teacher..."


    She then bowed to him.


    "Thank you very much!"


    He smiled as he pat her head.


    "It''s fine. Think of it as a gift from a teacher to his student."


    "Ahem."


    The warm teacher-student scene was rudely interrupted.


    "What about my gift?"


    Nex froze as he heard Jane''s voice. With speed akin to lightning, he opened the gate again and pulled out a beautiful necklace.


    "This is your gift. I just had to prepare it."


    His tone was overly ingratiating as he handed her the item. He then explained its uses.


    "It has a large space inside where you could store many things. Additionally, it will defend you when you are in danger."


    Jane nodded approvingly as she wore the necklace.


    "Good. How do I look?"


    Seeing that she was relaxed, Nex sighed in relief. He then answered her sincerely.


    "Beautiful."


    The comment caused her cheeks to flush but she forced her voice to calm down.


    "As long as you understand."


    ''Maybe I shouldn''t train them both at the same time...''


    Nex didn''t have the courage to say this out loud so he just sighed and then turned back to Elise.


    "Now that you have a weapon, Elise, can you show me your training moves? We wouldn''t want to dilly dally all day."


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    "Y-yes Teacher."


    Waking up from the excitement she got when she further examined the spear, Elise immediately straightened herself. She began to exhibit spear movements in a slow and steady rhythm.


    ''As I''ve thought, this kid has a lot of potential.''


    Nex nodded approvingly and waited for a few minutes until Elise finished displaying her spear techniques.


    "I already saw it in the fight but you have quite good basics so for now, there is no need to further improve it. Instead, we can go directly to the fun part."


    Both girls became confused by this.


    "The fun part?"


    Nex smiled widely.


    "Yes. Instead of strengthening your power level, we would instead train your soul!"


    This confused Elise more.


    "The soul? Why should I train the soul? I don''t specialize in mental powers?"


    "Hmmm... I think it will be better to understand it first-hand."


    Before Elise could clear her confusion or do anything, Nex appeared in front of her and took her spear with one hand while flicking her forehead with the other.


    Instantly, she felt a wave of energy spreading from her forehead throughout her body. It gave her a powerless feeling like she is just a normal person capable of only using a minuscule amount of magic power.


    "Your strength is now about the same level as Jane''s."


    She heard him say these words. What she hadn''t expected is the next one''s he''ll say.


    "As for why I did that, you will understand as you spar with Jane."


    "What?!"


    Both girls were dumbfounded.


    "You want me to fight Elise? She has much more battle experience than me!"


    "Relax. I know what I''m doing."


    He reassured them both. Then, with a crafty smile, he pulled out a gorgeous bracelet.


    "Whoever wins will get this. It has a magic that will always clean and refreshes your skin. In addition, it will automatically make and fix your make-up however you want it to. So what do you say? Interested?"


    "..."


    "..."


    "I think it''s a match with my new necklace."


    "Hmph. Don''t think that you would win, Big Sister!"


    "Elise, brace yourself..."


    ???


    "Haha! Victory!"


    Jane was shouting with joy as she snatched the bracelet from Nex''s hands. She caressed it lovingly.


    "I-I lost?"


    On the other hand, Elise sat on the ground with a dazed and lost face.


    At first, she thought it was just an easy battle. She could defeat Jane as she was more battle proficient than the older woman. But as they fought, she realized that her opponent was able to react accordingly and use magic power at a far faster rate than her. She even thought that Jane has a power of a Hunter!


    She saw Nex giving her his hand with a smile.


    "Surprising, isn''t it? That is the power of a stronger soul. Even if you are not as strong as your opponent, you can still defeat them if your soul is stronger."


    "If that''s true, then why aren''t the Hunters with mental powers much stronger than the others?"


    Elise asked curiously as she took his hand and stood up.


    "It''s because they are training only one or two parts of their soul and not all of it as a whole."


    Nex dismissed her question with a sneer.


    "No matter how much they will train in that way, they will never get to wield real power."


    "Train it as a whole? I never heard about souls having parts."


    "Yes. The soul has many parts. More than one could imagine. Most people out there who know a thing think that it only has three or four parts. They think that the rest is one of those parts, which in some way could be true. But in order to unleash one''s full power, even when it comes to whether it is physical or mental power, one has to train all of his soul and make it reach a higher level."


    Nex pointed a finger towards Jane who was still in the middle of cherishing her newly acquired jewelry.


    "Jane was born with a very strong soul that went beyond the normal limits. Because of that, her soul will grow every time she got stronger and let her unleash the full potential of her abilities without expending much effort. This is why she could defeat you so easily."


    Elise nodded after hearing his lengthy explanation.


    "I see. Then what should I do in order to get my soul stronger?"


    Nex smiled and lightly tapped her forehead.


    "Well, that''s quite easy."


    Elise felt her power coming back to her and a set of knowledge about a breathing technique and mental chanting appeared in her mind.


    "Do this two together for two hours everyday. At the start, it will be quite straining but the reward you will gain will be great as well."


    "Just this?"


    Elise was a little skeptical. It was not what she had expected.


    "Well, you do need to spar with me and Jane in order to increase your experience and techniques. There is also the matter of teaching you how to properly use magic power. Not to mention enabling you to use your superpower to its fullest potential. It will be quite a waste if---"


    "Wait!"


    Elise cut him off with a strange face.


    "Teacher, what did you just say about my superpower?"


    "Oh that? Don''t you think it will be too bad if we don''t let you use your superpower''s real ability? Haven''t I said it before? I think that your superpower is not only the most beautiful one that I have seen, but it also has the ability to turn into the most powerful---"


    "Thank you, Teacher!"


    He wasn''t even able to finish his speech when Elise''s eyes turned teary. She once again hugged him and began crying.


    She finally felt hope. Hope for the thing that caused her distress and despair for so long will be finally fixed and won''t cause her to be burdened anymore.


    "..."


    Nex smiled bitterly. He felt his shirt getting wet with tears. Jane''s piercing gaze stabbed into him, sentencing him to death if she found him guilty of doing something to the young girl.


    ''Next time, I will only train boys...''

 40 Roland

    [You have created a Magic Dish]!


    "Yes! Haha! Finally, I managed to do it!"


    Nex threw his fist in the air as he stared excitedly at the meal that was inside the pot.


    [Unnamed Dish(Superior) LV : 15]


    *Upon consumption :


    -All stats +20


    -Dragon-Kin Will (Passive) : For the next five minutes, the consumer will receive a medium increase in resistance against negative mental effects. The consumer will also have greater chance to continue moving normally even under the effects of physical debuffs.


    *Duration : 30 minutes


    *This dish will only have an effect if the consumer is in his First Awakening and is at least at the same level as the dish.


    *Note : This is the first Magic Dish created by the new Mystic Gourmet Nexus. It is made from Earth Drake meat along with several rare ingredients and spices.


    [Would you like to name this dish?]


    "Yes! I will call it Stubborn Drake Stew!"


    He declared the name of the dish without any second thoughts.


    [Congratulations! You have successfully named this dish to "Stubborn Drake Stew"!]


    "This is delicious!"


    Nex''s attention was no longer on the system''s message as he was completely immersed on enjoying his own dish.


    "Haha! At last! This is what I was talking about when I said that I wanted to eat fantasy world cooking!"


    He celebrated with tears in his eyes. Finally, one of the things that bothered him the most back in Perias is now a thing of the past.


    Before he even came to Perias, he had always dreamed of eating dishes that one would only read and see in fantasy world novels and movies. Oftentimes in those stories, they featured cool ingredients or special ways of cooking. This had made him curious and he became very eager to experience such. Thus, when he came to that world he was very expectant.


    His dreams were crushed to bits and pieces upon arriving on that place.


    The culinary quality of the residents was so low that it was almost, if not the same as that of cavemen! Not to mention how they cook their meals, the total number of different spices that he saw throughout his stay there couldn''t be more than fifteen!


    Special ingredients? What a joke! All they knew was meat from strong monsters that were always grilled. Special bitter plants that increase one''s power level were always taken raw or mashed together with other similar plants and special rocks or demon parts that were normally inedible.


    Now, it was different. Ever since Nex tasted the world food back in the Spring Village, he realized that even though this world has a lot of similarities with Perias, the people and culture are not included!


    Thus, his desire to experience the leisure fantasy life he has always dreamt about ever since he was a teen came back to life.


    And so, for the last three and a half days, as long as he wasn''t traveling or collecting ingredients, he would find a quiet and monster-free area so he could cook. His goal is to increase the proficiency of the cooking skills that he has.


    His determination is something to be admired. Even if he couldn''t find such environment for learning, he just created one quiet and monster-free area for himself. No problem at all!


    Although he couldn''t see the skill proficiency level because he was in Master Mode, he could still discern his improvements.


    Thanks to the countless years of training his mana usage and skill, he could very well know that his proficiency in the skills was increasing in a fast pace. The fact that he just succeeded in cooking a Magic Dish has proved this.


    "I am awesome."


    He never forgot to praise his own self as he laid back and relaxed. It was one of the better moments he had inside this game.


    But his joy didn''t last long.


    He suddenly heard the sound of a small creature closing in on him. The speed was slightly fast and it seems to be followed by another three sets of footsteps that were made by larger and louder creatures.


    "Strange..."


    Nex stood up immediately and pulled out his sword.


    Normally, he would have ignored this as he can deduce from the noises that they made that none of them was above First Awakening. However, the smaller creature had attracted his attention.


    It lacked presence.


    To be exact, only a tiny part of it can be felt and what can be felt was weird and different from that of normal creatures.


    Yet, it also felt slightly familiar to Nex.


    It didn''t take long for a small figure of a kid to appear and run directly towards Nex. The kid didn''t say anything but hid behind him.


    "Hmmmn?"


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    He observed the small kid curiously.


    The boy was around eight years old with bright azure hair and eyes. He was a little dirty and on the thinner side but if he was cleaned up, he would probably be extremely cute and good looking. He could even rival the looks of Eddie and Iris!


    These physical traits weren''t really important to Nex. What was striking to him aside from this boy''s presence is the capability that this kid is showing.


    Despite his young age, the boy was already at the peak of Unawakened stage! Even more surprising is that even if he was still at that stage, the movements that he showed could be compared to those that have already gone through their First Awakening!


    "Haha! Found you, you little piece of sh*t!"


    Nex didn''t even get to interrogate the kid. A vulgar voice was heard and three men dressed in bandit clothes with vicious expressions appeared. The one in the middle had his finger pointed at the little kid as he shouted.


    "You think that you could hide behind this weakling? If you come here now, I will only take his arm!"


    Despite the threat from the bandit, the kid didn''t come out of his hiding place. He instead looked at Nex with pleading gaze, as if he knew very well that this man could defeat those three.


    ''This kid is interesting.''


    Nex gave him a small smile before rubbing the kid''s head.


    "Hey man, look!"


    The bandit on the left side suddenly pointed on the pot.


    "The food inside that pot is glowing! I think it is one of those Magic Dishes that increases your power!"


    "You''re right! If we bring this back to the boss along with the brat, he will surely gift us a woman from that little animal village!"


    The bandit on the right noticed the pot as well and he was grinning widely as he announced his plan.


    "Excuse me?"


    Nex lifted an eyebrow.


    "Don''t you think you need to ask permission from the one who owns the food?"


    "Pft! Haha!"


    Immediately, all three bandits broke into hysterical laughter.


    "Did you hear that?"


    The bandit on the middle had a hard time keeping his breath.


    "You fool! We are bandits and you''re just a weakling! If we want your crappy food, then we don''t need your permission!"


    Crappy food.


    "Oh?"


    Nex''s voice was chilly enough to freeze a mammoth. Even the kid froze in place and shivered.


    "So you''re saying that my food is crappy, huh?"


    "Hmpf! Yeah, I did. So what?"


    Having more brawn that brain, the bandit didn''t notice that he sealed his own fate. He even dared to continue speaking.


    "You are just a nobody! You probably just stole this food from a cheap place and didn''t make it---"


    "That''s it!"


    Nex ignored the three bandits that were frozen by his sudden release of killing intent and turned to the kid. He crouched to be in the young boy''s eye level and smiled at him.


    "Listen, pal, I will take care of them for you but I need you to promise me something. Keep your eyes closed until I say so, okay?"


    The kid stared at Nex deeply with a pair of piercing azure eyes. He nodded and with a shy voice he added his compliance.


    "Okay."


    "You champ! Now close your eyes."


    Nex rubbed his head again.


    "Don''t think you can ignore us, you bastard!"


    The moment the kid closed his eyes, the bandit who was in the middle appeared behind Nex. He swung his blade down towards the back of the silver-haired man who was still crouching.


    ''[Intermediate Enchantment]''


    *Clang!*


    "H-how!"


    Instead of hitting Nex and killing him with the blade, the next scene appeared.


    Nex turned around. His speed didn''t seem fast at all but he was in front of the bandit, holding the blade that should end his life in between his fingers.


    "The thing I find funny about bandits”­"


    Nex opened his mouth while he stood up with the blade still trapped between his fingers. The bandit tried to move it away but it wouldn''t budge in the slightest, no matter how much he tried.


    "”­Is that they will rob and kill the weak but run away from the strong once they see them."


    *Crack*


    "What the hell?"


    The bandit freaked out when he saw his blade begin to crack and break. This blade should be more durable than iron and yet it was treated like a piece of thin wood in the hand of this man.


    "And yet they fail to recognize the strong. Should it be written on one''s forehead for them to know?"


    "Attack him!"


    The bandit yelled to his peers desperately but before they were able to get close, Nex swung his sword.


    They didn''t get to defend or flee, don''t even consider offense. An arc of light passed through them and beheaded them all.


    Nex looked at the headless corpses.


    ''Although I would have wanted to teach them a lesson or two, it seems that this kid''s village is in trouble.''


    He then waved his hand at the bloody area.


    ''[Cleaning Water]''


    As his hand moved, a magic circle was formed. Shining water came out from it and washed all the blood from the place, making it less gory.


    He then turned to the kid and rubbed his head.


    "You can open your eyes now."


    The kid opened his eyes.


    Upon seeing the dead bandits, his face became pale. He turned back but unlike the other kids of his age, he managed to hold on and not faint, scream or become afraid. He then looked at Nex with a pleading gaze that said everything.


    "You want me to save your village, right?"


    Nex smiled at the kid who was nodding in response. He already knew that the kid was going to ask him to do so and because of that, he showed him the corpses in order to prepare this young soul for what might probably happen in the near future.


    "Okay then but before we go, may I know your name? Mine is Nex, by the way."


    "”­"


    The kid stared at him shyly but in the end, he managed to gather enough courage to give him his hand and with a small voice, he replied.


    "Roland."


    ''This kid is even more shy and wary than Eddie! He probably had a rough past, as well.''


    Nex mentally made a conclusion before smiling again. Without giving Roland any time to do anything, he pulled him up and put him on his back in a piggyback position.


    ''Kids like him should learn to smile more.''


    "Welcome to the Big Brother Nex Express!"


    His voice was mechanical, imitating that of a robot''s so it was quite funny but it stunned Roland completely. The little one didn''t expect any of these to happen at all!


    "Destination, Roland''s village. Goal, to save it along with the trusty assistant Roland! In order for this express to set off, you must hold on tight and say the magic word, go!"


    The young one didn''t do or say anything at first but afterwards, he realized that Nex won''t move unless he said the "magic word". Burying his completely red face, he opened his mouth to say those words. Unknown even to his own young self, the corners of his mouth curled upwards a little.


    "G-go”­"


    "I didn''t hear you! Say it louder!"


    Roland''s eyes became teary.


    "Go”­"


    "What''s that? I still can''t hear you!"


    "”­Go already! You”­ big bully!"


    ''I am screwed.''


    Nex began to sweat upon feeling the tears on his nape and back.


    "Sorry!"


    "Sorry!"


    "I am going!"


    "See, Big Brother is running already”­"


    "Stop crying!"


    If someone were to pass the area in that particular time, they would see a speedy figure flashing by along with the voice of a young man trying to appease a crying kid.

 41 I Need a Better Hobby...

    "Mister Nex, we are about to reach the village."


    The little kid on Nex''s back pulled on his shirt slightly.


    "Is that so?"


    He slowed his speed down and began to extend his senses.


    "You are right, trusty assistant Roland. Then, it''s time for us to go on to the next stage."


    He stopped in place and put Roland down on the ground with a smile.


    "How was the ride? Good?"


    The little kid blushed before lowering his head shyly but he couldn''t hide his smile as he nodded.


    "Great."


    Nex nodded and patted the kid''s head. Then, he closed his eyes and used [Sense] so he could find out the exact situation of the village.


    ''Good, not as bad as I have thought.''


    He sighed in relief. Although there were a few villagers who tried to fight back and got killed, the vast majority of them are okay as it seems that the bandits are purposely keeping them as hostages.


    Normally, Nex could have just used a single target spell on each of the bandits before they became aware of his presence and take precautionary measures against him. There were just around 40 of them, so their numbers won''t pose as a hindrance to him at all.


    But then he discovered a problem.


    ''They have magic detection bombs on some of the villagers. If I wasn''t cautious, they would have discovered me earlier. It''s also too early for me to camouflage forty spells in a short amount of time.''


    He pulled something out from his inventory.


    ''Have to do it the hard way.''


    [Anti-Fiend Bow(Unique - Higher) LV : 25]


    *PHY.ATK : 350


    *Attack Speed : 30%


    *Accuracy : +20%


    *+5 All Stats when against Demon-Kin


    *Mana Arrow(Active) : For consumption of a small amount of mana, an arrow made of mana will be created. The arrow speed and strength could be adjusted depending on one''s mana proficiency.


    *Elemental Arrow(Active) : For consumption of a medium amount of mana, an arrow made of a certain element could be created as long as the user''s understanding on the preferred element is high enough. The arrow speed and strength could be adjusted depending on one''s mana proficiency.


    *Durability : 750/750


    "Roland, I need you to hide for a while."


    ???


    "Speak, old hag. Where did the kid go?"


    The bandit leader pressed his blade against the neck of the Village Chief.


    "Even if I knew, I wouldn''t tell you!"


    The badly beaten old woman spit some blood out. Despite her situation, she stared indifferently at the bandit leader.


    "He already ran away and won''t come back! You will never get your rotten hands on him!"


    *Bang*


    The bandit leader hit the old woman with the blade handle in anger.


    "Damn hag!"


    His anger face turned to a sneering one.


    "It doesn''t matter if you tell us or not. I have already sent my men after his traces. Sooner or later, I will find him. When I do, everything in this village will be set to flames."


    "Hmph! That kid is more capable than you think! If you believe you and your apes can find him if he wants to run away, then you are bigger fools than I thought!"


    *Bang*


    "It seems that you have a death wish."


    The bandit leader growled and signaled to one of his subordinates who were guarding the villagers.


    "Although I can''t kill anyone here yet, they didn''t say anything about doing other things."


    "No!"


    One of the village women cried as a bandit lifted a young girl by the neck and aimed his blade at her small hand, clearly intent on cutting it off.


    "Let her go, you monster."


    The earlier indifferent expression of the Village Head is now gone and replaced by a mix of fear, anger, and anxiety. She yelled at the bandit who was the holding the girl in anguish.


    "Haha! That is the kind of face that I want to see from you!"


    The bandit leader laughed madly and made another signal to his subordinate.


    "Do it."


    The subordinate smiled viciously and lifted his blade in the air.


    "!"


    Before he could move his blade down, he suddenly froze in place. The little girl was able to frantically get away from him before he fell to the ground. He still had the same vicious expression he had but an arrow is now stuck in his head.


    "Damn! An Archer! Quickly, try to get ahold of a hostage so that he won''t be able to shoot you! Don''t kill them, use them as shields!"


    The bandit leader cursed and hastily issued out orders. His subordinates tried to do as he said but before they could get ahold of a hostage for themselves, an arrow appears out of nowhere. It either hits their heads or hearts, killing them instantly.


    Seeing that getting a hostage wasn''t successful, the bandits abandoned this idea and tried to hide instead. However, their situation wasn''t able to improve. It was like the Archer was rapidly circling the area while shooting. The bandits kept getting shot from different angles!


    Soon enough, the bandit''s number dwindled from around 40 to just their leader.


    "If you don''t want this old woman to die, then better lay down your weapon!"


    The bandit leader lifted the Village Chief. He held her nape as if she was a puppet and held his blade against the old woman''s neck.


    "Okay. Okay."


    Nex''s voice was heard. Shortly after, he came out from behind one of the houses with his hands and bow pointing upwards. He then walked to stand a dozen and a half meters in front of the bandit leader. When he got to that spot, he threw the bow to the ground.


    "So a foolish man like you is the one who killed all of my subordinates?"


    "I guess”­"


    Nex just shrugged carelessly before looking around. Although most of their captors have died already, the villagers still didn''t dare to move away from their spot.


    ''They were probably told that the bombs will explode if any of them move without permission.''


    "Since you are here, it can only mean that the kid brought you here."


    The bandit''s face brightened but his grin was maniacal.


    "Since there is now an extra person here, it means I can bring the brat out by doing this”­"


    *Stab!*


    "Argh!"


    The Village Chief cried in pain as the blade stabbed into her stomach.


    "Grandma!"


    Roland''s distressed voice was heard as the kid desperately ran to the old woman''s direction.


    "Haha! I got you now!"


    The bandit leader laughed loudly. He ran at full speed towards the kid.


    "Roland, get back!"


    Nex''s expression changed and he moved fast so he could get to Roland before the bandit leader does.


    "I got you!"


    Being in Second Awakening and a lot closer to Roland, the bandit leader got to the kid in just a moment and snatched him.


    "Roland!"


    The bandit leader faced Nex with a wicked smile.


    "Don''t move! Now that I got this brat, I can kill all of you insects and use your souls to get away from this disgusting realm!"


    He then pulled out a gem and began to stream mana into it, making it glow in a threatening light.


    *Swish*


    "Ahh! Where did this magic come from?!"


    The bandit leader grimaced in pain as two magic beams appeared out of nowhere and pierced through both of his arms and utterly crippled them.


    "Camouflage, b*tch!"


    ''[Advanced Enchantment]''


    *Bang!*


    In a flash, Nex appeared in front of him and took both Roland and the gem. While he was at it, he gave the bandit leader a kick to his chest, strong enough to blast him dozens of meters away.


    He then checked Roland''s condition. The little kid''s attention was still on the Village Chief and after seeing that he was okay, he turned his own attention to the gem.


    ''This is the controller of the bombs and also a”­''


    Nex''s face became cold upon realizing the main function of the gem. Without wasting any more time, he used his most thorough way to destroy the item.


    ''[Soul Art : Oblivion]''


    The moment the Art was activated, the gem didn''t burn nor did it break. It just crumbled and turned to dust particles that soon turned to nothing as well.


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    *Roar!*


    Hearing the roar the shouldn''t belong to a living being, Nex stared at where the bandit leader flew to and without turning his head, he spoke to Roland and handed him a small vial.


    "Roland, this is a potion for your grandmother. I need you to give it to her and then take her along with the villagers away. Can you promise me that you will do it?"


    The little kid who couldn''t think about anything else other than getting to his grandmother suddenly woke up from his misery. Nex''s words brought his attention back to their situation. When he got the vial, his face became resolute and he agreed solemnly.


    "I promise."


    "Good kid!"


    Nex smiled and petted him before letting him go. He then walked towards where the roars came from. The sound keeps increasing and getting stronger.


    "Now go! This Big Brother will handle the rest!"


    Nex then pulled his wooden sword along with a strange, demon-faced mask which he placed on his face.


    [Mad Demon Mask(Unique - Higher) LV : 25]


    *All Stats +45


    *Mad Demon Mode(Active) : At the cost of 1% HP every second, the user will momentarily have the power of either his next Awakening or ten levels higher (could only increase to, at most, level 50). In addition, the user will recover 5% MP every second. At the end of use, the user will experience great pain if he is a Master player; inability to move his body if he is a Professional or Beginner.


    ''[Mad Demon Mode]''


    [You temporarily achieved Second Awakening!]


    [Level temporarily rises to 25!]


    [You have 36 unused Stat points. Would you like to allocate them?]


    ''Yes, all to mana.''


    [Mana Body]


    [Soul Sword Zero Art : Unsheathing]


    Nex then stared at the coming monstrosity that was the true form of the bandit leader and sighed.


    [Demon-Corrupted Hybrid(Lord - Boss) LV : 30]


    "I should choose a better hobby."

 42 Searching for a new editor

    @@


    Sadly this is not a chapter.


    for those who were wondering why the release rate was so low, is because that lately bet2z hasn''t been answering my messages and send me back the edited chapters so from now on I am searching for a new editor and since I got pretty rough comments on my unedited chapters I will not release a new chapter until I will find someone to edit it.


    If you are interested, have a high English level, and have your fair share of reading fantasy and eastern novels please contact me through the discord channel:https://discord.gg/TXFKER6


    or my novel updates user: matanyaman


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    In thanks. matanman@@

 43 please read before reading the chapters

    @@


    Hi! I received several people who want to be the editor as there are several that answer my standards I decided to give the choice to you readers so I will release several versions of the next chapter(42) and the versions that will receive the highest ratings/likes in a comment I will release in the comment section will be chosen as the new editor!


    If you think you have what it takes to edit the story and help write it(high-level English, 1 chapter a day edit rate, fair share in reading novels and books along with a vast imagination.) then you can still try your luck until I will say otherwise! only notice that until I could earn money from the novel I sadly could not afford to pay you the salary you deserve.


    For application and any questions you have, please contact me through the discord channel:https://discord.gg/TXFKER6


    or my novel updates user: matanyaman


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    In thanks matanman.@@

 44 AstilCodex version

    Corrupted. Beings who have been infected and mixed by a large amount of demonic power and negative energy. They become twisted and near-unkillable beings that almost always loses their mind and turns into an unstoppable killing machine that only seeks to kill any living being it meets.


    Demons. Having excellent battle instincts and physical powers with a constant will to conquer and rule, there aren''t many who could defeat them easily in the same stage.


    Now, what would happen if these two races were to be combined into a single creature who possesses the Corrupted endless power together with the mind and instincts of demons?


    Some would say a living nightmare, others will say a being that should be denied of its right to exist, another group will even say that it could be a creature on the same level of dragons and devils.


    But if you ask a certain individual then he will only groan and say a single sentence.


    "This is proof that too many people lack creativity in a fantasy world."


    Nex murmured to himself as he charges towards the hulking figure.


    Over two and a half meters, grotesque black-purple muscles everywhere the eye could see, red-purple eyes and completely purple three horns that constantly radiates an aura that rises dread and disgust in people.


    ''I mean come on! Not only did they always choose this kind of grunt instead of other kinds of combinations that may be more helpful, but they also made it look the most cliche-like possible!''


    At the incoming Nex, the creature grinned in disdain and roared while imbuing demonic power and negative energy into its voice, creating large shockwaves that obliviates everything wherever they passed, aiming to destroy every part of Nex.


    "Geez, they are different in both their personas and the way they were made, yet all of those creatures are acting the same way because of their pride."


    ''[Mana Art: Wave Breaker]''


    Even before the hybrid smiled, Nex already knew what it was going to do and along with a sigh, he put his hand forward and activated a spell that created a vibrating mana wave that, upon meeting the hybrid shockwave, canceled it at the price of disappearing as well, shocking the previously smug hybrid.


    "How can it be!? No one could deal with this attack with your level of strength! What kind of twisted being are you!?"


    "I don''t want to hear that from someone that is its own definition!"


    While shouting his retort, Nex was about to reach the hybrid but the latter was prepared for him and the moment Nex reached a few meters from it, it shot its hands forward and caused them to split into countless nauseating spears made from bones and muscles.


    ''[Fusion Art: After Step]''


    But then, the thing that shocked the hybrid happened. Instead of being skewered by the spears, Nex continued to run forward through them as if he was a ghost and appeared right in front of it, about to swing his sword.


    "Damn it!"


    The hybrid retracted its hands back to their original form as it took a few steps back and tried to lift its hands and streamed as much energy as it could in order to block the attack, only for the sword to go right through it as if it were made of air.


    "What?"


    "Got you there didn''t I?"


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    "!"


    The hybrid managed to only slightly move its body before Nex appeared behind it and swung down his sword, cutting its left arm along with most of its shoulder, missing its heart only by a few centimeters.


    "Argh!"


    Rapidly backing away, the hybrid managed to get some distance before Nex managed to land another hit. And once he got away enough, it stared at Nex with a gaze full of hatred, wishing to tear him to pieces once its arm fully regenerated. But to its shock, the wound that it thought would heal in a short time, instead stayed in the same state and even showed signs of worsening!


    "How could a mere human like you actually inflict damage upon my perfect body!"


    "Well you know, you take a little of this," Nex lifted his sword as if to show the hybrid, and at the next moment, he disappeared from the senses of the latter without any previous warning.


    Before the hybrid managed to react, Nex appeared in front of it with a smirk.


    "And do a whole lot of those!"


    ''[Martial Secret: Raining Stabs]''


    And as if being stabbed by not just one sword but over a dozen of them, the hybrid torso was filled with wounds including where its heart was just a moment ago. it was blasted backwards and smashed strongly on the ground dozens of meters away.


    *Bang!*


    "Time to finish this."


    Nex didn''t waste any more time and charged towards the fallen hybrid in order to finish it for good. He knew that although the severity of what his attacks did to the creature, as long as the hybrid heart and core are intact, the abomination would fully regenerate back in a short time.


    ''[Fusion Art: Solar Sundering]''


    Closing on the hybrid, Nex slashed his sword that shone in golden, searing, glow on the hybrid, looking like a holy war god.


    "Don''t underestimate me human!"


    *Boom!*


    But before the sword managed to reach the hybrid, the seemingly half-dead hybrid suddenly roared, a dark-red and purple aura exploded out of him and it actually managed to stop Nex blow and blast him back!


    Nex flew back over four dozen meters and with only using his crazy senses, he succeeded in landing on the ground on his two feet. But that doesn''t mean he didn''t come out the explosion unharmed. A moment after he landed, his face suddenly paled and large amounts of blood came out from his mouth and trailed down from the mask. Just this explosion shook his organs and cut down the time he could use the mask to no more than fifteen seconds.


    "Motherfucking hell!" Nex cursed as he stared at the current state of the hybrid while he tried to stabilize the situation of his body.


    Although most of the hybrid injuries didn''t heal, it was exhibiting power greater than ever and it was now standing in the middle of a purple-red projection of itself that stood tall at almost four meters tall!


    "To think there is a hybrid willing enough to combine its heart and core with such a low level of strength!"


    Corrupted-Demon hybrids only have two vital spots, the heart that supplies and heal the physical body, it represents the Corrupted part. The other is the core that is housing the demonic power and mana, it represents the Demon part.


    When both of the heart and core combines, the hybrid will get a massive power that increases their powers to a whole different level! But even with the benefits it gives, no hybrid will dare to do it casually because unless they have a very high level of strength, they will most likely explode and be destroyed by the large amount of power they suddenly got.


    "To think a mere human brought me to this state." the hybrid said with a vicious glare full of fury, "Whether I will survive it or not, you will experience the cruelest death possible!"


    12 Seconds left until its HP reaches zero


    "Don''t worry about it," Nex calmed his breath and checked his HP before staring back at the hybrid and tightening his grip on his sword as his eyes glow silver.


    "You will not survive it."


    10 Seconds


    "...Haha! You are doomed!" the hybrid laughed madly and pointed its horns at Nex as a globe of energy began to gather on it. Using all the power the hybrid had, he was going to destroy Nex''s soul so that the man won''t get to even enjoy his afterlife!


    8 Seconds


    Nex changed his posture and held his sword so that the tip touches the ground on his side, as if he is going to slash it upward, and took a deep breath. What he was going to use was more than just dangerous.


    7 Seconds


    ''[Mana Revival]''


    6 Seconds


    ''[Mana Art: Flame of the Eternal Will]''


    Not just the sword but all of Nex burned in imposing fire that seemed like it could burn through whatever tries blocks it.


    5 Seconds


    ''[Martial Secret: Momentum of the Unstoppables]''


    Nex''s body began to give out the feeling of a mad beast that is just about to break free from all of its chains.


    4 Seconds


    ''[Soul Sword First Art: Eradicate]''


    The sword started to shine in a silver glow that merged perfectly with the gold fire and created a silver-golden flame. The fire seemed like it would incinerate even the strongest of beings.


    3 Seconds


    "Haha! To think you didn''t try to escape and instead stayed here!" the hybrid jeered as the sphere of energy was about to be unleashed.


    "But that doesn''t matter, you will die either way!"


    The sphere was unleashed and released in the shape of a gigantic conical beam of energy that wherever it passed, it reduced everything it touched to ashes and then to parts so small that they can hardly be said to exist. Worst of all, not only did the beam grew stronger and bigger, but it also seemed like its center part was fixated on Nex and moved directly to where he is!


    2 Seconds


    ''Always the same cliche type of final attack.''


    Nex sighed internally and then his gaze became sharp and serious as his eyes turned completely silver, along with a roar, he took a powerful step forward and slashed his sword to the sky as if he wanted to cleave through both the horizon and the heavens.


    "[Triple Fusion Art]!"


    Nex barked as his slash shot out a burning wave of silver-golden sword energy that seemed to go on endlessly. Although the wave was only 5 meters in width and didn''t grow more than that like the beam, it instead moved at a much faster speed than that of the latter and also continued to grow higher and higher as if it isn''t satisfied with the earth and wanted to reach the sky as well.


    "[Sword Of The Relentless Will]!"


    At those words, Nex''s sword reached to the point that it was vertical to the sky. The sword wave speed and momentum accelerated as if it was awakened and at several times of its earlier speed, growth rate, and strength, it met the hybrid beam.


    The world shone in the light of an unclear color.


    0.5 seconds left until HP reaches zero.

 45 the solitary reader 1 version

    Corrupted. Beings who have been infected and infused with a large amount of demonic power and negative energy and become a twisted and near unkillable being that in nearly all cases has lost its mind and turned into an unstoppable killing machine that only seeks to kill any living being it will meet.


    Demons. Having excellent battle instincts and physical powers and a constant will to conquer and rule, there aren''t many who could defeat them easily in the same stage.


    Now, what would happen if these two races were to be combined into a single creature that possesses the endless Corrupted Power and the mind and instincts of a demon?


    Some would say a living nightmare, others would say a being that should be denied of its right to exist, even more would say that it could be a creature on the same level as dragons and devils.


    But if you were to ask a certain individual then he would only groan and say a single sentence.


    "This is proof that too many people lack creativity in a fantasy world."


    Nex murmured to himself as he charged at the hulking figure.


    Over two and a half meters, grotesque black-purple muscles everywhere the eye could see, red-purple eyes and three completely purple horns that constantly radiated an aura that roused dread and disgust in people.


    ''I mean, come on! Not only did they always choose this kind of grunt instead of other combinations that may be more helpful, but they also made it look the most cliche-like possible!''


    Seeing the incoming Nex, the creature grinned in disdain and roared while imbuing demonic power and negative energy into its voice, creating large shockwaves that obliterated everything anywhere they passed, aiming to destroy every part of Nex.


    "Geez, they are different in both their personas and the way they were made, yet all of those creatures act the same way because of their pride."


    ''[Mana Art: Wave Breaker]''


    Even before the hybrid smiled, Nex already knew what it was going to do and along with a sigh he put his hand forward and activated a spell that created a vibrating mana wave that upon meeting the hybrid shockwave, canceled it at the price of disappearing as well, shocking the previously smug hybrid.


    "How can it be!? No one could deal with this attack with your level of strength! What kind of twisted being are you!?"


    "I don''t want to hear that from something that it is its definition!"


    While shouting his retort, Nex was about to reach the hybrid but the latter was prepared for it and the moment Nex reached a few meters from it, it shot its hands forward, causing them to split into countless nauseating spears made from bones and muscles.


    ''[Fusion Art: After Step]


    But then another thing that shocked the hybrid happened, instead of being skewered by the spears Nex continued to run forward through them as if he was a ghost and appeared right in front of it about to swing his sword.


    "Damn it!"


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    The hybrid retracted its hands back to their original form as it took a few steps back and tried to lift its hands and streamed as much energy as it could in order to block the attack, only for the sword to go right through it as if it was made of air.


    "What?"


    "I''ve got you there, haven''t I?"


    "!"


    The hybrid managed to only slightly move its body before Nex appeared behind it and swung down his sword cutting its left arm along with most of its shoulder, missing its heart only by a few centimeters.


    "Argh!"


    Rapidly backing away, the hybrid managed to get some distance before Nex managed to land another hit. And once it got away enough, it stared at Nex with a gaze full of hatred, wishing to tear him to pieces once its arm regenerated. But to its shock, the wound that it thought would heal in a short time, instead stayed in the same state and even showed signs of worsening!


    "How cana mere human like you actually inflict damage upon my perfect body!"


    "Well, you know, you take a little of this," Nex lifted his sword as if to show the hybrid, and the next moment, he disappeared from the senses of the latter without any previous warning.


    And before the hybrid managed to react Nex appeared in front of it with a smirk.


    "And do a whole lot of those!"


    ''[Martial Secret: Raining Stabs]''


    And as if being stabbed by not just one sword but over a dozen of them, the hybrid''s torso was filled with wounds including where its heart was just a moment ago and it was blasted backward and smashed strongly on the ground dozens of meters away.


    *Bang!*


    "Time to finish this."


    But Nex didn''t waste any more time and charged toward the fallen hybrid in order to finish it for good. He knew that although the damage his attacks did to the creature was severe, as long as the hybrid''s heart and core are intact, the abomination would regenerate back in a short time.


    ''[Fusion Art: Solar Sundering]''


    Closing in on the hybrid, Nex slashed his sword, which shone with a golden, searing glow at the hybrid, looking like a holy war god.


    "Don''t underestimate me, human!"


    *Boom!*


    But suddenly before Nex'' sword managed to reach the hybrid, the seemingly half dead hybrid suddenly roared and a dark-red and purple energy exploded out of it and actually managed to stop Nex blow and blast him back!


    Nex flew back over four dozen meters and only by using his crazy senses he succeeded in landing on the ground on his two feet. But that didn''t mean he didn''t come out of the explosion unscathed, a moment after he landed his face suddenly paled and a large amount of blood flew from his mouth and trailed down the mask. Just this explosion shook his organs and cut down the time he could use the mask to no more than fifteen seconds.


    "Motherfucking hell!" Nex cursed as he stared at the current state of the hybrid while he tried to stabilize the situation of his body.


    Although most of the hybrid''s injuries didn''t heal, it was exhibiting power greater than ever and it was now standing in the middle of a purple-red projection of itself that stood at almost four meters tall!


    "To think there is a hybrid willing to combine its heart and core with such a low level of strength!"


    Corrupted-Demon hybrids have only two vital spots, the heart that supplies and heals the physical body and represents the Corrupted part and the core that houses the demonic power and mana and represents the Demon part.


    And when both the heart and core combine the hybrid gets a massive power boost that increases their power to a whole different level! But although the benefit it gives is great, no weak hybrid would dare to do it casually because unless they have a very high level of strength, they will most likely explode and be destroyed from the large amount of power they suddenly got.


    "To think a mere human brought me to this state," the hybrid said with a vicious glare full of fury, "Whether I will survive it or not, you will experience the cruelest death possible!"


    12 Seconds


    "Don''t worry about it," Nex calmed his breath and checked his HP before staring back at the hybrid and tightening his grip on his sword as his eyes glow silver.


    "You will not survive it."


    10 Seconds


    "...Haha! You are doomed!" the hybrid laughed madly and pointed its horns at Nex as a globe of energy began to gather there using all the power the hybrid had. It was going to destroy Nex''s soul so that the man wouldn''t even get to enjoy his afterlife!


    8 Seconds


    Nex changed his posture and held his sword so that the tip touched the ground on his side as if he was going to slash it upward and took a deep breath. What he was going to use was more than just dangerous.


    7 Seconds


    ''[Mana Revival]''


    6 Seconds


    ''[Mana Art: Flame of the Eternal Will]''


    Not just the sword, but all of Nex burned with an imposing fire that seemed like it could burn through whatever blocks it.


    5 Seconds


    ''[Martial Secret: Momentum of the Unstoppable]''


    Nex''s body began to give out the feeling of a mad beast that was about to break free of all of its chains.


    4 Seconds


    ''[Soul Sword First Art: Eradicate]''


    The sword started to shine in a silver glow that merged perfectly with the gold fire and created a silver-golden flame that seemed like it would incinerate even the strongest of beings.


    3 Seconds


    "Haha! To think you didn''t even try escaping and instead stayed here!" the hybrid jeered as the sphere of energy was about to be unleashed.


    "But that doesn''t matter, because you will die either way!"


    And then the sphere was unleashed and released a gigantic conical beam of energy that wherever it passed, reduced everything it touched to ashes and then to parts so small that they can hardly be said to exist. And worst of all, not only did the beam grow stronger and bigger, but it also seemed like its center part was fixated on Nex and moved directly to where he was!


    2 Seconds


    ''Always the same cliche type of final attack.''


    Nex sighed internally and then his gaze became sharp and serious as his eyes turned completely silver, and along with a roar, he took a powerful step forward and slashed his sword at the sky as if he wanted to cleave through both the horizon and the heavens.


    "[Triple Fusion Art]!"


    Nex barked as his slash shot out a burning wave of silver-golden sword energy that seemed to go on endlessly. Although the wave was only 5 meters in width and didn''t grow anymore than that like the beam, it instead moved at a much faster speed than the latter and also continued to grow taller and taller as if it wasn''t satisfied with the earth and wanted to reach the sky as well.


    "[Sword Of The Relentless Will]!"


    And at those words, Nex'' sword reached the point where it was pointed straight at the sky. And then the sword wave''s momentum and speed accelerated as if it was awakened, and at several times its earlier speed, growth rate, and strength it met the hybrid beam.


    And then the world shone in the light of an unclear color.


    0.5 seconds left until HP reaches zero.

 46 unedited version

    Hi! I decided to show the unedited version of the chapter I gave the candidates to edit so you will get reference and comparison to what changes they did.


    Corrupted. Beings who have infected and mixed with a large amount of demonic power and negative energy and become a twisted and near unkillable being that almost always lost its mind and turned into an unstoppable killing machine that only seek to kill whichever living being it will meet.


    Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please clickfor visiting.


    Demons. Having excellent battle instincts and physical powers and constant will to conquer and rule, there aren''t many who could defeat them easily in the same stage.


    Now, what would happen if these two races were to be combined to a single creature who possesses the Corrupted endless power and the mind and instincts of demons?


    Some say a living nightmare, some will say a being that should be denied of it right to exist, some will even say that it could be a creature on the same level of dragons and devils.


    But if you ask a certain individual then he will only groan and say a single sentence.


    "This is proof that too many people lack creativity in a fantasy world."


    Nex murmured to himself as he charged to the hulking figure.


    Over two and a half meters, grotesque black-purple muscles everywhere the eye could see, red-purple eyes and completely purple three horns that constantly radiated an aura that rose dread and disgust in people.


    ''I mean come on! Not only did they always chose this kind of grunt instead of other kinds of combinations that may be more helpful, but they also made it look the most cliche-like possible!''


    At the incoming Nex, the creature grinned in disdain and roared while imbuing demonic power and negative into his voice creating large shockwaves that obliviated wherever they passed, aiming to destroy every part of Nex.


    "Geez, they are different in both their personas and the way they were made, yet all of those creatures are acting the same way because of their stupid pride."


    ''[Mana Art: Wave Breaker]''


    Even before the hybrid smiled, Nex already knew what he was going to do and along with a sigh he put his hand forward and activated a spell that created a vibrating mana wave that upon meeting the hybrid shockwave, canceled it at the price of disappearing as well, shocking the previously smug hybrid.


    "How can it be!? No one could deal with this attack with your level of strength! What kind of twisted being are you!?"


    "I don''t want to hear that from someone that it is his definition!"


    While shouting his retort Nex was about to reach the hybrid but the latter was prepared for it and the moment Nex reached a few meters from him he shot his hands forward and causing them to split into countless nauseating spears made from bones and muscles.


    ''[Fusion Art: After Step]


    But then a thing that shocked the hybrid happened, instead of being skewered by the spears Nex continued to run forward through them as if he is a ghost and appeared right in front of him about to swing his sword.


    "Damn it!"


    The hybrid retracted his hands back to their original form as he took a few steps back and tried to lift his hands and streamed as much energy as he could in order to block the attack, only the sword to go right through him as if it was made of air.


    "What?"


    "Got you there aren''t I?"


    "!"


    The hybrid managed to only slightly move his body before Nex appeared behind him and swung down his sword cutting his left arm along with most of his shoulder, missing his heart only by a few centimeters.


    "Argh!"


    Rapidly backing away, the hybrid managed to get some distance before Nex managed to land another hit. And once he got away enough, he stared at Nex with a gaze full of hatred, wishing to tear him to pieces once his arm regenerated. But to his shock, the wound that he thought that would heal in a short time, instead stayed in the same state and even showed signs of worsening!


    "How a mere human like you can actually inflict damage upon my perfect body!"


    "Well you know, you take a little of this," Nex lifted his sword as if to show the hybrid, and at the next moment, he disappeared from the senses of the latter without any previous warning.


    And before the hybrid managed to react Nex appeared in front of him with a smirk.


    "And do a whole lot of those!"


    ''[Martial Secret: Raining Stabs]''


    And as if being stabbed by not just one sword but over a dozen of them, the hybrid torso was filled with wounds including where his heart just was a moment ago and he was blasted backward and smashed strongly on the ground dozen of meters away.


    *Bang!*


    "Time to finish this."


    But Nex didn''t waste any more time and charged toward the fallen hybrid in order to finish it for good. He knew that although the severity of what his attacks did to the creature, as long as the hybrid heart and core are intact, the abomination would regenerate back in a short time.


    ''[Fusion Art: Solar Sundering]''


    Closing on the hybrid, Nex slashed his sword that shone in golden, searing, glow on the hybrid, looking like a holy war god.


    "Don''t underestimate me human!"


    *Boom!*


    But suddenly before Nex sword managed to reach the hybrid, the seemingly half-dead hybrid suddenly roared and a dark-red and purple exploded out of him and actually managed to stop Nex blow and blast him back!


    Nex flew back an over four dozen meters and only with using his crazy senses he succeeded in landing on the ground on his two feet. But that doesn''t mean he didn''t come out the explosion unharmed, a moment after he landed his face suddenly paled and a large amount of blood came from his mouth and trailed down from the mask. Just this explosion shook his organs and cut down the time he could use the mask to no more than a fifteen seconds.


    "Motherfucking hell!" Nex cursed as he stared at the current state of the hybrid while he tried to stabilize the situation of his body.


    Although most of the hybrid injuries didn''t heal, he was exhibiting power greater than ever and he was now standing in the middle of a purple-red projection of him that stood tall at almost four meters tall!


    "To think there is a hybrid willing to combine his heart and core with such a low level of strength!"


    Corrupted-Demon hybrids have only two vital spots the heart that supply and heal the physical body and represent the Corrupted part and the core that is housing the demonic power and mana and represent the Demon part.


    And when both of the heart and core combine the hybrid get massive power that increases their power to a whole different level! But although the benefit it gives no hybrid will dare to do it casually because unless they have a very high level of strength they will most likely explode and be destroyed from a large amount of power they suddenly got.


    "To think a mere human brought me to this state," the hybrid said with a vicious glare full of fury, "Whether I will survive it or not, you will experience the cruelest death possible!"


    12 Seconds


    "Don''t worry about it," Nex calmed his breath and checked his HP before staring back at the hybrid and tightening his grip on his sword as his eyes glow silver.


    "You will not survive it."


    10 Seconds


    "...Haha! You are doomed!" the hybrid laughed madly and pointed his horns at Nex as a globe of energy began to gather there using all the power the hybrid had. He was going to destroy Nex soul so that the man won''t get to even enjoy his afterlife!


    8 Seconds


    Nex changed his posture and held his sword so that the tip touched the ground on his side as if he is going to slash it upward and took a deep breath. What he was going to use was more than just dangerous.


    7 Seconds


    ''[Mana Revival]''


    6 Seconds


    ''[Mana Art: Flame of the Eternal Will]''


    Not just the sword but all of Nex burned in imposing fire that seemed like it could burn through whatever blocks it.


    5 Seconds


    ''[Martial Secret: Momentum of the Unstoppables]''


    Nex body began to give out the feeling of a mad beast that is about to break free all of its chains.


    4 Seconds


    ''[Soul Sword First Art: Eradicate]''


    The sword started to shine in a silver glow that merged perfectly with the gold fire and created a silver-golden flame that seemed like it would incarnate even the strongest of beings.


    3 Seconds


    "Haha! To think you didn''t try escaping and instead stayed here!" the hybrid jeered as the sphere of energy was about to be unleashed.


    "But that doesn''t matter you will die either way!"


    And then the sphere was unleashed and released a gigantic conical beam of energy that wherever it passed it reduced everything it touched to ashes and then to parts so small that they can hardly be said to exist. And worst of all, not only the beam grew stronger and bigger, but it also seemed like its center part was fixated on Nex and moved directly to where he is!


    2 Seconds


    ''Always the same cliche type of final attack.''


    Nex sighed internally and then his gaze became sharp and serious as his eyes turned completely silver, and along with a roar, he took a powerful step forward and slashed his sword to the sky as if he wanted it to cleave through both the horizon and the heavens.


    "[Triple Fusion Art]!"


    Nex barked as his slash shot out a burning wave of silver-golden sword energy that seemed to go on endlessly. Although the wave was only 5 meters in width and didn''t grow more than that like the beam, it instead moved at a much faster speed than that of the latter and also continued to grow higher and higher as if it isn''t satisfied with the earth and want to reach the sky as well.


    "[Sword Of The Relentless Will]!"


    And at those words, Nex sword reached the point it was vertical to the sky. And then the sword wave momentum and speed accelerated as if it was awakened, and at several times its earlier speed, growth rate, and strength it met the hybrid beam.


    And then the world shone in the light of unclear color.


    0.5 seconds left until HP reach zero.

 47 Meeting Up With Jane, Eddie and Elise

    "They should arrive here soon," Nex looked around inside the city square, searching for signs of Jane, Eddie, and Elise, and while he searched he felt a small hand pulling at his shirt and holding it tight. Smiling, he turned his face and stared down at Roland who stared back at him with tearful eyes, "Still worried? I told you already that you don''t have to worry about anything."


    "B-but-" Roland tried to talk but he couldn''t let out a sound before a large number of tears came out from his eyes as well.


    "I know that you are feeling stressed about it," Nex crouched to be at eye-level with the kid and petted him fondly, "But I know what I am doing. Your Big Brother isn''t a fool after all. I promise that I won''t lose to that old man."


    "You promise?" Roland asked, while trying to fight his tears from coming out again.


    "Yes," Nex nodded while smiling warmly at the kid, "I still have to make sure you are strong enough to save your parents, don''t I?"


    "Big Brother!" and like a broken dam, upon hearing Nex'' words, Roland couldn''t hold back the tears anymore and hugged Nex while sobbing, without showing any signs of stopping soon.


    "Let it all out now," Nex sighed and rubbed his back, to which Roland responded with louder crying, "It will be bad if you cry while your Big Brother is playing the badass later on."


    They stayed like that for a minute or two until Nex suddenly heard a familiar and beautiful voice from behind him.


    "You really are no-good, making a kid cry like that."


    "Jane," Nex smiled wryly and let go of Roland, stood up and turned around to see a woman wearing long robes that covered her clothes and a mask and a young kid wearing warrior armor and a knight helmet that covered all of his head, "Do you have to say it like that? People are staring strangely at me now."


    "Hmph!" Jane just snorted but before she managed to open her mouth, the young kid ran to Nex and tackled him with a hug.


    "Big Brother Nex!"


    "Hi there Eddie," Nex smiled and patted the kid shoulder, "Nice to finally meet you inside the game."


    "Mhm!" Eddie responded excitedly and tried to rub his head on Nex only to have his helmet block him.


    "Why are you covering yourselves like that?" Nex asked seeing that the two still had their faces masked, "You can show your face here, nothing will happen inside the city anyway."


    "If something happens, you will deal with it," Jane sighed and removed the mask, revealing her stunning features, and then as if she suddenly remembered something she turned to Eddie and opened her mouth quickly, "Eddie, wait don''t-"


    "Here, Big Brother! I removed the helmet!"


    "Oh?" Nex lifted his eyebrows and stared at the adorable pair of animal ears that were on Eddie''s head, "You chose the Beastman race?"


    "Yes! I heard it goes well with the warrior class!"


    "It does," Nex nodded with a smile and then turned his head to question Jane why she tried to stop Eddie, but upon seeing her goofy face and the blood that came out of her nose, he somewhat understood the situation.


    "Jane," Nex spoke with a slightly loud voice, waking the bro-con up, "Do you know where Elise is?"


    Realizing what she just looked like, Jane blushed in embarrassment and nodded to Nex'' question, "I spoke with her IRL(in real life) just a few minutes ago, she said she is about to reach the city and will be in the square in a short time."


    "Aside from that," Jane changed the subject and stared at the little figure who hid behind Nex all of this time, "Won''t you introduce us to your little friend?"


    "Of course," Nex smiled and pushed Roland to stand in front of Jane and Eddie, "Roland, say hello, this is Jane and Eddie, they are my friends."


    Roland stood in place fidgeting from shyness and only after a few moments, when he gathered enough courage, he bowed deeply at once.


    "H-hello! M-my name is-"


    "So cute!" upon seeing Roland, her eyes already became starry, and when he tried to introduce himself, Jane couldn''t control herself anymore and took the adorable kid into her bosom, "Nex, where did you find this kid? I feel like I could cuddle with him all day!"


    "I''m glad that you like him, but can you please let him breathe?" Nex smiled dryly, "I don''t think he can hold on for much longer."


    "Oh, sorry!" Jane quickly released Roland from her chest, enabling the red-faced kid to breathe again. Jane then held Roland''s shoulders and smiled at him, "Nice to meet you, Roland! My name is Jane!"


    "Ah”­"


    Never had Roland met such a beautiful lady, so when he saw Jane face smiling at him from up close, he couldn''t do anything but blush all the way to his ears and make a vague sound, and only after a few tries, did he manage to shyly nod his head while avoiding eye contact.


    "N-nice to meet you too."


    "I can''t take it! He''s so adorable!" Jane couldn''t hold herself back and hugged Roland once again while rubbing her cheek against his.


    "Hey there-" Nex tried to stop her but before he could, Eddie stopped him while shaking his head with a sigh.


    "It''s futile, Big Bro," Eddie stared at the scene with eyes that told he saw it too many times, "Once she is like that you need to give her a few moments to satisfy herself because she won''t let go until then. Why do you think I don''t bring friends home?"


    "...Because they get scared too much?"


    "No," Eddie shook his head and then said with slightly dead eyes, "Because they start to like it at some point."


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    "Ah."


    After a few moments of silence, Nex finally noticed that Roland had started to lose consciousness and quickly saved the poor boy despite the pouts and complaints of Jane. And after seeing that his eyes became clear again, Nex introduced Roland to Eddie.


    "This is Eddie, he is Jane''s little brother, he is about two years older than you."


    Nex said with a smile and pushed Roland toward Eddie.


    "Nice to meet you, Roland!" Eddie stretched his hand toward Roland with a smile.


    "..." Roland stared at Eddie''s palm with some anxiety and it seemed like he was afraid of giving his hand. Nex who watched from the side smiled and gave Roland another small push.


    "You don''t have to worry, Roland. Although he is in your age group, Eddie is in his First Awakening and he is a Beastman Warrior, you couldn''t hurt him even if you used all of your strength!"


    Hearing this, Roland took a deep breath and warily stretched his palm to meet Eddie''s.


    Being a smart kid, Eddie quickly realized what Roland worried about and without wasting any time grabbed Roland''s palm and shook it with some strength.


    "See how strong I am? And I see you are not so bad yourself! So what do you say, want to be friends with me?"


    Roland felt the strength in Eddie''s hand and was finally convinced, so with a wide smile, he held the latter''s hand tightly and even grabbed it with his other hand.


    "Yes!"


    "Good!" Eddie nodded with a satisfied smile, "Then from now on, we are friends! I will call you Andy and since I am older you will call me Brother Ed okay?"


    "Okay, Brother Ed!" Roland was joyful behind words, he finally has a friend around his age that he doesn''t need fearing to hurt!


    Nex smiled warmly at this scene and turned to Jane who watched with a similar gaze, "Jane, you have one amazing brother!"


    "Of course," Jane pointed her nose upward proudly, "If you think that Eddie is just a perfectly sculpted, soul healing, sky brightening, worry extinguishing, sacredly holy, adorable face, then you are wrong! There is nothing my little angel can''t do!"


    "I believe you," Nex sighed while feeling somewhat bitter for Eddie, ''He will need a LOT of help if he would want to leave home at some point.''


    "Teacher!"


    Suddenly hearing the familiar voice, Nex turned with a smile to the incoming Elise who ran toward him with an excited look on her face.


    "Hi! Did something-" but before he managed to finish his words Elise ran behind him and hid behind his back with only her head out looking warily in the direction she just came from.


    "You b*tch! How dare you run away when I am calling you!"


    And soon enough an annoyed voice was heard and a handsome young man around twenty years old came out of the crowd with an ugly expression on his face, followed by a group of four young people who seemed to have similar arrogant demeanor as their leader. They all had high-ranking equipment and their general power level was around level 20. Clearly, they were top-class players.


    "Let me go already, Zac!" Elise snarled at the young man, "I told you already that I want to play the game with my teacher and friends, I don''t care about your stupid guild and I certainly don''t care about what you want!"


    "You think you could just say no to me and play with your losers friends?" Zac snorted and jeered at Nex group, only to stop his gaze on Jane and stare at her lustfully, although only her perfect face was shown, his experienced eye told him her figure was terrific as well!


    "On second thought you will come here and bring your friend as well," he pointed at Jane with a commanding tone, "Such beauty would be wasted if she stayed there any longer. You two should be with me instead of wasting your time with those kids!"


    "Zac! You-"


    "Honey~ I told you it would be a bad idea to remove my mask~" before Elise managed to open her mouth on Zac''s obscenity, Jane hugged Nex'' hand closely and spoke to him in a coquettish tone, to everyone''s shock, she then turned her head to Elise and winked at her, "Now look, not only does this little creep insult Little Sis Elise and call us losers, he also thinks he is actually worthy of me and Little Sis Elise! I think you should correct him and put him in his place, isn''t that right, Little Elise?"


    "Of course~" Elise, who already understood Jane''s intentions hugged Nex'' other arm and spoke in similar tone despite her clear red face and shyness, "Teach-Darling is much more handsome and powerful than this disgusting creep~. Darling should show him that he is not worthy to even talk to us!"


    ''Isn''t that something you should show him,'' Nex smiled wryly on the inside but still decided to play along. Releasing his hands from the girls'' hugs he coiled his hands around each one and hugged them close to him while turning his expression into an arrogant and haughty one, looking like a perfect playboy.


    "So you think you could just come here and try to mess with my little sweethearts? Quite a foolish decision."


    Upon hearing the words "Little Sweethearts" Elise and Jane both blushed and become flustered. Elise lowered her head while trying to hide the smile on her face while Jane pinched the side of Nex'' back and stared at him with a ferocious face that would be mistaken for something else for everyone aside from her and Nex, ''Don''t get cocky.''


    "Who are you, bastard?" Zac furrowed his brows upon seeing this spectacle and stared at Nex with undisguised killing intent, "You think you can take women I called my own right in front of me? You have three seconds to kill yourself or your game character won''t be the only one in danger!"


    "It seems like you need some lessons in manners," Nex sighed and let go of the girls and walked to Zac group, but not before he petted Elise''s head and gave Jane a pat on the butt unnoticed by anyone but the two of them while whispering to her, "That pinch quite hurt."


    "You-" Jane went completely red and stared at Nex furiously as if she was trying to make a hole in his head, that no-good bastard just molested her! But before she managed to speak, Nex was already right in front of Zac''s group, pulling his wooden sword out.


    "So, how do you want to get beaten?" Nex asked leisurely while spinning the sword in his hand, "Do notice that there are kids here, so I can''t do anything too extreme."


    "Pu! Haha!" Zac and his group started to laugh so much that tears almost came out, "Do you really think you can take care of me and my group with a beginner sword? How are you going to do it?"


    *Bang!"


    "Like that."


    At the moment Zac finished his words, Nex disappeared from his place and appeared in front of Zac stabbing his sword at Zac''s mouth in an instant. Being hit like that, Zac flew backward while teeth sprayed from his bleeding mouth and he collided into two people from his group, making them lose balance.


    Seeing their leader being flung like that, the two subordinates that still stood properly, an archer and a thief quickly started to attack Nex, who stayed in place with a leisurely face. the thief blended into the shadows while charging at Nex, while the archer shot an arrow at him at lightning speed.


    "I forgot about the low quality of the players," Nex sighed in disappointment upon seeing how Zac couldn''t react at all to his "weak" attack. And while still having a depressed face, he moved at a speed that shouldn''t be possible for someone with his stats and caught the arrow that came at him and, without any wasted moves or even looking, stabbed with it towards his side.


    "Argh!"


    A cry of pain was heard as the thief appeared from the shadows, with the arrow stuck into his dagger-wielding arm, causing him to let go of his weapon.


    "I''ll take that," Nex snatched the falling dagger and kicked the thief''s leg, causing him to easily fall. Then, he waved his sword twice and destroyed another two arrows that came at him, and before the archer managed to shoot another one, he threw the dagger at him, causing it to stab deeply into the archer''s thigh.


    "Ahh!"


    "I''ll kill you!" Zac''s frantic voice was suddenly heard and the young man appeared, slashing his saber down at Nex while activating the strongest skill he had. While he was doing that, the mage and the priest that fell earlier stood back up and began to chant.


    ''[Martial Secret: Diamond Hand]''


    "Pathetic," Nex muttered and effortlessly caught Zac attack with his hand that suddenly shined as if it was made from gems.


    "Next time I see you treat any of us with disrespect, especially Elise and Jane," Nex stared at the terrified Zac with a completely cold face as he lifted him by his neck, "I will guarantee that not a single part of your body will stay whole."


    He then smashed Zac on the ground so hard that the tiles cracked and then turned his head to the mage and the priest, who were about to finish their chants any moment as a magic circle appeared above both of them.


    ''2X[Mana Art: Weak Mana Shot]''


    Two laser-like beams shot from Nex'' index and third fingers, instantly hitting the mage and the priest in the middle of their throats and burning the skin and muscles there such that although they didn''t die, their spells got canceled and they fell to the ground while holding their throats in pain.


    Everyone in the surroundings watched Nex in shock and admiration as he took care of the group without any noticeable effort. But suddenly, a moment after the fight finished, a stern voice was heard as a group of guards appeared.


    "Who dares to fight in the city!"


    At this situation, Nex very calmly waved his hand in the air as if he wanted everyone to see him.


    "Me. I am the one who has beaten the crap out of those people."

 48 I Promise

    "Err”­" the squad captain was a little dumbfounded upon seeing the silver-haired man waving his hand in the air as if he wanted to be noticed. But he quickly fixed his expression and asked Nex solemnly, "Do you realize what you are saying? Unauthorized fighting inside the city is a serious crime."


    "I know," Nex said with a calm smile and threw an object he took out of his inventory to the guard, "But I had to do it as I was on a mission."


    The squad captain''s eyes widened upon seeing the object and he quickly caught it and carefully examined it in order to prove its authenticity. When he finished, he didn''t waste any more time and bowed slightly to Nex to everyone''s shock.


    "Greetings, esteemed guest," he said in a respectful tone and then added, "May I enquire about the details of what happened here?"


    "You may," Nex nodded and then started to explain, "I am on a mission to deliver a letter to the Mayor and when I came here to meet my companions, these people came and started to slander us and even blocked our way to the city building. So without much choice, I had to fight them."


    "I see," the squad captain nodded, and then pointed at Zac and his group with a cold gaze, "Arrest them for public disturbance and interfering in city business."


    After the group was taken away, the squad captain bowed to Nex and said, "It has been taken care of. I can provide you an escort to the city building, but I must inform you that the Mayor left in order to an important meeting and will not be in the city building during the next hours."


    "It''s fine," Nex waved his hand, "I have other business I need to attend to, so I will come to deliver the letter after that, as the content of the letter isn''t very important."


    "I understand," the squad captain nodded and then bowed one last time, "Then I wish you a good day."


    After the guard went away, Nex turned around and smiled at his group, who stared at him with a gaping mouth.


    "Well then, now that we are all here, let''s find someplace quiet."


    ???


    "So," Nex closed the door of the room he rented at an inn and turned around to the group, "How was playing the game until now?"


    "Don''t mess with us!" Jane glared at him while Elise and Eddie nodded, "How did you manage to convince the guard to let you go and even arrest that prick and his group?"


    "Oh, that?" Nex shrugged and pulled out the badge from earlier, "I saved a dwarf settlement from some demons, so their Head gave me this badge and a letter and told me to bring them to the Mayor of this city. So all I had to do is some acting in front of the guards and that''s it."


    "Forget that I asked," Jane sighed. She should have guessed that he would bring this kind of answer.


    "Big Bro, you were so cool fighting those guys!" Eddie said with shining eyes, "It was like you didn''t need to use any effort!"


    "Because I didn''t," Nex smiled, "They are just normal players and they can''t even use their powers properly, I still could defeat them easily, even if they are twice as many and twice as strong."


    "Wow!"


    "Teacher?" Elise then called Nex with a distressed face, "I hope you are not mad that I caused you to be enemies with Zac. I really didn''t mean for that to happen, they just appeared out of nowhere when I was searching for you."


    "Don''t worry about that," Nex smiled, "If I, your Teacher won''t protect you then who will?"


    "Teacher, thank you!" Elise smiled widely and bowed in gratitude, then she moved her gaze in a different direction and asked, "Teacher, I didn''t manage to ask earlier, but who is this angel- I mean kid?"


    "Oh, I forgot about that," Nex nodded and then indicated for Roland, who was close to him, to come, "Roland, meet Elise, she is my student."


    Facing another beautiful lady and with a hunch about what was going to happen, judging from her heart-shaped eyes, Roland managed against all odds to gather enough courage to bow slightly and mutter, "Hello Elise-"


    "Hello to you too, Roland!" but before he managed to finish his words, Elise already got to him and hugged him tightly, "Gosh! You are so cute! I wish I could cuddle with you all day!"


    ''Just hang in there Roland,'' Nex encouraged for the poor kid and when he was about to come and save him, he suddenly heard some quiet murmuring from Eddie that filled him with sweat.


    "Finally, someone to share the burden with”­"


    ''Let''s pretend I didn''t hear that”­'' Nex thought as he released Roland from the unwilling Elise and then quickly decided to change the subject to something that was on his mind for a while.


    "Jane, why are you wearing that robe? Isn''t the weather in this area is too hot to wear something like that?"


    "Because all of you men are perverts!" Jane sighed in tiredness, but then her gaze turned mischievous, "But since you are here now, it is going to be your problem to deal with..."


    As she said that, she removed the thick robe she wore and revealed the clothes she wore underneath.


    "Ohh?" Nex raised his eyebrows and whistled, "Hello, sister!"


    The clothes she wore, were nun garments one would see in comics for more "mature" teens that were body-hugging enough to perfectly show her amazing body, with a slightly open part in the chest that revealed a bit of her ample bosom and revealed just the right amount of skin in the legs and arms to make anyone who looked soon start drooling.


    In other words, she was the dream priestess of any young man!


    "I was a fool to hope you would react more maturely," Jane blushed slightly and glared at him angrily, "Just because you never saw priestess clothing doesn''t mean you boys need to react so immaturely!"


    The appearance of the clothes wasn''t that revealing or sexy, or else she would never wear it in the first place, and especially not wear it in front of Eddie. And despite the way she looked, most of the credit goes to her body, yet when she walked around with those clothes on, a lot more guys came and bothered her than she was used to!


    "You don''t understand," Nex shook his head, "The reason men are so attracted to those clothes, is that they have always dreamed about meeting a real-life priestess! They saw it in comics, animated shows, and games, but never right in front of them and so grew to yearn to see one! So when you and your stupidity beautiful looks appeared before their eyes out of nowhere, of course, they would come! Because seeing you, is seeing a dream come true!"


    "Just what the hell are you saying!?" Jane blushed fiercely at his blunt words and charged at him with her wand ready to strike, "Didn''t anyone teach you how to choose your words!? People could misunderstand!"


    "Hey, what did I say wrong? I really think that it''s the truth!" Nex dodged her attacks, which increased along with his direct words, with ease and turned his head to Elise in order to request help, "Elise, did I really say something that sounds wrong?"


    "Hmph!" but Elise didn''t answer him and instead turned her head away adorably, "Teacher is so bad! I fought Bosses and did Quests for a long time in order to get these cute warrior clothes and you instead give compliments just to Big Sister! I don''t want to talk to you right now!"


    ''Compliments? I see now!'' Nex realized his mistake and cursed internally, ''These damn emotions are actually making me a dense fool!''


    "Jane, I am sorry!" Nex grabbed her hands and stared at her eyes, "I didn''t notice how I said things and I am sorry. But I want you to know I really think that you look extremely beautiful in those clothes, regardless of how what I said was interpreted."


    At first, Jane tried to shake his hands off, but as she heard his words and saw the sincere look on his face, she felt her power leaving her and in the end, she lowered her head and spoke shyly, "I get it, so let go already!"


    "Thank you," Nex smiled and let go of her hands, then he turned to Elise and walked up to her, he then went to kneel on one knee and stared at her with a kind smile as he took her lithe hand.


    "Forgive me for not complimenting your charm before. oh, beautiful war maiden," Nex spoke and acted as a charming gentleman as he took the blushing Elise''s hand and kissed it, "At first, Your heroic and divine appearance made me think that you are a battle goddess, who descended from heaven and made me fear to get close and to say my heartfelt words. Will you ever forgive me?"


    "En," being under such a direct "attack" Elise could only make a small sound and nod, before turning around and covering her face, revealing only a pair of beet-red ears.


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    "Good," Nex nodded and stood up with a smile, ignoring the two blushing females, who couldn''t bring themselves to stare in his direction, "It''s time for me to tell you about Roland."


    ***


    "Roland, don''t worry!" Jane and Elise hugged Roland with tearful eyes, while they comforted him, "Big Sisters are here to help you with whatever you need!"


    "Thank you”­" Roland murmured shyly and lowered his head.


    "Big Bro?" Eddie lifted his hand and asked, "Now that you brought Andy to the city, how are you going to make him a disciple of the Sword Saint? Isn''t he one of the strongest people in the kingdom?"


    "Oh, that?" Nex simply smiled, "I challenged him to a duel. If I win, then he would need to take Roland as his disciple and take care of him."


    "What!?" hearing that, Jane, Eddie, and Elise became shocked and stared at Nex as if he was a fool, while Roland lowered his gaze with a face full of guilt.


    "Are you out of your mind!?" Jane stared at Nex with an extremely furious face, "How the hell did you even manage to make him agree to fight you!?"


    "You know, normal stuff," Nex shrugged, "I provoked him and then told him that if he wins, then I would kill myself until I got back to level 0."


    *Slap!*


    "Are you kidding me?" Jane retracted her hand and spoke with a calm and quiet voice that was completely different from her normal "ferocious" character, "You are a Master Mode player. Not to mention that every injury will hurt like a real one, the feeling of death for Master Mode Players is said to be one of the most horrible sensations in the game. And yet you neglected telling us, your friends, and instead chose to fight this stupid duel and put yourself in suffering like that?"


    "Jane”­" Nex realized that he had made a mistake as he heard Jane''s voice starting to break toward the end of her words, ''It seems that I am still not capable of treating the people close to me properly.''


    "I know that you are worried about me, all of you," Nex spoke with an apologetic tone and bowed slightly, "And I am sorry I made you like that, I really am."


    "But I will say this," Nex then lifted his gaze and stared at them with a sincere fire in his eyes.


    "I promise I will win. And this is a promise I will never go back on."


    Jane stared into his eyes for a few moments with a quiet and slightly blank expression, in the end, she sighed and put her hand on his chest, while keeping her gaze on him.


    "Please do. Because I am terrified of what would happen if you don''t."


    "Don''t worry," feeling the myriad emotions inside her, Nex nodded and then smiled, "I still have a lot of adventures to go on inside this game. And a mere Saint isn''t going to stop me."

 49 Before The Duel

    "This place is closed for a special event, please provide your reason for why you wish to enter or else go away!"


    At the entrance of the dojo, a group of high-level city guards stood and blocked the way for Nex and his group.


    "Oh, well, I am the one who challenged the Sword Saint," Nex introduced himself casually and then pointed toward his group who stood behind him, "And those are my witnesses for the duel, I think that old man has told you about us?"


    It seemed that the guards had already heard about Nex, as aside from their twitching lips, they acted formally as they bowed and cleared the way for him.


    "Please enter, Challenger!"


    "Thank you," Nex smiled and entered the dojo, followed by his companions who realized that Nex had made himself quite famous among the natives of the game for quite some time.


    Upon entering they met another guard who bowed and started to lead them inside the dojo until they arrived at the back of the dojo where a gigantic arena with a circumference of 200 meters was and a group of people stood next to it.Two middle-aged men in their 40-50''s and one in his 30''s along with a group of priests with a priestess in her 40''s in the lead.


    "Haha! So you''re the one who wanted to fight that old man out of nowhere huh? Not bad! Not bad!"


    The man in his 30''s laughed upon seeing Nex and started to pat his back strongly, which could have thrown any other guy away considering that the man was over 2.2 meters tall and was filled with muscles like a bodybuilder.


    "I am Bast!" the man''s eyes shone in delight that Nex managed to endure his pats and he extended his hand to the latter, "You could say I am the Guild Master of this city''s Warriors Guild."


    "Nexus," Nex smiled and shook his hand when he felt Bast starting to exert strength with his palm, cleary testing him.


    ''Well, I guess I need to show them a little,'' Nex smiled inwardly as he felt that Bast was using Second Awakening power and returned some strength of his own.


    ''[Martial Secret: Giants Grip]''


    And to Bast''s surprise, when he thought that Nex'' hand was about to break, it was instead filled with an amazing strength and instantly broke his hold such that now Nex was the one who put pressure on him, right before letting go of his hand and releasing it.


    "Well, I don''t like holding men''s hands that much," Nex retracted his hand with a smile, "I prefer it to be a cute girl."


    "Haha! Well said!" Bast smiled widely and turned to the other two men, "He''s the real deal."


    Hearing that the two middle-aged men sighed and stared at each other bitterly, the thing they feared for happened, after shaking their head one of them gave his hand to Nex with a smile.


    "Sorry about what Bast did," he apologized, "I just had to make sure it really was you. We don''t get cases like you”­ often."


    "It''s fine," Nex shook his hand as he managed to guess the man''s identity judging from the special badge he wore, "I guess it''s not very fun for the Adventurers'' Guild to deal with someone who appeared out of nowhere like me."


    "As long as you understand," the man sighed in relief and then introduced himself, "I am Frank and as you managed to guess, I am the Adventurers'' Guild''s guild master."


    "Nice to meet you," Nex nodded without showing any shock, he then turned to the other middle-aged man and bowed slightly.


    "You must be Mayor Joseph," Nex spoke in a slightly serious manner, Seeing the rank of the people that old man brought and all of the guards around here, it was very clear who that man was, "It is an honor to meet you."


    "Hello to you, too," the mayor smiled amiably and nodded in return, "Since Mister Louis will arrive at the appointed time, you can get ready in the meantime over there."


    "Thank you," Nex smiled and led his group to the area next to the arena where Joseph indicated, and upon arriving he turned around and smiled at his companions who were still in shock, "First time meeting high ranking people?"


    "Yes," they nodded blankly and then stared at Nex in wonder.


    "Teacher! How could you stay calm! They are all at least level one hundred and have immense status in the kingdom! Any player would kill in order to meet anyone of them!"


    "They''re just people," Nex shrugged in indifference, "However great they are there is no need to get too excited when you meet them."


    "I get it, but you are acting too casually with them! What if they get displeased?"


    "You just need to know how to act in front of each one of them," Nex smiled as he explained, "If you know how to judge their character good enough, then you could give each of them the response that would be considered appropriate to them."


    "I see," Elise nodded in understanding, and when she was about to ask another question, Nex suddenly lifted his hand and signaled them to stop while he stared at the center of the arena with a smile.


    "He arrived."


    ???


    "So you didn''t run away huh?"


    Louis lazily stared at Nex, who arrived at the center of the arena and stood in front of him with a smile.


    "You sure are a funny boy, to bet all of your tiny power on a lost fight. I don''t think I ever saw such a hilarious thing."


    "Thank you for the compliment," Nex smiled as he removed his gear leaving only training clothes and shoes, which he got beforehand, "Nice to know I can even make seniles laugh."


    "Ha!" Louis smiled as a vein popped on his head, "If I am senile, then you should go find some scholars to invent a word for you because your mental capabilities are too low for those that already exists!"


    "Do you still remember what words are?" Nex whistled with a similar gaze, "I see that your brain isn''t totally ruined from all that drinking yet!"


    "Hmph! At least I can take in real alcohol and not just milk and cookies like you!"


    "At least I am allowed to eat those on my own and don''t need an assistant to feed me with a spoon!"


    "I don''t want to hear that from a Man-Child!"


    "I can at least be called a man!"


    "By who? All you can do is bark like a dog!"


    "Demented!"


    "Baby!"


    ???


    ''Are you two kids!?''


    All of the people watching this scene shouted inwardly as they saw the two grown men exchanging insults that kept degrading in age level.


    "Frank," Joseph''s lips twitched as he stared at one of his most admired people calling a young man an "undeveloped kid" and the other returning him with "old dog", "Please tell me it was another man who killed the devil."


    "I wish I could," Frank sighed bitterly, "All we can hope for, is that he will lose this fight, it would give us a bit of time to prepare if he would need to cultivate his power back."


    "I was afraid of you saying that," Joseph shook his head, "Why the hell did I come here of all places? We didn''t do anything bad!"


    "Dafne," seeing the state of his friend, Frank turned to his wife, the head of the priests who came, and requested from her sincerely, "Could you start the fight, please? You can see the look on Joseph''s face."


    "Hehe, Okay," the middle-aged lady giggled and covered her mouth, she was actually enjoying this scene quite a lot and wanted to watch it a bit longer, but after considering the fact that her husband asked from her so nicely and that the Mayor looked like he wanted to bury himself, she reluctantly agreed and went to the stage.


    "Shriveled squid!"


    "Degraded mind!"


    "Now, now, boys," Dafne arrived between them and tried to calm them down like they were little kids while trying her hardest not to laugh, "We came here for a reason, didn''t we?"


    "He started it!" Nex pointed with an indignant face and mind on moronic mode.


    "Hmph!"


    "Boys!" a smile started to escape from her lips as she stopped them from acting up again, "People are waiting for you to start the fight! Let''s not make them wait any longer, okay?"


    "Okay," the two men sighed and reluctantly agreed with the lady.


    "Good," she nodded with a smile and took out a crystal ball, "Let me go over the rules, you touch this ball at the same time and stream mana into it, it will change your power to be at the same level, the peak of First Awakening, do notice that you may have different ranks, though considering the fact that Nexus is a Traveler and can''t receive rank yet, he will receive an increase in stats. When the fight starts, the following rules are to be followed, don''t cripple, don''t kill, and don''t harm the soul. It is considered a loss when one has lost consciousness or given up. Is that clear?"


    "Yes," they both nodded.


    "Great," she clapped her hands and handed each of them a contract, "Please sign this in order to prove that you will stand by your bet in whatever result that may happen, and after you did that, you can touch the crystal ball."


    The two signed their contract without giving it a second glance and then put their hands on the crystal ball. Then a flash of light appeared and Nex felt his body filled with power and checked his stats to find out that they all reached 300 aside from mana, which reached 550!


    He then stared at the old man and smirked.


    [Sword Saint Louis(???(Current:Imperial Boss)) Level:???(Current:25)]


    [The "The Impossible Man" title is in effect! All Stats rose by 50%!]


    "Make sure not to break a hip, it would be lame if the fight ended like that."


    "Ha! I am going to enjoy teaching you a lesson."


    "Wait a moment, boys," Dafne smiled and stopped them before they clashed, "You are each allowed to choose a weapon, what would be your choice?"


    "Give me a simple sword!" Louis snorted, "I don''t need more to deal with this brat!"


    "We will see about that," Nex smiled and pulled out his wooden sword and turned to the priestess, "Can I use this?"


    "A wooden sword?" Dafne''s face changed as she examined the wooden sword, "Is that really what you want to use?"


    "Yes, in opposition to a normal sword, it will not break when fighting."


    "Hmph! Don''t try to make a fool out of me! I will take a wooden sword like that one as well!"


    "I thought you would say that," Nex smiled and threw him another wooden sword he borrowed from Eddie earlier, "It''s not fun if we don''t use the same weapon."


    "Hmph!"


    "Well," seeing that, Dafne smiled and walked back, "Now that everything is ready, I will announce that the fight is starting in 10 seconds!"


    10!


    Nex and Louis each went to a side of the arena such that a distance of 20 meters was between them.


    8!


    "It''s been a long time since I fought against someone so much weaker than me. You should be honored."


    6!


    "Yeah, yeah. I will bother listening to you when you don''t repeat things."


    4!


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    "Brat."


    "Old fool."


    3!


    Nex and Louis stared into each other''s eyes as a smile started to creep on their faces.


    2!


    "Don''t die too soon."


    "I can say the same thing."


    1!


    "Start!"

 50 Vs The Saint Unedited

    *Bang!*


    A shockwave boomed as the two wooden swords clashed at each other.


    "Oh?"


    Louis raised an eyebrow as he took a few steps and smirked at the sliver-haired man who did the same. Even though they were at the same level and Nex has greatly increased stats, the difference between their rank and raw power is far too great for both of them clash evenly like they just did.


    "To think that a brat like you know [Strengthening Arts]," the old man scoffed and shook his head only to raise his gaze and stare at Nex with a grin, "No wonder you act so cocky. But too bad for you, it is not enough to even touch me."


    "Maybe," Nex shrugged and then grinned back at Louis, only to disappear from where he was a moment after.


    Louis furrowed his eyebrows and by instinct turned around instantly and swung his sword, only to have it to meet Nex powerful slash and be blasted back a few meters and almost lose his footing, but he didn''t have time to waste as he lifted his sword and this time held it in a defensive stance and put as much strength as he could gather into it.


    *Bang!*


    The sword clashed once again and to Louis shock, his sword and arms that weren''t supposed to budge from Nex strength actually shook and the numb feeling started to spread from his palms!


    He lifted his gaze in slight shock and saw Nex sneering face.


    "But who said that [Strengthening Arts] is all can I do?"


    "You brat”­" Louis''s eyes flashed and his frown turned back to mad grin as he started to do something as he didn''t do since the start of the fight.


    He started to use mana.


    "Starting to show some muscles I see?" Nex smiled as he sensed the changes in Louis''s body and quickly took a few steps back so that he was over 25 meters away from the old man in an instant.


    "Futile," the old man snorted and swung his sword lightly.


    Although the seemingly weak motion, a large mana wave was created and went at Nex direction like a tsunami while rapidly expanding in width, height, and speed, soon enough leaving Nex no way to retreat.


    "So you''re into showy attacks," Nex smirked and while holding the sword with just one hand, he swung it down in front of the mana wave that was about to reach him.


    ''[Martial Secret: Current Splitting]''


    An arc of mana shot and split the wave into two parts so that each part passed by each side Nex and then connect back into one shortly after they passed Nex.


    "But of course it will be childish if it was just this attack isn''t it?"


    Although he managed to easily deal with this attack, Nex sneered and didn''t waste any time as he crouched his legs in order to jump and then a moment after shot upward like a bullet, meeting a much more concerted and powerful mana wave that appeared from above head-on.


    ''[Martial Secret: Cloud Reaching Pierce]''


    As Nex stabbed his sword while shooting into the air, a sword light was shot out and actually managed to pierce and dissipate the mana wave without stopping!


    Not being bothered by the mana wave anymore, Nex flew into the air unhindered and reached with his sword at the surprised Louis who was mid-air and just managed to block the sword light.


    *Boom!*


    As Louis barely managed to block Nex full of momentum sword, he had no choice but to be thrown at least a dozen of meters into the air.


    "Damn brat! Don''t get full of yourself yet!"


    Louis cursed and swung his sword downward shot a giant torrent of sword energy that instantly reached were Nex was and swallowed his body without stopping and a moment after reaching the ground and caused an explosion that covered over 30 diameters of the area around it!


    But Louis didn''t even reach the end of his flight momentum before his expression changed and he heard a very distinct sound coming from the air around him.


    The sound of stepping and jumping.


    "Damn you-" he tried to turn around and meet the attack but before he could an immense force rammed into his side and he shot into the ground like a meteor.


    *Bang!*


    ???


    Everyone watching the fight had their eyes widened as they saw the Sword Saint being smashed like a ragdoll while being mid-air and then hitting the center of the arena so hard that a small crater was formed in the arena that could handle most early and mid-level Second Awakeners.


    "The hell”­" Frank murmured and his eyes widened. Even though his power his lowered to a pitiful amount, Sword Saint Louis was never the one to get beaten like that! Not to mention by someone who wasn''t even Second Awakening yet!


    "Dafne," he turned to his wife, "Are you sure that man Power-Rank hasn''t risen to at least the Lord Rank?"


    "Yes," the middle-aged lady nodded solemnly, she honestly didn''t think she would see such unbelievable power from that seemingly young and childish man, especially with the power level he owned! "As a Traveler, he isn''t capable of getting a Rank yet, and I thoroughly checked his power after he used the Equality Crystal, all his power rose by less than two and a half aside from his mana that rose by a little more than two and a half and in addition, it seems that he has a Traveler Ability that enabled his power to rise by 50 percent when he is against high ranked opponent."


    "That still doesn''t make sense," Frank shook his head and stared with a sharp gaze at Nex who landed on the ground and began to do stretching without turning his gaze away from the dust cloud where Louis was, "His overall power is still weaker than Mister Louis''s by many times, supposedly, with his strength, even if he attacks with all of his strength he will still get easily blocked by Mister Louis. And yet he is able to fight against him evenly and even deal a blow to him!"


    "There are two reasons for that," Joseph suddenly said without turning his head away from the arena and attracted the gaze of every one who watched from the side, "One, is that the level of technique and battle experience this man has is so high that they may even rival and surpass Mister Louis himself, the only reason we didn''t notice it sooner is because of his young appearance and attitude."


    "And as for the second," Joesph and soon after everyone else concentrated their gaze to the dust cloud that began dissipate and instead is replaced by a terrifying aura that started to send shock wave and sharp feeling across the arena.


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    Slowly, a figure rose from the center of the carter and stared at Nex with a serious gaze that seemed like it could cut everything. It seemed that the Sword Saint suddenly became much younger as he seemed taller and more fit as he stood straight.


    He then swung his sword to the side and shockingly, the area of the swung was suddenly filled by not just one but dozen of cut marks the sliced deep into the durable arena.


    Seeing the Sword Saint he didn''t saw in a long time, Joesph smiled and got ready to watch the real fight that was about to begin.


    "That old man didn''t use his real power yet."


    ???


    "So you finally decided to take it seriously huh?" Nex smiled as he stared at the old man moving his shoulders and neck so that knacking sound could be heard, "I thought you would pull a muscle while moving around like that."


    "Ha!" Louis smirked indifferently, "If I would pull a muscle from something like that I would have died during the first time I swung a sword. I am a lazy person kid, I don''t use power more than what I need or else I would have finished this fight on the first moment."


    "Is that so?" Nex smile got wider and he laughed, "Well then, it seems that we have something in common old man."


    "Haha! It seems we do!" Louis laughed as well and then turned his face to a serious one, "Let us show each other some power then!"


    He swung his sword and instead of just one arc of sword energy, dozens of arcs were shot out in groups toward Nex slicing through the ground like it was butter and appearing in front of him in an instant.


    "Is that all?" Nex smiled and slashed his sword from an unsheathing stance.


    ''[Martial Secret: Repeated Mana Break]''


    Invisible waves came out one after another as Nex swung his sword and destroyed the sword arcs while advancing forward and causing the ground to shake and crack. Eventually reaching Louis who swung his sword response and shot out a giant mana wave that seemed to come out endlessly and clash with Nex waves.


    *Boom!"


    The two opposing forces met and caused a giant explosion to occur and raised a dust cloud that momentarily hid the two fighters.


    *Bang!*


    And less than a moment after a sound of clashing was heard and the dust was dispersed instantly, revealing Nex who flew back after clashing swords with Louis.


    "Big Bro!"


    "Big Brother!"


    "Teacher!"


    Distressed voices could be heard from Nex group as Nex flew back and hit the ground only stopping after he stabbed his mana-enchanted sword into the ground. He then gave his friends a tumb-up to signal his friends that he is okay while holding back the blood in his throat.


    He then quickly pulled his sword out and disappeared from where he was as a moment after Louis appeared and stabbed his sword into where he just was, causing the area around the old man to break down and explode.


    *Bang!*


    "Is that all you got?" the old man turned to where Nex appeared and asked, but the moment he finished his words, Nex appeared in front of him at a speed far greater than before and swung his sword at him.


    The surprised Louis quickly rose his sword to block but before he managed to do more a frightening force struck his sword and threw him off balance and immediately after he was blasted backward as he received a kick to the stomach.


    "Oh?" the old man stabbed his sword into the ground as Nex did earlier and stopped his himself while coughing out blood, he then lifted his gaze and stare at Nex who stood away with some kind of weird force surrounding his body.


    ''[Mana Body]''


    Nex began to move toward Louis who already stood up and began to move toward him as well and in instant, both of them clashed once again and began to exchange with each other blows.


    *Clang!*


    *Clang!*


    *Clang!*


    The two seemed evenly matched as they clashed sword again and again with Nex actually managing to keep up with Louis powerful attacks using a far superior technique and instincts, not only that, he was actually able to land a few hits on the old man and cause blood to come out of the corner of his mouth, throwing the watchers into unimaginable shock!


    It was the Sword Saint Louis! One of the strongest swordsmen in the kingdom and its surroundings! To be able to keep up with his attacks with lower-level physical powers and even land hits that wound him using technique and experience, anyone who would hear that would be sure that Nex is some reincarnation of a war god and not an unfamiliar nobody!


    "Damn you brat!"


    Not willing to be treated like a training dummy any longer, Louis growled and slashed his sword strongly with a slightly different pose than before and clashed his sword with Nex''s.


    *B-B-Bang!*


    Several noises similar to numerous attacks hitting at once along with a sound of breaking glass were heard, followed by Nex blasting backward strongly and only stopping after a few dozen meters by creating a wall of mana to crash into and stop him before he stopped in place.


    "So that is why they call you Master of the Endless Sword huh?" Nex landed back on the ground and stared at Louis with a smirk before he started to cough out blood as several cuts appeared on his body and caused more blood to pour out.


    "Big Brother!"


    "Teacher!"


    "Big Bro!"


    "Don''t worry! this is some minor wounds!" Nex ignored his opponent to everyone shock and turned to his group and spoke to them with a warm smile and his injuries suddenly shone and then seemed to disappear when the light dimmed, "That Old Man can''t really harm me!" he focused his gaze on Jane that just stared at him silently with a seemingly cold expression, "I promise."


    Hearing his words Jane face softened and then became complicated in the end she nodded at him and moved her mouth voicelessly saying a single word.


    Okay


    Nex smiled and mouthed thank you before turning back and stared at Louis who looked at him with a strange expression, "Thanks for giving me time to do it."


    "You”­" but Louis didn''t care much about it as he stared at Nex as if he was a madman.


    "You willing to go that far just for some kids. What the hell is wrong with you?"


    Nex didn''t really recover from his injuries or pretended he got them, he really was injured and quite badly at that. What Nex did is to forcibly sew his wounds and closed them using mana and then he cast illusion spell that made the closed wounds invisible and unseen. But closing the wounds like that in the middle of the battle is madness as the pain from the wounds will intensify greatly as these kinds of "stitches" aren''t meant to be used in battle as the wounds will be constantly forced to stay closed when the user moves or use a great amount of mana in the wound area!


    "Yeah, it''s quite a bad side in me," Nex nodded in agreement and then moved his body as if to get used to his current sensation, and while ignoring pain so great that other people will already lose conscious from shock, he held his sword back in a stance and smiled, "Let''s continue, we are getting close to the end."


    "..." Louis''s lips twitched at Nex action and he became whole with the fact that he is fighting a crazy man while entering a stance back as well, "How did you survive until now is a miracle."


    "I know."


    And along with these words, they unleashed their attack at each other.


    *Boom!*


    Two frightening sword waves were shot toward each other and collided with a huge explosion that shook the arena and made no one sure who won in the exchange.


    But at the next moment, everyone suddenly realized that Nex disappeared from where he was and before they knew it he already appeared above Louis and swung his sword down, only for his sword to pass through the afterimage of the said person and smash the ground underneath it with a blast.


    *Bang!*


    "Got you now!"


    Louis'' cry was heard as he appeared behind Nex and slashed his sword in a way similar to earlier causing numerous slashes to shot toward the latter. But strangely enough, the attacks went through Nex just as they did with him and cut into the ground like it was of tofu.


    "Two can play this game!"


    And before he was able to do anything he suddenly heard Nex voice following by a wooden sword that smashed into his side strongly, breaking half of his ribs and blasting him toward the end of the arena.


    But Louis wasn''t someone who would fall just from that, while he was mid-flight his figure suddenly disappeared, causing Nex who followed it in order to deal another blow to stop in place and without any previous warning swung his sword at a random direction.


    *Clang!*


    Once again the swords met with a loud sound and the two stared at each other before Louis grinned and lifted his other hand and swung it down at lightning speed.


    *Bang!*


    Nex jumped backward from the hit while a crashing sound was heard as the shields he made broke and a gruesome wound appeared across his torso, but before the blood came out, Nex gritted his teeth and the wound shone before disappearing like it never existed.


    "Still have power in you?" Nex wiped the blood that trickled from the side of his mouth and smiled, while on the inside he fought to keep his conscious under control, his current body isn''t able to handle this much stress and he will probably be able to hold on only a few more seconds.


    "I could say the same to you, "kid"," Louis wasn''t in any better state as blood continuously flowed from his mouth and most of his vitals and bones in the upper body are in a very bad situation.


    I guess it is time to finish it then.


    They didn''t need to speak in order to deliver each other this message as they each got into a stance and stared at each other for a moment before releasing their attacks at the same time.


    "Endless Slash!"


    "[Fusion Art]! [Dominating Sword Light]!"


    From Louis sword, a wave after wave of mana arcs was shot and constantly packed together and fused into what would seem to who is standing in front of it as a gigantic asterisk-like shape that endlessly got more and more lines across its center.


    While on the other side, Nex stabbed his sword forward using whatever mana he could afford and unleashed a searing silver light that seemed like it was a shooting star as it cut through the air and met Louis attack head-on.


    *Boom!*


    A blinding explosion appeared and for a few moments of silence after, nothing could be seen through the dust cloud that was created from the clash of the attacks and the residual mana in the air.


    And when the dust cloud cleared, two figures could be seen standing up in front of each other with a similar smile on their face. But when if you look around them you will understand that their state isn''t one you could smile at.


    "Big Brother!"


    "Big Bro!"


    "Teacher!"


    "Nex!"


    Although it seemed like he didn''t have any serious injuries on him, the area filled with fresh blood and the ruined clothes clearly say otherwise.


    "What!?"


    "How can it be!?


    "Mister Louis!"


    While on the Sword Saint side, all of the viewers became shocked as they saw the legendary Sword Saint''s body filled with wounds with a vicious hole at the center of the chest that was deep enough for the shattered ribs to be seen.


    "It''s been a while since I had a fight like that," Louis grinned while blood flow out of his mouth, "Never thought I would meet a freak like you out of nowhere."


    "Yeah, I''ve been told have a talent of popping out of nowhere like that," Nex smiled wryly, "But yeah, it was quite a good fight. You almost got me there."


    "You should use a better joke than this one," Louis sighed and then stared deeply at Nex.


    "You, what is your name?"


    Nex smirked at the question and after a moment answered back.


    "Nexus."


    "Nexus, huh?" as he said these words his eyes began to dim and he only managed to say a few more words before he crashed into the ground.


    "Don''t make a mess from this kingdom."


    "Don''t worry," Nex smiled before lying on his back as his breathing slowed.


    "This place is something I once yearned for a very long time ago."

 51 The search for Editor return!

    @@


    Hi! Apparently the solitary reader 1 had real-life matter he didn''t manage to tell me ahead about so for some time he can no longer edit.


    So if you are:


    -Well versed in English(You don''t have to be native but you do need to be proficient as one).


    -Had your fair share of reading novels(especially fantasy).


    Think you can have some idea to offer to upgrade the story(hence I write editor and not proofreader).


    -Confident you can Edit a chapter in a rate of 1/day(sadly my writing speed and free time aren''t allowing me to write at this rate but I still want someone I can trust to be able to edit chapters in a short time in case I am able to write an extra chapter).


    -Do notice that until I will be able to earn money from the novel I can''t be able to pay you.


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    if you are answering those demands and willing to take part in the writing of the story, then please send me a message to my discord: matanman#4932@@

 52 Please Take Care Of Me Unedited

    "Finally, some rest."


    A young man with silver hair and eyes sat on the ground while he leaned on a tall tree in the middle of a mystical looking forest, his entire body was covered with mortifying injuries that each one seemed more fatal and painful than the other, but all the young man did was to close his eyes and breath in a steady rhythm as if there is nothing that should bother him from having a nice nap.


    This kind of physical damage has long since stopped to bother him. If he wanted to survive in the type of life he chose to have, then this little bit of pain isn''t something he could allow himself to be influenced by.


    "[To go through all of this suffering just to save a few of my little children”­]" a warm voice that seemed like it was spoken by an ethereal and pure being echoed throughout the forest yet strangely enough was heard only by the young man.


    "[Although I feel endless gratitude for the help you give us-no, this world, my heart couldn''t help but feel torn apart in pain when I see what you need to go through in order to accomplish that. Are you sure that you aren''t willing to go on a different path? What can this path already give you?]"


    Although the voice didn''t break or changed much in tone, the deep grief and sadness of its owner could clearly be sensed. If an ordinary person were to hear it, he would certainly burst out in tears and sob.


    "...I know that there are other ways," the young man was silent for a few moments before opening his mouth and speaking with his eyes still closed, "But I long since decided that this one is the one that I deserve for the most, I am not worthy for other ways I did too many things to say myself that I can try differently."


    "[Why do you want to keep treating yourself like that?]" the voice spoke in despair, "[No one blames you for what you did, and compared to others you-]"


    "But I am not like others right!?" the young man cut off the voice with a slightly twisted smile, one full of melancholy, "I live in this twisted world while having this damn [Trait] that doesn''t go away even when I seal almost all of my emotions, I have on my back the death and agony of countless friends and close ones which made me and others scared to even get close to me, and unlike the others who were born in this cursed world, I am well aware that my sins are too severe to just let it go and move on. Sometimes I wish I was just killed and drop-dead instead of living like that every day."


    "[...You know that you are way too severe with yourself, are you?]" an upper body of a gorgeous lady in her 30s came out from the tree with a with tearful face and warmly hugged the young man from behind with the head resting on his shoulder, the voice was then heard after a short silence and spoke from the woman mouth with a tone so gentle and warm that it felt like a mother speaking to her little baby.


    "[Both of us know that you have people close to you aside from me, and they will be also sad if they would hear you speaking those words, especially those two girls. They will probably cry just from seeing you making this expression.]"


    "They deserve better than a broken man," whether it was from the mentions of the girls or the hug that felt like the warmest and most comfortable shelter in the world, the young man body relaxed ever so slightly, causing the woman to let out a small smile and tighten her hug around him while streaming a warm and pure energy into him and heal his body at rapid pace.


    "[Is that so? I actually think that you are the one that deserves better than those little girls. You are talented and grow stronger at an unstoppable rate. You give 100% of yourself when others need help. And most importantly, you are the kindest, gentlest, most loving man that I, the Spirit Queen, ever met. How are they were even worthy of capturing the heart of someone as amazing as you is something I don''t understand.]"


    "You know that I hate it when you are saying these things," the young man sighed and his expression turned somber, "Having these traits in this world is only a recipe for disaster, and as I grow stronger so does the dangers I put others in. Maybe someday in the future, I will feel safe again to not reject others. But for now, all I want is to close my eyes and rest until the next fight I will have to fight."


    As he finished his words his breath began to turn slower and steadier as if he fell to deep sleep.


    "[I know that you are not going to stop anytime soon,]" the Spirit Queen expression turned sad and tears began slowly to fall out from her eyes, but she didn''t let go of the young man and instead came out with all of her body from the tree and kissed the young man forehead before laying his head on her laps and gently caressed his cheeks, "[But always remember this: even though you think of yourself as a broken man who doesn''t deserve anything good to himself, even though you have blood of many on your hands, and even though you keep distancing yourself from others, you will always be my child that I adore the most even if everyone else will hate you.]"


    "..." the young man was quiet for a moment before asking with a weak voice, "Even though I am not a Spirit you gave birth to?"


    "[You child,]" the Spirit Queen smiled warmly as if she heard a very happy thing and caressed his hair slowly, "[We both know that Spirits don''t treat their children with love just because they gave birth to them, they love them and treat them as their children because they purely love them for who they are and want the best for them. I don''t care that you are not one of the children I gave birth to, my love for you will never disappear. Even if you say no, I will forever treat you as my son and will hug you and give you a shoulder to cry on.]"


    "...You have been saying it ever since I can remember, but I never acknowledged it. Are you really okay with it?"


    "[Fufu~ it seems that you didn''t accept a motherly love into yourself yet.]"


    "I don''t know if I ever would."


    "[I know you would. Because there is no one more stubborn than a loving mother.]"


    ???


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    "Mother”­"


    Nex murmured inaudibly and then slightly opened his eyes only to feel tears streaming from his eyes before realizing the cause, ''How long was it since I last had a dream about her?''


    "Nex?" a gentle voice was heard and woke him up completely, making him suddenly notice that he was tightly holding a soft and lithe hand in his palm, turning his head he saw Jane staring at him with a worried gaze, "Are you okay?"


    "Yes, don''t worry about it," Nex smiled and tried to release his hand in order to wipe the tears but the moment he showed signed of loosening his grip, Jane quickly held his hand strongly like a vice and stared at him with a serious yet fragile expression that he didn''t see from her before.


    "Don''t," she spoke with a soft voice that made him wonder if it was even the real Jane, "I know that you are going to say it is okay and that I shouldn''t worry but please let me stay like that for a bit more okay?"


    "...Okay," Nex stared at her for a few moments before nodding and then wiping his tears with his other hand.


    He looked around and realized that he is inside a room, inside the dojo judging by the style, lying on a simple bed and seeing the daylight light that came from the window he was probably asleep for no more than a few hours.


    "Where is everyone?" he asked upon realizing that no else is in the room aside from them.


    "Outside, with the group of the Sword Saint," she said simply while staring at him with a face that said she has a lot of rampaging emotions inside her, "They look up to you and adore you, I didn''t want them to see you at your current situation."


    "I see," his face become solemn before turning into a smile again.


    "But you can call them in now, I am-" he fought the rampaging pain in his body and tried to lift himself to a sitting position but before he managed to move much, Jane pushed him back down with a stern expression.


    "You are not allowed to say that!" she said once again with the soft voice that for some reason made Nex helpless against, "The healers said that your body was so wounded and overtaxed that it is a miracle you didn''t die instantly from the shock."


    "I know it seems like I was in bad shape," Nex smiled wryly, "But-"


    "Over 30 broken bones, and almost twice the number of deep cuts," Jane cut him off and started to say a list of injuries as her face and voice became more and more fragile, "Almost all of the internal organs suffered shock with the major ones entering a critical state. The normal person in this state will most likely die in a short amount of time and will experience an excruciating amount of pain as long as he is conscious. Pain so great that for every moment they experience it, their mental scar will grow in accordance."


    "Congratulations, you won," tears began to fall from Jane''s face as she said the next with her voice completely breaking apart, "I guess”­ you”­ kept your promise”­ but”­ I still need you”­ to tell me”­"


    She laid her face on his chest as she sobbed and hit his chest with the strength of a mosquito.


    "Why”­ why did you have to do it like that!? Couldn''t you just think of another way!? Must you do it in a way that gives you so much pain and suffering!?"


    ''Damn it! I guess I can''t really get rid of this habit!'' Nex cursed internally upon realizing that in the end, he still broke the promise.


    He then lifted his gaze and stared at the normally headstrong beauty that kept crying and hammering his chest and felt like he was once again back in Perias when he first brought suffering to the ones he loved. Although there was no force behind the hits, they each gave to him more pain than any of the injuries he got in the battle against the Saint, ''I really am a scum. In the end, the problem will always end up being me.''


    "Jane," Nex opened his mouth and said gently, "I am sorry for what I did. But this is just part of me that I have for a very long time and I don''t think I could change it on a whim. So if you want me to go away from your life then I promise that I would go away, right after giving you all the knowledge you need in order to solve your OverSoul."


    Hearing his words, Jane lifted her head and stared at Nex with a confused look, "What are you saying?"


    "I am a piece of trash that lied to you and made you suffer aren''t I?" Nex smiled in a self-deprecating manner, "I am probably a bad influence on Eddie and should say goodbye to him as well don''t I?"


    "Please tell me you are joking," Jane frowned as she saw the lonely expression on Nex face that showed he was used to saying things like that, she knew he wasn''t pretending or trying to trick her.


    "Why would I joke?" Nex smiled dryly, "I am a bastard that doesn''t deserve to be part of your-"


    *Slap*


    "Yeah, you''re a bastard," Jane opened her mouth after she retracted her hand and spoke with an angry voice, "And sure as hell a bad influence on Eddie. But you know what more?"


    "You are also a good person," she said in a gentle tone and shocked him, "And you obviously care about Eddie, Elise," she blushed a little and then added, "And me."


    "You''d stop at nothing to help others, even if it means to get your body wrecked."


    "You saved my life and helped me when no one else could. You are the first person in years that Eddie got close to and I don''t want to think what Elise would have done if it wasn''t for you."


    "But most importantly," Jane stared deeply at Nex''s eyes as her face got closer to his, "If you think that you are going to just go away and leave because you made me upset then I have news for you."


    And before Nex knew it, Jane''s soft lips met his own.


    Nex''s eyes widened slightly in shock but before he managed to do anything, Jane retracted her now beet-red face and stared at him with a resolute expression while tightening her hold on his hand.


    "You have to go past me first."


    Nex''s face was a little blank before he smiled dryly, ''Damn, to think that having more emotions will actually make me denser. This is one funny irony.''


    "I am a man that went through too many things to say that everything is fine with me. Are you sure about your decision?"


    To say the truth, it may be because of his unsealed emotions, but he couldn''t deny the fact that he developed some feelings for Jane. And because he had those feeling he felt reluctant to get her close to the mess of a man that he is.


    Jane seemed to know his emotions as her eyes softened and she reached her hand and caressed his face while speaking in her soft tone.


    "I know that you have been through bad things, the fact that you try to hide it from us so much pretty much show it," she gave him a small smile that managed to go straight to his soul, "And I know that I probably can''t say I been through similar stuff, but I am sure of one thing."


    "Whatever you have been through, it is already behind you, so all you need to do now is to enjoy your life right now."


    ''It is already behind you.''


    *Thump*


    Nex''s heart began to pound strongly. How long was it since he last hoped for someone to say those words? Maybe only before he decided to try and shut his heart off and seal his emotions? And it seems that Jane was aware of this as she smiled softly and put her forehead against his and started to once again say words that made him feel like he is going to a different world, no, home.


    "You don''t have to worry about what happened to you because it no longer matters."


    *Thump!*


    "You don''t have to seal yourself inside so others will not need to worry for you."


    *Thump!*


    "You are the man that even though he been through horrible stuff still smile and help whoever in need. The annoying idiot that isn''t aware when he says embarrassing and moronic stuff and cry like a kid when he doesn''t get his so-called "heavenly meals". And the stupidly handsome no-good that made me fall helplessly in love with him like a naive schoolgirl."


    *Thump!* *Thump!* *Thump!*


    "You are Nexus," She stared at his eyes and said with a wide smile before adding with a wink, "But you prefer Nex."


    And this was the last straw for Nex, he lifted himself to a sitting position and grabbed her shoulder with his free hand and gently got her closer to him without her resisting.


    And once again, they were kissing. But not one-sided shy peck like what Jane did earlier, but a fierce and intimate exchange of emotions. And although it was obvious that Jane didn''t any experience in the matter, Nex couldn''t care less about at this as all he wanted to do is cherish this stunningly beautiful angel that made him finally start to awake from the reality he desperately locked himself into a very long time ago, too much long ago.


    After a few minutes of kissing, Nex got away from the slightly reluctant Jane that got slightly intoxicated from the experience and hugged her close to his chest as if she is the most precious thing in the world.


    "Y-you better take responsibility," Jane hammered his chest softly and stuttered as she panted while her face was flushed and her eyes were misty, forming a charming image, "Who the hell kiss like that right after being confessed to?"


    "Oh, didn''t you know?" Nex smiled as stroked her head and hair lovingly and held her hand tightly, "I am a messed up person, so if someone says me such beautiful words as you did, I am going to keep that person close to me as much as possible. If someone here needs to take responsibility then that someone is you."


    "Hmph!" she buried her head in his chest and tried to pinch his side without being able to use any force, "You really are a no-good moron."


    "I know," he smiled softly and kissed the head of the gorgeous person who did what he didn''t think is possible anymore.


    Made him feel the will to have a new love.


    "Please take care of me."

 53 Thank You Unedited

    Yeah, another chapter full of cringe of Nex and Jane.


    ----------------


    "Hey, Nex?" Jane suddenly said while giving Nex a slice of a fruit that seemed like a large multi-colored pear.


    "Yes, what is it?" Nex answered as he relished on the delicious fruit that not only filled his mouth with a wonderful taste but also spread warm energy that relaxed his body and filled it with a comfortable sensation.


    After a short time of hugging, Jane suddenly realized that Nex is still wounded. So while ignoring the latter reluctance, she quickly made him sit while laying back on the bed and brought out a magic fruit that increases the healing rate of the consumer she received from the healers and began to slice and feed it to Nex. she wanted him to look as healthy as possible before she let him meet the others.


    "I know that it may be too early to speak about it, but may I know what you were dreaming about earlier? I never saw you such sorrowful emotions from you."


    "It''s fine," Nex swallowed and smiled gently, "I was going to tell you about my past anyway. I don''t want to hide things from you."


    "Thank you," Jane''s eyes shone in happiness and gratitude and she gave Nex a soft, affectionate smile. She knew that Nex didn''t like to talk about those things.


    "Your welcome," Nex smiled and then his expression became a little sad and he began to speak.


    "I was dreaming about my mother."


    "Your mother?" Jane''s expression changed and she stopped to cut the fruit and held Nex hand. If a dream about his mother is making someone like him cry then it must not be a good story, she knew it from personal experience, "You don''t have to tell me that, we can talk about other things."


    "No, it''s fine," Nex said with a soft expression and squeezed her hand as if doing it will give him power.


    "I should start by saying that she is not my biological mother, My biological parents died when I was a baby, but we were close like a real parent and child."


    Seeing Nex''s empty gaze and hearing his words, Jane was instantly filled with guilt, but before she managed to open her mouth, Nex started to speak again.


    "We met a short time after I got to that place and after learning about my situation, she instantly became fond of me and after a few more meetings she already started to treat me like I was her own child. She always worried about me and helped me whenever she could, but because of a certain position she had, she couldn''t help me more than healing my injuries and give me a few opportunities to take a breather. She was gentle and kind and I wouldn''t have survived if it wasn''t for her."


    "She sounds like a wonderful person," Jane said softly.


    "She was the best," Nex smiled bitterly, "Me, on the other hand, was too much of a fool to receive the love and care she gave me and treat it appropriately, I would ignore her and act like a jerk. Even when I accepted her love and started to consider her as my mother I still didn''t let her know and instead treated her coldly like I did before for a very long time."


    Jane didn''t say anything and just held Nex''s hand tightly to signal him she is with him.


    "And at the end, the fool I was back then realized his mistakes," Nex face became happy as he started to remember very happy memories, "I finally went to meet her and called her mother and say that I love her," he then let out a small laugh, "But she didn''t seem surprised at all, she just gave me a hug and a kiss like she usually did before she laughed at my expression. I still remember what she said back then, ''You do know that you always express those words in any way other than saying them right?''. Apparently, I was a bigger fool than I thought."


    Upon seeing Nex talking about how happy is life was after that event and acting like a kid that tells how awesome his parents are, Jane wanted to smile sweetly as well, but instead what came was a great fear about how the story ended.


    "One day, I had an idea to go on a picnic in a beautiful valley that I found that was filled with gorgeous flowers and mythical animals," Nex face started to change from happiness to bitterness and self-loathing, "I knew that mother and I had a lot of enemies that just to wait to an opportunity to harm us, but I was strong, strong and capable enough to not worry about that kind of troubles. And more importantly, I was happy for quite some time back then and that clouded my judgment so before I know it we were having a picnic and just enjoying without any care."


    "And then, that happened."


    Nex''s face darkened and he clenched his hands, "Out of nowhere we were attacked by an enemy I didn''t see before, he was strong, cruel, and most of all, prepared to deal with us. I was able to deal with him if I was on my own, but it seems that he already knew it would be like that, he managed to distract me for a moment and at that moment he poisoned my mother."


    Jane started to tear upon seeing his face and how his breaths become slightly rushed and uneven, something that didn''t happen even when he fought the Saint, she wanted to tell him doesn''t need to continue, but he stopped her and gave her a smile.


    "I am fine, it''s just that it was a long time since the last time I told this."


    After he said that he took a deep breath that seemed to restore his mood, but when he resumed the story Jane could clearly hear the slight quiver in his voice.


    "It seems that the time I spend being happy came back and bit me. When I saw the state that my mother was in I didn''t act like I normally would and defeat the enemy first and get the antidote and instead rushed straight to check up on her and it was exactly what the enemy expected for. He unleashed a powerful attack that would have killed both of us if it wasn''t for my mother. She unleashed a spell that cost all of her life force to put a barrier around me and saved me, while she got the full brunt of the attack on the other hand which took her life immediately."


    Jane couldn''t hold it anymore and hugged Nex close to her while crying, she knew what he was going through all too well. And she hated herself for being such an idiot and making actually come back to that place.


    "I''m sorry! I''m sorry so much."


    "It''s fine, I just want to stay like that for a bit," Nex didn''t cry, his voice didn''t even break. On the other hand, he was feeling relief telling this story now that he got his emotions back. Jane was like a gift he didn''t feel he was worthy to receive. She didn''t let him suffer on his own and instead forced out of him the things he was sealing deep inside purely because she loved him and wanted his best.


    Although Nex had many friends and close ones over the years, there are only three other people that managed to completely break past the barricades he was putting on himself and reach the real him. One of them was his mother, the other one was someone who was also dead and the last one”­ the last one was someone he had to go to separate ways with.


    "Don''t worry, I''m actually happy that I got to share it with you," after letting Jane cry for a minute to relieve her emotions, Nex soothed her down and smiled at her.


    "It was a very long time ago and as you said, I need to leave my bad emotions behind me and focus on what that is now."


    "And what I have now”­" Nex smirked playfully and kissed Jane''s cute nose, causing her to suddenly awake from her sobs and blush,"Is a lovely woman who made me realize something I needed to realize for a long time."


    "You bastard!" Jane seemed to curse him, yet she couldn''t hide the laugh that was on her face, "You dare to tease me like that when I''m crying. You really are a no-good."


    Nex stared at her beautiful face before smiling softly and stroking it carefully like he couldn''t believe how such a beautiful thing could exist, causing her to blush further yet not resist.


    "Jane, thank you."


    "Hmm?" although Jane knew what he meant, she still asked while smiling in confusion, "Where does this come from?"


    "For not rejecting me," Nex smiled in a self-ridiculing manner, "Any normal person with abilities like yours would get away from me and treat me like a disgusting creature that shouldn''t be allowed to receive attention. Even if I was in your place I don''t think I would be able to be so close to someone like me. I know that I brought and probably will bring you pain because of the mess that I am and I am sorry for that."


    "Nex," Jane stared at Nex with a serious expression, "You are not disgusting, other people are just fools who know nothing. In my eyes, you are not a mess of rampaging madness, you are the strongest and most beautiful person I know. Other people would lose it if they experience a tenth of what you going through at any moment. Yet you take control of it and live with it like nothing is bothering you and even make from it emotions so deep and pure that I could stare at them forever."


    "That is the reason I fell in love with you," she blushed at those words but didn''t stop, "Not because you''re handsome or physically powerful, but because you are able to hold everything on your even when you are torn to shreds on the inside. You should never be ashamed of yourself but be proud, you are doing the impossible and beyond. If anything I should be the one that should thank you for letting me into your world."


    "Jane”­"


    "Wu”­"


    Nex couldn''t hold back anymore and once again attacked her soft lips. It was like this woman knew exactly what to say to him. And to the current him who had his emotions unsealed, she was an irresistible angel he should and want to cherish with all of his heart and being.


    As a result of her OverSoul, already since a young age, she awakened the superpower of an empath which grants her the ability to sense the emotions and mental state of a person. And because of his experiences in the past, the mental scars he received, and his unsealed emotions, his mind was constantly in a chaotic mess of berserk emotions and pain, so for a normal empath, to sense his emotions is the same as staring straight at countless projectors that constantly flash in different colors.


    Yet Jane didn''t reject him when she met him and instead found the good in all of the mess and wanted to help him to stand up. Normally, the few people who could do that need a lot of time in order to just see behind all of the barriers that were around him, but Jane could already do it from the moment he met her.


    Once again releasing Jane after a few minutes, it seems that this time she was more in control because only after a few moments of organizing her breath she immediately grabbed Nex''s ear and twisted it with force making him bow his head.


    "Ouch! I''m sorry! I''m sorry!"


    "So suddenly pain does work on you huh?" Jane seemed to return to how she acted before as she growled and twisted the other ear as well, "How shameless are you? Kissing a person who just confessed to you like that!? And twice at that!"


    "I''m sorry! I won''t do it again!" Nex quickly cried in pain. because she can''t control her OverSoul yet, Jane can cause someone pain if she touches them when she feels strong emotions, and it is a pain to the soul at that. And because his soul strength isn''t much higher than her right now and the fact his soul is sensitive to this kind of pain, his reaction to this kind of pain is even more than a normal person.


    "Oh? So you are saying you won''t kiss me again?" Jane seemed to understand this and smirk. Finally, she could get back at his teasing and harassment.


    "No! I will! I will give you a kiss whenever you want! Just please woman! Ears aren''t meant to be in this shape!"


    "Hmph! Don''t think I am easy to ignore and tease!" Jane snorted and smiled let go of his ears, it seemed that she restored her mood to how she is always as she giggled upon seeing Nex rubbing his ears with a wronged gaze and waved her fair fist around, "Now that I know how to get you back I dare you to try and upset me!"


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    "Yes, yes. I won''t upset you again," Nex nodded in surrender and didn''t argue, although he did mutter something under his breath.


    "It was just that the way you acted earlier was so cute”­"


    "Ohh? So you saying how I usually act is not cute?" Jane asked while smiling with her eyes closed, for some reason giving off a chilling feeling.


    "No! No!" Nex quick backed off and covered his ears in fear and cursing his moronic mouth, "It''s just that how you were earlier felt like I met the real you and it was like I interact directly with your soul, and together with the words that you said..." Nex lifted his gaze and stared directly at her eyes, "I felt like was falling for you more and more."


    "Wha”­" Jane became shocked and her face turned crimson, she bit her lip with a complicated gaze and came closer to Nex who was vigilant for the next attack and gave him a small peck on the nose.


    "If you want to meet that Jane again," she gave him a small smile while gently holding his hands and removed them from his ears, she then got closer whispered softly in his ear in the "gentle Jane" tone he was weak against, "Then you need to convince this one first. And this one is saying you teased her again."


    "Huh?" Nex was confused at her last sentence, but before he managed to react, two rows of white teeth came rapidly toward his face.


    "Ahh! Not the nose!"

 54 Make You Better Than Me Unedited

    "Big Bro!"


    "Teacher!"


    Eddie and Elise ran to Nex with a tearful face, ignoring the high-ranked NPC that they just talked to, and hugged him tightly rubbing their tears and snot on him without any care.


    "There, there," Nex smiled and patted both of them, after finishing that magic fruit and doing some healing breathing technique and spells, he recovered enough to move again and interact without much trouble.


    "From Elise, I would expect to be a crybaby," he laughed and pinched Elise''s nose, making the girl blush and pinch his side while muttering "Bully".


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    "But from you Eddie?" he crouched to Eddie eye-level and stared with a smirk at the kid who seemed to try stopping more tears from coming out, "I thought you would be like your sister and give a hit or two, along with all of those words."


    "That is because you are too high."


    "Huh?"


    *Bang*


    Before Nex managed to react to Eddie''s words, a small forehead smashed strongly against his and almost caused him to fall from his position. And before he managed to completely balance back, Eddie tackled him to a bear hug.


    "I was scared."


    "I''m sorry," Nex sighed and rubbed his back, ''He really is Jane brother.''


    After he managed to calm him down, Nex stood up and nodded to the group of people from the Saint side that stared at him with a various expression on their face. He then looked to where the arena was and saw two figures there, one tall, and one short that swung a sword with all of its strength.


    ???


    "You should have told me that kid is an Arch-Human, I would have just kick you two out and lock the door."


    Nex smiled at Louis rumbling and stared at the back of Roland who swung his sword with all his might.


    "You say it as if you would actually do it."


    "Ha! You''re probably right!" Louis snorted, "I wouldn''t do that, I would probably knock him unconscious and send him to an old lady I know, he may learn girly techniques there but at least he would a ton of seniors sisters that would take care of him really good. Who knows? Maybe there would be a lot more Arch-Human descendent in a couple of years."


    Although there was a barrier that prevents them from being heard, Roland''s back still shivered while one of his slashes.


    "You sure love to pretend to be the bad guy," Nex shook his head and then asked, "Say, how much do you mind the capital Azuresky family being messed with?"


    "Those phony bastards?" Louis made a face like he wanted to spit a bad taste in his mouth, "Where did you bring that idea from? Last thing to do before death?"


    "Your first words were enough," Nex smiled and pointed at Roland, "This kiddo over there is the child of their young miss and someone they exiled from the kingdom, and when the time is right I will take him with me and get him reunited with them. Even if it means facing the whole family head-on."


    "What?" Louis furrowed his eyebrows and his face turned serious, "You know you can''t simply do that. Even though they are stuck-up snobs, they are still a loyal and major part of the kingdom. To mess with them couldn''t be treated else as fighting the kingdom."


    "I know," Nex agreed and put his hand on Louis''s shoulder, "That''s why I need your help."


    "What? You think that because I got that stupid title of Saint that I can just flex a muscle and they would let me interfere in their internal affairs?" Louis, strangely enough, didn''t pay much attention to Nex''s hand and just shook it off and gave Nex a glare, "This is politics, not a show of strength. You need to play their game if you want for it to end well. And since it''s just the two of us behind that child, you, who don''t have the authority to be taken seriously, and me, that isn''t allowed to intervene, there is nothing much that could be done aside from waiting for him to have the power to deal with them on his own."


    "That''s right, " Nex nodded, "We can''t directly help him get back to his parents, neither of us has the correct type of power. To say the truth the best will be to let Roland grow and gain enough power to have standing in the family."


    "If you understand the situation, " Louis said with a suspecting face, "Then why are you talking like you want to do something else?"


    "Isn''t it obvious?" Nex''s face turned serious as his eyes flashed with a gleam of anger that made even Louis flinch and become vigilant, "A child should not have any reason to not be able to be with his parents. The fact I agree to not use force and be patient is me being lenient. If it was me from until not long ago I would have already got his mother out of there even if it means tearing everything in that place to shreds."


    "Then what do you want to do?" Louis asked carefully, he wasn''t afraid when he met people stronger than him, but he didn''t dare to underestimate or be lax with this seemingly young man that is only a First Awakening No-Rank. He knew probably better than everyone else in Superbia that this person is more dangerous than any Saint or Noble Devil, and if he decided to do something, there aren''t many things that could stop him.


    "It''s simple," Nex face returned to a smile and the tense atmosphere suddenly vanished as if it never existed, "We give Roland the power and authority to be a decision-maker in his family right now."


    "What!?" Louis''s eyes widened he stared at Nex like a fool, "You want to give an eight-year-old a stature that will allow him to have control and influence in one of the core families of the kingdom? Do you even listen to what are you even saying!?"


    "I tell you my plan later," when Nex waved his hand at Louis as he said those words he was already on his way to the small kid that didn''t stop swinging the sword.


    "This Big Brother needs to apologize and cheer up his little brother first."


    ???


    "I thought that just yesterday I taught you how to properly swing your sword," as Roland swung his sword down for the who-know time, he suddenly heard a familiar voice behind him and his eyes were already wet before he managed to turn around completely.


    "That Louis isn''t doing a very good job if he doesn''t bother to teach you the basics," Nex smiled gently and received Roland charge head-on.


    "Big Brother!"


    "Geez, what''s up with everyone today? Crying at the moment they see me," Nex pretended to grumble as he lowered himself and hugged Roland, he patted his back and murmured, "All I did was to be in an "almost dead" state but it doesn''t matter now. Right?"


    "Wahh! I''m sorry! It''s all my fault!" Roland was like a fully broken dam as he sobbed with tears continuously streaming from his eyes.


    "Too early huh?" Nex laughed dryly and resumed soothing the kid, "Before I answer what you just said can I know why you were trying to train so hard when you don''t know how to and there is no one who will direct you?"


    "Because I want to be strong!" Roland lifted his head and said with eyes full of burning will, "Strong enough to protect the ones I care about and stand on my own so only I would get hurt instead of the ones I hold dear!"


    ''Why does a gentle kid like him need to say those words,'' Nex thought bitterly while he became filled with deep dejection. He knew better than anyone what the results of walking this path. Every time someone close to him died in the past he swore to get stronger so no one else other than him will get in harm way.


    But in the end, when he got stronger than anyone else, he was almost completely alone without having any will to have new connections and with barely any emotions. If it wasn''t for "her" who was with him all the way and the opportunity to have a new start on Earth, he would have killed himself the moment after he killed Dramiel.


    "Roland," Nex opened his mouth and without letting the kid any more time to react, he flicked his forehead so hard that he flew backward a few meters and fell on the ground.


    "B-big Brother?" Roland asked terrified, too shocked to even cover his bleeding forehead. Nex right now looked like a completely different person, with dead cold eyes and an indifferent face that gave him the feeling of a ruthless beast that got angered beyond measure.


    "Let me ask you a question," Nex seemed like he couldn''t care less about Roland''s reaction, "Do you think I am strong?"


    "W-what do you mean?" Roland became confused.


    "Answer me!" Nex raised his voice, not caring that his voice is echoing throughout the dojo and cause everyone to watch him. He lifted the petrified Roland by his collar and asked again, "Do you think I am strong?"


    "I-I do think you are strong Big Brother!" Roland didn''t dare to let Nex wait any longer and immediately yelled his heartfelt answer, "To me, you are the strongest! And I want to have the same strength to protect as you!"


    "Pathetic."


    *Crash*


    Nex threw Roland to the ground so that he smashed strong only on the ground and curled slightly in pain.


    "Nex! What the hell are you doing!?" Jane became shocked and ran toward the two to stop this craziness. But before she could get close to them someone stopped her and didn''t let her advance.


    "Young lady, I prefer you would stay out of this," Louis put his hand before her and blocked her without turning his gaze away from the scene, "If there is someone that can rescue this child from ruining himself, then it''s that man."


    "Are you out of your mind!?" Jane went past him and tried to continue but a transparent barrier appeared and didn''t let her move even an inch forward. Distressed she turned around and yelled at the Saint, "Do you actually think it''s okay to hit a small child like that!?"


    "You should watch this situation more clearly," Louis didn''t care and kept watching, "I know you could see what''s in the heart of those two."


    "What are you talking about”­!" Jane turned back and stared at two while using her Empath power. But as she stared at the two her voice died down until she stifled a sob and covered her mouth as her eyes filled with tears.


    Roland''s mental state was filled with fear and confusion from the current situation, but she could clearly feel from him that the will from the answer he just gave didn''t lessen and even increased! And on the other hand, she could clearly feel the agony and bitterness Nex is feeling upon staring at the kid, it was as if he knew what''s on Roland mind as well and it''s bringing him a torment so great that the only time she sensed something like that from him was when he dreamt about his mother!


    "Nex, please”­ I''m begging you”­" Jane whispered softly, she finally realized what''s going on and it brought her great fear thinking what would happen if something went wrong, "Don''t push it too far, the heart of you two will break to pieces if you don''t be careful."


    Nex may have heard her pleas but his expression nonetheless, didn''t change. He walked to in front of the pained Roland and once again opened his mouth.


    "Another question, why do you think I am strong enough to protect people?"


    "I-it''s because you are able to protect everyone while you are the only who gets hurt!" Roland managed to recover somewhat and answer back.


    "If you are able to do this and defeating the enemies, then it means you are able to protect the people you love and are the strongest!"


    "Incorrect."


    Nex grabbed Roland by the neck and lifted him up in the air with on hand. Although he didn''t choke him, he did put strength in his grip and caused the kid to show a face of pain.


    "The last question," Nex expression was still cold as he saw the child squirming in his grasp, "If I am the strongest as you say, then why am I need to get wounded when I fight?"


    "It is... it is”­" Roland became stunned as the words entered his head and raised questions in his mind, and he desperately thought for a solution, "It is because you need to also protect-"


    "It is because I am weak!" Nex got Roland face to right in front of his and yelled those words while staring directly at his shocked eyes before throwing him back to the ground.


    "W-what?" the throw wasn''t hard, but Roland was too shocked to land on his legs and instead fell to the ground, he stared at Nex with a blank gaze that rapidly got white, "B-big Brother what are you talking about? You are the strong-"


    "No, I am weak," Nex crouched and stared at Roland with a sad smile, "I am only in my First Awakening and although I could fight some Second Awakening monsters, I''m helpless against anything higher than that. Or else I could have saved your grandma before she was stabbed or defeat Louis without lowering his strength."


    "B-but, why do I always have the feeling that you are the strongest there is? It can''t be a lie!" Roland didn''t want to give up and immediately answered back. Nex saying about himself that he is weak and isn''t capable of much shook the frim image inside of his head that there is nothing his big brother can''t do.


    "That is because I am very very strong in the world I come from. I''m a Traveler did you forget?" Nex patted his head and smiled gently, "Although I can get strong in a short time by defeating monsters, for now, I am a weak person that needs to get hurt if he wants to protect until he grows strong enough."


    "I don''t care!" Roland rejected fiercely, "If I can protect others, I don''t mind getting hurt! I will just grow stronger while getting hurt and suffer for the ones I care about!"


    "I don''t allow you to say!" Nex expression turned fierce and he grabbed Roland''s shoulders as he spoke in a freezing voice that didn''t leave room for mistakes, "Nor do I allow you to grow stronger like that!"


    "Why not!?" for the first time, Roland was mad at Nex. he couldn''t understand why his Big Brother that always supported him suddenly say these things.


    "Because that''s the path I took for as long as I can remember!" Nex said while staring straight at Roland with pained eyes, "Ever since I was weak, I took this path. I fought and fought, with barely any proper break to heal the wounds that covered all of my body and be with the people I wanted to protect. I know better than anyone what walking this path will do to you and because of that I am not going to let you walk it."


    "Why!?" Roland felt shame and unwillingness filling his body, "Is it because you think I am too weak to do it!?"


    "No," Nex suddenly smiled softly and hugged Roland, burying the unprepared kid into his embrace.


    "It is because I am going to make better than me."


    "W-what?" Roland felt as if all of his bad emotions disappeared and were replaced by shock. To better than Big Brother!?


    "The path I went through was the most foolish one," Nex smiled bitterly as he began to cast the best healing spells he could on the kid, rapidly healing all of the injuries he caused him, "I desperately fought to protect while putting myself on the line to not let anyone get hurt. But I was only a weak kid who didn''t know the basics of training, so before I knew it kept losing my close ones again and again. And when I finally started to know how to get stronger I was already too scared to get close to people again, and as for the few who managed to get through and reach me, I wouldn''t let them help me from fear that something will happen to them and in the end, I lost them just like I did before."


    "Roland," Nex released the kid and stared at his eyes that were full of tears of regret, "It''s okay to push yourself to the limit to get stronger. If you want to truly be strong, it''s something you must do. But relying on just yourself without letting others to help or share the burden with you just to get stronger is the last thing I want you to do. You did not start alone and without any help like I was. You do not need to fight all the time to protect people like I were. And you will not need to fight on your own," he smiled, "Because I am here to help you."


    "Big Brother!"


    Roland hugged Nex and cried loudly.


    "I''m sorry!"


    "It''s okay, it''s my fault anyway."


    Nex smiled and let the kid cry for a few minutes before he cast on him a sleeping spell that made start to fall asleep.


    "Sleep well," Nex gently closed the kid''s eyes and lifted him up.


    "Because I am going to do whatever it takes to make sure you won''t do the mistakes that I made."

 55 You Will Pay Unedited

    "Take care of him, I won''t come back for the next day and a half," Nex passed the sleeping Roland to Louis along with instructions, "He should wake up by tomorrow morning. And when he does, I want you to train his basics as much as possible. He needs to unearth much more of his potential before he is allowed to even think of Awakening."


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    "Hmph! Don''t think I am retarded!" Louis snorted and took the kid.


    Nex just smiled and turned to Jane who just stared at him with signs of crying on her face. But before he managed to open his mouth, Jane''s palm already reached to his face.


    *Slap!*


    "I know very well just how much important this thing was for Roland''s sake," she spoke with a hoarse voice, "But don''t you ever dare to hurt a child like that again."


    "I know," Nex spoke with a bitter voice and then stared at her with eyes full of pain and self-loathing, "But I just couldn''t bear the thought that Roland someday will have to go through what I did."


    Jane''s heart suffered upon seeing his expression and she softly caressed his face, "You already said it didn''t you? As long as you are here, he won''t end up like you. Have a little fate in yourself will you?"


    "Thank you," Nex smiled gently and held her hand. He can''t even begin to explain how lucky he feels to have Jane next to him. Every word of her can reach straight to his heart and fill it with a warm feeling that made his rampaging emotions calm and peaceful.


    "Good," Jane nodded and before her expression suddenly turned into a smile that radiated a scary feeling, "But that doesn''t mean you go unpunished!"


    *Twist*


    "Ow! Ow! Why the ear!?" cried Nex in pain but didn''t resist much, he knew he knew deserved much more for what he did. But even so, he had to admit it has been a while since he suffered from pain like that.


    "Teacher! What happened? I heard you yelling and the next moment the area around you turned dark..." Elise cried was heard as she ran to them together with Eddie, but as she saw what in front of them, her voice died down and both she and Eddie gradually stopped in place and stared as Nex was bowing his head down and crying in pain as the cause for this had a scary expression on her face and didn''t seem to care as she twisted Nex ear further.


    "Ow! Ow! Ow!"


    "Ahem”­" Elise coughed with a careful expression and slowly started to back off, although she didn''t see much of this side of Jane, she knew that the last thing that she wants is to disturb her, "I see that you are busy, so I will ask you later."


    "Hehe," but on the other hand Eddie, after watching them more carefully actually began to smirk and laugh to himself with eyes full of hope, ''As I thought, Big Bro is the perfect guy for the job. He will be the one that will save Big Sis from being the fate of dying as a bitter old virgin! And furthermore, now I''ll have someone who will restrain her when I''m with friends! Maybe someday I would even be able to be with girls!''


    Although he was shy and adorable on the outside, deep down Eddie''s character didn''t end with just that! He also wanted to have some friends and close ones, he just knew that if he said it to his super-doting sister, hell will break loose!


    [You have received a new message!]


    Hmm?


    While he was struggling against the pain, Nex suddenly got a new message. Although the pain he felt caused him some discomfort, his curiosity won and he opened the message.


    [Eddie: Just hang in there brother-in-law! Big Sis only twisting the ears of those she feels close to and love! So please don''t get angry at her and leave us! I don''t want her to die a virgin!]


    ''...''


    Nex became quite stumped. Brother-in-law!? Die a virgin!? It seems that the place he had in Eddie''s heart was more than just an admirable big brother”­


    ???


    "Hmph! Don''t think I would go so easy on you next time."


    After a few minutes of "punishing", Jane released Nex with a snort and gave him a glare as if saying she is still very angry at him.


    "Yes, yes, I know I deserved more," Nex smiled in apology and pretended to check his ears didn''t have any deformities, ''Although only the first cry of pain was real, how long has it been since I was so affected by pain?''


    "Teacher? Are you okay?" he lifted his gaze at the voice and saw Elise worried gaze, "It seems that Big Sister was quite tough on you”­"


    "Yeah I''m fine," Nex smiled and got closer as if to tell a secret and pointed at Jane without the latter noticing, "She didn''t really hurt me after the first few moments. Although she may seem fierce and aggressive, deep inside your senior sister is a very gentle and loving person she just a little shy and afraid to show it. So don''t start acting differently toward her okay?"


    "Don''t worry Teacher!" Elise smiled widely and patted her chest, that although wasn''t as big as Jane''s still caused mesmerizing ripples, "Me and Big Sister had a lot of conversions in our spare time and I already know very well that she is a very good person! I am not going to treat her badly because she was upset!"


    "Good girl," Nex smiled and patted her head which caused her to blush in enjoyment and make content sounds, "I''m really lucky that I got a disciple as good as you."


    "Teacher! Don''t treat me like a kid!" her face turned red as she realized how she just reacted and she tried to take his hand off her head, but she seemed to really like his petting as she didn''t put any force behind her hands.


    "Big Bro, what happened there earlier?" Eddie couldn''t hold his curiosity from earlier and asked while pointing at the arena, "I only heard you yell at Roland to answer him and then the area became dark and I couldn''t see even big sis that ran there before me."


    "Oh, that," Nex expression became a little somber as Eddie and Elise stared at him in expectation, "Roland was trying to train on his own and he almost made a mistake that would have cost him in the future, so I got a little angry at him and showed him the right way before putting him to sleep so he won''t exhaust himself from training. The reason Jane was mad at me was that I was a little tough with him and caused him to get wounded a little. But don''t worry, he was healed completely."


    "But Teacher, why did the area was dark and we couldn''t hear what is going on?"


    "It''s simple," Nex smiled and pointed at the NPC group that stared at them with curiosity, "I showed Roland a special training technique that I didn''t want the guys over there to know, so I asked Louis to put a barrier that will prevent it."


    "What kind of a special training technique?" Elise asked with his eyes seem to shine while on the side Eddie had with a similar expression on his face, "Can I learn it?"


    "You don''t need to learn this," Nex smiled and caused to Elise to make an adorable pouting expression, only for her face to turn into a big smile after the next words, "I will teach you techniques that you will like much more."


    "Teacher is the best!" Elise grinned and hugged Nex''s arm.


    "I want to learn techniques too!"


    Eddie''s voice was suddenly heard as he stared at Nex with a pleading gaze.


    "I also want to be strong-"


    "Absolutely not," Jane cut him off with a cold expression, "How many times I have to tell you? The last thing I want you to do is to act like a wannabe-hero and fight all day like a fool."


    "But it isn''t fair!" Eddie''s eyes started to become red, "Everyone is allowed to train and be stronger why am I not allowed?"


    "A no is a no!" Jane didn''t seem to care and even raised her voice at him, something she almost never did.


    "It isn''t fair," tears started to flow from his eyes when Eddie suddenly remembered the new "special weapon" he has now.


    "Big Bro! Help me!"


    ''So you just pass your problem to me huh?'' Nex smiled wryly as he patted the kid who hugged him and buried his tearful face on him. But he had to admit that Jane was a little unreasonable with her decision, to not allow him to grow strong in a world filled with monsters and powerful superhumans isn''t the best thing to do.


    "Jane I know you care for him," Nex smiled at her awkwardly, "But it will be better for him to make this decision on his own. You know better than anyone that your little brother is not stupid and more than capable of deciding for himself."


    "Don''t tell me how to take care of him!" Jane''s voice instantly rose in tones and her eyes became slightly red as she snapped at him, if it was any other person in the world saying that to her, she would immediately break all of her connections with him and won''t talk to him again. Only because Nex said it she didn''t do it and instead feel wronged, "I raised him since he was a baby on my own and I know better than anyone what he should and shouldn''t do!"


    "Are you sure about that?" Nex furrowed his eyebrows and spoke with a serious tone. He knew how much Eddie was precious to her, and because of that he didn''t back off and retaliated, "Because as it seems, what you only seem to want what would be good to you. You know very well how dangerous the world outside can be and yet you don''t wish him to have the ability to protect himself. I know that you want to protect him using your own strength, but I can tell you from experience that method will someday not work."


    "Stop," Jane shivered and turned pale, she shook her head and tried to ignore his words. But he didn''t stop and instead continued.


    "You may be afraid he will get himself to trouble," Nex ignored Eddie that pulled his shirt so that he would stop and spoke. He knew that one of his bad habits is kicking in now, but he didn''t care. Jane needed to hear this, "But at least he would have a chance to get himself out of this and not immediately get hurt without a chance to retaliate."


    "Stop, just please stop," Jane knew that he was right, but whenever she thought about Eddie becoming a Hunter "that" incident came to her only that now Eddie''s face was there.


    "Big Bro it''s okay," Eddie couldn''t bear seeing his sister like that and desperately tried to stop Nex, "I don''t really need to become stronger”­"


    "Teacher”­" Elise became worried as well and she looked at Nex with a gaze pleading to stop it.


    "There is nothing wrong with wanting to keep him safe," Nex didn''t seem to care about the two and glared at Jane with a stern gaze. If it was before he wouldn''t have gone that far, but after he saw the inner Jane and fell in love with her, he knew that this was necessary, "But not letting him the ability to stand on his own, will do him more harm than good. If you keep doing that I can assure you that you will lose your little brother. And the guilt and grief will hunt for the rest of your life."


    "Shut up!" Jane yelled and broke into tears, there was no sign of her normal confident and fierce character and instead was the terrified and agonized face of a very fragile girl, "You think I Don''t already know it''s much better for him to have the strength to be on his own? Of course I do! But every time I imagine him getting stronger the picture of him losing his life against a horrible monster appears in my head! I already lost our parents because of such idiotic reason, and I will kill myself before I would let something happen to him!"


    At this point, she covered her face while trying her hardest to hold back her sobs but without any success. Clearly, she was pushed over the edge.


    "Big Sis! I''m sorry-" Eddie didn''t expect the result to end up like that and he was filled with immense guilt as he ran with a face full of tears to her with a worried Elise following after him, but before they managed to reach her she turned into a shinning light and disappeared.


    She logged off.


    "Big Sis!"


    Without wasting any more time Eddie quickly logged off as well with Elise following behind.


    "I am such an asshole," Nex''s face also turned serious after he bitterly sighed and he opened his options menu while smiled apologetically at the group that probably wanted to talk with him for some time now.


    "As you see something popped up and I have to go, so I guess I will meet you later."


    The top brass of the Western City stared quietly at Nex that turned to a flash of light and disappeared while regretting they didn''t come to talk with Nex before this little soap drama happened.


    ???


    "Hey there beauty! What a lovely thing such as you is doing here early in the morning? Need someone to comfort you?"


    A Hunters group composed of young males walked on their way to their morning hunting when suddenly they heard a sobbing voice from a nearby side alley and upon looking inside they found what probably was the most beautiful woman they ever saw sitting in the corner and crying.


    Being the horny and arrogant fools they become after years of being part of a certain major Clan, such a perfect once in a lifetime opportunity was something they will never dare to miss.


    But the answer they got was just a cold snort from the lady and her standing up and walking away while trying to hide her tears.


    "Too emotional huh?" the Hunters leader and his gang and his grinned and didn''t give up, on the other hand, it will bring them even more pleasure to get this girl and break her cold image. The leader of the group smiled amiably with undisguised lust in his eyes as he went to the lady again, "Did someone make you upset? If you come for a drink with us and tell us about what happened we may help you to get revenge. We are a very highly esteemed Hunters that are part of a major Clan you know?"


    "Fuck off!" the lady snapped at them, "I don''t need you perverted trash help! Just scram off to whichever shit hole you came from!"


    "That is not a very nice thing to say," the leader and his group face started to turn sinister, almost everyone who knew their identity as A-rankers and part of the Brilliant Night clan treated them with respect and didn''t dare to raise their voice at them even if they were at the same rank as them. And yet this lady that clearly wasn''t a hunter and was just a normal civilian dared to outburst at them and even curse them. The last thing they want to do now is to meekly take this down.


    "Turn around and say you sorry for what you just said," that wasn''t a request or threat, it was an order, "Afterwards you will follow us and do whatever we tell you to do. Is that clear?"


    "Ha!" the lady snorted and didn''t bother to turn her head, "You fools sure are delusional. The only ones who will listen to you assholes are braindead and mentally ills!"


    "You bitch!"


    "You sure are fearless for a normal person."


    "I see that that''s how it going to be," the leader couldn''t hold back as well and terrifying aura spread from him that forcefully locked lady to her place and didn''t allow her to move. Then, he walked toward her and stretched his hand to grab hers, "I was going to be nice at first but you brought this upon yourself."


    The lady didn''t seem to realize yet what situation she is in and just continued to cry on whatever bothered all this time. Not noticing that a hand that signaled her doom was about to touch her.


    "I wouldn''t do it if I were you."


    A voice was suddenly heard and before the leader noticed his hand was grabbed and the lady he was about to touch was pulled into the embrace of a silver-haired man that seemed to appear out of nowhere.


    "This lady is very precious to me," at the silver-haired man words the lady seemed to shiver before snuggling into his chest and wrap her hands around him. Although the seemingly horrible stuff he said to her, he was the person she wanted to be with the most right now.


    As a response, the man smiled softly and gently pat her hair and back while giving her a kiss at the top of her head, "Sorry I didn''t come sooner."


    He then turned his gaze to the group that stared at him menacingly with the one that had his hand gripped looking at him as if he wants to cut him to pieces.


    "I don''t know who you are," he said simply with a calm face and yet the group shivered without even noticing.


    "But you tried to hurt one I dearly love," he smiled a small smile that will hunt the group dreams for a very long time.


    "And for that, you will pay."

 56 Celes... Unedited

    "Ha!" the leader of the group laughed coldly upon realizing his opponent strength level, "You are just an A-Ranker like us and clearly not part of any Clan he should worry about, while we on the other hand, from Brilliant Night! One of the top 10 Clans!"


    "You should just kneel and apologize”­" he tried to release his hand with some force but it didn''t even budge, he stared at Nex and spoke coldly, "You really want to play like that? If you let go now we may still return that bitch to you in one piece."


    "It seems I needed to show more for you to realize something," Nex sighed and shook his head while starting to put strength in his grip.


    "What?" the leader furrowed his brows before his twisting his face in pain as cracking sounds start to come from his hand, "Argh!"


    "I can ignore how you just treated me," Nex''s eyes didn''t change even when the bones in the man''s arm started to fill with cracks, "But not only did you curse her, you even dared to try and hurt and treat her like an object."


    "You will not die," he didn''t seem to care as the rest of the group pulled out their weapons and started to close in on him, he just gave the leader''s arm a final squeeze to break all of the bones there to pieces before he let it go.


    "But you will need to pay for it."


    "Arrgh!" the leader cried in pain and jumped back the get help from the healer while staring at Nex with a gaze filled with hatred, "He is a body strengthening type with a grip related skill! Keep your distance from him and use spiritual attacks to knock them both out! I want him to look as we play with is left from his girl!"


    "Yes!"


    Spiritual attacks are a type of attack that talented hunters could use after training for a while, they will not cause physical damage but they are much harder to block and will hurt the conscious directly. An average A-ranked could suffer a few direct hits before losing his conscious, but a normal person like Jane couldn''t suffer even one before she would have a most likely permanent mental damage. The group clearly wanted to make Nex and Jane suffer in more ways than one.


    And as the group aside from the healer and the leader circled Nex and Jane, Nex didn''t move from where he is and instead patted Jane''s hair as she quietly hugged him without showing any signs of worry, and whispered in her ears, "Don''t worry, I will finish it now."


    "En, just don''t go too far," she nodded meekly and kept hugging him as if he was the warmest and most relaxing thing for her emotions.


    "Attack him!" the leader burned with anger as he saw how Nex act and quickly ordered his subordinates.


    The three attackers didn''t waste any more time and quickly unleashed their attacks. Causing several transparent attacks to shoot toward Nex and rapidly close in on him.


    "Childish," Nex said simply and waved his hand.


    And to the group shock, their attacks dissipated along with his wave as if they were made of thin smoke.


    "There is no point in wasting any more time."


    Nex waved his hand again, and before the group managed to react, immense pressure came down on them crushing them to the ground while damaging their bones and internal organs, causing them to puke blood and pass out from the pain. They wouldn''t be able to move their bodies in the next months and use magic power for at least twice the time.


    "Let''s go," Nex smiled at Jane disappeared.


    *Sirens!*


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    A moment after the sounds of sirens was heard and in less than a minute the alley was filled with high ranking hunters from the Hunters Associations with the lowest among them being A-rank.


    They detected that a group of A-rank people is using a large amount of Magical Power and most likely having a fight. But now that they are here, they saw to their shock that instead of the badly damaged area they expected, all there is was several badly wounded A-ranked Hunters that seemed as if every part of their body was smashed by a very heavy hammer.


    ???


    "We arrived," Jane heard Nex say and yet she felt a gentle wind on her meaning they are still outside.


    She looked around and saw that they were on a mountain that gave a beautiful image to the city.


    "Were not home?"


    "I thought you wanted some time to talk before you want to go back," Nex smiled and led her to a bench that suddenly appeared to their side, "It took some time to convince Eddie, but after telling him his sister will feel much better after it, he agreed."


    "God, Eddie," Jane face became full of guilt and tears started to come out again, "I just left him at home like that and ran away. And after the things I said, he must hate me now!"


    "You don''t have to worry," Nex said with a gentle expression and wiped her tears, "Do you know what he said to me before I came?"


    "W-what?"


    "I don''t care how much time it takes, as long as she is well and feeling better, nothing else matters."


    Jane''s eyes instantly filled with tears again and she began to sob.


    "I''m such a horrible person! I don''t deserve to be his sister!"


    "That isn''t true," Nex soothed her down, "You did a perfect job taking care of him until now. And the only reason you''re feeling so hurt is that you love him so much. If anything I''m the horrible person for making you reach this state in the first place."


    "That''s not true!" Jane denied fiercely, "If I wasn''t so stubborn and agree to let him train like everyone else, all of this wouldn''t have happened. It''s just that every time I think of that I remember our parents”­"


    "Can you tell me about them?" Nex hugged her gently and asked. He already knew there was some story behind the reason he had never heard of her parents, but because his relationship with her wasn''t at the level of telling that kind of things before, he didn''t ask her about it.


    "They were hunters, high ranking ones," she began to tell, "And one day when Eddie was less than a year old, they got un urgent mission to be on the front lines of a Demons invasion that occurred near us. And since I was used to them going on missions, instead of crying and telling them not to go I instead cheered them and send them away while telling them to be the great heroes they were."


    New didn''t say anything and just hugged her trembling body close to him and took her palm that immediately held him like a vice. He knew very well that all he should do now is to support her like that until she finished the story.


    "I was so dumb back then, " Jane voice constantly broke and she tried her hardest not to sob. Clearly, this was her first time telling this story, "I didn''t think about what might happen and instead of preventing it, I encouraged them to go straight to the danger. So you can guess what I felt when suddenly someone from the Hunters Association arrived and told me that my mom and dad sacrificed themselves to save others and that they were great heroes."


    At this point, her voice completely broke and instead was replaced by loud cries like those of a child. It seems that her emotions from back then were repressed all this time until now when they were finally released to the world.


    Nex didn''t need much to understand this and just hugged her close to him so that she could put her head on his chest and cry while hugging him.


    "Jane, " after a few minutes like that where Jane was sobbing and Nex was wordlessly consoling her, the latter finally opened his mouth, "Do you know what was the place I always mentioned about?"


    Jane sobbing suddenly stopped and she lifted her tearful face and tugged his clothes while trying her hardest not to cry, "You don''t need to! I didn''t do anything to deserve it!"


    "You did more than enough, " Nex wiped her tears and smiled, "I would still be stuck inside myself for who know-how long if it wasn''t for you."


    "And besides, " he lowered his head and kissed her forehead, "You made me fall in love with you."


    Jane blushed deeply but her expression didn''t change, "B-but-"


    "I was summoned to a different world."


    "W-what?" Jane''s face changed to shock.


    "Sounds like something from a story right?" Nex smiled, "But it is the truth. A very long time ago, when I was a teen, I was summoned to another world that was called Perias after being was asked to fight for my life all the time in order to protect the people there. Being a young kid that didn''t have much in his life on Earth, I unhesitantly answered yes."


    "At first I was satisfied," Nex''s gaze started to become distant as he reminisced, "I could see grow stronger than I ever dreamed about and I found that although I had to risk my life for that, fighting was quite fun for me. If there was one thing that I bothered me, it was that I was alone and didn''t meet other people yet and all I did was to fight monsters and demons. And then after more than a year of fighting, I finally managed to get myself to find a city with people in it. And upon meeting them I realized something. There was something wrong with this world."


    Jane didn''t do anything and just stared gently at him. She didn''t need to use her power to know he was speaking the truth.


    "The people of that world were corrupted by a curse," Nex said simply with a slightly pained expression, "It made their souls dark and cold, and as a result turning them to horrible people that couldn''t care about others lives and all they want was to grow stronger and step on others, in whatever the cost that needed. Because my soul belonged to another place, I didn''t get corrupted and was among the few people there that wasn''t affected. Thinking it just the nature of this world I didn''t bother much and chose to live with a few close ones that weren''t affected."


    "This was one of my greatest mistakes," his face turned bitter and Jane held his hand tightly, "Although the curse didn''t affect me directly, it caused instead my closed ones to be targeted by not only the corrupted but also the demonic beings that apparently had a special connection to the curse. And from that moment I started to regret ever setting foot in that place. I was just one man and no matter how strong I became and what way I used, the curse always managed to be one step before me and kill the ones I cared about."


    Jane''s eyes were filled with tears and complicated emotions, she loved dearly him for telling her this story, but she also hated him for making himself pained as he told it. But Nex as a response just smiled and kissed her forehead softly, passing along a clear message. ''Because I love you that I want to tell you this.''


    "So I decided to just seal my emotions and don''t let anyone near me. But it was futile, I was too soft-hearted to just ignore everything that I saw so I instead sealed and lowered my emotions to a minimal level, and that is another great regret of mine. However cold I was, in the end, when I saved people many times they chose to follow me and put their trust in me, something that my heart couldn''t do anything about other than accept."


    "In the end, I found myself with only two people who stayed with me until the end," Nex smiled sadly as he thought about the two beautiful figures, "Celestina... Celes, was someone who was with me since the beginning and was very powerful but because we lived in different realms she couldn''t help me much until I already sealed my emotions for a long time and grew strong enough so all of the support she could give was to give me company. But for me, it was enough, because she was too precious to me to ever wanting her to fight for me."


    "And the other?" Jane could guess what kind of relationship he had with those two, but she knew that Nex wanted to finish his story so she asked softly.


    "Nana”­ Ariana, She was someone that was all alone in the world like me," the grief in his face became more and more evident, "But she was much better than me. She didn''t care about what bothered her and did whatever she wanted. I met her when I was about to reach a whole new level of strength, I was back than afraid of the price that will come with that, and she saw right through. She wasn''t afraid of dying by the curse like the others and neither did she needed to, so without even caring about my thoughts on the subject, she spends all her time with me and after a long time together where she didn''t let go of me and always pushed me forward, she finally made me breakthrough and reach that level I was always feard from reaching. And when I found myself filled with the strength I never came close to before and yet nothing in me really changed, she laughed and kissed me, saying that the man she fell for will never be such a weakling. At that moment, even with my sealed emotions, I realized I fell for her."


    "What happened then?" even though Jane felt jealous for the two to be able to spend so much time with Nex and be with him, but she also knew that it wasn''t Nex''s purpose and indicated him to continue.


    "Then Ariana died," the light in Nex eyes dimmed, "We three were together for some time we only had each other because of me but we were happy. But suddenly one day, we found ourselves getting attacked by forces that shouldn''t have been there, they led by one of the few enemies I didn''t stand a chance against that was very related to the core of curse. And before I could do anything Ariana was killed. Celes then quickly used some secret magic and teleported the two of us away before I managed to even get close to Ariana corpse."


    "The magic Celes used came with a great price, and in order to not lose her too, I forced her to seclude herself until she recovered. And in the meantime, I trained and trained and forced myself to grow beyond what was thought possible, all for a single goal, to finally stop the madness of this world and return home to Earth."


    "And I did it," Nex smiled as if he trying to be proud of himself, "I killed the world''s greatest enemies and erased the curse from existence. But at this point, I couldn''t allow myself to stay in Preias anymore and came back to Earth immediately. Where I met you."


    "But what about Celestina?" Jane asked when she realized something was amiss, "What happened to her?"


    "I''ll tell you what happened."


    A beautiful and divine voice was heard and caused Nex to shiver and lift his head and stood up to look at the heavenly beautiful lady that appeared in front of them with shocked eyes.


    "Celes”­ why are you-"


    "After he became the stupidly powerful being he wanted to become," the lady ignored him and stared at Jane with a warm look, "He came and saved me from the state I was in with his new powers and together we did what he should have done before and grieve about Ariana death."


    "Can you answer me-"


    "But this fool already broke himself with all of his repressed feelings," the lady snorted at him and turned back to Jane as if she was eager to continue her story, "I barely even started to relax when he suddenly said that he is going to fight the most dangerous being we ever met and afterward leave. I realized he was out of his mind because he knew that I can''t leave and tried to keep him with me with all I could."


    "You know that it wasn''t-"


    "Shut-up!" she silenced him again with a hiss and came to Jane and held her hand with a warm smile, "I succeeded for some time but because of a certain damn reason, being with me increased his desire to leave. So before he went we did it one last time."


    "With his divine skills," the lady winked at Jane with a clear message, ''You will realize it soon enough,'' causing Jane to turn completely red, "And the will to be with me one last time, he did it with me so much that even without the locking spell he did afterward I couldn''t move for a while."


    As she said that she lifted her head and glared at Nex, "You sure overdid it you bastard."


    Nex furrowed his brows upon hearing her words. Although talking like that is like her, doing this in this situation didn''t seem right, "What nonsense are you-"


    "And then when I found myself released," the lady continued to speak with Jane without care about him, "I learned that the world''s greatest crisis has been eliminated and that the great curse was erased."


    "And yet, me who was supposed to be the happiest about it the most felt at the lowest I ever was instead."


    The lady then turned her gaze and stared at Nex deeply with countless emotions swirling in her multi-colored eyes, "Because the man that I loved left me behind because we knew it was the best for me."


    "Celes”­" Nex became filled with guilt upon meeting her eyes.


    Their relationship was a long one, the longest Nex ever had. They went through a lot together and sacrificed for each other more than what others in their place may. She was his strength and will to move on throughout his time Perias and he probably wouldn''t make it halfway if it wasn''t for her. But some will probably think she should instead be the most hated person in his heart and that he should take revenge against her everything he has.


    And the reason for this is very simple.


    She is the goddess that summoned him to Perias.

 57 Give Me Back My Tears! Unedited

    "Please! I beg you! Help me save my world!"


    "Wha!"


    The young boy in his teens stumbled a few steps backward and stared with shock at the incredibly beautiful girl that appeared in front of him dressed in weird clothes.


    "Who are you!?"


    "My name is Celestina," the girl that seemed to be about his age wiped the tears that constantly came out of her eyes and bowed deeply, "I came from a dimension named Perias where I am the goddess that is responsible for one of the minor worlds there. I know that it sounds weird and sudden but please help me! My world is under attack and I need someone who could help me protect it!"


    "Why me then?" reading and watching too much fantasy, the young boy instantly believed her and asked.


    "Because I can sense from you a pure and strong heart!" the young girl answered with frim expression, "One that will not break or give up on helping other people!"


    "And once I finished helping, can I go back to Earth?"


    "No," the girl''s eyes were filled with tears of guilt and she seemed like she was about to cry again, "You will be bound to Preias and won''t be able to return to Earth unless you reach an impossible level of strength."


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    "I see," the young boy nodded and then continued with his question, "And will I be able to see you there?"


    "No," the girl shook her head again, clearly feeling down because she knew that her only chance was probably wasted, "We will only be able to communicate through telepathic connection and we won''t be able to meet unless on special occasions or you reaching to the strength of a god."


    "Is that so?" the young man sighed, "Then I have one request from you."


    "What is it?" the girl clearly lost hope for the boy agreement but still wanted to compensate him for the bother, "Do know that my powers are limited and I can''t do much."


    "What I want is simple," the boy then smiled and indicated her to do so as well, "I want to see your happy smile."


    "Why?" the girl seem puzzled. She didn''t expect anything like that.


    "Well, since I don''t have anything I especially want to do there, and the fact that you are the most beautiful person I ever met," both of them blushed hard at his words, "I thought that maybe I will use your smile as a goal to achieve when I am fighting in your world."


    "So what do you say?" the young boy asked while enjoying the shocked/embarrassed face of the girl, "Could you give me a preview?"


    "Pu! Haha!" the girl found herself suddenly laughing like she never did since she was a little child, and for a moment, all of her worries seemed to go away for a moment, "You just want that? You are going to go to a whole different world where you will need to risk your life constantly, and the goal you are going to put yourself is just to make me smile? I never heard of a human as weird as you!"


    "Well, I may have read bit too many books," the young boy scratched his head awkwardly, "Plus I was always told that I am too good of a person, so when I saw such a cute girl like you crying and in need for help," he blushed and laughed as he spoke his honest thoughts, "I couldn''t help but wanting to make you smile and be happy."


    Upon hearing his embarrassing words the girl blushed fiercely while glaring at him with a thumping heart, "You are a bit of moron, are you?"


    "Yeah, I''m always told that as well," the young boy nodded seriously and then added with a smirk, "But I did make you smile did I?"


    "Hehe," the girl giggled, "You sure did."


    "Then I deem myself worthy for the job!" Nex patted his chest proudly and extended his hand, "Shall we seal the deal, Celestina?"


    "You know that you will have a high chance of dying and suffering there?" the girl''s face turned serious and she asked carefully, "Are you really willing to abandon your current life for that?"


    "It''s fine, I don''t have a current life nor the will to stay here and not do something meaningful," the young boy smiled, "If anything I should thank you for giving me a chance for a change. So please, I''m ready."


    "The world you will be going to is a cruel and twisted one and it may harm you more than you think," The girl knew there is no point to stop him and shook her hand with his, "You will someday hate me for making you do this."


    "The world may be cruel and twisted," the young boy shook his head and then stared straight at the girl''s eyes, "But I can tell that you are not, so as long as you will not become one, I will never hate you and help you save your world, no matter what I will need to go through."


    "Are you serious?" the girl''s eyes widened and become filled with tears.


    "Of course," the young boy gave a proud smile as he shook her hand.


    "Promise of Nexus."


    ???


    "Nex?"


    Nex was suddenly awake from his memory and stared Jane that looked at him with a worried gaze, "Are you okay?"


    "I-"


    "He''s fine!" Celestina didn''t let him answer and smiled at Jane as if she is looking at a good friend of her, "He just daydreamed, he will do with a bit often now that he finally unsealed his emotions," she then got close to Jane and whispered somewhat loudly, "I bet you already noticed it, but he will also be a bit moron, well, more than usual at least."


    "Celes!" Nex glared in anger at the golden-haired woman, but the reason for his anger wasn''t because what she said, "You know very well that the reason we went on different ways was mutual. Why the hell did you come here? You don''t want to live anymore that you are now risking your life like that?"


    "What? I can''t come at all?" she smiled without caring for his anger and instead held Jane''s hand and caressed her cheek, making Jane that already felt uncomfortable in this situation blush and wish to bury herself, "You really are a lucky person to find such a good girl to love you so much in such a short time. Seeing her I feel relaxed there is someone to help me in the future."


    "What are you talking about?" Nex furrowed his eyebrows, he knew that she is hiding something or else there is no way she would even be able to come close to Earth without sealing her fate.


    "Haha! I will tell you my surprise later," Celestina just laughed at him and turned back to Jane and sat where he sat before on the bench, "Right now I want to know better this adorable thing."


    "What is your name cute one?"


    "J-Jane," for the first time meeting someone that made her feel her charm was inferior, plus being aware of what kind of relationship this woman has with Nex, Jane found herself answering meekly.


    "How lovely-"


    "Celestina that''s enough!"


    Nex patience was about to run out, he was now sure that something is wrong with her, "How can you come here without being harmed?"


    "Being serious huh?" Celestina seemed amused, "Don''t worry I didn''t do something shady or harmful to come here so don''t jump to conclusions."


    "Then how did you come here? Tell me now or-"


    "Or what? You will throw me back to Preias?"


    "If it means keeping you safe then yes!"


    "You-" Celes was trying to say something but in the end couldn''t bring herself to say it, "You really are a moron."


    "Can you please tell me?" Nex seemed desperate to know. Even though they went on separate ways, she is still the most precious person to him and he will die before he would put her at risk.


    "...very well," Celes seemed like part of her has awakened and she stared at Nex with a soft expression.


    She stood up and walked toward him and stood in front of him with a somewhat tired and angry expression.


    "What is different about me? And don''t try to use a thorough examination, just tell me what you think from my aura and appearance."


    Nex stared at her up and down with a careful expression.


    Long golden hair that grew slightly past her hips. Peerless facial features that no matter how much he stared at he didn''t find a flaw in. A pair of the most beautiful eyes he ever saw that seemed like they were made from a mix of the shining stars in the sky and the colorful gems of the earth. A perfectly proportioned body that will evoke desire and yearning from any person who will watch.


    Even Jane felt for the first time a bit inferior in terms of looks, and not to mention that just the aura and grace that woman gave off made her feel like she is standing in front of a divine being she could only look up to in admiration. She couldn''t help but feel bitter and jealous, maybe only such woman was worthy for Nex.


    Even though she was probably one of the most beautiful persons he ever met, Nex, on the other hand, didn''t care much for her looks and continue to look for a short moment before an expression of disbelief came to his face.


    "You turned into a human!?"


    "Bingo," Celestina nodded with a somewhat strange smile, "But because of a certain reason I retained my powers and thus was able to come here unharmed."


    "How is that possible?" Nex seemed like he had a hard time processing this, the thing he took countless years to do just on himself suddenly happened to who he thought was the last person that will be able to do it, "You didn''t get any repercussions or injuries from doing that? How the hell did you do it?"


    "Oh? That?" Celestina giggled as if she heard something funny, "You can say it is your fault."


    "Mine?" Nex thought on the possibilities but not a reasonable one came to his head, his face then turned to guilt and he said, "If you turned into a human then it means you weren''t allowed anymore to do your job and fulfill your dream. Do you want me to help you get it back? I know how much it meant to you."


    "It''s fine," she smiled gently and shook her head, "I managed to lay the foundation before I had to leave, as long as nothing goes wrong everything will go as I hoped for. For now, I just want to relax and see for myself what kind of place this world you always hoped for."


    "I see," Nex nodded in relief.


    "Excuse me? Miss Celestina?" Jane suddenly lifted her hand and gained the attention of both of them, there were so many things she wanted to ask and say so she just started from what she heard right now, "You were not a human before?"


    "Jane-" Nex opened his mouth as there a lot of things he needed to explain to her now, but before he managed Celestina already answered.


    "Of course not silly!" Celestina smiled and went to Jane and held her hands in affection again, "My cutie Jane, I was a goddess. Our moron Nex lived in Perias for a very long time, no normal human could have been with him throughout all of this time like I was even if they had ten times the life span!"


    "What!?" Jane''s eyes widened to the limit, not only did the person in front of her was once a goddess of a world, but also the man she loved was apparently someone who lived at the very least for ten times the life span of a normal person! She turned her head weakly to Nex, "Is that true?"


    ''And she just went and said it”­ way to go Celes,'' Nex sighed and nodded softly at her without lying to her, "Yes, the time flows differently between distant dimensions, especially when they are in a different stage of growth. Back when I left Earth it was a few years before The Great Awakening, and although the time flow difference wasn''t constant, it could be said it was on average more than 1 to 10."


    "1”­ 1 to 10?" Jane''s expression became blank as she began to fill with despair, she probably seemed like an infant to him! And now there is this goddess here that said she been with him through this time, how is she going to compete with that!? But before she could completely sink into her depression, someone flicked her forehead and woke her up.


    "Thinking about the age difference huh?" Celestina giggled and retracted her hand, "Don''t worry, you already saw how he acts. His mindset and the way he looked at the world are more like that of a normal human, so if you are in a normal human at an adult age he will treat you like one. Especially now that his emotions unsealed after too long of a time, in some way you can say he is mentally younger than you. If you are not convinced then you just ask him."


    Hearing her words hope lit in Jane''s eyes. What she said really seem true! Although the mess he has in his mind, she saw that his emotions and the way he acted normally fitted that of a young man! A somewhat moronic young man, but still a young man!


    She lifted her eyes stared at Nex with a gaze that expected him to confirm her thoughts.


    ''Although it''s a little painful to accept, I still can''t deny it,'' Nex thought bitterly before he walked to Jane and stared at her with a piercing expression, causing her face to blush and heart to beat fiercely.


    "Jane, I never treat a person differently because of their age. All of that crap about living long changes your personality to look down on younger peoples is bullshit once you live as long as I lived."


    "True for that!" Celes added with a wide smile, "Only fools treat others like you think! For us, there is no reason to not treat you with the attitude you deserve!"


    Nex gave Celes a glance that among other things signaled to be quiet for now, and then turned back to Jane and caressed her red cheek with a smile, "What I said about loving you isn''t a lie. I fell for you and want to be with you for as long as I can. If anything I need to ask you if you are okay with my age and forgive me for not telling you about it earlier."


    "You moron," Jane''s eyes became teary and she stood up and buried her face on his chest, "You really are no-good, saying those embarrassing words when there is someone else right next to us. And she is a girl you love and know far more than you will ever love and know me at that!"


    "Jane..." Nex sighed and hugged her closer to him, "I may have known Celes for more time than I can count, and I admit that although I decided to separate from her I still love her greatly, but you are wrong about one thing. I know myself very well, and I can say for sure, I really love you. When Celes- no, everyone I loved before couldn''t get to me in less than ten times the time I spent with you, and yet you made him fall for you like a foolish teenager kid."


    "I hope you forgive me for being a scum that loves another woman and yet still dared to develop feelings for you, and I hope you forgive me when I say I will continue loving her. I just want you to know that my feelings for you are real and I will do whatever you want me to do to compensate you. You deserve much better than me and if you want me to leave you just have to say the word."


    Jane lifted her head and stared at him with a furious gaze, "Oh no, don''t think you are going to just run away after what you did. You are going to stay next to me until I say otherwise!"


    "Miss Celestina," she then turned her head with a burning gaze to the smiling golden-haired woman, "Be prepared, because I am going to make him love me more than he ever loved you! I am going to make this no-good close to me as much as I can!"


    "Fufu, challenge accepted," Celes smiled as if she expected this outcome from the start, she knew better than anybody how hard girls that Nex develop feelings for foolishly fell in love with him, but she then added with a mysterious smile, "But do know that I am a step ahead in the last part."


    "Huh?"


    "What do you mean?"


    The two of them asked in confusion.


    "It''s better if I showed you," she stood up and walked so that she was a few meters away from them, "Jane could you step away from him for a second, I need to be in a straight line with this bastard."


    "Oh, okay."


    "Bastard?"


    Jane seemed to understand something and got away while Nex was puzzled but how he was just called.


    "Good thing we need to restrain our power in this world," Celes smiled and then suddenly sprinted madly at Nex.


    "Wait, what-!" Nex was caught totally unprepared and before he knew it he got kneed straight in the gut and collapsed to the ground after Celes chained a headbutt.


    "You fucking asshole!" she then mounted him and grabbed him by the neck before she started to shake him violently while Jane stared at the scene with shock, "We decided after many tears and unwillingness to go separate and yet you did the worst thing a guy could do in a situation like that! Did your brain ran away that you did it huh!? Give me back my tears you bastard!"


    "What”­ are”­ you”­ talking about?" Celes used her power to cancel his and so his head started to feel dizzy from all of the shaking.


    "I was about to try and live without thinking about you!" she gnashed her teeth, "And yet you made sure I could never do it! I became a human and was kicked out of my home because of your moronic sperm!"


    "His what!?"


    "My what!?"


    Even with all of his dizziness, his mind couldn''t help but clear-up and be filled with shock.


    "You still didn''t understand?" Celes scowled at him, she then took his hand and put it on her abdomen while staring at him with an expression that said a million things, anger, helplessness, gentleness, and undisguisable happiness.


    "You made me pregnant."

 58 Please Share Him! Unedited

    "Big Sis! I''m sorry!"


    At the moment Jane entered through the door, she didn''t even manage to do anything before a tearful Eddie rammed into her embrace and cried loudly, causing her the awake from the thoughts that were in her head and immediately fill with guilt upon realizing the distress she caused to her beloved brother.


    "No! it''s not your fault Eddie!" she crouched and hugged him tightly as she began to cry as well, "I was the one at fault! You matter to me more than anything and I let that blind me and act selfishly, can you forgive me?"


    "I forgive you! I forgive you!"


    The two of them only had each other ever since Eddie was a baby. There was no one more important to them in the world other than themselves and so, they almost never had- no, dared to have arguments and fights, because they didn''t know what the point in the world without the other. And because of that, when something like this happened to the point that one of them ran away from home, one could imagine the distress and heartache they had.


    Elise, that Nex brought to be with Eddie in the meantime, stared at the scene with warm eyes, when she suddenly noticed that a certain person is missing and didn''t come back with Jane.


    But since she couldn''t disturb Jane right now to ask it, she could only wait reluctantly for some time until the pair of siblings calmed down and seemed to be more approachable.


    "Big Sister?" she asked cautiously just to make sure.


    "Yes, Elise?" Jane lifted her head while patting the back of Eddie, that still hugged her tightly, and smiled gently at Elise while mouthing, ''Thank you for watching him.''


    ''You''re welcome,'' Elise mouthed back and then asked, "Where is Teacher? He said he will bring you back so I thought he would come back with you."


    "Oh? Him?"


    Jane''s face became strange as she thought about how to explain the situation she herself had a hard time believing.


    "Well, after he found me and calmed me down, someone from his past came and gave him quite a piece of shocking news. So he is right now at his apartment talking with her about it."


    "Someone from his past?"


    Elise and even Eddie''s eyes widened in surprise and stared at Jane with shock.


    Nex''s past was always a great mystery for them he never talked about it and never did they saw him meet or talk to anyone other than themselves. So when they heard that someone from his past came looking for him and even carrying a shocking piece of news they were quite shocked and curious.


    "What are those shocking news?" Eddie asked while Elise nodded from the side, something Jane said about it being a "she" gave them a bad feeling.


    "Well”­" Jane thought to maybe keep it a secret, but when she thought about that woman she knew it would be futile to try and hide it.


    ???


    "So this is the place you live in now? It is no palace but I can see you are satisfied with that."


    Celes mused as she entered Nex''s house and looked around, scanning the house with her gaze. After a few moments where she checked the rooms of the house, she nodded in approval, "Quite good, it seems to have all that is needed for us and our child."


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    After not hearing Nex''s response she turned around and saw him staring at her with a slightly blank look. She knew what is going on his mind as she came closer to him and asked with a smile, "Still hard to accept right?"


    "I just can''t believe you became pregnant," Nex sighed with a wry smile, "After all that time we tried to get children back then and then when we found out the reason we can''t”­ for us to suddenly succeed, and like the way it happened. Why didn''t I thought about this possibility before?"


    "Maybe because you weren''t really aware of what you just did," Celes came closer again and caressed his cheek along with a gentle gaze, "Nex, you did the impossible. You surpassed any god or devil and became an entirely new being. The Prime Divinity that was inside me was easily swallowed by your energy and turned me to the same being like you. Because of that, not only was I finally able to leave the Gods Realm with my powers, I was finally was able to bear your child."


    "But that''s the reason I am so worried!" Nex seemed broken, "I just wanted to be human again, so I did and tried whatever I could to turn myself back to one. But instead, I turned to something far more powerful and terrifying than I ever imagined! Although I can control this power and know what I can do with it, from the moment I started to cultivate it I never dared to let others use it from fear of the effect it may bring."


    "And now you and our child became part of it as well," he seemed like he was about to be lost in self-loathing and misery, "If something happens to either of you because of that I-"


    Before he managed to finish his words, Celes pulled him into a deep kiss and silenced him. Although his emotions were at disarray, it was as if her kisses had a calming effect as he relaxed slightly and gently began to kiss her back as he put his hands on her waist.


    After a few minutes of kissing, Celes backed away with a slightly flushed face and smiled at him before leaning her head on his chest, "You really are a handful, sinking yourself in worries because of a stupid thing that you not only created but also completely control. You should be happy at what there is right now. We actually going to have a baby! A child born from the two of us! Aren''t you excited? You know very well that this is something we both longed for too long."


    "I know," Nex gaze softened and he kissed her head, he knew she was speaking the truth, "It just that it all seem now so”­"


    "Unreal right?" she finished his words, "The future that now supposed to be happy and peaceful, suddenly feels horrifying and chaotic. But after all that we been through, can you really say that we should be afraid of being parents?"


    "I guess not," Nex sighed, she always knew what to do the calm him down.


    "Great!" Celes laughed and separated from him, "Now tell me what did you do since you came here and about this world. There is probably a lot I need to learn if I am going to live here. Plus, I can tell you have been enjoying here quite a lot and I want in on it."


    "Oh well, where to begin?" Nex mood seemed to lift up as a smile widened on his face, "Do you remember when I told you that I dreamed about playing a game where your conscious enter into it and you can move your body as if it was a real-world?"


    "Yes," Celes rolled her eyes but couldn''t hide her smile upon seeing his, "You told about it so much that at some point I cut the connection with you or just throw things at you the moment you mentioned it."


    "Then I am playing this kind of game now!" Nex was too thrilled to care about her response as he smirked as if he can''t wait to tell her about a certain detail of the game, "And you don''t believe it, but they made its world based on-"


    "What!?"


    "Nooo!"


    But before Nex managed to finish his words, Elise and Eddie''s voices could be heard all the way from Jane''s apartment.


    Nex furrowed his eyebrows in worry and turned his head to Jane''s place direction, only sigh in relief, upon sensing there is nothing wrong with them.


    When suddenly a frantic running sound of small legs could be heard, and in a few moments the door of the Nex house was opened and a small figure with a very stressed face entered while searching the place with his gaze.


    Upon locating Celes he didn''t even hesitate before running to her and hug her leg while falling to his knees.


    "Oh my?" Celes seemed surprised upon seeing the adorable kid that looked very similar to Jane looking at her with pitiful eyes. Nex, followed by Jane and Elise that ran into the house as well stared at the kid with shock.


    "Eddie? What are you-"


    "Please! Please! Please! Beautiful Big Sister please don''t keep Big Bro all to yourself and let my Big Sis be with him as well! Don''t let me- I mean my Big Sis to keep live like a bitter and lonely old lady! I''m begging your gracious heart to listen to my request!"


    Nex:"...*Muttering prayer under his breath*"


    Elise:"...*Lamenting the fact she didn''t take enough pictures of Eddie while she had the chance*"


    Jane:"...*Veins popping*"


    Celes stared at the kid with amusement and patted his head, she then lifted his and smiled at Nex, "I''m starting to see why are you so happy here."


    "E-d-w-a-r-d!"


    Jane''s face turned entirely red from both embarrassment and anger and she walked to her little brother in a way that made the latter shiver in fear and realizing that he brought doom upon himself. But he decided to try and accomplish his goal with as little time he has left.


    "So what do you say? Do you agree to share Big Bro? Look at my Big Sis, she didn''t bring a guy to our home even once! Isn''t it sad- Ahhh! My ear! My ear! I''m sorry Big Sis! I was only doing this for your own good-Ahhh!"


    "Such cute kid," Celes giggled at the scene and turned to Jane who was in the middle of inflicting pain, "Can I say something to him before you take him away?"


    Jane stared at her before sighing and letting go of Eddie.


    Celes smiled in gratitude and crouched to be in front of the kid, she got closer to him and whispered in his ear loud enough to every one to hear.


    "You Big Sis already made your Big Bro fall for her, as long as she doesn''t mind sharing him, I don''t mind as well!"


    "Celestina!" Jane blushed in emmbaressment.


    On the other hand, Eddie''s eyes were filled with joy, "Thank you! I will start to convince her right now- My ear!"


    And just like that, Eddie was dragged away into an unknown fate.


    Celes then stood up and turned to Elise with a smile, "Hello to you! May I know what the name of you cutie?"


    "I-I am Teacher''s disciple, Elise!" feeling a bit intimidated from Celes''s looks and relation to Nex, Elise stuttered and blushed as she bowed respectfully, "Nice to meet you, Miss!"


    "You took a disciple?" Celes lifted an eyebrow at Nex before walking to Elise and lifting her head. She caressed her cheek and neared her face to right in front of her''s, causing Elise to blush like an apple and desperately avoid eye contact.


    Nex stared from the side and smiled wryly, "Celes, don''t be mean and stop teasing her already."


    "Fine, fine, I''m sorry," Celes laughed and got away with a smile, "Nice to meet you too Elise, but don''t call me Miss, call me Sister Celes from now on, is that clear?"


    "Yes! Sister Celes!" feeling the warmth and fondness from Celes''s actions, Elise started to open up and reply to her with friendliness. Since she is someone that is close to Teacher, she can''t possibly be a bad person right?


    "Good girl!" Celes beamed at her, "How about we go to hang out and shop for some clothing once Jane calmed down? I don''t have clothes that fit the current trend so I need some help from someone from the area."


    "Of course-"


    "Wait a moment, " Nex stopped them with a sigh, "Elise, before Celes can go with you she needs to do something very important."


    "What is it, Teacher?" Elise tilted her head in confusion with Celes also looking at him with curiosity. Aside from the weird clothes, it didn''t seem there was something wrong with her right?


    "It''s very simple," Nex said with a wry smile, "She needs to get registered as a civilian first."

 59 Someone Who Value His Peace And Quie

    "So tell me, Miss Celestina," the middle-aged police chief smiled helplessly as he stared at the amazing beauty that sat in front of him, "Can you please give me a decent explanation for why you aren''t registered in any of our databases?"


    Who would have thought that twice in the same month he would meet a case where he would meet a person that isn''t registered as a civilian of the government, something that didn''t happen for over a dozen years.


    And not only that”­


    "Well~ I don''t like thinking about the time before I met my hubby," the amazing beauty acted spoiled and coquettishly leaned on a certain silver-haired man that he saw not so long ago, "It''s boring and most importantly he isn''t there!"


    "There, there, Celcel," the silver-haired man smiled like an infatuated teen and consoled her, "You need to tell him so you will be able to live in the city me and not live like a fugitive."


    "Fine! I tell him!" the beauty pouted, "But only because you said so!"


    "Gosh, I love you."


    "I love you more."


    "I love you-"


    "Stop! Stop!" the police chief stopped them before they will continue like that again. They have been like that for over an hour, ever since they came to the station, "I will be glad if you just tell the story already so that we all save some time."


    "Fine! It''s all started when I was three”­"


    ???


    Two hours later”­


    Nex and Celes went out of the police station and then stared at the newly-made ID card of Celes before staring at each other and starting to laugh hard.


    "That poor guy," Nex said between laughs, "You dropped on him a long ass backstory and trolled him so much that I thought that he will shoot us at some point!"


    "Look who is talking!" Celes was in the same state of him if not more, "Not only did you added useless comments and opinions all the time I spoke, you also gave him a forty-minute lecture about your thoughts about me when he asked you for how did we meet in the first place!"


    The couple that made the veteran police chief take a day off along with a bottle of headache medicine laughed for a few minutes before Celes came to Nex and gave him a kiss which he happily returned and shared with her, making the people in the surrounding look at the stunning couple with gazes full of envy.


    "How long has it since we had fun from doing something like that?" Celes separated her lips from his and hugged his hand, "If we can have fun like that just at the start, then I can''t wait for the future."


    "I know, me too," Nex smiled and kissed her head, "But we still need you to get registered as a Hunter before we can properly enjoy our life."


    ???


    After arriving at the Hunters Association, it seemed that they were already aware of Nex and Celes''s arrival as there was already an attendant waiting for them that lead them directly to the testing room.


    "First you appear out of nowhere without any clear background and not a long time passes and you come back with another one," as Nex watched from a side room at Celes getting an explanation from a staff member, he suddenly heard a voice behind him and he turned around and saw a middle-aged man smiling at him, "You sure love to make people suspicious of you."


    "You''re that guy from the examination," Nex smiled as if he long expected him to appear, "Raymond right?"


    "That is correct," the SS-rank Hunter nodded in confirmation and went to stand next to Nex so that he could look at the testing room, "You sure are not a typical Hunter, you are one of the strongest A-class Hunters there was in the last few decades and yet you didn''t show any sign of hunting after only one hunting session that you earned in more than what a normal A-ranker group earn in a month full of work. I don''t think I ever saw a case like you in any of my years of work in the Association."


    "I just don''t want to fight more than I need," Nex shrugged without showing much care, "But on the other hand I do feel flattered that a Hunter as strong as you bother to care so much about someone in my rank."


    "It is my job to notice whenever there is something going on that is unusual or, abnormal," Raymond spoke simply as if the emphasis he put on the last word didn''t exist. He then added as if he is sharing an interesting piece of information, "For example, during the demon invasion that occurred a few days ago, a large hole appeared in the ground of a construction site, normally we wouldn''t have worried from something of this caliber as any capable B-ranker could have done it while fighting."


    "But the strange thing was that the ground where the hole was made was in fact meant to for building an headquarters of a major guild and so special materials were used to build the foundations of the building. To make a hole of such caliber in that ground will require an S-ranker that used most of his powers at the very least."


    "And that''s the strange thing," Raymond sighed, "Every S-class and above personal in the city surrounding wasn''t in the area of the construction site during that time."


    "Wow, it is indeed strange," Nex nodded in agreement and offered his thoughts, "Maybe it was someone that managed to get into the city unnoticed?"


    "It doesn''t matter," Raymond shook his head, "We have a device that monitors the use of Magic Power in the city area and when we checked its history it didn''t show Magic Power of any rank and instead showed a strange fluctuation of force the device didn''t manage to analyze."


    "Is that so?" Nex seemed somewhat curious, "Must be rare for something like that to happen."


    "More than you think," Raymond sighed tiredly, "I am not supposed to tell you this, but the only time something like that happened in the last years was in fact just a few hours ago. A few A-rank Hunters from the top clan Brilliant Night were found in an alley inside the city with severe injuries that would put them in bed for months. We were very intrigued when the monitoring of the area showed the same force fluctuation from the construction site fused alongside something we knew very well," he turned his head and stared at Nex meaningfully.


    "An A-Rank Magic Power."


    At this moment a bright light came from the testing room and an S letter appeared on the main screen of the testing. Celes turned around and stared at Nex through the window with an arrogant and charming smile that said, ''I am quite good, aren''t I?''


    Nex smiled back and indicated to her to turn back to the tester and follow their words, "It is indeed very intriguing," he said without turning his smile away from Celes, "And I am very aware of your suspicions of me, it is something I would have done as well if I was in your position, hence the reason I don''t put much care to the tailing you put after me."


    "But do know this," the temperature in the room sank so much that the air seemed to turn to ice, "I am a man that value his peace and quiet, and the amount of sweat, blood, and tears I spilled to get this peace and quiet are far too great for me to even allow a small dent on it."


    For some reason, Raymond couldn''t get himself to move his body in any way. All he could do is to listen as his body unknowingly started to profusely sweat from stress.


    "You can put surveillance on me outside of my home and you can suspect me for doing things that seem out of place," Nex then turned his head and stared straight at Raymond with a cold expression, making the latter feel as if he fell to an abyss, "But do know this, the moment you decide to take a step forward, you better do it by coming straight to me. There is a tranquillity in this place I would very much prefer to keep unchanged."


    Raymond felt a terror that burrowed deep into the marrow of his bones and shook his souls, even when he met Ascenders he didn''t feel this stress and fear. It was like he was standing in front of a giant beast that lived for countless years and he was no more than a bug in front of it. But there is one thing that kept bothering him the most.


    All of this pressure and aura that made him feel weak and helpless were clearly at the A-Rank power level.


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    But his years of experience didn''t allow to fall just like that and he opened his dry mouth in order to speak, "Just what are you-"


    "Hubby did you see that?" a beautiful voice cut him off and an incredibly beautiful woman ran to the silver-haired man embrace, "I got a rank above you and peak-level at that! What do you think? Jealous aren''t you?"


    "Don''t be childish Celes," Nex earlier expression vanished and turned to a smile as he flicked her forehead, causing her to pout cutely, "We both aren''t going to use our power actively in the near future so there is no point in useless stuff like that."


    "Hmph!" she snorted after not getting the response she wanted, "Wait till I show you what I can do in the combat result and then I dare you to be so calm!"


    And along with those words, she turned around and walked with the tester that wanted her to follow him but didn''t dare to get close because of Raymond''s presence.


    "She calls me a moron when she is acting childish herself," Nex sighed and was about to follow her before he suddenly turned back to the disoriented Raymond with an amiable smile.


    "I am sorry if I was too extreme, but nevertheless, my words still stand true. I am not someone who wants to cause havoc and destruction and I can assure you that the two events you talked about weren''t originated by my hand. Furthermore, I can even willing to offer my services if you occasionally find some cases that don''t seem right. The methods I learned were a little different from the norm and I can assure you will find them helpful more than once. So if you sometimes find yourselves in a problem, feel free to call me okay?"


    "Okay," Raymond couldn''t do anything but listen to him and nodding mechanically at the end of Nex words.


    "Great," Nex smiled and turned around and began to walk quickly as if he wasted too much time before starting to run, "I have to go now before my wifey blow-up the place!"


    ???


    "You could have held back a little you know?" Nex sighed as he walked with Celes to the shopping center where Jane and Elise were waiting for her.


    "It isn''t my fault that my opponent was too weak!" Celes complained while twisting her nose like a spoiled kid, "His control was all over the place and his techniques were subpar, besides aside from a bit of trauma the wounds he received will heal after a few days at most! So I don''t see what all the fuss is about!"


    "It was probably more than a bit of trauma," Nex smiled bitterly.


    Different from lower ranks where one may have different specializations and combat powers, almost every S-Ranker and above hold the combat capabilities of ones. So when it comes to testing the combat capability of a Top-Ranker(S-SSS ranks) it is no more than exchanging a few basic moves with a fighter in a similar rank to prove one''s combat proficiency.


    But since no one told this to Celes, she thought she needed to beat her opponent to submission to pass to test. And what followed after was a brutal beat-down on the unfortunate S-Ranker that thought he won a great chance to fight against a beauty such as this one. Although the physical injuries weren''t serious, it seemed that the poor man would need some professional help to recover his wounded mentality.


    "Never mind that now, there is something else I want to ask you," Celes rolled her eyes and turned to him with a questioning gaze, "Your talk with that man, what was that all about? I thought you didn''t want to attract much attention from people?"


    "Oh? That?" Nex smiled as if he expected this question, "I realized that acting as a nobody is too fake and easy to see through once I do something. So I purposely left them some clues and showed them signs of me not being a nobody, by doing so I will make them think of me as someone capable that they can''t reveal to the public for their own good. As a result, I will be able to use some abilities and won''t attract much attention from anyone other than them."


    "Oho?" Celes lifted an eyebrow and snickered before putting her hand on his forehead.


    "What are you doing?" Nex stared at her with a questioning gaze.


    "Just checking you don''t have a fever," she giggled, "I didn''t think that you will be able to think on a plan so clever on your own."


    "You know very well that I am not that stupid," Nex shook his head and pinched her nose, "Preias wouldn''t be even half as advanced without me."


    "I know, and I say as all the people of Preias that I thank you for giving us the cellphone, home applicants, and sanitary napkins," Celes pretend to bow respectfully while she continued to laugh, "But to suddenly hear you say something like that while you still having a hard time getting used to your emotions, I have to say you caught me off guard!"


    "It is quite bad isn''t it," Nex smiled gloomily, "Maybe I should have unsealed it by stages instead of letting it all out at once."


    "Here you go again being hard on yourself," Celes saw his expression and smiled gently, "You act like that means that you are starting to relax and open up, both you and I know very well that you will be able to act in your 100% when you will be needed to, the fact you came up with this plan in your current state just further proves it. So just loosen up will you?"


    "Sure," Nex smiled.


    "Good," Celes nodded satisfyingly, "Now tell me about the game you mentioned about earlier, seeing your face when you talked about it showed you quite enjoyed it."


    "Ha! You don''t know the half of it!" Nex snorted, "Thanks to this game I got to enjoy something I stopped to dream about long ago!"

 60 The Secret To His Love Unedited

    "Sister Jane! Sister Jane! Don''t you think this dress will look beautiful on Sister Celes?"


    Elise excitedly ran around the store and picked whatever dress she thought looked good and showed it excitedly to the two older ladies, "I think the color is very fitting to her eyes and hair! What do you say?"


    "Mhm!" Jane nodded with a warm smile at the joyful girl, "I think it would fit her as well!"


    "Right?" Elise''s smile widened and she ran back to search for more clothes.


    "Thank you," Jane sighed and turned to Celes who stood next to her with a similar expression, "She couldn''t be like that normally with her identity, and we couldn''t hang around like that even if it wasn''t the case when considering the fact that men can be bastards."


    "Sure, no problem," Celes smiled.


    After Celes arrived at the shopping center and met with Jane and Elise, they sent Nex back home and told him to pick-up Eddie after he finished at school so that they will not be bothered. Immediately after, Celes used a spell that made them unnoticed from people''s eyes and so not being bothered by a constant flux of guys that wanted to hit on them. Making Elise and Jane who were always disturbed by such things to sigh in relief and act more freely.


    "Sister Celes! Sister Celes!" Elise once again ran back and showed several dresses to Celes, "Don''t you think this would look good? You can even wear it when your belly starts to show!"


    "It is very beautiful," Celes smiled softly, "But this is just the first store and there are many more places we could go to and since I see that you are better than me in picking clothes, how about you go and search the place for the best stores and then come back to lead us there? In addition, since you are Nex precious disciple I want to give you a surprise and I need Jane who knows you to help me pick something good to give you. Is that okay?"


    "Okay!" although she pouted a little on the inside, Elise knew that Celes wanted to speak with Jane about something important she could somewhat guess what was it about. In addition since Celes come from the same background as her Teacher, she is very expectant for what surprise she would get!


    "She is a very good kid," Celes smiled at the distancing Elise and turned to Jane, "But it is too early for her to hear our talk."


    "Talk?" Jane had a strange face as for some reason something in Celes''s words seemed a bit off, "What do you want to talk about?"


    "You must have wondered why did Nex still acted romanticly and told you he loved you right in front of me when he clearly didn''t seem like this kind of guy, didn''t you?" Celes straight away fired off a question that made Jane very flustered, and she didn''t stop yet, "Or what was the reason he had to leave me when we clearly love each other? Or most importantly, why did someone who lived as long as Nex fell in love with you in the short time you met?"


    "I”­" Jane''s face was flushed and she was at a loss for how to answer or even react to those questions. But she had to admit that she was disturbed by them ever since they rose and almost constantly pondered about them.


    "Well, let''s start from the first one," Celes smiled as if she knew what going in the mind of the girl, "The answer for this is very simple, the reason why Nex said he loved you when you two were right in front of me is because I made him act like that and love other women than me."


    "You convinced him to act like that?" Jane was clearly confused and she stared at the ex-goddess with a strange gaze, "You clearly love him and he loved you as well, why did you do it?"


    "Because he was suffering," Jane saw Celes''s expression dim for the first time and turn into a sad one, "He was fighting for his life every day while constantly seeing innocent people die in front of his eyes. For someone with a heart as good as him, this was unbearable and he was closing in at the brink of insanity. And because I was a goddess that was stuck inside the Gods Realm, most of the time I couldn''t do anything other than giving him a few words of consolation."


    "So even though I loved him, I understood I have to go against his will this time so that I will not lose him for good."


    "And so I found myself constantly encouraging him to get into a relationship with another woman, even though he wanted to be loyal to his love to me. Normally such things would not have worked on him no matter how much I tried, but since he was in such a tough place I finally managed to lower his guard a bit and make him sleep with another woman."


    Jane listened from the side in shock and had a hard time digesting what she just heard, ''She clearly loved him and yet she made him be with someone else, just what kind of state Nex was back then to make her take such step?''


    "At first it seemed that he managed to release a little," Celes smiled bitterly as she remembered the distant past, "But unfortunately or maybe fortunately, the woman was killed before Nex could really develop feelings for her. It was at that moment I remembered that the curse that was the cause for Nex suffering isn''t going to let him have a quiet life."


    "I understood that it will probably be like that for a very long time, so I instead of letting him develop a relationship with a certain woman, I instead made him sleep with someone to release as much as possible of his bottled-up emotions before quickly making him leave so that he will not develop feelings."


    "Of course it didn''t go smoothly and there were times where feelings were made between Nex and the girl," Celes said with a wry expression, "I knew it was for the best of Nex if I separated them, but I was a foolish girl that wanted her love to not suffer. So when I saw Nex being happy there were times I couldn''t bring myself to stop it and instead let it continue until the inevitable happened and I saw him break a little more."


    "At some point when I saw him leaving women immediately after sleeping with them before even letting me convince him to do it, I realized that he knew what was my intentions and that he always loved me the most and that the reason he did it at the start was because he didn''t want me to worry, but since he became along the way broken, there were parts of him that yearned for love that he couldn''t get from me."


    "When I became aware of this he already shut himself down from almost everyone and didn''t dare to get emotionally close to someone else anymore. I hated myself for this because I knew that it was my fault and thought that Nex will probably won''t be able to bring himself to love someone new again."


    "And then, when I thought that I ruined Nex, Ariana appeared," Celes smiled as if she remembering a very good friend that she couldn''t meet anymore, "She wasn''t bothered by the curse and she didn''t care about Nex mental state either. She just forced herself on him and made him be with her whether he liked it or not, while I tried to deal with his problems indirectly and make sure he doesn''t lose himself, she just smashed with his negative emotions head-on and made him get rid of them so that he will only be happy and smiling when he is with her. If it wasn''t for her, Nex would not be always smiling and positive like he is now."


    "When I saw how he slowly becomes more positive even with his sealed emotions, I was so excited that I didn''t mind sharing Nex love with Ariana forever, especially when I saw that she fill the empty parts inside him that yearned for a love that I never succeeded filling."


    "I see," Jane nodded with a blank upon realizing that one of her questions were resolved, "So his love for me come from the empty and broken parts inside him that you cannot give fill."


    "I hope you don''t mind that," Celes nodded with apologizing expression, and then added with a pleading tone, "Even though it sounds he only partly love you, I can assure you as the one who knows him the most that his feelings for you are sincere and come from the depth of his heart. So I request you with all of my heart, please don''t leave him or be mean to him for this, he went through too much to deserve any more pain and misery."


    "Don''t worry," Jane seemed to wake up and she smiled at Celes, "I won''t leave him as long as you don''t mind sharing me with the father of your child," she then added with a wink, "That no-good is too handsome to let go after all."


    "Fufu~ that, he is," Celes giggled and smiled sincerely at Jane, "Thank you, I know very well that it isn''t easy accepting something like that."


    "It''s fine," Jane shook her head, "I should be the one that needed to say it."


    "Now that we cleared that out," Celes clapped her hands with a smile, "It''s time to move on to the answer of the second question, the reason why Nex had to leave me."


    "Why did it happened?" Jane asked with a curious face, "From what I can see you and Nex loved each other and there was nothing that could put you two in danger anymore, so why in the end did Nex leave you?"


    "Because I couldn''t come with him," Celes sighed sadly, "Nor could I stay with him."


    "I was at the time one of the main gods of Perias. And like all of the main gods, I got something called Prime Divinity, it basically a mark that connects me to the core of the dimension and gives great authority over it, but because of that I was not allowed to leave Perias area or else I will die, so leaving to Earth with Nex was out of the question."


    "And as for him staying with me, that was impossible as well. The Prime Divinity and the core of Perias behind it feard Nex''s new power more and more to the point that before he left, they showed signs of wanting to explode me in order to finish him off."


    "We couldn''t remove the Prime Divinity for it would kill me the moment we would try. And as for the Core of Preias that controlled the Prime Divinity, destroying it or even just causing harm to it will cause unimaginable amounts of destruction and death to dimension, something neither of us would have wanted."


    "Nex knew it very well and in order to put out of harm way, he decided to leave to Earth after saying one last goodbye."


    "...If the situation was that bad, then how did you manage to come here to Earth?" Jane asked what was on her mind after a moment of silence, she could only imagine how hard was for the two to separate while thinking they will never see each other again.


    "That is very simple," Celes smiled while lovingly caressing her belly, "When we were "saying" our last goodbye to each other," upon hearing this Jane blushed completely red, "Nex poured his "essence" into me, and the Prime Divinity inside of me was completely devoured by it. Not only making me human but also allowing me to retain my powers and abilities and go to Earth after Nex."


    "Sound like a good ending," although slightly flustered, Jane still smiled at Celes who had a warm expression on her face while feeling slightly jealous on the inside.


    "After all we have been through, it is the best I could have expected," Celes said with sincere joy. And then after a few moments, she suddenly seemed to wake up and turned back Jane.


    "I almost forgot! I didn''t give you an answer to the third question!"


    "Oh, that?" Jane blushed but her expression didn''t falter. After learning so much about Nex, she couldn''t comprehend how someone like her could possibly earn so seemingly easily the love of someone who been through so many things like Nex, "Can you please tell me?"


    "Of course I can," Celes smiled gently, "I want you to understand how important you are for Nex."


    "Do you remember when I said that Nex had a part inside him that I can''t fill and Ariana could? I always thought that there was only this part. That was until I saw you two earlier."


    "When I saw you two I realized I forgot a very important something that was needed to be done before Nex returned to Earth. Nex needed to wake up from his time on Preias and start a new life on Earth. And from what I see you did it quite well."


    "No, no, it can''t be that," Jane shook her head, "When I met him, he clearly acted normal and aside from the state emotions there was nothing weird about him. Even after I berated him for hurting himself and when we confessed to each other, aside from slightly higher happiness there wasn''t any change in his behavior I noticed."


    "It does seem like that right?" Celes expected this answer and smiled, "But I can assure you that you did something neither me or Ariana ever did. You made him open his heart again."


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    "Again, I don''t think it''s like that," Jane shook her head in confusion, "From the moment I met him he always was amiable and-"


    "And open to those around him, right?" Celes completed her words with a smile, "It may have seemed like that because of his personality, but the truth is, that even with his now unsealed emotions, once people will be close to him for enough time they will notice that he will always keep a certain distance away from them and don''t let them get too close to him emotionally. Let me ask you a question before he confessed to you, did he ever truly shared an experience he had in Preias or helped someone without sharing the toll with someone else?"


    "No," Jane shook her head as she started to realize what Celes meant, "Now that you say it, Nex did start sharing his experience only after we confessed."


    "That is because he still had some of the mindset he had in Preias until you woke him up. You made him realize that there is nothing he should fear from and that all he needed to do now is to enjoy his life. Ariana and I tried to do this for a very long time but we never came close to what you did so easily."


    "But why was I able to do it?" Jane asked with all her heart, "I didn''t know him for as long as you nor was I as close to him. So how did I manage to reach him so easily?"


    "Because you can fill the empty part inside him that may have needed to be filled the most," Celes said with a serious expression, "I will always remind him of Preias and I probably can say the same thing about Ariana. You, on the other hand, represent to him a fresh new life that he could live in peacefulness without having much to worry about, and there is a reason why it was you and not anyone else from Earth. Because you can instantly see through his heart and know what kind of state his emotions are and yet you still love him. Since he is aware of that, there is not much choice to him other than responding to you directly with similar emotions!"


    "So you are saying that Nex loves me because he can sense my feelings of love so as a result, he returned me the same feelings?" Jane asked with a bitter voice while her mood took a turn for the worst.


    "Don''t say it like that," Celes shook her head with a smile, "It may sound easy to do as long as you have power like yours, but the truth is that even if you bring someone else with ten-time more the sensing power and beauty, Nex wouldn''t even bat an eyelid to them and even close himself to them. Why do you think someone as powerful as Nex would allow you to look into his emotional state? Of course, it''s because he liked you from the beginning! If there is something Nex developed over the years to a very high level is his ability to see through people and see their essence they are. So from the moment he saw you, he knew what kind of person you are and because of that, he allowed you to see his inner self."


    "He knew you are a very good person with a beautiful soul that although her hard life and problems she still stand tall against the world. Along with how you see straight through his emotions and access the empty and locked parts inside himself and fill them with your love, you can say you are his ideal type that even without his unsealed emotions he would have confessed to you sooner or later! You should be very proud of yourself, over the many years that moron lived for, the only ones who were able to do it are me, Ariana, and his mother. "


    "So you are basically saying that I and that no-good have good chemistry?" Jane sighed in tiredness after she seemed to start to understand the whole picture, "To think that my first love is so messy that I would need my pregnant rival to explain it to me."


    "I don''t think you need to call me rival," Celes giggled, "Didn''t I just told you? That moron loves us both from the bottom of his heart and our love to him fill the empty parts inside him that the other can''t fill. Not only we don''t need to fight against each other for him, but we can also even help each other as partners. It can''t be that bad right?"


    "Although it will require some getting used to, you probably right," Jane sighed and then smiled at Celes, "And since we are probably going to spend the future with each, I guess we should now start to get to know each other since we didn''t seem to do it yet."


    She then gave Celes her hand, "Hello! My name is Jane and I hope that my love will not come between yours."


    "Hello to you too Jane!" Celes said with a radiant smile and shook her hand, "My name is Celes and I hope that I will not hurt your love because of mine as well!"

 61 Friend And Eddies New Problem Unedited

    "I sure hope that Celes doesn''t make things more complicated than they already are."


    Nex sighed as he waited in front of the entrance of Eddie''s school. He knew what Celes will talk about with Jane and he knew he couldn''t stop her from doing this even if he would tell those things to Jane himself. All he could do now is to hope that Jane didn''t get too confused or freaked out from this.


    "But I do have to say," Nex lifted his eyebrow upon seeing what supposed to be an elementary school and instead look like a top-class university from movies, "Eddie sure have some talent to be able to get a full scholarship to this fancy place without having any prestigious background or connections."


    This "fancy place" was one of the best academic institutes in the world that always managed to get easily ranked in the top-5 starting from their elementary school all the way to the university! Each year, people from all over the world send their young ones to study here with only 500 manage to just enter the elementary school that is considered to have the lowest entering requirement among the sections of the institutes! To be able to get accepted and even get a full scholarship that only five people are able to get every year using only his personal abilities, Eddie is nothing short of amazing!


    "And I get that there are important people here that want to show an image," Nex smiled wryly as he looked around him and saw several people waiting to pick up their kids as well, "But this is a little overboard."


    Almost every one of the people here was either accompanied by Hunters or being ones themselves. In addition, they stood next to an impressive vehicle like a top-class flying car or even a plane.


    "I sure wonder how Jane gets along here when she comes here by herself with a normal car”­" Nex muttered as he swept his gaze over the groups of people around until he suddenly saw something that made a little surprised.


    "Oh? There is actually someone at that level here?"


    Nex saw that there is still time until the school is over and will Eddie arrive, so he smiled mischievously and went toward a man that stood in the corner without people around him.


    He seemed to be in his late twenties and although he wore expansive clothes and had a high-quality car next to him, neither seemed much compared to the other people around here.


    He had a handsome face but his expression was ice cold as if whoever gets close to him will instantly get frostbites and he didn''t seem to care much about things around him.


    "Hi! My name is Nex!" Nex ignored all of this and went directly in front of the man with a wide smile and hand-stretched to a handshake out, "Wants to be friends with me?"


    The man stared at Nex with an expression of, "What the fuck?", he would have expected that this silver-haired man to know about his identity and wanted to suck up to him, but he never expected to actually ask him to be his friend! But his face quickly turned back to normal and he answered coldly, "No!"


    "Why!?" Nex seemed to be heartbroken, "Did I do something wrong? Tell me what I did wrong and I will fix it! I promise!"


    "Go away!" veins began to pop on the man''s forehead, where the hell did this weirdo came from!?


    "Go away?" Nex seemed to seriously ponder those words before his face turned into a bright smile full of understanding, "I get it! You''re one of those that are called tsundere! Don''t worry I understand now so you can act as you are used to, I will still treat you as a friend!"


    "Are you retarded?" the man seemed like he was about to go crazy, "What you don''t understand in go away!?"


    "There, there, don''t be like that!" Nex laughed in response, "Let''s talk about other things to know more about each other instead! For example, my hobbies are playing VRMMO games and singing anime songs in the shower, what are your hobbies? You seem to me like the type that listens to classic music and make deserts."


    "Fuck! Off!" the man gritted his teeth in anger, if it wasn''t for the fact that they were in a public place, he would have blasted this bastard to the other side of the planet!


    "So angry!" Nex smiled without bothering the other party''s response, "Do you know what I found out to be a good way of relaxing lately? Going on walks. You only need to be careful because some kid that needs help could jump at you out of nowhere. Which reminds me, what grade your kid is in? Maybe they are in the same grade as mine! Well, he is not really mine he is the younger brother of the owner of my apartment which is as of just a few hours ago also my lover”­"


    The man tried to ignore this likely to be the child of a very blood-related couple and move away from him, but the bastard kept following while talking nonsense without showing any signs of stopping. So all he could do was to ignore him as much as possible and don''t let him-


    "Shut up already!"


    "Huh? Why?" Nex blinked, "I still have a lot to tell you! Like the time I-"


    "I''m going to fucking beat-"


    "Oh! Look! School is finished!" Nex slipped from the pouncing man and ran away to the school gate with his words echoing behind, "Until the next time my friend!"


    "Fuck you!" the man didn''t want to give up yet, but to his great shock, the silver-haired bastard disappeared the moment he entered the sea of school kids and their parents and even when he used his senses he couldn''t find any signs of him!


    "What the hell”­"


    On the other hand, Nex who was in a good mood since he found his first adult male real-life friend(someone to harass) in a very long time, hummed joyfully as he searched for Eddie among the kids that came out of the gate.


    "Hmmm?" Nex became curious when he didn''t saw any signs of the kid and so he extended his senses in order to find him, and when he finally found him he got quite a surprise, "Ohhh?"


    ???


    Behind a few trees next to the school gate.


    "Please let go!" Eddie blushed bashfully and tried to pull his hand away, "I told you already that I have something to do next Saturday so I can''t come to your house! So can you please let go?"


    "No!" an incredibly beautiful girl around his age shook her head strongly and hugged his hand even tighter with a stubborn expression, "I know that you are lying and that you have nothing to do next Saturday! You have no good excuse to decline me so just accept already! Or else I won''t ever let you go!"


    "Elizabeth-"


    "Ahem!"


    "Liz," Eddie smiled bitterly, "I really want to come to your house, but I really can''t! I promise I make it up for you!"


    "You promise?" hearing his words the girl expression softened and become a bit red as her hug loosed slightly, "You make it up for me?"


    "Ehh”­" seeing the charming face she made, Eddie''s heartbeat increased and he nodded with a blank expression, "Yes”­"


    "If that is the case”­" Liz lowered her head and murmured, "Then it''s still not enough!"


    "Huh?"


    *Bam!*


    Before Eddie managed to recover from the headbutt he just received, both of his hands were caught and his back was pinned against one of the trees and once he was completely awake he found Liz''s face right in front of his.


    "I don''t buy it anymore! You always do lame things if any at all when you make it up for me! You have to agree or else we are going to stay here until you say yes!"


    "Liz please!" Eddie was quite at distress, although he liked the girl and wanted to say yes to her, he was too scared from his sister''s reaction once she found out that he is going to a girl''s house. He could try to use force and get away from her but even if he could do it without fearing to hurt her he knew he would have hell to pay once they meet again tomorrow.


    [*Whistle*! Quite a situation you found yourself in Eddie!]


    "Ah!" Eddie called in surprise at the familiar voice.


    "Hmph! Trying to distract me? It won''t work!"


    [She can''t hear me, Eddie, I am talking to you telepathically. If you want to answer me speak with your mind toward where you feel the source of my voice.]


    [Big Bro what are you doing here?] Eddie quickly got the hang of it and answered back.


    [I came to pick you up since your sister is shopping with Celes and Elise,] Nex explained, [But that doesn''t matter now! If you want to go out of it properly, then follow after what I tell you okay?]


    [...Okay!] although Eddie had a bit of a bad feeling this was the only chance he could take right now!


    [Good! Now I want you to do exactly as I tell you!]


    "Liz!" after a few moments of silence, Eddie suddenly called out loud and stared directly into the girl''s eyes, catching her in surprise.


    "I am sorry that I always give you excuses and I decided I would be honest with you!"


    "...I''m listening," after staring at his eyes for a few moments, Liz replied with an expectant gaze.


    [Big Bro are you sure that this-]


    [Your feelings about this are true right?]


    [Yes, but-]


    [Then let it out!]


    Eddie took a deep breath and then let it out, then he stared back at Liz and opened his mouth.


    "The reason I avoided meeting you out of school is that I''m ashamed of something."


    "What do you ashamed from that you always had to do it?" Liz asked with a soft gaze, she never got even a hint for an answer to this question, so one could guess her excitement.


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    "I am ashamed of my status, I come from a normal family without any background and I don''t train in cultivation. You, on the other hand, are the most beautiful and talented girl at school. I feel that I don''t worthy of you and that you can find better than me."


    ''But it''s mostly because I''m afraid of my too-doting of a sister,'' he completed the rest in his heart.


    "Eddie”­" Liz''s eyes widened and soon turned teary and full of hearts before she began to rain his face with kisses, "I don''t care about that at all! If someone bothers you about that tell me and I will beat them up for you! Now that I know the reason I''m definitely not going to let you go! You definitely going to come to my home to play with me, and also come with me to movies and also to parks and also to”­"


    "Wait, Liz, wait!" Eddie was completely defenseless against this barrage and could only give in to his fate until his probably-new girlfriend had enough.


    [Big Bro! I thought you said she will let me go quietly if I do as you said!]


    [Yeah, about that”­ I lied! Haha! Enjoy your youth you brat!]


    [You jerk!]


    ???


    "So we promised! I will wait for you at my house next Saturday!" Liz said goodbye to Eddie with a face glowing from happiness.


    "Okay”­" Eddie exhaustly waved back at the girl, the last 15 minutes were longer than he thought possible.


    "You sure caught one full of energy," Nex whistled as he appeared out of nowhere next to Eddie, "It will be very exhausting in the future, but once you realize the benefits that come with this you will know it was worth it."


    "You bastard!" like a fierce beast, Eddie''s eyes turned red and he jumped at Nex with furious eyes, "I didn''t want to reach that stage with her until I find a solution about Big Sis! Now we are doomed!"


    "Wait," Nex became confused while dodging Eddie charges upon hearing something that didn''t seem right, ""We" are doomed?"


    "Of course it''s we!" Eddie declared without showing any shred of doubt, "I am going to tell Big Sis it was your idea!"


    "Ah," Nex called in understanding before smiling wryly, "We will go past the bridge when we arrive it right?"


    "I would like to see how you deal with the troll that guards that bridge while coming out in a single piece!" Eddie snorted in disdain.


    "Well, let''s look on the bright side," Nex laughed awkwardly, "At least you are going to hang out with the cute girl you like at her house. Aside from having some excess energy, she seems like a good girl, right?"


    *buzz! Message arrived!*


    At that moment, Eddie''s communication device buzzed and after touching it a message appeared in a hologram.


    [My Eddie! I can''t wait for next Saturday! *Tons of kiss emojis and hearts.*]


    *buzz! Message arrived!*


    *buzz! Message arrived!*


    *buzz! Message arrived!*


    Before the two were even able to react to the message, the communication device began to vibrate non-stop with constantly new "Message Arrived* notifications. Eddie warily opened one of them and immediately regretted upon seeing it''s content.


    [Say, Darling~ what do you think we should do serve at our wedding? I say both meat and vegan food.]


    "Haha”­" Eddie laughed hollowly at the message and turned his now-dead gaze to Nex, "Please help me."


    "I''m so sorry," Nex lowered himself and put his hands on Eddie''s shoulder with a somber expression, "But you should already be aware that there is no way to run once a crazy one caught you."


    "Then what I can do?" Eddie seemed like he was about to lose his soul.


    "Only one thing," Nex answered with eyes full of experience and wisdom, "Fight against this cursed fate head-on and hope you won''t get killed in the process."


    "Wahh! I just wanted a normal youth!"

 62 Preparation Training Unedited

    [Welcome Back to The Mythical Age!]


    And with a familiar flash of light, Nex and his group returned to where they logged off before and appeared back in the game.


    It was an early morning hour now in the game and the Dojo yard seem to be clean of people,


    except for a little kid that kept hitting a training dummy with his bare hands at the side and a tall old man that kept yelling corrections at him from behind him and hitting him with a thin stick.


    *Smash*


    "Stop acting like a wimp and hit the damn puppet with some force already!"


    "Yes!"


    *Smash*


    "Keep your posture firm or else I am going to let you run around the arena until you couldn''t move your legs at all!"


    "Yes!"


    *Smash*


    "Look at your inept movements! To think you actually thought you are going to train with a sword without being able to even move your body! Don''t make me laugh!"


    "Is he crazy!?" Jane instantly became shocked with Elise having a similar expression, "To train an eight-year-old like that!? I am stopping this now-"


    "Don''t worry about it," Nex stopped her with a smile and pointed at the old man, "Louis is only using the stick to fix Roland''s mistakes such as his stance and movements. That fellow is too soft-hearted to actually harm the kid!"


    "I heard that you bastard!"


    Almost instantly after Nex explained, Louis yell came over and the old man glared at Nex.


    "Yo! Louis!" Nex went over with a smile and patted the old man''s shoulder, "How is the mood of my favorite Arch-Human trainer on this lovely day?"


    "Not that bad until you came!" Louis snorted and shoved Nex''s hand away.


    "Yeah, I can guess that," Nex smiled and turned to the little kid that obediently stood at the side with a shy and expectant expression, "Started to train I see?"


    "Yes!" Roland nodded energetically.


    "Good," Nex smiled in approval, "Before you show me what you were taught, don''t you think you need to do something first."


    "Something I need to do first?" Roland tilted his head.


    "Yes," Nex said solemnly before smiling and spreading his hands, "You need to say to me and everyone hello first!"


    "Yes!" hearing Nex words, Roland''s face instantly turned into a smile and he ran into the embrace of the former.


    "Good morning Big Brother!"


    "Good morning to you too!" Nex smiled and rubbed his head, "But there are a few more people you need to say them hello besides me no?"


    "Yes," Roland separated from Nex a bit reluctantly and turned to the three, "Good morning to you Brother Ed, Sister Jane, and Sister Elise-"


    "Good morning to you too Roland!" before he even managed to finish his words, Jane already stormed at him and hugged him close, "Did you miss me? I know I missed you!"


    "Sister Jane it''s not fair!" Elise pouted angrily, "Didn''t we agree I would be the first to hug him?"


    ''You actually had an agreement beforehand!?'' Nex smiled awkwardly and quickly saved the boy that by now had his face completely red and hard time breathing because of the limited amount of oxygen he had access to.


    "Don''t worry, I am here," Nex calmed him down before pointing at a certain person, "So you only have to go through this once more with Elise."


    "Please don''t-" Roland tried to decline his fate, but before he could, a pair of lithe hands came and snatched him.


    "Good morning to you too Roland! Is it me or you got cuter while I was away?"


    And after exactly the same amount of time that Jane hugged Roland for passed, Nex rescued the kid and got him to be in front of Eddie before holding back the two cuteness-hungry girls from reaching the poor fellow.


    "Hard isn''t it?" Eddie sighed and patted Roland''s shoulder with an encouraging expression, "Don''t worry Andy. Someday, you will learn to endure it."


    "When will it be?" Roland asked with an expectant gaze.


    "When”­" Eddie was about to say something optimistic before he suddenly remembered a certain girl he has to visit next Saturday and as a result, he could only sigh with a slightly dead expression, "Actually it will probably continue forever as long as there will be one to find you."


    "No”­" being able to somewhat understand the reason behind Eddie''s action, Roland became heartbroken himself.


    ''Stay strong little fellows,'' Nex prayed silently for the poor fellows before clapping his hands and gathering the attention of everyone there.


    "Okay guys, since it will take Celes a few hours before she could come to the city and considering the fact I need to teach Roland some things, let''s do some preparation training here before we go on our first group hunting."


    ???


    "Did you two understood what I just taught you?"


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    Nex asked Jane and Elise.


    "It''s just a few healing spells how hard can it be?" Jane asked in confusion. She expected this so-called preparation training to be much more difficult.


    "That''s right Teacher," Elise nodded in agreement, "What you gave me was only a few basic Martial Skills even though they are usable here in the game I don''t need much training to use them well."


    "Don''t be impatient," Nex already entered his trainer-mode and flicked the two girls'' foreheads without much care, "Even if you understand the skill and can use it, it doesn''t mean that you can be called proficient with it."


    "Jane," Nex threw a small bag to Jane, and when she opened it she saw it was full of seeds, "Your mission is to use the healing spells I taught to make these seeds to grow only 3 flowers in less than 3 seconds, if there are signs that show that the seed was growing another flower then this seed became invalid."


    "What!?" Jane furrowed her eyebrows, "You never taught me how to do things like that, how should I know how to do it?"


    "Just cast the spells a few times and then you understand," Nex just gave her a smirk and turned to Elise, "Now to you. You said that you will be able to use the Martial Skills that I gave you without much trouble?"


    "Yes”­" Elise answered with a somewhat lowered confidence upon seeing the bizzare and probably very difficult mission Jane just received.


    "Good," Nex nodded and called out loud without turning his head, "Hey Louis-man, as this place was a once-proper dojo, I bet you have one of those things right?"


    "What do you mean a once-proper dojo!?" Louis seemed quite irritated but he quickly got a hold on himself and sighed, "It''s over there, but while I allow the young lass to use it, the moment I see you try and mess with it, I am going to throw you outside the city borders and into the nearest Monster Nest I could find!"


    "Sure, sure," Nex waved his hand and indicated the puzzled Elise to follow him to a circular arena that had in front of it a large slab with several magic stones of varying colors embedded into it.


    He then touched a few stones there, causing them to glow dimly, before turning back to Elise and indicated her to follow him into the arena.


    "What is this-!" Elise was about to ask something before her voice suddenly cut off and she fell into the ground.


    "The ground is”­ changing?" she reached in conclusion when she tried to lift herself up only to constantly lose balance.


    "Among some other things you will find out about soon," Nex said and with a simple pull, lifted her back up to her feet, "I don''t sure what this thing is called around here, so I just going to call it Adaptability Arena. Your goal here is to be able to use the Marital Skills that I taught you without losing their power potential and display their peak strength”­"


    "How can I do it, Teacher!?" is he kidding her!? She barely able to stand properly right now, to use Martial Skills in these conditions is impossible unless she had her real-life power!


    "Let me finish," Nex flicked her forehead and caused her to almost completely lose balance and fall to the ground, "And in addition, I want you to be able to chain at least three of those skills."


    "Isn''t that too much?" she covered her forehead in embarrassment and pouted at him.


    "Nope," Nex suddenly appeared behind her and before she managed to react, he lifted her up and threw her at the center of the arena.


    "Teacher you meanie!" Elise called in anger while trying to lift herself, but Nex already walked away while clearly ignoring her.


    Before moving on to training Roland, Nex stared at the former and Eddie talking sharing a laugh like good friends before sighing and walking to Jane.


    "What do you want?" Jane grumbled while her surroundings were covered in seeds that had at least 5 flowers growing out of them, "Want to add another torture to this stupid training?"


    "No," Nex shook his head and said with a somber expression, "I remembered that we still didn''t finish our conversation from earlier since Celes appeared."


    "..." Jane stared at him with silence before finally opening her mouth, "What do you want to say?"


    "I know that you are afraid of Eddie becoming a Hunter and things going wrong," Nex spoke gently, "But there is something now that makes it different than before."


    "What is it?" Jane asked weakly.


    "I am here now," Nex patted his chest with confidence and sincerity, "And even if the sky will fall right now, I can promise you that no harm will come to him. So even though it will be hard for you to agree for this, I still ask you to give it a chance."


    Jane stared at Nex quietly for a few minutes before finally opening her mouth.


    "..."


    ???


    "Okay, guys! Let''s start with you two training!"


    With those words, Nex instantly gathered the attention of the two kids but more especially of a certain one of them.


    "Big Bro?" Eddie asked cautiously, "What do you mean "you two"? Big Sis doesn''t allow me to train”­"


    "Well about that”­" Nex smiled, "Let''s say that I got her permission, but aside from certain techniques you are not allowed to use what I will teach you IRL unless you are in danger, is that clear?"


    "Big Bro”­ are you serious?" Eddie had a hard time believing his ears, he actually got Big Sis permission to train? He didn''t think it will happen anytime soon considering what happened not long ago.


    "Of course I am!" Nex patted the kid''s head, "Just don''t forget to say thank you to your sister. As you can imagine it was a very hard decision for her."


    "Okay," Eddie nodded with tearful eyes before giving Nex a tight hug, "Thank you!"


    "Anytime buddy," Nex grinned and indicated him to move back to where Roland is, "Now quickly prepare, I am going to teach you one of the most important techniques for the stage that you two are in."


    "Yes!" Eddie called excitedly and went to next to Roland who was also very eager to learn this important technique.


    "What I am about to teach is something I call Foundation Breathing," Nex started to explain, "And as you can guess, it is a breathing technique. Do you two know how breathing techniques work?"


    "I know!" Roland lifted his hand with enthusiasm, his grandma made sure to drill as much basic knowledge as possible since they started to live in the village, "It is a special rhythm of breathing that awakens the Mana Veins in one''s body and depending on the rhythm, allows one to use the mana in various ways such as causing it to grow or unleash greater amount of power."


    "That is correct," Nex nodded with a smile before adding, "Then I have a question for you. The Mana Veins are a spiritual organ that doesn''t truly exist in one physical body, then how is it that simply breathing through your mouth and nose can influence it?"


    "It is”­" Roland got a blank expression as he couldn''t think of a possible answer while Eddie to his side had a similar face, how does merely breathing in a special rhythm influence something that is not physical?


    "Doesn''t make so sense now does it?" Nex smiled as he expected this answer, "The answer is that you don''t truly breath with your mouth and nose, but with something else entirely. Can you guess what it is?"


    Both being smart kids, Roland and Eddie thought of Nex words before their eyes brightened and they yelled at the same time.


    "You breath with your soul!"


    "Exactly," Nex nodded with satisfaction, "Although it is an organ that manipulates the mana in one''s body, the Mana Veins actually come from the soul and only through it you can manipulate them. When you use a breathing technique, you actually use a language that your soul can understand and through it act accordingly and influence it, the Mana Veins, and even your physical body!"


    "The Foundation Breathing that I am about to teach you is able to develop and strengthen all three to the limit when you are in early stages of strength, thus enabling you to not only show power way beyond what normal peoples can do in the same stage, but also ensure that your future breakthroughs will be smoother and more stable. So what do you say shall we begin?"


    "Yes!" the two kids nodded excitedly.


    "Good! Then let''s begin!"


    And soon time quickly passed and only after an hour, the two kids sat cross-legged on the ground with their breathing stable and a soft aura of light surrounding them.


    "As I thought," Nex nodded in approval "You two are really talented, normal people will take a very long time to master this technique like you two just did."


    "Big Bro?" Eddie suddenly furrowed his eyebrows and stared at Nex with confusion, "Although I feel that I do this correctly, why don''t I feel my body improving as you said will happen? Is there something wrong with me?"


    "No, there is nothing wrong with you," Nex shook his head with a smile, "The reason why your body is not improving is that our avatars in the game have their abilities fixed to their stats and level, once you try this technique IRL you will immediately saw results."


    "So why should I learn how to use this technique inside the game?" Eddie became puzzled.


    "Well," Nex said with a mysterious smile, "Aside from accelerating both your mana and HP regeneration and entering your mind to an optimal state, you will soon find several more benefits in using this technique inside the game."


    "Cool!" Eddie''s eyes shined, a technique that not only makes you stronger in real life but also has incredible effects inside the game! How awesome is that!?


    "Wait a moment before you continue training this technique," Nex stopped him before he resumed his training, "There will be enough time for that later and besides it best to give Roland time to adapt to the changes the technique is bringing to his body. Now it''s time for even more important training you have to do if you want to go hunting with us."


    "What is it?" Eddie''s eyes shined.


    "My favorite," Nex smirked.


    "Combat training!"

 63 Going To The Mage Guild Unedited

    "Finally I arrived!" the mage gear dressed Celes exclaimed after she arrived at the dojo, but as soon as she saw the very tired and battered trio of Eddie, Jane, and Elise, she sighed and shook her head, "I guess I still didn''t make it in time huh?"


    "Oh! Celes! You arrived!" Nex smiled and turned to three that still sluggishly continued to train, "Okay guys you can take a break now!"


    "Finally you bastard!"


    "To only call break now... Teacher, you''re a bad person!"


    "Big Bro”­ I think I actually prefer to not grow stronger”­"


    "Sheesh so childish," Nex shook his head and turned to Celes, "You already finished everything? It was much quicker than I thought."


    "That''s because I didn''t do First Awakening yet," Celes sighed and then smiled wryly, "I know you like to train people, but can you tone it down a bit or at least give them a bit more breaks? We are playing this game to enjoy."


    "Yeah, it does make sense," Nex scratched the back of his head awkwardly before suddenly turning his face to a smirk, "But more importantly, I need to know what do you think of this game? Good, right?"


    "More like unbelievable," Celes sighed, "The realism of everything here is accurate to the extreme and the similarity of the energies here to those of Perias is just ridiculous! But what that is nothing compared to a certain detail they managed to replicate."


    "The souls right?" Nex continued her words with a smile.


    "It''s like there is no difference between the natives here and normal peoples," Celes murmured in amazement, "Not only that, even the players'' avatars have souls that are actually copies of its hosts'' real-life souls with only their strength and purity being fixed to the avatar power! If didn''t sense how my soul connects to this virtual place, I would have thought that this a real world!"


    "And you said what could be so amazing in my world if we don''t rely on mana," Nex gave her a teasing look, "Ready to take back your words?"


    "You sure like to act cocky in these situations huh?" Celes blushed slightly and glared at him, "Fine! I am sorry I looked down on the capabilities of Earth, happy?"


    "Very," Nex smirked and took as many pictures of her embarrassed face as he could without caring her noticing this and gnashing her teeth at him, except when they are having "adult-only fun" there weren''t many opportunities to catch her being embarrassed and flustered like that, so he always made sure to record them when he got the chance.


    "Enjoy it as you can," Celes grunted before turning to two people she didn''t meet before that stared at her curiously, a young, azure-haired kid, and a tall old man, "So this is Roland and Louis you told me about?"


    "H-hello miss!" upon meeting the woman''s gaze, Roland felt like he was standing in front of a mighty being, but since he knew she was someone close to Nex he still took a deep breath and stepped forward and awkwardly introduced himself, "I-I am Roland! N-nice to meet you!"


    Celes stared at him in silence before crouching and smiling warmly at him, causing Roland to feel like he was hugged by comfortable sunlight.


    "Nice to meet you too Roland! I am Celes!" she smiled at him gently and pinched his cheek fondly, "Such a sweet and well-behaved child, I can clearly see why Nex is so fond of you!"


    While Roland sighed in relief that he didn''t get "assaulted" like he expected to, Celes stood up and turned to Louis and stared at him with a smile before turning to Nex, "So he''s the one who did a number on you huh? What was the power difference between you two?


    "I was at the peak of the current stage with base power multiplied by a bit less than four," Nex then pointed at Louis, "While he was at the peak of the current stage as well but with the power of Blue Star."


    "Is that so?" Celes stared at Louis for another moment before staring at Roland again and turning to Nex with a smiling face, "You sure are a softy to get so hurt just in order to get the best result."


    "I wouldn''t get anything if I went all out," Nex shook his head as he understood the meaning of her words, "It wasn''t a fight for the death, we were just having a chat did we Louis?"


    "Damn it you bastard!" Louis who stared at Celes until now with wary gaze yelled at Nex, "Not even two days have passed and here you are bringing another one like you here! Do you get joy from putting stress on me that you do it so much!?"


    "Haha! You sure are a joker!" Nex laughed without caring about the angry old man, "Celes and I aren''t harmful! We won''t do anything bad unless we are provoked first!"


    "The just problem you two could do when someone provokes you are more than enough to make me worry!"


    "There, there, we will go past it when it happens," Nex consoled him and turn to Celes who couldn''t hide the laugh on her face, "I see that you chose a Magician as your class, I thought you will choose the more balanced Explorer class as I did."


    "Nah," Celes shrugged, "I am going to play the role of Magician in the party so I better have a class that maximized my abilities as one as aside from the extra bit of mana I get at the start as an Explorer there won''t be more benefits for me. And more importantly, using this class, I will have an easier time to see the development of Magic of this place. Seeing that the energies here are the same Perias and yet the place developed somewhat differently, I can''t wait to see what this place has to offer!" she finished with shining eyes.


    "That''s the spirit!" Nex encouraged her with a smile before giving her his hand, "Now that you say it like that it is intriguing, so what do you say, shall we go to the Magician Guild here to say what they have to offer along with doing your awakening quest?"


    "We shall," Celes giggled and took his hand before pointing at the tired trio, "But what about them?"


    "You reminded me!" Nex nodded and went to where the three rested before giving them each a set of gear he looted from his previous battles, "I forgot to give it to you guys earlier, sorry about that."


    "This”­" Jane, who got the gear first had her eyes widening in shock upon seeing the quality of the equipment, "It''s all Superior ranked there are even some Higher here!"


    "Here too!" Eddie exclaimed in excitement.


    "Teacher!" Elise raised her head with a delighted expression as she held a Unique accessory, "Did you got all of this from fighting!?"


    "Yes," Nex nodded simply, "Before I met you I had to fight quite a few bosses so even after throwing away most of the things I still gathered quite an amount."


    "Amazing”­" she murmured as she stared at her new gear that would sell for a fortune even using real money, and to think that all three of them got equipment of this level, just how much Bosses did he hunt to even say he threw most of it away!?


    "Teacher”­ you really are awesome!"


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    "Nah it''s nothing big," Nex waved his hand in dismissal, "In the future, we will get together much better things."


    "But putting that aside," a familiar smirk rose on his lips, "Since you are so excited it must mean you got your energy back right? And since you have new gear to get used to there is no better way to do it other than some good old training or am I wrong?"


    "...You no-good brute."


    "Big Bro”­ you gave us the equipment only now on purpose right?"


    "You love to bully when you are training aren''t you Teacher?"


    ???


    "These artifacts sure are amazing considering where they came from," Celes muttered as she played around with her new staff while walking on the street on the way to the Magician Guild, "What will take in Perias weeks of gathering materials and dedicated handwork, can be gotten here just by killing a simple creature, I can see more and more why you treat this game as a place for leisure."


    "It''s more like enjoyable adventuring, but yeah you right," Nex corrected her before sighing in relief after seeing that she is satisfied, it was a good thing she already picked up some good gear in the Beginners Village and that he kept some equipment that is suitable for mages in case he will have a need for them. If he wouldn''t have done it, he would probably have to deal with Celes acting like a pouting kid for a while.


    "Aside from that," Celes changed the subject while turning her attention to the many people around them that kept staring at them with wonder, "I am able to guess why I would attract attention, but what''s the deal with you? Usually, only those who got their attention on you are those you want to do so."


    "Well, that''s what I also planned to be," Nex scratched his head and explained what happen earlier with Elise fiance and his group while countless people pointed at him and whispered among themselves.


    "Look, it''s the one who defeated the Guild Leader of the Divine Army Guild and his party on his own in the City Square!"


    "I heard that not only he got away with it, he also got the Guild Leader and his Party to enter the city jail and be sentenced to stay there for a week!"


    "Those are old news you two are talking about! See that divine beauty next to him? She is the Absolute Empress that appeared out of nowhere!"


    "The Absolute Empress!? I heard that she hunted all of the high ranked Bosses in her beginner village on her own using epic skills and reached level 10 in only a few hours!"


    "Yes, the only one who is said to have a chance to be comparable to her when it comes to capabilities one has before the First Class advancement is the one who got first kill and solo on the bosses starting from Rare all the way to Royal!"


    "Absolute Empress?" Nex lifted an eyebrow and stared at the girl next to him with a smirk, "So that I should call you now when we in the game?"


    "Shut up!" she barked at him with a flustered gaze, "Just so you know, this isn''t my character name! It''s just a stupid nickname I got!"


    "Now that you reminded me, we didn''t Friend each other yet," Nex suddenly remembered and sent a request to her, "So let''s see what you chose to name yourself”­"


    "Hmmm?" Celes didn''t seem to notice how Nex''s voice died down and instead saw the latter details through the Friends panel, "So you called yourself in your name? How bland! Hey? why are you not answering?"


    "Celes," Nex sighed dryly, "I suddenly realized I forgot how bad was your naming sense is."


    "What do you mean?" Celes tilted her head.


    "Nothing, MommyGoddess."


    ???


    "Welcome to the Magician Guild!" a young girl dressed in robes greeted them at the counter, "How may I help you?"


    "I am here to do my First Awakening," Celes responded with a smile that made the receptionist a little dazed.


    "Yes”­ ah!" the young girl nodded blankly before suddenly waking up, "Yes! Yes! Right away! I just need you to show me your recommendation letter!"


    "Here you go," Celes handed her a fancy looking letter that made the young girl''s eyes widen.


    "This”­!" the girl took the letter and carefully read it before letting out a small gasp and bow to Celes in apology, "I am sorry to make you wait but I have to call for the Guild Master for this!"


    And just like that, she ran away like an anxious rabbit.


    "So aside from hunting all the strong monsters in the village," Nex opened his mouth with a dry smile, "Did you do anything special that would have got you this letter?"


    "Well," Celes rubbed her chin as she remembered the not at all distant memories, "When I came to get the recommendation letter from the village chief, she was in a middle of studying a broken magic array of what seems to be about Green Star level so after looking at it a bit I casually said a few ideas I had to fix it and from the excitement the village chief had she gave me the letter along with saying, "You have to be part of the Magician Guild!". Quite a nice lady."


    "Quite," Nex agreed with her while sighing on the inside, ''You actually helped her restore a Higher Legend rank array that was probably of a high level! Of course, she would be excited!''


    And not more than a few moments passed and a rushed footstep was heard as an old man with a very long beard ran toward them followed by the receptionist.


    "Are you the one who solved that old woman magic array?" he asked with zealous eyes before he even arrived.


    "Yes," Celes nodded simply, "Is there something wrong?"


    "No! No! Not at all!" the old man hurriedly shook his head, "I only wanted to make sure! Not everyday an amazing genius such as you come to this place and I was just excited!" he then began to come closer and closer to her, "Especially since I heard you are a-"


    "Hold it Gandalf the Perv," Nex stretched his hand and blocked the old man from getting into the half meter radius of Celes, "Keep your distance away if you don''t want to choke from your own beard."


    "Oh, ahem!" realizing his mistake, the old man coughed awkwardly and stepped away with a blush, "I''m sorry about that, it was just that it''s been a really long time since a talent of your degree came here and we never expected it to be a Traveler. Anyway came here to do your First Awakening right? I am more than happy to say to you that the recommendation letter you got not only allow you to Awaken any of the ten Specializations(NPC name for Classes) we normally offer here with barely any trials if any, but also allow you to try the trial to Awaken one of the best Specializations there were since the foundation of the kingdom!"


    From all of the excitement, his voice was loud enough for everyone in the place to here, so by the time he finished his words everyone in the guild stared at them in silence.


    "One of the best Specializations you say?" Celes instantly became curious, "How long will this trial take? I have other things to do as well."


    "Not long at all!" the Guild Master anxiously answered, "It will not take more than two hours as the trial has a time limit, So you don''t have to worry to be too late for your business!"


    "Is that so?" Celes said and turned her expectant gaze to Nex, she knew he didn''t like it when people around him get attention from random people, and her getting this class will attract more than enough.


    "Sure go ahead," Nex smiled and nodded, "Jane and the rest probably need a bit more time to finish their training anyway."


    ''And besides you already got more than enough attention with this Absolute Empress thing,'' he muttered internally.


    "Yay!" she cheered like a child and gave Nex a peck on the cheek, "You''re the best!"


    And immediately after she turned to the Guild Master with an eager face, "Quickly! Quickly! Let''s do this trial! I can''t wait to see what kind of Class it is!"


    ''She got addicted to the game rather quickly,'' Nex sighed and followed along with her after the Guild Master.

 64 Celes First Awakening Trial 1 Unedited

    "This is the Trial Slate, once you touch it, you will enter the trial and in the case where you will pass it, you will be shortly after Awakened."


    After following the Guild Master all the way to an underground room, Celes and Nex found themselves in front of a large and ancient slate that had 30 names divided by the number from that was from three to five and then further ranked in their division by the time that was also written next to them.


    "Those are the best among the people who passed the trial from all over the kingdom," the Guild Master explained, "Once there is someone who proved to be worthy to enter the ranking, all the of the Slates around the kingdom will update and show the ranker in his appropriate place."


    "Who is this Starshine?" Celes asked and pointed on the highest name that was the only one in the division of number five and even had is time is written as a bit less than thirty minutes, more than a twenty minutes difference from the one that was ranked below him, "Is there a reason his name is the same as the city''s?"


    "Yes," the Guild Master nodded solemnly, "Master Starshine is one of the legendary figures that founded the kingdom and because of that, this city was named after him. He was also the first one to find the first Slate and pass its trial, furthermore using unknown means, he managed to create copies of that slate that are connected to the original in every major city. Until this day no one who went through the trail managed to get close to his record."


    "Oh," Celes nodded simply and went in front of the Slate, "So I just have to touch this stone and I immediately start the trial?"


    "Yes," the Guild Master nodded and added with a hopeful gaze, "And although I don''t hope from you to enter the top ten, you will have my eternal gratitude if you managed to enter the ranking. Our Guild didn''t produce a lot of proper talents in the last years."


    "Okay sure," Celes once again nodded and was about to touch the Slate before someone called to her.


    "Celes wait," Nex called to her, causing her to stare at him with a questioning gaze, he then gave her gaze and sighed, "Don''t overdo it."


    "Fine!" Celes grunted and touched the Slate.


    And after a flash of light, she disappeared.


    ???


    Celes found herself inside a large hall whose walls and ceiling seemed like they were made from black smoke. And a moment after she checked her surroundings a loud voice boomed in her ears.


    [Welcome! Trial Taker! To the test of the Magic Philosopher!]


    "Too loud!" Celes twisted her nose cutely, "And can you please not talk in such a deep voice? I feel like my whole body is on "vibrate mode"!"


    [...] the voice stayed quiet for a moment before returning to speak as if it didn''t hear anything, [As one who aspires to become a Magic Philosopher, you will not only have to show your capabilities in battle but more importantly prove your abilities in comprehending the secrets and knowledge of spells!]


    "Acting like that I see?" Celes rolled her eyes at the voice, "Fine I understand, so can you please be a good Array Spirit and give me the tests?"


    [...]


    "Well?"


    [Oh trial taker! In front of you are five magic circles of spells starting from now until the next twenty minutes, you will need to comprehend at least three of those spells and cast them with enough proficiency to satisfy me! Once you finished to comprehend the spells you have chosen, announce it to me so we will begin the-]


    "Okay, I''m done."


    [... What did you say?]


    "I said I''m done learning those spells. Did you became deaf after speaking in that overly loud voice of yours too much?"


    [...Very well trial taker, it may be for the best for you to learn patience first. Show me what you have comprehended!]


    "Sure," Celes shrugged and stretched her fair hand, "First the eternal basic, [Fireball]"


    Mana already began to rapidly gather into her palm as she spoke and the moment the last word came out of her mouth, a golden fireball with a diameter of about a meter flew like shooting star through the hall before being swallowed by the smoke-like walls.


    [...What was that?] the voice seemed like he was taken by quite a surprise as it didn''t speak in his somber tone.


    "Not bad right?" Celes grinned proudly, "The golden color is a quite nice addition right?"


    [Not just the color... the size, the speed, the heat, they shouldn''t be this potent with just the magic circle I gave you!]


    "Well duh! But you didn''t say I can''t make a bit modifications, did you? Oh, and don''t worry because as you can probably see very well, the magic circle you showed me was kept as the base without having any changes done to it."


    [This is ridiculous! How are you able to not only comprehend the spell I gave you in an instant but also make modifications to it that sharply increase its abilities without changing the basis at all!?]


    "This is simple," she shrugged without caring much about the voice''s reaction, "I was used to learning extremely high-level spells since a very young age and thanks to a certain moron I had to follow around, I also got to learn a stupidly immense amount of knowledge of magic starting from plain mana manipulating through using advanced spells and magic circles and all the way to creating original styles of magic I still have a hard time believing they actually now exist. At some point, I found myself quite enjoying learning magic and began doing experiments in my times of boredom, even when it comes to basic spells such as those. And at some point I found myself to be one of the best magicians that I know, although it''s annoying to admit that I will probably won''t get close to that moron level unless I have an extra ten thousand years of studying."


    [...]


    "Oh my, look at me babbling so much. Anyway, what do you say? Does my spell count?"


    [*Sigh* it is”­]


    "Yay to me!" Celes threw her hand to the air like a child, but her expression on her face was undoubtedly one of an old person smirk, "So shall I show you the rest?"


    [Yes”­]


    "Good," she nodded and stretched both of her hands sideways.


    [Wait! what are you-]


    "[Lightning Chain]&[Earth Wall]!"


    From her right hand, golden lightning shot out and like an agile snake, zig-zagged throughout the right side of the hall multiple times before vanishing into the wall like the fireball.


    While on the left side, a wall made of golden stone rose in the shape of half a circle and spreads forward and rose in height just like a wave before stopping at the height of slightly over four meters.


    "Fuu~" Celes wiped her forehead from the bit of sweat that gathered there and sighed, "It''s a bit exhausting to do when you have a body of this level."


    [As I thought”­] the voice murmured before suddenly outbursting in a surprisingly childish tone, [You are just a two-thousand-year-old granny that reincarnated into a young girl! No wonder your abilities don''t much your rank!]


    *Veins popping*


    "Oh?~ Is that what you think I am?~" Celes spoke with a tone that as casual as it seemed, still made the ones hearing it think of a scene from a horror movie, "Did no one told you that there are things you can''t say to a woman in her prime?"


    The voice suddenly felt that there is a crisis of its existence, so it quickly used the emergency protocols that appeared in its core for those situations.


    [I am sorry! There was a problem with my operation! What I meant to say was that every two-thousand-year-old granny will want to be a youthful girl such as you should they reincarnate! I am sorry for what I mistakenly said and I promise that I won''t do it again!]


    "Then all is good!" Celes beamed into a brilliant smile in an instant, "I was hurt for a moment when I heard what you said, women are sensitive creatures after all. Not to mention that a certain moron decided to wag his tail for someone who is so much younger than him out of nowhere, so I was in a bit fragile state lately”­"


    [Ahem! Let''s move on! Since you showed me the spells you comprehended and I deemed them qualified, let''s move on to the last part of the trial! The combat test!]


    [In this stage, there are five levels wherein each level you will be challenged by certain enemies against whom you could only use the spells you comprehended. Do notice that the difficulty of the level greatly increases each time. In order to pass the trial, you only have to pass the third level, but if you are able to pass the fourth and fifth levels you will be able to get additional rewards. Are you ready to start the first level?]


    "Just a moment," Celes jumped in place a few times to warm-up and did some light stretching before nodding and pulling out her staff, "Yeah, I''m ready so bring it on!"


    [Very well. First Level start!]


    And the moment those words were said, dozens of goblins came out from the smoke-like walls and surrounded Celes with vile expressions.


    [Goblin(Normal) LV:10]


    "1, 2, 3”­" Celes counted the goblins once they stopped coming out and finished in an instant, "Forty green molesters huh?"


    "Very well," she laughed and indicated them to come, "Let''s how fast I finish with you boys."


    As if this was the signal, all of the goblins shouted their battle cries and charged at her from all sides, only to see her smirking and lightly waving her staff.


    "I finished~"


    *Bang!**Bang!**Bang!*...


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    At the moment she finished her words, four magic circles appeared around her from four different directions and shot golden bolts of lightning that exploded the head of a goblin before jumping on to the next one and just like that, annihilating all of the goblins in a matter of moments.


    [...] the voice stayed silent for a moment as had to thank his emergency protocols for saving him first before answering, [You have passed the First Level! Would you want to continue for the next level?]


    "Hmmm," Celes thought for a moment as she saw the corpses of the goblins, that disappeared like they were an illusion, before nodding with a smile, "Sure! Bring it on!"


    [As you will. Second Level start!]


    And just like before monsters came out from the walls, only that this time, instead of goblins creatures that seemed like their taller and more fit brothers.


    [Hobgoblin(Rare) Lv:10]


    "Twenty this time huh?" Celes shrugged, "No problem, show me what you got!"


    "Gyaaa-"


    *Bang!!**Bang!!**Bang!!*...


    But before the poor hobgoblins could roar properly and charge at her, two larger than before magic circles appeared and blasted golden lightning bolts so powerfully that the magic circle they came from broke completely the moment they were shot from it. And just like before, all of the heads of the monsters were destroyed in just a few moments.


    "I am so sorry!" she giggled, "I was just so eager to cast the spell that I just went ahead and did it!"


    ''Old women are scary,'' concluded The Voice internally before announcing, [You have passed the Second Level! Would you want to continue for the next level?]


    "Give me a minute," she took a few deeps breaths using a breathing technique that Nex once taught her, "I have a mana capacity of a small potion bottle so I can''t use those spells as much as I wanted to."


    The voice stayed quiet and didn''t dare to disturb her, the trial has a time limit of two hours, and yet this crazy woman reached the third level without using even a tenth of it yet!


    "That moron sure know how to create techniques," Celes sighed as in less than a minute her mana returned to full capacity, she then swung her arms a bit before nodding.


    "I am ready."


    [Third Level start!]


    And just like the previous two times, monsters came out from the walls, monsters far more burly and large than the ones that came before them.


    [Orc(Elite) LV:10]


    "You don''t have any better-looking monsters to bring?"


    Celes grunted as she was surrounded by ten Orcs that seemed like they were hit in the face a lot when they grew up, "I don''t mind if it will be stronger ones."


    "Well, never mind that," she sighed, "It won''t take long anyway."


    And just like before, the moment she finished speaking all of the monsters charged at her with ferocious expressions.


    But she didn''t seem to mind as she clapped her hands while holding the staff between them with a smile.


    "[Whirlwind]X[Fireball]"


    [What!?]


    *Boom!*


    *Orcs cries of pain!*


    The moment she said the chants of the spells, she separated her hands to the sides at once, and along with her movement, burning gusts of winds were created and swirled around the hall, causing the temperature in the area to spike in an instant.


    Although the burning gusts didn''t do much other than some shallow wounds upon meeting the Orcs flesh, the same couldn''t be said about their eyes, mouth, nose and even ears.


    So in just a moment, all of Orcs found themselves in a state in which they could only be paralyzed in pain as most of their sensory organs were severely burned.


    "Now it''s time to send you on your way."


    She made a gun shape with her fingers and pointed at the vitals of two Orcs.


    "2X[Fireball]"


    *Bang!* *Bang!*


    From the tip of her fingers, two small fireballs that didn''t pass more than a few centimeters in diameters shot out in speed and power great enough to pierce the Orcs bodies and explode upon meeting the monsters vitals.


    "I can see now why he loves so much to cast spells like that," Celes pretended like she was blowing off smoke from her fingertips and giggled before turning her attention to the remaining Orcs.


    "Now it''s time to finish it."


    *Bang!**Bang!**Bang!*...


    [...What did you just do?] The Voice asked tiredly as ten corpses of very ugly Orcs began to disappear.


    "Isn''t it simple?" Celes tilted her head, "I combined the whirlwind spell with the fireball spell and caused a flaming storm. The whirlwind spell was also from the magic circles you showed me so and the spells'' base didn''t change so there shouldn''t be a problem, right?"


    [*Sigh*] the Voice realized what it felt for the last minutes was what humans call migraine, [I guess you also know the fifth magic circle right?]


    "Of course! I wouldn''t give up on a new spell just like that!" she laughed as if it said something funny, "Now quickly do what you needed to do instead of wasting time asking obvious things!"


    [...]


    [You have passed the Third Level! Would you want to finish now the Trial? Or would you rather continue for the next level?]

 65 Celes First Awakening Trial 2 Unedited

    "If what I saw on the slate earlier is correct, there was only one person that passed the Fifth Level, that Starshine guy right?" Celes asked curiously, "What did he get as a reward?"


    [The creator of the trial collection of spells and magic knowledge.]


    "Then I will get it as well if I pass the Fifth Level?" Celes''s eyes shone. Although it probably wasn''t the super high-level magics that she was capable of doing in real life, it didn''t matter to her as she only wanted to learn magic knowledge she didn''t learn before, and from what she saw, although this game world was similar to Perias in mana, there are indeed new things she could learn here.


    [No! the rewards of the Fifth Level can only be given once! In addition, this was a special reward as he was the first to fully clear the trial!]


    "Boo!" she whined with a childish pout, "You''re no fun! But since there are other rewards that could be gotten from this Fifth Level place then there must be some more good things there!"


    "I choose to continue to the Fourth Level!"


    [Recived! Fourth Level start!]


    And as expected, monsters came out from the walls fewer in quantity but much better when it comes to quality.


    [Mountian Troll(Lord) LV:10]


    Over 4 meters of what seems to be a mix of explosive muscles, overgrown dark green hair, and shower-in-the-sewers stench, came out from the walls and surrounded Celes from five directions, only that this time they didn''t wait and directly charged at her.


    "To think the stupidest ones of those who came so far will actually make the smartest decisions," Celes giggled without showing signs of worry and casually waved her staff at the Troll that was the closest to her with one hand while waving with the other at where there were three Trolls close to each other.


    "[Water Prison]&[Earth Wall]!"


    *Boom!*


    And in just a moment, the Troll that was about to hit her suddenly found himself inside a pillar of water that trapped him in place and absorbed all of the power from his movements to the point it seems like he is moving in slow motion. While on another side, a giant wall made of golden stone rose from the ground in a circular shape and trapped the three other Trolls like a cage.


    *Bang!*


    But Celes didn''t stop for a moment and jumped forward speedily like a cat and dodged skillfully from the attack of the last Troll that came from her blind side.


    "Good thing I put the extra points in agility," she murmured with a smile and turned around in an instant and aimed her staff at the chest of her attacker.


    "[Fireball]!"


    *Bang!*


    And while the Troll charged at her, a large magic circle was created in front of the staff and instead of shooting the spell immediately like before, it actually shrunk to the size of the underside of a bottle before shooting a very small and dark, golden fireball that covered the distance in a blink of an eye and drilled/burned its way into the Troll''s heart where it exploded like a grenade.


    "One gone, four to go," Celes smiled and without even looking, waved her staff at the earth wall that already began to show signs of breaking thanks to the angry Trolls that are trapped inside, causing an even bigger and thicker wall to rise from the ground.


    Celes then ignored the furious roars of the three Trolls and aimed at her the Troll that was trapped in the water prison, "[Lightning Chain! Piercing Version]!"


    The large golden lighting bolt that was shot out instantly went through the water prison and hit the Troll''s head, but instead of exploding upon touch, it actually punctured the Troll''s eye like a bullet and entered inside the monster body where he finally began to unleash the destructive energy it possed.


    "Now for the finishing act."


    Celes then cast earth wall under her feet and used the momentum of rising stone to jump to the opening of earth cage where the three Trolls were madly pounding in order to break out.


    "Good night~" the three trolls sensed someone above them and a moment after heard a voice, but before they managed to lift their gaze, their heads were penetrated by a miniature golden fireball each, ending their lives in an instant.


    "That was a nice warm-up," Celes landed lightly back on the ground and began to execute the breathing technique.


    "So, while I restore mana, can you give me the reward for clearing this level?"


    [Yes!]


    The Voice declared and a moment after, a beam of light came down from the ceiling above Celes and landed right in front of her. Celes stared at the beam before reaching her hand and taking the object that was in there.


    [Magic Philosopher''s Grimoire(Growth - Superior - Higher)


    Level:10


    Binds to the wearer


    Current growth: 0%


    Number of storable spells: 5


    Casting speed when held + 20%(Additional 10% if the spell that is cast is recorded)


    MAG.ATK when held + 20%(Additional 10% if the spell that is cast is recorded)


    Durability: linked to the user


    Note: This is the equipment used by the true Magic Philosophers. It can record the spells that the user learned inside and in case they were of high enough quality, grow and gain additional abilities.]


    "This is quite nice," Celes grinned as she held the book and further examined it, "It was made using good method and magic arrays and its materials are quite suitable, not the mention that I could show off this to Nex as he didn''t get any growth type equipment yet!"


    "But I guess that I can''t use it for the next level right?" she asked the Trial Spirit with a smile.


    [That is correct!] the Trial Spirit agreed solemnly, [The Grimoire is only allowed to use once you finished the trial!]


    "Very well, I wasn''t going to use it for this fight anyway," Celes shrugged and threw the grimoire to the inventory.


    "Now for the main fun!" she said excitedly "Start the Fifth Level!"


    [As you wish! Fifth Level Start!]


    And at the moment the voice finished his words, loud and heavy footsteps shook the hall and upon turning around and seeing the monster that came, Celes gave a sigh.


    "Well, this was quite foreseeable."


    [Ogre (Lord - Boss) LV:10]


    Towering over five meters and had a body full of strong muscles that are able to show peak performance in both speed and power, dark skin that seemed like even steel swords will break upon clashing with, and eyes that showed a high level of intelligence, among the monsters, there aren''t many that could be compared to Ogres.


    "Since it just you," Celes pointed her staff at the monster and said with a smile, "It will probably end rather quickly."


    *Roar*


    The Ogre seemed to understand her words as it opened his mouth and roared at her, but a moment after he heard a laugh come from his opponent.


    "Got you~"


    "[Whirlwhind]X[Fireball]!"


    The Ogre covered its face and roared in pain, but Celes knew it wouldn''t hold him for long and quickly cast another spell just as the Ogre started to remove its hands.


    "[Earth Wall]&[Water Prison]!"


    Golden stone wall rose around the Ogre in a conical way and held its forearms against the rest of its arms, locking the Ogre in place without letting him move his upper body much. In addition, as the stone wall rose, the inner area of the wall was filled with the by the water prison so when the Ogre got caught he found himself not able to move with enough strength any body part that could release him free.


    "See?" Celes smiled and waved her staff and created a giant fireball magic circle that moment after he was formed, it began to shrink and compress it''s power more and more before finally shooting at the despaired Ogre a basketball-sized fireball that flew like a golden star.


    "I told you it will end quickly."


    *Bang!!!*


    And just like that, the boss that would be able to easily defeat 99% of the ones in his stage, was effortlessly killed using only a few seemingly simple moves.


    [Congratulation! Trial Taker! You have completed the-]


    "Ohh!" Celes didn''t wait for the Trial Spirit to finish his words and ran straight toward where the Ogre once was with greedy eyes, "Loot!"


    But upon arriving at the scene, her face was filled with disappointment instead upon seeing a spear and a warrior shield, "Tch! Only muscle-brained things. Never mind, I will bring these to Elise and Eddie, it''s better than what Nex gave them anyway."


    "Hey! Trial Spirit!" after keeping the equipment, Celes finally called the returned her attention to the Trial Spirit, "You can say what you wanted, but don''t say it from the start again!"


    [...You have completed the Trial to a perfect degree! You shall now be allowed to choose your reward before you will go through Awakening!]


    And similar to before only that this time it was not just one, but over a dozen beams of light came down from the ceiling carrying inside them various objects.


    "*Whistle*" Celes raised an eyebrow upon seeing the items that were presented before her, "Quite generous aren''t you?"


    Every item here was at least a grade higher in its worth compared to the Grimoire and it wasn''t just gear, there were also magic books and consumables that will drive any normal Magician crazy with greed.


    But as Celes passed her gaze over the items, her eyebrows rose in slight surprise when she saw the last item.


    "I will take this."


    She declared without a doubt and examined the item, a beautiful necklace that had a large gem embedded into it shining with a faint light.


    [??? (???) LV:???


    Note: A strange necklace from a very long time ago, only those who possess enough ability and knowledge could unveil the secret it hid.]


    [...] the Trial Spirit stayed silent before asking somberly, [Do you perhaps now the origin of this necklace? The creator of the trial researched it for a long time in order to release the seal that embedded in it, but he never succeeds in doing so.]


    "Of course he won''t!" Celes snorted and gently stroked the gem of the necklace as if it was a small cub.


    "It wasn''t a seal that inside it, but instead something that no normal mage will be able to understand in their lives."


    ???


    "She''s out!" the Mage Guild Master sighed in relief upon seeing Celes coming out while emitting the power of First Awakening, but not a long time passed before he noticed something wrong.


    "Wait, how much time passed?"


    "Did you miss me?~" Celes ignored the old man who tried to make sure exactly how much time passed and went straight to Nex with a grin, "Guess what I got- ow! Ow! Ow!"


    "What did I told you before you went in?" Nex pulled her checks with an annoyed expression, "Don''t overdo it, right?"


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    "I didn''t!" she grunted.


    "Then why does Dumbledore over there is looking as he is now!?" veins popped on Nex head as he pointed at the old man that was in the middle if muttering things to himself with a blank look while staring at the new name that occupied the first place in the slate ranking.


    "Twenty minutes”­ she completed did the whole trial in twenty freaking minutes”­ haha”­"


    "Eh”­" she stared at him for a moment before giving an awkward laugh, "Age caught up to him? Ow! Ow! I''m sorry!"


    "Sorry won''t help here!"


    "Ow! Then I brought a gift!" she quickly said and pulled out the necklace, "I got this as a reward from completing the trial!"


    "..." upon seeing the necklace, Nex''s bad mood seemed to vanish as he took it gently to his hands and stared at it with a serious expression before sighing, "There were more there?"


    "No, the creator of the trial found it by chance and as you expect from a mage, he didn''t know a thing about what inside," she shook her head before asking gently, "Will the child there be okay? they have probably been there for a very long time."


    "She will," Nex nodded with a smile as he caressed the gem of the necklace, "Luckily she is very strong and also been hibernating inside very smoothly. as long as I wake her up properly, she will be fine."


    "That''s good," Celes smiled in relief, "When would you do it?"


    "When we return to the dojo," Nex answered and pointed again at the Guild Master.


    "But before we go we need to do something about that."

 66 Mana Spirit Unedited

    just a heads-up, this chapter(at least I think so) have a lot of info-dumping.


    ------


    Only after an hour passed since Celes finished the trial did she and Nex managed to get rid of the Mage Guild''s Guild Master and buy a few things they needed to get before returning to the dojo.


    After they arrived, Nex chose an empty spot and began to draw with a special ink a large magic circle that featured weird runes on which a placed small magic stones that glowed from mana.


    Seeing this, everyone became curious and gathered to watch.


    "Damn you!" Louis frowned upon seeing the strange runes and symbols he never saw before and grunted, "Using who''s permission do you scribble your witchcraft on my dojo floor!?"


    "It''s not witchcraft," Celes giggled, "It''s Spirit Formation."


    "Wow!" Eddie and Roland''s eyes widened in excitement, "Does it mean Big Bro is going to summon a Spirit?"


    "Close," Celes smiled, "He is going to awake a hibernating one!"


    "That''s doesn''t seem right," Louis shook his head and pointed at magic stones inside the magic circle, "Those are clearly Mana Stones! How are you going to awake a Spirit without any Spirit energy?"


    "Because it''s not a normal Spirit," Nex finished drawing the magic circle and then put one last magic stone in its place, causing the Spirit Formation to slowly start to glow along with the magic stones inside it.


    "This is a Mana Spirit."


    "Did you heard what you just said?" Louis stared at Nex as if he just said the sky is pink, "Everyone knows that almost every Spirit is mainly composed of mana! You could pretty much call every one of them a Mana Spirit!"


    "If you think of it like that, then you probably right," Nex nodded with a smile before pulling out the necklace Celes got from the trial, "But the child that is inside here is called like that because that her Innate Attribute is pure mana."


    "What!?" Louis''s eyes widened in shock as he stared at the necklace in disbelief, "Is something like that even possible!?"


    "Surprising, right?" Nex grinned, "I got a shock when I first heard about this type as well."


    "Big Brother?" Roland raised his hand in confusion, "What does it mean for a Spirit to have pure mana as their attribute?"


    "Let''s see, since you don''t know much about spirits, I will need to start from the beginning," Nex rubbed his chin in thought before explaining with a smile, "There are several ways for a Spirit to be born, but they pretty much can be summed to the same process."


    "At first, a Spirit begins from being no more than a lump of Nature Force and Spirit Energy that formed a bit of conscious. Next, the Spirit''s conscious develop over time and at some point, they begin to instinctively gather pure mana into themselves in order to create a body that will allow it to further grow, this part will take a very long time if the spirit doesn''t grow in a proper environment."


    Aside from the smiling Celes and Louis, who already knew such things and just waited for the final part, everyone was listening attentively, knowledge about Spirits is not something that is easily available, especially for those that are from Earth, where just getting in contact with a Spirit is something that is very hard to do since they are mostly live in zones of their owns.


    "And lastly, now that the Spirit formed themselves a body, which is probably more proper to be called a fetus, they can finally make a bit of contact with the physical world. Since they are still forming themselves and don''t have complete awareness, they still blindly absorb energy from their surroundings and this time, it includes the energies in the physical world who will serve as the last ingredient for the mix. Depending on the environment they are in and what kind of energies there are there, the Innate Attribute that the spirit will form as the last stage of their birth will vary among countless options, starting having a simple element such as fire or earth, special laws such as space or time, or even unknown concepts that normal beings such as ourselves can''t even be aware of their existence!"


    "Now for the for our little pal over here," Nex lifted the necklace with a smile, "She is what can be called an anomaly or a mutant. Instead of creating contact with the physical world when she gathered enough pure mana to have a body, this naughty kid actually did something very extraordinary and actually developed some awareness ahead of time! Just to make it clear, the chances of this happening are less than the chances for a new-born to learn to speak fluently when they are only less than a year old!"


    "Now, can anyone guess how developing awareness this early will affect the still forming Spirit? Do notice I gave a hint earlier!" Nex asked like a science teacher.


    The group seemed deep in thought before Jane cautiously raised her hand as if she is going to regret what she was doing at any moment, "It''s because that even though they developed some awareness, the Spirit is basically still a fetus, and like every fetus, they would prefer to stay in the familiar and comfortable environment they know. So they will probably stay in their mana-gathering state until they reach a certain limit and something happens as a result."


    "And a golden star for the lovely Jane who has both beauty and brain!" Nex declared like an enthusiastic tv show host and sent golden stars that were formed from mana to the blushing Jane that most likely wanted to bury herself right now, "That is correct! The unborn Spirit is a lazy coward, even if they have the basics instincts that tell it to connect to the physical, they will still choose to ignore it in order to stay in their current state! And this continues like that until the point the mana they gathered burst forte from overload and force the Spirit its a part of to become a semi-physical entity along with it."


    "At that moment, the basic instincts of the Spirit kicks in and makes them go through the last stage of their birth and take the energy they are most familiar with as an Innate Attribute, which is, you guessed it, pure mana!"


    "And just like that, a new Mana Spirit is born," Nex concluded with a smile, "Do you have any questions?"


    Elise, who saw what just happened to Jane, who was still surrounded by golden stars, desperately tried to stop her curiosity. But before she knew it she was lifting her hand, "Is there something special about a spirit having this innate attribute?"


    "Excellent question Elise! Here a golden star for the disciple that tries to prove that she is talented in learning as she is in fighting!" and with another wave of the hand, a barrage of golden stars flew to the beet red Elise who stared at Nex with a face that says "What do you mean "tries to prove"!?"


    "Normally when Spirit get their Innate Attribute," Nex ignored his disciple and started to explain with great enthusiasm, "The Attribute mixes with the Innate Spirit Energy they were born from and create a new type of Spirit Energy that they are not only able to generate on their own but also have the best of abilities of both the Innate Attribute and Innate Spirit Energy. You can imagine it as a person that was born with a special physique that turns the mana that is inside his body the abilities of a powerful element and supreme affinity for it. For Spirit, it''s the same only that instead of blood and flesh that has an affinity to the element, a Spirit''s body is composed of mana of that element, and instead of mana, the energy in their body is the Attribute Spirit Energy."


    "But the brat over here only have pure mana to be mixed with their Innate Spirit Energy so what can they do with that?" Nex asked before answering with a smirk, "What most of the intelligent races of the world including us can do. Magic!"


    "What!?" everyone aside from Celes became shocked and stared at Nex with wide eyes.


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    Everyone, even ignorant people on earth, know that Spirits can only use Spirit spells that they either created on their own using their monstrous affinity or Spirit Techniques that are only usable by contracted Spiritualists or high-level Spirits! The never heard of a Spirit that is able to use magic or even manipulate mana outside their body!


    "As I said, when Innate Attribute fuses with Spirit Energy, it brings out the best in both of them, and since the pure mana in the Spirit''s body is great enough to easily overwhelm the Most of the Spirit Energy, the energy that is created can be called more as pure mana with properties of Spirit Energy in addition rather than Spirit Energy that also has the properties of pure mana. So not only can a Mana Spirit use magic much better than the overwhelming majority of Mages thanks to their overwhelming affinity to mana, but they will be able to easily use Spirits'' abilities since that aside from their soul, they are only mana and Spirit Energy without any extra element that will dilute the two!"


    "Bastard enough with the biology lesson and just answer me this," Louis suddenly called impatiently and stared at Nex with a very serious expression, "Is contracting this Spirit will cause what I think it will cause?"


    "Yes," Nex nodded with a smile, "But it will be far from simple to do."


    "Big Bro what are you talking about?" Eddie asked curiously, "What will happen if someone contracts this Spirit?"


    "I see that the Formation is about to be ready so I will make this quick," Nex glanced at the Formation that began to glow brighter and brighter before turning his head back.


    "When a Spiritualist contract with a Spirit, they are sharing with each other their energy and will," Nex lifted both of his hands and made a glowing ball of light in each one, one blue and the other green. Then, he made a line that connects them and shares a bit of their color with each other, "The Spiritualist uses the connection to use the Spirit''s Spirit Energy and affinity in order to get their power and execute techniques that the Spirit couldn''t do on their own. While on the other hand, the Spirit stays at the Spiritualist''s body and use his mana and life force in order to greatly increase their originally snail-speed growth rate to as fast as their Spiritualist. Don''t worry about how it sounds, having a spirit to be in your body like that will almost never hurt you but only bring you great benefits!"


    "Now what happens if you Contract with a Mana Spirit?" Nex vanished the green ball of light and instead created a blue ball that has a green core, "Considering that don''t have a special physique and the main energy you have is Pure Mana. When you contract a Mana Spirit, instead of just creating a simple connection, something much more amazing happens."


    Nex created a connection between the balls of light, and as if it is the most natural thing in the world, the two balls got closer and closer before meeting each other and creating a bright flash of light. And when the light died down everyone stared in wonder at the large ball of blue-green light that shined stronger than the previous two combined.


    "They fuse."


    "Does that mean that the Spirit and the Contractor have become one?" Roland asked.


    "Not exactly," Nex shook his head, "If you want to be accurate, then things that were fused was the Contractor''s Mana Pool and the Spirit''s body and energy. The two souls are not touched more than normal and the Spirit can still form itself outside the Contractor''s body like normal."


    "Cool!" Eddie''s eyes shone with excitement as he stared at the necklace that housed that so-called Mana Spirit, "So it must mean that the Spiritualist and the Spirit''s powers grow to an amazing level and become super-high right?"


    "Yes, very," Nex confirmed with a smile.


    "Then can I please contract it?" Eddie asked with a pleading gaze while imagining how OP he would become with this awesome Spirit, "Pretty please?"


    "About that”­" Nex smiled awkwardly and seem to think how to answer before someone already did it for him.


    "Haha! If it was with any other Spirit then there would have been a chance," Celes began to suddenly laugh as if she heard something hilarious, while on the other hand, the awkward face of Nex darkened, "The Spirit would stick to Nex like super-glue and won''t let him get away from him until he formed a contract with her! It will probably be for the best as well to be like that!"


    "Why is that?" Jane asked with a frown upon seeing Eddie disappointed expression.


    "Because that Mana Spirits are a bunch of spoiled brats with bad behavior!" Celes still let out giggles, "They will die before they would choose to contact someone who doesn''t have at the very least one-in-a-hundred thousand talent in both Mana Ability and Spirits Affinitiy! And not one of us can even get close to our moron level in Mana Ability, not to mention his freakish Spirits Affinitiy that make any Spirit that see him fall for him from the first gaze!"


    "Celes it''s not only that," Nex shook his head with a wry smile, "Even if the child would not want me to form a contract with her, I still couldn''t allow anyone aside from you and Louis to contract her. It is far too dangerous and probably impossible for them to handle."


    "What do you mean Big Brother?" asked Roland, who also felt disappointment like Eddie earlier.


    "You will soon know," Nex saw that the Formation has reached the peak and sighed before entering it and leaving a few words behind, "No one is allowed to get close until I say so."


    He then ignored that swirling mana around him and went straight into the center of the Formation where he held the necklace with one hand while putting the other one on the ground where all of the main lines of the formation connected.


    "[Absorb]"


    And right after he said it, the formation began to rapidly gather the mana from all around and enter into Nex body through his hand.


    In just a few moments, Nex felt that the limit of the amount of mana his body could handle is about to arrive but he didn''t stop and instead uttered another chant as he streamed the mana into the hand that held the necklace.


    "[Awaken]"(Spirit Kings Language)


    And for a moment, the gem of the necklace vibrated. It didn''t go unnoticed for Nex as he streamed the mana inside his body to the gem at the moment that happened while speaking in a gentle tone.


    "[You have been sleeping for a long time little one, and time for you to wake up has arrived.]" (Spirit Kings Language)


    As if the mana and the words are injecting it with liveliness, the gem began to vibrate more and more while blue light began to gather inside it as if it wants to break out.


    "[I can see how much you yearn to wake up,]" Nex stroked the gem with his thumb before smiling and injecting all of the absorbed mana at once.


    "[Then just do it!]" (Spirit Kings Language)


    *Boom!*


    Blue pillar of light shot from the gem into the sky and like a vacuum absorbed all of the mana in the surrounding, and only after a few moments did it stop and began to compress to a floating blue sphere.


    Seeing that everything went well, Nex sighed in relief before smiling at the sphere and extending his hand.


    "My name is Nex, what is your name little one?"


    There was a silence for a moment before an adorable voice that spoke in a sleepy tone was heard, [My... name? Do you want to know... my name?]


    "Only if you are willing to tell me," Nex nodded with a smile.


    [I''m willing”­only if you get close enough... so that I would be able to sense you”­] the voice answered softly as if it was still feeling very tired.


    "Very well," Nex smiled and got closer until his face was only a short distance away from the sphere.


    [I can sense you now”­ I will tell you my name now”­] cracks began to appear on the sphere as the voice spoke, [My name is”­]


    [Sapphire.]


    And just like that, the sphere broke and everyone watched in wonder as out of it came an adorable little fairy with shining blue eyes and hair and a pair of wings that seemed like they made from the most beautiful and colorful gems.


    [??? Spirit (Elite) LV: 25(Pre Second Awakening)]


    She let out a big yawn and rubbed her eyes lazily before suddenly realizing that Nex was staring at her with a smile.


    [Ah!] she let out a joyful yelp before flying excitedly to Nex and hugging his face, [Master! Master! Please let Sapphire form a Contract with you! Please! Please! Please!]


    "Told you it will happen," Celes giggled, "If Nex wanted to, pretty much every Spirit would react like that upon meeting him."


    "Hold on a minute Sapphire," Nex smiled calmly as if he knew miles ahead of that it will happen and with gentle movements, took the Spirit to his hands and rubbed her head to her delight, "Although I also want to form a contract with you, there are still some preparations to do if we want it to be the best. So in the meantime don''t do problems alright?"


    [Wuu”­] although she quite enjoyed the petting, Nex words still made her pout, [Okay! But promise me it won''t take long okay?]


    "I promise," Nex nodded while thinking about something else.


    ''Like hell, I am going to keep a natural havoc maker such as you unchained for long!''

 67 Contracting With Sapphire Unedited

    [Are you Master''s friends?] Sapphire stared at the group curiously before smiling brightly at them.


    [Hello!]


    "She is so cute!" Jane called upon seeing the little Spirit and took her to her hands and patted her, something that the Sapphire accepted with a content smile that resembled a spoiled cat.


    "Hey Big Bro, is she really the awesome Spirit you talked about that can cast Magic better than mages?" Eddie asked in doubt, he thought that the super-powerful Spirit Nex talked about would look cool and intimidating like a legendary beast, not a cute little fairy at Elite Rank.


    [Hmph! Dare to underestimate Sapphire!?] before Nex could even react to the question, Sapphire escaped from Jane''s hands and glared at Eddie with rage before pointing at a training dummy dozens of meters away, [I''ll show you what I''m capable of!]


    "Sapphire no!" Nex quickly called but at the moment he opened his mouth, a magic circle was already created and out of it a blast of concentrated mana was shot out and hit the target before he finished saying her name.


    *Boom!*


    A shaking explosion occurred, and aside from the training dummy that deserved to in a Saint dojo for a reason, everything else in 7 meters radius was in total ruins.


    [Do you doubt the fact that Sapphire is awesome now?] Sapphire asked Eddie with a prideful gaze.


    "No!" Eddie quickly shook his head in denial. Screw the one who gave fairies the impression they are harmless! That''s a mini death ray gun over here!


    "Sapphire," Nex called in a very stern voice and made the Spirit flinch, "I told you not to cause problems right?"


    [I''m sorry!] Sapphire''s eyes instantly filled with tears and she hugged buried her face at Nex shirt without showing any intention to let go, [I promise not to do it again so don''t be angry! Please let Sapphire still form a contract with you!]


    "Don''t worry I''m not that angry," Nex sighed and took the small fairy to his hands and after calming her down a bit he lifted her to his eye level and opened his mouth, "But from now on, promise me that if you have something that is bothering you then you first tell me about it and I will help you. If you keep acting as you did just now, then we two will found ourselves in a whole lot of trouble!"


    [Okay! Sapphire promise!] like magic, the mood of the Spirit returned to before and even reached a new level of happiness.


    "Every time," Celes rolled her eyes from the side upon seeing this scene. Although Sapphire seemed just a bit too mischievous and energetic, the truth was that it is only Nex is there, if it wasn''t for him she would probably turn into an unruly and arrogant trouble maker that could destroy half of the place because of childish reasons.


    "Good," Nex ignored Celes and patted the Spirit softly while using a subtle amount of mana, causing the latter to purr in satisfaction, "Now go tell to everyone that you are sorry. Once you did that, you can play with them I will start to prepare for the contract."


    [Yes!] Sapphire called in enthusiasm and turned to the rest before bowing her head respectfully, [Sapphire sorry for acting bad!]


    Nex saw that everyone is still wary of the Spirit and smiled, "Don''t worry she''s a good child and won''t cause any harm to you, she only a bit spoiled and mischievous that''s all."


    "Sapphire," he then turned to the fairy and pointed at Eddie and Roland, "Those two just started to learn how to manipulate mana, can you help them?"


    Eddie and Roland''s expression turned tense, is it really okay to let someone like her help in something that needs careful guidance such as mana manipulation? Eddie was about to open his mouth when the Spirit already answered.


    [Of course!] she called excitedly as she was told to do something very fun and before the two kids managed to react, she grabbed their hands using tentacles she made from mana and dragged them away.


    "Nex is it really okay that the kids will be guided by her?" although Jane trusted Nex, she still couldn''t help but ask in worry.


    "It''s okay," Nex saw that Sapphire has gone far enough and stretched his sore body, although it didn''t consume much of his physical energy, it was still a bit taxing to awaken her as it required both careful control of large amounts of mana and special use of a high-level Spirit language.


    "If there is a being that knows how to use mana without problems, then it''s probably a Mana Spirit. For this stage of training, it''s much easier and safer for Sapphire to help them achieve great results than me. You will know it too soon enough."


    He then threw the necklace that Celes was released from to Celes, "This toy is quite nice, although it lost most it''s power in order to allow Sapphire to keep sleeping and then to awake her, it is probably for the best as it allows you to use it right now grow with you as it recovers."


    As if the moment she long-awaited for finally arrived, she caught the necklace and examined it with expecting eyes before smiling brightly.


    [Magic Heart Necklace (Growth - Legendary - Semi)


    Level:20


    Bounds to the wearer should the will of the necklace deem them worthy


    Current Growth: (locked until it returns to peak ability)


    All Stats + 30


    Mana + 65


    Loss Of Power: While the necklace power is still not restored to peak ability, Mana Manipulation difficulty is greatly increased.


    Mana Blessing(Passive): All magic will cost 20% less while having an increase in power by 20%


    Magic Heart(Active): Fuses for a short time with the wearer''s heart and start the following effects:


    -Increase the power of all magic by 20%(40% together with Mana Blessing)


    -All magic will cost 20% less(40% together with Mana Blessing)


    -Increase the mana capacity by 50%


    -3% of the current total mana capacity will be restored at every second.


    -The Loss Of Power option will increase by a large margin.


    Current restoration rate: 1%


    Note: this necklace was made with the idea of creating something that will imitate the mighty Dragon Heart of the dragon-kins. The knowledge used to build it is only known by few and it''s origins and the reason why it served as a hibernation Spirit of an unknown kind is shrouded in deep mystery.]


    "Wow! This is necklace is amazing!" Elise and Jane''s eyes widened in shock upon seeing the details of the necklace, "I never heard of gear of this level yet, it is even a growth type at that!"


    "Too bad though," Jane then shook her head in disappointment, "Since this was once a top rank piece of equipment, its Will will probably won''t allow anyone to wear it unless they have a high level of strength and ability. And not only that, The [Loss Of Power] effect is quite bad and probably be proportional to the merit it will give even if you manage to wear it," she then added while glaring with anger at Nex who began to clean the remains of the Formation after the nagging of Louis, "That no-good actually gave you the defective equipment while he got the amazing Spirit."


    "Is that how it seems?" hearing Jane words, much to the former surprise, Celes actually began to laugh as if what Jane said made a very funny image rise to her head, "I''m sorry, it''s just that if you thought I am the one who has to suffer from this deal then you couldn''t be more wrong! I wouldn''t form a contract with that brat even if I got nothing instead!"


    "What do you mean?" Jane and Elise became confused, wouldn''t forming a contract with Sapphire will give you amazing benefits? Why did Celes say she prefers getting nothing than doing that?


    "As much as you think that this necklace will only be demerit even if I will be able to wear it, contracting a Mana Spirit at the level of Sapphire will be much worse!" explained Celes with a smile.


    "How so?" the confusion of the two only deepened, "She isn''t high leveled at all and her rank is something Nex will probably be able to easily handle as she isn''t a boss right?"


    "That is only how it seems," Celes shook her head, "A Mana Spirit won''t receive the ability of a Boss or Lord Rank until they reach what here probably is Fourth or Fifth Awakening. So until then, they at most be Elite Ranked, but that is terrifying enough as thanks to their amazing purity of mana and ability to use Magic and Spirit Energy, they are able to defeat a Boss that is one rank above them, more if they grew for long enough and are talented."


    "That''s amazing”­" they murmured in shock and turned their head to where a small fairy was teaching Eddie and Roland with an arrogant expression.


    "But as amazing as the Mana Spirit''s abilities are, such is great the difficulties that come with contracting it," Celes shook her head, "Because of the sharp increase of mana purity and capacity that comes with the fusion of one''s mana pool and the Spirit body, the Spiritualist have to have superb control of the mana inside his body that now far exceeds his physical and most likely other abilities. And considering the fact that he has to control the mana while sharing with another being, the difficulty is raised to a ridiculous level that is much greater than the one I will have from wearing the necklace!"


    "And that''s not all," Celes sighed, "There is also the Spirit Energy. Even talented Spiritualists will have problems when they have Spirit Energy directly inside them while normal people will quickly bring harm to themselves even with the Spirit''s help."


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    "Although Sapphire is still young because of her hibernation and probably couldn''t handle more than a Lord Boss, her abilities for her current level are still immense and aside from Nex, others will probably have a hard time until they will be able to use the power they would get from Contracting her to its full potential," Celes concluded before rubbing the necklace lovingly, "And since I have this little cutie that I can raise to compete in benefits with that spoiled brat, you can say I am quite satisfied with what I have now!"


    "But how are you going to get accepted by the necklace Will?" Elise asked as it seemed to her that Celes was acting like she was already about the item.


    "Oh? That?" Celes smiled and to Jane and Elise''s shock, cut her finger using mana and put it on the necklace gem.


    *Bzzz!*


    The moment the bleeding finger and the gem met, the latter vibrated violently and shook Cele''s blood off as if it didn''t want to absorb it.


    "Don''t resist when it isn''t anything bad," Celes smiled and began to infuse mana and Soul Force into the blood that came out from the wound.


    Like it didn''t expect this move, the gem didn''t react in time and could only absorb the blood. Once that happened, Celes quickly controlled the blood inside along with the mana and the Soul Force and used them to nourish the weak and damaged parts inside it, quickly causing the gem to decrease its resistance and instead make satisfied reactions(or at least so they seemed) until it finally shinned and became quiet.


    "Good kid," Celes caressed it lovingly before putting the necklace on like it''s the most natural thing.


    "What did you do?" Jane asked in wonder before noticing Celes''s pale face and still-bleeding finger and quickly came to support her and cast a healing spell, "Are you okay?"


    "Yes, thank you," Celes nodded and smiled at the two worried girls, "I had to use some energy exhausting means so I am just a bit tired that''s all."


    "Sister Celes, how did you do it?" Elise asked and helped her as well.


    "It was just wounded and wary," Celes smiled, "After treating him a bit he quickly opened up and became nice to approach."


    "And what about the increased difficulty of mana manipulation?" Jane asked while furrowing her eyebrows, "Won''t it hurt your performance too much?"


    "That''s never was a problem," Celes shook her head with a slightly arrogant smile, "It won''t influence me in the slightest since my mana manipulation ability far surpass what the debuff could affect with the current level of spells I can use. To say it simply, the necklace raises the difficulty of casting spells of the current level to 4 while my ability in using them is 10, and since the debuff will decrease as the necklace restore its power, I don''t have to worry from it at all!"


    ???


    "Are you ready Sapphire?" Nex asked the fairy while standing inside a magic array that was filled with Mana Stones, "This will be a bit painful and uncomfortable."


    [Sapphire ready!] the little Spirit called joyfully.


    "Good," Nex nodded and then turned to the group that was watching them with curious eyes, "Since most of you didn''t saw a Spirit Contract before, then I have to say that it usually doesn''t need so much preparation ahead and also it won''t go how it will now."


    He then turned back to Sapphire and stepped on the place while embedding his leg with mana, causing the Magic Array to activate.


    "Sapphire you can start."


    [Okay!] Sapphire called happily before turning serious and flying to Nex and putting her forehead against his while streaming her Mana and Soul Force into him.


    [Oh! Great person! I, Sapphire of Pure Mana, is requesting you to form a contract me and create an everlasting connection between us!](Superbia Spirit Language)


    [The Spirit Sapphire is asking you to form a Contract with her! Do you accept?]


    "I accept!" upon hearing the Spirit words and seeing the system message, Nex smiled and declared while streaming his Mana and Soul Force into her as well.


    [You have accepted the request!]


    [Begining to form the Contract”­]


    [Use of Soul Power from both sides detected! Raising the Contract level to Soul Bounded!]


    [Checking the compatibility between the player soul and the Spirit soul and the result of the contract!]


    [1%]


    [37%]


    [84%]


    [100%]


    [???% Went beyond the limits of the current level of strength! The changes the player''s body will experience increase depending on how much the player could tolerate and deal with his current Mana, Spirit Energy, and Soul Force Affinity and Manipulation abilities!]


    And right after this message appeared, Sapphire''s body melted into Nex''s forehead and spread across his body, instantly feeling it with pure mana to the point he was about to explode.


    But Nex didn''t get nervous from the imminent danger, and instead calmly guided the Spirit''s soul that was inside him and seemed to be looking for something to his mana pool.


    Upon getting inside his mana pool, Sapphire''s soul shone excitedly and began to fuse with it at rapid speed and along the way absorbed all of the mana inside Nex''s body to help her do it.


    Nex then activated the Magic Array to full power and began to absorb the mana that came out of it.


    But different from the Formation that focused on the quantity of mana along with adding it certain Spirit-related properties, the Array function was to purify the mana gathered as much as possible, making the output much smaller.


    Sapphire absorbed the mana at the speed that it arrived and suddenly, a boom occurred when she was about halfway done fusing Nex Mana Organs, and out of nowhere, they began to create another energy.


    Spirit Energy.


    And at this moment where the Spiritualist usually requires the Spirit careful guidance in using the energy, Nex actually took control of the Spirit Energy the moment it appeared and guided the shocked Spirit on how to continue the fusion process so it will end up on the best way.


    Sapphire never imagined that she would find herself being guided in using Spirit Energy by a human, but once she took another look at Nex''s amazing soul, all of her worries disappeared and she happily followed his directions even if she couldn''t understand the transformations that they are causing to his Mana Organs.


    Another boom happened inside Nex''s body and the fusion was complete. But just as Sapphire thought it was over, Nex still continued to gather mana and when she was about to ask him he sent her a calm smile using their connection and told her that she just needs to relax and wait until he finished.


    He then used the gathered mana and run it through some of the newly changed places in his Mana Organs and to Sapphire immense shock, turned it to Spirit Energy!


    "What!" Louis who could see it as well, couldn''t keep his mouth closed, a human producing Spirit Energy without directly using a Spirit!? Not a single Spiritualist that he knows would believe it even if he showed it to them!


    But Nex didn''t care about that as he continued to make more and more Spirit Energy until the previous amount that only occupied a tenth of the capacity, now had over four times the amount!


    Now that he reached the Spirit Energy-mana ratio he desired, he began to run the two energies together throughout all of the Mana Organs in his body starting from the most changed place, the heart.


    And then a process that Sapphire knew very well happened, the Mana and Spirit Energy began to fuse.


    With each circulation of the two energies, they became lesser and lesser while another energy replaced them, something that wasn''t Mana, nor Spirit Energy, but something new entirely.


    As the energy passed through Nex''s body, it seemed to enrich and increase its power and quality to a whole new level!


    And soon, after a few minutes, one last boom happened in Nex''s body that spread out of him silver energy that seemed to have been mixed with a bit of blue and green.


    [Master,] Sapphire opened her mouth in shock as she felt herself being filled with a power that felt much more terrifying than her previous Mana that had Spirit Energy abilities.


    [What is this thing?]


    Nex took a deep breath and smiled before opening his eyes and revealing a pair of shining dark-silver eyes that now had a little blue and green mixed into them.


    "Prime Force."

 68 My EXP!? Unedited

    [You made a Soul Bounded Contract with the ??? Spirit Sapphire! Because of the level difference, Sapphire''s level went down to 22!]


    [Thanks to the Contract changes appeared in your body! Spirit Energy and Mana have combined in a mysterious way to create entirely new energy!]


    [You have chosen to name the energy: Prime Force!]


    [??? Spirit Sapphire has transformed to become Prime Spirit!]


    [Results of the Contract:


    Mana stats turned to Prime and all bonuses added to it will still apply!


    Magic Power(MP) turned to Prime Force(PF) but thanks to its properties, it will still retain the mana bonuses applied on it!


    All Stats'' effectiveness has doubled while the effectiveness of Prime has been raised by an additional 50%!


    Prime Stat growth rate increased for the Unawakened stage by 2 and for the First Awakening Stage by 4! (Base Prime stat: 282)


    You are now able to use Spirit Techniques using Prime Force!]


    ''As I thought, it was a success,'' after convincing Sapphire to sleep in order to adapt to her new power, Nex smirked as he looked at the system messages while ignoring that everyone is watching him with shock, including even Celes that had her mouth hung open a bit.


    "Nex," Celes called him and woke him up from his gloating and asked, "How did you do it? I thought that we can''t do things that will change our avatars unless it''s through the system?"


    "You just said the answer," Nex smiled before explaining, "Since the fusion is done by Sapphire and not directly by the system, the system will have to allow my avatar to have transformations manually, so I used this loophole to add some few additions of my own."


    "I see," Celes nodded.


    "So Big Bro, are you super strong now?" Eddie asked with shining eyes, the whole contract process seemed extremely cool like it was from an awesome movie from start to finish, so he was very expectant to see how powerful Nex was now.


    "If compared to how I was half an hour ago, then yes, I became super-strong," Nex smiled and ruffled the kid hair and Beastman ears, "But I will show you if I have a proper chance in the future, Louis here will be mad if I start breaking things here after all."


    "Okay," the kid nodded with a bit disappointment before asking another question, "Can you make me strong like that as well?"


    "Of course!" Nex had a bright expression, "Now that my theory is correct, the power-up plans that I had for each of you could be enacted in the near future! I wouldn''t want to always adventure alone because I got too strong after all!"


    "Yay!" Eddie cheered while Jane and Elise had excited expressions as well, "What is the plan for my power-up?"


    "That''s a secret," Nex winked and turned to Elise and Jane, "Get ready, we are going on our first hunt now that we are ready."


    "What?" Jane frowned, "But it''s about to be night time, it will be too dangerous to hunt outside in the dark."


    "Who said we are going to hunt outside?" Nex smirked, "When there is perfectly normal Dungeon right inside the city?"


    ???


    "So to summarize, Dungeons is a layered Nests of monsters or demonic beings that constantly spawn monsters as long as there is enough mana in the surroundings. Once a Dungeon reaches its limit its bursts out and causes all the monsters inside to come out in waves. They are usually found in places that have a naturally high concentration of Mana or Demonic Energy and luckily for us, every major city in the kingdom have Dungeon inside of them," Nex finished his lesson when they arrived in front of a heavily guarded building in the center of the city.


    He then turned to the group that stood behind him, "Any questions?"


    "Yes," Elise asked, "Why did they build the city here if there is a Dungeon here? Won''t they afraid it will burst?"


    "Because as long as you manage it properly, the pros will outweigh the cons!" Nex smiled, "To prevent the Dungeon from bursting, all you need is a group of skilled fighters that will clear down the population of the middle and lower levels, something that can easily be done with the city strength. While what you can get from having a Dungeon near you is easily suppliable monster materials of a higher than normal quality, a hunting and training zone that is in close reach for help in case something happened, and even a stronghold in times of need!"


    "Big Bro," Eddie lifted his hand and asked, "But how are we going to enter the Dungeon? I heard that only members of the adventure guild are allowed to enter to hunt in it."


    "You reminded me," Nex nodded and pulled out the Adventurer Badge from the inventory and put it on, "I removed it before I fought Louis and forget to put it back on."


    "Teacher is that an Adventurer Badge!?" Elise could do the simple math and quickly realized what this simple ornament represented, "I heard only the best players could get one and even then they could only get green, blue, and indigo stars, I never heard of a silver one!"


    "That is because this is the one before the highest grade, Master," Nex smiled, "From what I heard from Roland, you need to have the ability to win someone an Awakening above you to get this and from the level of the current players, there probably no more than a dozen who could do this aside from me."


    "*Sigh* That makes sense," everyone aside from Celes sighed together, they realized that getting shocked every time that Nex is doing something amazing is only a waste of time and they should just accept it without raising a redundant commotion.


    "Good," Nex smiled brightly at them and after forming a party with them he turned around and signaled them to follow him, "Then let''s go hunt some monsters!"


    Reaching the entrance there was a post was a middle-aged guard waited for them wearing armor and gear that''s meant for the Adventure Guild staff stood in place and seemed to keep his eye on Nex the moment he reached the area.


    "Good evening to you!" Nex smiled and showed him the badge, "I heard that Master Ranked adventures are allowed to come in with an additional party of five, and since we are less than that I guess we could go in without any problem right?"


    The guard stared at Nex deeply before sighing tiredly and nodding and handing him a small bracelet, "You are correct. You may enter with your group and using the functions that are installed in the magic array of the bracelet you will find your hunting much more safer and efficient."


    "But as the one in charge here, I must say something, Sir," he then added respectfully and added with a wry smile, "Please don''t make troubles here even if it is just at the lower floors, I am proud to say that for the last years there weren''t any major accidents that happened here and I would very much like to keep it this way."


    "Oh, so you bothered about that huh?" Nex smiled awkwardly at how his reputation turned into a major troublemaker, "Don''t worry, I am only here to train my friends how to hunt properly. If I wanted to do anything messy, then, of course, I will do it outside the city."


    "Thank you," the guard sighed in relief and cleared the way for them.


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    ???


    "If the map in this thingy is correct, then we have arrived!" Nex declared after checking the bracelet.


    After following Nex through the empty corridors in the Dungeon they suddenly found themselves inside a large and dark cave that had given off an ominous feeling.


    "[Dark Sight]" Nex waved his hand at the group, "I cast a buff that allows you to see in the dark, just blink a few times and it will activate."


    "Cool!" Eddie blinked a few times and indeed, he could now see around two dozens meters inside of the cave clearly!


    "And I am supposed to be the one who cast amazing buffs," Jane sighed in indignation.


    "I will teach you those types of things when you will be proficient enough with healing spells," Nex smiled and consoled her, "Your class bonuses and gear will soon enough help you surpass me in that regard."


    "Now let''s start the hunting," Nex picked up a small stone from the ground and threw it into the dark area that extended beyond what the rest of the group could see.


    There was a sound of the stone hitting something hard and soon enough a figure could be seen running over while holding a sword.


    [Skeleton Warrior(Rare) LV:20]


    "That is the kind of enemy you will face here!" Nex pointed at it with a smile.


    "Are you crazy?" Jane stared at him as if he was out of his mind, "Aside from you, Elise is the highest leveled her at level 18 while I and Eddie are only level 15! Not to mention Celes who is only Level 12(extra EXP from the Awakening Trial)!"


    "I am aware," Nex smiled and without turning his gaze, moved slightly to the side and easily dodged the Skeleton slash before elbowing its head and throwing it back a few meters, "But once you learned properly how to deal with them, those kinds of monsters will pose no threat to you even if they were Bosses!"


    "So who is going to try first?"


    "I am-" Eddie was about to run over before Jane blocked him and stepped ahead.


    "I am going first," she glared at Nex, "If anything goes wrong you''re a dead man!"


    "Don''t worry," Nex smiled and pointed at the Skeleton that seemed to wake up from the daze, "I picked this place since the undead monsters here are vulnerable to your healing spells, just try it."


    "*Sigh*[Large Heal]"(Perias Holy Language)


    A bright flash of white light shot from her wand and struck the Skeleton, and almost instantly, the poor monster was burned to ashes by the white flames that were created by the holy spell.


    "What?" Jane''s eyes widened she only expected the monster to be slightly injured, not get insta-killed like it just did!


    "Shocking right?" Nex smiled, "With your talent, it would probably end up like this if you have tried one of the actual attack spells that I taught you."


    "You too, Elise and Eddie," Nex turned to them, "The level and ranks in this game aren''t that important, as long as you are able to move around properly and deliver an attack with the right strength, you don''t need to be afraid of even higher leveled Bosses! The skills I taught you along with your talent are more than capable of allowing you to do it as long as you get more experienced."


    ???


    "25! Haha! Sister Jane aren''t you still at 17? I guess you need to try harder!" Elise laughed and teased Jane.


    After realizing how right Nex words were and how effective the skills he thought he was in increasing her performance, she found herself destroying skeleton after skeleton inside the cave without much problem.


    "Don''t get cocky!" Jane grumbled and tried to restore her mana as fast as possible, "It''s only because you don''t have to use as much mana as me! If I was allowed to use mana potions, then I would pass you by at least twenties kills!"


    In order to train their breathing technique and mana usage, Nex banned them from using mana potions to restore their MP without his permission. So Jane who could only use spells found herself running out of energy quite fast although the ease she had in killing the Monsters.


    "Hmph, just you wait!" Eddie muttered while hearing those two, "I think I am about to get the hang of it so soon enough I am going to kill a ton more Monsters than you two!"


    "Then show it''s true first," Nex commented from the side with a smile as a Skeleton Warrior charged toward the kid.


    "That''s easy!" Eddie laughed and at the moment the undead swung its sword at him, he parried it with his shield before it got to a high momentum using a Skill and using the sword that was in his other hand, he stabbed the Skeleton at its neck bones while imbuing mana into the attack and broke them completely.


    "7!" he declared with a smile and made a V sign at Nex.


    "You brat," Nex laughed. If Jane was stupidly talented when it comes to Soul and Spells, then Eddie is stupidly talented when it comes to physical capabilities and martial arts! To get such proficiency in fighting while using Skills so quickly, there probably so few kids with that level of talent both inside and outside the game that they are numbered only in the few dozens and that''s when not considering his powerful special physique!


    "Fufu~ having fun playing around I see?" A voice was heard and soon enough, a giggling Celes arrived at the scene after coming back from who-knew-where, "I don''t remember how much I killed, but since I reached my current level I guess it was quite a lot~"


    "20!?" everyone became shocked. Since she went hunting elsewhere, they didn''t get notification about her level-ups or shared EXP so they didn''t know she was leveling at that crazy speed at all!


    "I didn''t give you so many mana potions, so how could you hunt so many Bosses? No scratch that, how could you find them?" Nex asked after thinking about the huge amount of monsters he had to hunt in order to get to that level. To get to that level at the time it took Celes seemed a bit weird.


    "What are you talking about? There were barely any Bosses around here," Celes stared at him as if he said something weird, "I mostly hunted Elite and Lord monsters to get to this level, the EXP you gain from them after you pass the Beginner Village is quite good so I didn''t need to take much time to raise my level."


    Wait... What!?


    All the possibilities passed like lightning through Nex''s mind before he found the one that fitted perfectly.


    "Eddie I am sorry but I need you to have your ears covered for what about to come," Nex sighed with a cool and relaxed face and cast a spell that momentarily blocked the kid''s hearing.


    "And now," Nex took a deep breath and calmly removed his glove before smashing it on the ground with everything he had.


    "You motherfu**ing stinking tattoo!"


    The girls stared at him with shock while Eddie thought he lost his mind as saw Nex holding his hand and shaking it as if he is trying to choke it.


    "Where are all of my EXP huh!? If Celes managed to level so easily, how the hell all I got from killing thousands of high leveled demons, a god-damned Devil, and even a fu**ing Second Awakening Hybrid was only reaching level 22!? Tell me!?"


    *Bzzz!* *Bzzz!*


    The tattoo shined and buzzed back strangely as if Nex shaking acutally making it dizzy.


    "The fu*k you do mean "it was part of the deal"!? How come I wasn''t aware of this!? I let it slide when you didn''t let me do normal quests out of nowhere and didn''t even give me class bonuses aside from the extra profession that I couldn''t use until who knows when, but now you actually dare to say that you are leeching off my EXP because we did an agreement I wasn''t even aware off!?"


    *Bzzz~*


    "Screw your "tee-hee~"! Give back my hard effort-"


    *Bzzz!*


    "Fine! Give me my somewhat effort back!"


    *Bzzz”­*


    "What do you mean you already used it!? On what you even had to use it for!?"


    *Bzzz”­*


    "Gaining the ability to talk!? And you already learned some words!? Prove it!"


    [You”­] a somewhat unstable voice came out from the tattoo and gave Nex a shock.


    It actually let out something!


    [You”­ are”­ a”­]


    The voice got increasingly smaller so Nex got his ear close in order to listen.


    [Sucker~]


    The voice suddenly became clear and full of ridicule.


    "..."


    [haha”­ your”­ face”­ perfect”­]


    "Son of a b*tch!"


    [Wait”­ Bastard”­]


    "Quick! Catch him before he cut his hand off!" the girls, that enjoyed the show and couldn''t stop laughing, quickly cooled down upon seeing Nex pull out his sword and frantically ran toward him while Eddie, who couldn''t hear anything, stared at with Nex a horrified gaze as he saw the latter about to stab his sword through his palm.

 69 Tournament Unedited

    "Now you two finally calmed down?" Celes asked with a questioning gaze as if she was an adult asking two little kids that had a fight, which probably not far at all from the truth.


    "Hmph!"


    [hmph”­]


    The two of them snorted while they were each held in their respective restraints. The Tattoo was under a spell that will electrocute him once he tried to say something that Celes will think is offensive or redundant, while Nex had his entire body aside from the tattooed hand was tied by a film of light that had animated joyful puppies that would turn sorrowful the moment he tried to release himself.


    "Must you use such means?" asked Nex(super dog person).


    "Only until I will make sure you don''t cut off your hand because of a stupid tattoo," Celes smiled.


    [Crest!]


    "Which turn me to you," Celes gave the tattoo a glance, "Before I start, how should I call you?"


    [...] the tattoo stayed silent for a moment, [I”­ don''t”­ have”­ a”­ name”­]


    "Oh my?" Celes raised her eyebrow, "So should I give you one?"


    [No”­ only”­ he... can”­] the crest partly shined itself in order to form an arrow that pointed at Nex.


    "Where is this come from?" Nex asked in confusion, "You didn''t say anything about that before."


    [I”­ waited”­ you”­ to... notice”­]


    "How should I know that you, a class crest, need a name?"


    [because”­ I''m”­ sentient”­]


    "Fair point," Nex sighed, "So you want me to give you a name now? Or should we do it later?"


    [Now”­ been... too”­ long...]


    "How about Gud?" Nex thought a bit and asked, "It means fortune in ancient runic alphabets."


    [I''ll”­ take”­ it”­] the tattoo agreed quite quickly.


    "Now that we passed that," Celes opened her mouth again and smirked at the tattoo, "Gud, all three of us know that you just messed with Nex and that there is another reason why his leveling speed is so slow right?"


    [Yes”­] Gud reluctantly answered.


    "Then tell us."


    *Bzzz!* as it was tiring and taking too long to talk normally, Gud returned to its previous language, *Bzzz!* *Bzzz!* *Bzzz!*


    "What?" Nex furrowed his eyebrows and listened while nodding.


    *Bzzz!*


    "I see."


    "Do you have any idea what it saying?" Jane, who stood at the side along with the rest, came next to Celes and asked her.


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    "Not a clue," Celes shook her head, "Probably even those who have this thing couldn''t understand it. It''s just that Nex has a freakish ability of understanding and communicating in strange languages and creatures, he could even speak with normal plants if they have even a bit of conscious inside them."


    "So that''s the story huh?" Nex nodded before raging, "I am so going to beat up that two old men! Who let someone take an early level trial at a place like that!?"


    "What''s the story?" Celes asked curiously.


    "I''ve been duped big time," Nex sigh and shook his head, "Apparently because the temple I did my First Awakening in was meant for much higher Awakenings, my First Awakening trial not only checked my combat strength but also my proficiency and level of abilities that I use. And because I used a [Soul Art] and a [Fusion Art] there, it gave me a Class that meant for Fourth Awakening at the very least. So until I reach Fourth Awakening, not only I don''t get the Class benefits because of my low level and Awakening, the class demerits aren''t restricted by such things at all!"


    "What does that mean?" Celes frowned, she wasn''t that knowledgable in games yet.


    "It means that I will be screwed for quite a while," Nex laughed dryly, "I can''t get quests that doesn''t up to the standard of Fourth Awakening, and instead of gaining the high EXP bonuses of First Awakening that allows me to level quickly as long as I hunt Elite and Lord monsters, I get those of Fourth Awakening that are far lower. And in addition, I could only do my next Awakenings in high-level ways that could as well do Fourth Awakenings at the very least!"


    "But why didn''t you tell that before that?" Nex then questioned Gud with anger, "Or why wasn''t I told about it during the awakening?"


    *Bzzz!*


    "So you say it''s that "A chosen have to find answers himself!" cliche where you couldn''t tell me until I realize it and question you myself?" Nex''s face seemed like he has been told a very stupid thing, "Did I''ve been also expected to have a pendant that links me to my family mysterious background that I am too weak to get close to?"


    *Bzzz?* (Do you really have one?)


    "Of course not!" Nex denied before the tattoo will get any misunderstandings, "How is this even possible!? This isn''t even my real body!"


    *Bzzz”­* (I just asked”­)


    ???


    "I can''t believe I reached from level 15 to 22 in just half a day!" Jane called in wonder as she stared at her current status on their way out from the Dungeon.


    "Yeah me too," Elise nodded in agreement, "Hunting Rare and Elite Bosses sure is rewardful considering their power, only two more levels and I could do my Second Awakening!"


    "Be a little considerate will you?" Celes giggled and pointed at the downcast Nex, "Someone here didn''t level even once."


    ''That''s probably because of you!'' the two smiled wryly, ''Even if he didn''t stay on the side to watch over us and fought himself, how could he level up when you took most of the EXP for yourself and didn''t let us deal most of the damage even toward the end when you already reached level 25! Besides, look at how depressed he is! Is it really okay to say something like right now!?''


    "My Class bonuses”­" the gloomy air around Nex thickened, "I heard that explorers get bonuses that increase Professions abilities amazingly”­"


    "Excuse me?"


    Just as they went out of the Dungeon, someone familiar stopped them and called to Nex.


    "Huh?" Nex woke up from his gloominess and stared at the one who called him, "Oh, it''s you."


    "Finally I got a hold of you," the Adventure Guild Guild Master Frank sighed in relief and then stared at Nex eagerly as if he is seeing great hope in the silver-haired man, "The Mayor and I have been looking for you for something important."


    "Me?" Nex become confused, "What did you need me for? I don''t think I did anything bad right?"


    "No, it''s not like that," Frank shook his head with a wry smile, "There was something that appeared out of nowhere and we would like to seek your help with it."


    "Hmmm”­" Nex thought for a moment and nodded, "Okay sure, lead the way."


    "Thank you," Frank nodded with a smile and turned around toward the City Building, "Then please follow me."


    "You guys wait for me at the dojo," Nex told to the curious bunch and went after the Guild Master.


    ???


    "So you called me here because you wanted me to represent the city in a tournament that will happen in a few days?" Nex furrowed his eyebrows.


    "Yes," Joseph smiled awkwardly while Frank had a similar expression, "This is a tournament that meant for people in First Awakening from several factions such as the Major Cities Adventure Guilds, defense forces such as the military, and noble households. It happens every five years and this time there is a certain reward for those who won the first place that we can''t give up on at any cost."


    Frank nodded emotionally at Joseph''s last words, if they win this reward then they could save themselves from a very scary fate.


    "So you want me to go there?" Nex nodded in understanding.


    "Yes. Normally, we would prefer to send one of the young ones from the Guild, but ever since we heard about the reward we knew we can''t take any chances. And so we request your help in this regard."


    "Okay so moving to the important question, what do I get from this?"


    "Of course aside from the rewards you will get from winning," Joseph nodded at Frank and the latter quickly brought out a few objects, "We heard that you like to cook so we gathered some of the best cooking equipment one could have at your level!"


    "Ohh!" Nex eyes shone and he excitedly examined the equipment one by one before nodding, "Okay! I''ll do it!"


    Joseph and Frank exchanged happy gazes, it was much easier than they expected!


    "Only one thing," Nex''s voice suddenly woke them up.


    "Do you have Louis''s permission to let me do it?" Nex asked, "Because there is a chance things will go there a little crazy and I don''t think he would like that very much."


    "It''s fine," Joseph sighed in relief, "After hearing about the reward, he agreed that having you joining the tournament will indeed bring the best results. He said that you just got strong enough to actually threaten some of the greatest talents in the kingdom and together with your experience you will have quite a good chance to win."


    ''Actually, he yelled at me the moment he heard about the reward to force you to join even if it means you destroying the place and give the entire kingdom a stain in history,'' he murmured internally.


    "Oh?" Nex raised an eyebrow as a smile unknowingly appeared on his face, "He said I have a good chance to win? Louis said that?"


    "Yes," Joseph nodded without understanding what Nex getting at, "If being more accurate. He said that your high-level skills together with your experience will enable you to defeat your enemies without having to be too much in a direct confrontation."


    "Is that so?" Nex laughed as a hint of excitement appeared in his eyes.


    Louis was probably the one who knew his abilities the best inside the game, and if he thought that Nex will have a hard time being in direct confrontation against those he will face there, then that means there is something to look forward to in this tournament.

 70 Meet My Palm Unedited

    "That''s right, breath in the Magic Power in the air not just through your nose but through every pore in your body. Once it enters your body, just let the Breathing technique do the job while you try your best to perceive the changes and adapt to them."


    Nex stood in front of Eddie who sat cross-legged on his bed and executed the Foundation Breathing that Nex has taught him and Roland inside the game. Right after logging off he came to Eddie''s room in order to make sure he won''t try anything wrong with what he just learned inside the game and properly learn how to Cultivate in real life.


    And after a few minutes of executing the Breathing Technique, Eddie''s body shined for a moment and he opened his eyes as an excited look appeared on his face.


    "I”­ I can feel the Magic Power in my body!"


    He couldn''t believe that the day he always yearned for ever since he learned of Cultivation finally arrived.


    "Good, it''s the proof you finished the first step in training," Nex smiled and then extended his hand to put his palm in front of the kid, "Now for you to get aware of your power, give me your strongest punch!"


    "Okay!" Eddie nodded and stood up in front of Nex before throwing a punch with everything he had, including his newly found Magic Power inside his body.


    Although he knew that he had overwhelming physical power compared to those at his age including those who began who already had breakthroughs in their Cultivation, even if the said person told him himself that he is weak, Eddie would never believe that Nex who could casually bring out amazing techniques and fight like a super master is incapable of taking a punch, even if the one giving it was a legendary SSS-Ranked Hunter!


    *Thud!*


    "Ow!"


    And indeed, the punch hit Nex''s palm with a loud sound but didn''t even cause it to budge. On the other hand, Eddie frowned in pain and held his hand that felt as if the muscles and bones he punched were made of steel.


    "Felt any difference from before?" Nex asked as he cast a healing ability on the kid''s hand.


    "It''s”­" Eddie thought back and frowned, "It''s not more powerful by much."


    "That''s right," Nex nodded with a smile, "It''s because you buddy, have a Special Physique."


    "Wow!" although he always suspected he had something like that because of his physical powers, hearing someone like Nex tell it to him still made him super happy, "So I am like Big Sis and Andy?"


    "Not exactly," Nex laughed and patted the kid head, "Your sister has a mainly special soul, while Roland is more of a special race although you two are quite similar abilities-wise. What you have is a body that was born with extraordinary properties. Most of those properties will awaken as you will grow stronger, but there are a few that you already awakened since you were born."


    "One of them, and probably one of the main ones is that your body automatically gather magic power and other energies into your body and use them to the limit available to your age and Cultivation Level, because of that you are far superior in strength to even those who Cultivated from young age even when they use Magic Power. And also because of this, the power you gain while using Magic Power at the current amount and quality you possess will not yield much result compared to the power you have without using them. Your body is just too high quality compared to your magic power!"


    "Then I just need to continue to train and once I posses high enough Cultivation, I will be able to unleash much greater power?" being a very smart kid, Eddie quickly understood what Nex was getting at, "And probably not only that, I will probably become a super-powerful badass at my stage because I will also have a strong body and the awesome techniques you taught me right?"


    "I guess that''s quite right," Nex chuckled and then added with a smirk, "But just to remind you, that your sister told me that if you start showing off and having fights outside the game, then she will give you what she called "A supreme and eternal punishment" and force me, although she probably won''t need much to convince me, to seal your power and give her a magic item that allows her to teleport to you the moment she thinks you don''t do something right, something that I actually have by the way."


    "I just made sure! I didn''t mean anything!" Eddie instantly became pale and quickly shook his head, just as he started to see the light that leads him to social freedom, Nex words reminded him that he still has to be careful with what he does and act.


    "As long as you understand," Nex nodded and his face became serious and solemn, "Now moving on to more pressing issues, did you prepare your strategy for what you would do in school today?"


    "I had some ideas according to what you told me," Eddie''s face became tense as well as he thought about the subject, "What I am thinking of doing is to smile and act normally when I meet her and whenever the subject of coming to her house rises, to nod and say I expect for it as long as whatever she suggest us to do there is not too out of line, in case that subjects of such kind appearing in conversation, I will try to stay calm as much as possible without making sharp movements and respond to her in a way that doesn''t deny nor accept. That way there is the least chance that her attitude will increase or will go toward another dangerous direction."


    "You, my unfortunate friend, are a genius."


    Nex patted Eddie on the shoulder and gave him a thumb-up, "Remeber to always keep your cool and gather information about her that you think will be useful for the future at any chance you get and who knows? Maybe someday you will be able to tame the beast and turn it into an angel."


    "You really think so?" Eddie''s eyes widened and he asked him full of hope.


    "After some thinking, I do," Nex nodded, "After all, I can see you really like this girl even with her "quirkiness" and care for her and try not to hurt her when she is a bit forceful. I trust your character judgment, and if developed such feeling to this girl then she is probably not a bad person."


    "She definitely isn''t," Eddie quickly shook his beet-red face. Although Nex words were super-embarrassing, he knew that they weren''t wrong at all, "I knew her since I first arrived at the school."


    "Ohh? Could I hear about this girl as well?" a cold voice was suddenly heard and made both boys shiver.


    "B-Big Sis! I-" Eddie and Nex quickly turned their head expecting to see Jane only to see someone else.


    "Having the "Talk" I see?" Celes chuckled and grinned at them, "I thought I saw you too acting strange earlier, but who would have thought I would find this."


    "You almost gave the kid a heart attack Celes," Nex sighed and berated her, "We still didn''t tell Jane about this."


    "I didn''t even need to scare like I just did to know that!" Celes snorted and went to the kid who managed to somewhat calm himself down and smiled gently at him, "I am sorry for what I just did sweetie, I was just playing around. Can you tell me about your problem? Woman''s advice on such subjects is always helpful after all."


    "Yes," seeing Cele''s gentle smile and hearing her soft words, Eddie shyness didn''t stand a chance and he nodded and began to tell her about Liz and what happened yesterday.


    "I see," Celes nodded at the end of his story and calmly stood up and went toward Nex before slapping the back of his head, "You moron!"


    "What did I do?" Nex asked feeling wronged, "Is it because I made him accept her request?"


    "If anything it was the only right thing you did!" Celes snorted before sighing and turning back to the freaked out Eddie with a soft smile, "If I get what you said right, aside from letting your sister know about this, you also afraid that she has too much enthusiasm to the point she is crazy right?"


    *Nod* Eddie nodded in confirmation before adding carefully, "It''s not that I hate or afraid from her that much because of that, I''m just afraid that she will rush ahead too much and do something I couldn''t handle at some point. We are just fourth graders after all and we didn''t even have a meeting outside school, although I like her when she suddenly talks about a wedding or calling me names like darling, I couldn''t help but feel freaked out."


    "Aww! You''re such a good kid! So thoughtful and understanding," Celes felt her heart melt at the kid adorable words and she caressed his cheeks gently, "If Nex was even a fourth of you in that regard when I first met him then my life back then would be so much better!"


    "I can hear you!" Nex grumbled


    "Then learn from it!" she barked at him before turning back to the kid again with her warm smile.


    "Eddie listen. Although Nex could be said to have experience with it comes to women, it''s only for the more adult ones. Believe it or not, not just in his elementary school even in the middle of his teen years when I first met him, he was a loner blockhead that didn''t have much of social ability, especially when it comes to girls!"


    "You didn''t have to tell him that," Nex smiled wryly from the side.


    "So when Nex saw how your friend Liz act toward you," Celes ignored him and continued to speak to Eddie, "He didn''t think about her as an enthusiastic kid in love, but as an obsessive woman who has something wrong in her head. I can prove to you that even if she started to send you messages where she talks about a wedding and calling you things like darling, she is just a kid that fell in love with you very much and expressed a lot of her emotions and clearly isn''t someone crazy that want to rush ahead too much."


    "Really?" Eddie''s face became full of happiness, "Can you show me?"


    "Of course," Celes smiled and pointed at Eddie''s communication device, "Open your messages window and show me the messages you received from her."


    "Okay," Eddie nodded and quickly did what she told him and opened the messages window that he didn''t touch since yesterday.


    "Let''s see," Celes smiled and calmly passed through the "passionate" messages and started chuckling when she saw the last one.


    She then hid that message and spoke to Eddie, "Look at the time of the rest messages she sent you, what are in common to them?"


    "They''re all sent at the same few minutes!" Eddie called in surprise, he expected to constantly be bombarded by Liz''s messages so he silenced the message window.


    "That''s right," Celes nodded and showed back the last message, "Now read this last message she sent and the time it was sent."


    Eddie stared at the message that was sent in the evening of that day, and his eyes quickly widened as a result.


    [I am sorry]


    "...What?"


    "Imagine being very excited and as a result sending a lot of embarrassing messages to someone you liked," Celes smiled at his confused face, "What would you do when you calmed down and realized what you did?"


    "Oh”­" both Eddie and Nex, who watched from the side, called in understanding and realized how much her words make sense.


    "Boys," Celes shook her head at the two and smiled, "Now that we finished with this, time to move to the more pressing thing."


    "What is it?" Eddie and Nex stared at her with respect and asked.


    "Guess," Celes smirked.


    ???


    "Make sure to be careful and try to not show your power at all" Jane instructed Eddie before the school entrance, "And if something happens or you feel something is not okay, then call Nex and me immediately and we will be there at the next moment okay?"


    "Okay, I promise," Eddie nodded and stared at Nex who stood next to them with a smile. He then remembered what Celes told him not long ago and he finally gathered enough courage.


    "Big Sis I have something I want to tell you."


    "Hmm?" Celes tilted her head with a smile, "What is it?"


    "A girl from my class invited me to her house next Saturday," he took a deep breath and added, "Just me."


    For a moment Jane seemed to freeze before returning to normal in an instant and smiling warmly, "Oh my, how lovely. Do you like this girl?"


    "Yes," he nodded shyly and sighed in relief inside, ''It seems I worried too much! Big Sis won''t start to do absurd things just because I''m with a girl!''


    Again, Jane froze in place, this time for a bit longer, before nodding happily, "Then it''s all good! Now quickly go to school before you''ll be late!"


    "Okay!" Eddie beamed from happiness and gave Jane a big hug before running toward the school.


    Nex stared warmly as the kid met at the entrance an embarrassed girl that waited for him with a red face and muttered something to him shyly, to which Eddie returned a gentle smile and a few words that made the girl turn extremely happy in a moment and give him a hug.


    And at that moment, Nex suddenly felt a very ominous feeling that almost gave him goosebumps.


    "Jane," he smiled wryly and turned to the young lady next to him that kept giving off a creepy feeling, "You are okay with him going to that girl''s house right?"


    "Of course I am!" Jane smiled as if he said something silly, which caused him to sigh in relief until the next sentence.


    "As long as that sl*t isn''t there, I don''t mind at all."


    Nex began to sweat as he saw Jane stood up and starting to walk toward the school so he quickly went after her and caught her hand, "What are you doing?"


    "Nothing~" Jane answered in a strange tone, "I''m just going to have a conversation with that b*tch who didn''t realize she isn''t worthy."


    "You leave me no choice," Nex sighed and teleported them away in an instant to Jane''s house.


    "Why did you bring us here?~" Jane''s seemed to start to lose it as she tilted her head at Nex and spoke in a creepy tone, "All I wanted was to teach that vixen a lesson and make sure she would keep her-"


    *Spank*


    "Ow!" Jane seemed to wake up as she covered her bottom with a slightly pained expression, she then glared at Nex with a red face that full of embarrassment and shame, "What the hell was that!?"


    "Meet my palm," Nex lifted his hand while presenting it with his other one as if he was advertising a special device, "From now on, whenever you start to go overprotective and try to mess with Eddie social life, your rear will get to meet my friend over here at a high velocity."


    "Are you crazy!? This is my brother and I get to chose with who he-"


    *Spank*


    "He can do it very well himself."


    "Damn you! He''s just ten years old! How could he know anything-"


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    *Spank*


    "Because the other party is also ten years old."


    "As*hole! So you gonna keep spanking me just because I care for my little brother!?"


    "No," Nex shook his head and then smirked, "Not just because of that."


    *Spank*


    "But also because I found it quite fun to do!"


    "I''m gonna kick your a*s!"

 71 The New Rule Unedited

    "Yo Louis! I didn''t see you here earlier, where you were?"


    Upon logging back into the game together with everyone, Nex saw Louis giving Roland his morning training and quickly called to him as he didn''t see him before when he returned from the meeting with Joseph and Frank and Roland was left with Dafne, the Head Priestess of the city church and Frank''s wife.


    "Don''t make me think about it!" Louis seemed quite haggard as if he been through a quite tough time and when he heard Nex words he seemed to shiver for a moment before sighing and sending Roland to be with the rest of the group.


    "Dafne mentioned that you went to an emergency meeting for the Saints and high-ranked fighters and personal of the kingdom," Nex seemed to remember before smirking, "Did the other boys ganged on you and beat you up because you were the least popular one among them?"


    "As if! They didn''t have balls to even let a wrong squeak as long as they were in that damn place!" Louis snorted as if he heard something stupid.


    "Then who harassed you?" Nex became curious, what was that place that even Saints are too afraid to make a wrong sound there and make Louis look like he been through a very stressful time.


    "The most frightening person in the kingdom," Louis sighed as a bit of fear appeared on his face, "My boss."


    "If I remember correctly, then it''s the Kingdom Protector right?" Nex confirmed, "Is it him the one that called the emergency meeting? What was it about?"


    "She wanted to warn us not to try any tricks during the upcoming tournament," Louis smiled bitterly and then stared at Nex with pleading eyes that the latter didn''t see before, "I know that you will have a tough time there and there is a good chance that even you won''t be able to handle what you will be up against there. But please win this tournament! Or else the Guild Masters, Joseph and especially I will have a hell to pay."


    "Before I ask about what that prize is, there is something else I want to address to first," Nex smiled before his expression turned strange, "Didn''t you said to Joseph and Frank that I have a good chance to win? Why did you just say that there is a good chance I lose instead?"


    "Because in this tournament, the Kingdom Protector added a new rule," Louis became very depressed, "Accumulators are allowed to join."


    "Accumulators?" Nex became serious, although he could guess what are those he still asked.


    "You probably know them by another name," Louis shook his head, "Anyway they are those guys who continue to train for a long time in early and middle stages before they breakthrough in order to advance at a fast pace later on while being invincible in their level."


    "Those huh?" Nex frowned, this new rule complicated things quite a bit, "I guess that there are those who had their base power at the early stage Second Awakening while retaining their rank right?"


    "At the very least," Louis smiled bitterly, "At least that''s the kind of level our city has because we are the ones that are the least specialize in this kind of training among the major factions in the kingdom, other places probably have those who reached the middle stage in addition to having sickening abilities and bloodlines."


    "Damn that''s bad," Nex whistled, "And I guess that using an artifact that raise your stage will not be seen lightly right?"


    "If anyone would be seen with anything like that, all of the faction behind him will suffer for quite some time," Louis muttered as if he was trained to say that sentence, "That scary woman made it quite clear."


    "Bummer," Nex sighed before asking what bothered for quite a while, "What is that reward that all of you guys so eager to get? To see not only Joseph and Frank but also you acting like that and saying that you will be saved if you get it, what is it exactly?"


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    "Something I hoped for a very long time," Louis eyes filled with hope, "The winning faction will be allowed not to come for the annual seminar of that damn woman."


    "..." Nex became quite stumped, who the hell was this Kingdom Protector that made the Saint so scared and eager to win?


    "I guess it will be better not to meet her until I will have the ability to escape right?"


    "Once you are able to do it, then teach me as well," Louis nodded somberly.


    ???


    "So because of the tournament I need to go and do some preparations until it starts," Nex explained to the group, "Since Sapphire will be asleep for a while in order to adapt for the Prime Force, I''ll need to gather a few more cards up my sleeve in order to have a proper chance to win."


    "But we just started to hunt together!" Eddie called in disappointment.


    "We both know that until you become strong enough, I can''t truly hunt together with you," Nex smiled and patted his head, "So grow stronger until I come back so that together we will be able to take on the strongest bosses like it was nothing okay?"


    "Okay," Eddie''s mood became a bit better and he nodded.


    "But Teacher I don''t understand," Elise showed a confused face, "What are those Accumulators that because of them you have to go prepare so much? Aren''t they just at First Awakening as well?"


    "It''s not that simple," Nex shook his head, "There are three main ways to advance in strength here from what Louis told me."


    "Advancers, they progress the fastest and grow their rank along the way, this is the way that most of the people train in."


    "Rankers, that put an emphasis on training their rank as they grow, so although they do not advance very fast they are very strong in their level because of their high rank. Usually, you need some talent in order to train this way at a good pace."


    "And finally, Accumulators, when they reach the peak of an early stage such First or Second Awakening they don''t break through and continue to train even when their rank reaches the limit of the stage, they do it for a long time until they transform and naturally breakthrough to the next stage."


    "You can never think of those people as normal, not power-wise and not talent-wise," Nex expression became serious and made the other tense, "During their training, they not only reach the limit of the current stage but also able to grasp the power of the next stage while retaining their rank power and not breaking through at all. In other words, while they are still at First Awakening they can have the power of a Second Awakening Boss, and not necessarily an early stage one."


    "What!?" everyone became shocked, having such high capability at a stage while they are just at the stage below, just how ridiculous those people to be able to do it!?


    "That''s just a side bonus and not the real reason why people walk this path," Nex shook his head, "To be able to gain power like that once you reach a stage limit is something only a very few people can do, but once they breakthrough, not only does their power is far stronger at the same level but their advancement speed skyrocket and the time that take them to reach the peak of their current stage is substantially shorter than others. And if they manage to gain again the power of the next stage again while still being in the peak of the current one their power and advancement speed will increase greatly again once they breakthrough."


    "Although I will face in the tournament only those in their First Awakening, if I didn''t make a contact with Sapphire and got Prime Force, my chances to win would have been almost zero. In fact, my power right now is not enough if I want to win a fight without using almost all of my powers at an early stage of the tournament."


    Those words landed on the group like a bomb, the people there will be at the same level and stage as Nex, and yet the odds for him to win are against at him to such degree. They couldn''t comprehend at all what kind of horrifying existence were those Acculumators.


    "Do you really have to participate in that tournament?" although she was still fuming at him because of the "disciplining treatment" he did to her this morning, Jane couldn''t help but ask at worry upon hearing the details of what he will be up against.


    "I have no choice," Nex shook his head with a somber expression before pulling out a broken pan that had a big hole in its middle that seemed to be made by a brutal acid, "Just look at this! All I wanted was to add a bit of snake venom for the taste and this happened! This won''t do! I need to get the best tools I could if I want to properly cook in this game!"


    ''It is a steel pan! Who the hell add to his cooking a venom that could do such things to a freaking steel pan!?'' this thought was on everyone''s head as they looked at Nex''s righteous expression as if they hoping for him to say it was a joke.


    Only Celes put her palm on her face and shook her head, "How could I not expect such moronic thing to happen."


    ???


    "So I got to Paragon rank just because I defeated that Devil?" Nex asked as he examined his new Adventure Guild Badge that adorned a golden star instead of the previous silver one. Upon arriving at the Adventure Guild, he was immediately led to Frank''s office where he was suddenly told that he got a rank-up.


    "And also because you massacred thousands of demons right before that," Frank added with an apologetic smile, "I''m sorry that I didn''t tell you earlier it''s just that there were more pressing subjects in the other times we met."


    "Nah it''s fine," Nex shrugged and put the badge on, "Its actually came at good timing. I came here to get places outside of the city that may have a monster or something along that line that is at least a Lord Boss in the rank and Early Second Awakening in the Awakening stage. I also need locations that have a very high concentration of elements, it doesn''t matter what kind of element it is I just need its concentration and spiritually as high as possible. I heard about the new rule of the tournament and I need to make preparations and some training by myself if I want to have a proper ability to contend there."


    "I see," Frank nodded seriously and signaled to the receptionist that led Nex to his office, "Led him to the archive and give him what he wants and check if there are any active missions or warnings about those places."


    "Right away," the receptionist nodded respectfully before turning to Nex with courtesy, "Please follow after me, Sir."


    "Sure no problem," Nex was about to follow her before suddenly turning back to Frank, "I almost forgot the most important thing! I heard that the Adventure Guild has a special paint that can stay on Travelers'' body even after they resurrect, is that right?"


    "Yes," Frank nodded while feeling confused, "We have two types, one for creating crests or seals, and one for simple marking that doesn''t have any effect."


    "Just what I need!" Nex eyes brightened, this made things a bit easier.


    "Give me both types! From the first type give me enough for a few crests."


    "Okay," Frank nodded, although that type was expensive, this small amount was more than manageable, "And from the second type?"


    "I think about enough for”­" Nex remembered the several hostile gazes that followed him on his way here before smirking.


    "Around a guild of Travelers?"

 72 The First Example Unedited

    "Haha! You poor trash! I want to see how you will fight back now!"


    Zac laughed arrogantly as he and the hundreds of guild members of his guild surrounded Nex in the middle of a forest clearing outside the city.


    "Yeah, yeah, keep talking," Nex dismissed his words with a casual wave of his hand and painted over the cut-out parts of a large piece of paper he laid on the ground while occasionally placing magic stones, "With a bit more time you waste instead of attacking me and I will be done here."


    "So you actually a fool who only knows a few fancy moves huh?" even though he was angry from Nex words, he still laughed coldly as he knew he had the absolute upper hand in this situation, "There are hundreds of us here with more than a fifth that already got their Second Class while you, who still at the same level since last time, are by yourself here! No matter what you are scribbling there, it will never be enough to help you defeat even a tenth of us!"


    "Then why aren''t you attacking already?" Nex casually asked with lifting his head, "And also why did you bring so many people if you think you can defeat me with a couple of those with Second Class?"


    "Simple," Zac smiled as if he hoped for Nex to ask this, "Because I wanted to show you-no, everyone, the fate of those who offend me!"


    "From now on, every time you or your friends get out of the city, they will meet with a force of at least this level and will be chased and killed until they will delete their Game Character and kneel in front of my place in real life!"


    "Wow," Nex still didn''t seem to care as he stared at the now complete Magic Array while rubbing his chin before nodding and pulling out a strange gallon that had a few magic circles on it, he then replied while putting the gallon on the array, "Do you read a lot of novels or something? I didn''t think someone will actually act like that in real life."


    "What is that thing?" Zac frowned as he didn''t recognize this equipment that Nex has brought out, and it gave him a bad feeling.


    "It''s a storage that usually water magicians uses when they want to fight with water that had special properties, the Adventure Guild had a spare one so I borrowed it," Nex made sure that the gallon was placed right and then opened it, and when he saw that everything is alright he smirked and pulled out his sword, "But what I put here wasn''t water."


    And at the next moment, he stumped on the ground and the Magic Array began to shine.


    In a moment, two semi-transparent domes spread from the Magic Array and in an instant, one trapped all of Zac''s army inside it, and the other covered the Magic Array while Nex was inside it.


    "What is this?"


    "Did he just created a barrier!?"


    "How did he made it so big!?"


    Several people tried to hit the big barrier, some of them had done a Second Class advancement, but the barrier only vibrated a bit before at the attacked place before returning to normal.


    "It''s futile," Nex smiled, "I used good materials for this thing, plus this being a mana-enriched area. Unless you kill me or get a few people above level 40, you won''t be able to get out in the next few minutes."


    "Now to give you some motivation for the first option," Nex gave a devious grin and touched the gallon.


    And like a fountain, colorful liquid shot out from the gallon to right before the top of the big dome and began to rain on Zac and his army before they could even notice, painting all of them with a large variety of colors.


    "What is this paint!? It doesn''t come off!"


    "I want him dead!" Zac pointed at Nex with rage and yelled while spitting a large amount of paint. He actually dared to play such a childish trick on them!? Unforgivable!


    And right as Zav finished his words, dozens of shinning arrows made their way toward Nex, some of them considerably faster than others.


    "Finally for the fun part," Nex smirked and swung his sword around in a wide arc the moment the arrows where shot.


    ''[Absorbing Storm]''


    And when the fastest arrows were only a third of the way to, a silver whirlwind occurred and absorbed all of the arrows'' magics and ruined their momentum before exploding to all directions together with the magics it absorbed.


    *Boom!*


    "Argh!"


    Although the explosion and the magics weren''t strong enough to kill the Warriors that stood at the front and took the attack, it did knock them to the ground along with blasting to death most of the Thieves that tried to assassinate Nex using stealth.


    "Where did he gone to!?"


    Once the place that Nex was just seen at was visible again, the attackers became anxious as the man himself was nowhere to be seen.


    "He''s-"


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    ''[Martial Secret: Full Moon]''


    And before one the magicians that stood in the middle lines could yell that Nex was right in front of him, there was a flash of Nex''s sword followed by a thin circle of silver energy that expanded rapidly and in an instant, sliced through dozens of people.


    "What the hell!?"


    "Everyone there has been sliced to two!"


    "There were even Second Class there!


    Horrified cries were heard from everywhere as in just a moment, a quarter of the players that just a few seconds ago surrounded Nex fall dead on the ground, creating a scene of a massacre.


    "Damn! It started to record too late!"


    Instead of continuing in his assault during the time that people were still digesting what just happened, Nex actually opened the recordings gallery of the system and checked how the video of his attack came out.


    "Never mind," Nex sighed and shook his head, before smiling toward a certain direction as countless spells and arrows were on their way to him.


    "There are others that recorded it anyway."


    *Bang!* *Bang!* *Bang!*


    Numerous explosions occurred without a stop at where Nex stood, but no one dared to relax, because the barrier still stood strong and uninterrupted.


    "That is quite the firework."


    And indeed, the silver-haired man voice echoed throughout the clearing. And as if they were hidden by a mirage, dozens of magic circles appeared in the sky like they were formed there long ago.


    And as everyone felt their blood going cold, Nex''s voice appeared again.


    "Let me show you how I do it."


    ''[Mana Art: Hundred Thunderclaps]''


    *Boom!*


    An ear-deafening sound rumbled as a hundred pillars of lightning crashed down on Zac''s army at once, killing every player that was in a short radius to them.


    And just like that, the force that not long ago numbered in the hundreds went down to a mere less than thirty.


    "You know?" at some point, Nex appeared between the destruction and began to walk toward Zac, who was the only survivor in the area around him, "When I killed that shitty devil and finally left that disgusting place, I knew that I will still come across people who decided they want to mess my day."


    "But to think that I would get threatened so boastfully by a power so pathetic?"


    His voice was cold as it was arrogant as he swung his hand and created a magic circle above those who survived and still tried to recover from the shock of the attack.


    "This is not enough to even make me laugh."


    *Bang!*


    Zac''s eyes widened in horror upon seeing the now-headless corpses that made him certain of one fact.


    Among the hundreds of players that he led here today, he was now the only one who still remain alive.


    "Stop! Stop! Stay away!" he let out a shriek when he realized that Nex is about to arrive to him and quickly tried to run away. Even as an expert S-Rank Hunter in real life he never came across something as nearly as terrifying as this silver-haired monster.


    "You didn''t listen did you?"


    "Gah!"


    But before he got away more than even a few meters, Nex appeared in front of him and grabbed him by the neck and lifting him up with one hand while holding his wooden sword, that began to shine and transform, with the other.


    "I don''t like it when people don''t listen when others speak."


    As he was choked by Nex vice-like grip, Zac desperately tried to reach the system menu in order to log out of the game. But before he could succeed a flash of a shinning blade passed past his eyes and a pain he didn''t think was possible rampaged from where his hand was once where.


    "Ahhh!" he felt the hold on his neck slightly loosen and he immediately used his freed airways to yell madly from the excruciating pain.


    "Ohh?" Nex raised his eyebrows, "Your soul''s strength is so poor. And yet you are able to yell so energetically after suffering amputation by Soul Sword? The pain reduction of Professional mode is indeed impressive."


    "Too bad that the pained screams of low life people like you aren''t good enough for my standards."


    Nex sighed and tightened his grip again, silencing the cries.


    "Normally I would not give so much attention to power and mob as weak as yours, especially since it just a game."


    Nex shook his head before a rampaging aura of killing intent and rage suddenly shot out from him and spread in all directions like a flood.


    [Killing Intent] restrained by [Dragon Fear]


    "But you actually dared to threaten my friends, say you will make them stop doing something they enjoy doing and even break their spirits."


    Even if Zac was released right now, he would have not been able to yell at all. Because even his wounded soul has been paralyzed by this terrible feeling that seemed like he was standing in front of death itself.


    "And because there are bound to be other people who would want to do it at some point, you shall be the first example."


    And at the moment he finished saying that, he stabbed the Soul Sword into Zac chest with the sword tip pointing at the highest point of the barrier.


    "[Soul Sword Third Art: Soul Inferno]"


    And at the moment Nex said the first words, Zac''s body shot out from while his body shine like a firework. And when Nex finished the last word of the technique as Zac was about to hit the barrier, Zac''s body shinned and exploded into countless silver flames that rained all over the battlefield.


    And when the shinning corpses and remains of players touched those flames, they began to combust and burn strongly turning the area into a silver purgatory.


    Not only that, the players that stayed as soul-mode to watch and didn''t have their pain sensation at 0% began to feel great amounts of pain when their soul-mode bodies touched those flames, making them quickly log out before they would have to suffer any longer.


    ???


    "Boss what are we going to do now? That guy is a total monster! Forget about roping him in, it''s enough lucky that we won''t get on his bad side!"


    ImperialPride, Imperial Sky Guild Master, stayed silent at his subordinate words as he stared at the silver flames that burned inside the barrier with a somber expression as if he could see the silver-haired man standing unharmed between the flames that even burned the dropped equipment. He was just curious how that mysterious man will retaliate against such force, but needless to say that what he just saw was far beyond his imagination.


    Although they were much stronger than Zac''s Guild and could be considered the strongest guild in the Starshine area, he knew that in front of the power that Nex showed, there won''t be a difference in the outcome should a fight occur.


    "It''s just crazy!" the subordinate continued to complain, "No player could be this strong at the current stage of the game! It''s as if he didn''t need to adapt to the Energies and Laws inside the game and could even proficiently use Skills and Techniques of Top-Rank Hunters!"


    "Say it again!" ImperialPride face changed when he heard his subordinate''s words.


    "That he didn''t need to adapt to the Energies and Laws of the game?" the subordinate became confused, "But even if he was able to do it, there will be no way that he would be able to use the top-level skills from real-life here! He needed to be at a far higher level to do it or else the Laws will reject him!"


    "But what if he used the skills of the game world?" ImperialPride spoke the absurd possibility that rose to his mind.


    "A True Master?" the subordinate asked, "But even if managed to get Skills so strong, to use them to that level is just absurd! Even the most talented NPC in the kingdom will probably have a hard time to do it if they were in his Level!"


    True Master is a nickname used to call the extremely small percentage of Master Mode players that are able to use the true potential of the mode.


    Although it was said that only Master Players are able to create their own skills, the meaning wasn''t that they could just make a skill when they learn the way to execute it to a decent level as this was soon found out to be possible to do by the players of other modes as well. The real meaning was that when Master Players are proficient enough with a skill, they could use it entirely as they wish!


    Whether they wish to execute it in a way that exceeds the safety limit of the system and as a result release an attack that is harmful to both sides, or cast it using various ways that aren''t even imaginable if used through the system, and even casually incorporates other elements and techniques into it, using a skill in all of those ways and more is possible to a Master Player that was able to master their skills abilities to a level that is similar to the talented NPCs inside the game!


    In other words, True Masters are those that went beyond what normal players are able to do and reach the level that only powerful NPC could!


    "But it''s the only possibility," ImperialPride shook his head, he was sure of it because he was a True Master himself, "And unsurprisingly, he was watched with the Absolute Empress that was the only other one who was seen with a similar level of abilities. There must be something behind it or else it would just mean that the talents of True Masters is just too poor."


    "So do we investigate?"


    "No," ImperialPride smiled bitterly as he saw a silver-haired man come out of the barrier without any harm, "We will stay away from them as far as possible, our current power is not enough to handle an opponent at that level. Pass that message to everyone in the guild as well."


    And as if the man had heard him, the Guild Master saw him turn his head toward him and move his mouth to say two words.


    "Smart Choice."

 73 I Wonder If I Was Missed Out There? Unedited

    At a ravaged battle zone in the middle of an ever-burning valley.


    "And that was the one before the last."


    Nex sighed and removed the Mad Demon Mask before stretching a bit in front of the corpse of a Level 35 Lord Boss monster, a giant Salamandar.


    For the last few days, he had been moving around from place to place to hunt the monsters that met his demands and he had long since leveled to level 25 and collected a few pieces of equipment that rose his abilities to a higher level. But that was something that just came along with the hunting and wasn''t the real purpose of the journey.


    "Now let''s finish this quickly before moving on," and after a few moments, Nex finished the stretching and nodded as if the great pain of the Mad Demon Mode had no effect on him, "The next target is the crucial one after all."


    [Salamandar Lord Ring(Unique - Higher)


    Level: 35


    All stats + 90


    Strength + 60


    Mana + 50


    +5% all stats when worn together Salamandar Lord Dagger.


    Flame Creation(Active): The user can create and wield flames he is familiar enough with and know the process of their normal creation(Non-Master Players can create fire they used enough times through equipment or skills). The mana cost of creating and wielding the flames will be in accordance with the flame strength and user overall proficiency with the flame.]


    [Salamandar Lord Dagger(Unique - Higher)


    Level: 35


    PHY.ATK: 500


    MAG.ATK: 350


    +25% Flame Damage


    Flame Blade: By using mana can create a blade of flames that extend from the blade of the dagger. The strength and length of the blade will be decided by the mana of the user and his proficiency in using it(Mana Affinity skill for players of non-Master mode). In addition, if used together with the Flame Creation skill of a similar origin, the created flame will be used to create the blade and its power will increase greatly while the cost of the skills will greatly decrease.


    Durability: 800/800]


    "Finally a new ring!" Nex joyfully put the new ring on and threw the old King Slime Ring away before examining the dagger, "It''s pretty good! Thanks to the Flame Blade option I can be pretty versatile with what I can do with it. And although that because of the level restriction main weapon will be better it''s more than enough to replace my current sword."


    After finishing with the loot, Nex then used his new dagger to cut through the corpse''s head and take out a small gemstone that shone in red.


    "Hello, beauty.."


    [Salamndar Lord Core(Unique - Higher) Level:35]


    "We are going to have some fun together!"


    He then removed the upper part of his clothing to reveal his muscular torso and arms that now had five tattoos inscribed on them, one on the heart area, one on the upper back, one on the lower and one across each arm with all of them shinning in different colors aside from the ones on the heart area and the left arm.


    "I hoped I wouldn''t need to use this crap this soon," Nex sighed and shook his head before his eyes turned resolute and he smiled like a mad scientist.


    "But daddy needs his cooking gear!"


    And along with this line, Nex made a hole in his right arm, right on the center of the tattoo, using his Soul Art imbued finger.


    ''[Soul Art: Connect]''


    And right as it seemed that strange energy was about to come out from the wound, Nex put the Monster Core against the hole and activated another Soul Art.


    ''[Soul Art: Devour]''


    And just as Nex''s soul began to swallow the energy, a furious roar was suddenly heard and the Salamandar Lord will that reside inside the core seemed to awaken and furiously fight against Nex soul.


    "Normally, it would have worked," Nex smirked, "But unfortunately, you met me."


    ''[Soul Art: Soul Slash]''


    And like a mad beast charging toward a swordmaster, as much as the beast was stronger than the swordmaster, it was still cut down without any effort.


    Once the will of the monster was cut down, nothing stopped it or the energy in the core to be absorbed into Nex soul.


    Yet as was expected, the energy that was absorbed wasn''t allowed by a strange force to do anything that would permanently influence the soul. So instead of just letting it dissipate, Nex mixed it with some of his soul force before streaming it into the tattoo that was on his hand.


    As the mixed energy entered into the tattoo, it caused it to progressively shine as if it was filled up before completely shinning in red light.


    Nex then threw the dust left from the core away before closing the wound and entering meditation.


    And after a few minutes, Nex took a deep breath and as he exhaled the tattoo on his chest partly shined for a moment.


    Nex then smiled and opened his eyes, and for a moment they seem to be the same ones as those of the Salamandar.


    "Now it''s time for the big one."


    ???


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    A few hours later on top of a tall mountain a few dozen kilometers away.


    "I had my suspicions when I heard the warnings," Nex smiled and talked loudly as he entered a huge dark cave, "Loud roars of the Royal ranks leaders of the area could be heard sometimes along with several signs of great battles between a beast and a humanoid creature. At first, I thought it was just a few small fights for territory, but when I saw that the reports of the mana in the air didn''t feel right."


    Nex grinned.


    "As if it was charged with electricity."


    And as if it was a sign, crackling sounds suddenly appeared from the depth of the cave, as if someone was overworking a generator there.


    "Normally I wouldn''t believe that something like you would live here," Nex laughed in response and put on his Mad Demon Mask, "But then I saw the report of a few years ago about a young hunter that was lost on this mountain”­"


    *Crackle!*


    "During a bizarre golden lightning storm."


    *Boom!*


    A loud explosion was heard from the depth of the cave and in almost an instant, a golden figure was about to touch Nex.


    ''[Mad Demon Mode]''


    ''[Insulator Hand]!''


    And while moving as if he already did it a million times, Nex dodged the figure punch by a hair breath before catching it by the neck and pinning it to the ground strongly.


    *Bang!*


    "There you are!" Nex beamed at the figure that seemed like it was made pure electricity and kept radiating fearsome power.


    [Impure Lightning Elemental(Imperial Boss) LV:30]


    *Crackle*


    The Elemental opened his mouth widely at Nex as if was yelling at him while he tried to slip free from Nex grip, but only loud cracking sounds could be heard before his body began to shine.


    *Boom!*


    "That''s rude!" Nex flew out of the cave while crossing his arms and being covered with all over his body with the insulating energy that just a moment ago covered only his hand, he then landed on the ground lightly and pointed at his heart, "I saved a spot here for you after all!"


    *Crackle!*


    The Elemental flew out of the cave and "roared" at Nex while shooting lightning bolts in every direction from mid-air.


    "Gotten quite a few emotions from the one you consumed huh?" Nex cackled and pulled out his new dagger while activating his new ring at the same time.


    ''[Create Flame: Esoteric Blaze]X[Flame Blade]!''


    Tongues of strange gray flames came out from the ring and curled around Nex''s body while the dagger in his hand shone and extended from the hilt similarly gray flames that instantly condensed to the shape of his Soul Sword.


    *Crackle!*


    The furious Elemental as a response fired a giant beam of electric energy at Nex, causing the latter to smirk.


    "Time to get rowdy."


    Nex slashed his weapon at the incoming beam a huge arc of gray flames sword energy and to the shock of the Elemental, instead of the expected explosion of conflicting energies, the arc of gray flames just erased his attack as it went through it.


    Knowing he better not get close to this flame, the Elemental to another place like a flash and got himself away from the attack easily, only to hear a jeer behind him before a blade went through him and plunged him to the ground.


    "You didn''t even try it yet~"


    *Boom!*


    The Elemental tried to lift himself up, but along with the blade that nailed him to the ground while consuming whatever power that gets near it, a burning foot pressed his head back to the ground.


    "Give up," Ned gave him a glance while making the sword burn his body more and more fiercely, "Esoteric Blaze is not something that you could just get away from once it caught you, especially if it''s a halfwit like you who''s actual combat level is a grade bellow what it seem to be."


    *Crackle!*


    The Elemental made sounds that clearly said that he was furious and unwilling to lose, and soon enough it began to shine and emit even more powerful force.


    "Trying to have a breakthrough huh?" Nex grinned, "A bit too late for that now."


    But the Elemental was already deranged didn''t listen at all as he tried to raise his Power more and more when he suddenly felt something change in the sword that held it down.


    "[Soul Sword Third Art: Soul Inferno]"


    Nex jumped back as soon as the new silver flames met the gray ones, and watched as they froze to a moment before beginning to mix together and spread across all of the Elemental body and burn it.


    "Esoteric Blaze has various bizarre properties that makes one wonder if it even be called a flame," Nex opened his mouth as he removed his mask, "It does not have heat, nor does it destroy, and even though it considered extremely impure it only consumes impure and unnatural energies, such as an accidental fusion between a stray Elemental and a human. And only a few know that once it meets a flame of an extremely pure kind such as a Pure Soul Flame..."


    *Crackle”­*


    The Elemental made a few last sounds before being completely swallowed by the flames that as a result, started to turn their gray color to gold.


    "The two can create miracles together."


    The two flames then began to condense and grow smaller and smaller without leaving any sign of the Elemental behind, only two pieces of equipment and some coins.


    They continued like that until they shrunk and turned into a shinning golden-silver marble that had an occasional flash of lightning inside it.


    [???(Epic - ???) Level:30]


    "Not sure what this strange mixture is right?" Nex smiled at the question marks that appeared in the item details, "Or it''s just that you think my current knowledge and level are not enough for you to tell me yourself?"


    Too bad for the system, Nex knew exactly what it was and what it could do.


    "But sure enough, I sure was lucky to be able to finish it quickly. if this halfwit didn''t try to breakthrough so late or had enough intelligence to properly use its power, at least half of the mountain would have been destroyed and I would have needed to bring out the big guns. This Imperial Rank is no joke."


    "Which remind me," Nex''s face suddenly turned to an evil grin


    "I wonder if people missed me on the worldwide announcement?"


    [Congratulations!]


    [You are the first one to both kill and solo an Imperial-Rank Boss!]


    [You have received 100,000 Gold!]


    [You have received 1,000,000 Fame!]


    [The Title "The Impossible Man" has leveled up!]


    [Would you like to announce your name? (You can put a nickname)]

 74 Jin Unedited

    [World Announcement: The player "Everyone else is a Noob" is the first to both kill and solo an Imperial-Rank Boss, Congratulations!]


    [World Announcement: The player "Everyone else is a Noob" is the first to both kill and solo an Imperial-Rank Boss, Congratulations!]


    [World Announcement: The player "Everyone else is a Noob" is the first to both kill and solo an Imperial-Rank Boss, Congratulations!]


    "Yes! Haha! I won the bet of when he would do it!"


    "Damn! I missed in just two days!


    "I put my money on that he will kill it together with the Absolute EmpressT_T."


    "Sorry guys if the question sounds stupid, I''m new to the game and don''t understand much. Why did almost everyone here bet that this player will be the first to kill that boss? Isn''t it a different story now that the major guilds have gained a monopoly on most of the hunting zones, treasures, and special Class?"


    "You clearly overestimate the major guilds pal, even their best teams currently doesn''t have the confidence to face head-on a Lord Boss without having over 30% death rate! On the other hand, this bastard soloed a damn Royal Boss on the first day of the game! So whatever mysterious trick he used to kill all those Bosses, it gave him a much higher chance to do it again than the Major Guilds!"


    "True!"


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    "+1!"


    "+2!"


    ???


    "Tch," Nex clicked his tongue in disappointment as he watched the game forums through his watch, "Those guys are no fun! What''s the point of doing things like that if others don''t freak out from this?"


    "Because you already gave them too much shock in an early stage," Celes rolled her eyes at him, "How could you troll them again if you already made them numb from it?"


    "Well, that''s a bummer," Nex sighed and closed the watch before calling out to Jane who just stood at the middle of the training area and had a bothered expression on her face, "Jane I know that you are worried about how Eddie is doing there, but you have to do something that would make you think about something else if you want to get used to it!"


    "Damn you! Who the hell said I want to get used to Eddie playing around with some”­" at this point her voice died down and she blushed when she Nex lifts his palm with a smirk so she quickly found something else to say, "Someone we know nothing about! Who knows what is happening to him there!"


    "You''re too worried," Nex shook his head, "That girl is the same age as him and now that he has learned how to better control his power, she can''t really force him to do anything he doesn''t want to do."


    "And as for her parents-" Nex was about to continue before suddenly smiling and turning to Celes, "Pretend that you have your power level is the same one you had when you were tested."


    "Sure," Celes smiled and nodded, she seemed to sensed something as well.


    "Teacher did something happened?" Elise and Jane became tense at their strange behavior.


    "You will see in a moment," Nex smiled and moved some distance away from them.


    *Boom!*


    A loud sound was heard and reality seemed to fold for a moment before returning to normal. Only that this time a man appeared out of nowhere and held a sword against Nex throat.


    "Nex!"


    "Teacher!"


    "What''s up bestie!" instead of an expected reaction for this kind of situation, Nex actually laughed happily toward the man and beamed at him. It was the man he harassed at the entrance of the school when he picked up Eddie a few days ago.


    "Don''t move an inch," the man hissed at Nex as a response.


    "Nex what the hell is happening!?" Jane asked with a distressed look, that man gave her a terrifying sensation to the level that the only times she felt something close to this was when Nex got angry back when he saved her from the Hunters and the Demon.


    "Allow me to present you to my good friend," Nex smiled and explained, "He''s the father of Eddie''s friend and also the most powerful person in the world."


    "Shut up!" the man barked at him with a furious face, "I don''t want to hear any more of your retarded nonsense! Now answer me this, how long have you and that blonde over there has been staying in this world?"


    "And you just said threw it out to the open huh?" Nex smiled bitterly while Celes sighed and returned her aura to normal before commenting to Nex, "He''s quite sharp isn''t he?"


    "Answer! Now!" the man yelled and a moment after a terrifying pressure came out from him that made the air vibrate and make Jane and Elise feel like they under an ice-cold waterfall.


    "I guess we need to continue this in another place," Nex sighed and grabbed the sword before a flash of light appeared and made the two men disappear in the next moment.


    "To think that there is someone of that level around here," Celes sighed and shook her head.


    "Will Nex be okay?" Jane asked worriedly, "They seemed like they were equal at strength."


    "Yeah, he will be fine," Celes smiled, "He dealt with way worse things."


    "Thank god," Jane sighed in relief when suddenly a shaky voice was heard.


    "Sister Celes," Elise asked with a very confused gaze, "What did that man meant by how long you and Teacher have been staying in this world?"


    ???


    In the middle of a huge desert where not a hint of civilization could be seen for hundreds of miles, two men appeared with one of them holding the blade of a sword that was held by the other.


    "You don''t just reveal a man''s secret in front of his disciple you know?"


    Nex sighed and released the sword while complaining, "I wanted to slowly tell her so that she will not freak out too much at once. What you just did could have been harmful to the great friendship between us!"


    "I don''t give a damn about the little harem game you have!" the man''s expression didn''t change as he continued to glare at Nex while his sword began to shine in a threatening light, "All I want to know is how long you two have been here and which god damn world did you came here from?"


    "Okay, first of all, it isn''t a harem game," Nex commented before thinking a bit and adding with a worried face, "Or at least I hope so."


    "And as for the main subject, is it really how you treat your senior? Honestly, I am quite hurt."


    "My senior?" the man furrowed his eyebrows before suddenly remembering something he was told a very long time ago, "It''s impossible! I have been told that before me there was only one occurrence of dimensional traveling, and it was to the Forbidden Zone! No one should have been able to leave that place once they got in!"


    "I was said to be quite tenacious when it comes to difficult difficult things," Nex shrugged, "And I guess you''re the one that was kidnapped to another place after me? Seeing that you had a hint of Primal Energy I guess you got back before the Earth Awakened. And considering the time flow difference of that time you probably spent in that world a few dozen years before coming back huh?"


    "That''s none of your damn business!" the man barked at Nex before suddenly falling in thought.


    "From what I heard, The Mythical Age world was based on a place from the Forbidden Zone," he murmured before asking Nex vigilantly, "Are you connected to the game?"


    "So you are clueless about that too huh?" Nex smiled bitterly, "I tried to do some checking by myself since the Laws of the place were indeed similar to place I was stuck in, but aside from seeing that the technology they used probably originated from other dimensions and was harmless, I didn''t saw any sign of something weird that might be dangerous so I let it go considering how fun it is and the benefits it brings to the numbskulls Hunters around here."


    "I saw it as well," the man shook his head, "But did you find any hints for those special Spirits that are responsible for souls or where are the game servers? No matter how much I searched I couldn''t find a sign for either of those two."


    "That I can answer," Nex smiled, "The Spirits thing was just a ruse to conceal the fact of the technological level of the game development, the real reason why they are able to do so is that they had the technology to not only duplicate a dimension but even let it develop and create life-based on the original. And the reason they were able to do it in such a short time and not use impossible amounts of data storage is that they created a Virtual Dimension."


    "Virtual Dimension? Like a giant dream realm?" the man furrowed his eyebrows, "I heard it''s possible in technologically advanced dimensions or by a top-level god, but why did someone with that level of abilities will come here just to create a game that can even help Hunters to grow in strength?"


    "You can rule out a god because those guys won''t play around with technology like that. And a scientist will get caught the moment he tried to come here using a machine. So the only possible explanation is that someone from earth reached a technologically advanced dimension, learned there and in other similar places what he could, and then returned here using the way he came, and since he probably just wanted to share his knowledge in a cool way, he worked together with the government and created the game using their results," Nex finished voicing his thoughts before adding.


    "You probably have been thoroughly checking the subject and got similar results as well, you have to admit that there is no proof that shows that there are bad intentions behind that game."


    "At least for now," the man sighed before putting his sword in his spatial storage and glaring at Nex, "I expect from you and your girlfriend to watch yourself as long as you are here. Me letting the puppy brother of one of your little concubines hang around with my daughter and let you go with only a small warning is only because you didn''t do anything bad yet."


    "And I thank you for that”­ except for the concubines part," Nex gave half a smile. As they were both experts, they communicated and got familiar with each other using way more than just words, and the words the man said just now showed that he decided to put his trust at Nex and not make a move against him.


    "Now that I think about that," Nex suddenly said and stared at the man, who was about to go away, with an expectant gaze, "I didn''t get to know your name yet."


    The man froze for a moment upon hearing this, and after a few seconds of silence, he finally sighed and spoke reluctantly before disappearing.


    "Jin."


    ???


    "I''m back," Nex appeared back at the training area with a smile, only for his expression to turn slightly bitter when he saw Elise tearful gaze.


    "So you two just went ahead and told her huh?"


    "Teacher!" Elise immediately ran to him and hugged him while sobbing, "I''m so sorry about your past!"


    "Don''t worry I am already way past that," Nex sighed and gently tried to soothe the young girl before throwing Jane a glance, ''Celes I can understand to do such thing, but you?''


    "Like I could stop her!" Jane sighed in response before asking with a worried gaze, "Did everything went alright? That man seemed very powerful."


    "Well, he is," Nex smiled in assurance, "He is probably the main reason why Earth wasn''t invaded by other dimensions except for the one the Dark Faction originated from. But in any case, we had some nice chat and now we can be called good friends."


    "I see”­" going past the shocking first part of Nex''s words, Jane had a very good hunch that the second part was agreed by only one person.


    "But how did he found out about you two only now?" Jane suddenly realized something strange, "He didn''t seem like he knew that you were on Earth at all."


    "That''s because we already met before when I picked up Eddie from school, " Nex smiled, "He didn''t completely sense it then but when he met Eddie at his home and saw that he trained in a technique that shouldn''t originate from Earth, all he needed was a simple background check to reach me."


    "And now that everything''s alright, " Nex lowered his head and chuckled at the girl that stopped crying for some time now and just kept hugging tightly, "I think it''s time for you to let me go now. There is still some training you wanted to get to do today right?"


    "I don''t care about that!" Elise shook her head like a spoiled kid and hugged him even tighter, "I want to get my compensation for having being told about your past way after Sister Jane!"


    "Err..." Nex smiled bitterly and requested for help with his gaze from Celes and Jane.


    "She has a point," Celes giggled while Jane had a complicated expression before nodding at him and giving him a glare that told him to watch his steps.


    "*sigh*, what do you want?"


    "I want you to go to a movie with me!" Elise declared while blushing.


    "Huh? Is that all?" Nex became confused, he thought that she would ask him to teach her super cool techniques or something, not something like watching a movie. That was a rather unexpected thing to hear from the fighting hardened Elise.


    "Yes!" the blush on Elise''s face didn''t fade and even thickened as she nodded, "I heard there was a new movie that came out that is meant for Hunters and I wanted to see it with someone."


    "Well, I don''t think there is a problem with that," Nex turned his head toward Jane as he already knew Cele''s answer, "Right?"


    Jane stared at Elise who looked at her with a pleading face for a few moments before nodding at Nex with a complicated expression.


    "There you have it," Nex smiled at Elise, "But since I have that tournament in the game for the next few days, we will go to the movie after that okay?"


    "Okay!" Elise beamed and used magic power to tiptoe on the air and give Nex a peck on his cheek before running to Jane and Cele''s to give them her thanks and speak with them on "certain" subjects.


    "..." Nex rubbed his cheek with a wry expression as he stared at the three amazingly beautiful girls that talked among themselves on things that were related to him in one way or another before a certain sentence he was told just a short time ago popped to his head.


    ''...the little harem game you have.''


    "Crap."

 75 Surprising Reunion Unedited

    "Hi, sorry that I''m late guys. Gud found on the way here a field full of rare spice plants and I couldn''t possibly give up on that."


    Nex entered the Adventure Guild with an apologetic smile, but that didn''t stop Louis from bursting at him.


    "Damn your spices! If we would have been late because of you, then I swear I would have tied you and throw you to a field full of poisonous plants!"


    "But I''m not late am I?" Nex smiled and before Louis managed to respond, Eddie called to the former excitedly.


    "Big Bro your gear is so cool! How many Bosses did you hunt to get all this?"


    "I didn''t hunt a large number, but all of those that I hunted were powerful, so you can say I got a lot of good things, " Nex chuckled and patted the kid.


    Expect the boots and one of the rings, all of the other gear Nex got changed. He wore what seems to be a dark-colored mix between a ranger and warrior clothes with metal-like scales at the shoulders, elbows, and knees. Along with that, he had a short red dagger that emanated a blazing feeling strapped to his right thigh, a golden-azure katana at the left of his hip and a pair of blue gloves that although they seemed more like gauntlets they didn''t give the impression that they will impair the dexterity of the wearer at all. In addition, the brown belt, the red and purple rings, the two earrings that managed to look cool although they weren''t the same, and most importantly the golden-azure necklace, all of those accessories kept giving off a powerful feeling as if they proudly exhibit their might.


    When combining all of those things and putting it on someone with charming appearance such as Nex, instead of creating an awkward mix of colors and styles, a very badass image was formed that made most of the girls in the guild, Jane and Elise among them, to blush and stare with a slightly blank look.


    On the other hand, when Louis, Joseph, and Frank saw the katana and necklace, their expression changed and stared at Nex as if he was a monster.


    "Oh, that?" Nex sensed their gaze and shook his head, "I just had some luck and found a halfwit Impure Elemental. Compared to those I will soon be up against it probably doesn''t mean much."


    "*Sigh*As long as it gives us a better chance," Louis sighed before noticing the time and quickly called urgently, "Anyway we need to go right now! I heard that there is a special VIP and If we are late to then this is our doom!"


    At those words, Frank quickly signaled to the guild staff and they opened a portal using a gate they constructed ahead, he then gave a bracelet to Louis, Joseph, and Nex''s group while explaining to the latter, "Since it will be foolish to gather most of the important and powerful people in the kingdom in a single area, we make most of the major gatherings at a small artificial realm while giving everyone a bracelet such as this one that allows them to communicate with the outside world and teleport them back there at a moment notice."


    "Quite convenient," Nex nodded and equipped the bracelet, although he was already at the limit of six accessories he could still use it since this item didn''t have the properties and bonuses of one.


    "Big Brother," he suddenly felt a small hand pulling his clothes lightly, lowering his head he saw Roland staring at him with a smile, "Good luck!"


    "Thanks," Nex smiled and rubbed the head of the kid. Because there is a good chance that his identity gets discovered if he would go there, Roland couldn''t come with them and had to stay even though he was Louis''s disciple.


    "Now let''s go win a tournament!" he called and entered the portal.


    ???


    At the next moment, Nex found himself in a large plaza that was in front of a giant colosseum with peoples appearing everywhere in the plaza in groups.


    "So I guess there is probably an event or something before everything starts huh?" Nex asked Louis and Joseph while the rest stared everywhere curiously.


    "I think it''s because of the special guest," Joseph answered with a smile, "Or else we would have gone directly inside the colosseum."


    "I see," Nex said and stared around while raising an eyebrow as he saw those who would probably participate in the tournament when he suddenly felt a certain presence. And in an instant, he turned toward that presence direction and ran there while pulling his dagger and activating its and the ring''s skill.


    Nicolas, who was in the middle of instructing his group, suddenly felt an ominous feeling at his back and when he turned around he saw a certain silver-haired man slash a green blade of flames at him.


    "I finally found you! you bastard!"


    "Hmph!" although he was quite shocked to see Nex here, he still snorted and waved his hand to form a barrier that blasted the blade along with its wielder backward, "It is far too early for you to land a hit on me!"


    "I didn''t mean to hit you," Nex smirked and stood up.


    "Hmm?" Nicolas suddenly felt something strange in his mana along with a terrible smell that entered his nose and he saw that the barrier he put up was burning in the ugly green flame that even burned his connection to it, but instead of burning anything aside from a minuscule amount of mana it did nothing aside from giving off a horrible smell!


    "What kind of flame is that!?" Nicolas called in distress up realizing that even after he put out the flame the smell still stayed.


    "The one that will leave a smell for the next few days!" Nex answered with a bright smile.


    "Damn you!" Nicolas fumed, "What the hell a jinx like you is doing here!?"


    "Haha!" a laugh was suddenly heard and Louis came to the scene with a grin, "I had a hunch since this bastard came from your area, but to think you actually messed with him! You sure are unlucky Nicolas!"


    "Louis you old dog!" Nicolas gritted his teeth at the fellow Saint. Now that he was here he couldn''t get back at Nex without causing a scene, "Didn''t you locked yourself up in your little dojo? Why are you here with this fool!?"


    "For the same reason you are here for!"


    "What!?" Nicolas became shocked, that damn jinx was participating!? But before he managed to answer a voice suddenly echoed throughout the plaza.


    [Welcome everyone to the First Awakening Tournament!]


    [But before we start, let''s all welcome our special guest who wanted to bless us with her presence!]


    And at those words, a gate of light appeared in a balcony that extended out of the colosseum and a small figure stepped out while still shinning in light.


    "Hmmm?" Nex the icon of the inventory suddenly began to blink and he curiously took out the now-shining small token he received some time ago.


    [Her Ladyship Iris!]


    The face of the more experienced people here, with Louis and Nickolas among them, changed upon seeing the adorable little elf girl and they immediately straightened themselves in anxiety, too afraid to do anything out of place while a single thought passed in their head.


    Of all people, why it had to be her!?


    Seeing that everyone in the plaza were silent, Iris was about to open her mouth when suddenly a yell could be heard loud and clear.


    "Iris!" Nex yelled while cupping his hands over his mouth before waving his hands with a smile, "I''m over here!"


    Everyone who knew Iris identity felt their blood turn cold while Louis and Joseph''s faces drained of color and they were about to pin Nex down and beat him up before begging for forgiveness when something they never imagined of happening occurred.


    When Iris first heard Nex''s voice, she froze and stared at the waving Nex blankly, before her face turned into one big smile and she called back.


    "Daddy!"


    "..."(Everyone)


    "Huh?"(Those who didn''t know Nex)


    "Huh!?"(Louis, Joseph, and Nicolas)


    "What!?"(Nex''s group)


    "Maple help me reach him!" Iris called and jumped off the balcony before a small fairy grabbed her back and extended her wings before beginning to fly while holding the girl.


    "Iris missed you so much, Daddy!" Iris told Maple to let go of her and began to fall from mid-air toward Nex.


    "Iris!" Nex called in surprise and quickly jumped to the air to catch the falling child into his embrace.


    "That was a very dangerous thing to do!" Nex berated the little girl without hiding the smile on his face.


    "I don''t care!" Iris pulled out her tongue and giggled while hugging Nex tightly with the little fairy landing on his hair and joyfully cuddling with it, "I knew that Daddy will catch me no matter what!"


    "Well aren''t you a spoiled one?" Nex smiled and pinched the little elf''s nose, "How do you think I need to punish you?"


    "I am not allowed to go away from you from now on!" Iris gave a sneaky smile and rubbed her head against Nex chest, "I''ll feel reaaaally bad because of that!"


    "Is that so?" Nex chuckled and kept holding her. He wasn''t completely sure why, probably because she appeared so similar to "her", but he couldn''t help but become more and more fond of this little girl to the point that she now feels like a very dear person to him.


    "Nex~" a voice was suddenly heard behind, one that as much as it was beautiful, it also caused him to shiver for a moment.


    "Could you tell me what it is all about?~" when he turned around he saw Celes smiling brightly without seeming that happy while Jane stood behind her with a somewhat similar expression, "I don''t remember you having played this game long enough have a daughter right?"


    "Y-You''re wrong Celes!" Nex quickly replied while even stuttering a little, but as he opened his mouth to explain he suddenly stared at the happy child in his embrace and sighed before he sent a mental message to the group using Soul Force.


    ''[It''s because this child is coming from the Celestial Moon Clan. That clan has a similar soul structure to mine, and since this child had the ability to sense souls, she is thinking of me as her father who she never met. I had a little adventure with her when I was still in the beginner village and that''s how we got to know each other.]''


    "I see-" Celes observed Iris with a complex expression who she now could properly examine and was about to answer to him, but before she could finish her words the latter already opened her little mouth.


    "It''s not that I "think" Daddy!" Iris twisted her cute nose and hugged Nex''s neck as if she was declaring that he belongs to her, "Iris sure that you are my Daddy! Even if you say no, Iris still sure at that no matter what!"


    "You heard that?" Nex gave an awkward smile while being slightly surprised on the inside, her talent when it comes to sensing souls in a close range must be freakish to be able to listen to his hidden mental message like that, ''With just that she probably is one of the best magic and soul arts talent I ever saw, not to mention Maple that boost up many more talents along with Spirit affinity to a freakish degree!''


    "How about you meet my friends?" Nex asked in order to appease Iris pouting before smiling as he saw he got her attention.


    "She is Celes. And that''s Jane. That one is Elise, she is my disciple. And this is Eddie, he is about two years older than you-"


    But before Nex finished, Iris already jumped down from his hands and walked to Celes who she stared at since the introduction. They then stared at each other for a few moments, Celes with a strange face and Iris with a discerning one.


    "Big Sister you''re so pretty!" Iris suddenly exclaimed before asking with a suspicious face, "And you also have Daddy''s smell all over your soul”­ are you perhaps my second Mommy?"


    "..." Celes continued to stare at Iris for another moment before sighing and smiling brightly at her, "That''s right! I am your second Mommy! And let me tell you another thing."


    She then caught the hand of the surprised Jane who stood behind her and dragged her forward.


    "She is your third Mommy!"


    "Hey! Celes!" Jane called in surprise to the golden-haired woman, but before she could open her mouth further an adorable small figure stood in front of her and examined her.


    "Nice to meet you Third Mommy!" Iris beamed cuteness directly Jane before calling in wonder, "Wow! Your soul is so beautiful! I can see why Daddy loves you!"


    Being innately weak against cute things, Jane couldn''t stand a moment before the charming little elf that smiled at her like a holy angel.


    "You''re the one that is beautiful Iris!" heart-eyed Jane immediately crouched and hugged the girl, "Nex must have used the luck of ten lifetimes to get a daughter as good as you!"


    While Jane cuddled with Iris, Nex gave a slightly sad smile to Celes who stared at him with a similar expression. Iris''s appearance reminded them of a very precious someone that was no longer with them.


    After Iris got out of Jane''s embrace, Nex continued his introductions and showed her the last two people that came with him. Louis and Joseph.


    And when Iris turned to the two, not only them but all of the higher-ups that came to the tournament went down on one knee or bowed respectfully.


    "It''s an honor to see you! Royal Prophetess!"


    "En," Iris nodded in approval, "At ease."


    "Err”­" Nex smiled awkwardly as he saw the tense expression that still stayed on the face of the NPCs here and turned to Iris who received all of this with a very calm gaze.


    "Iris”­"


    "Yes Daddy!" Iris turned around and beamed at him instantly.


    "You didn''t tell me you were a big shot around here," Nex said wryly as he saw the instant change in attitude that the little elf did.


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    "Is it bad Daddy?" Iris''s little face turned teary and she quickly asked.


    "No! No!" Nex immediately shook his head and even found himself crouching in front of the kid and soothing her without noticing, "I was just surprised that''s all! After all, I wasn''t aware that Iris is so amazing!"


    "Hehe," Iris''s face changed again back to a bright smile and she hugged Nex while giggling in joy, "I knew that Daddy is the best! Other people immediately get scared or act strange the moment they learn of it!"


    "O-oh? is that so?"

 76 Iris Background And First Fight Unedited

    As Iris''s opening speech was canceled to an unexpected occurrence, everyone was quickly lead by the staff of the tournament to their respective booths inside the coliseum in order to finally start the tournament.


    As she wanted to stay as close to her Daddy, Iris stayed with the group as they were led to their booth.


    When they arrived, Nex saw that Louis seemed to want to say something to him. So after he convinced Iris to stay with everyone, he walked out with Louis.


    "You bastard! Do you want to get us all killed!?" the moment they walked away from the booth, Louis grabbed Nex''s neck and began to shake it without even giving the latter time to react.


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    "What the hell did you do to her ladyship that she is treating you like that!? Do you even aware of what kind of forces did you just messed with!?"


    "I didn''t do anything!" Nex quickly defended himself, "It''s because of her race!"


    "What do you mean her race?" Louis asked suspiciously, "No one knows a thing about her and her mother race!"


    "That is quite a rare clan after all," Nex sighed as he felt the grip on his neck loosen, "They have a special soul attributes since they were born. And because I also have those attributes that kid saw me and thought of me as her father who she has never met."


    "Are you kidding me!?" Louis called while cursing his luck for putting him in this horrible mess, "Just what kind of horrible things I did in my past life to get involve in that kind of mess!?"


    "It is quite funny huh?" Nex scratched the back of his head, "What exactly is her background anyway?"


    "Much worse than you could imagine," Louis shook his head, "Just with her position as the Royal Prophetess she is among the most important people in the kingdom, not to mention who her mother is."


    "Her mother?" Nex seemed curious.


    "We already spoke about that person," Louis depression seemed to hit rock-bottom, "She is one of the most powerful and terrifying people in the continent and the absolute powerhouse of the country."


    "The Kingdom Protector."


    ???


    "No! I am staying here with Daddy and his friends!"


    When Nex and Louis returned to the booth they saw Iris yelling angrily at a familiar middle-aged Elf in butler clothes and a pair of identical-looking maids that seemed to be past their fifties.


    "Daddy! You back!" Iris''s angry expression immediately turned happy upon seeing Nex enter the room and while ignoring the people she just yelled at, she quickly ran to him and jumped straight to his embrace and coiled her legs and arms around his torso like a baby koala.


    The two maids'' eyes widened upon seeing that scene while the butler elf frowned deeply, "Your Highness! Please behave yourself and come with us! You''re the main guest of this event and you shouldn''t act in such childishness!"


    "I don''t care about that grandpa James!" Iris pulled her tongue at him and hugged Nex even tighter, "Daddy said that I act as I want around him! And besides, Mommy promised to me I am allowed to do whatever that I want here! So I am going to stay here with Daddy!"


    Seeing their little lady, that until now acted perfectly elegant and obedient without ever showing such rebellious side outside of the home, the maids stared at Nex with shock before starting to giggle while James'' face turned red and he threw Nex a furious gaze before sighing.


    "Very well, since you have Her Eminence permission, then so be it. But I still suggest you to let go of that man, his fight is about to begin."


    Nex smiled bitterly when he heard James''s tone when he called him, ''But it is kinda my fault huh?''


    "Ah!" Iris let out a cute cry when she suddenly noticed that James was right and the stand in the booth that is meant for participants is glowing for some time now, "Daddy I''m sorry! Here, let me give you good luck blessing I always get from Mommy before you go!"


    And before Nex managed to react, Iris gave him a peck on his cheek and jumped down before leading him to the glowing stand, "Put your hand on this and you will get transported to the arena. Now quickly go before they will disqualify you!"


    Realizing he is about to enter a fight, Nex''s mind instantly turned sharp and he turned around to everyone with a smile before putting his hand on the stand.


    "See ya in a moment!"


    ???


    At the next moment, Nex found himself in the arena of the colosseum with another two people each equal distance from him and from each other.


    "So in the preliminary stage, it''s three people against each other huh?" Nex murmured while doing some light stretching and staring back at his opponents who examined him warily, a thief and a swordsman.


    Both were peak first awakening Lord Bosses and around their mid-late teens.


    "I guess that you were told to not go easy on me because of my relationship with Iris?"


    "That''s right," the swordsman nodded slowly while the thief tightened the grip on his daggers. Even though it was seemingly just a normal Traveler in front of them, if the Sword Saint only sent him to participate in the tournament then they would never be foolish enough to treat him like one.


    "Her Eminence the Kingdom Protector released a message that no one is allowed to hold back against you no matter how much Her Ladyship is fond of you."


    "Great," Nex smiled widely, "I was afraid that the tournament will get too boring if people will get too cautious around me."


    He then pulled his dagger and played around with it before smirking at the two.


    "Now come."


    The two didn''t need any more than that to immediately enter into action.


    The thief moved and instantly disappeared into thin air while the swordsman charged at Nex with speed and power that shouldn''t be possible for someone at his stage, closing the distance to Nex in a moment and slashing his sword at him.


    "Above level 30 huh?" Nex murmured right before the sword hit him, part of his upper back shone and he disappeared from where he was leaving only an afterimage behind.


    ''From behind!'' the swordsman quickly slashed while turning in place the moment he sensed where Nex went to, but when he was in the middle of turning around he received from a blind spot a heavy kick to the back of his knees that made him lose his balance.


    "It''s futile to use skill and techniques against me," Nex smiled before hitting the back of the swordsman''s head using the hilt of his weapon, making him lose his conscious and disappear in a flash of light, "You need to combine them with absolute force and speed to stand a chance."


    "Now for the other one," Nex upper back flashed again and at the next moment, he moved like a flash to the side while turning around and stretching his right hand and catching the hand of the thief that just tried to stab his back.


    But the latter reacted unnaturally fast and stabbed with the dagger that he held with his other hand at Nex''s hand, only to see his target shine before his dagger passed through it as if it was made from water.


    "What!?"


    "Too bad huh?" Nex smirked as this happened before knocking the shocked thief out using the hilt of his dagger once again.


    "If that''s what I''m up against then it isn''t that bad," Nex thought out loud while the unconscious thief disappeared before he himself shone in light while a voice declared.


    [Winner: Nexus!]


    "Wow! Daddy!" immediately after appearing back at the booth Iris charged at him to hug, "You were so cool!"


    "It''s all because I got your good luck blessing," Nex smiled and patted the kid, "Or else I wouldn''t fight against such silly people."


    "Big Bro! How did you do that?" Eddie asked eagerly, "When you suddenly moved extremely fast or had your hand become intangible. That didn''t seem like normal magic or skill at all!"


    Louis and James, the two most powerful in the booth, stared at Nex in question as well. Eddie guess was correct, that wasn''t the work of magic, Martial Arts or even Spirit Techniques! Although they had a few guesses to what it was, they wanted to hear first what kind of crazy thing this silver-haired man will bring up.


    "It''s actually quite simple," Nex grinned and rolled up his right sleeve to the elbow, revealing part of a tattoo that shined in blue and gave off a fierce and wild aura.


    "Since I can''t directly power-up by myself, then why not embed the power of others in me?"


    "That''s a beast totem!" James'' eyes widened slightly as he now was able to sense more than one of those tattoos, "How is possible that you have several those!? It is only usable if you are at a similar strength and soul power level to the beast! but this totem is clearly from Second Awakening Lord Boss!"


    "Well, you can go around it quite well if you can do certain things," Nex waved his hand while causing it to shine in a peculiar silver light as he said he word "certain".


    "[Soul Arts]!"


    James, Joseph, and the maids became shocked while Louis had an unpleasant "I knew it!" expression on his face.

 76 Iriss Background And First Fight Unedited

    As Iris''s opening speech was canceled to an unexpected occurrence, everyone was quickly lead by the staff of the tournament to their respective booths inside the coliseum in order to finally start the tournament.


    As she wanted to stay as close to her Daddy, Iris stayed with the group as they were led to their booth.


    When they arrived, Nex saw that Louis seemed to want to say something to him. So after he convinced Iris to stay with everyone, he walked out with Louis.


    "You bastard! Do you want to get us all killed!?" the moment they walked away from the booth, Louis grabbed Nex''s neck and began to shake it without even giving the latter time to react.


    "What the hell did you do to her ladyship that she is treating you like that!? Do you even aware of what kind of forces did you just messed with!?"


    "I didn''t do anything!" Nex quickly defended himself, "It''s because of her race!"


    "What do you mean her race?" Louis asked suspiciously, "No one knows a thing about her and her mother race!"


    "That is quite a rare clan after all," Nex sighed as he felt the grip on his neck loosen, "They have a special soul attributes since they were born. And because I also have those attributes that kid saw me and thought of me as her father who she has never met."


    "Are you kidding me!?" Louis called while cursing his luck for putting him in this horrible mess, "Just what kind of horrible things I did in my past life to get involve in that kind of mess!?"


    "It is quite funny huh?" Nex scratched the back of his head, "What exactly is her background anyway?"


    "Much worse than you could imagine," Louis shook his head, "Just with her position as the Royal Prophetess she is among the most important people in the kingdom, not to mention who her mother is."


    "Her mother?" Nex seemed curious.


    "We already spoke about that person," Louis depression seemed to hit rock-bottom, "She is one of the most powerful and terrifying people in the continent and the absolute powerhouse of the country."


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    "The Kingdom Protector."


    ???


    "No! I am staying here with Daddy and his friends!"


    When Nex and Louis returned to the booth they saw Iris yelling angrily at a familiar middle-aged Elf in butler clothes and a pair of identical-looking maids that seemed to be past their fifties.


    "Daddy! You back!" Iris''s angry expression immediately turned happy upon seeing Nex enter the room and while ignoring the people she just yelled at, she quickly ran to him and jumped straight to his embrace and coiled her legs and arms around his torso like a baby koala.


    The two maids'' eyes widened upon seeing that scene while the butler elf frowned deeply, "Your Highness! Please behave yourself and come with us! You''re the main guest of this event and you shouldn''t act in such childishness!"


    "I don''t care about that grandpa James!" Iris pulled her tongue at him and hugged Nex even tighter, "Daddy said that I act as I want around him! And besides, Mommy promised to me I am allowed to do whatever that I want here! So I am going to stay here with Daddy!"


    Seeing their little lady, that until now acted perfectly elegant and obedient without ever showing such rebellious side outside of the home, the maids stared at Nex with shock before starting to giggle while James'' face turned red and he threw Nex a furious gaze before sighing.


    "Very well, since you have Her Eminence permission, then so be it. But I still suggest you to let go of that man, his fight is about to begin."


    Nex smiled bitterly when he heard James''s tone when he called him, ''But it is kinda my fault huh?''


    "Ah!" Iris let out a cute cry when she suddenly noticed that James was right and the stand in the booth that is meant for participants is glowing for some time now, "Daddy I''m sorry! Here, let me give you good luck blessing I always get from Mommy before you go!"


    And before Nex managed to react, Iris gave him a peck on his cheek and jumped down before leading him to the glowing stand, "Put your hand on this and you will get transported to the arena. Now quickly go before they will disqualify you!"


    Realizing he is about to enter a fight, Nex''s mind instantly turned sharp and he turned around to everyone with a smile before putting his hand on the stand.


    "See ya in a moment!"


    ???


    At the next moment, Nex found himself in the arena of the colosseum with another two people each equal distance from him and from each other.


    "So in the preliminary stage, it''s three people against each other huh?" Nex murmured while doing some light stretching and staring back at his opponents who examined him warily, a thief and a swordsman.


    Both were peak first awakening Lord Bosses and around their mid-late teens.


    "I guess that you were told to not go easy on me because of my relationship with Iris?"


    "That''s right," the swordsman nodded slowly while the thief tightened the grip on his daggers. Even though it was seemingly just a normal Traveler in front of them, if the Sword Saint only sent him to participate in the tournament then they would never be foolish enough to treat him like one.


    "Her Eminence the Kingdom Protector released a message that no one is allowed to hold back against you no matter how much Her Ladyship is fond of you."


    "Great," Nex smiled widely, "I was afraid that the tournament will get too boring if people will get too cautious around me."


    He then pulled his dagger and played around with it before smirking at the two.


    "Now come."


    The two didn''t need any more than that to immediately enter into action.


    The thief moved and instantly disappeared into thin air while the swordsman charged at Nex with speed and power that shouldn''t be possible for someone at his stage, closing the distance to Nex in a moment and slashing his sword at him.


    "Above level 30 huh?" Nex murmured right before the sword hit him, part of his upper back shone and he disappeared from where he was leaving only an afterimage behind.


    ''From behind!'' the swordsman quickly slashed while turning in place the moment he sensed where Nex went to, but when he was in the middle of turning around he received from a blind spot a heavy kick to the back of his knees that made him lose his balance.


    "It''s futile to use skill and techniques against me," Nex smiled before hitting the back of the swordsman''s head using the hilt of his weapon, making him lose his conscious and disappear in a flash of light, "You need to combine them with absolute force and speed to stand a chance."


    "Now for the other one," Nex upper back flashed again and at the next moment, he moved like a flash to the side while turning around and stretching his right hand and catching the hand of the thief that just tried to stab his back.


    But the latter reacted unnaturally fast and stabbed with the dagger that he held with his other hand at Nex''s hand, only to see his target shine before his dagger passed through it as if it was made from water.


    "What!?"


    "Too bad huh?" Nex smirked as this happened before knocking the shocked thief out using the hilt of his dagger once again.


    "If that''s what I''m up against then it isn''t that bad," Nex thought out loud while the unconscious thief disappeared before he himself shone in light while a voice declared.


    [Winner: Nexus!]


    "Wow! Daddy!" immediately after appearing back at the booth Iris charged at him to hug, "You were so cool!"


    "It''s all because I got your good luck blessing," Nex smiled and patted the kid, "Or else I wouldn''t fight against such silly people."


    "Big Bro! How did you do that?" Eddie asked eagerly, "When you suddenly moved extremely fast or had your hand become intangible. That didn''t seem like normal magic or skill at all!"


    Louis and James, the two most powerful in the booth, stared at Nex in question as well. Eddie guess was correct, that wasn''t the work of magic, Martial Arts or even Spirit Techniques! Although they had a few guesses to what it was, they wanted to hear first what kind of crazy thing this silver-haired man will bring up.


    "It''s actually quite simple," Nex grinned and rolled up his right sleeve to the elbow, revealing part of a tattoo that shined in blue and gave off a fierce and wild aura.


    "Since I can''t directly power-up by myself, then why not embed the power of others in me?"


    "That''s a beast totem!" James'' eyes widened slightly as he now was able to sense more than one of those tattoos, "How is possible that you have several those!? It is only usable if you are at a similar strength and soul power level to the beast! but this totem is clearly from Second Awakening Lord Boss!"


    "Well, you can go around it quite well if you can do certain things," Nex waved his hand while causing it to shine in a peculiar silver light as he said he word "certain".


    "[Soul Arts]!"


    James, Joseph, and the maids became shocked while Louis had an unpleasant "I knew it!" expression on his face.

 77 Playing With A Kitty Unedited

    "Well aren''t you a healthy eater."


    Nex whistled as he stared at his new opponent. Over two and a half meters tall muscular Beastman that seemed to be of a liger-kin lineage. He didn''t wear anything aside from some durable-looking training pants and a pair of gauntlets that extended to this elbows and seemed surprisingly suitable for dexterous and fast-paced close combat.


    "I bet you were a pain to carry when you were a baby."


    "You give off a strong smell," the Beastman ignored Nex words and opened his mouth while staring at the latter with a strange and wary expression, "You have a weak body and yet you give off a stronger and more dangerous feeling than anything I ever smelt before."


    "Isn''t this the job of a canine-type Beastman to say something like that?" Nex smiled awkwardly, "Do you have a hard time with your character settings? Because there are treatments for these kinds of problems."


    "Oh enlighted one," the Beastman once again ignored Nex words and suddenly bowed while cupping his fists respectfully, "Can I please have a request?"


    "*Sigh* you don''t listen to my jokes and now asking me requests”­" Nex shook his head and grumbled before answering back, "What do you want?"


    "Please let me fight against you using purely martial arts! Without either of us using weapons or skills!" the Beastman yelled with all of his heart, making his voice rumble throughout the arena.


    "Okay first of all, ouch," Nex cast healing magic on his aching ears before sighing somberly, "Now for what you want. Are you sure you want to do this? It might be too early for you to handle what you will be up against."


    "I know!" the Beastman nodded seriously but didn''t seem to change his mind, "But I don''t want to lose this chance!"


    "Okay then," Nex nodded and put his gloves, dagger, and katana into his inventory before nodding to the Beastman who unequipped his gauntlets as well.


    "You can come."


    "Thank you," the Beastman nodded in gratitude before disappearing from his place with an explosion.


    *Boom!*


    And in an instant, he appeared in front of Nex and smashing down his giant fist.


    *Bang!*


    A large blast occurred and raised a dust cloud as the entire arena shook.


    That was the power of a Lord Boss that is over level 35.


    But before the audience could see what the situation of Nex, the Beastman turned around Without wasting any more time and in the next moment he appeared a few meters away punching a certain spot that was hidden by the dust cloud.


    But just when the Beastman punch was about to reach its destination, a hand that shone in blue appeared, and in a fluid motion grabbed the former wrist and changed the attack direction to a different place while pulling the Beastman along with it in an instant.


    And before the Beastman managed to properly react, an elbow shinning in red appeared next to him and the blue hand and landed an accurate attack on his solar plexus that exploded upon hitting, making him unable to breathe for a few moments.


    At the shock wave created from the attack, the dust cloud cleared and the figure of the Beastman could be seen flying backward rapidly.


    But the Beastman proved to be tenacious and he managed to recover mid-air and quickly recover his footing. Only to see an ax kick slamming down towards him.


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    *Bang!*


    The Beastman crossed his arms in order to defend himself, but the moment the kick reached him he suddenly felt as if it wasn''t a human leg, but a mighty mountain that smashed into him, causing his knees to buckle and hit the ground.


    The Beastman rose back up with slightly shaking legs and stared at Nex calm expression with slight disbelief. Even though he sensed the beast totems that Nex had, to be able to subdue him like this was still hard to accept.


    "You better use your combat form if you want me to use martial arts," Nex spoke with a natural voice while standing in front of the Beastman.


    "Or else I would end this battle right now."


    "I''m sorry for my impudence!" the Beastman quickly bowed and apologized as if he has done something extremely disrespectful, "I will enter my combat form right now!"


    And at the next moment, the Beastman let out a low and constant growl as his body began to shine and shrink down until his height reached the point it was a few centimeters below Nex''s. And when the light died down, the Beastman was revealed with golden hair and mane.


    "Are you ready kiddo?" Nex asked with a smile.


    "Yes!" the Beastman asked with a face full of resolve.


    "Then let''s continue."


    And not a second passed since Nex said those words when the Beastman fist was already in front of his face.


    Nex seemed to expect it ahead as he dodged the attack by lightly tilting his head and parrying his opponent arm by to its side an accurate hit from his left hand that seemed to explode upon contact.


    And even before he finished to do this set of moves, Nex already began to do the next one by launching a series of fast attacks using his shinning right hand starting from the upper part of the Beastman left arm and moving down to his lower chest and stomach.


    The Beastman growled slightly as he felt a strange sensation spreading from his left arm and side followed by a numb feeling that declared that he wouldn''t be able to move those parts any time soon.


    He stared at Nex in shock wondering how did he manage to use internal attacks that can actually influence him to such degree with such speed at accuracy. Even with the beast totem, it shouldn''t be possible considering the large gap in raw power that was between them! Just what kind of level of martial arts did this man reach!?


    "Come," Nex lifted his right hand and signaled him, "I use one hand as well."


    The Beastman growled and charged at Nex before arriving in front of him in an instant and sending a fierce claw attack.


    But Nex just shook his head before parrying the attack and misdirecting it with a smooth motion and landing another barrage of attacks on the right part of the Beastman torso with the last one blasting him away a few meters.


    "Maybe when you reach high enough level you can finish your fights with simple attacks," Nex sighed, "But unless you are some freak of nature, you must first master the complex moves and gain some awareness on several things."


    "Yes!" the Beastman didn''t become angry from Nex words and instead accepted them eagerly before disappearing from where he was and in the next moment appearing behind Nex as he delivered a kick to the latter temple at a speed and power greater than before.


    Nex seemed like he didn''t need to use any of his senses to know about the attack that was nearing to him from his blind side as the tattoo on his upper back shone and he began to move as if time around him is slowing down.


    He ducked down with a spin and dodged the kick in a hair breath and used the momentum from this move to deliver a sweeping kick toward the leg the Beastman stood on. And at the moment before the kick connected, Nex lower back shone and he seemed to move somewhat slower.


    But that didn''t stop the Beastman from once again feeling as if Nex leg had considerable weight as cracking sounds came from his lower thigh and he found himself falling on his back.


    And when he was about to use his right hand to stop the fall Nex appeared above him in a seemingly impossible speed and pinned his arm down with the heavy leg he had just experienced.


    "Honestly, I can''t call this an exchange of martial arts," Nex spoke coldly, "You tried to act like an expert and only used direct and fierce attacks without much to be proud about behind them. All had I used were a minor internal art and a few small moves and now you are at this situation where you are not able to properly use anything aside from two limbs and your head."


    "How do you feel?"


    "Like a big fool," the Beastman sighed before grinning, "But not one that regrets what he just did."


    "Typical," Nex rolled his eyes and lifted his right fist that began to shine.


    "Now sleep little kitty."


    ???


    "Congratulations on winning Daddy!"


    And like everyone has expected, the moment Nex appeared back at the booth, Iris stood up from her seat next to Celes and Jane jumped at him for a hug with maple quickly following her actions.


    "You were so awesome!" Iris rubbed her head on his chest like a spoiled cat, "I heard that your opponent came from one of the best martial arts schools in the kingdom and he is even a disciple of the school head who is as strong as a Saint! But you beat him up as if he has never fought before!"


    "He just didn''t learn martial arts properly, so it wasn''t that hard," Nex smiled and patted the girl.


    "Haha!" Louis laughed loudly upon hearing Nex words, "If that old man heard what you just said about his disciple then he would have beat you up if he didn''t die from anger before. There is almost no one in the kingdom that can surpass him and his disciples in the same level of strength when it comes to pure martial arts!"


    "I noticed," Nex shrugged and smirked, "But I have very high standards so just what inside the kingdom might not be enough."


    ???


    Meanwhile in another booth.


    "You''re awake so early? Just how did he control the power of that blow so well?"


    The Beastman that just fought Nex heard a voice as he regained and he quickly found himself in front of his master, an elderly Beastman with a pair of sharp and bright eyes that right now had a somber expression on his face.


    "What did you learn from the fight?"


    "I''m not sure Master," the disciple seemed confused as he recollected his memories, "He was supposed much weaker and slower than me and yet every time he made a move it was done so fast and yet so fluidly like he didn''t need to do more in order to reach his goal. It was like he knew what I would do before I even did it and the force he used was so minimal and yet it brought maximum results. Even if I was trice as strong I don''t think I would have gotten the chance to land a hit on him using just martial arts."


    "But most of all was the overpowering smell he gave off," the young Beastman seemed a bit horrified as he mentioned it, "It was as if I was standing in front of an absolute wall, not just one of strength or wisdom but most importantly one of ultimate experience and technique."


    "You sensed well," his master nodded with a very serious expression, "When I saw him earlier at the plaza, my instincts yelled at me one thing."


    "This man doesn''t suppose to exist in the same realm as us mortals."