Trell sighed. He remained lying on the ground, holding his head. Opening one eye slightly he watched as the Blue Ocean Gang… Merchants stopped what they were doing and chased after the young man.

Even Cortos is going. He is a six-circled aspirant. I don’t know if the young man can live till tomorrow.

Trying his best to stay inconspicuous the merchant slowly dragged his body up. He walked behind his table. His wares were scattered on the ground and Douranek took his Kuranium away, supported by one of his comrades.

But suddenly Trell smiled slyly. He patted a pocket within his robe.

Kuranium? Ha! Pocket change! I earned big today! Maybe I have to thank the young man someday if he survives.

With those thoughts the merchant secretly left the market street.

Tepo didn’t know that he helped Trell involuntary. He cursed his bad luck as he ran along the crowded street. Angry gazes followed him whenever he pushed through a crowd of people.

Frantically, the young man looked left and right. His pursuers were not far behind.

“The Blue Ocean Merchants are hunting a criminal! Make way!”

Tepo gritted his teeth as he noticed the crowd’s reaction. Many among them flinched when their heard the gangsters’ name. They dodged towards the sides.

Tepo looked over his shoulder. Two gangsters were hot on his heels. The others lagged further behind. His spell seemed to have achieved the intended effect.

Suddenly a swooshing sound reached Tepo’s ears. The young man’s eyes widened. He instinctively used [Chaotic Evasion].

A wheel of water shot out from one of the pursuer’s hands. It spun at insane speeds, with the power to cause serious injuries.

Afraid shouts came from the crowd. Men and woman, humans and ruw hastily jumped to the side. Angrily, they demanded for the guards to intervene.

A loud clanging sounded out. Glass burst. The wheel missed Tepo, hitting a window. The gangster flinched. He also knew that he couldn’t wildly cast spells again. Even their alliance didn’t dare to wantonly anger the guards.

The gangster directed his anger at Tepo. He blamed the young man for his miss.

“Stay still, rat! You can’t escape!”

Ignoring the angry shouts behind his back, Tepo was sweating buckets right now. His feet moved lightning quick. With the spell activated he achieved his highest speeds ever. But unfortunately, the spell [Chaotic Evasion] contained the word ‘chaotic’.

Tepo crisscrossed left and right. He bumped into people, doing his best to avoid collisions.

Suddenly someone jumped to the side in front of Tepo. The young man’s view opened up. His eyes shot wide open. Before him was a small spot almost devoid of people. Only a single young girl stood there, staring at Tepo with big eyes.

The young man’s chest tightened. He would collide with the child any second. NO!

As an orphan Tepo always had a soft spot for kids. He could never hurt a child!

Tepo’s mind raised. His mental strength churned. It shot towards his circle. Instinctively, he tried to assert control over his runes.

Suddenly his feet moved. With a painful maneuver, they directed Tepo’s momentum elsewhere. The young warrior narrowly avoided the child! Only now did a hand reach out and quickly pull the girl away.

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Tepo didn’t have time to think deeper about what had just happened. But this was the reason why Quill told the new recruit to practice his spells. Because every spell could still be improved to a certain extend.

Line didn’t know this yet, though. He was only doing his best to escape. He constantly scanned his surroundings. He gritted his teeth.

Why did his core have to express its annoyance at this time? Even if the used up a lot of the stored Force of Time right now, was this the right moment to complain?

Refusing to be distracted by the Core of Time, Tepo searched for a way out. He frowned slightly. The road he was on became more and more crowded. Was this his opportunity? But how to hide in the crowd?

Suddenly the young man’s eyes lit up. As evening fell gradually, the city was tinged in shadows. Some small alleys fell into darkness. This was his chance!

Tepo dashed towards the right, vanishing in a gap between houses. He only had to buy a few seconds!

But the young man’s actions weren’t unnoticed. One of the gangsters shouted viciously:

“There! Towards the right. Don’t let the rat escape!”

Tepo gritted his teeth. His footsteps echoed clearly between the walls. A moldy smell hit his nose. He panted heavily, stopping his [Chaotic Evasion] spell.

Are they determined to hunt me down? Am I, Tepmodus, really someone a few gangsters can hunt?!

NO!

Gradually Tepo’s exited heartbeat slowed down. His eyes narrowed. His breath seemingly turned colder.

Since arriving in this world, I have become more careful. I avoided clashing against strong warriors. I haven’t even taken revenge against the mayor yet. I have been beaten up and thrown into jail.

Enough is enough! When has it ever been some dogsh*t criminals’ turn to hunt me down?!

A vicious gleam entered Tepo’s eyes. Even the Core of Time shook slightly, seemingly excited.

The two gangsters in the lead arrived at the alley. They didn’t slow down. If they lost the little rat, their boss would surely beat them up every day.

Carefully, they scanned the alley with their eyes. The little rat was nowhere to be seen. They gritted their teeth, sprinting forward. The alley was curved, preventing them from seeing its other side.

But as locals they knew the city like the back of their hand. This alley wasn’t a dead end but led to a popular square. Thus, they couldn’t delay!

The two gangsters sprinted. Walls flew by them. The alley wasn’t long. Soon, dim light fell into their eyes. They saw the other end.

Determined not to let the rat, who tarnished their reputation, escape, the gangsters sped up. They passed another wall, a wooden fence…

Suddenly, a loud cracking sounded. Two wooden board separated from the fence and shot at the gangsters.

“Ah! Careful!”

Surprised, the two men were slow to react. One of them bore the full brunt of the attack. Wood splintered as it crashed against the man’s shoulder. He staggered backwards.

“Watch out!”

His comrade hastily drew his sword as a figure suddenly appeared. Clad in a black robe and black mask he jumped through the fence. A knife shot out viciously.

The gangster only had time to turn his body slightly as a knife plunged deeply into his shoulder. His arm instantly became useless. The gangster howled in pain.

“How dare you!”, yelled the other gangster as his sword swung through the air.

Tepo did a clever step. He evaded the sword by hiding behind the injured gangster.

[Rapid Chaotic Pierce] was activated. His knife slashed out again. The gangster was screaming in pain. His mind couldn’t keep up. The knife bit like a snake. The gangster’s voice turned into a gurgling sound as his throat was cut open.

Tepo knew he had to be fast. Since he already decided to kill, he didn’t care about anything else. He hastily stopped [Rapid Chaotic Pierce] and switched to [Infectious Flames] again. He touched the dying gangster, setting him on fire.

With his last thought the dying man questioned how he deserved this treatment. But no one heard him.

Tepo pushed the burning body. It fell towards his former comrade.

A small shield made of rock suddenly appeared in the air. The other gangster had slowly figured out Tepo’s spell. He didn’t dare to came into contact with the fire.

“You will pay for this, rat!”

With an angry shout the gangster turned around. He was determined to stall for time. As soon as his comrades arrived, it would be over for Tepo.

The young man also knew this. He gritted his teeth. He only had one last bullet left and the gangster had opened up a distance of a few meters.

And the burning earth shield was still between them. Although it would lose its durability at some point, Tepo didn’t have this much time.

The young man’s mind raced. He knew what to do!

Suddenly a faint golden brilliance appeared in mid-air. The gangster was confused. Tepo’s [Projection] was a rare ability not many have heard of.

A golden circle appeared, confronting the earthen shield. A massive amount of the Force of Time streamed into the alley. The circle activated [Rapid Chaotic Pierce]. But not only once or twice. This projection wasn’t bound by human limitations.

With enough force it was able to continuously fire spells within moments.

Even Tepo wasn’t sure what to expect. His eyes widened as invisible blades formed out of the Force of Time. With mighty power dozens of blades rained on the earth shield. The spell couldn’t block the onslaught at all. It crumbled immediately.

Tepo’s eyes lit up. The Core of Time hadn’t disappointed him. This was his chance!