“Argh!”

“---.”

A groan, this was. Soft and barely audible, the sole sound which came to be within the darkness in which it was, as in the obscurity that hid the source of the groan, one could not see its own feet or hands, even if placed before one's eyes.

"Mmmm---! Ahmm--!! Mmmm-!!! Mmmm!!!!"

“---?!”

But following right after the groan, came a row of soft and muffled exhales, akin to the wails of someone who had been put under hopeless, a groan from which only reluctance could be felt, as though the person whom had given the sigh-like exhales, had been put in an impossible situation, one which he could not and will not come to accept.

“Ahhh!!!”

“---?!!”

“Nooo!!!!!!!!!!”

And at the end of all, a scream and then a “No!”, but saying that the "No!" and the scream were separated might be wrong, because this “No!”, appeared to have originated from the scream of helplessness and anguish, of the person in question. Person who had yet to be seen, due to the dark that was covering any and all, at this moment.

“What? What?!"

"---."

"What is it, kid? What is happening to you? Let me know as soon as possible.”

"---."

"---!"

“Hmmm?!”

However, not too long after the groans and wails resounded, the darkness of the place came to be ridden off, as once the voice of a curious man came to be, small illuminations began to shine the chamber in which the owners of the two voices resided.

With the light illuminating the place, the two individuals came to be ultimately visible to the eye.

The first one, was a groggy and confused Levis, who at this moment was waking up, while actively pushing his hands, in order to get to himself from the ground floor, floor on which he had been resting his back, for quite a stretch of time.

“What “Hmmm?”. Why were you screaming and groaning in pain just now?!”

As for the second person, it was none other than a forward-leaning Urger, who at this moment was seated on the improvised trunk-like chair that he had made from the risen stone of the floor.

“Eh?! What! What is it that you are---, doing?”

But right now, despite the fact that Urger was seated, his upper half was itching as close as he could, so as to observe Levis's body in the most attentive manner possible. Yet it was quite challenging to say what he was seeing, for his eyes were anything but in sync, for as the right eye was moving downwards, the left one was moving right on the opposite side. An extreme disorder which would make one ask if he had any focal points in his vision. But before that, one might be weirded out by his protruding eyes, which appear to be on the verge of falling from his eye sockets at any moment.

And so, Levis fell into a momentarily scare at the sight of the bizarre Urger before him.

“Nothing. Just making sure that you are fine. However, why were you screaming just now? Tell me about that, I want to know what happened to you and why it happened.”

“I—, I do not know, I think I have dreamed about something bad, but I do not know what it was. I try to remember, but there is nothing I can---, remember.”

“Disciple! Maybe you had a bad dream?” - [ [Should we take a look to see what had made him jumpy in the last moments of this session??] ] - "Or maybe---, just maybe, you have walked into the dream of fate?"

“May----, be---?! But I am not sure if I have even dreamed about anything at all.”

“Well, be it stupidity or an unseen factor, something had definitely happened to you, and so, I have to make sure that you are fine, so stay still for a moment will you.” - [ [Obviouslly. I must know if there are any mental instabilities in his consciousness. The last problem I want, is for him to just suddenly die on us out of nowhere. Not to mention the strange outbursts of murdering rage that had caused him to lose his own self, which had come to be an issue out of my prior expectations. Now, if there is something else to add, he might just become a defective product, and with how we are right now, it will take us a lot of time to amass sufficient energy in order to redo the procedure for a new subject.] ]

“Eh? What are you doin—?!"

But while he was in a state of a peculiar heaviness and grogginess that he had never had in any of his prior sessions, Levis stood helpless to even defend himself, as the right hand of the crazed Urger before him, slowly extended over his head and then began to clench tightly as though made from metal.

"Argh! You---!!”

And his hand was truly made of metal, because no matter how much strength Levis was putting behind himself to try to get Urger's hand off his head, said hand continued to be kept firm and in place, not budging even by of the smallest of measurement.

[ [This?!] ]

"Argh! Let me---."

[ [What?] ]

"Let me go!"

[ [Nothing.] ]

"---.!??!!"

[ [What do you mean? How can there be nothing?!] ]

"I said---!"

[ [There is---, no, there are no anomalies in his consciousness or self. Nothing to be found. And his body---, is just as I have made it one month ago, other than the bit of energy that he had amassed during this month.] ]

"Let go of my head!!!"

[ [I told you that we should have examined our disciple when he was cultivating.] ]

"Take this, you old bastard! Ouch---! What---, what the hell are you made of?"

[ [No. I need to gather pure raw input, without any cross-contamination by an invasive observation. If it happens again, I will see to it in more detail at that time. For now---, I will just have to be content with what I have gathered. At any rate, I will not allow this little bastard to fail so easily.] ] - "Are you done kicking around, kid?"

"No---! Ayyy---, ayy--, ay-, ay! How?! How can you be this tough?"

And as he was being held in Urger's grasp, Levis's anger grew out of proportion almost too immediately. As after just a few breaths of time, of having his head gripped by him, Levis began to throw punches in the direction of his face, but alas, as he was far smaller in proportion, Levis's arm was short of several fists of length of reaching his face.

However, as he could not reach him with his hand, he was forced to change his tactic, as while grasping Urger's hand which was akin to a tree branch, his legs came to reach him well enough. Nonetheless, his kick's victory transformed into a big loss for him. For as soon, as his foot collided with Urger's left-side jaw, the pain of his foot colliding with something incredibly tough came to his mind in a flash.

And it truly was as though Levis had kicked something akin to a block of solid iron, unmovable and extremely heavy. Yet alas, the first experience was not enough for him, as even his left foot came to have the same incident, so as to understand the true meaning of "bashing into a real iron wall for no avail"."

"How can your body be so tough? Are you made out of stone. I am pretty sure this kick would have left an imprint on any tree, so why are you without any wound?"

With his two kicks done, Levis came to be shaken by the body that Urger had, as he was sure, that despite his body which did not carry large or big muscles, he could probably kill anyone he knew with his bare hands. As this was the first true impression of danger that he had bore from the man. Even though the danger was more of a thought in his mind, because, he had yet to sense with his body a true feeling of danger from his so-called "Master".

"No. To me, mere iron is even more insignificant than the air you breathe, my "toughness"---, no, the construct of this body that you see, is not something you are able to understand now, and neither have I got the time to explain it to you. But we will arrive at this argument one day in the future. Here---, happy now?"

"---------."

"What are you staring at, kid?"

And so, at this moment, his "Master" in name, redrawn back his leaning upper half, and assumed a normal seating position, after letting go of his head, as he aligned his eyes, to focus on the "Disciple" who was looking at him with muffled anger and mild apprehension in his gaze.

"Nothing."

"---."

"---."

And so the two of them, one an adult middle-aged man, and the second, a child who appeared to be akin to a young boy, looked at one another with apprehension at one other, despite the fact, that there was no reason to do so in the first place.

"---."

"Are you going to stare at me all day or will you estimate yourself, and see how much have you grown these past ten days?!"

"---."

"---."

"Hmmm---? This!"

And as Levis began to scrutinise his own body at Urger's words, his eyes expanded the same manner that Urger himself had them just a moment ago. For he stood dumbfounded and in mild shock, by the discovery of which he became aware throughout the examination of his body.

"Fu!" - "Fuu!!" - "Fuuu!!!"

"This!"

And without waiting for Urger to direct him, Levis began to throw several punches and a kick in the air, marvelling at the speed and effortlessness of his action, but more than anything at the amount of energy that was moving across the cells of his muscles in the moment of said actions, for he was absolutely sure that with this session of cultivation, his growth had been more than just significant, for he was almost sure that his total energy and cells awakened had grown at the very least by fifty or so times when compared with his old self, from before this long session.

"Huaaa!!!"

"---."

"Aha---! Haha--!! Aha-!!! Aha!!! This---, how much stronger have I become when compared with before?! Aha, ha, ha, ha!!!!!"

However, the punches and kicks were not enough to satisfy him, for as he was beginning to grin out of happiness and joy at his own strength, he came to make a leap into the air from his resting position, which to his overwhelming surprise brought him to the point where he could easily touch the ceiling of the chamber with his hand. Ceiling, which was roughly four to five meters distant, from the floor of the room.

And with his own action, Levis came to burst into mad laughter, as he was clearly intoxicated by his own newly developed prowess, for he knew, that he could resume to jump for a hundred times more, without fully exhausting himself.

"Hmmm---, when you had came here, you were equal to a normal rank 5 in your energy amount--, as for now-, I have to say the beginning of someone that has just reached rank 7. Although, I doubt that any normal cultivator equivalent to you, would be capable of your movement without intense and prolonged prior training."

"---."

"---."

"Rank 7!? That means---, that actually means I have not just equalled brother Rowen, I have more than surpassed him entirely."

"Yes, you have. And as of now you have eight-tenths of a chance, to kill him, were you to fight him directly, despite your almost nonexistent combat experience. But by ambush or assassination, you will have an absolute advantage, and with the finger---, aham! With the finger attack that I have taught you, killing someone of rank 8 or 9 should not be a problem. But that is only if you are ready to pay the exhaustion that will arrive after said action."

"Hmmm---?! Does--, does-, does this-, does this mean I am strong?!!!"

Yet, as his answer came to be outlined by Urger, Levis did not appear interested in the realistic and relative opinion that his "Master" had done for him, as he was still submerged in a feeling of momentary elation, however, a part of his was still asking for an answer which was different from what Urger had answered him with.

"No. A bigger ant is still an ant at the end of the day. This bit of power that makes you happy is not worth considering anything much, as there are countless individuals as strong as you, so stop this nonsense and come back to reality."

"Really?"

But in response to his words, Levis was left with a witless and puzzled face, as though he was not expecting the words that fell over him, words that were akin to a wave of cold water, which had washed over his rising enthusiasm.

"You have yet to see the world, so what makes you think you can stand over it? Come back to the present, and dress yourself. It is high time to teach you how to become wealthy in the world of the hungry and thirsty."

"Alright! This is really---, seven days and I am already this strong. If I were to have stayed a month how strong would I have become?"

"Probably nearing someone in the quasi-Immortal, or somewhere near the initial stage of one. After all, I have continuously decreased your amount of energy intake after the second day, up until the tenth. so you can say that you have cultivated at your maximum capacity for only a day, the rest have been lower and lower by one-tenth with respect to the first. So it is more adequate to say that you have cultivated for nearly four to five days at full capability."

"What? You have done what? And wait---, ten?!"

Yet, while Levis was grasping his clothes that were near the wall of the chamber, and as he was about to put on his trousers, something clicked in his mind, due to Urger's repeated words, for it was the number "ten" added to the days which was becoming a big source of confusion on his mind. And so, in the end, he was forced to ask Urger for clarifications.

"Ah---, right! I forgot to explain it to you. But we have been here for ten days, not seven."

"---."

"---."

"What!!! Why?!! How??? No---, no--, no-, no, were we not supposed to stay for only seven days?"

Nevertheless, Urger's clarification, brought nothing but a sense of emergency and trouble in him, as he had no idea of what had happened, and why had he not been called out of this seclusion chamber as of yet.

"Harumph---! Yes, we were supposed to be, and it is exactly for that reason, because after seven days of irritation, I did it on purpose, so as to spite that annoying moustache boy who had come here every day, interrupting me, time and time again for no reason---, hmph!!! Were it not for my restraint, I would have flayed the skin of his body and then burned him to enjoy his screams, for this offence of utter annoyance."

"Eh---!"

And in receiving his answer, Levis came to hear a rather vexed Urger, as from his tone, it was clear that he had been and was still irritated by whatever had occurred during his time of deep cultivation, for he had no idea of what could have had happened between him and the second Captain.

"So we have been here for ten days, and Captain Mustache has visited me every day?"

"That is---, unfortunately correct."

"---."

"Wait---! How did you---, talk with him?!"

"I obviously mascarade as you. Used your voice, and made him go away. How else do you think I could have done it?!

"---."

"---."

"You can do tha---?"

"Yes."

"Well, I hope-, that at very least--, you---, did not say or do anything bad, that will affect me too badly afterwards."

But while in hope that Urger's doing had not caused trouble for him, Levis finished his last touch to his clothes and moved towards the exit of the chamber, although he was still mildly intrigued at how could he imitate his voice.

"Me? How can I even come to err in this simple scenario."

"Sigh---!"

"Rumble!"

"Yes---, yes--, yes-, yes. How can you make a mista---------! Eh!!"

Right as Levis was before the large stone door, the exit of the chamber, and as he was simply touching it to make it open itself, a big shock came over him. For within the moment, Levis turned his head to look at his "Master", who by his own words could not do any wrong while impersonating him, his eyes came to widened in surprise and wonderment, after which he began to dart his gaze all over the place, for the man in question, his "Master", was nowhere to be seen, as though, he had been a ghost all along, disappearing at a moment's will, without his senses even realizing.

Although it was not just Urger who had disappeared, for even the trunk-like chair that had risen from the floor was gone as well, while the floor, had no visible deformity to itself, as though said deed had never occurred to begin with.

"---."

"So---, how are w---, am I, going to make-, gold? Brrr---, hmmm---?! It had gotten colder?"

As he had first arrived, Levis moved downwards on the stairs, descending to the ground floor of the building he was, ready to leave and find Rowen or Adrian. However, as he came to leave the building in which he was in, it was impossible not to sense, the cold air which came to cover him, as though an imperceptible and weightless cold water on his skin.

[What gold are you dreaming about? What you need is energy stones, elixirs, pills or anything else that contains energy in a state that you can absorb, while you are unable to access what is beneath the ground. It is not as though you have reached my level and can do as you please to amass energy from breaking and dismantling the already formed macro-structural matter.]

But not a moment after he came out of the chamber, just as Urger's voice in the air was gone, his voice reached abruptly and directly from inside his head, reappearing as the nagging existence that he had been at the back of his mind since the very beginning of their first meeting.

[And as to make some wealth---, it is and it will be actually fairly simple for you, but before that, we still have to grasp your own capabilities better, for which this closed room is not well adapted for, so you need to move away from the city. And for your future wealth and energy concern---, here comes a gift from me.]

[What? What do you mea---?!]

"Here you are chap! Have you finally decided to come out? Or do you want to make another wager?"

But while Levis was exiting the building, with the "Practice Ground" words above it, and was just about to see the sky and the sun of the morning of the day, the voice of a half-irritated man arrived at his ears before he could even put his foot out of the place.

"Captain Mustac---, eh?! Wager---? - [Urger! What is Captain Mustache talking about?]

Nevertheless, as he turned to the left to see the speaker whose voice he knew already, Levis had a clear line of sight of a man in the not-so-far distance who was taking big and heavy steps over his location, while from his voice, tone and facial expression, only a foreboding sense came over himself, knowing that this was most likely something which had been caused by Urger's doing.

"Good morning to you as well Captain. It has been ten days---, have they not?"

"---."

"---."

"Indeed---, ten days as you have said." - [Damn cheeky brat! You dare mock me!]

Nonetheless, while reaching Levis's location, Captain William, the said "Captain Mustache" that Levis continued to call him, came close to bashing him over his head, over his words of greeting, which had a very unpleasing feeling to them, as he was immediately reminded of the conversation that they have had four days ago, right as the seven days were about to end.

"Sigh---! You win. Here take it!"

"What---?!" - [What is happening? Urger?!]

But while sighing, Captain William was forced to let go of the small aggravations that he had with Levis before him, because out from his belt, where a row of small dark stones were embedded, a small pebble came to be in his hand, once he came to touch a particular dark stone that was ingrained in his waistband.

[Take it and say your gratitude to this pesky boy.]

The stone in the Captain's hand was small, no bigger than the size of Levis's pinky finger, transparent in nature, a glass-like crystal of sorts. But once the little stone stood close to Levis, his eyes widened in surprise and genuine delight, for he could almost sense on his skin the energy that the little stone was emanating, moreover, he could almost tell that the amount of energy inside the stone, might be equal to how much he had at this very moment.

"A promise is a promise, and my word is mine only to uphold for my honour."

"Thank---, you.!?"

With his hand extended and a rather lost look on him, Levis had no other choice but to take the energy shard that Captain William was offering him. Yet he could not say that he was happy, because he had no idea how to properly react, given the fact, that all of this, had been done in his absence, and out of his volition.

Although, once the shard came to be in his hand, the only emotion he could feel, was that of the elation caused by his body, which nearly made him jump in excitement from the fact of being in contact with a highly concentrated source of energy, that was readily available for consumption.

"I must admit you are one outlandish little chap for how you go about cultivating."

"I am not outlandish, I am doing only what I have to do."

But while giving away the energy shard, Captain William's few words of concern were all but not needed, as Levis's quick reply was one of matter of fact with a straight face, which was not hiding any other covert intention.

"Is that so? Hmmm---! Wait what------?!!! What in Hell's name are you doing---------?!!!!!!"

However, not even a moment after receiving the shard, Levis began to open his trousers and pushed his hand downwards so as to search for something in particular.

"I am putting this treasure safe."

"That---------.?!"

And from said act of his, Captain William came to be extremely shocked and perplexed at his action, only until Levis himself came to explain his reasoning, but only when he saw the mouth of a pouch and observed him drop the shard inside, was he assured that the little fellow before him had not suffered any mental impairment during these ten days of isolation, which put him at ease, once he came to comprehend the rationale for his action.

"What else do you think I am doing?"

"In---, your trousers?"

"Yes---! Grandma had said to protect my treasures with care, and what other safe place other than my crouch? In this way, if I am to protect my "thing", I might as well protect my treasures as well."

"I do not---, belive--, this is how-, your Grandmother had implied for you to act about."

"Actually this had been my idea, moreover, Grandpa has said to me multiple times to be careful with pocket thieves. And with this, I am prepared for everything. Since I have nothing in my pockets."

"But what if they can steal your underwear? They will take your pouch as well in that case, no?"

"Eh!"

"---."

"---."

With a strange face on him, while looking at Levis before him, Captain William stood stomped by the boy's logic and act, however, as though in a reflex-like action, the man brought up a query of his own, just as outlandish as Levis's own act, which clearly had the effect of stunning the boy, because while he was tightening his trousers, the question which came at him placed him at a juncture with no words that he could send back.

"I---. I did not think about that. But how---, is that even possible?" - [Is it possible?]

[If it is me, I can take all of your possessions and leave you bare on the street before you can even blink. So yes it is possible.]

Yet, to the question that the second Captain had directed at him, Levis did not take it lightly, as while using his left hand, he cupped his chin, appearing as though trying to think of a solution to a truly formidable question.

[Someone other than you?]

However, from Captain William's point of view, he knew that Levis's action was anything but a jest, for he could feel the seriousness that was coming from him, even though the question had no grand importance for him, as he had thrown it out in the spur of the moment. But in the act of watching Levis, he was sure that the boy was not exaggerating, whilst he was exuding the maximum seriousness in his stance and countenance, in contemplating the question he had put out.

[There are, but who would bother or be bored enough to steal the scraps that you have on your person?]

[That means I am fully prepared.] - "Unlikely, to happen. Anyway, Captain Moustache do you have anything else? As I still need to go see Brother Rowen and the rest."

"Mmmm? Ah! Yes. But before you go, let me inspect your dantian to see if there are no abnormalities. Stay still for a moment---, as I will be brief."

And as to end his posture of seriousness, came a short but strange affirmation by Levis himself, which cought the man unguarded, for he came to wonder, how could one answer to his own dilemma, while using his own conclusions and not that of a second observer to the matter.

But as Levis was about to take his leave, he nonetheless came to be stopped by Captain William, who was aiming to inspect him, as this had been the original intent for his arrival in the first place, the well-being of Levis himself.

"Eh---, alright."

And in a reflexive manner came an answer from Levis who agreed in an instant at the man's request of cotroling his dantion.

[Shit! Kid!!! You dumb idiot!!! What "alright"? Alright, your damn head!!! You still have to make your false dantian to that of a rank 2 cultivator. Quickly! As we have done before, I will tell you when to stop!]

[Ahhh---?! Wait how have we done it before?!]

But as the man came to lean forward and was moving his hand closer to Levis's chest, the one in question was now having a grave crisis brought by his own shortcoming and his answer of an agreement to which he had put no thought whatsoever in it.

However, with Captain William's hand on his chest and the mental consciousness of the man that was reaching for his heart and dantian, Levis came to be in an even bigger crisis than he could have imagined, although, on the exterior of his body, the face and limbs, no visible changes occurred, which if one were to know his current mental state, once would be shocked at the calm and peace like face which he was sporting, when in his mind, a great crisis was taking place.

[You bloody moron! Consciousness and energy together, to the small ball under your heart, now!!!]

[Doing it!]

"------------."

[And------------------------------, stop!!!]

"---."

"------."

"---------."

"Indeed, a rank 2 dantian. Very stable and---, well fortified for someone that had a breakthrough in mere days. You have clearly not wasted your time inside the training chamber."

However even as Levis was near the point of losing his calmness, in case of discovering his dantian being weaker than what he had told, with Urgers overseeing him, the danger or rather the predicament was averted at the last moment, as the energy in his body moved at a monstrous pace to reinforce his fake dantian to that of one, who was at rank 2.

"I honestly did not expect this kind of increase." - [The pace and sturdiness of his cultivation is truly something else.]

Yet despite the quick and on-the-moment act, Levis who came to be under Urger's guidance for a short moment, reached a full success in their act, as while Captain William had the fingers of his hand touching his chest, his eyes widened and then narrowed, which told of his surprise and near incredulity of what he had discovered.

"Thank you. But if there is nothing else, I will go see brother Rowen." - [Damn it! I can not---, ahhh! This was---, is harder than I imagined. Ahhh---!!!]

Nevertheless, the reality was a different story altogether, because the fake dantian was anything but stable, given the fact that he had been forced to grow the old rank 1 dantian to rank 2 in a matter of mere instances, from the time that Captain William had touched his chest, to the moment that the mental energy of the man had tested the resistance of Levis's fake dantian.

Reasons for which, Levis was desiring anything, but to remain in this place, yet it was all for nought, as not even a moment later, the whole dantian came to destabilise itself back into the original energy and consciousness which had formed it, and in a mere moment, it all came to be absorbed by the cells of his body, quicker than even how it was formed, producing no fluctuation to be felt or sensed outside of his body, as to the Captain William's eyes and senses, nothing had ensued to the boy, who was appearing to want to run away, as though a starved rat that was on his course for food.

"Wait!"

"Yes?"

Yet, just as Levis was about to run away, the man extended his hand and stopped the boy in his tracks, who came to look at him with a rather puzzling gaze on his face, as though questioning him, as to why had he been stopped.

"If it is your brother Rowen that you want to see, you will not find him, for even now, he has yet to return, from the endeavour he had to take on this leave of his."

"He---, brothe---, Rowen has not returned?!"

"Yes. But you might be able to find that young fellow Adrian, as he is about to leav---."

"Thank you! Then I will go see him immediately!"

Nevertheless, as Captain William was trying to keep him for a moment longer, Levis did not provide even the time for the man to end his mentions, as with a fast set of words, he came to move on his way, without any delay.

"---."

"---."

"This little fellow sure flies off fast, never leaving me the time to finish my words."

"It really seems to be the case."

"Mmmm?"

But while looking at his departing figure, Captain William began to talk with himself, while shaking his head at the rushed behaviour that Levis appeared to maintain with him, in every single one of the few times they had interacted.

However, to his wonderment, someone answered his off-handed words, making him surprised at the voice which came from his right side.

"Sir?! Why have you come here?"

"Well---, I wanted to see why have you suddenly run off while we were talkin', and---, well more than that, I needed to run away from that lass. Because, to all of my damnation, my wrist is still sore from how many documents I had to sign. Still---, is that---, one of the brats that follow Adam's third son?"

And as he looked to his right, Captain Wiliam was not surprised to see, subsequent to himself, the face of an old man who was dressed in the same kind of clothing, which the Head Captain of the guards would normally wear.

The old senior was half a head shorter than the Captain was tall, with short-cut white hair and a short large beard, but what stood out was the pipe in his mouth from which a continuous withe smoke was escaping without ending, albeit, the smoke was dissipating into the air, leaving no traces or smell of burnt behind it, as though it was not the smoke from the burning of anything.

"Yes, he is, Sir."

Nevertheless, Captain William's mind was turning in different directions, as he was baffled and a bit suspicious of the old man before him, for he knew that his presence would most definitely be for another reason than the fact that he had excused himself abruptly from their prior discussion.

"Hmmm---, is that so. Strange. However, I followed you because I did not tell you all I needed to say. Now listen well, the fact is that I need you to look into this spike of missing persons. Something does not smell right to my old nose. And I do not believe that there is anyone more capable than you for this. Will you do it?"

But while looking at the departing figure of Levis in the distance, the old man had his eyes narrowed, as his voice toned down while addressing Captain William with his request.

"I will---, rather I am already doing it, as I have also noticed it as well. But I have yet to find any hard leading evidence, even after I had tracked and investigated the circumstances to numerous of the missings."

"Hmmm---. Just put all your time into this matter, and sooner or later something will rise up. If there is anything, do not forget to contact the branch. Because if you storm all alone again, you know how the old fogies will react."

To the demand of the senior, Captain William gave a direct and flat answer, to which the old man did not react in any grand manner, for he knew and was rather expecting the man to have his sight on the happening, before he himself might actually make the request out of him.

"I know, sir." - [But are you not one of those damned old fogies you speak about?] - "If you will excuse me, I will bid good day to you General Observer. So until I will have anything definite on my findings, good day to you Sir."

And just as Levis prior to him, Captain William excused himself fairly quickly, while leaving the old man alone, before the building with "Training Ground" words written on it, of the guard branch.

"Good. But do not forget my words!"

"---."

"Tsk, damn stubern fool."

"Sir."

"Mmmm---? Ah--!?? Damn it, lass! How did you find me so soon?"

Yet, as the old man stood there looking at the figure of Captain Wiliam in the distance, and while on the verge of taking a step himself, the senior came to be jolted in fright, as vice-head Captain Risa's voice reached him, while she stood behind him, as though a cursing apparition, that was eyeing its own pray.

"With the smoke from your pipe, and how Captain William had departed, it had been no challenge in knowing where to find the two of you. Now let us return to the Head Captain's office. The new batch of reports has just been sent in and we still have requests that need to be examined and signed."

"Sigh---------! I already want to run away from this cursed position. Sigh---, when is that fool coming back?"

As the old man took a look at the young woman, he could feel her words arrive as though a constant freezing gale of wind, over his old face.

And yet, it was vice-head Captain Risa's short enunciation about the new assignment which had just anchored onto his desk, that made the old man give a sight and downward look as though lamenting over his current and old position, as though he was restrained in a sort of a cursed shackle which did not want to let him be freed.

"It is hard to say sir, but he---, the Head Captain had been very confident about the success of a breakthrough, so it should be another few days or week at the very least. I believe to be so."

However, as the present Head Captain was asking for the return of the current one, the answer which came from vice-head Captain Risa was full of unsureness, mild nervousness and concern, which the senior was quick to grasp at a single glance over her, as she was out of normal demeanour when talking about Head Captain Edgar.

"Tsk! He should hurry already. I did not return back to take on the post once again, this was supposed to be a light visit, not to come here and be reinstated as the General Observer again. Sigh---! And William, this idiot, has yet to come to head with the old fogies. Still as stubborn as always."

"---."

"Sigh---! What a pain in the arse, are you all. I will go for a walk, so wait for me to arrive---, ahhh!!! Damn it, lass, I understand, I understand!!!"

Nevertheless, throughout his cling of the tongue, sighs and curses, the old man was nonetheless, unable to walk away from the young woman, as he came to be blocked by a river of chilling wind crashing over his face and body, whilst the smoke of his pipe ceased to rise for the time being.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"Sir, you have yet to end the minimum quota for a break, so I will have to insist on your immediate return."

"---."

"Alright." - [I want to be free of this hell---! So damn it boy, get struck by lightning and return here already.]

----------------------------------------

----------------------------------------

"Hmmrrr---!"

"---."

At this moment, in a certain enclosure, a living room of sorts, a man was pacing ten steps backwards and ten steps forwards, whilst also emitting a growling noise, as though he was a beast which was growling from its stomach, in irritation or warning of a possible fight if one was to not give him the secure space necessary for his presence to command the freedom of his current motion.

"Hmrrr------!!"

"------."

But as time passed, the man continued to growl and walk back and forward, for he did not give the inclination of stopping himself any time soon.

"Hmrrr---------!!! Tsk------------------------------!"

"---------."

And so, the man continued to move haphazardly every ten steps, while also persisting with the low growl from his stomach, which was making him more akin to some kind of a monster than the human that he was.

However, the man had to stop at some point, and so he did, but while stopping himself, he gave a very irritated and vexed clink of his tongue.

Nonetheless, as he stopped his ever-going trend, the man came to glance at the center of the room, where a large rectangular table stood firm in place. Although it was not the table which he was looking at, for his gaze was directed at a second man present in the chamber, albeit this second man was at this moment, eating the food which stood before him, for this second individual, was not giving much importance to the one that was standing in his feet and was walking aimlessly around the room, as at the same time, the standing man's part of the meal was left untouched, due to his ongoing activity.

"Argh---!! Fuck------!! Fuck them all---------!!!"

And in the end, the growl that the man had constantly emitted became words, although, the words were nothing more than a series of curses ejected in a mad rage, from which the man seemed close to lose his own sanity.

"Calm down. You will drive yourself, and I include, mad, if you are to continue pacing around as you are right now. Take the seat and eat."

But as the man took his momentary stop, and produced his curses, the seated man had no other choice but to reach the man with his own words, for the situation of the latter was rather problematic if he were to not intervene in some way or form.

"No! Fuck that!! How the fuck can I stay calm?!! Fuck that boy Captain, that serious-minded vice-Captain, that annoying fucker Hubert and that---, that little m---, mons--, monster! Argh---------! Fucking hell! Fuck this as well!!"

"Stop it. You will just continue to harm yourself. There is no point in complaining now, since we have been here for just two mere weeks. We just have to wait for the brat to return."

And so, as for who the two men were, they were none other than Square and Zuger, who at this moment was standing on his feet, impatient as one could possibly be, whilst Square, on the other hand, was seated down at the table, eating the meal before him.

Even so, it could be said that the two of them could not appear any different from one another, for while the first one was a raging storm, the second was more alike to a silent mountain than anything.

However, Zuger's rage could barely stay within himself, as he began to let flow a river of cusswords, which were addressed to all those that he knew the closest since he had arrived in this habitation, which by now, had become his latest prison.

But amidst the ending of Zuger's insults and profanities, in his impatient and furious state of mind, he was at some point forced to grasp at his own head, for if one could gaze upon his face, one would be readily deduced that he was suffering from a great deal of pain in this very moment.

And while Zuger was suffering, Square who was some distance away, observed him with a calm face, while giving a shake of his head at all the erroneous actions he was continuing to take.

"The brat?! That th—, thing, is not a hu---, huma--, hum-, human! He is something else entirely, I know that. And after two weeks and something of being here, it is more than enough to make me go mad. Especially now, that I need to see my improvement in an actual spar. As I can feel this place becoming more and more stifling with each day."

Nonetheless, as Zuger stood and spoke towards Square, his eyes were anywhere but near the man, for in the moment, his gaze was focused on the door of the place. And if he could, he would have long ago demolished the habitation and the door, as from his venomous gaze it was easily inferred that the man was holding a great grudge over the place that was holding him as a prisoner.

"You will have to wait, since Adrian does not have the permission to take us out of this place. Plus, this is by far the most comfortable prison we have been in as of yet, so there is not much to complain about."

Nevertheless, Square's own words of reassurance and relief directed at Zuger did not have as much of an impact as he might have desired, for as he looked at his own and Zuger's hand and feet, he could instantly see the black bracelet's that were acting as chains and restriction inside the habitation, for they were the main reason for as to why the two of them were forced to remain inside the room despite the fact that they were not physically chained to anything.

"---."

"---."

"How---, and why the fuck, are you so calm? And so talkative today?"

Although, to Square's long tirades of words which usually would not come at all, Zuger came to glance in his direction, for he was slightly perturbed and worried at the unusual behaviour that his friend was performing at this moment.

"Mmmm---, the near-death experiences we have had can even change you, least be said to me. Plus, I have a bad feeling about this day."

"Bad feeling?"

"Creak!"

"Hmmm! Who is it---?"

"Adrian! Did you forget your head and return to take it back—!"

But while continuing the conversation between the two of them, the main door of the habitation came to be cracked open by a hair's length of a fraction, yet that alone was akin to the roar of thunder in the ears of the two, who turned their heads immediately and looked to see who was that had came, even as they already had their own preconceived ideas of who was about to reveal itself.

"---."

"---!?"

"You!!!"

Nevertheless, at the sight of the one to enter the entrance hall, Zuger came to squint his eyes and give a low and serious stare that would frighten most people. Although, on the other hand, Square, stood far more relaxed than him, even though that was oh so scarcely, as he himself was in no different mental position than that of Zuger himself.

"Mmmm---, it is only the two of you. Rowen has not returned---, right?"

Obviously, the one to enter was none other than Levis, who had arrived running from the small interaction he had just had with the second Captain. However, his demeanour was another to behold than what he had held in the presence of Captain William, for in this moment, his face was rather downcast and almost emotionless, as he gazed upon the two of them.

"No, he had not, and Adrian had just left not so long ago for his daylight shift."

"I see."

To answer Levis's question, it was not Zuger, but Square, as the man stood on his feet while gazing hard at the young boy, since on the other side, from Zuger's gaze and posture it was more proper to say that he was in a battle-ready stance, pure focus of mind, ready to act against the enemy that stood before him, even though, the said enemy, was a small child, that one might not consider a threat at all.

"---?"

"---!"

"---."

But upon his entry inside the habitation, Levis himself gave a grand scrutiny of the place and of the two who were present at this moment, which in the end, brought him to stand face to face with Zuger, who was looking down on him given the difference in height between the two of them.

"Bra---!" - "Ugh---!"

"Thud------!!!"

"Argh---------!!!"

Yet, not a moment after the two of them looked eye to eye with one another, Zuger, came to utter the first word, or rather incomplete first word, for as he was giving him a condescending and disdainful glance, as well as greeting word, he came to find himself in a sea of pain from the lower left side of his abdomen.

However, the pain was not all which occurred to him, as an even stranger occurrence happened, because given the difference in stature and overall mass difference between the two of them, his body which was heavier and far well balanced, came to be pushed backwards and slightly to the right, by Levis's small right fist, which in all, came to result in his collapse on the ground, several steps away from Levis's position.

Even so, the pain was nowhere near gone, for as he found himself on the ground, Zuger was hard-pressed not to curl his body as though having received a heavy blow that had left him without air to breathe or calm to think due to the ache that he was suffering.

"I do not like the way you are looking at me. So learn how to properly gaze at people you bastard." - [Mmmm---, now I know, that I am quite powerful.]

With Zuger on the ground, Levis took a glance at his own fist for quite a while, clenching it and opening it, as he was savouring the feeling of power he was able to display a moment ago.

[You should not presume so that soon---.]

[Why?] - "Hmmm---!!!"

"Bastard!!!"

However, his momentary lapse of attention brought him no small amount of danger, for as he was focused on his own world, Zuger, who had some time to recover, acted with complete ferocity, for as he was still on the floor, he proceeded to perform a ground level kick, which neared fast towards Levis's head, his temple, a surprise which caught Levis unprepared.

"Ahhh---! Argh------!! Ahhhhhhhhh---------!!!!!!!!!"

But all came to be for nought, for as Zuger covered some distance with his move to reach for the thing before him, his form collapsed as he came to find himself on the floor once more, albeit in a far worse state than the previous punch, as currently, he was grasping at his own head, as though it was nearing the point of being cracked open by blood pressure, with the veins on his face and neck enlarging and swelling, while he was screaming and growling while rolling on the ground, in what appeared to be a fit of pain so harsh, it was not of this plane, with the sole purpose of destroying one's spirit of rebellion.

"Ahhh---!!!"

"Mmmm?" - [He stopped mid-way his kick?]

[Have you forgotten the seal that I implanted in them?]

[Mmm---. You have said something about a seal, but I did not think it would really be this useful. Still---, this bastard actually tried to hit me.]

Levis stood staring, unsure of what had actually happened, but the sight of Zuger who was in excruciating pain did nothing to alleviate his mood, for his face became dimmer and shadier with each breath he was taking.

On the other hand, Zuger's scream was lowering, as well as the pain that he was feeling moment by moment.

[You were in luck that he did not come hit you, otherwise, you might have been in a big problem now. Regardless, I like the viciousness with which he jumped to hit you, no mercy at all, exactly how I want.]

[He is slow. I caught his movement before he stood close to me---, and avoiding his kick would have been no problem. Actually, the punch I hit him with did not have all of my force behind it. So he is weak, and he is supposed to be at rank 5 now. Too weak---, and too slow.]

"You aberrant thing, this is not over." - "Argh---!!!"

But as the pain subsided, and he came to himself, Zuger's first move was to give a hateful glare in Levis's direction, while trying to get a grasp of himself and rise to his feet.

Yet, said action came to be stopped, as Zuger found himself on the ground after a blow to the head from Levis's foot, which had arrived in the form of a heavy stomp to his face.

Still, as he found himself on the floor once more, he was forced to look up to the brat before him, yet, his eyes froze and his body trembled in fear, once he came to gaze at his face and eyes.

[Weak and stupid.]

[---.]

[That I ask myself.]

[---?]

[What is the point of keeping them?]

[---!]

[When one is useless and the other is not a threat anymore.]

[---!?]

And what Zuger came to see and feel was coldness and callousness, the eyes of a dead person, who was only seeing a world full of walking corpses, which he could rip and tear, dismember them apart, at any time he so desired.

However, as Levis continued to emanate the feeling of dread which shocked Zuger, said sensation came to reach a state of callosity and heartlessness to the point of not being of human origin anymore.

And so, it was not only Zuger but Square as well, who was frightened in submission, for he did not dare to look at the boy before him.

----------------------------------------

[ [Can you feel the change in our disciple?] ]

[ [Do you think I did not notice it? I am already trying to pinpoint anything that might give me something to work with.] ]

[ [---.] ]

[ [Have you found anything?] ]

[ [Nothing. I can not identify anything in particular, the brat is the same as a moment ago, his mind is without any particular or abnormal fluctuations from what I can see. You? Do you see anything?] ]

[ [Hmmm---, rather than seeing something, I feel something. I have the vague feeling that there is a hidden fate that I can not grasp, this is really annoying.] ]

[ [Tsk! How can anything elude me, this is not over, you brat.] ]

----------------------------------------

"You damn---, short bastard!!!"

"---."

"---!"

"---!"

But while Zuger was trying to rise to his feet, so as to regain his own willpower that he lost, after being crushed by a single exchange of gazes with Levis, his mouth came to move faster than his feet, because before he could even stand properly, an insult sprung out of him, which reached at Levis's ear in a instant.

Because it was an insult, or because of the word "short", Levis's eyes became red nevertheless. As such, the muscles of his face and arms twisted and churned, while the veins on his face and hand bulged in anger, as his heart became frenzied, beating franticly as though he was in a highly intensive physical activity.

"Kneel!"

"---!!!" - "Thud!"

"---!!!" - "Thud!"

In the end, only one word came out of his mouth, although the bloodthirstiness was more than obvious, as even someone inexperienced, could infer the want of murder that he was exhuding.

And as such, as Levis spoke the word "Kneel", Zuger and Square found themselves on the ground, plopping with heavy and distinct sounds that resounded in the entry hall.

One was on his hands and on his knees, while the other one had face and body plastered on the floor, as though a doll that had no power over its body.

The one on his hands and knees was Square who at this moment, had his head lowered in terror, for the feeling which was coming from the current Levis was as though he was a different person altogether. However, he was not sure if before him stood a human at all, for the feeling that he was receiving was something that a human would be absolutely incapable of producing.

As for Zuger, his state of mind was nothing better than that of Square, for as he was listless on the floor, he was having the constant impression of being looked upon, by the one that will or was about to bring his death.

"Weak and stupid." - [The slave seal in them is quite useful. But what is the point in keeping these guys, killing them would save me from two massive problems and would help me get close to my goal of killing all the bastards that I need to see dead. Even more so, when these two bastards were there---, when--, at that-, moment, they---------.]

[---.]

[Moreover, they are so weak, in this manner, in a month or two, they will be worth nothing to me. If I need slaves I will find someone stronger than these two in the future.]

[Kid. I do not deny the fact that they are weak and they are not worth anything to you. But dogs need to be educated when young, plus did you not want them to suffer? You will get your fulfilment and powerful hounds in the future, after all, an act of vindication and retaliation is better savoured over a long time.] - [ [Idiot, do you "feel" anything?] ]

[ [No. Still the same vague feeling, and now---, is becoming even more obscure than before.] ]

[ [Tsk! This brat sure is a difficult piece of work.] ]

[ [Yours that is. And now even you do not know how to go about it. Sigh---, so much for knowing everything.] ]

[ [---.] ] - [Kid, do you understand?]

[Mmmm---, yes. In a sense, Grandpa had said something similar a long time ago about raising dogs, so it must mean it is true. And---, yes, I should end them slowly, that way I can make my weakness disperse with a stronger resolute and make me stronger.]

[Hmmm??! Yes as you say.]

[ [Ah! I just felt something!] ]

[ [What?] ]

[ [---.] ]

[ [---.] ]

[ [Nothing. I think it was just a false forewarning.] ]

[Damn idiot!]

[Eh? What is it? And who are you calling an idiot?]

[Not you kid.] - [ [If there is nothing then do not go and alarm me for no reason.] ]

[ [I believed I should inform you. Still, I think there was something there.] ]

"---."

"Square face, where is Adrian?"

A prolonged stare-down, was the sole act of Levis for some time as both Zuger and Square were on the ground, until the moment that he turned his head from the listless Zuger on the ground and posed a question addressed at the kneeling Square some distance away from him.

"He has left not so long before you came---, for his daily watch." - [Did I not tell you this already?]

And as he came to be asked a simple query by Levis, Square had the vague sensation of his entire body going numb for the shortest of instances. However, despite the terrible feeling that Levis was giving, Square was successful in answering Levis's simple question.

"Understood."

And as Levis came to have his answer, he gave another long glance at the two men on the ground, before turning around and proceeding for the door to leave the chamber.

"---."

"---."

"You two are weak, and with each day, your worth to me is lessened even more."

With the door opened and himself halfway through, Levis gave a last phrase of words, which was hard to know if it was a threat or a warning from him.

And in leaving the habitation, Square and Zuger, were left in the kneeling position as they were put in by Levis order.

"---."

"------."

"---------."

"Short fucking bastard!"

After some time, the force or will that was shackling them to kneel down came to be weakened, till it dissipated, but, as they were regaining control of their bodies, Zuger rose to his feet with a dreadful and contorted expression, as sweat was forming on his forehead, while he was holding with one hand the left side of his abdomen. And as per the usual, a curse in anger sprung from his mouth, as he was looking at the door from where Levis had just left.

"This was---, this must have been the bad feeling that I kept having."

But Zuger was not alone in sweating abnormally, as Square's face, back and palm were all drenched from the apprehension he kept having from Levis's figure.

"Are you alright?"

However, he was still better when compared with Zuger, for it was a moment later that he came to ask about his well-being, not so long after he came to himself.

"Do I look good to you?"

"Not really."

But while being asked of his state of being by Square, Zuger who was still being in pain, continued to glare at the door of the place, as though waiting for Levis to return for another round of moves.

"What gave it away? The fact that I am about to collapse or that the mon---, the monster had knocked me down with one jab to my stomach?"

"---!"

"---."

"How strong is he realy?"

Yet despite the short moment of danger he had been through, Square was still curious as to how much of an actual threat Levis really was, because, in reality, he could not say how powerful he stood, for he had not grasped the full understanding of him, while he could barely contain the fear within himself in those moments of his actual presence.

"This may sound ridiculous to say, but he is probably just as strong as that bastard Grip."

"That strong? Did he become that strong in these last ten days?"

"How the hell should I know, but he did not give me the same pressure a month ago, otherwise he would have killed me instead of pummeling my face that time."

"---."

"---."

As such, with the few words between the two of them, Square and Zuger fell silent, as one was looking at the door and the other one stood in contemplation about Levis who was now gone.

"---."

"------."

"---------."

"He gave me a scary feeling."

"What?"

Yet as the two of them fell silent, said silence was broken not long after, as Square came to be the one to utter a few words, which made Zuger raise his eyebrow and look in his direction while he was slightly taken a back by his comment.

"For a moment when he stood here, I felt something. I do not know how to describe it, but that feeling was familiar, although incredibly frightening, excessively so if I have to be honest."

"Then you can see how he is not a brat, but a monster in human skin?"

"Maybe."

"What maybe, what else do you need?"

"Some more time."

"Tsk! Time for what? It is obvious we are at the mercy of a damned devil."

"---."

"---."

----------------------------------------

----------------------------------------

[ [You hear those two? That boy Square sensed something as well. I was not wrong.] ]

[ Neighter you or that boy can be fully trusted, when you two work on mere sensations and speculations, with no provable grounds to speak of. Not to mention neither of these two boys know what they truly are.] ]

[ [Hmph! Be it your way then.] ]

----------------------------------------

----------------------------------------

"---."

"------."

"---------."

[So where do we go?]

[Out of the city of course, where else do you think? Go towards the west gate.]

And so, as Levis was done with Zuger and Square, he came to walk out of the building in which Rowen had his dwelling as a guard, after which, he moved out of the enclosed area that was the guard branch zone, and proceeded to head into the many twisting and tuning streets of Green's inner city.

[To do what exactly?]

[Train you, what else? Go to your right, not your left you idiot.]

[Alright. Mmmm---, but--, how-, and why?]

So Levis began his fast walk through the inner city, even as he was not exactly running per se, although his actions of abruptly changing his direction were rather strange to look upon, as he came to be seen by some of the passersby, who might glimpse at him for a moment or two.

[You sure have stupid questions, do you? No, do not turn, continue straight till the end of the road.]

[Am I not strong? Did you not see how I pummeled that piece of shit?]

And looked upon he was, for as he picked up some speed and made some abrupt turns, some among the numerous walking men and women threw strange glances at the little fellow that was running chaotically at their feet. Even so, it was only at the level when one would give him a strange glance for a moment and nothing more, for it was not anything overtly severe.

[Oh---, I have seen it, all too well. Pace yourself and be less conspicuous, you are being looked at a tad bit too much.]

[Then, why train and just teach me how to make gol---, energy shards and elixirs.]

[Kid, I was not done and shut it. Take the turn to your left and you will be on the main road, follow it. The west gate is ahead of you, just a few thousand steps away from where you are.]

Nonetheless, his running effort came to be rewarded, for after just a hundred or so breaths of time, he was finding himself on the slope where the main road was, and ahead of him, at the end of the street, the massive wall of the city, as well as the west gate, which were perfectly visible from his position.

[Wrong, for what I saw, was not you pummeling that boy, but a mere moment of distraction from the both of you, until the moment, that you came oh so close to having your head booted and dying on the spot. Continue downwards.]

[What? That is not true, I have seen him throw that kick and I could have evaded it or blocked it, so what are you saying?]

[There are no excuses in a fight, even if you are to say the truth, that you are stupid, inexperienced, undisciplined or the truth that you are nothing more than a midget brat smaller than my pinky finger, the fact that you could have died from his kick still remains.]

[What did you say I am!?]

But while running, Levis came to an abrupt halt, as anger was written all over his body, with his twitching eyelids, as well as his irritated and incensed face. However, it was difficult to say if it was the insults or the mentioning of his stature that were the cause for his abrupt stop.

[Exactly what you heard. Now continue your run.]

[Hmph!]

But his temper and disposition could not be cared for shorter than a moment, as Urger continued to urge him on and to resume his running state that he had come to stop in place.

[It is the truth. After all, just by looking at you, and your little fit of anger proves my point even more. Not only are you the one who initiated the fight, but you actually got distracted, resulting in my seal saving you from that boy's kick. So, how can you be more pathetic than this? ]

[---.]

Yet at Urger's words, Levis began to calm down, although, with his head lowered and while looking at the ground, he persisted in running towards the gate that was growing and nearing on him, as he continued to head in its direction without saying anything back.

[---.]

[---.]

[It is useless to stay silent. If you want to grow, you must face the fact that you are a fool just like the idiot. But to your fortune, you have me, so I will help you mature from an idiot to a half idiot.]

[You---!]

Although, while he was running, Levis kept silent for some time, and did not give a word in retort to Urger's condescending words. However, his silence did not last for too long, as the repeated times he was called an "idiot" were getting to his searing temperament, which in turn, made him erupt in anger at the nagging and the constant demeaning that Urger was throwing at him.

"Halt! You there!"

But while in his incensed state of mind, Levis was not even aware of the fact, that he was passing beneath the large wall of the city, for he continued to slowly run, whilst having his mind filled with the anger and the irritation that he came to fall into. Nevertheless, as he was walking, and Urger was conversing to him, he came to have a rather rude awakening to the real world, once the voice of a man came from his right side, halting him in place, with his right hand that was stopping his path to reach outside the gate of the wall.

"Who are you, and why are you trying to go out of the city? Where are your parents?"

And as he was pulled into the real world, away from his mind, where he was kept in perpetual conflict with a certain someone, Levis turned his head to glance at the one that had called for him.

A guard, was the first word which instinctively came to his mind, for the man that was looking at him was wearing a half-protective armour with blue clothing underneath, the same sort that Adrian and Hubert were always wearing.

A man in his thirties, with a hard glare that was directed at him, while on the other hand, Levis himself, was staring blankly at the man which had stopped him all of a sudden.

"Answer me!"

"---."

[Urger!]

[So in the end, you still come to me when you do not know what to do. Now listen and speak what I will tell you. And try to learn something while you are at it.]

"---."

"---."

"Ahem---! My name is Levis, and I have my guardian waiting for me on the other side, here is my slip---, you see. And my guardian, well---, he is a guard like you are. Adrian, do you know him? He is on watch duty in the outer city, and I am going to meet him. I also live at the guard branch, have you not seen me?"

"Realy?"

Brief, yet not so brief as to say it had not been felt, was the silence, the stare and the blinking of the eyes between the man and Levis, as while one had a serious look on him, the other had a blank and stupid countenance, which would push one to ask if the brat was really thinking of anything at all.

However, as though having been given life, Levis came to enunciate himself with a somewhat prewritten set of words, and yet, his slips and brief pauses made it look more natural even as he was giving a rather not completely honest nature about his own self. As such, the man was rather unconvinced about the whole ordeal of the boy before him.

Consequently with Levis's brief and quick words, a rectangular dark green plate came to be with his small hands as he offered it to the man as he had been instructed by old Wan and Rowen when they had been giving it to him.

"Hmmm---, twelve--, no-, nearly thirteen. I think I heard of someone named Adrian, but I do not know him. Anyway, you can go. But do not venture too far or in dangerous places, the outer city is not as safe as the inner one. And I will ask of this guardian of yours, so you better not lie to me boy, or else you will be in trouble."

With the dark green plate given by Levis, the man took it in his own hand and observed it for a moment, after which, with his other hand, he came to hover over a slightly bigger dark squarish plate for a moment until he removed it, and looked upon his own for a moment as though ascertaining something from within it. And with a few more glances between the plate in his hands and Levis, as well as a raised eyebrow and a strange look, the man came to give back the dark green plate that Levis had handed him a moment ago and allowed him to proceed with his endeavour, while offering a simple warning at the end of his comments.

"Aha---, aha--, ha-, aha, there is no need mister, there will be no problem." - [No, no, no, no, no! Urger! This will become a problem if Adrian finds out I was out of the city.]

[Where is the problem? You have already left the guard branch, and that means trouble, what can he do when he finds that you have gone into the outer city? You have already been with him out here, a simple concocted lie and some beating and you will be alright.]

[You! What a great solution is this! If you still get me into trouble, I could have done it by myself if I knew it, and leave Adrain's name out of this.]

[Aha---, ha--, ha-, aha! Tell him, disciple!]

[Enough bickering and more moving, we still have to leave this city.]

"I hope for your own good, that you have not lied to me, boy. Now move along."

"See you later, mister."

With a final harsh stare, the man let Levis walk away, yet in contrast to his sharp attitude, Levis's joyful state and smile made him appear more and more dubious to the man's gaze.

"---."

"---."

"Oy! Why did you allow that child to go out?"

However, while the man continued to narrow his eyes at Levis, a voice that was rebuking him came from his back, forcing him to turn his gaze away from the boy.

"He is over twelve years of age, how can I stop him."

"Is that true?"

And as the man looked, he came to face with another guard, a middle-aged man, somewhat plump in appearance, although his eyes were giving him a sharp and stern profile.

"Yes, I have looked and verified his identification."

"Then all is alright. But if you are done, then go and replace that lazy bastard, the line on the entries side had grown quite a bit."

"I will go, but this will be additional time."

"Yes, yes, yes. And tell that bastard to present himself before me. I will teach that lazy ass a good lesson, once he will go on patrols on the outskirts of the city for a month."

"Hmmm---?!"

At the end of their conversation, and as the plump guard appeared to be going into a small fit of anger with his last remark that was spoken quietly, the man who had stopped Levis, turned his head to look for his figure, yet to his surprise, the boy was nowhere to be seen, even as he darted his eyes everywhere on the large opening of the outer city that was before the gate, yet still, he could not find any trace of him at all.

"---."

"------."

"---------."

"------------."

"---------------."

"Sigh---!" - [This will definitely put me into trouble with Adrian!]

[What nonsense are you speaking? Since you have left the guard branch you already put yourself into trouble with that boy, so what is the point of staying secretive or complaining about this much.]

But while the guard that had stopped Levis was attempting to see his figure, the one in question was already quite a distance away from the west gate of the city, for right now, he was navigating his way in between the even more numerous residents of the outer city who appeared to be alike to a colony of a never-ending ant nest.

[But this is outside of the city's wall, he will definitely be angrier.]

[You really enjoy your own nonsensical out-of-place thoughts, do you? To your right.]

[But why did you have to mention his name to that guard---.]

[Kid! You ungrateful and stupid fool! First of all, it was you who said it, with your own mouth. And if you did not want this, then you should have not asked for my help, to begin with. Or you should have just cut some words out of the script that I handed to you.]

[---.]

[So now, stop with this nonsensical absurdity of yours. Because there is no need to be so afraid of that boy? Even more now---, when he is in actuality weaker than you. It is just as you had put it before, in a year from now what will he be to you? I will tell you what, an ant, nothing more. So stop worrying about a mere scolding that you will have to suffer for a moment. This is far too embarrassing and humiliating, when you continue to cling to simple matters of a human, that you should not focus on or lose time over.]

Halfhearted face, and head down, was Levis's current appearance, while he kept running along the road that was taking him westward, but while running, it would be nearly impossible for anyone to guess, that as he was fast walking, he was being berated by the irritated voice of a man, which he had the unfortunate pleasure, of dealing with all the time of the day.

[---.]

[---.]

[Am I a criminal?]

[What? Where is this coming from?]

[---.]

[---.]

[Am I or am I not? Because I know that I am not. So why would Adrian and Rowen be so angry every time I go out? After all, this is nothing more than a big village, so they should not have anything against me going around right?]

[Stop and wait, you stupid brat! You truly have some absurd thoughts running through your mind, a moment ago you were afraid of a mere rebuke and now you are running circles with some convoluted logic to excuse yourself. But I will walk with you, and tell you that no, you are not a criminal. However, how can you compare a village of five people, against a city of five million.]

Quite the time had passed since Levis continued his track through the roads of Green's outer city, but while he kept alternating between slowing and pacing up his running speed, his face retained a dark, stubborn and pensive look for most of the duration of the road. Yet only once he came to a stop before the passage of a large road his figure brightened a tad bit in surprise and wonderment, as he looked at the several carriages that were pulled by horses and one that was pulled by two large cats.

[Now listen well you idiot, the number of dangers for you or any other brat like you rises exponentially in a heavily populated gathering of humans, when compared with your village. As in your village, you can say that everyone knows everyone. However, on the opposite side, a dense and massively populated area is nothing more than a gathering of strangers, who act and work upon a set of rules and morals, that are placed and set by a maggiore of consent, so that they can live and tolerate one another. Nevertheless, that does not mean that everyone will abide by set rules, which will leave you with a small one thousand of a percentage of the said population, who will have and will act with nefarious intentions and designs. After all, getting disappeared will not be a problem in a place so populated as this city, especially when someone looks at you. That is why those boys keep telling you not to leave their side. Move now, and take the alley to your left.]

And as the carriages were passing by at somewhat of a modest speed, Levis's face lighten up considerably, even as at the back of his head, a damn of words were crashing against his mind in the very same instant. Yet if one were to look at him, it would be hard to ascertain if he was truly focused on the words that Urger was throwing at him or at the moving traffic of the road, at the numerous men and women that were everywhere or at the numerous shops that were in all directions from his position.

[Albeit, here you will have a hard time being eaten by weird dogs or stray cats as in your small pack of five. This is just a choice of danger, between beasts and humans. However, these two can intersect very often when cultivation is afoot. A beast can barge into the city and eat several humans, and a passing cultivator can intentionally or unintentionally kill hundreds of peasants, villagers or farmers. So in the end, there is nowhere you can be safe. If anything---, these boys are not protective enough if one is to logically think about it.]

[Not protective enough? What else could they do? Chain me and lock me in a room?]

[That would not be bad, since you would have more time to cultivate. But real-life experience is absolutely required, because, sooner or later, you will have to deal with humans and the weirdness of nature as a whole. As you will need all the experience to develop the knowledge and wits to survive on your own. You can run faster, keep it to the minor alleys.]

After passing over the large road, Levis's path continued throughout the rear alleys and between the buildings of the city, as he kept speeding to a pace that even an adult specialized in running could not keep up for more than fifty or so breaths if it were to compete against him, yet at this point, he had already been running for more than five hundred breaths of time.

Yet, even as he was not taking the appropriate time to observe the structures of the outer city while running, Levis could still see and register the sight before him perfectly clear, and as such, even he could notice the difference in the quality of the inner city and of the outer city, which was not as much for the lower grade of construction or by the level of cleanliness between the two areas, but by an instinctual perception which had grown as his cultivation had risen.

For as he traversed the two areas, he kept feeling a silent flow of energy, a certain resistance that was dormant, yet slowly moving through the buildings, the streets and the wall of the two sections. And yet, it was all a notion at the back of his head which he gave no grand importance as he was already kept busy with one very talkative old fellow.

[Whith how strong I am, who can threaten me?]

[Tsk! You stupid idiot. And what are you going to do? Tell those boys how mighty are you? Fight a stranger and reveal your power to the world?]

[I will---.]

[You will do nothing! Because you are going to do nothing. Or are you going to tell your little friends how potent and deep your cultivation is? Or the fact that you have reached it in a single month of doing nothing of particular difficulty, and with barely any effort whatsoever? Tell them that you have reached to this point in a month, a matter that would have taken an average cultivator a decade at the very least? Or maybe, the fact that you are not a human since you can probably not die?]

With building after building, that Levis was passing, he was becoming more and more perplexed at how large the whole was, for if he was back at his village, he would have probably run over five hills and four valleys by this point, and still, there was no end in sight of the three to five floors high structures.

However, while he was privately thinking about the size of the outer city since this was the first time he was experiencing by foot, he was actually silent, or rather overburdened by the aggressiveness that Urger had in his long enunciations.

[Now look at the both of you, created circles over circles with your reasoning, that you both have no idea of what in the Ordain Fate's name you were conversing about.]

[---.]

[---.]

[No you will not! Because you can not take any risk to your own safety, you are and will be a brat in their eyes for a long time. Do you understand me?!]

[Yes. But in the end, I will still escape from any lodging.]

[Do not ignore me, disciple! And you damn blockhead, how dare you push me aside!]

[Obviously. Because why in Hell's name, would you remain close inside that place, when you need combat and fighting experience? Damned be their overprotection if they are getting in my way. There is simply no point in fearing any of them, over your own actions, at the very worst you will abandon your current decision of staying in the human society and go on your own way. Continue straight ahead, do not take any turns.]

[Hmmm---, alright! I will no longer care about the scolding that much! But I must stop to eat something. Since I am getting hungrier and hungrier by the moment. ]

[It is not about not caring, but about the importance of priorities that you have.]

And in Levis's long track, an opening came to reveal to its eyes, a large open market, as stall after stall was selling meat, vegetables, fruits, clothing or other strange contraptions which he did not know what were or what they were used for.

However, what he knew most were obviously the food street vendors, as his eyes were on the food that they were preparing to the lines of people who were waiting to buy said fast-prepared meals. Albeit, in the end, it was not the eyes which guided him to stand next to one of such vendors, but the nose, as once he was focused on his smelling faculty, he could easily deduce which food would agree more with him, as such, he proceeded to walk to one of the many stalls, that were strategically placed all over the plaza, and leave with a small loaf of bread stuffed with beans and meat, a strange taste with the first bite, but one that grew on him over time.

Yet, he was not satisfied so easily, as he proceeded to wander to a different stall where he bought a sweet treat to change the taste and a small closed jug of water to parch himself, after which he resumed his walk, to move away from the large market, and continue in the direction were his destination was.

"Heuw---!" - [Because of your rush and those two, I did not take anything to eat. But now I am good, still, this damn city, how big is it? Even after all of this walking and running---, I have yet to see the end of it. How far till I will reach the forest?]

[A few kilometres, to the west, at the speed that you are moving, it will not be longer until you arrive.]

[Hmmm---. If I could fly---, I would have already arrived there---, right?]

As Levis gulped down the last bit of the pie slice and he was taking a mouthful of water, he's gaze moved from the front of his feet to the sky above him, as he appeared to be lost in the morning sea of air above its head.

As to the reason, it was none other than the sun that had risen a finger higher above the horizon line in the east. For as the sun had yet to shower its light over the entire city, as the inner city of Green was a large earth mound, akin to a failed hill or a newborn rising of a future mountain, the west portion of the inner city, as well as the outer city, came to be cast in its shadow, which made the few white clouds in the sky to shine more brightly, for those who were in the shadow part of the city, as such, for a few moments, even Levis came to be engrossed in the view, even though it was a view which he had seen multiple times in his village.

[You are correct, but only If you could fly that is. Because in your case, you might barf everything that you just have eaten, fall on your head, and die on the spot, given how you have conducted yourself on that ship.]

[I---, I have already conquered that!]

Ultimately, as he came to be in a small conflict with Urger, Levis puffed his chest and glanced around with the confidence and conviction of a triumphant warrior who had conquered his past weakness. Yet regardless, from any point of view, his gesture and behaviour was anything but normal, if one might glance at his put-up facade.

[Have you? Knowing you kid, you have mostly forgotten everything I have said from back then.]

[No---! I did not!]

But as Levis came to be called in question about his surpassed fear, he arrived to puff his chest high once again, as he was looking to the sky with absolute confidence in himself.

"Bump!"

"Oy! Brat, watch where you are goin'---. Eh?"

[Aha---, ha--, aha-. ha! A child calling another boy, "brat". When have you become an old man, disciple?]

But while he was engrossed in his overconfidence of having conquered his fear, he came to collide shoulder-to-shoulder with someone on his left side.

"Sorry---!?"

[---.]

"Who?"

However, the collision was not the end of the strange accident which should not have occurred, since Levis was more than aware of his close proximity, since he was akin to a shark that could sense problems instead of blood, before said problems could even reach him, and so, he came to have a rather snarky and angry retort at the one who came to crash into him.

As for the one who had come to bump into Levis, it was a boy, or rather a juvenile youth, two to three heads taller than him. He was dressed thinly, with shoulder-long hair and apologetic eyes, as he was bowing his head oh so slightly to excuse himself for the accident.

"Ah!"

Nonetheless, as Levis was with his half-irritated gaze on the fellow that had bumped him, and as he was preparing to start his walk again, his senses shot in alarm, for he could feel something rummaging through his right pocket.

And with a lightning-fast reaction, his right hand moved to grasp or grab whatever was trying to search through the right pocket of his trousers. Although, to his surprise, a subtle wail of pain came to be heard by him, once his hand grasped onto the said something which was rummaging through the right pocket of his pants.

The softness of the flesh, the skin of a person. This was the first information that reached his mind from the touching sense of his hand, however, an instant later, came the hardness of bone, and so he knew that whatever he had grasped, was most likely the hand of someone.

And someone it was indeed, for as Levis turned his gaze from the youth, he could see, the face of a long-haired and pale little girl, that was on the verge of crying due to the suddenness and forcefulness of his action. However, she could be a little girl if seen in the eyes of an adult, because when put subsequent to Levis, he was still basically a head shorter than she was tall.

"Leave!"

"Leave? Do you think you can, you puny pickpocket thieves?"

But while seeing the state in which the young girl was in, the youth shot a harsh glare in Levis's direction and with a determined look on his face, he gave the instruction to the girl to leave, while he grabbed at Levis's left hand in which he held the jug of water, and attempted to squeeze as hard as he could, so as to make him react from the pain and release his companion from his grip.

"Although, I was of the belief that---, well, you two are just some random brats, and not some crocked--, grown-ups, I actually-, did not expect this. Maybe Grandpa and old Village Chief were wrong?"

Nonetheless, the youth was left at a loss, as contrary to his expectations, Levis's reaction was not the one that he had anticipated to happen. For as the youth tried to free his accomplice by scaring and straining Levis's left hand, he saw the boy who should be scared and in pain, simply turning his head in his direction with an irritated face, while not seeming affected in any form by his action, as though his grip strength, and demeanour, was nothing remarkable in the eyes of the boy before him.

Nevertheless, as Levis turned, he continued to talk, but his voice and intonation dimmed word by word, for he had not expected to be robed in the street, and in broad daylight at that, moreover, it was done by two children and not some bandit-like adults, whom he would have no restraints in retaliating or beating them up.

"Let her go!"

"You are talking to me?! Hmph! You sure have guts to talk to m---."

[Kid!]

[Hmmm?]

However, as the youth witnessed that his action had no consequence at all, he could only apply more strength in his squeeze, whilst giving a hard and low growl-like order directed at the young boy before him, so as to intimidate him, since at this moment, it was more than obvious that he had become the predator, instead of the prey that he was just a moment ago in their eyes.

Yet to the youth's misfortune, Levis just became more fierce and more intense with his gaze and attitude, as though he could not feel the pain from the youth who was applying all of his strength with his grasp.

[Kid, listen to me, as I will give you a warning. Since you seem to not understand all that well, in what kind of a situation you are in at the moment.]

[What do you want? I am about to give these thes---.]

[Idiot, if this escalates and the guards will come here, what do you think will happen then?]

[---!?]

[---.]

[Shit!]

[Not exactly---, but you see my point. You will get in the real kind of trouble right here, then once again with those boys, when they will find where have you been going. So, do not let the day pass without us doing anything. Let them go, and let us move on our way. Take it as your win from having put your pouch inside your trousers and avoid being robbed.]

[Aha! I was right all along, no one can steal from me, not least these two brats.]

"You! Ah---?"

"Eh---!"

Ultimately, as the youth and the girl were struggling, due to the strange endeavour in which they got themselves by trying to rob the little fellow, they came to be equally stunned, when the monster-like boy before them, released his grip over the girl's hand and begin to gaze up in the sky with a smug face, as though trying to look down on them, despite him not being nowhere near their eyesight level.

However, as the girl came to be released, the youth acted with quick hastiness, for he took the girl by the hand and disappeared in the crowd of people in the span of a mere four breaths of time.

Meanwhile, Levis stood proud of his own achievement and wits, as though being a general who had won a battle, by the use of a simple move.

[Hmph! As if they could steal from me, two foolish brats. You are twent---, twelve years younger to try and steal from me.]

[A kid calling a little boy and a little girl, brats. Disciple, you sure deal with pride as most mortals do. Over your own head, I see. Now move along, you do not want the guards to come here and question you about what happened here---, do you?]

[Ah shit! Time to run.]

Even so, Levis's lofty and mighty confidence came to retreat in an instant, once he came to be reminded of the problem that could still arrive over his head, and so, with a full turnaround, his face drastically changed as he took in the direction of the course than he had still to reach the end of.

[---.]

[------.]

[---------.]

[Damn it, how far is it? How are we not there yet?]

[Just a little more, as you are almost there.]

Even after some time of running since the pickpocket incident, Levis continued to run amidst the buildings of the outer city, that had yet to end. And as it was, his patience was thinning by the moment, for he had yet to see the beginning of the forest that he was wanting to arrive at.

"---."

"---!?"

[There you are.]

However, just as his patience was about to end, and as he was preparing to curse at the size of the city, the buildings of the outer city came to become fewer and fewer, as tree after tree came to be more prominent on the road, until a small clearing, a divide of sorts arose in front of him, two or three hundred meter or so, and then, the beginning of the forest that stood at the west of the city.

However, it was incorrect to declare that the forest stood only to the west, as in truth the city was surrounded by it, for thousands of kilometres on all sides

Appearing aking to a never-ending wall from the ground, and a sea or a of trees from the sky, a mixture of tens of thousands of specimens that would make any expert lose dozens if not hundreds of years in cataloguing all the species that were known and those that had yet to be found were within it.

[Almost there.]

[Prepare yourself.]

[---.]

[Run!!!]

"Haaa!"

With the forest in his sight, Levis continued his running pace until the moment that he entered the forest, as once he came to be under the shade of the trees, he disappeared as fast as a momentary apparition.

And an apparition he truly was, for as he had been encouraged by Urger, Levis's first step once inside the forest was a heavy and well-grounded stomp, and in correlation with a low shout, he pushed himself to the best of his firing burst of power. And so, he became a shade that was in this moment whizzing and whooshing around the trees as though he was a gale of wind that could not be stopped by the deformed terrain or by the trees that from time and time were blocking his way.

[---.]

[---.]

[This damn city is too big and has too many people. If I could have run like this since I left the guard branch, I would have come here a long time ago.]

But if one were to glance at the running Levis at this moment, one might accidentally mistake him for a wolf that was hunting some prey, because his swift momentum was anything but normal, because, as he was running over the risen roots and the sides trunks of the trees, in the same manner, that a wolf would, with prolonged jumps and fast bursting power when his feet were touching the ground.

"Haaaaaaaaa!!!"

Yet as he continued to run, even Levis himself could not hide the joy from his current dash, for as his eyes were darting to observe the path ahead, at the periphery of his eyes, the trees were passing one after the other at an incredible pace. At the same time, a feeling of elation was inundating his mind, which prompted him to smile as his body ran even faster, whilst giving a loud shout, as though a lion trying to announce his presence over the land.

[You have barely left the city, so do not go around and behave like an animal. Or else someone might come to look you if they mistake you for one.]

[If they can catch me!]

[You are fast but do not overestimate yourself.]

[I still can go a bit faster.]

However, as Levis came to accelerate one more time, his figure was truly becoming a blur that was moving between the trees and bushes, albeit if a mortal were to observe him, even so, his indistinct figure came to be more akin to that of a rabbit than of a wolf.

"---."

"------."

"---------."

[For how much longer do I still have to run? Are we not far enough?]

And still, the end of his road was not in sight, as even after passing past two dirt roads while in his dash, he had yet to hear Urger's voice telling him to stop or otherwise.

[Almost there---!]

[How much?]

[I said almost the---! Kid---------!!! Stop immediately!]

And as Levis could see some hope from Urger's words, the unexpected occurred, as without any warning, Levis had to stop himself and arrest all of his speed, at the sudden shout by Urger, although as he expected it, due to his speed, he came to drift over the grass and leaves for some distance, after he came to a stop with all of his momentum.

[Wha---?]

[Quick! Suppress your breathing and presence! Just as I have told you, withdrew everything in, light steps. Now go to your left, the hollow at the base of that tree! Jump and stay there, do not move, and stay still.]

Unbeknown as to why had Urger ordered him to do so, Levis could do nothing but to respond quickly by suppressing his breath, lowering every ounce of energy of himself, and then moving with light steps as to where he had been told.

Because from his strange and never-before-heard tone, he could infer that the gravity of the situation was far greater than he could understand, as such, he proceeded to arrive at the hollow base of the tree that he had been indicated.

[---!]

[---.]

[------!!?]

[------.]

[---------!!!!?]

[---------.]

[What is happening? Why did you tell me to stop and hide here?]

And so, Levis who stood seated for quite a while in the hollow trunk of an old tree, was wondering why he had to hide all of a sudden, because what Urger had made him do was rather strange, as he could not sense anything in his surroundings.

But after a dozen or so breaths of time, Levis's tolerance came to parch out, as no word came from the one that had put him in this unexplained situation, which made him more perplexed and inquisitive than ever.

[Nothing of much importance. As I wanted you to take notice of your surroundings, this way, if you are lucky you might find something to add to the wealth in that pouch at your crotch.]

"What?" - [Mmmm---! Where?]

Although, to the now Levis, who was suspicious of Urger's action, he was not entirely satisfied with the nonchalant answer, yet his stance took a turn once the mention of him increasing his wealth came up. For in that moment, his eagerness took control over him immediately, dispelling his befuddled mind that was replaced by mild surprise and shock of unexpected delight.

[Go on and sense it.]

[Hmmm? Mmmm---!]

Nevertheless, Levis who had no clue as to what Urger was talking about proceeded to do as told. And so he closed his eyes and tried to sense anything that might attract his interest.

[---!?]

[---.]

[I do not sense anything. Where is the thing that you are speaking of?]

Yet his attempt was for nought, as he came with nothing after some time of wrenching his head to increase his senses.

[Kid! You damned fool, open your eyes and search around.]

[Ah!]

[---.]

[Mmmm? Is this the thing you are talking about?]

With instruction that was far more clear, Levis came to turn left and right, looking for whatever Urger was speaking of, and in the end, after some uncovering in the hollow of the tree, he came to find a mushroom hidden some distance beneath some dirt, bark, leaves and other parts of the tree, that had fallen over the time, hiding it from any prying eyes.

[What do you think?]

[It is a mushroom. A bad one at that, since it is a poisonous one, what about it?]

Nonetheless, Levis was not all that excited to see the small, reddish cap mushroom with irregular ends, as from his learning with his grandmother, he knew that the one before him was not to be consumed as it was most definitely poisonous and possibly deadly.

[Touch it.]

[No, I do not wan---.]

[Touch it, now.]

[---.]

[Go on!]

"This!"

Yet, to add to Levis's apprehension of the small thing before him, was Urger himself, who without hesitation came to push him in touching the small thing before him, even as he most definitely did not want to do so.

However, upon touching it, Levis's eyes rose in surprise, as he came to speak out loud due to the unexpected discovery.

[Why can I not sense it?]

[Fungeses are strange. Or rather, I should say that all types of floral-based life forms are as such. Especially these ones, that congregate large quantities of energy in their bodies while they grow and wait for some kind of change that will grant them the possibility to be more than just the simple driven organism that it is.]

As Levis stood fiddleing the thing which his hand, surprised by his discovery, he came to ask Urger the sole question which came to his mind at this moment.

For which an answer of sorts arrived, even though it did not have the one he was aiming.

[I think---, yes--, if I am not wrong-, this thing, should have the amount that I had before the seclusion, so it must be somewhere at rank 5, right?]

However, the fiddling of Levis's fingers over the small thing had a bigger reason, as, after some time, he came to estimate the quantity of energy that the red mushroom was harbouring at this moment in its small form.

[Corect. And as to the reason why you have not sensed it, is quite simple, for it is nothing more than a mechanism of defence that allows it to hold every wisp of energy within itself, without leaking into the environment. This is an adaptation by plants and fungi alike, who have to try and survive while defenceless against predators that search for them with an endless resolve for more power and opportunities. Nothing more or different than the fact of how it is poisonous to begin with, so as to lower the number of predators that will eat it.]

As per the usual way, that Levis had become quite familiar with, Urger initiated his long explanation which was eighter too boring to stay on him or too long that Levis would lose him along per his long exposition.

[So what am I to do wit---!] - "Who---, who is it!"

But alas, Levis had no time to get bored or lose track of Urger's long lines of words, as when the man had begun his long explanation, his senses had picked the presence of someone far in the distance, straightforward from the position of his open back.

However, not a moment after Levis came to be aware of the presence, he was forced to turn around and shout, because the sense of danger had exploded all of a sudden, due to the existence which had begun to run in his direction at a considerable speed whilst making very little noise whatsoever.

"---."

"---."

"Hello there."

A man, in his twenties or so, or he could have been older, but Levis could not tell for sure.

However, the rough heavy items of clothing on the man, that could act even as weak armour, and the short sword at his waist, were all aspects which told Levis that the man before him, was someone who was experienced with long and dangerous expeditions, since he could feel the same air as the hunters of his village on the man. A warm fluffy dog on the outside, but a cold-blooded wolf on the inside. And to confirm his suspicion, was the backpack on his back, as well the large beanie-made cap to shield his head from the elements, since the temperature could take a drastic turn during the night time.

And so, Levis's eyes sharpened, once he fully examined the one who had been closing on him all of a sudden, as his instinct of danger rose in an instant. As for the man before him, he could not feel the kind of warmth that an honest person would usually carry, despite the fact, that the man was smiling in a natural and amicable manner at this moment.

"---."

"---."

With one another locked in an intense gaze, the man and the child did not do anything for a while, since this was more of a meeting that would usually happen when two predators were crossing paths with one another for the first time.

"Who are you? And what do you want?"

Nevertheless, the silence broke once Levis came to ask about the man and his intention, since he had been the one to approach his location.

"Just a stranger, who came to see something in which he is interested." - [A lucky stranger that is. Aha!]

And in response, the man answered the little boy before him, while increasing the smile on his face as though happy for having found something good on the ground.

"What?" - [Fucker! Are you playing with me!!!]

However, the man's words and simile at him were rather extremely sick and irksome to the stomach, while leaving him baffled and confused for a moment, after which his mind exploded with a curse at the man, since he had provided absolutely no explanation, as to why he had approached him, with the lacklustre of a reply that he had been given.

Yet on the outside, only a confused little face remained, as Levis withheld all the anger within himself, so as to not jump at the fellow's head that had clearly no good intentions.

"Ah---, ha--, aha-, aha! The mushroom over there---, can I have it?" - [Move out of my way---, you damn brat.]

However, as Levis appeared confused, the man laughed off Levis's confusion, and with the pointing of his finger and the movement of his chin, he directed his and Levis's focal point, towards the mushroom that was not too far off from where he was staying.

"No! It is mine." - [First two little pickpocketing thieves in the street, and now some unknown bastard who wants to steal my finding. Does everyone see me as an easy target to pick on?]

[Kid, to begin with, it is actually mine, not yours. Since I was the one to point you towards it, in the first place.]

Yet Levis's response was lightning fast, a flat refusal, as he stood adamant that the item at his feet was his own, since he had been the one to unearth it.

"Hmmm---? I can give you two for that one, and these ones are not poisonous, but good to eat, what do you say? Take a look for yourself, as these are even bigger than that little one there." - [Damn brat, do not force my hand and move.]

Even so, the man was even more persistent than Levis, as with a simple movement of his hand, he reached for the inside of the backpack, from where the man produced a small pouch, and two healthy and larger brown mushrooms came to be within his hand.

"Hmmm---?" - [This bastard! Those are definitely normal mushrooms. And I do not like the way he looks at my mushroom, or at me.]

[Kid! Have you evaluated him?]

Yet as time passed, Levis could detect a dangerous feeling that was increasing ever so slightly, once he came to refuse the man's first exchange. And currently, the precarious sensation was growing to be more and more dangerous for him.

"No, this one is to my liking, so I do not need those two." - [I did it, and he is---, he has much more energy than me in quantity. So that means, he is at rank 8 or 9 right?]

[Corect.]

[Then what do I do?]

[What do you have in mind?]

[I---, I would want to fight him, but I have a better idea to deal with this bastard]

[Better idea?]

"Mmmm---, alright then. But what if---, what if I buy it from you with two silvers? What do you say now?"

With Levis's negation, the man thought for a moment, after which he placed the mushrooms from the small sachel, back into his backpack, after which, he placed his left hand on his chin so as to give the impression of pandering, and in the end, he made a small facade of opening his eyes and smiling even wider, as though having found the solution to his problem.

And the solution to his situation were two small shining silvery coins which appeared in between his thumb and his index, that he produced them as though from nothing, since Levis had not been able to see his actions of procuring them.

And so, a further proposition was thrown at Levis who was more than annoyed at the bogus fellow before him. As in his opinion, it would have been better if he were to come with a more strong and real stance, that way he would have been jumped at his head long ago, and not gone in the long roundabout of talk with him.

"Two silvers?! Hmmm!? That is---."

But Levis's response to the two silver coins brought for the exchange was far too obvious to anyone, for he appeared to be in doubt about to whether give or not the mushroom for the deal.

"A lot right? Think of how many mushrooms can you buy with two silvers?"

And at Levis's reaction, the man was more than pleased, as he could almost see himself taking that thing from the tree's hollow.

"A lot of mushrooms. Probably---, a few dozen good brown-head mushrooms at the very least."

"Then what do you say? Take this and buy yourself a small load of them to eat. Not a bad deal righ---?" - [You obstinate brat, what are you waiting for.]

"But!"

"But?" - [What now?]

However, despite his offer and words of comfort to conclude the transaction, the man could not budge Levis into handing him the mushroom on the ground, as a result, the irritation that was piling inside him, nearly escaped beyond the smiling facade that he was putting.

Nonetheless, the man's act nearly dropped off completely due to the "But!" which came from Levis's mouth, as he was caught unprepared by another obstacle.

"But this mushroom---, is not mine."

"What?!!!" - [Eh---!!!]

In the end, the smile dropped off thoroughly, once the words from the boy before him reached him, for in that moment, the man stood mouth agape with no idea of how to react to the words which he came to hear.

"---."

"---."

"Then---, who is it then?" - [Damn it!]

"My Uncle."

"Your Uncle?" - [Tsk! What---, the---, fuck---!!! You damned brat!]

And so, the man could be said to have been sunk into a whirlpool of nagging emotions, once Levis came to add the existence of his "Uncle" into the picture, sentiments which nearly escaped and manifested on his face.

Even so, as the man appeared to roll his eyes over and move his head backwards by force, he calmed down once more, and the same smile appeared on his face again, restoring his mental state that nearly broke down due to the words of the brat before him.

"He told me to look after it until he comes back with his friend." - [Time.]

"Eh! Is that so." - [Damn it!]

Although, even as the man had regained his calm demeanour, the boiling anger beneath his face was almost palpable, as Levis knew, that from now on, the man was very close to erupting with violence, once he would become aware of his lie.

"If you want to buy it. Then you can talk with him."

"I will---, aha! You do not have to worry about that. But do you know when your Uncle will return?"

"Mmmm---?!!!"

A strange sight and an even strange atmosphere came to be between the man and the boy, whom from the very beginning had both shown a particular yet mild hidden hostility towards one another.

But at this moment, Levis appeared as though having opened towards the man, who gave a hearty laughter in return.

Whilst on the other side Levis manifested a surprised and contemplative look so as to answer the man's inquiry of his "Uncle".

"He should return at any moment now. Since he had been away for quite a while."

"Good, then I will wait for him here---!?"

"Ah!"

"Hmmm---?" - [What?]

"There he is! Uncle---------!!!!!!!!!"

"---!!!?"

The following sequence of exchanged words between the two of them was fast, in fact, it was so fast that the man had no chance of regaining his foot in the discussion, as, at some point, the man's words came to actually be cut short of an ending, by Levis's unexpected exclamation. Yet, with his yell of surprise, Levis's gaze moved beyond the man's shoulder and side, to look behind him, as he gave the impression of having seen something which had surprised him, a fact which left the man at a loss for words.

However, just as the man was delivering eighter to turn around or to ask the boy before him what it was, Levis's loud shout and large gesture of waving his hand arrived as fast as lightning, surprising the man who was at a loss once again for he had not heard anyone approaching his location.

"Mmmm---, well then, I will speak with your Uncle and buy this---, mushroom--, from-, him---------!?" - [I will have to raise my offer. But I will still make a good return---------?!]

"---."

Upon Levis's movement and laud call, the man decided to turn his head, to see and meet this "Uncle", who the boy had mentioned, so as to make the deal dor the mushroom that he had gazed upon.

However, as the man turned himself to see this mysterious "Uncle" whom he had not been able to sense the presence of, he was left baffled and stupefied for a moment, as there was no person or animal in sight, nothing but trees and grass without any shadow of any man or beast what so ever.

"Ah! Where is he? Where have you seen hi------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------?!" - [Where is the kid?!!]

"---."

And as he was still in a befuddled state of mind since he had not seen anyone, the man turned his head back with a question for the boy, but at his second turn, the man was put in an even bigger quagmire of reasoning, for at this moment, after not even three breaths of time, the boy, as well as the mushroom in the hollow of the tree, were both missing, as though an illusion that had just been dispelled.

Nevertheless, it was but in the time of one breath, after the man turned his head back to look at the boy, that his cheerful demeanour plummeted. As in the following moment, his eyes broadened, while his smile disappeared, replaced by an emotionless face, as he also began to breathe and exhale heavily for a more prolonged period of time, akin to a drowning man who was having a hard time reaching for the air that he needed to stay alive.

Even so, the greatest change was the overall sensation about him, as from this moment on, the man was no longer restraining himself in any way, for he allowed his anger and irritation to ooze unrestrained, which made him have the same threatening aure that a beast would usually have when on a hunt or at the beginning of a life and death fight.

"Harumph------------------------------!!!!!!!!!!"

After the oozing sensation of danger which appeared in the span of time that one might take a breath, the man gave a cold snort from his throat that came to be discharged in a weighty manner, as though he was a beast announcing the beginning of his hunt.

Although, this was not a beast as of yet, as he was still a human, and yet, in the blink of an eye, with just two steps, the man was at the entrance of the tree's hollow, leaving the place in which he had stayed ever since he had made eye contact with Levis, and appearing at the spot where Levis had found the small reddish mushroom.

As to what the man was doing at this moment, it was far too obvious, for he was simply staying still and scrutinising the site, as he gazed all over the hollow of the tree, with an excessively dark look, which made him appear as though he was a different person from the friendly stranger that he was a moment ago.

However, as there was not much he could gain, he moved to observe the area around the tree and its surroundings, looking for any inklings or indications that could provide him with a direction in which the lying Levis had run off to.

"Little bastard---------!!!!!!!!!!!!" - [Size and all---, it must have been the brat. Recently made, before my arrival. But---, how fast did he run to let this imprint on the grass and on the ground? And---, there is no other sign. How? He can not simply vanish without a sound? It is not possible! Where are you---, you little bastard?]

But even as he stood on the larger exposed roots of the tree, with sharpened eyes that were looking attentively at the ground which surrounded him, the man could not see any useful indication that might help him, other than two long imprints of someone having stopped abruptly and letting two long trails to be made by its shoes, matter which the man deemed to be from the infuriating brat that had just run off, and so he let out a soft under breath curse at him, which was full the rage and vexation that was experiencing at this moment.

However aside from the freshly long tracks near the tree, the man could see no other disturbance about the grass, the bark or branch of any other tree, facts which left him at an impasse, for he had no distinguish direction he could pick so as to follow the brat that had vanished in mere instantces.

And even more puzzling was the reality, that there had not been and there was no peculiar sound of one's shortened breath by running or loud footsteps that he could use, to uncover the boy's overall direction. Matters which baffled and perplexed the man to no end, despite his strange state of calm anger that his mind was in at the moment.

"You dastardly brat!!!" - [Damn it---!!! I am too close to the city, and the little fucker yelled like a mule. This little bastard---, he actually--, he-, he fucking played me. Played me!!! Argh---------! I will make you eat the twigs and bark of the tree that has fallen if I get my hand on you. Damn it! Damn it!! Damn it!!!]

And so he stood still for some moment after observing his surroundings, but one constant matter was ever present, and that was the oozing anger of the man, as he appeared to become a tempest of unprecedented proportions and danger for how sombre and dark his face came to be.

"Mmmm---, sigh---------! It is not worth all the risk and effort that I need to take." - [Howvwer---, how is it possible? The speed and skill to do this is---, it is not normal. And to simply disappear in thin air with barely any noise or clue on the ground. Is he a fucking animal?]

Nevertheless, after several breaths of time, in which the man appeared to be having an internal struggle, between his ideas and his counter proposition, he ultimately seemed to arrive at a conclusion, to which, he let loose a long sigh-like exhale so as to end his inner battle.

But to let lose, was not only his long sigh, but his dangerous radiating surface as well. As in this moment, his overall aura reverted to the same state as to his arrival, albeit, his face took a monotonous, calm and relaxed attitude, that gave the feeling he did not mind the indignant mockery done by Levis's antics.

After some time, with some words beneath his mouth, the man began to walk in the direction of the city, no longer preoccupied with the matter at hand, slowly making his way between the trees until one could no longer see his figure, if one was to stay around the hollowed tree, and look in his direction.

"---."

"------."

"---------."

"------------."

"---------------."

"------------------."

"Phew---------!!!!!!!!!"