A blinding lightning flashed with a thunderous rumble. It blew the area where Tirkogara was. Explosion after explosion devastated the sand, lightning spikes erupted from the exploding area.

“What in the name of the Goddess…” Freis looked at the explosion with the students.

They could see a glimpse of splashing water. But it did not hold long. When the explosions and the lightning had calmed down, the area was enveloped with smoke, vapor and dust. The breeze slowly swept them away, revealing a crater, with a few mini craters inside it. Some of the blue flames were still scorching the sand.

Tirkogara was there, lying on the ground, unconscious. The upper part of his robe were torn apart. He had blisters all over his old yet still a bit muscular body.

“Well… he’s still alive,” Cain was panting a bit, the Scorching Lightning Canines took no small amount of his energy. “I guess it’s over.”

He looked around, he could see the teacher and the students were coming towards Tirkogara.

“I should go, before the people from the city show up,” Cain walked a bit then stomped the sand. His buried stuff emerged from the sand. He took his stuff and looked over the lake. “Ah, there he is.”

Beil was swiming towards Cain. “Meip!” he cried out. Cain wore his clothes while waiting for Beil to come. When Beil came out of the water, he shook the water off his fur, then Cain petted him.

“You look alright, let’s go!”

“Meip!” responded Beil. They went to the city while avoiding the people that came to investigate.

“Grah!” Tirkogara got up from the ground. He waited for Cain to go, he actually faked his faint. “Fuck! It hurts!” he tried to touch his wounds.

“Sir! Are you alright?” Freis came with the students.

“I’m alive, Freis, thankfully my robe is an ancient relic with high magical resistance. But shit, he ruined it. What a power!” Tirkogara looked at whatever left from his robe.

“Sir, people from the city are coming this way,” Freis glanced to the city direction, “and that man is already gone, what should we do?”

Tirkogara growled. “Let’s get out of here. I don't want to explain the wounds on my body to them. And you!” he looked at the students, “If any of you tells the people about what just happened, I’ll feed you to the Dragon Tyrant Rex! All of you!”

The students just lowered their heads in fear. Some of them realized it’s their fault to begin with, if only they did not mess with that man.

The Water Saint tried to stand up, Freis held him to help.

“I can stand up by myself, Freis!” yelled Tirkogara.

“I-I’m sorry, Sir…”

“Tch! You must be wondering why that man did not finish his job, finish me off, eh?” said Tirkogara.

“N-No! I wouldn’t dare, Sir!” Freis replied.

“...” Tirkogara started walking. Freis and the students followed him, Isore was still unconscious, she was being carried by two students. “That man is clever, he didn’t kill me, because he knows what I am to the city, he could have more troubles If he kills me and gets caught. He just got the best outcome from that fight, he beat me but also avoided more troubles by letting me live… no! he hasn’t beaten me! I still haven’t lost!” Tirkogara clenched his fists, he looked very angry, his pride led him to a young man that gave him a humiliation after all.

“Avoided more trouble? Aren't we going to report him to the other Water Saints, Sir?”

“No! I could lose my position if they know it! And if other Kingdoms hear a young man beat a Water Saint, They’ll laugh, damn it! Tirkogara gritted his teeth, “you, you will find information about him, Freis. But don’t let the other Water Saints know about this!”

“Understood, Sir,” responded Freis.

…

Evening at Krevias Hunter Guild

“So, Ziraf, what happens if a Water Saint lose a battle?” asked Cain. He was hanging out with Ziraf’s group while having dinner. Beil sat on Hoffa’s lap while munching some snacks.

“Huh? Water Saint? You mean one of those Krevias rulers?” asked Ziraf.

Cain nodded while sipping his cold red tea.

“If the water mages like to insult you, then the Water Saints like to push you on the ledge. No offense, Rollei,” said Vigel.

“None fucking taken, Vigel,” Rollei replied.

“So, back to my question, what will happen?” said Cain.

“Well, that Water Saint will lose his title for sure if that is in the actual official challenge battle. But if you outta nowhere challenge one of them, no judge or some sort and you win, well nothing will happen, in the public at least, but that Water Saint will do anything in his power to eliminate you, from the shadow of course,” said Ziraf.

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“In the public? You mean if someone fights Water Saint with no reason and win, the winner won’t become a wanted man? It’s not a crime? Like posters of the criminals are in every corner of the city?” Cain was puzzled.

“Hahah! Maybe they will, but, everyone in the city knows the Water Saints are bunch of assholes. Most cases, they’re the one who started the fight. Unless you attack them without any reason, they have no reason to put your face in every corner of the city,” said Vigel.

“Yeah, they are bunch of prideful old men, even if you attack them and win, I think with their pride, they won’t even think to put bounty on your name. It’s like they announce they have been defeated by someone, they have too much pride to do that,” said Trom.

Yudey nodded in agreement.

Hearing that, Cain felt his worry was being washed away a bit.

“How can you live in the city with these kind of rulers?” asked Cain.

“Heh, as long as you don't stare them, ask them questions or bump into them, you have nothing to worry about,” said ziraf.

“That’s just basically stay away from them,” responded Cain.

Vigel shrugged. “That’s how it is in Havelvaih,” he said.

“As long as they rule Krevias, especially Havelvaih without their pride in the way, and prioritize their obligations as the rulers first, we have nothing to complain. Besides, with their foul mouth, people nowadays just think those as their rants.” said Ziraf.

“Speaking of Water Saint, did you hear? There was a sighting of water magic that only Water Saint could pull off this noon,” said Rollei.

“Yeah, I heard that, apparently when the guards came to the place, there was no one, but there were traces of a battle,” said Vigel, “traces of a big battle,”

“Probably just a Water Saint thingy to show off, like to their students or subordinates,” said Ziraf.

Vigel and Rollei just shrugged. They apparently did not make a big fuss about it.

“Alright then, I should look for an inn, like a real inn,” said Cain.

“You don’t want my help anymore to find a cheap inn, Cain? sneered Rollei.

Ziraf’s group laughed.

“Just once is enough, Rollei,” Cain also laughed, “come on, Beil.”

…

Cain rented a room at an inn in the city, a proper inn. It wasn't cheap nor a luxury room, but it was a spacious room on the second floor. After he washed his face, Cain sat on the floor with his back leaning on the left side of the bed, he was reading Book of Gomara. Beil was sleeping in the bed, curled his body.

“Hmm…” Cain flipped page after page, then he stopped at Bracelet of Azure Mysticbone page. “There’s nothing new on this page.” he said.

Cain casted a ball of fire on his palm, it was blue, Azure flame. He extinguished the fire and casted the fire again, Azure flame still.

“I can't cast normal red yellow flame anymore...” Cain frowned, “probably because of you.” Cain looked at the bracelet.

“It strengthen my fire magic, maybe it's one of its ability. Can’t complain if it makes me stronger.” He extinguished the flame and opened his bag. He took out the potion-brewing tools and the materials from the beasts he did not sell.

He prepared the tools after he opened the window. From a mini foldable tripod to a volumetric glass, he arranged them all on the floor. The reason he rented a spacious room was because of this.

“Hmm… it’s not as complete as I thought,” Cain rubbed his chin, “well, it’s portable after all.”

He checked the tools one by one, flicking his finger to the tripod, he checked the tripod sturdiness. “That old man is right, these are fine quality tools!”

Then Cain prepared the materials, the herbs he bought and the organs of the beasts he extracted from the Horde Brawl.

“Thankfully I don't have to look these by myself. Horde Brawl is really good,” said Cain as he chopped the heart of Whitemold Golem into little cubes. Smeared the Mountain Ogre’s Eye with grinded herbs.

He lighted the burner under the tripod and boiled the chopped heart in the beaker glass. Sprinkled other ingredients into the boiled water with his right hand, his left hand, was holding the Book of Gomara.

“Thank Goddess, Gomara wrote this with detailed step by step on how to do it,” mumbled Cain.

After half an hour, specks of grey foam began to appear from the heart. Cain took out the heart but he let the foam in the glass. Then he put the eye into the glass, he stirred the eye and the foam slowly. The vapor safely went out from the window.

He cut his palm and let three drops of his blood boiled with the ingredients as the catalyst.

What Cain was making was a long lost body-enhancer potion, tweaked by Gomara into an advanced blood poison-absorber potion. Gomara named it Poison Reserver potion.

A body-enhancer potion was actually a rich-amino acid potion to help synthesizing the protein and such inside the body. But Gomara discovered a totally different function with different beast’s organs as the ingredients.

Cain’s body was immune to poison thanks to Hineru stem, but it wasn't permanent like an inborn gift. Many warriors and fighters assumed their poison-resistant bodies were permanent after they acquired it from some ways outside the inborn gift.

But when they lost some of their blood, their poison-resistant substance was also flushed out from their bodies little by little. To prevent this, skilled warriors had no choice but to redo their training when they lost their resistance to poison when they had deep wounds that made them lost so much blood.

Gomara found a way to skip this hassle, he invented a potion that would make the poison-resistant substance could be absorbed by his flesh, his organs, even by the tiniest form of human structure, cell. This way, he wouldn't have to worry when he gravely injured.

The liquid inside the glass turned into blue. Cain looked at liquid. “Now, just have to wait for an hour, the book said.”

Cain got up and took his bag, he took out the map he got from Igo.

“Hmm… that Water Saint is going to try to eliminate me from the shadow? Oh well, at least I did not reveal my name to them, so it should be hard to find me in this bustling city, I guess.”

Cain unfold the map on the floor. “Where should I go next?” mumbled Cain, he looked over the map.

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“Maybe… ah, wait,” Cain rubbed his chin, “there is still Dragon Tyrant Rex I want to investigate… and maybe there are other must-see places in the city, I should ask Ziraf tomorrow.”

Cain spent his time making other potions for his travel.

After an hour passed, Cain looked at the beaker glass, the blue liquid was boiling. Cain moved the potion into a slim transparent flask. Oddly, the liquid wasn't even hot after moved.

Cain gulped at the Poison Reserver potion. “Permanent poison resistance, here I come!”

He drank the potion.

“It has no taste? I thought it would be super bitter,” said Cain, he put down the empty flask.

“Hmm!?” Cain began to feel strange, “ha, hehae!?” he couldn't feel his tongue and mouth. He tried to move his right hand, but it just stayed still. Slowly, he fell to the floor with a little thud. He had a short convulsions before his eyes rolled up, leaving no trace of the iris.