Ash attacked Urmas with a frantic barrage, neither there any techniques in it nor did he have any idea what he was doing, just brutal dagger-waving fueled by rage.

Urmas, a veteran warrior who had gone through hundreds of life-and-death battles, found Ash's attacks no different than bullying a child. With simple and casual movements, he dodged all of Ash's attacks and even had time to taunt and laugh at him amidst the chaos.

"Hmm? You're not the child of that noblewoman I caught a few months ago, are you? Her face was quite similar to yours. Although she was later bought by a fatty, she threatened me many times, saying that her son knew everything and would soon come to seek vengeance. However, judging by your attire and your weapon's poor quality, you don't look like the son of a noble from any angle... Ahhh, sigh, there are many who harbor grudges against me. Kiddo, why don't you just spill out your sad story and save both of our time?"

Finally growing bored and frustrated by Ash's relentless but ineffective attacks, Urmas delivered a powerful blow to his chin, bringing his rampage to an abrupt halt.

"F*ck!" Ash recoiled from the impact, but he experienced too much pain in the past few hours to quell his rage with just one punch. After cursing, he raised his dagger again and rushed toward Urmas.

"It's okay once, but doing it a second time makes no sense anymore." Skillfully dodging Ash's attack, Urmas grabbed his arm and pulled him close before landing a powerful punch to his face.

Bang!

This punch hit hard enough to forcibly bring Ash back to his senses. His nose started bleeding like a fountain, two front teeth bid him a temporary farewell. He stumbled back a few steps, eventually collapsing onto the ground.

"Is taking revenge some kind of joke to you? Do you think you can just pick up a cheap dagger, and rush toward your enemy in rage suffices? Or you are living in a dream naively believing that a miracle will happen just for you, then boom, you'll effortlessly slay your enemy with a smile and return to celebrate with loved ones before moving on with your life?" Urmas, still rubbing his head full of question marks, wondering why Ash was so desperate to kill, spoke, his voice was calm and measured as if a kind-hearted grandpa giving a valuable lesson to a future generation.

"Wake up to reality, kid. Luck and miracles are mere fantasies in this world. True success stems from sacrifice, relentless effort, and an enduring spirit. The scars etched across my body aren't just decorations I made to look ferocious or cool; they are testaments to years of my arduous training, forged in blood and sweat. I've sacrificed a lot in my life, not because I could get killed by a brain-dead child like you who, in his misguided rage, believes luck can grant him victory over a real warrior like myself."

While imparting valuable life lessons to Ash, who seemed to be giving up and listlessly gazing at the sky, lying on the ground, Urmas picked up his small axe and approached him with an expressionless face.

"Though I usually avoid killing anyone, as everyone has value, and as you can see, I am a poor ghost, however one thing I've learned from my fifty years of a long career as a bandit is never to show mercy to someone who desperately seeks your demise. If you let him go today, one day he will return even more powerful and will not consider that you give him a second chance so he should also give you. No, he will never hesitate to kill you, after all, it is a ready-made example in front of him of what happens when you give a second chance to your enemy. So, sorry kid, your journey ends here. In your next life, train hard before seeking vengeance."

Urmas's voice, laden with experience, carried enough weight to stir a flicker of understanding in Ash's dull, lifeless eyes. As he raised his axe, a whisper reached his ears, leaving him bewildered. Yet, his actions remained unwavering, and with minimal effort, he easily chopped off Ash's head.

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

"A curious fellow," Urmas chuckled, a tinge of amusement in his voice. "Yet, Master AkhenatenVyasaLaoTzu was right as always. Imparting knowledge truly brings satisfaction. That boy even offered genuine thanks from the bottom of his heart. Maybe I have the talent to become a teacher. I should think about it seriously..."

...

[GAME OVER]

"What an utter fool I am," Ash lamented, clenching his fist and rubbing his sore neck. "Instead of using mankind's greatest weapon, like a mad beast, I rushed toward my enemy, even knowing that my chance of winning was nearly none... Nonetheless, I'm glad that I did, otherwise, I would never be able to grow... Ouch, however, it still hurts like hell."

"It's time to complete the quest. I've played enough," Ash with a new fire of determination burning in his eyes, quickly approaching the location from where he could see Urmas lying on the tree with eyes closed and yawning once in a while.

"While I may be incapable of defeating him presently, there's no harm in exacting revenge in instalments, but only if that weird bird didn't interfere with my work," Ash murmured, a hint of annoyance creeping into his voice as he fixated on a certain small black bird sitting on the branch right above Urmas, observing the surroundings with the utmost seriousness, resembling a well-trained soldier. No matter how you look at it, even a mentally retarded guy like Ash could say that there's something wrong with that black bird."

"I can bet even my underwear that bird is a magical creature with a certain level of intelligence; otherwise, there's no way a normal bird could be so cautious. Damn it, it seems like my plan of revenge in instalments couldn't come to fruition. Forget it; I'll settle the entire matter once and for all when I become powerful," Ash said with reluctance, giving the annoying black bird a hard look, then looking regretfully at Urmas before departing without looking back.

The black bird, pretending to be blind, finally snapped its head towards Ash's retreating figure with a human-like expression. It shook its head slightly and closed its eyes, ready to take a nap as well.

...

"Hmm, that little bastard said that the peddler set his camp a little further from here, so I should go there first and investigate to see if I could find any clue. Otherwise, wandering aimlessly surely won't take me anywhere," Ash muttered while rubbing his chin. He then put away the water bottle and started walking forward. However, as always, the habit of being careless, which had become part of his after two decades of experiences in his past life, he soon forgets about being cautious after making a bit of distance from Urmas and unknowingly steps on a thin rope positioned a few centimeters above the ground.

"A small fry trying to outsmart me, huh? And he even bypassed me so silently with such poor concealing skills, only to stumble upon this blatant trap? Now, this is quite interesting. Let's see who has such wonderful abilities. If he is a treasure hunter, then I can make a fortune after following him."

A wicked grin spread across Urmas's face as he opened his sleepy eyes upon hearing the faint sound of a bell and looked in the direction where Ash was heading. In order to not get caught by that giant monster while resting, Urmas had set various alarm traps in his surroundings. The sounds produced by them were also very faint so that the monster wouldn't become alert, and he could follow him to retrieve the peddler's goods. However, who would have thought that Ash, in his blind confidence, would become his prey once again?