Time passed quickly, and Davis soon found himself following K back to the foot of the mountain. The morning sunlight illuminated the path, with birds singing atop the trees and the sound of the fast-flowing river nearby.

The silhouette of the dancing leaves mixed with the soft breezing wind is very soothing to the group trekking along the path.

"Why are we coming back to the mountain?" Davis inquired. Following closely was Skye, who walked alongside Davis with happy enthusiasm, treating it as a normal walk.

K, leading the way, replied with eager anticipation, "To solve a mystery!"

Continuing, K arrived back at the spot where he had seen the strange footprints the night before. Most of the footprints had already faded over time, except for the flattened grass and the wheel-like dragged line in the dirt.

"Davis, come and take a look at this," K called out, pointing toward the flattened area on the grass.

"Looks like someone slept here," Davis said, breathing in the morning breeze.

"Another person was killed here last night while I was coming down the mountain," K said casually, surprising Davis, who hadn’t heard the news yet.

"So those bandits killed another person?" Davis uttered, his eyes frowning with a hint of anger. "This is getting out of hand. If the knights still aren't doing anything, I'll intervene before—"

K cut him off with a sniggering laugh. "Those idiots aren't the ones doing this. It's something else..." K turned to Davis with an excited grin. "Something supernatural, isn’t this great?"

Davis looked at K and asked, confused, "I’m sorry, but how is that any better?"

K moved toward the edge of the trail and explained, pointing toward the footprints. "Look here, at first glance, there seem to be two sets of footprints, but if you look closely at how they're spaced apart and their size, it's from the same creature."

Skye leaned in to examine the footprints with K, despite not knowing what she was looking for. "The footprints came toward the river and then disappeared, with no trace of it ever leaving..." K giggled, patting Skye's head as he explained.

"I’m still trying to figure out what this thing is. This is where you come in," K said, jolting happily. With his hands tucked in his coat, he stared at Davis’s confused face. "I have some theories, but for tonight, you and Skye need to stake this area out."

K stared at the river. "If the creature came out of the water, then the creature I’m thinking of is confirmed." He happily turned to walk away. "But if it isn’t, well… I have another theory in mind."

Davis listened his expression curious but skeptical. "If you’re not sure but have an idea, why don’t you stay here yourself to confirm it?" he asked, standing still and watching K walk away.

K stopped and asked, "I’m going to go ask around the place. Besides, are you sure you want to spend the night listening to me yammer non-stop?" He waved back as he continued walking. "I didn’t think so!"

"If it has a form, kill it. But if it’s a spirit, then observe it. Come back to me with every detail," K shouted back. He spotted the observing bandits in the nearby bushes, and Davis sighed at the task given to him before calling Skye and heading back to town.

The bandits, at least, held their end of the deal. After receiving the money, they didn’t come after them and only watched when they came into their territory.

Back in town, K, Davis, and Skye finally arrived at their original destination and entered the Adventurer's Guild. Inside, they noticed how understaffed the guild was and how few adventurers were present.

After a very short wait, both K and Davis were tested for acceptance as adventurers. The test was simple for newcomers: a duel with an instructor in either magic or swordsmanship. Both K and Davis chose swordsmanship, leaving Skye at the front desk.

In the open ground behind the Adventurer's Guild, K and Davis awaited the instructor's arrival with two other people who were also taking the test. The two newcomers were roughly the same age as Davis, but their trepidation about the upcoming test was palpable in their anxious pacing.

"Good morning, everyone," the instructor greeted them excitedly. "I’m the instructor who will be testing you, but before we begin, I believe I should introduce myself. I used to be a royal knight captain before I retired," he said proudly.

They were handed a wooden sword, "I may be easygoing but don’t misunderstand, I’ll not go easy on you youngling so you should come at me with everything you have too." He reminded, pointing his sword at K.

"You, young man. There's a unique aura about you. Come, I’d like to test you first," the instructor said, singling K out. K's casual smile and leisurely stance ticked the instructor off.

"Gladly," K responded, walking up and taking his position.

"There's always one like them," the instructor thought, misinterpreting K's nonchalant manner as that of someone who planned to buy his way into becoming a high-ranking adventurer only to die on the field.

The instructor studied K, noting that his new vessel appeared to never experienced hardship before, reinforcing his initial thoughts. K looked weak and had hands that seemed unfamiliar with holding a blade.

The countdown began, and K stood around with his gaze roaming the area and a smile on his face, like a spectator rather than someone taking the test seriously.

Once the count hit zero, the sword instructor rushed toward K to quickly finish the match. Before he knew it, he was lying on the ground, staring upward at the tip of K’s wooden sword. Except for Davis, everyone was left in awe at the way K fought.

When the instructor came at K, he brought down his blade with a powerful downward slash, hoping to end it in one go. But K reversed his wooden blade into a reverse grip. Quickly determining the distance, K dashed into the instructor's slash.

He quickly shifted his body to the left, using his hand to support the blade. K successfully blocked the incoming force. Now in range, he launched a precise hit at the instructor's throat with his right elbow.

In sudden shock, the instructor felt his arm being grabbed by his opponent. Before he could react, his opponent pushed back, throwing him onto the ground. When he opened his eyes, all he saw was his opponent’s weapon pointing at him while he lay there.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

The instructor soon burst out laughing. "Hahaha, amazing, young one. Perhaps I’m growing senile to not notice a tiger standing in front of me." He pushed his hair back with one hand. "Tell me young one, what is your name?"

K humbly extended his hand toward the instructor. "You can call me K, Sir. And I was just lucky, that's all." He smiled innocently, masking his true intentions.

From the beginning, K had been aware of the instructor's characteristics, which was why he had acted like a clueless idiot.

The one thing that pissed a veteran the most is to see someone half-ass the very thing they are proud of and by using that K successfully pushed the instructor into looking down on him without the need to use any words.

Next up is Davis, K whispered something in the instructor's ear and both of them grinned at Davis making his skin crawl. "I understand, then I will test your companion with the same standard as a royal knight."

"Go all out, Davis," K shouted before leaving him behind. Davis, understanding the challenge, grinned at the instructor and raised his blade into a defensive stance. "Please guide me as you see fit, Sir."

Light blue lightning crackled and emerged from Davis’s body, startling the other two back. His form was enveloped in a bluish aura, with lightning dancing from his sword.

"What interesting recruits we have today," the instructor muttered, his blood boiling as he observed the extent of Davis’s aura. With a fierce determination, he released his aura in the form of blazing yellow flames. The two combatants rushed toward each other.

At the main hall, K hummed happily as he walked toward the front desk.

BOOM*

An explosion briefly caused a smirk to appear on K’s face before it quickly vanished. He walked past the staff and curious onlookers who rushed by him to witness the commotion.

"Hello, Skye," K said warmly, scratching the child’s head. "Uncle's going to be away for a bit, so be a good girl, okay?"

"Yes, Uncle K," Skye replied cheerfully, settling down to wait for Davis. After giving a wink to the female staff at the front desk, K left the adventurer guild, the sound of the ongoing explosion echoing behind him.

Davis and the instructor exchanged blows for a while, neither landing a hit. Davis found the fight with the veteran royal knight captain less stressful than his encounters with K.

Unlike K, who used every advantage—his body, movements, environment, sword, aura, and relentless aggression—the instructor focused solely on his sword and aura. This allowed Davis more time to think and strategize.

Taking advantage of this, Davis concentrated on improving his mastery of the Lightning God’s Sword Art, attacking solely with his sword. Over time, Davis's advanced aura usage, a skill K had taught him, gave him the upper hand.

The instructor, meanwhile, grew weaker as the battle wore on. Eventually, Davis emerged victorious, having outlasted his opponent through superior technique and stamina.

On the busy street

K found himself walking toward a food stall where a familiar woman was waiting for him. "I hope you didn’t wait long, Miss Lyra," K said, taking the empty seat next to her.

"Your note, what do you mean by it?" Lyra asked, sliding the note to him.

K giggled at her cautious action and secretive whisper. "It’s just as I wrote. I wish to sponsor you." He placed a bag filled with gold on the table. "There are 2,000 gold coins in this bag, and it could be yours if you accept my conditions."

"What are your conditions?" Lyra took a deep breath and asked, her eyes locked onto the bag of gold.

K chuckled, his voice was soft and tempting. "Simple. First of all, you and your group of wayward fools need to rebrand. Being bandits doesn’t sit right with the locals. Second is that you signed a contract with me and I’ll have 50 percent of all the profit from all your inventions and ideas."

Lyra exclaimed, "What?" She stared at him, dumbfounded. "Fifty percent? That's too much…"

K sighed, laughing at her predictable reaction. "Fifty percent for a long-term cooperation between you and me. I’ll provide guidance, and you’ll be responsible for creating the products."

"Of course, 2,000 gold coins are just a piece of the pie—a welcoming price for the bright future inventor you will become," K explained, inching the bag of gold closer to her.

"The reason I chose you out of all the others is because you’re a genius," K mentioned. Leaning in, he whispered in her ear, "You have a goal without a way to achieve it. I will guide you to that goal."

K raised a contract paper to her. "Darling, you have what I want," he said, then raised his other hand, holding the bag of gold. "And I have what you need… All you need to do is take my hand." Pushing both objects in front of her, he whispered, "I will break the shackles that clip your wings, and you will fly as high as you wish to go."

Lyra, unable to decide, stammered, "P-please give me some time to think."

Hearing this, K grinned, taking back both objects with a regretful sigh. "Shame, you could have been so much more, but you’re not ready to take the lead like the leader who came before you." He shook his head and got up from his chair, he mischievously mentioned her deceased godfather.

"I have many things, but time is not in my arsenal. It was a nice talk, Miss Lyra, but I will bring this offer to someone else. Goodbye." K took the bag and placed it into his spatial ring.

Frantically, she stopped him. "Please, just one day. Give me one day."

K smiled and nodded slightly. "I hope you have a lovely evening, Miss Lyra. And say hi to the guys for me," he said, subtly alluding to those awaiting her back home.

As she watched him walk away, Lyra froze. Her eyes shifted around quickly, and she bit her lip before shouting, "Wait." Her words made K grin. She walked up to him, reached into his coat, and took the contract from him. "Fine, I’ll sign the contract. But you better keep your word," she glared at him.

"Darling, I always keep my promises," he stated. As their gazes locked onto each other, K presented a quill for her to sign the contract. She snatched it from him, quickly signing her name and handing the contract back.

K rolled the paper up, and a flame engulfed it, burning it away instantly. "The deal is made. See you soon, Miss Lyra." He handed her the bag of gold before waving goodbye.

A few hours after leaving the food stall, K roamed around aimlessly in the market until Davis found him with Skye. "Here, this is yours." Davis threw a badge toward K.

There was a silver symbol of the adventurer guild on it. "Silver rank, huh? At least it isn’t bronze," K remarked.

"Uncle, where are you going?" Skye asked, jumping up and down beside him.

K scratched her head and played with her cheek. "I’m going to the nearby bar. You should look after your father during your stakeout tonight."

Skye tilted her head and barked curiously. "What is a stakeout?"

Davis chimed in. "It’s when you play hide and seek. Let’s go get ready for the game, Skye." He beckoned Skye, and she obediently followed. K gave him a thumbs-up for his answer and watched as they walked in the opposite direction.

At night, K stood before a tavern. "So, this is the last place most of the deceased visited before their deaths," he murmured. As he walked through the front door, he was struck by the lively atmosphere.

He took a seat at the bar and ordered a drink, looking around the jam-packed tavern, all he could hear was the lively conversation between the people. "Lively, isn’t it?" K remarked to the bartender.

"You seem to be new here, sir. May I ask where you’re from?" the bartender inquired as he handed K his drink.

K took a sipped of his drink and started answering. "The city. I thought I’d come here to take my mind off things. Too much has been happening in the city these days, and I—" K was interrupted by an angry yell.

Sensing something interesting was about to happen, he turned around and saw two groups of people yelling and threatening each other, face to face. "Now this is entertaining," K muttered, sipping his drink as he watched the chaos unfold.