Seeing Reno’s expression upon hearing what she had to say, she felt bad.

‘It’s sad but it’s the truth.’

Trista then put her hands on Reno’s shoulders and drew him in for a hug.

Reno’s mind was racing, but when Trista started hugging him, he calmed down.

Trista then began to pat his head in an attempt to calm him down.

While doing all this, she was beet red and couldn’t keep her expression stable.

‘I-I hope this is helping.’

Trista wasn’t good at comforting others but she still did her best.

After around a minute of this, Trista gently let go of Reno.

She then asked him a question.

“Reno, what do you think power should be used for?”

“It’s a cliche question I know but even still you must have some reason right?”

“Don’t give me any childish answer such as wanting to become an Elite Combatant as everyone wants that.”

“In earnest, tell me? What do you want to do Reno?”

Reno was still a bit shaken but this question was enough to keep in lost in thought for some time.

‘Back when I had first arrived here, I also tried to ask myself the same thing.’

‘I’m not usually the type to have any grandiose dreams or the type.’

‘If anything, I prefer that what little fun I have daily never runs out.’

‘But if anything, I’d say that’s the real childish dream.’

Seeing Reno’s hesitation, a small smirk appeared on Trista’s face.

When Reno was about to answer, he saw the expression on Trista’s face.

‘Not good! Whenever Trista smiles, it’s usually never anything good.’

Trista then grabbed Reno by the back of his shirt and flung him with all her might to the back of the training arena.

This happened so quickly that Reno had no time to react.

It was only after some seconds in the air that he started to scream.

“Ahhhhhhh!!”

“What the hell!? Trista!?”

Trista then shouted.

“When in doubt, a break is in order!!”

“We can spend some time in the city and then be back before classes start!! Don’t worry!”

Trista then jumped onto the rock that she was sitting on and then with another jump she launched herself into the air near where Reno was.

“Don’t be such a wuss Reno, open your eyes and take in the view of the city.”

Reno was never good with heights and Trista suddenly launching him straight into the air had made him instinctively close his eyes.

“I’m good Trista, I’ll see the view another time.”

Hearing this irked Trista.

It wasn’t every day that she pulled some stunt like this and she sure as well was not letting Reno waste it.

Trista then disappeared from where she was and reappeared beside Reno.

Trista grabbed him by the back of his shirt again.

Reno knew something bad was gonna happen.

“On the count of 5, if you don’t open your eyes, I’m throwing you into the ocean.”

Reno’s heart sank.

Aligning Academy was built on an island that was close to the main piece of land.

Surrounding the entire academy was a giant body of water that was infested with all kinds of sea life.

There were even rumors of mermaid sightings and monsters in the water surrounding the academy.

‘If I fall into that water, chances are I’m not making it out alive.’

‘Trista’s joking rig-‘

Before Reno could even finish his thought, Trista’s voice reached his ears.

“5”

“4”

“3”

Reno cursed on the inside and then opened his eyes as wide as he could.

Upon seeing the sight in front of him, however, his fear of heights seemed to vanish.

‘So beautiful.’

The scene that Reno was seeing was something he had never seen, even in his past life.

The blinding lights came from buildings that reached the sky.

With the amount of the buildings, unlike anything he had ever seen before.

In certain parts of the city, Reno knew from memory but not by heart.

‘The humongous statue of the elemental queen that changes colors depending on the season.’

‘The house where a mage became a sage which caused the surrounding energy levels to spike.’

‘The museum of spirit life and so much more!’

Even though he had the memories of the original Reno, seeing it in person made him realize how unreal it was.

The only words he could get out of his mouth were, “Wow…”

Hearing this, Trista smiled.

She then hurled Reno with all her might so that they reached the city faster.

No matter how many times Reno saw or experienced it, he could only say that Trista was the human Hulk.

In a few more seconds, Reno was nearing the city and was about to crash into what seemed like a shabby old run-down hut.

The weird thing was that most of the city looked futuristic.

It seemed weird that something like an old hut still existed with how advanced technology was.

After dismissing that thought.

He squinted his eyes as he thought he saw someone on the roof of the hut but he was not sure.

Looking around, he saw that Trista was nowhere in sight.

‘Fuck! After showing me all that, she disappeared and left me to die.’

Reno was thinking of his options but nothing he could think of would let him get out of the situation unscathed.

“Trista!!”

When Reno was about to land with full momentum onto the city ground.

The black figure on the roof dashed forward to the edge of the roof.

They then took what seemed to be an arrow out of its quiver and then wrapped chains around it before getting ready to shoot.

In a split second, the person judged where Reno was going to fall and shot the arrow at that location.

When Reno reached where the person predicted, the arrow was already there, and with a quick yank of the chain.

Reno was caught and dragged over to the person who kept him tied up by the chain.

As soon as Reno was seated on the roof of the hut, the person asked him a question.

“You yelled out Trista, right?”

“Where the hell is she?”

Reno sighed on the inside.

‘That’s what I want to know too!’

He then tried to break out of the chains only to realize that they were stronger than he thought.

The person then grabbed Reno by the collar.

“Talk!”

Looking at the person, Reno was getting pissed.

Not that they're some grubby guy or girl or anything.

It was that the person who was holding him up was some kid who looked around fourteen years of age.

It was a boy who seemed meager but not to the level that he would say that the boy’s malnourished.

The boy had long black hair that covered his face and reached to his shoulders.

Reno knew that Trista was somewhere in the vicinity and if she saw him getting held up by a kid.

She would make fun of him for it for ages.

Reno head-butted the kid which he wasn’t expecting.

This caused the both of them to fall back some distance.

“You!”

Two of the arrows that were in his quiver then began to float.

He then pointed his finger at Reno which shot the two arrows after Reno.

Using this as a chance, Reno jumped at one of the arrows that the boy shot toward him.

This bewildered the boy.

‘Is he trying to die?’

Reno expected the arrow to help break the chain so he could escape.

He didn't think that the arrow would not only break the chain but also push him to the edge of the roof.

‘Shit! That arrow felt like someone charged at me with their entire body weight. Who is this kid?’

Being free from the chains.

Reno put his hands on ‘Grieving Maiden’ and got ready to fight if he had to.

The boy didn’t seem like he was about to let up either and took out four arrows from his quiver instead of two.

The two were ready to risk it all.

As they were about to begin, a girl with black hair and yellow eyes landed right in between them.

“I leave for two seconds and a fight occurs.”

“Let’s switch it up, whoever moves first is fighting me instead.”

Neither Reno nor the boy dared to move.

Why? They weren’t ready to visit the afterlife yet.