Golden rays brightened white tiles.
" You're doing material retrieval instead of the trials?" Olivia leaned against the black wall behind her.
" I've been cooped up here for 2 whole years. Given a choice, I'll obviously pick the option that would allow me to leave." Levi smiled.
" Haha, I know how you feel!" Olivia threw her head back. With a swipe, displaced hair was removed from her face.
" What about you, senior sister? Didn't your master give you permission to leave? Aren't you going to?" Levi looked up.
" Hmm, he did. But I'm not desperate to leave anymore." She watched the drifting clouds with a smile.
" Didn't you just get lazy?" Levi's eyes narrowed.
" Brat! And who is it that tired this ancestor to the point of laziness?!" She whipped her head while pointing.
" Sorry about that!" With glistening teeth, Levi reclined onto his back.
" Oh, what's this? Seems I was left out!" Yuri stood behind an opened door.
" Come up if you're coming! If we get caught, Master will scold me!" Olivia waved.
" I don't want to go back to the disciplinary hall either!" Levi's brows rose as he looked up.
" Hahaha! What difference would it make if you had to go one more time?" A slamming sounded as the door shut.
" You shouldn't spread your hair on the ground like that." Yuri side stepped Levi.
" Don't start with me. I've been nagged about my hair enough as it is." Levi sighed as he sat up.
" But really, why are you both here? The punishment for coming up here is quite severe. Or am I interrupting something?" Yuri's back bent as his face lowered to Olivia's.
" Senior sister caught me resting up here and stayed. The only thing you're disturbing is my peace." Levi dusted off his backside.
" Oh? You're pretty brave." Yuri's eyebrows rose.
" Or pretty stupid." A chuckle passed by his lips.
" Screw off. Or do you need another beating?" Levi's tangled hair caught his fingers.
" You would need to have the ability first." Yuri sneered.
"...Ahh?!" They gripped each other's collars.
" Alright, alright. Don't fight. You two never change." Olivia massaged her temples.
" Haa, I'm leaving." Levi yawned.
" Haha! Getting cold feet?" Yuri crossed his arms.
" I'm going down to the trial forest to take a look," Levi said.
" Senior sister's master finally let me go. Quite surprising, considering that he hates me. Maybe he thinks I'll die down there?" He shook his head.
" Sorry!" Olivia clapped.
" It's fine. I already know why he hates me, as for understanding the reason...Let's just say I'm too stupid to get it." A bead of sweat slid down his face as Levi glanced to the side.
A while ago.
Hallway.
" Take this brat as a disciple?" Mr. Teigen looked Levi up and down.
" Yes. Junior brother wants to leave the sect for a bit, but can't because of a few rules." Olivia said.
" Your master is little more than a petty liberator in your eyes, hmm? But even if he became my disciple, he would still need to be escorted by at least 2 senior students if he wanted to leave." Mr. Teigen said.
" To my knowledge, this little failure has made just two friends, you, as well as Yuri, that scaly...Anyway, aside from you two, whether any others with free time would be willing is debatable." He paused.
" And to begin with, you should know better than to think I will let you leave here." With spread hands, he glanced to the side.
" Che! He caught on..." Olivia turned her head.
" I can hear you...I worry about you sometimes. Your level of intelligence. I really do." Mr. Teigen shook his head.
" Pretty please, master? With a cherry on top?" Olivia blinked.
" Enough with the face, god. He'll have to show me his mental energy flame first." Mr. Teigen gasped as he gripped his chest.
" Master, how could you..." Olivia's bottom lip crumpled.
"..." Levi nodded as he ignited his mental energy flame.
" Ahhh! Da-Dark mental energy flame. No-Cough! This is black! Get away from me!" Mr. Teigen shrank back.
"..." Levi froze.
" Bloody mother...Don't you understand the meaning of 'get lost'?! Screw off, then! Piss off! Scram!!" Mr. Teigen's finger trembled.
" I'm so sorry junior brother! My master hates dark mental energy flames...Mainly the people who have them. I should have remembered this!" Olivia said.
"...I wouldn't have guessed." Levi turned to her.
" He had a bad experience and hasn't gotten over it, even after so many years." Olivia frowned.
" I understand." Levi nodded.
" Don't tell this devil my secrets! And you! Don't pretend you understand!" Mr. Teigen stomped.
" Supposedly, you can tell a little about a person by the color of their mental energy," Olivia said.
" Interesting." Levi held his chin.
" Don't ignore me!!"
Present.
" Come to think of it, he hated me even more openly after that..." Levi tilted his head back in recollection.
" Well, it's not worth stressing over. Mainly 'cause...He hates me too." Yuri sighed with a smile.
" I don't blame him for that," Levi said.
" Brat!" Yuri swept a finger through the air.
" Are you two coming with me a few days later?" Levi's eyes lit up briefly.
" To meet the person who contacted you?" Olivia asked.
" Mhm. My teacher said I couldn't go alone. Even though in a weak or two I'll be leaving for my material retrieval mission. I can't understand the reasoning of the people here." Levi released a long sigh.
" I'll go with you. I don't have much to do anyway." Her fingers interlocked behind her back as Olivia said.
"..." Levi's gaze fell on Yuri.
" Fine, I'll take you out. Needing supervision at your age, such a disappointment." Yuri shook his head as the corners of his lips tugged upward.
' It was you who wanted to come along. Who's the disappointment here?' Levi waved as his robe shifted.
" Then I'll see you two in a few days." He said.
" When will you stop picking fights with him? Sheesh." Slapping sounded.
" But it's fun." Yuri rubbed his shoulder.
...
Outside.
Levi stepped onto a pavement from the stairs.
"...This is weird." He looked around.
The pavement led through the forest.
" Huh, these buildings are bigger than I thought." Head tilted back, he recalled the tiny square roofs he saw on his first day.
" Grrr!" A sharp growl sounded.
" Hurry and heal me! You're a physician, aren't you?!" A girl huffed.
" Don't rush me! If I gave you the wrong treatment you could be permanently disabled. Here, let me look at your leg." A boy reasoned.
" What can't you see from this distance? The bone is already sticking out! And-gasp-This is going to leave a scar, isn't it?! You incompetent-!" Slapping sounds echoed.
" Stop that! Hey-Quit playing around, it's coming again!" The boy turned his head.
" No, no! I don't want to do this anymore!' She began crawling.
" You're supposed to be defending the building! It's only one rainbow spotted panther!" The boy said.
" Then you fight it! I'm done!" The girl didn't look back.
" Why should I have to fight mutated beasts with a useless physician?! Why do I have to team up with you?!" She said.
" I'm a bloody physician! Do you expect me to heal it to death?! Isn't it because of your incompetence that everyone else avoided you?! I'm starting to see why now!" The boy began to lose his patience.
" Incompetence?! Were all cultivators! Physician, Archeologist, what does it matter!? Who's the useless one here anyway? Me, or the pig who can't even do its job?! Treat my bloody leg already!" The girl said.
In the end, they both retreated into the building, monitoring the beast through a window.
" Hey, is that a person? They're in danger!" The boy said.
" The mutated beasts here are drawn to us because of these rings, they won't attack anyone else, so hows about you shut up and treat me!" The girl said.
" O-Oh..." The boy looked down at the bloody ankle.
"..." The girl suddenly gasped.
" What is it?" The boy followed her gaze.
" I thought you said that it wouldn't go after him!" He dropped her leg.
" Sii! That shouldn't happen unless it got enraged somehow! And even then, it's rare for them to attack random people!" Cold sweat trickled down the girl's face.
Outside.
" A black panther? With..." Levi squinted
" The more you learn." He continued down the pavement.
" Grrr!" He turned his head.
" What are you trying to do?" The back of his hand paused before the beast's nose.
It trembled as a squeak escaped its throat. The beast attacked, as it felt the presence of a threat. The thing was, it hadn't noticed that this threat was stronger than expected.
" You attacked me. Remember that." Levi flicked his wrist.
Thump!
Blood spurted from the beast's mouth as it fell from the trunk of a tree. A deep track was left in the path it flew.
"..." Levi continued on his way.
A few minutes later.
" Who was that..."
" How did they leave this thing in such a state?" The boy asked.
" What do you mean?" The girl put her weight onto a pole as she limped closer.
" Its bones were shattered while everything under the skin was turned to mush. To do something like this, I don't even...It would have to be a powerful force or a very specific skill." The boy examined the corpse.
"..." The girl watched nervously.
" Oh, no-The gasses-" Before he could get out a sentence, the panther's corpse inflated rapidly before exploding.
...
" There's nothing interesting down here." Levi kicked a rock.
" Oh! If I remember right, there was a small clearing somewhere down here?" The image of a small patch in the forest appeared in his mind.
" I'll go take a look." With a light step, his robe fluttered as he shot off.
' This is the best feeling.' He smiled.
...
A few minutes later.
"...Where the hell am I? Not in the clearing, that's for sure. " He looked up. Leaves rustled above him.
" Maybe this way?" He walked off.
Not long after, voices sounded.
" You persistent bastards! It's already been 3 days, till when are you going to chase me?!" A lively voice sounded.
" If you're tired, stop for a break!"
" If you didn't run, would 3 whole days been wasted?!"
Two more voices sounded.
" Did you two not receive your share of common sense when you were born?" The first person asked.
" Ahh!?"
" What's that you little shit!"
" If I stopped, you two would take the chance to kill me! And if I didn't run, I would've been dead for 3 days already! Having brains but unable to figure this out, isn't that a reflection of your ground-level intelligence?" The first voice questioned.
" Are you taunting me? This bastard's taunting me, isn't he?!"
" Right now, you're undoubtedly on your last legs. Don't say things that will make your death more painful!"
" That's if you can catch me! Even in this state, you worms can't compare to me!" The first voice huffed and puffed.
" Worm? You-You-You-!"
" Don't be too much now! You were injured so badly that you now have to run from US! So who's the real worm here, Elias?!"
" Well, considering the current circumstances...I'll still have to go with you guys! Sorry, haha!" The person laughed.
"...I must be seeing things." Squatting on a thick tree branch, Levi rubbed his eyes.
Running through the forest were three people. One led the group, his robes bloodied, while the remaining two gradually slowed.
" Why is that prince here?" Levi thought aloud.
"...Phew! Why were you so far away! I almost died! Hurry and take care of these scrubs for me!" Elias shouted as he passed under Levi.
" !!" Levi looked back at his departing figure.
' This guy!' Levi turned to the front.
" Hey, I'm not-" He was interrupted.
" You'll take care of us?! Ha!"
" Die!"
The two pursuers threw out attacks.
The tree was broken into pieces as Levi vanished.
" Now listen, I don't know that guy. This sect is-" A fist closed in on his face.
" Your bald, scar-head asses are begging for a beating." Levi squeezed the fist.
" Ahah! Lossen! Your grip!" The man's face contorted.
" Let go you-" A bone-shattering slap sent the second man flying.
" I'll give you a few more scars on these skinheads of yours." Levi's fist tightened.
" You-You-You-" The man stuttered.
" If you survive, always remember to listen to what people are saying." Levi's chest puffed as he drew back his fist.
The man bounced and rolled until he was no longer in sight.
"..." Levi's attention was drawn away as his figure flashed.
..
A short distance away.
" Huff Huff!" Elias leaned against a tree.
"..." The air vibrated as Levi stopped.
" You beat them? Not bad." Elias chuckled as he heaved.
" Wait, you-"
Boom!
The top half of a tree slid off, kicking up dust as it pierced the ground.
"...What are you doing?" Elias clutched his stomach at the side.
" Paying you back." Levi tapped his sword's hilt.