A week later, Zan continued his training diligently, even though his right hand was still wrapped in bandages. The wound hadn't fully healed, but his spirit remained undiminished.
Today, Zan trained alone in the forest, and it seemed that Glen was running late. Zan focused on perfecting his attack, trying to summon a stronger electric flow.
"Just a bit more," Zan whispered to himself while attempting to generate a more powerful electric current.
*Crack!*
Suddenly, Zan unleashed his attack. His face paled, his eyes widened, and his breath became heavy. Zan didn't dare to hold his attack for too long, haunted by the memory of his failure a week ago.
"Even though my strength has improved, the results are still not satisfying," Zan thought, trying to catch his breath.
He tried to calm his body and mind and sat under a sturdy tree for a moment.
---
Glen walked from his home to the training area as usual, but this time, he was running late due to a stomach issue.
"I ate too many sweet rolls! My stomach feels so full," he muttered while holding his noticeably bulging stomach.
Reaching the center of the village, Glen saw an area reminiscent of a small market, with various vendors selling vegetables and fruits. All these products were the village's own produce. Despite being a small village, the variety of its yields was truly impressive.
This village was renowned for its wheat production, although most of the harvest had to be sold to the city. It was one of the main wheat suppliers in the district, and the majority of its harvest was sent to the city to meet the district's needs.
In addition to wheat, the village also produced various types of vegetables and fruits. While not as abundant as wheat, this production was sufficient to meet the villagers' needs. Many of them grew vegetables and fruits in their own backyards or gardens.
"It looks like today is Wednesday; that's why the market is so bustling," Glen remarked, observing the lively crowd.
Markets like this were only open on certain days, so the villagers were very enthusiastic when it was in operation.
At the end of the market, Glen noticed something different. A notice board was surrounded by villagers. This was quite unusual in a small village like Reish. Generally, announcements from the city or district didn't have much impact here. But when many people gathered, it indicated an important announcement.
Glen tried to approach the notice board, but his large size made it a bit challenging. The sheets of paper were sticking to each other, but Glen persevered, finally managing to pull one of them from the board.
*Squeak...*
"Ah! Finally," Glen exclaimed in relief as he held a piece of paper and began to read it.
"Hmm, if I'm not mistaken..."
His eyes moved continuously as he read the words on the paper.
"Hah, is this for real?"
Glen's face lit up with happiness, as if his hopes had been answered.
"I have to find Zan immediately."
Glen couldn't contain his excitement and hurriedly ran to the training area.
---
Glen ran swiftly, holding a piece of paper. He hurriedly approached the spot where Zan was sitting.
"Zan, Zan!" he called out loudly, causing a commotion from behind.
Zan turned around, his face full of surprise. "Oh, Glen, what's going on?" Zan asked as Glen caught his breath.
"Hah, hah! Look at this, Zan!" Glen said as he handed the paper to Zan.
Zan carefully read each word and his face transformed in surprise.
"Annual Elga Competition," he read the first line on the paper.
"This is an announcement from the Central District," Zan exclaimed.
"Yes, Zan! The Annual Elga Competition is just one month away," Glen said with enthusiasm.
Zan examined the requirements listed on the announcement.
"Qualifications to compete:
1) Must be an Elga.
2) Ages 15-20.
3) Form a team/group with three people.
4) Allowed to bring weapons."
Zan continued reading until the end of the announcement, where he saw the prizes offered for the winner and the location in the Central District where the competition would be held.
"The prize is 10,000 gold coins and the opportunity to join the Special Forces," Zan said with a radiant expression.
"Yes, Zan! The prizes are extraordinary this year. Imagine how many sweet rolls we could buy with that money," Glen said with a wide smile, picturing mountains of sweet rolls in his mind.
"You always think about food, Glen," Zan teased, shaking his head.
"But this is really exciting, Zan," Zan responded, their eyes meeting.
"True, Zan! Besides the money, joining the Special Forces is also enticing. Although I don't know much about them, it must be cool to be part of the special forces," Glen said with enthusiasm.
"You're right, Glen! By joining, we can demonstrate our strength to other Elgas and, of course, improve our abilities. Maybe this will help me become the strongest Elga," Zan said, becoming increasingly enthusiastic.
"By joining, your chances of becoming a Foga will be higher," Glen said.
"Wait a minute, here it's written we need to form a group. We still need one more person, Glen," Zan recalled the requirement.
Glen smiled knowingly. It seemed like he already had a solution.
"About that, we have your brother, Zum!" Glen said.
"No way. My brother won't agree, I'm sure of it. He definitely won't want to participate in this competition," Zan responded skeptically.
"We don't know yet if he's willing or not. Besides, we don't know how powerful he is. I believe we can win easily if he agrees to join," Glen said confidently.
In truth, Zan didn't want to rely on his brother. He wanted to win this competition with his own effort and prove to his brother that he could do it.
Zan looked at Glen. "What if we go talk to my brother now? I also want to tell him about my desire to participate in this competition," Zan said.
Glen didn't say anything, but he nodded in agreement.
Although the competition was still a month away, they needed to start preparing immediately. The journey to the Central District would take about a week if they walked, or only 4-5 days if they used ground transportation like horse-drawn carriages.
They left the forest with determined resolve, heading towards the village.
------10---