In a small, unremarkable market situated in the middle of nowhere, three employees were enjoying a quiet break. One of them, a middle-aged man with graying hair, was absorbed in a newspaper, his brow furrowing with interest as he skimmed the headlines.
"Guys, check this out!" he exclaimed, breaking the silence.
One of his colleagues, a younger man with messy brown hair, looked up from his snack. "What is it?"
The older employee leaned forward, his eyes alight with excitement. "The mythical zone of wishes, Negative Point, from 500 years ago, has been confirmed by one of the founders of the area. And get this—he even has photographic evidence!" He flipped the newspaper around, revealing a grainy image of a cat-shaped mountain.
The third employee, a woman in her late twenties with a sharp gaze, leaned in closer. "Nice! Do you think I'd ever get to go there?"
The older man chuckled, shaking his head. "I doubt it. Even though the founder gave us a clue about where it might be, bounty hunters, assassins, and mighty warriors are already on their way to find it."
The younger man frowned, puzzled. "Just a clue? Why can't the founder just tell us where it is?"
The older employee sighed, his expression darkening. "It's been over 500 years since he was last there. He wished for immortality, and ever since, he's been suffering. All he has left on his mind is the Negative Point."
The woman crossed her arms, her voice thoughtful. "It's less of a landmark and more of a one-time-only destination. Rumor has it that only one wish can be made before it disappears forever. The wish can be anything, from untold riches to infinite power, but it's better if you don't try going there. There's a high chance you could be murdered along the way."
The younger man sighed, disappointment clear in his voice. "Ah, shucks! Well, thanks for telling me that."
The older man smiled, folding the newspaper. "No problem."
Suddenly, the store's doorbell chimed softly. Ding
The older employee glanced up, his demeanor shifting back to professional. "Someone's checking out. I should go."
As he hurried out of the break room, the bell continued to chime. Ding. Ding. Ding. Ding.
Entering the main store area, he spotted a fairly tall teenager standing at the counter. The young man wore a dark turquoise leather hoodie, black jeans, and blue sneakers. His snow-blue eyes were striking against his short black hair.
"How can I help you, sir?" the employee asked, his tone polite.
The teenager smiled slightly. "I would like to purchase two apples, please."
"That'll be four gold coins," the employee replied.
"Gotcha!" The teen dug into his pocket and pulled out the coins, placing them on the counter.
As the employee handed over the apples, he offered a warm smile. "Have a good day, sir."
"You too," the young man replied, taking the apples and walking out of the store.
Once outside, the teen glanced around, his expression thoughtful. "Alright, where to next?"
Before he could decide, a group of four thugs approached him, their expressions menacing.
"You're going nowhere," the leader of the group, a burly man with a scar across his cheek, growled. "Hand over your money now!"
Another thug, thinner and more sinister-looking, echoed the threat. "Yeah, hand it over if you know what's good for you," he said, brandishing a knife.
The teenager's eyes widened in alarm. "Ah, I see," he muttered before turning on his heel and bolting in the opposite direction.
The leader barked an order, frustration clear in his voice. "What? Get him!"
As the teenager sprinted away, panic set in. "Oh god, oh god, oh god! There's no way I could even come close to beating them!" he muttered under his breath, his heart pounding.
Suddenly, he collided with a man standing calmly in his path. The man was tall, dressed in a green trench coat with a giant metal longbow strapped to his back.
The teen looked up in shock. "Wait, is that... Robin Hood?!"
Robin Hood, with a calm, unbothered expression, nodded. "Yup."
Fear gripped the teenager as he stammered, "Please don't hurt me!"
Robin Hood's gaze remained steady, his tone almost bored. "I'm not going to hurt you. Even if I decided to, let's say, unalive you, it would be a huge waste of my time."
The teen blinked, confused. "Huh? What do you mean?"
Robin Hood sighed, his patience wearing thin. "As you can see, I'm doing something important right now."
Just then, a man with spiky blue hair, dressed in a light blue and white kimono, approached from behind Robin Hood.
The teen's eyes widened even further. "Who is that?"
Robin Hood introduced him without missing a beat. "That's Fuyu Hinansho. He's helping me out with something."
Fuyu nodded politely. "Hello there."
The teen hesitated, his eyes fixated on Fuyu's unsettling appearance. "No offense, Mr. Hinansho, but... where are your... eyes exactly? You're walking around with empty eye sockets, and that's freaking me out."
Fuyu chuckled softly. "Hehe, don't worry about it."
Before the teen could respond, the thugs caught up, their leader's voice booming. "THERE HE IS!!!"
Fear surged through the teen again. "Ooooh shit, c-could you guys help me?" he pleaded desperately.
Robin Hood, unimpressed, waved him off. "I have no time for this."
The thugs sneered as they closed in, their confidence bolstered by their numbers. "Oh, look who we've got here," the leader jeered. "It's that coward."
Another thug, grinning wickedly, added, "Let's kill 'em and then take his money!"
The fourth thug nodded eagerly. "Agreed."
But then, one of the thugs noticed Robin Hood and Fuyu standing nearby. "Oh wait, who is this?"
The teenager, heart still racing, thought to himself, To be honest, it took them long enough. I'm either faster than them, or they're completely out of shape.
The thug squinted at the pair, recognition dawning on his face. "Oh wait, that's Robin Hood and... some other dude."
The leader hesitated, unsure of how to proceed. "Should we—"
Another thug, eyeing the situation cautiously, interjected, "Hey Robin Hood, the kid in front of you is a rich guy! He stole the last of our money and tried to make a run for it."
The tension in the air thickened as everyone awaited Robin Hood's next move.
The teenager pleaded for help, but Robin Hood and Fuyu opted to depart, leaving him to fend for himself against the relentless assailants.
The alley echoed with the clatter of footsteps as Robin Hood and Fuyu walked away, their figures gradually merging with the shadows.
A voice, dripping with frustration and disbelief, broke the silence. "That's not true."
Moments later, the same voice gasped in exasperation. "Shit, just my luck."
Three thugs, their faces twisted with a mix of cruelty and surprise, exchanged glances.
Thug 3 chuckled, his tone dripping with satisfaction. "Oh, that was easier than expected!"
Thug 1, eager for more, nodded vigorously. "Yeah, now let's get back to the action."
With a sense of grim determination, the first thug drew his knife once more, its blade glinting menacingly. The second thug brandished a spiked baseball bat, its jagged edges catching the light. The third thug unfurled a heavy crowbar, its iron surface grimly promising pain. The fourth thug wielded a simple wooden stick, his grip firm and unforgiving.
Desperation surged through the air as the previously defiant voice cried out, "No, stop... STOP!!!" But the plea fell on deaf ears, arriving too late.
The thugs surged forward with a brutal, coordinated assault. They pummeled and stabbed their victim relentlessly. Blood pooled beneath him, a crimson testament to his suffering. He lay on the brink of death, barely conscious, when an astonishing turn of fate halted the violence.
Suddenly, the thugs were frozen solid, encased in a shimmering, crystalline layer of ice. Fuyu emerged from the darkness behind them, his expression unreadable.
"Woah, this kid already looks dead," Fuyu mused aloud, "but I should check if he's alive anyway."
With a fluid motion, Fuyu swiped his hand through the air, and the ice-encrusted thugs shattered into bloody shards. The sound of cracking ice and splintering bodies echoed ominously. He approached the now unconscious traveler, his gaze falling to the faint pulse that beat weakly beneath the bandages.
"He's alive," Fuyu confirmed, his voice low and steady. He lifted the battered figure with ease and vanished into the void, leaving no trace of his presence.
Ten hours later, Ryoshi Taisaku jolted awake, his eyes wide with confusion and fear. "AH, where am I? What happened?"
He found himself lying on the floor of an unfamiliar house, the room bathed in a soft, reassuring light.
"Wait, I remember," Ryoshi muttered, recalling the recent horror. "I was being shanked by some local thugs! Well, that explains all of these bandages."
A voice, calm and somewhat amused, broke the silence. "You're finally awake."
Ryoshi's eyes darted around, searching for the source of the voice. "Who said that?"
He craned his neck and spotted Fuyu casually perched on the ceiling, his stance relaxed and his eyes gleaming with curiosity.
"EH?!"
Fuyu chuckled softly. "Oh, sorry. I'll get down." With a graceful leap, he descended from the ceiling and landed with a soft thud.
"It's you!... Mr. Hinansho," Ryoshi stammered, recognition dawning on him.
Fuyu's smile widened. "Hey, you remembered my name. Nice. But I've been wondering, what's your name?"
Ryoshi, still disoriented but relieved, replied, "Oh right! It was quite rude of me not to tell you. My name is Ryoshi Taisaku. I come from the village of Mura."
Fuyu nodded. "Ah, okay."
Ryoshi's gaze roamed the room, his confusion evident. "But still, where am I?"
Fuyu's eyes twinkled with amusement. "...My house."
Ryoshi's brows furrowed in puzzlement. "Where is your house?"
Fuyu gestured with a casual wave. "Come with me."
Ryoshi's curiosity flared, but he insisted, "Where? And you'd better answer my question first."
Fuyu's gaze remained steady. "It will."
With a resigned sigh, Ryoshi rose to his feet and trailed after Fuyu as they stepped outside.
"Woah!!!" Ryoshi's exclamation of awe filled the crisp air. Before him stretched a colossal frozen waterfall cascading into an equally frozen lake, their surfaces glistening with an otherworldly sheen.
"Who did this?" Ryoshi asked, his voice barely a whisper, overwhelmed by the grandeur before him.
"I did," Fuyu replied simply, his tone nonchalant.
"How!?" Ryoshi's eyes were wide with astonishment.
"Magic," Fuyu answered matter-of-factly.
"Magic?" Ryoshi's voice was tinged with wonder and disbelief. "I know many who use it, but none were willing to teach me before."
"Well," Fuyu said with a grin, "I can teach you!"
Ryoshi's eyes lit up with excitement. "Amazing! Wait, that still doesn't explain where I am..."
Fuyu's smile widened. "This is Negative Point."
Ryoshi's jaw dropped in disbelief. "What?!"
Fuyu gestured towards the frozen spectacle. "Do you not see where the waterfall is coming out of?"
Ryoshi's gaze followed Fuyu's indication, his astonishment deepening as he took in the sight. "That's a cat-shaped mountain!!!"
"Shhhhhh," Fuyu admonished softly, "quiet down."
"Oops, sorry," Ryoshi murmured, his excitement barely contained. "But can I make a wish here?"
"This isn't the wishing area," Fuyu said with a shake of his head.
"Where is it then?" Ryoshi pressed, his curiosity unrelenting.
"I can't tell you," Fuyu replied with a hint of mystery.
"Why not?" Ryoshi asked, confusion creasing his brow.
"I need to explain something to you first," Fuyu began, his tone serious. "The agreement of me teaching you magic."
Ryoshi's interest was piqued. "What do you mean?"
Fuyu took a breath, preparing to lay out the terms. "It's simpler for me to explain the deal rather than everything else. The deal is this: I teach you magic, but in return, you have to join my squad."
"Squad?" Ryoshi's eyebrows knitted together in puzzlement.
"Yes, a squad," Fuyu confirmed. "Negative Point needs constant protection from a multitude of assassins and magic users. So, we've formed an organization that has been operational for millions of years, known as the N.P.D.O."
"The hell does that stand for?" Ryoshi inquired, his curiosity piqued.
"Negative Point Defensive Organization," Fuyu clarified.
Ryoshi gave a dismissive snort. "Pfft, okay."
Fuyu's demeanor shifted to one of instruction. "The ranks are structured like this, from highest to lowest, top to bottom," he said, unfurling a scroll with deliberate movements.
The Scroll, inscribed with elegant script, revealed the following hierarchy:
1. Grand Ones
2. Seasons
3. Purotekuta
4. Ofensu
5. Gadian
6. Mamoru
7. Students
"As you can see," Fuyu explained, his finger tracing the scroll's text, "the highest rank is the Grand Ones, and the lowest is the Students. But if you want to be precise, the Locals actually rank above the Grand Ones because we serve them."
Ryoshi's eyes scanned the scroll, his curiosity piqued. "Where do I fit in?"
Fuyu's response was matter-of-fact. "You're at the Student rank."
"So I'm at the bottom?" Ryoshi's voice carried a hint of resignation.
"Yes, but that doesn't necessarily mean you're the weakest," Fuyu reassured him.
Ryoshi nodded, taking in the information. "Okay, so how do the ranks work?"
Fuyu began explaining with a clear, structured tone. "The Student rank is typically filled to capacity, with only 12 slots available. Students are mentored by those of the Seasons rank. The 12 students are divided into four groups of three, each learning basic spells and combat techniques. The Mamoru rank is somewhat similar to the Student rank, but the spells learned are significantly more advanced, and Mamoru members start undertaking missions."
"Missions?" Ryoshi's interest was clearly piqued.
"Yes," Fuyu confirmed, "we deal with dangerous individuals who seek out Negative Point daily. We also provide assistance to locals and others in need."
"Got it," Ryoshi replied, his focus sharpening.
Fuyu continued, "Now, the Gadian rank introduces more complex responsibilities. You'll start receiving missions and must patrol the area for 22 hours a day, dealing with occasional high-level magical threats. Ofensu involves a demanding schedule of 24 hours a day, five days a week, with weekends off. The Purotekuta rank is a 24/7 position that many people reach but stop at. The Seasons rank is reserved for the very best, with only four positions available. Lastly, the Grand Ones are even stronger than the Seasons and have the privilege of using the wishing area."
Ryoshi absorbed the information, his determination growing. "That's a lot to take in, but it's helpful. For now, though... let's get started with the training."
Fuyu nodded in agreement. "You're right. Let's begin."