"Huh?" Ryuda heard the voice and became dead silent.
The voice he heard was that of a child.
Logically speaking, there shouldn't be a child wandering about in the misty forest, right?
Ryuda thought about it and became incredibly still, even to the point where he held his breath.
If his brain was still functioning, then the voice behind him belonged to a mimic.
According to the School's library books, a mimic was a demon that can copy the voice of someone it has killed.
As for why, the books stated that mimics replicate the voices to lower their target's guard. They would then murder and consume their target afterwards.
Ryuda has never left the Boln Kingdom in all his life.
So his only knowledge of monsters came from books and ancient scrolls he found in markets and in libraries.
As for why he stopped breathing, he read that the only way a mimic would go away was to erase one's own presence.
Because after all, mimics were still low intelligence monsters.
Half a breath later, Ryuda was on his last ropes.
He couldn't hold his breath any longer and that he could still sense a presence behind him.
The mimic has yet to leave!
'What to do? What to do? If I let out a breath now, the mimic is going to think I'm alive and kill me! I can't let that happen no matter what!'
Thinking so, Ryuda quietly picked up a rock before he flicked it using his wrist.
"Thud!" The rock hit a tree and landed nearby.
'There, now go towards the sound and leave me alone.' Ryuda smiled to himself.
Moments later, Ryuda finally couldn't hold in his breath anymore.
"Haaaa~!" He leaned back to breathe in as much air as possible.
It was only then did he notice that there were a pair of eyes looking down at him.
'The mimic hasn't left yet???' Startled, Ryuda tried to punch forward but the mimic caught his fist with ease.
But instead of pulling the young man towards him to devour him, the mimic pulled him up before he started patting Ryuda down.
On closer inspection, the mimic bore a striking resemblance to a typical young man from the capital.
It had messy long hair, a round face, small eyes, and a small nose.
'Wait a minute, this young man isn't a mimic at all!' Upon realization, Ryuda became baffled.
Because according to the books he read, mimics could only replicate voices, and not appearances.
So, the young man in front of him was human.
But what was he doing in a place like this?
Ryuda cupped his chin and began to ponder.
As for the young man in front of him, he stood still like a statue.
The only thing that was offputing about him was that he wore unique clothes compared to the current fashion styles found in the Boln Kingdom.
The young man in front of Ryuda wore a black cotton jacket, a white undershirt, a pair of dark blue shorts, and shoes that he has never seen before.
Could this young man be a tourist from the Heavenly Martial Continent next door?
The Boln Kingdom did trade with this neighbouring continent recently.
If he did come from the Heavenly Martial Continent, then it would make sense why there was a young man here.
Thinking so, Ryuda extended his hand and introduced himself.
"Hi, my name is Ryuda Yoshida. Nice to meet you."
"Hi, I'm Blake Chaos. And you're trespassing on my clan's property." The young man replied with a smile.
***
Chaos Clan
Blake arrived at the training field with Ryuda in hand.
Upon landing, he immediately created a broom and a dust pan using his creation magic.
He then threw the cleaning items to Ryuda who was still dazed from the last interaction.
Blake saw this and could only sigh.
'Haiz, who knew the trespasser would be a flimsy young man who has never seen the world?'
Blake simply shook his head in dismay.
With a flick of his hand, Blake gathered the water elements in the air before he formed a ball of water in his hand.
He then threw the water ball at Ryuda with 10% of his strength.
Blake probably shouldn't have, but oh well.
"Piak!" A large slapping sound resounded through the clan's compound.
Ryuda, who was still dazed, was slapped awake by the water ball.
As for Blake, he couldn't help but burst out laughing.
He wanted to use the water ball to splash Ryuda awake, not slap him in the face with an audible sound effect.
"HAHAHAHAHA!"
5 minutes later…
Ryuda was sitting on the ground with his arms wrapped around his knees.
His face was swollen while he tried his best to hold in his tears.
He never thought that there would be a day when a boy younger than himself could make him cry.
Even when he had to deal with the corrupt and useless nobles, Ryuda would still persist despite the constant threats and abuse of authority.
But when he's faced with a mysterious young man like Blake, his brave front breaks down with ease.
Ryuda has accepted that Blake was the master of the holy land, the mysterious forest.
Because who else could use a water ball to slap someone?
It surely wouldn't be human at that point.
As for the young man in question, Blake was still laughing his butt off after he realized just how weak of a person Ryuda was.
Prometheus should've told him that the average human in this world was weaker than a rank 1 Soldier.