How long does the high-on-mana state last before Seth falls?
10 minutes.
"Agh!!!!"
Like an injured animal, the loud howl is coming from Krista's hut.
Seth was lying on the floor inside her hut with a blanket underneath.
Near him was Krista, who pressed her hand on his body.
"Come on, boy~ Where is your tolerance? Aren't you saying you are ready to face the drawback?"
Krista teased him while pushing her hand against his back to give him a massage.
"I didn't know it would be this painful! Agh!!!!"
Before Seth could fully speak, Krista pushed again, and the pain erupted.
This is the principle of soreness after a workout, every fiber of his body crying out in pain; even moving a finger feels like getting torn apart.
"Shu. This village has a lot of elders. They are probably asleep now, so be quiet."
"I'll try! But if you know how painful it is, then you should know it is impos—Agh!--"
Even if Seth spoke like that, he still tried to hold it in for the elderly people who lived in the village.
"Why are you laughing…?"
He pointed out that Krista's reaction was very improper.
He tries not to disturb the elderly, and she laughs at him. That is unacceptable!
"Seeing such a confident kid like you crying as a baby animal amused me. But are all the kids your age in the city this good? Only 10 minutes and your [Quick Thrust] is ready for real combat."
Krista continued laughing while asking. She is impressed by Seth's speed of learning. In the next 10 minutes in high on mana stage, he may not have perfect [Quick Thrust] but got the hang of it to a usable level.
"Kid? Krista, I'm 30."
Seth corrected Krista's mistake.
"WHAT?! NO WAY!"
Krista is shocked by the truth. From her point of view, Seth is just a lost young man.
"It's true! How old do you think I am?"
"16? 18, top."
She couldn't imagine he was older than this. Look at his face!
It is clean, young, and determined.
It looks like the face of young adults or teenagers, not 30 years old!
There is no way Seth is 30, except he uses some magical method or is a supernatural being.
"… Do you have a mirror?"
Seth wanted to know, is his face that young?
'I mean, yeah, I look good for my age, but there is no way someone will call me 16.'
He was confident in his look, but he was sure he didn't look young.
"No, but I do have a shield. Here."
Krista opens her couch and pulls out a metal shield.
It may not be perfect as a mirror, but the reflection is good enough for Seth to realize that his face has looked younger.
'It's my face, 10 years ago!'
The current face of his resemblance to his face when he started college, without the pimples.
"Why do you look so shocked?"
Krista asked. This isn't the look from someone just looking at his reflection.
Something must be wrong for him to express that kind of face.
"Something is missing."
And it is his age!
"I'm sorry for you. Bandit must have stolen it when you were unconscious."
Krista didn't know what Seth had lost, but she still sympathized with his loss.
"Yeah…"
Seth is also sorry for himself because he works hard and pays so much to get the haircut.
"Hey, while we wait for the food, can you tell a story about what it's like to be a police officer in the city."
Krista is currently "brewing" soup for Seth. The stove is outside the house, and it was a portable stove heated by red rock underneath.
The spicy smell makes Seth act up. He feels his body grow hotter but relax more.
"It was tough."
Seth gave Krista the conclusion of his life as a police officer.
"I'm sure as hell it's not as tough as mine. Continue."
Krista didn't care. She didn't want to hear his story. She just wanted to learn what it was like to live as an officer in a big city.
"I was a police officer for 3 years, working with local criminals, specializing in gang crime."
Seth starts to tell the story about his past life.
"Wow, you are an expert! That explains why you know the hard words."
Krista still remembers the words he used when they first met.
"Not an expert. I just joined because there was a lot of gang violence in my hometown, so I want to try and fix it; the crime got less but… not in the way I wanted."
Back in the old days, it was a very dangerous area. But it got better, technically, at least.
"What happens?"
"It was war, the police got a green light to exterminate all the gang members in the area, but I know it didn't come from honesty. Conflict of interest is why the gang started to lose their grip on police, so the police cooperated with another gang to dismantle them and hand the area over."
Seth was in the front seat before the war happened. When he tried to snoop around to find concrete evidence to take down his superior, he found that the bribe started not coming in, and his superior began contracting with the rival gang.
"Wow, just wow. What about the government? This sounds serious! Shouldn't they come and intervene?"
Krista was shocked. She never knew what it was like to work as a police officer, so this was new to her, and it sounded very severe how such an important figure accepted a bribe from their enemy!
"It's just one block from thousands of blocks, the only government around here is the local government, but the gang gets a hold of them. The good thing is after they took control of the area, the gang activity was lesser because the local people didn't accept them, so the business wasn't that good. All they can do is occupy and don't let new rival gangs form or come to take control."
It does get better because less crime happens in the area, there are no more drug sellers, and no more illegal gambling, but the effect it has on the people still there, drug addiction, homeless, and petty crime, are all still present in the area.
And now, it is harder to control because there is no "big" target for the police to cooperate with.
But it is all in the past now. He no longer has to think about the complexity of crime.
Now all he has to do is enjoy his life in a magical world!
"If the bandit around here has that much influence, I think they will start a revolution and take over the district. But you must be very fortunate to still survive in a war with that skill level. I guess the gang isn't that dangerous compared to the bandit."
Krista can't think of a way how Seth survived in that environment.
"I didn't participate in the war… I got fired before it happened."
"What?"
Krista is confused.
"Before everything started, I tried to expose my superior to the central government but got caught red-handed."
Seth laughs nervously.
"How are you still alive?!"
Krista yelled.
Not only does he have to navigate the complex power structure, but he also tries to fight against it?!
"I guess I'm just lucky. The one who caught me was my senior officer. He fired me because he wanted to save me before my boss knew what I planned to do. He died in war by being shot from behind."
While telling the story, Krista can see the sadness and regret on Seth's face.
"From which side, police or gang?"
She asked.
"I don't know and didn't wish to…."
Seth is very afraid to know the truth from a man of honor. He still wants to believe in justice, so he always thinks it came from the gang in the war, but deep in his heart, he thinks otherwise.
'Come to think of it. Maybe the fire didn't come from the gas leak, but…'
He suddenly got cold feet after the burning house flashed in his memory.
'No, he should be fine.'
Jayden didn't give him a testimony, so there should be no reason for his old gang to target him.
Or otherwise, the accident may occur again, and his sacrifice and suffering will be in vain.
"I changed my mind. Your life is more challenging. My difficulties only stand before me. I can't imagine fighting in a war with the enemy on my side."
Krista spoke, bringing Seth back from his thoughts.
"No. Don't try to compare it. Your job needed more combat skill and put yourself in immediate danger, but my job only became dangerous when I stepped out of line."
Seth didn't want Krista to downplay her role. She also has an admirable job and works more than him.
"You're right. In the end, we are both the same. Just try to help other people."
Krista petted Seth's head warmly.
Not only did she trust him more after hearing his story, but she also felt pity for him.
It must be hard for an honest man like him to live that kind of life.
"Yeah, I guess so."
Seth laughs a bit.
"Hey, last question. When you try to expose your superior, are you willing to face the consequences?"
"Yes."
Seth answered back without any hesitation. Back then, he was ready to be 3 m underground.
"Then you are better than me as a person."
There is a faint smile of depression on her face, but it quickly gets washed away.
"Oh, look, the soup is ready! Now, eat the soup; it will help relax your muscles. Then get some sleep, and you should be fine the next morning."
She changed the subject and prepared to feed Seth the medical soup.
But a loud cry from the elderly woman can be heard before Seth can taste the delicious soup.
"BANDIT ATTACK!!!!"