He was astonished and did not understand what had happened. The look on Jin's face was tense after his grandfather's irrational reaction towards him.
He was never used to seeing his grandfather both angry and afraid at the same time.
While Jin was stunned, his grandfather sighed sadly and removed his hand from Jin's shoulder, saying,
"I'm sorry, Jin. It's just..."
He added grimly, "We will talk about this later. Now, go to sleep and get some rest."
Jin responded in confusion, "Why don't you tell me now?"
Adrian looked at him with a dark expression, "I said go to sleep now!"
Annoyed, Jin left without saying anything and threw himself onto the bed.
"What's with that old man? Why does he talk like he's seen a ghost?"
Jin sighed and said, "Maybe he's just becoming a really annoying old man."
Jin remained depressed, lost in his thoughts until he eventually fell asleep.
The next morning, he woke up cursing the worn-out bed again,
"Damn this stupid mattress."
He sat up, scratching his back in pain, and said, "Maybe I should make a new one."
Jin left his room to look for his grandfather but couldn't find him.
"Is that old man skipping work or what?"
Jin scratched his head, annoyed, as he was not used to not finding his grandfather preparing food at this time.
Adrian always woke up early in the morning to cook food first, then went to plow the farmland next to their hut.
Feeling a bit hungry, Jin decided to prepare the food himself.
"Well, I guess I have no other choice,"
Jin opened the kitchen drawers to see what he could cook, but all he found was some bread and cheese.
He sighed and said, "This is better than nothing at least."
Jin ate and sated his hunger, then sat at the house's door and sighed,
"Why isn't that old man here? Did our conversation yesterday bother him so much that he left me?"
This thought frightened Jin, but his fears quickly dissipated when he saw his grandfather approaching with some goods wrapped in cloth on his back.
Jin smiled and began to greet him, "Good morning, old man."
But before he could finish his words, his grandfather, with a serious expression, asked him, "Pack some of your belongings and follow me."
Jin was annoyed and said, "Huh?"
In the meantime, rumors spread throughout the city, some shocking and others highly exaggerated, causing widespread concern among the residents.
In a massive military fortress in the city's center, a soldier, Officer Sai, approached Commander Morgan's door.
Sai announced, knocking forcefully on the door, "Commander, I have the report you requested."
"Enter," came the commander's reply.
As Officer Sai entered the dimly lit room, there was Commander Morgan sitting at his desk, holding a cigarette.
With a stern expression, black hair, taut muscles, a distinctive scar over one eye, and a powerful presence, Commander Morgan looked at the report with irritation.
He muttered before addressing Sai directly,
"These bastards always manage to ruin my leave."
"So, you're telling me that chaos is coming and rumors are spreading like wildfire in the city, aren't you, Officer Sai?"
"Yes, sir," confirmed Sai, sighing.
"Our informants have verified these rumors."
Then he added "The village mentioned in the report, Avaghida, has already been eradicated."
Commander Morgan took a long drag from his cigarette, exhaling slowly as he processed the news.
"Avaghida village... what a tragedy," he said with a sigh.
Blowing out smoke, Morgan continued,
"We need to act swiftly to prevent panic from gripping the city."
"But first, go to Elina and tell her to assemble a team of adventurers to investigate this matter further and quash these rumors once and for all."
"Understood, sir. I'll see to it immediately," replied Sai, saluting sharply before leaving the office.
As the door closed behind him, Commander Morgan leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling.
"Damn," he muttered to himself.
"This is the last thing we need right now!."
A few hours later, Officer Sai moved quickly to meet Captain Elina,
the veteran warrior known for her sharp mind and renowned for handling delicate situations with finesse.
"Captain Elina, we have urgent business," Sai announced as he approached her quarters.
He knocked on the door, waiting for her response.
The door opened to reveal Captain Elina, with her beautiful long red hair and blue eyes that exuded warmth and care.
Her body was mature and alluring, with a large breast and charming look she wore a long yellow dress that made her look exceptionally beautiful.
She furrowed her brow with concern. "What's the situation, Sai?" Elina asked.
Sai quickly briefed her on the troubling reports and Commander Morgan's directives.
"We need to investigate Avaghida village and assess the truth behind these rumors before they spiral out of control,"
he explained, handing her a copy of the report.
Captain Elina looked at the report, her expression growing somber.
"I'll gather the team, and we will depart at dawn," she responded.
During that time, Jin was wandering with his grandfather towards a forest called Deepwood.
"Old man, where the hell are we going?" Jin asked, panting from exhaustion.
Adrian replied, "We're going inside the forest."
"Why are we going into the forest? And I'm already hungry. Let's rest for a bit," Jin responded, looking at his grandfather with eyes as lifeless as a fish's.
His grandfather didn't reply; he simply ignored him and remained silent.
"Fuck this senile old man. He's definitely lost his mind," Jin muttered, cursing his grandfather.
After about two hours, they arrived at a large cabin in the middle of the forest.
The cabin was decrepit and dilapidated, giving off an ominous vibe. About two meters to the right of the cabin was a flowing river.
The sounds of birds and the breeze rustling through the trees were clear.
Adrian said, "Wait here," and then entered the cabin.
Jin sat down on a rock in front of the cabin, panting. "Ugh, damn it, I'm so tired."
His grandfather came out holding a rusty, golden-colored sword.
"Take this sword and cut 100 logs every day. You'll stay here for a few months," Adrian said, throwing the sword in front of Jin.
Jin looked at him skeptically, breathing heavily. "Excuse me, but are you really senile now?"
Adrian's expression was serious, and he seemed angry.
"What? Why should I do this? Do you really think I can handle this task? I can barely move, let alone use this rusty sword! Are you serious?"
Jin added, "And not just that, what about the traders and the herbs that need to be gathered in the coming days!"
His grandfather looked at him with disdain. "Do as I command and don't talk too much."
Adrian continued, "You need to escape soon anyway, so work hard in the coming days."
Jin responded in shock, "Escape? Why? Are you afraid of what I said yesterday? Ha ha, don't worry, Grandpa. I'm sure they're just a pack of wolves, nothing more."
His grandfather sighed quietly and sat down in front of him. "My dear, there's much you don't know. Have I ever told you about the fate of your parents?"
Jin was stunned by the question and quickly asked, "What do you mean?"
Adrian looked at him with a mixture of pity and sadness and explained:
"They dared to face the Chaos. You may not yet understand the terror of the Chaos, but believe me, it brings nothing but ruin and death."
Jin clutched his chest, feeling distressed. "What... what is the Chaos?"
His grandfather replied seriously, "The Chaos is a merciless entity that brings destruction to humanity, and we are just prey and sustenance for it."
With a sigh filled with sorrow, Adrian stood up. "I'm making you train because you can barely stand."
Jin felt a surge of anger and a desire to unleash a torrent of curses and insults, but the shock left him speechless.
His grandfather looked at him and threw the supplies he was carrying in front of him. "I'll be back tomorrow. I expect to find those hundred logs ready."
"There's food in this sack and a river nearby for drinking."
He pointed east and left without another word, leaving Jin to contemplate his fate in solemn isolation.
As Jin watched his grandfather disappear into the dusk, his thoughts swirled with conflicting emotions.
He had always known there was a mysterious history surrounding his parents' fate, but his grandfather's vague warnings about the Chaos deeply troubled him.
Sitting alone in the gathering darkness, Jin pondered silently,
"My parents and the Chaos... this is really too much for me."
The next morning, Jin reluctantly took up the rusty sword and began chopping wood.
Each strike was heavy and painful. "Ugh, this rusty sword is a piece of junk!"
Jin continued chopping wood until he collapsed to the ground, panting.
"Maybe I understand that he wants to make me strong somehow, but why with a rusty sword, damn it!"
As Jin struggled with the woodcutting, he thought,
"The Chaos, what did they do? And why did they face it? And why does Grandpa seem so scared?"
The days turned into weeks, and Jin's routine became defined by the rhythm of chopping wood.
His body ached terribly, and every evening his grandfather would sometimes return with some food, then leave him alone again.
On one cold evening, as Jin struggled to light a fire with a damp torch, shivering from the cold,
"Damn it, why won't the fire start?"
His grandfather spoke while looking at the stars in the sky, "Do you understand now, Jin?" he asked quietly.
Jin replied, "Understand what?"
Adrian responded, his tone filled with frustration, "That you're very weak..."