An awkward silence engulfed the entire place as the old man kept staring at him.
A few minutes later, Myles decided to break the silence.
"Thank you, elder, for saving me," Myles thanked the middle-aged man.
The old man just nodded his head. He kept the sword covered in blood in its sheath.
The old man kept staring at Myles with his ice-cold eyes. It was like the old man was trying to inspect his soul itself.
"I was right, you are unique," The old man said.
He retrieved his intense stare shortly, hence giving Myles room to breathe. Even before Myles could ask him any questions, a voice echoed through his ears like thunder.
"What's your name, young man?" The old man's voice echoed like thunder.
The old man's voice carried a profound sense of authority which caused Myles to subconsciously answer his question.
"Myles," He replied almost immediately.
"Where are you heading to?" The old man asked.
Although the sense of authority caused him to want to answer his question. He gave it a thought before finally providing an answer.
"Eldoria Kingdom," Myles replied after giving it a thought.
Upon hearing this, the old man fell silent for some time. Myles also didn't utter a single word due to the profound sense of authority being emitted by the man.
After what felt like an eternity, the old man finally replied. The middle-aged man retreated his aura of authority this time.
"I want to give you something that might change your life if you are worthy. So can you follow me for just a few minutes? " The old man exclaimed, his voice carrying seriousness.
Just a second later, a notification flashed in Myles's retina, informing them of his quest.
(You have received an unknown quest)
(1:The unknown old man's request
Description:
An unknown old man who saved your life from a beast has made a promise to you. He has promised that you will be given something that will change your life if you are worthy. In exchange, you need to follow him.
Difficulty: ????
Rewards: ????
Penalty: ????)
(Do you wish to accept this quest)
Upon reading the notification flashing in his retina, he fell into deep thought. Considering if he should accept the quest or not. Since the old man had retracted the aura of authority, he had the room to think.
As for the old man, he stood quietly patiently waiting for his response.
After what felt like an eternity, Myles finally concluded.
"I shall follow you" Myles exclaimed, his voice carrying seriousness.
Just a second later a notification flashed in his retina.
(You have accepted the quest grade:??? quest)
In the end, he decided to accept the quest. There wasn't anything much for him to lose. In the worst-case scenario, he will die and suffer from some penalties. So what?
Even if he had the slightest chance of getting something good. Then the risk was very well worth it currently!
The old man grinned when he heard this.
"You have made the right choice. Now follow me" The old man exclaimed as he started to walk forward.
Myles nodded his head in approval and started to follow the middle-aged man.
As they advanced, they were attacked by some beasts but they were easily slayed by the old man.
An hour or two later.
Myles spotted a small open area in the distance. It was devoid of any big trees or bushes. In the middle of the empty forest rested a small but very sturdy house made up of wood.
"Is this where you live?" Myles asked the old man
"I don't have a permanent house. I roam around the world in search of talented swordsmen. This house is just one of my countless temporary settlements" The old man replied
"Why have you brought me here?" Myles asked
"Patience young man. Follow me" The old man said as he walked forward.
A few minutes of walking later, the old man all of a sudden halted his steps. Myles was about to say something but he was signaled by the old man to remain silent.
"You will have to pass a simple test to prove your worth. Only then, I will give you the reward which will change your life" The old man exclaimed.
"What kind of test?" Myles asked.
The old man didn't say anything. A few seconds later the old man took out his sword. He seemed to have channeled some mana into it which caused it to glow brightly.
"Prove yourself worthy of receiving the reward. If you can manage to land a hit on me then I will give you the promised rewards." The old man said as he took up a defensive stance.
Myles became a bit surprised since this was unexpected.
"But sir, how should I prove my worth?" Myles replied.
"Attack me like you are trying to kill me. I will just use my right hand and my sword to block your attacks.
I will also stand in the same place while you are free to use any tricks you like. If you show satisfactory skills, then you will have passed the test," The old man replied.
At that moment, a notification flashed in Myles's retina
(The quest, The old man's request, has been upgraded.)
(The old man's request
Clear condition: Prove yourself worthy by showing satisfactory skills
Rewards: ????
Penalty: ???)
Myles pondered for a few seconds before accepting the quest. He wasn't confident in his ability to pass the quest. Since the old man killed a beast that was completely out of his league without breaking a sweat!
He decided to accept it. If he didn't, his journey here would be completely wasted.
"All right," Myles replied.
"Come and attack me!" The old man exclaimed.
Myles didn't waste any time and charged towards the old man. When he got close enough, he launched as many attacks as he could in a short period.
He refrained from using the basic sword art since not only does it cost mana, but it also makes his attacks slower in exchange for gaining power.
In the current situation, gaining power is useless. He needed to move as fast as he could since he just had to land a single hit!!
As expected, the old man dodged all of his attacks without breaking a sweat. Myles didn't give up; he kept launching one attack and another, and he had no intention of stopping.
The old man blocked all of his attacks with his eyes closed, not looking impressed in the slightest. It was like an adult stopping the punching of a toddler.
"I have to do something else; I can't land a hit on him like this," Myles thought to himself.
He stopped attacking recklessly and began to think. The old man didn't say or do anything, he just continued to stare at Myles's. Curious about what he will do next.
His mind began to race as he began to think of an idea. A few seconds later, an idea flashed in his mind.
"I had watched in the trailer that swordsmen can produce strong gales of wind as sharp as swords. Maybe I can replicate their feed" Myles thought to himself.
Knowing that this might be the only way for him to land a hit on the old man. He closed his eyes and began to recall how the swordsman in the trailer achieved this feat.
The vision of a swordsman swinging his sword in the trailer to achieve this feat replayed in his mind numerous times. He gained a basic understanding of how to achieve this feat.
"I need to channel as much mana as I can into my sword and swing as quickly as possible," Myles thought to himself.
Even though he didn't know if this would work. He decided to try it since it was very well his last resort.
He channeled as much mana as he could into his sword. His sword began to glow brightly, and a powerful aura that felt sharp enough to slice the heavens in two was produced.
The aura was very familiar to the old man. The old man grinned when he saw this, like knowing what he was trying to achieve.
"It's sad that it's not early for him to achieve anything," The old man thought to himself.