When Locus left the inn, heading towards the western city gate to meet up with Genken on the following day, he realized that he would arrive about an hour too early.
"I don't want to sit around again and wait for Genken to wake up."
With that thought in mind, Locus took a route that looked like a detour to him.
He had already eaten breakfast, so Locus wasn't hungry. Still, Genken might have some exhausting activities prepared for him.
Locus decided to stop by at a bakery to buy himself some bread.
Since he still had some more time to spare, he sat down at a café and drank a cup of coffee while enjoying the view on the crowded streets that were filled with joy.
It reminded him of the peace in Condre Village. He had to get revenge. He had to make sure that such a tragedy would never happen again. He had to become stronger.
Stronger than the Mastermind Guild.
Locus paid for the coffee and left in the direction of the western gate.
In his opinion, the goal of bringing down the whole guild was hard to achieve but not impossible. Locus had heard of people who were able to conquer a guild's territory just by themselves.
For now, he wasn't worried about this city falling prey to the Mastermind Guild. After all, it was the capital of one of the biggest guilds in the world.
When he arrived at the gate, Genken was already waiting for him with a smile on his sleepy face.
"You're very punctual today."
"And you're too early again."
"I wanted to see when you would arrive."
"Looks like you didn't have a lot of faith in me."
Locus looked around.
"So what are we doing today?"
Genken pointed in the direction of the forest that was lying beyond the city gate.
"Today, we'll be playing hide and seek."
Even someone who didn't hear the conversation could have told how confused Locus was.
"I thought we'd work on my combat skills?"
"To be precise, we'll be working on your Aura."
"You mentioned that yesterday, but what is this 'Aura'?"
"You'll find out shortly. Now follow me."
The two of them went into the forest. After walking for about a mile, Genken stopped.
"Alright, let's begin."
He walked into the thicket on the left side of the road.
"Try to find me. Count to twenty, then you have exactly five minutes to spot me."
Locus was still confused, but he began counting.
"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty."
Locus walked into the forest while thinking of a strategy to find Genken. He could teleport, but then the game would not serve any purpose.
Locus looked behind every tree and bush in the area, but he just couldn't find Genken. The forest was too dense. With every passing minute, he went faster and faster, but it still wasn't enough to find Genken.
After the five minutes were over, Locus called for Genken, but no one answered.
Did he really just teleport? No, that's what someone else might think, but Locus knew better.
After searching for another ten minutes, Locus found Genken sitting under a tree. Of course, he was asleep. Locus tapped him on the shoulder.
"Hello, wake up!"
"Hm? Oh, you found me."
"Yes, but after the time was up."
"Alright."
Genken stood up.
"Now it's my turn. Go hide."
Locus had expected as much. He immediately ran away from Genken. When the ladder closed his eyes, Locus changed his direction to make Genken spend some time searching the wrong area.
"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, haaaawww."
Genken yawned while counting.
"Eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen."
Locus was ready. He stood behind a large tree and looked in Genken's direction. Genken never said that moving wasn't allowed, so when Locus spotted Genken, Locus would just move to somewhere else. Locus liked his plan.
Genken probably wanted him to implement his ability, but Locus didn't see an efficient way to do that.
He had run quite far, so Locus wasn't sure whether Genken would even come close enough to trigger Locus plan.
Locus smiled.
"Twenty."
Locus felt a hand touch his shoulder.
"I found you."