Keng... keng... The continuous clash of weapons echoed along the beach. The escalating sounds frightened many nearby birds away. On the sand, two boys and an older man were the source of the commotion.
"Damn it... I take back what I said earlier... that mark is amazing..." James kept swinging his sword relentlessly at Liam, but all he received was the tremor from the metal as it clashed. He suddenly thrust his sword towards Liam's face.
Keng. Liam quickly blocked with the body of his sword. His reaction was lightning-fast, showing no surprise at James's sudden shift in attack.
"I think that's enough for now," Michael said, stroking his beard, nodding in approval.
"Ah..." James let out a long groan and threw his sword onto the sand, his face twisted in frustration. "Damn it... this is cheating... Just a few months ago, you could barely hold a sword properly, and now... you're fighting on par with me... sometimes even better than me..."
Liam could only scratch his head in sympathy at James's outburst. Just then, he sensed something suddenly flying towards him. He dodged it instantly, recognizing it as the familiar object that had tormented him for the past half-year. Unfortunately, James wasn't as lucky, and he fell to the ground, twitching.
Michael let out a deep sigh."You need to control your emotions... unnecessary feelings can easily cause distractions."
He turned to Liam, smiling. "As for you... that was brilliant. I've never seen a kid your age maintain such high concentration. Perhaps... you've started feeling the energy now, haven't you?"
Liam nodded in confirmation. He had begun sensing it recently. Mana was so diverse, present everywhere. It was incredibly difficult to detect, but thanks to Michael's techniques, he could feel it effortlessly.
Surprisingly, he was still at level F, even though nearly half a year had passed since his last rank up. It would take forever to level up if he waited for his body to absorb mana naturally. The person who surprised him the most was Michael, who had reached level C. How long must one accumulate experience to reach that level? As for James, he was at level F+, which wasn't surprising given that he was older than Liam.
"Well then, I think I'll be leaving tomorrow," Liam suddenly said.
"What? So soon... I told you, it's fine if you stay for a few more months to train," James said, startled.
"I think I've overstayed my welcome... Besides, I feel like now is the right time to go," Liam scratched his head awkwardly. He felt embarrassed for staying as long as he had, especially since he initially said he'd only stay a few days.
"Alright then... James, go ahead and prepare some food for tonight. We should have a grand feast before Liam leaves, shouldn't we?" Michael stroked his beard and smiled.
Seeing that Michael had agreed, James gave up on trying to convince Liam otherwise. He knew only Michael could persuade Liam to stay. With a reluctant expression, James shuffled back toward the house. Once James was far enough, Michael's mood shifted, no longer as cheerful as before.
"Liam, I hope... you'll take James with you."
"..." Shocked by Michael's words, Liam was speechless for a moment. After a few seconds of thought, he replied, "Alright... honestly, it'd be great to have him along, but... you know…"
Sensing Liam's hesitation, Michael smiled and said, "Leave convincing him to me."
"But there's one thing I don't understand... why don't you come with us? If you go, he'll definitely follow," Liam scratched his head, puzzled.
Hearing this, Michael's eyes filled with a momentary sadness. He continued walking without answering, whispering quietly to himself, "I... don't have much time left…"
Seeing that Michael didn't respond, Liam just shrugged. "Anyway, that's their family matter..." He turned to look at the sea. "There's still time... I'll train by myself for a bit."
***
"It seems they argued while I was training," Liam thought as he sat down at the table, enjoying his meal. Meanwhile, James and Michael hadn't exchanged a single word since James returned. Finally, it was Michael who broke the silence.
"James..." Michael began, but James cut him off immediately.
"I told you! I'm not going anywhere without you!" James snapped, his voice filled with frustration.
"If you don't go, then I will—" Michael suddenly stopped mid-sentence, sensing an unusual energy source outside the door. His gaze shifted toward the source.
Both Liam and James noticed the sudden change in Michael's demeanor. It was rare to see him with such a serious expression, which meant something was terribly wrong.
Knock... knock... The eerie sound of knocking echoed from outside. The noise created a chilling atmosphere, as it was already dark, and there shouldn't have been anyone outside at this hour.
"What's going on? It's already late..." Liam muttered with a frown.
"You two stay here. If something happens, run as fast as you can to the sea. Those flying monsters won't go near the water," Michael said sternly, adding, "I'll follow right after you."
Reluctantly, James hesitated, but with Michael's urging, he led Liam to the back door of the house.
Michael quietly approached the front door. Through the small glass window, he saw the face of a man. That face raised countless questions and sent shivers down Michael's spine. It was one of the townsfolk, though Michael didn't know his name. The townspeople had severed all ties with each other long ago. Most importantly, this man wasn't attacked by the flying monsters, despite only being a D+ rank. From outside, a voice echoed:
"Hello, old fisherman... I'm here... to take your life..." The man said with a twisted enthusiasm. Right after, the underground house began to shake. The ceiling trembled violently before collapsing, revealing the people inside.
"Run!" Michael shouted.A sword appeared in his hand instantly. Electricity burst forth from his body, transferring to the sword, turning it into a blade of pure light.
"They will all die..." With that eerie voice, spikes of stone erupted from the ground, hurtling towards Michael through the thick cloud of dust caused by the collapsing house.
The sound of the spikes slicing through the air grew louder. Michael slammed his electric sword into the ground. The electric current spread across the earth, causing sparks to flicker in all directions. The surrounding ground lit up with bright electricity waves, instantly destroying the incoming stone spikes. All that remained was the crackling sound of electrical energy.
The dust cleared, revealing a towering figure—a monstrous being standing three meters tall. Its ragged clothes barely covered its grotesquely enlarged body. Bald, noseless, and wielding a trident.
"As expected, you're the strongest in this town... It's wise to save you for the final dish..." His voice was unnervingly distorted, likely due to his altered vocal cords.
Thump... Thump... The sound of more creatures landing on the ground echoed around them. The flying monsters had surrounded Michael's house, forming a circle. Strangely, they ignored the grotesque man, treating him as invisible, or perhaps, one of their own.
"Four C-rank flying monsters, and I should be more than enough for the old man..." The monster-man sneered, "If you must blame someone, blame your own heartless choices."
Faced with the enemies before him, Michael could only let out a deep sigh, accepting his fate.
"It seems... the time has finally come..."
A massive surge of electrical energy exploded from Michael. It enveloped his entire body, making him glow like a thunder god descending to earth. Lightning bolts shot from his body, creating a dazzling spectacle.
"I've got ten minutes before this energy core shatters completely..." He glanced towards the sea, tears falling from his eyes, which evaporated almost instantly from the heat of the lightning.
"I hope... the kids have escaped."