Before the red light could hit him, Emrys felt his body fall down on the ground with a loud thud.
He looked up to see master Blackwood in a tough battle with the wooden human.
"Take cover in my weapons room" Master Blackwood yelled before tossing a key to Emrys.
He continued attacking his wooden puppet who attacked him at full force.
It was a miracle that Emrys was still alive when he met him else he would have been long dead if he hadn't interfered.
He shot the young boy a quick glance and sighed out of relief.
If Emrys had died on his first day of training then his reputation would be ruined in the village.
Meanwhile, Emrys was still in shock and he had no time to recover.
He quickly struggled to pick the key up from the floor before running to the weapon room.
The door opened the moment the twisted key in the key hole.
Emrys walked into the room and gave master Blackwood one last look before shutting the doors closed.
He couldn't help but think of himself as weak.
Why was he fighting with so much effort when he was fighting with the wooden opponent?
But seeing Master Blackwood, he could tell he was clearly getting the upper hand as he attacked the wooden puppet with his sword.
He had seen Master Blackwood fight and his movement was smooth and experienced.
Emrys couldn't be much surprised. After all, Master Blackwood was a level ten martial arts fighter.
It was obvious he had years of experience but yet he couldn't help but wonder if people his age could defeat the wooden puppet in one single move.
He sighed deeply, feeling his body go limp.
Emrys rested his back against the door and closed his eyes.
The noise of the weapon clashing against the weapon was still ringing in his ears.
Minutes passed and he finally heard Master Blackwood's voice from outside the door.
"Come out, Emrys."
Emrys stood up with a disappointed frown on his face, thinking to himself that his master would see him as weak.
He opened the door slowly and Blackwood came into view with no wound or scratch on his body.
If his master could defeat a strong wooden opponent like that then it only meant that the old man was even more powerful than he originally thought.
"Thank you for saving my life Mr blackwood." Emrys said and then paused as he laid his eyes on the only thing left of his sword.
He walked past Blackwood and picked up the broken pieces of his wooden sword.
"I might need a new sword." Emrys scratched his head as he saw Blackwood stare at him with a neutral expression.
He couldn't tell if Blackwood would scold him or not and so he decided to quickly apologize. "I'm sorry"
Emrys said with a defeated look, his gaze on the floor as he made his way for the door.
"Sword fighting is over for today. We will practice martial arts tomorrow." Master Blackwood quickly said before Emrys could walk out of the huge doors.
He saw the young boy nod his head in defeat before leaving.
As master blackwood stared at his wooden puppet, the images flashed before his eyes as he saw Emrys kick the puppet with so much force.
That only meant that Emrys was not as weak as he thought.
He wondered how the wooden puppet had activated though, the last time he checked, he had switched it off for years.
The fight had brought back his fighting spirit. It had been long since he had a spar with his training puppet.
He decided to approach the puppet and activate it to the highest level before attacking again.
Meanwhile, As Emrys walked home, his mind was consumed by thoughts of his own weakness. "Why can't I be stronger like Master Blackwood?" he wondered.
Lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice the group of shadowy figures lurking in the alleyway until it was too late.
Vic, the leader of the level E hunters group which Emrys had joined, stepped out of the darkness, a sneer on his face as he tried to hide his shock "Well, well, well. Look what we have here. I can't believe this… The weakest hunter alive is not a meal for the cave beasts. Tell me, how did you manage to do this? The last time I checked, you can't even hurt a fly or fight for survival."
One of Victor's most ruthless hunters also added with a chuckle. "Yeah, I'm surprised you're still alive, Emrys. I could've sworn that beast tore you to shreds on our last mission. Guess you're just a cockroach, hard to kill, but still worthless."
Emrys's face burned with anger and he turned to face them. "You know, I'm surprised you're talking trash when you're the ones who ran away and left me to fight that beast alone. You're the cowards who abandon their teammates when things get tough."
Vic's sneer faltered, and his friends took a step back. "How dare you," He growled as he shot Emrys a look of disdain.
Seeing Emrys alive made his blood boil and he couldn't quite explain how Emrys survived.
On the other hand, Emrys stood his ground. "It's the truth. You left me to die, but I survived. And I'll make sure everyone knows what kind of hunters you all are."
The Hunters snarled, their hands on the hilts of their swords as they waited for Vic to give an order. However, Emrys didn't back down.
Vic sneered at Emrys. "You think you're a hero, Emrys? Please. If we hadn't been there, you'd be dead before we even got to the cave. But since you're still breathing, it's clear another hunter must have saved your skin when we left."
Emrys smirked, a hint of mockery in his voice. "Oh, yeah. Other hunters saved me. And you know what? They're way better than some weak Level E rankers who can't even handle two intermediate beasts. I mean, what's your excuse? You guys ran away with your tails between your legs."
Vic's face reddened with anger as he listened, but Emrys continued, his tone dripping with disdain. "So, here's the deal. Stay away from me, or I'll make sure to beat you guys up myself. I don't need trash like you near me."
Vic turned to the others, and they burst out laughing, their mockery echoing through the alleyway. "Oh, Silver, you're so cute when you're trying to be tough!" Another man mocked. " You were never a part of our team and I hope you can learnt not to mess with us another time. We show no mercy to people like you, Silver head."
Emrys' eyes narrowed, his fists clenched, but he stood his ground, ready for a fight.
He didn't care of whatever consequences he could get. He already had enough of their teasings.
His anger had already reached a boiling point and with a fierce cry, he charged at Vic and the rest of the hunters.
"Time to teach you a lesson, Emrys!" Vic snarled.
The clash of steel on steel rang out as Emrys met the hunters' attack.
The alleyway erupted into countless punches, kicks, and sword strikes.
Emrys charged at Vic, his fists flying too meet his jaw. Vic stumbled back, caught off guard by Emrys's sudden ferocity.
Vic snarled, drawing his sword. "You.are courting death, Silver. Trust me…I won't spare you this time." he sneered.
Emrys didn't flinch after hearing Vic's words. With a swift kick, he sent Vic sword flying out of his hand. Then, he turned to a level E ranker who was trying to sneak up behind him.
Emrys caught his wrist, twisting it sharply. He yelped in pain as Emrys slammed him into the wall.
Vic seethed with fury and he charged at Emrys with a dagger.
Fortunately, Emrys was able to dodge the attack with ease, countering with a series of lightning-fast punches.
All of them clashed, their movements a blur as they exchanged blows.
The fight continued, the sound of punches and kicks echoing through the alleyway.
Emrys's breathing started to grow ragged, but he refused to back down.
In a sudden burst of speed, Emrys landed a devastating combination, sending Vic and the others crashing to the ground. They stumbled back, eyes wide with fear.
The system words rang in Emrys' head as he approached them.
[New Task: Defeat all seven hunters]
[Reward: Unknown]
Emrys licked his lips in anticipation, he became even more motivated.
With a final punch, Emrys knocked them unconscious. Vic, still dazed, stumbled away, defeated.
The others were too weak to fight him and they laid on the floor, unable to lift a finger.
[Task Complete.]