When Ash arrived at the training ground, the others had almost completed their morning routine. Instructor Lucas noticed him arriving late and angrily demanded an explanation, but Ash quickly explained what had happened—and mentioned becoming a disciple of Old Caine.
The moment Instructor Lucas heard Old Caine's name, he was visibly shocked. His expression softened, and his attitude toward Ash changed instantly.
"Since you have the Lord's disciple, then you naturally didn't need to come here; you are free to do what you want." He quickly said with a forced smile, immediately showing he wasn't used to talking to others with a smile.
The smile was creepy, and Ash could only awkwardly nod his head, while the others, looking at the constipated face of instructor Lucas, had different thoughts.
After his brief talk with Instructor Lucas, Ash quickly sought out Adam—his "walking wiki," given that he remembered nothing about his current life. Fortunately, it seemed that his new self had been a lonely kid with minimal connections, except for Adam, the simple and honest guy he could easily fool with his talent for bullshitting.
He and Adam then set off on a stroll toward the small mountains beside the village. Since the area was regularly patrolled and cleared by warriors, there wasn't much danger in the wild.
They were headed out to train—mainly for Adam's benefit. Thanks to his awakened ability, Ash found that he could grasp martial arts quickly, which was likely why Old Caine had accepted him as a disciple.
Ash planned to teach Adam a few moves, especially since the kid had seen him practising the Shadow Wolf technique and was eager to learn. Ash had readily agreed; after all, Adam was his main source of news and information, and he intended to make him his "little brother."
He knew he needed a close-knit group, and Adam would be the first—a simple-minded, trustworthy friend who already felt like family.
They came to the small pond, and Ash started to teach Adam carefully.
"Show me how much you learnt."
Adam nodded and started to show the movements of the shadow wolf technique, which to him looked like some old guy was trying break dancing for the first time.
His movements were uncoordinated and all over the place, and it seemed the situation was worse than he expected. He didn't look at the other guys, but his improvement seemed really fast.
"Stop, stop it."
"Just follow me; I will show you every movement step by step, so look carefully and follow them." After that, Ash slowly started to show him the unique movements of the shadow wolf technique.
Adam quickly began following the movements, though his actions were a bit jerky at first. However, with Ash's occasional help on critical steps, he steadily improved. Ash corrected his posture when needed, helping him gain a better understanding, and soon there were visible signs of progress.
Though Ash's own mastery was less refined than Instructor Lucas's, the one-on-one guidance he provided made a significant difference. Unlike the general training, Adam received from the instructor, this personalised coaching allowed Adam's skills to improve at an impressive rate.
They continued, and during that time he also asked about things about the village, as the more he knows, the better it is. Finally, he asked about his new master, Caine, and Adam quickly told him.
"Ah, you are asking about Lord Caine; he is actually, you know, quite famous, as he is one of the three most mysterious people in the village that everybody talks about."
"Oh, three most mysterious people, quick, tell me what you know." Ash quickly asked, feeling interested.
"Hmm, first, you've already seen her—that's Lady Leatrix," Adam said, his eyes glazing over as he drifted into some lustful daydream.
"Yes, yes, continue," Ash said, giving Adam a slap to snap him out of it.
"Ah, right. Second is the village chief. Although he's technically in charge, he rarely shows himself around the village. And lastly, there's Old Caine, who mostly just likes to drink tea and laze around."
"Hmm, that's it?" Seeing Adam stop, he couldn't help but ask.
"Yes, that's it. They're all too mysterious. Except for the village chief, who is bound to be strong, the other two don't show or do much—but even the soldiers, and even people from the empire who occasionally visit, wouldn't dare disrespect them."
"Which is why they're considered the top three in the village," Adam added, looking smug as if he'd just explained a great mystery.
But he didn't feel any particular excitement—it was as if he hadn't learnt anything new at all. Just as he was about to speak, a strange sensation washed over him, like something was watching him. A chill ran down his spine.
"What that!" He felt weird and quickly looked in different directions. Finally, he heard some movement, and from dense trees, slowly a weird gigantic bear with a disgusting mark on its one eye appeared.
It gave him a very weird and dangerous feeling, even though they were quite a distance, he still felt terrifying.
Adam also noticed this when the bear came out of the jungle.
"Aah! Aah! It's that..." His face seemed to have changed and became so pale and terrifying that it looked like he would shit his pants at any moment.
"What happened? Why are you suddenly shitting?" Ash couldn't help but ask, as although the bear was dangerous, it was still quite distant from them, and they could run quickly to save life; there wasn't a need to be that afraid.
"That's the rumoured Ass-Tearing Demon Bear! We're going to die! It's going to tear us from our asses!" Adam cried, sobbing hysterically.
Ash burst out laughing. "Are you out of your mind? How could there be a demon near the village? And Ass-Tearing Demon Bear? What kind of sick person would give it such a ridiculous name?"
"No, it's true!" Adam insisted, still sniffling. "This demon showed up a few weeks ago. They say it has a... weird hobby of tearing its prey's ass apart. Just a few days ago, two soldiers died that way—ass torn to shreds before they even took their last breath!"
Hearing this, Ash's eyes twitched. Suddenly, he felt an eerie sensation, as if a pair of eyes were watching his ass from a distance, sending a chill down his spine.
"Runnnn!!!"