I hesitated for a moment after hearing the sounds from inside the fishing hut.
What if I'm attacked as soon as I open it? Should I wait for him to leave the hut first and make my move from there? My Golden Eye is an ability best suited for defense, after all...
Perhaps I should wait—
My thoughts were interrupted as the door slowly swung open.
In front of me stood a man as tall as me, with golden skin and gray hair tied into a ponytail like a samurai. His physique was impressive, as he wore no shirt despite the cold snowy weather.
He looked at me, examining my regal attire, seemingly unbothered by it.
"Interesting," he said, his voice calm. "God twenty-one, correct? I was uncertain whether you'd make it past the black lions. Even Zir thought you would die. Perhaps we have underestimated you."
The tone he used jarred me. According to Lasandra, the Eighteenth God, this man was my lesser. He should have spoken to me with respect, or atleast fear. More important, however, was what he had said about Zir.
"You are a worshiper of Zir?" I asked, sensing that there was no immediate threat and taking the chance to question him.
If this is true, this man may be stronger than I expected. And more importantly, Zir has told him of my existence. He predicted that I would come here and thought I would be killed!
His confidence either comes from the strength of this man, or my own weakness.
"Yes, Zir is my savior."
He stepped out of the hut, and I slowly backed away on the ice, constantly keeping myself prepared and ready to use my Golden Eye.
He closed the door, and we stood face to face, but with a decent distance between us.
Despite being only a demigod, he was a threatening man to stand before.
"And unfortunately, you have stumbled right into the domain of one of his great demigods. For that, I must fell you."
It was certain from there that I would have to fight this man on the frozen lake.
"You're a fool, demigod. Just because I am a newcomer, you believe that you're better than me?"
My eyes flashed gold as I readied my ability.
"Have you not heard of the Golden Eye?"
I spoke with a confidence that I shouldn't have had the right to. The only battles I had taken part in so far were with measly domain beasts. I had hardly tested myself.
Still, I knew the importance of acting.
"I haven't, so it must not be an ability powerful enough to earn the attention of Zir, since he has told me nothing about it. Furthermore, have you heard of the Frozen Mist?"
Suddenly, a misty fog began to appear from the ice beneath our feet, slowly thickening so that it became harder to see the man in front of me.
I lost sight of him, no longer able to see him through the fog.
"Time to show you the power bestowed upon me by Zir, the true God of Arnos!"
The voice came from all around me, throwing off my senses and perception. I had no clue where the man was or where he would strike from.
Is this really the power of a simple demigod?
No, it's no time to get distracted. Focus...
Focus.
Tap tap tap
Footsteps came from all around me with speed, and I turned clumsily, attempting to guess the direction he would attack from.
As I did, I prepared my Golden Eye. Through the fog, I saw something, my ability had kicked in and I was able to see a singular vision.
I saw clearly what the form coming toward me was about to do, and I was prepared for it.
The man closed the distance and dropped low, placing his hands on the ice as he swung a kick aimed to sweep me off my feet.
I jumped, predicting his movement, and the kick flew underneath me, but the demigod followed up fast with a high kick aimed at my chin.
Using the Golden Eye to dodge consecutive strikes from close quarters was hard, so I had to rely on only reflexes.
I leaned my head back just in time for the blow to miss.
Tap tap tap.
The man scurried away, vanishing back into the mist in retreat.
His footsteps seemed to echo around me, making it hard to focus.
The mist must have some properties of illusion. I cannot fall for this.
I am greater than him!
I pushed my perception to its limits and suddenly felt a change from within me, a change in my Golden Eye.
Instantly, I knew what had happened. My eyes had advanced. They had gotten stronger.
I looked around, the sounds of the echoing footsteps disorienting me. However, when I focused, a faint outline of a man became visible from behind the fog.
The strangest thing was that the footsteps didn't even match the movements of the outline, as the man seemed to just be slowly circling me from a distance, waiting for an opportunity to attack.
And I allowed him to. Continuing to act confused, I circled in the opposite direction, placing him behind me and giving him a false opening.
Tap tap tap
The steps echoed again, coming closer from all directions.
Now!
I turned to face my flank, and the man seemed to hesitate, confused as to how I knew where he was coming from.
I warned you of the Golden Eye, but you did not listen.
I pounced forward, meeting him head-on, while simultaneously predicting his next movements with my blessing.
These eyes can see everything.