Chapter 1: Prologue

Tak. Tak. Tak.

The sound of dried-up foliage being crunched underfoot, a noise that seemed to echo through the area. Paired together with the harmony of winds rushing through nearby trees and birds chirping amongst the rocky mountains, it perfectly captured the autumn feeling.

Bright red and yellow leaves littered the ground, forming piles underneath towering trees and around boulders the size of cottages. A large river cut through the middle of the area, dragging excess vegetation through its rushing waters and far out of sight. A herd of oversized deer with antlers of crystal wandered by, stopping ever so briefly to graze and drink from the river’s edge.

It was in this spot that the trap had been set.

The mountain range leading away from Intok’s capital, known as Faiger’s Path. One of the few ways to pass through to Pontigal, Intok’s nearest major town, it was amongst the safest ways to get from place to place without fear from attacking monsters. Though a popular spot for bandits, squads of Adventurers often used it when aiming to get from one place to the other as fast as possible.

It wasn’t a place that many people travelled alone.

Still, Ruiger Derna’s intel had heavily advised that their target would take this very route. Thus, after staking out the place for well over two days, he and his guild had taken up camp and awaited their prey’s appearance.

Perfectly obscured, hidden in the confines of nature so well that not even nearby animals would notice. Figures garbed in black occupied positions that only those with a sixth sense would be able to pinpoint, making them essentially invisible. Up in the trees, blended into boulders, buried under leaves. They never moved so much as an inch, all eyes on the one spot that their target could walk through.

And walk through they did.

In the middle of the afternoon, the target finally made his appearance, strolling through the rocky passage as leisurely as a stroll through a city street. Positioned near the front of the pack from high up in the treetops, Ruiger was the first to spot him.

The figure was partially cloaked, a dark hood completely covering his face making him very near unidentifiable, save for a few tufts of crimson hair peeking out. A white T-shirt paired with pitch black pants that tightened around the calves and matching colored leather shoes. The hilt of what appeared to be a katana poked out from the right hip.

The description given to him by his guild members had been spot on, almost to the letter.

An unknown swordsman with simple clothes.

Letting out a slow breath, Ruiger didn’t make any sudden movements as his heart sped up in excitement. After such a long wait, the time for comeuppance was here.

The individual didn’t appear to be in any hurry, which Ruiger was happy to see, the cloaked figure comfortably trekking through the underbrush without a care. Though this did raise a few red flags, it wasn’t enough to cause for any sort of hesitation as he waited for the target to move into a more favorable position. The most optimal spot for the ambush was dead center of the guild’s positioning, the same spot the figure was moving towards.

With bated breath, Ruiger counted every step, eyes drilling into the target.

Each second seemed to become minutes as he waited for the perfect moment to appear.

Boom! Boom!

As soon as the individual stepped into the designated spot, two guild members dashed from their hiding spots. Wielding a spear and a longsword, the duo rapidly closed the distance in a pincer attack before the target could take another step.

Checkmate.

Or at least that was what was supposed to happen. The target wasn’t supposed to be able to react in time.

However, reality was a cruel mistress.

Without too much movement, the target nimbly evaded the thrust of the spear, stepping and moving his shoulder to the side. The wielder tried to drag it back and strike again but the individual was just too fast as he grasped just below the spear tip and gave it a yank. With the spearman unwilling to let go of his only weapon, he found himself being slung forward. Not only that but he was tripped by the target’s foot as he passed by and therefore unable to correct himself midair.

He inevitably slammed into the longsword wielder and tumbled them both onto the leaf-covered ground.

In one smooth motion, the initial attack was immediately crushed.

All was not lost though as, from high up in the treetops, a hidden archer let loose an arrow. The projectile crackled with purple lightning, tearing through space and burning everything it passed from just the voltage alone.

In one quick motion, that too was countered as the figure drew his sword, slashing in a singular arc the moment the arrow was within range.

A crimson red blade that practically glowed under the afternoon sun. Gentle flames trailed along its edge, perpetual flames that danced across its surface like a living entity.

Ruiger was at a loss for words.

The opening ambush failed within seconds of its initial attack.

It wasn’t even like they were weak either. Though a group of rookies, each of the members were talented in their own right, having trained night and day to hone their skills. Not only that, but most of them had grown up together and could sync their attacks almost perfectly.

And yet, this one individual had neutralized their opening ploy without even utilizing any serious magic.

The intel had suggested that the figure was at most 13 or 14.

Clearly that wasn’t the case.

No fresh teenager could manage to do that without being a borderline monster and being well known throughout the region.

Whatever the case was however, just off the initial interaction, the best case was now a hasty retreat. Though having a bunch of other members on standby, it was quite clear that they weren’t gonna make any headway without rushing him at the same time.

An entire guild needed to defeat one child? Or worse, if they potentially lost? It was a lose lose situation.

"It’s best if you just come at me at once."

The target’s voice seemed to echo through the woodlands, tearing Ruiger from his own internal thoughts. A youthful voice that seemed to match the age description that had been given.

"Retreat and I won’t pursue." The figure lowered his sword, his cape rustling in the autumn breeze. "Thats your only warning."

(("Damn! We’re being treated like children!!")) Ruiger grit his teeth, sweat dripping down his neck. The iron gauntlets he wore were now feeling awfully heavy. (("Go and play with the others while the adults talk. There’s no way the others are gonna-"))

Before the Guild leader could even finish his thought, all the hidden figures made their appearance, slowly making their way forward from the underbrush. Just as Ruiger feared, it was clear that none of the Guild intended to flee the scene, especially with their pride having now been put on the line. Even the thought of a further ambush had been thrown out as everyone took up a combat stance at different ranges.

(("Ugh. Idiots.")) Ruiger mentally cursed, his palms now sweating profusely from his perch up in the tree. His desire to leave was now defunct. (("Worst move possible."))

Magic ignited all around. Spells were prepared and weapons were imbued in multiple different elements as the now rogue Guild set their sights on the one who insulted their pride.

"Is this your answer then?" the hooded youth questioned.

Ruiger let out a slow breath, resigning himself to his fate before he took action. Poor decisions or not, it was still his guild and running while they fought wasn’t in the cards.

After calming himself, he leaped from the tree.

And attempted to land on top of the target’s head, thick iron gauntlets thrown with full force.

Boom!

The fists struck the earth, leaving a sizeable crater as the hooded figure nimbly leaped backwards out of range. Any ordinary Adventurer would have been taken out of combat with a direct hit from the gauntlets, especially when attacked from a blind spot.

That told Ruiger all he needed about this encounter.

The target had known everyone’s position from the moment he entered the effective range, maybe even before that. If it wasn’t already clear, this person was far from average as one could get from the definition.

"You dodged that. You got good reflexes." Ruiger slowly rose onto his feet, metallic gauntlets clinking together as he raised them up. "What’s your name?"

The figure didn’t respond, sword held at the ready.

"Very well. You brought this on yourself." Ruiger held a look of confidence as he slammed his gauntlets together. "MAGES! Prep long distance spells. Commence Plan EarthWall!"

The moment the words left his mouth, the group rushed into different directions without any further questions. A number of figures rushed back to get some distance. Others ran around their target and cut off any chance of the hooded figures escape, encircling him completely.

"Begin!"

The attack went full throttle from the jump as multiple attackers from the closest Guild members rushed forward.

Five people, all from different directions.

A twin sword user was the first to make contact, a blade engulfed in wind striking fast and clean. It was effortlessly parried to the side before the hooded figure planted a foot into the attackers stomach, sending him flying back. The next person didn’t fare any better as her electrified rapier was dodged and she ended up flat on her ass when struck in the nose with the hilt of a katana. The only that saved her from further damage was a thrown kusarigama that forced the target to immediately take a few steps back.

With the youth forced back, the others took that opening as a show of weakness and the other attackers rushed forward.

However, they were slow to realize that in itself was a horrible decision. The moment they decided to initiate another attack, the hooded swordsman decided to strike first for once.

Bunting an incoming arrow with the flat of his blade, the youth leaned forward and burst from his spot, closing the distance towards an unsuspecting swordsman. The victim raised his blade to block but was quickly floored anyways as the hooded assailant grabbed his head and forced him to eat the ground.

Without pause the youth then swiveled on his feet and slashed towards an approaching mace wielder and shattered the steel ball with one swipe.

The fight seemed to be strongly tilting in favor of the fighter, but Ruiger forced himself to remain calm.

"Mages! Release! Combatants retreat and collect!"

Despite being humiliated, all forces quickly withdrew without a word. The ones who had been injured were helped as the front lines drew back into the crowd.

Then, the rain of elements began.

Giant balls of fire. Drills made of water. Tornadoes that could shred apart solid rock. One after another, in varying intervals, began raining down over the battlefield, all aimed in the youths general direction. Even if they didn’t hit, slamming into the ground was enough to cause the attack to splash in all directions.

The hooded swordsman was immediately put on the defensive as the hail of mana struck the area one after the other.

The fight was starting to seem like things might actually turn out alright. Ruiger was starting to feel a tad better about the outcome. Granted, it was still a 36 versus 1, but at least he didn’t have to lose.

Then reality was set right back on track.

"Water Manifest: Swift Ocean Current."

A voice, just as youthful as the hooded swordsmans, calmly echoed through the area. Even above the thundering of magic spells, Ruiger was able to not only hear it but also pinpoint its location.

At least before the tidal wave hit him.

A strong blast of water that felt as if the weight of the entire ocean had just blindsided him. One moment he was standing up, readying himself to switch back to frontal combat, and the next he was being whisked off his feet by an unstoppable current that swept through the battlefield.

Of course, it didn’t just hit him.

When Ruiger could finally breath, spitting out water from his mouth and gasping for air, the scope of the attack was immediately apparent.

The entire section of the battlefield had been utterly encompassed in a knee deep layer of water. Trees had been ripped from the ground and shredded apart, shrubbery had been flattened, and his guildmates had either been knocked unconscious or struggling to get back onto their feet. With presumably one mere spell, the landscape had undergone a full redesign.

Tak. Tak. Tak.

A pair of slow yet methodical footsteps could be heard over the painful groans of his now incapacitated team.

Then, walking by him, Ruiger saw it. Someone dressed nearly identical to the swordsman, only with a white battle staff attached to their back.

"I thought I told you not to go on ahead, bonehead." The youthful voice from before once again filled Ruiger’s ears. This one though sounded much more full of life and even pretty friendly. "You don’t want to run into any overzealous beavers out in these woods."

"I was fine." Came the only response. The youth didn’t even sound exhausted, as if he hadn’t been affected by fighting Ruiger’s team.

The new arrival chuckled slightly before tapping the swordsman on the shoulder.

Then, the amused staff user calmly walked over to Ruiger. For some reason, they immediately seemed to know that he was the leader of the attackers.

"Hey." The cloaked figure knelt down when he got close enough. "Sorry I had to be a bit rough with you guys. I figured I was doing you guys a favor. Any longer and you guys might have suffered some casualties."

Ruiger grimaced but didn’t immediately respond.

The youth didn’t seem to be offended though as he rose back onto his feet. "Well, I hope you guys learned your lesson. Don’t play with fire or something like that."

There was a small pause as the speaker turned around and began wading through the small pond he created.

"Wait...." Ruiger placed his hands on the ground and pushed himself up. "Who....are you guys?"

The figure immediately stopped and turned around.

"Us? Just your ordinary Adventurers."