When Raktab killed them all, the girl who was holding Nivyansh began to thank him.
But after taking Nivyansh in his arms, Raktab said to her—
"There is no need to thank me."
Saying this, he and Nivyansh went inside the house, while the girl, with tears of joy in her eyes, kept looking at Raktab as he walked away.
Days passed like this, and soon everyone around came to know that Raktab was no ordinary man but a very powerful warrior. Because of this, all the people began to respect him deeply. And that girl, whose life Raktab had saved, started coming every day—not only to see Nivyansh but perhaps, more truly, to see Raktab himself.
But each day, Raktab ignored her. That hurt her a little, for somewhere in her heart, she had started to like Raktab from that very day. Moreover, even though he was close to forty years old, he still looked young and strong.
Thus, days turned into months, and months into years. During this time, the girl cared for Nivyansh, but Raktab still never truly looked at her. Five years passed in this way.
With the beginning of a new day, we see a middle-aged man and a child standing under the scorching rays of the sun, both holding swords. The man was performing new tricks with his blade, while the child—about five years old—stood beside him with a wooden sword in his hand, watching in awe. This man and child were none other than Raktab and Nivyansh.
At that moment, Nivyansh clapped his hands and said—
"Papa, that was amazing! Will you teach me to do that too?"
Raktab called him closer, gently stroked his head, and replied—
"Why not? My son will become the greatest warrior in this world."
Hearing this, Nivyansh nodded his head eagerly. Then Raktab held his son's hands, guiding him to hold his wooden sword upright. After that, Raktab stepped aside, holding his own sword forward in a firm stance, and told Nivyansh to copy him. Nivyansh quickly imitated his father's pose. From there, Raktab began demonstrating new battle moves, and Nivyansh tried his best to copy them.
Time passed from noon to evening in this way. And so the days kept passing. Every day, Raktab taught Nivyansh new battle skills and techniques.
As the seasons changed, many more years slipped by. Nivyansh grew older and became skilled in several martial arts.
Then, we are shown a peaceful forest where lush greenery covered the trees, and only the chirping of birds filled the air. But this peace did not last long.
Suddenly, a boy came running at great speed, his footsteps crunching the dry leaves on the ground. Moments later, the roar of a magical beast echoed through the forest, making the birds fly away in panic.
A magical beast charged through the trees, chasing after the boy.
We then see the boy—silver hair flowing, blue eyes blazing. This boy was none other than Nivyansh. Behind him, a Rank-One magical black panther was in pursuit. The beast closed in, leaping high to grab its prey by the neck in one deadly strike.
But at the last second, Nivyansh ducked low, narrowly avoiding the savage attack. The panther, unable to stop its own momentum, soared past him and crashed violently into a tree, shattering its thick trunk. The tree fell with a thunderous sound, dragging down two or three nearby trees as well, and dust filled the forest.
Seeing this, Nivyansh muttered to himself—
"Phew… that was close, son. Or else today, your bones would have been just like those broken trees."
The panther rose again, turning with fury in its glowing eyes. Seeing its prey escape enraged it even more, and with another thunderous roar, it charged at Nivyansh.
Nivyansh's heart raced as he thought—
"Oh no… I'm done for. This black panther is truly furious. Looks like I'm finished today."
Without wasting another second, he drew a shining sword from the sheath tied at his waist. Under the sun, the blade glistened with brilliance. The Rank-One magical panther, instead of retreating, accelerated forward and released an overwhelming amount of wind-elemental energy from its body. With a roar, the beast's power transformed into a small whirlwind capable of tearing anything to shreds.
Nivyansh quickly dodged to the left, narrowly escaping, though part of his sleeve ripped from the blast, leaving a small cut on his arm that bled slightly.
Then the real fight began. Clashes erupted between boy and beast. After several fierce exchanges, Nivyansh managed to slash the panther's belly, creating a deep wound. Blood poured heavily as the creature howled in agony.
Yet even wounded, the panther refused to fall. Ignoring its pain, it rose once more and lunged at Nivyansh. Caught off guard—thinking the beast could no longer stand—Nivyansh barely managed to dodge, losing his sword in the process. The panther's claws tore part of his clothes, leaving another bleeding scratch.
Furious, Nivyansh shouted—
"I didn't want to do this… but this beast has pushed me too far!"
He clenched his fists, golden energy surging around them until his hands glowed with radiant power. The sight made the magical panther hesitate for a moment, but it still did not retreat. Instead, it roared and charged again.
At the same instant, Nivyansh rushed forward too, his golden fist colliding with the beast's skull.
CRACK! Bones shattered. His punch drove straight into the panther's head, crushing through its skull. A final, anguished roar echoed across the forest before the panther collapsed, lifeless.
Meanwhile, on a tall tree nearby, another boy had been watching everything with wide eyes. Sweat rolled down his forehead in fear—until he noticed something, and suddenly, relief spread across his face. He hurried down from the tree and ran toward Nivyansh.
By then, Nivyansh had withdrawn his blood-soaked hand from the beast's shattered head, retrieved his sword, and sheathed it back into his waist.
The boy reached him, his voice anxious—
"Nivyansh, are you okay?"
Nivyansh nodded silently.
The boy sighed in relief.
"Watching you fight that beast, my heart nearly stopped. For a moment, I thought you wouldn't survive. After all, you're only at the Ninth Star, still one step away from achieving the Blood Circulation Rank. How did you manage to defeat a Rank-One beast at the Fourth Star of Blood Circulation?"
Nivyansh gave no answer, only a slight nod. Before the boy could ask more, Nivyansh pointed toward his fist. The boy's gaze shifted—and he froze.
In Nivyansh's hand was a light blue magical stone, stained with the beast's blood, glowing like a giant pearl. It contained the panther's power.
The boy's eyes widened. He stared at the stone, dumbfounded. Finally, he couldn't stop himself from asking—
"Is… is that magical stone from the black panther?"
Nivyansh nodded and then asked him—
"Prashant, what do you think its value will be?"
Prashant's face lit up.
"Ha! That's child's play for me. In my estimation, this stone alone is worth at least forty thousand gold coins. And if we add the beast's original blood essence, together it'll fetch us no less than fifty thousand gold coins."
His smile grew wider. But before he could continue, they both heard rustling from the nearby bushes.
Instantly, they grew alert. From the bushes stepped out two men—one thin, the other muscular—both around nineteen or twenty years old.
Nivyansh and Prashant quickly stored the magical stone and other valuable parts of the beast inside a golden pouch, which had less capacity than storage rings but was still useful for keeping such items.
But the newcomers had already seen it. Their eyes gleamed with greed as they noticed the Rank-One magical stone and then the beast's corpse lying nearby, stripped of valuables.
They also assessed Nivyansh's power level, surprised that a mere fifteen-year-old boy at the Ninth Star had killed such a powerful beast.
One of them stepped forward and asked—
"Did you two kill this beast together?" His eyes stayed fixed on Nivyansh's golden pouch.
Nivyansh tightened his grip on his sword and replied firmly—
"Yes. We killed this Rank-One beast."
The other man introduced himself—
"My name is Hrithik. This is my brother Harutesh. And what are your names?"
Nivyansh answered politely—
"My name is Nivyansh, and this is my friend Prashant."
Hrithik smiled slyly.
"Ah, Nivyansh. I'd like to make a deal with you. Will you sell me that magical stone? I am willing to pay you five thousand gold coins for it."
His grin widened as he added—
"So, what do you say?"
Nivyansh immediately understood their trick. Pretending to think, he smirked inwardly—
So, they think I'm just a child and want to get a Rank-One magical stone from me at a cheap price.
Meanwhile, Hrithik thought to himself—
Perfect. I'll get this Rank-One magical stone from these kids without a fight, just for a few thousand coins. Much better than wasting energy in battle.
But he had no idea who he was dealing with.
Nivyansh flatly refused—
"Sorry, but I don't want to sell this magical stone."
He then gestured to Prashant, and the two of them quickly walked away toward the city path.
So, what will happen next?
Will Nivyansh's refusal bring him trouble?
Or will he be forced to hand over the Rank-One magical stone?
To know all the answers—
Read the upcoming chapters.The Heartless Warrior.