"Who are you, kid?"
A sword materialized in the hand of the scarred man, just like his daggers had. He pointed it at his throat, his every word laced with suspicion.
He pressed the blade away from his throat. "Alright, big guy, how about putting the shiny blade away? You could've just asked instead of pointing it at me."
A faint smirk tugged at his scarred lips, flickering with amusement. "We got a funny guy here."
"Only when I'm scared—and right now, I might need a new pair of pants."
Disarming his sword, the man laughed maniacally. "I like you. Okay, talk."
All the hunters' eyes were on him, making sure he wouldn't try to flee. Then again, where did they think he would run to? They had literally found him washed up on the shore.
Nevertheless, he started telling them his origin story.
"I was born on an island surrounded by mountains. We called ourselves the Kurohanas, and we lived there peacefully, only hearing stories about the world beyond. Then one day, a monster attacked our village."
"Wait," the man interrupted. "Didn't your people unlock their cores?"
He shook his head softly. "We lived there peacefully, training. None of us ever truly experienced life-threatening moments."
"Okay, continue."
"The monster was something else. It felt more like a god."
"Did it have massive tentacles?" the man interrupted him again, which he didn't mind. In fact, it gave him more time to add to the story.
"Yeah. It had many."
The man's expression darkened. "So how did you survive and end up here?"
"We all got on a boat to escape the island, but that creature didn't let us." He reached into his pocket and pulled out Ari. "But she saved me."
All the hunters studied her, their gazes making her feel slightly uncomfortable.
"Where did you find her?" one of the men with a few missing teeth asked.
Placing her back into his pocket, he looked at the hunter. "I found her on the island. My family raised a variety of rare snakes, and I found her egg there."
That answer made him slightly suspicious, but they went on asking other questions, like why his eyes were red or why his hair was white. He answered them with ease.
He shrugged. "How am I supposed to know? That's how my parents looked. This is how everyone looks on the island. Completely natural."
"That's not natural at all," the hunter with the crooked nose yelled, looking extremely upset.
Tilting his head slightly, he replied, "I get it, you're not popular with the ladies, so you probably don't know how it works."
And with that, he went on explaining how babies are made, according to the maids who raised him.
"You see, when a man and a woman love each other very much, and they start holding hands—but it specifically has to be their left hands—and after nine months, a baby is born. Not that hard to understand."
The couple and the rest of the hunters giggled, though he didn't know why. He glared at them, frustration tightening his gaze.
He frowned. "What's so funny?"
"Nothing, kid. So, what's your name?" the man asked.
"It's Shiro."
"A suitable name. Okay, let's get moving."
"Wait."
The hunters turned, and one of them snapped, "What now, kid?"
"I was thinking, since I'm traveling with you all, can you teach me how to control my mana?"
Before they could reply, he added quickly, "I know how to fight. My people are probably the strongest in hand-to-hand combat."
As much as he didn't like the idea of getting involved with these people, he had no other option. He needed to pull his own weight—at least then, they wouldn't talk down to the couple.
And not to mention, if he could learn the fundamentals of controlling mana, he might be able to fight that damn monster if they ever met again.
"What can a pipsqueak like you do?" the one with bushy eyebrows said, laughing until his stomach hurt.
"I've been training since I was born," he snapped, feeling offended.
The leader stepped forward. "Okay, kid. I'll teach you, but only if you can manage to pin me to the ground—or hit me on the face."
His lackeys traded smug grins with each other, almost mocking him. They were certain no one was crazy enough to agree to that kind of ultimatum—unless it was him.
The corner of his mouth curled up into a joyous grin. "Deal. But no sword or armor—I don't want you to kill me. And no using mana either. Since I can't use it, it's only fair you don't."
His once-gleaming armor shifted into a gray shirt and gray pants. Maybe the shirt had once been white; faint traces of it still clung to the fabric.
They both took their positions. The couple watched with unease, but he gave them a steady look. "It's fine," he said quietly. This was exactly what he was born to do. Fight.
He shot forward with a kick, but the man blocked it easily.
Twisting his body, he followed with a spin kick, blocked again just as easily.
The brute's arm lunged forward, reaching for his leg, but he planted a foot on the man's shoulder and pushed off, widening the distance between them.
"Not bad, kid."
The man stepped in and brought his fist down hard. He caught it mid-swing, twisting his body as he tried to slam him to the ground, but as expected, he was an experienced fighter. He was able to catch himself with his other hand effortlessly and get back to his feet.
Gritting his teeth, he exhaled. "Damn it. So close."
Shiro lunged forward, his small frame slipping between the man's punches. He answered each strike with his own—quick, precise, unrelenting. Slowly, he began to overpower him.
Then the air shifted. A low hum rippled around them.
The brute's jaw tightened. Frustration twisted his face as he drew on mana. The ground trembled when his fist came down.
He thought about dodging but stopped himself. Instead, he braced himself and purposefully took the blow head-on.
The impact sent him flying, like being shot from a slingshot. His body spun and skipped across the dirt before the gentle lady's husband caught him, though the impact pushed the man back a step.
'Well, I guess we can cross out skipping like a rock off the list,' his inner voice groaned.
"Oh, shut up," he shot back.
"Have you gone mad?!" the lady yelled.
[Limitless Activated: You have taken damage. Your body grows stronger.]
'Damn it, it's not the time—but thank you.'
She rushed to his side and began to heal him. Her healing wasn't that strong—weaker than his own—but it was enough to let him breathe again. That cheating bastard had knocked the air out of him.
"You… cheated," the words barely managed to leave his lips.
"Hey, brat, there's no fairness in a real fight," one with a stupid face muttered.
"No." He paused for a moment, then tried to force out the words that clearly refused to come, but he managed to push them out. "I lost. I broke the rule, so you win."
He had never seen anyone who almost died admit defeat.
He turned around, his shoulders still tense. "Let's move. We're behind. We won't be able to cross Hollow Lake today. We'll set up camp in the next town."