For the next three weeks, Nox trained hard and prepared himself for the academy.
Each morning, he ran through the forest, feeling the wind whip against his face as he practiced controlling it.
The nights were spent meditating by the river, learning to control the water that shimmered under the moonlight.
Occasionally, Nox would even spar with local villagers, testing the limits of his strength and agility.
His father had jumped for joy when he heard Nox's decision and quickly arranged him a place in the academy.
He had to be in the holy empire by tomorrow. However, because he lived far away, he planned on leaving today.
"Even though I have a place, I still have to pass the entrance exam," Nox thought while training.
"But I'm a lot stronger now," he said, looking down at the red shimmering weapon in his hand. With a blink of his eye, a message appeared.
Name: Red Stone Sword
Grade: Rare
Type: Equipment
Description: A sword forged in the Red Sea. +5 Strength when equipped.
Items are categorized into seven grades: Common, Rare, Extraordinary, Epic, Unique, Legendary, and Mythical.
This continent, Britannica, doesn't have a Mythical-ranked item, but it's rumoured that the other continent, Asura, possesses one.
One Legendary item has the power to destroy a city. That's why they're locked away and heavily guarded. In catastrophes, only the strongest people on the continent, the Six Lions, were allowed to use them.
As Nox admired his newly obtained item, Lydia approached him.
"Young master, you should go pack your things. The carriage will be here in 15 minutes!" she said, her expression was strict and tense, as usual.
When Nox quickly walked back to the main house, Lydia glanced at the destroyed targets in the arena.
"Wow, young master is indeed strong. It's a shame he has an unknown stigma."
After Nox packed all the important stuff, he rushed downstairs and stepped into the fresh morning air.
His parents were waiting for him before the carriage.
"Nox, are you sure you have everything? You know it's dangerous out there, so please be careful on your way," Annika said, concern in her eyes.
"Don't worry, Mom. I'm going to be careful."
"Yeah, you could become the family head after all," Algus said, glancing at Nox's reaction.
"Yeah, maybe," Nox murmured, just to calm his father.
"I should get going now."
"Wait, my son. We have a gift for you. It's expensive in the city, so take this." Annika took out five gold coins and put them in his hands.
"This is way too much, Mum. One gold coin is worth a hundred silver coins!" he said, worry flickering across his face.
"Don't worry. Have you forgotten that we are the descendants of a great hero? You should go now."
His mother embraced him tightly, lingering as if she could delay the moment of departure.
Algus patted Nox on the shoulder, hiding a subtle tremble behind a stern expression.
As the carriage drove away, Nox waved at his parents and looked back at the landscape.
The small village, the big forest surrounding it, and the river winding through the grassland all passed in review.
He promised himself he would return, possessing strength immeasurable to humans.
The carriage driver wasn't overly talkative, but that was alright for Nox. He didn't like people who spoke just to fill the silence, so he stared out the window.
He watched the landscape scroll past: rolling hills, scattered cottages, and dense forests, trying to memorize every detail.
A small stream glinted in the sunlight, reminding him of his morning training by the river.
Thoughts of the upcoming entrance exam and his mysterious stigma flitted through his mind like sparks as he checked his stats.
Stigma: ???
Strength: 6,9 (+5)
Stamina: 5,1
Agility: 5,9
Mana: 10,8
Equipped Items: Red Stone Sword (+5 Strength)
Skills: Water Release, Wind Strike
"We are here," the carriage stopped, and Nox stepped down.
They walked toward a large wooden house surrounded by endless prairie.
The carriage driver knocked, and an elderly woman opened the door.
"You must be the guests, come on in," she said, smiling warmly.
The wooden planks creaked under their feet as they entered the house, revealing old tapestries and faintly glowing lanterns.
In the corner, a small wooden shelf held jars of herbs, neatly labelled in a faded script.
She showed them the two bedrooms and the garden.
"This is the entrance to the emergency bunker," the woman said, pointing at a long stone stair beneath a large tree. "Only use it when absolutely necessary."
"If you need anything, just call for me."
As night fell, Nox lay quietly in his bed.
"I don't want to dream about that creature again," he muttered, pondering the hidden message behind his dream.
"I feel like I know it, in the back of my mind."
Just as he felt he could remember, a loud crashing sound came from outside. The tree beneath the bunker had fallen over.
"Shit, the entrance to the bunker is blocked."
Just as Nox was about to rush outside, a tall, green creature emerged from the dark.
It looked like a massive goblin, with an even bigger bat in its hands.
"That's a goblin king. It might be weaker than the alpha wolf, but I still won't stand a chance against it."
As it looked straight at Nox, a cold shiver ran down his spine.
"No, I cannot lose. This time there's no one coming to save me."
He gritted his teeth and tightened his grip on the Red Sword, readying himself for the fight.
With a loud scream, Nox jumped out of the window.
"Hey, you disturbed my peaceful time, you bastard."
The boy raised his hands and shouted, "Strike."
A wind attack directly hit the goblin's left eye, making him roar in pain.
Furious, the monster swung its bat with surprising speed.
"Close one!" Nox thought, dashing toward its foot.
Nox cleanly hit the goblin's foot with his sword, but the monster's skin was as hard as stone.
The goblin king swung its foot and kicked Nox against the house wall.
Blood splattered, and Nox's vision blurred. He could hear the old lady screaming behind him.
"It has a weak point," he thought, leaning against the wall. He didn't know how he knew, but he was sure.
Nox concentrated all his magic on his feet and sent himself flying.
The wind cut through his soles, but his eyes remained wide open.
"There it is!" he whispered.
He looked at a small spot on the base of its neck. The skin was crumpled and looked weak.
Nox collected the surrounding water and focused it all on that point. "Release."
A giant water fountain shot in the direction of the goblin.
However, the monster seemed to have anticipated that and protected its neck with a hand.
"Shit, I can't hit him. If I could just use my stigma," he thought.
The giant goblin stood before the young boy, seemingly laughing at Nox's desperate face.
Then suddenly it clicked. Memories from his dreams flickered through his mind, faint patterns of wind and water converging in harmony.
"This… this is the key," he whispered, his chest tightening with both fear and excitement.
His hands began to glow faintly as he concentrated on the fusion of his powers, the instinct of his unknown stigma stirring awake.