Chapter 16: Saving Rael
I, Lilith, and Malik started planning to find the kidnapped child Rael and rescue Aiden. A slave trader named Eparein was using one of the abandoned street warehouses in the region, and we needed to head towards that warehouse.
Along the way, we tried to figure out who was behind Rael's kidnapping. It was interesting that the masked men only mentioned kidnapping children. We were also curious about why they targeted Aiden. We needed more information to connect the two situations.
As we approached the warehouse, we began to observe the surroundings. Malik noticed approaching guards stealthily and signaled us. Eparein's men were patrolling around the warehouse. While making our plan, Lilith quietly approached from behind and incapacitated the guards one by one.
As we opened the warehouse door, we heard noises and screams from inside. We quickly entered and encountered a horrifying scene. Abandoned children and half-humans were chained, in a miserable state. They were divided into different age groups in various rooms. We saw that the children and half-humans were battered, subjected to abuse and torture.
Lilith's eyes gleamed with anger; perhaps the memories of what happened to her village came to her mind. Lilith started breaking the chains and gathering the kidnapped children and half-humans. Malik and I stood guard against potential threats, and soon masked men appeared.
Masked Man: "Did you think you could escape so easily? Entering such a dark place was your mistake!"
Suddenly, the masked men disappeared one by one; it must have been one of their special abilities. A masked man emerged and attacked me, but I managed to evade at the last moment, narrowly avoiding a slash.
Malik: "Hey Daichi, stay by my side!"
Hidden attacks continued one after another. It was challenging to fight without seeing where they were coming from, but I had already devised a plan.
"Malik! I'll tell you the direction they're coming from, so trust me and swing your hammer."
With my mini-map ability, I could see the directions of their attacks, making it easy to hunt them down.
"ON THE RIGHT, NOW!"
Malik swung his hammer to the right, hitting a masked man. The masked man flew towards the wall and lay motionless on the ground.
Masked Man: "S-Stop! It must be just luck. They can't see us."
"STRAIGHT AHEAD!"
Malik swung his hammer downward, hitting two people's heads simultaneously. Only one person was left, and he must have thought Malik was strong because he suddenly targeted me. However, knowing where he would come from, I easily killed him.
I swung my sword backward, cutting off the masked man's head as he attacked from behind.
"Lilith, is everyone okay? Did you find Rael?"
Lilith: "Everyone is here, but I couldn't find Rael."
While we were talking, a little child intervened.
Little Child: "I-I saw a child being taken downstairs through these stairs."
I saw the stairs he pointed to, but with my mini-map ability, I didn't see any other living beings around. Could they be hiding their presence with some kind of magic?
"Thank you, little friend. You're quite brave, aren't you?"
The little child smiled and hugged Lilith's leg.
"Lilith, get them out of here and take them to a safe place."
Lilith: "There's no safe place; all of these are either children without families or half-humans whose villages have been plundered. Even if we take them out of here, they'll be captured again and sold as slaves."
Lilith was right, so there was only one option left.
"Hey, children, are you afraid of monsters?"
I talked to the children and half-humans, convincing them to come to my village. It would be challenging for them to adapt initially, but it was the best option at the moment. Moreover, I knew that half-humans were stronger than regular humans and accustomed to surviving in harsh conditions, so they would be useful for the village. If we trained the children from a young age, they could become strong individuals in the future. Using my portal ability, I returned to the village and informed Dagger about the situation. Sixteen half-humans and fourteen children would join our village, so I asked them to build accommodations and expand the borders to create a space where the children could play. Instructing them to stay busy, I felt guilty for not actively participating, but becoming stronger would benefit both me and my people.
Using my portal ability again, I sent everyone to the village. Knowing that it would take time for them to get used to the monsters, I asked Lilith to return to the village until we found Rael. Initially reluctant, she agreed because of her affection for the children.
Malik, who had witnessed all this, obviously had questions.
Malik: "My friend, I know you have some secrets, but what about this matter with the monsters and the village?"
"Monsters Kingdom, not a village. It's a long story, but in short, I am the king of a formation consisting of monsters. Well, now there are humans and half-humans too, and to be specific, we also have two wyverns, but anyway."
Malik: "You continue to surprise me. At some point, you should take me to this Monsters Kingdom."
"Right now, we're in a kind of construction process, but why not when it's finished? Let's find Aiden and take a tour of my kingdom together. I think it would be a good idea to start building a tavern."
Malik: "Hahaha, that's a good idea."
Together with Malik, we started going down the stairs. The basement we descended into was dusty and dirty. We proceeded down the corridor, with cells on both sides, but all of them were empty. When we reached the last cell, we saw a child inside. Still not appearing on my mini-map ability, there was definitely something blocking my ability.
"Rael? Is that you? Dolares sent us to rescue you."
The child stood up excitedly.
Rael: "It's a trap!"
As we turned around, we saw dozens of masked men blocking the exit. In such a narrow space, using Malik's hammer was challenging, and I couldn't take down so many people alone.
Malik: "Hey, can't you use your portal ability?"
"I can only use it a few times a day because my mana is limited. Also, even if I use the portal, they could still follow us."
Malik: "So what do we do?"
"I'll use your defense ability to protect us from a sudden power wave."
Malik: "Sudden power wave? What are you talking about? But recently, I've been practicing my defense abilities a lot, and I've developed a new skill, so I can protect all of us."
"Okay, activate your ability when I tell you, alright?"
I raised my sword into the air.
Masked Man: "Hahaha, do you think you can fight us?"
"Hey, you bastards, does your ability also conceal you from fire?"
Masked Man: "What, fire?"
I swung my sword at the bars, creating a spark.
"NOW, MALIK!"
Malik: "[Protection Bubble]!"
Malik created a protective shield that enveloped all of us and pulled us inside.
The sparks I generated interacted with the dust cloud in the room, creating a massive dust explosion that blew up the entire basement. Dust explosions occur when the density of dust particles in the air surpasses a certain limit, leading to the rapid condensation and ignition of the particles triggered by a spark or activator.
The impact of the explosion killed everyone, but thanks to Malik's ability, we survived the blast. However, the explosion was so powerful that even the shield created by Malik had cracks. If the explosion had been a bit stronger or if Malik were weaker, we would have died by now.
Malik: "My friend, this was insane. Why do we get closer to death every moment we're together?"
"Hahaha, I guess that's one of my charming qualities."
We left with Rael and took him back to the Lirius mansion. We couldn't find any trace of Aiden, so winning the tournament was still our only hope.
As we entered the mansion with Rael, the entire family rushed towards us, and Rael ran to embrace his mother, father, and sister Dolares.
Dolares: "Thank you so much for your help. If it weren't for you, I might never have seen my brother again. Here's the promised prize money."
"Dolares, can I propose something other than this prize money?"
Dolares: "What do you mean?"
"I will need people for future trade, and you are the best person to help me with that. I'm sure this offer will benefit you as well."
If I maintained a good relationship with the Lirius family, I would earn much more money in the future. Moreover, Malik seemed not to be concerned about my decision, and his continued trust in me made me happy.
Dolares: "I understand what you're talking about. Of course, I'll help you. You saved my little brother. But just helping with that seems insufficient. If you don't want the prize money, can I offer you something else?"
Something else...
"Since you're one of the most renowned traders, you must have a wide network. Could you find a swordmaster to train me for the tournament?"
Dolares: "A swordmaster? I didn't know you were a swordsman, Mr. Daichi."
"Well, I'm not actually a swordsman. I use everything at my disposal to fight. I don't have a specific class related to combat, but I think sword mastery is the easiest to learn."
Dolares: "Hmm, I think I know who I can recommend. He's more than a swordmaster; he's a versatile martial artist. I believe he will suit your fighting style, using everything at your disposal."
"Thank you. I'll wait for your update."
We successfully completed this task, and about two days later, we received news from Dolares.
Arthur: "So, you're the guy Dolares was talking about, huh?"
In front of me stood a tall, long-haired man wearing casual clothes, slippers on his feet, and a wheat stalk in his mouth, giving him a mysterious yet beggar-like appearance.
"Yes, that's me. Are you the one who will teach me how to fight?"
Arthur: "Yeah, that's me. Do you doubt my ability?"
"N-no, I didn't mean that."
Despite his beggar-like appearance, he had a suffocating aura.
Arthur: "I accepted these requests because of a debt to the Lirius family, but if I'm not satisfied with your effort, I'll stop teaching you."
Harsh yet indifferent, was he really willing to teach me?
Arthur: "Come on, don't hesitate. Attack me with all your strength."
"Right now?"
Before I could finish my sentence, he appeared in front of me and threw a punch. With the excitement of the moment, I used my portal ability to dodge his punch. That way, his fist would enter through the portal.
Arthur: "Is this one of your abilities? Tsk tsk tsk... People like us should strive and work hard for such abilities, but it seems different for you, doesn't it? Does having these ready-made abilities make you stronger? Do you think you're lucky or a genius? Do you think defeating a few guys with mediocre abilities makes you strong?"
While speaking, he continued to attack me. I tried to block his punches with my portal ability and evade at the same time.
Inner voice of Arthur: "Did he shrink the size of the portal to reduce the amount of mana used? But for him to do that, he needs to know exactly where and when my fist could come from. Can he see my fist? No, that's impossible. I fought the strongest man on this continent, and even he couldn't see exactly where my punches were coming from. So, some kind of ability? No, he completely relies on his instincts. He has the same ability as me..."
He silently continued to throw punches while seemingly lost in thought. What was he thinking? Before I could finish my thought, he threw another punch. I tried to block it with my portal ability, but my mana had already run out, and I took a punch to my stomach. I was thrown meters away and started vomiting.
Arthur: "That's enough for today."
"No, I can still fight... you have to train me."
My eyes turned white, and I was about to faint from lack of breath. If I wanted to save Aiden, I needed this man. Just before losing consciousness, I heard him speak.
Arthur: "Be here every morning at 8. If you're even a day late, I'll stop teaching you."
And I passed out.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone