It's a normal Saturday noon. I finished all the things I usually do, and I am currently heading to the grocery store to replenish the food on my fridge. My name is Jin Hale, a normal employee though my office friends always told me that I am a lazy but capable person, which is true.
I do all things in the easiest way even it seems weird from the perspective of my surrounding. But I don't care, the important is I finished everything as soon as possible and enjoy the rest of the time and laze around.
I arrived at the grocery store and was surprised that it was rowdy. Though I already figure that many people will gather here but it still surprises me. They are falling in line at the front door of the store.
I look around and saw a banner with the inscription "50% off for all the goods". That's nice because the food I can buy will be double in quantity.
I walk towards the third person standing from the store door.
"Yo, good job falling in line and now you're almost near the door." I said while smiling.
"Jin, my feet hurt due to standing for too long."
"I know, that's why I come here so you can go home now. Thanks!" Jin
My co-worker sighs. I already know that today will be the sale day three days ago and asked my co-worker to fall in line for me before the store opens.
I just asked my co-worker to return the favor. When something bad happens or my co-worker cannot finish their workload, they always ask for my help. And of course, I will gladly help and told them to return the favor when I need it.
Today is one of them.
Once I'm done with my groceries. I decided to go home.
After I open the door and proceed to my house, all hair on my nape suddenly stands up. Four people robbing my house, each of them wearing a full head mask.
Once they notice my presence, they point their gun toward my location.
I instinctively raised my hand.
"Wha-at a-re.." I stuttered due to my shock.
"Give me your money!!" Said one of them while slowly walking toward me.
I don't know what to say, this is my first time experiencing this.
"I said give me your money!!"
"Ye-s! Yes! Here, just take everything you need and leave me alone" Though I was nervous, I tried to calm myself and hope that I can live another day if I let them take everything they want. As long as they don't kill me, it's okay.
I give them the money I have in my wallet.
"Do you have jewelry?!"
"I don't have any jewelry, but I have my wristwatch, just beside the fridge." I told them honestly
"Good, listen to us if you want to live!"
Yes, yes. Now take it and get out and cursed them on my mind.
"Is there any money in your drawer?"
"None." I told them honestly. It's better to say the truth in a short response.
"None?!" One of them said in anger
"Yes. I have no more cash on my wallet, here look." I told them honestly.
"Don't lie to us now or we will kill you!!!"
Damn it! They're not sober at all. Their eyes are colored red and angrily glaring at me. They don't smell drunk, so they probably use the drug.
Suddenly, we heard a siren not too far away from my apartment which made everyone inside exclaim with surprise. This is bad, this is really bad.
"Damn you! You called the cops?!"
"Let's kill him now!"
What?! Kill me? Me? I did not call the cops! Fuck!
"No. No! I didn't call the cops, maybe they're just passing by, please don't!" I said and this time I started to feel really nervous
Though I know self-defense and swordsmanship since I studied them when I was in Senior High. They still have a gun, and I don't have anything on me besides my wallet and a plastic bag full of food.
"Shut up! If we kill him, the cops can hear a gunshot!"
"No, it's already too late, we either get arrested or be killed by the cops. Let's bring him down with us!!"
What the fuck are you talking about?! I started to curse them in my head/
"No, please don't. I really didn't call the cops. Here, take my wallet, my food, and other things in my drawer. They still have value, just don't kill me."
My hand started to shake, this is unfair, four versus one and the funny thing is each of them has a gun and they are under some unknown drug. How can I survive if they all lose reason?
"No! Let's beat him to death, maybe the cops are just passing by and if we kill him with our gun, the cops will probably hear it. While if we beat him, they will not notice!"
"Yeah! Let's do that one!"
"Damn you! You did it to yourself so don't blame us. I don't care anymore if you really called the cops or not!"
Damn it! Why?!! I just want to live a lazy and peaceful life! I didn't harm anyone, all the favor I asked for from my co-worker cannot be called inhuman. I just order them an errand for me when I need something.
They started to run in my direction. I picked up the bag full of food beside me and throw it at them. one of them got out of balance because that bag is heavy.
I started to form a stance for self-defense I learned. He throws a punch at me and when his punch are close to my face, I jumped backward which resulted in him getting out of balanced.
This is my chance now, I run towards the door and when it slightly opens, two gunshot rings in my ears, and in a split second I feel pain on my back and hot liquid pouring down on my lower body.
I look in their direction and saw the two-man aiming their gun at me.
I fell to my knees and tried to reach for the source of the pain.
Fuck!! Why did this happen! It is fucking hurts!
I started to feel cold, and my eyes is getting heavy. As I tried to lean on the wall, blood started oozing from my mouth.
I want to curse them out loud, but my mouth only opens and no voice comes out.
The pain is getting worse.
Then I heard the cop siren in front of my apartment and shift my gaze to four fuckers. They started to panic.
I can't feel the hot liquid anymore, the pain is starting to fade away together with my vision.
"Fuck!" was the last word I uttered on earth.
I feel something poking on my left cheek. I tried to open my eyes, but I feel it heavy. I felt again the poking on my cheek. "What?! I'm sleeping! Don't disturb me!" I said angrily. If you want to anger a lazy man, go disturb their sleep. "Do you want power?" I open my eyes and start to focus on the source of the sound, but I don't see anything. I tried to feel my hands and rub my eyes, and yet I can't feel my hands. I started to panic and started to look around but all I can see is dark and nothing else. I know it's useless, but I still tried to get up and as expected. I can't even feel my whole body. "Do you want power?" I shift again my gaze to the source but for real, I don't see anything. "Do you want power?" I started to bombard a question. "Who are you and where are you? Why it's dark here. Wait what am I doing here. Ughhh" I feel a throbbing pain in my head "Do you want power?" What? Power? "Answer my question first!" I started to get angry and anxious besides bein
The moment my eyes opened, countless of information bombarded my brain and I started to clearly understand the power and knowledge that the old man was talking about earlier. I get up and carefully inspect my surroundings. Good, I think there's no one around. I feel hungry but I want to try my power first. Doing this will ensure my safety for the time being. According to the knowledge transferred to me. This world is rich with magic energy which is called Mana. The air itself is filled with mana. There are two different mana, one can be absorbed in nature and the other can be granted by a demon king. The latter is called dark mana. Only the demon king can grant mana, no one knows why. Even the memory of an old man who gave me power has no information regarding that matter. I don't want to know either, it's just a hassle. Going back, only 1 out of 100 persons have the capacity to learn and absorbed mana. Humans born with the capacity to learn magic have a magic core inside them.
As expected, houses are made of wood. The plaza and the mayor's house are the exceptions and only a few houses are built in stone. This village is called Yorel as it's located in the great forest of Yorel Elena and Captain Klein along with two soldiers stand on the Plaza and give her speech that the Kingdom has prepared houses for the relocation and there are also jobs waiting for them. The villagers cheers with joy as they heard the news. Elena walks towards our location and asks Castor to lead the direction to the mayor's house. The living area is clean and neat. As expected, the technology of this age is the same as Earth in the Late Modern Era. "Sir Jin, if you are exhausted, please feel free to rest as you are treated as a guest, not a guard." Elena "Thank you but I'm not tired. Honestly, can I ask you a question?" Jin "Sure, I will answer your question," Elena said while smiling "What is the name of your Kingdom?" Jin I'm curious about the name of the kingdom. I already
Morning came, and everyone departed from the village. Though we have a long march ahead since all of us use carriages and horses, we will soon be at our destination. Inside the carriage, I'm currently sitting in front of Elena. "Lady Elena, I've been meaning to ask. May I know besides being a soldier, are there any jobs I can get?" Jin "Hmm, yes. There are a lot of different guilds currently operating in the Narva Kingdom. But the most famous is Adventurers Guild and Merchant Guild." Elena "I see. May I know what adventurers guild do?" Jin "They usually hunt demons." Elena "Since job in Adventurers guild is extremely dangerous. Beginners are usually trained by the guild during their first day. Once they passed the training, they will be officially registered and will be given an ID. They can also pay an extra gold coin to get a mentor. The mentor is usually within the top 50 in the guild, so the pay is considerably high. But decision-wise, it's good since the mentor will come al
After some time, we saw the majestic view of Narva Kingdom. "That is the Narva Kingdom, the capital is called Lithe." Elena happily introduced the kingdom I think the wall surrounding the city is 50 meters high. From here you can see a sturdy gigantic wooden gate on the entrance with two towers on each side which housed many soldiers. One can say it's served as a watchtower. Apparently, there are 3 gates in the kingdom with two towers on each gate that faced three nations surrounding the Kingdom. They are called North Gate faced the Fyn Kingdom, South Gate faced on Ruel Empire and West Gate faced the Vitalis Kingdom. There is no gate that faced the Great Forest of Yorel since the road from there intersected on the road on South Gate. "Mr. Jin, I'm still amazed how you defeat that demon bear in just three seconds," Elena said happily "Lady Elena, you can just call me by my name. No need to address me in that way." Jin awkwardly said. "If that's what you wish, then Jin. With yo
Curiosity can kill a cat. Elena was always thought by her father not to put her nose too much into everyone's problems. I followed my father's teaching. I always keep a proper distance to avoid unnecessary attention that can bring danger to myself or my family. But I can't help to investigate the background of Jin. He's powerful enough to kill the demon bear in mere three seconds. Demon bears can be killed by 5 knights alone in the past but due to sudden changes and the rampaging of demons, they become powerful that it takes almost 15 knights to kill them. But Jin alone can easily kill it. The swordsmanship the way he fights is normal. All knights know that kind of move. What amazed me most is his power. Did he imbue magic on his sword to kill the demon bear? No, it's impossible but if he did, everyone including me should notice it beside his sword will shine slightly. And he didn't say any chant so it's impossible. But when I asked the magicians and Captain Klein about it, the
A noble should show very fine or admirable qualities. That very characteristic defines Earl Albert Haynes, the father of Elena. Once we arrived at the castle of Earl Haynes. Elena briefed his father about what happened from the start of our encounter until our return to Lithe City. She also mentioned that I will be her guard and study with her at Riverdale Elite Academy. Marquess Albert stares at me for God knows how long. Once they are done talking, Elena proceeds to her room to rest. And here I am, receiving a deathly glare from knights. Apparently, after Earl Albert introduced himself, he ordered me to instantly train with the Falcon Knight without questioning any details told by her daughter. The reason for the deathly glare? Imagine applying for a scholarship to a high-end university, you grind yourself to study and hoping to pass the test when suddenly, the son of a powerful individual who is also a sponsor of the said university wants his son or daughter to get the schola
They said a battle or duel between swordsman means a lot. It's because the skills they practiced are at stake. Which I agreed. On earth, I bleed and sweat to reach the top in swordsmanship. Today's match is an opportunity to show it. And when I say opportunity, there is no way I will show any slightest hesitation. Luckily, I only fell asleep for almost 2 hours. After a bit of lazing around and strategizing, I headed to the training room. The castle of Albert Haynes has its own colosseum. The audience is the majority of Knights and Soldiers. There are also those vassal families of Albert Haynes. A noble below Earl status. They are seated in the VIP room while the main family of Haynes is seated in the most elegant VIP room. A lot of commotion is currently happening on the public seat on the colosseum. They make a bet on who will win this match. Of course, all the Knights are in favor of Vice-Captain Leo while the soldier led by Chief Soldier Klein favors me. I think Chief Kl
After the commotion, Jin specifically vanished from the crowd and center of attention. He have a lot of things he needed to prepare.While walking the corridor, Jin heard approaching footsteps.“You did good there. I really like seeing you always save the day. Sometimes I wonder if I am deserving to be a King or you. What do you think?”The Crown Prince teases him but Jin didn’t take the bait. If he does, the former might continue this for God knows how long.“Yes, yes. I heard you. What are you going to do with all his possessions and wealth?”The Crown Prince was amused. He didn’t expect Jin to ask this question. Nonetheless, he gives his response.“According to the rules, before the Royal Family can claim the possession of a certain noble, one should undergo a trial first. The wealth and possessions remain intact on the noble’s name until proven guilty. Well, what happened earlier rules out all the laws protecting the Professor. The Royal Family has no right to claim all his wealth
“Your head.” He simply replied and suddenly, the Professor vanish in thin air.Jin would lie if he said he was not surprised by the sudden disappearance of the Professor. The Captain face’s turns solemn and his heart starts to beat faster. He can fight toe to toe with the Grandmaster even in the end he would lose, that is where his confidence to take down Professor Dan easily came from. But vanishing in the air in an instant without producing a shadow like an assassin’s profession does is enough for his heart to waver.Without further ado, Jin activated his mana sense followed by Captain. Although the latter is respectably powerful, his mana sense is weaker compared to Jin that has the earth’s affinity.The Captain gritted his teeth upon learning he didn’t sense any presence besides Jin Hale.Opening his eyes, he saw Jin Hale calmly trying to sense the professor. No sense of urgency and desperation on his face.Suddenly, the Captain felt a build-up of aura from his left side coming to
He is worthy of being the Hero and the Duke of the Narva Kingdom!The barrier protecting the audience outside sparkles upon the collision but that is not enough to destroy it.In the audience side, Elena cannot help but giggle seeing how cool Jin was. Her simple action didn’t escape the prying eyes of her father, Albert.In just a month’s time out not interacting with him, Albert was astounded to see how powerful Jin has become. Not to mention, he still keeps hiding his true potential of having an affinity to basic elements. In this simple turn of events was able to steer the fear and respect out of the audience, what if he show how he can manipulate earth, fire, water, and wind right now?Albert didn’t dare to think further and just sigh. He shifted his line of sight from Jin to the Crown Prince, peacefully seating on VVIP reserved for Royal Family. Behind him are the Royal Guards standing proudly, attentively, and always on alert in case some fool tries to harm the Crown Prince.Alb
The moment the duel begins, Professor Dan exudes an explosive aura surprising everyone. Even Jin. But that is not enough for him to be scared. In fact, it is much weaker than the aura of the late emperor.Well, let’s entertain him for now.Jin brandished his sword and was ready to intercept the attack from his enemy.Meanwhile, seeing Jin just brandished his sword and didn’t exude an aura like himself, his pride once more hurt.“I’ll make sure to destroy you tonight!” He shouted only to receive a smirk from Jin. It made him infuriated and the anger burning in his heart intensify as he pounce on him.Midair, his sword shone indicating mana was injected towards it. As he was descending, the air rippled through, and the aura and the space create friction that produces small crackles around him.As he swing his sword proportionally to intercept Professor’s Dan attack, his sword shone too. When their weapons collided, it produces a wave of air and crackles of electricity around them. Their
“Now, as all of you know. That Jin is the Hero who stopped the war between our Kingdom and the Empire and ultimately take down the evil late emperor. Without further ado, I hereby proclaim Jin as the new member of the Royal Family.”The Crown Prince announces with a full innocent smile.The hall turns silent.The atmosphere turns dull.The comprehension of everybody inside shutdown. Including Jin’s.WHAT?! He shouted through his mind when at last his brain slapped him with reality.No. No. No. The Crown Prince must be joking. Yes, yes. He is joking. There is no need to worry about trivial jokes like this. There’s nothing to worry about. Jin assured himself but his heart start to palpitate as he still waited for the Crown Prince to say that it is a joke.And alas, when the Crown Prince continues it is a contrast to what he is expected.“So, Jin Hale from now on will be a Duke of the Narva Kingdom! I know you have questions but save them for later. I learned Professor Dan challenged Duk
Days passed without trouble approaching Jin.Now, he was standing outside the luxurious large mansion where the Noble Gatherings is happening.Jin once again looks at his luxurious garb. He was wearing a white royal military uniform complimenting his handsome look.Normally, only the royal family can wear this but the Crown Prince uses an excuse this Noble gathering is solely for him to declare once again he was a hero that saved the Fyn kingdom and the Narva Kingdom from the late Emperor. So the noble who want to try backstabbing him will think twice about doing so. Only the insane will try to earn his wrath.Jin just shrugged his head and stop arguing with the Crown Prince anymore.On his right side, Elana is standing close to her so beautifully in her Black Gown that has a low neckline exposing the upper part of her chest with necklace ornaments enough to make everyone drool over. She was also wearing diamond earrings complimenting her gorgeous face. One word, breathtaking.Even Ji
“You never ceased to amaze. Do what you will.” “Thank you, Your Highness!” Jin respectfully convey this gratefulness towards the Crown Prince which made the latter snort. “Cut it. Anyway, I believe Bea has something to report regarding the ‘privileged’ Professor you befriended.” The Crown Prince told him while a smirk plastered on his face. Jin roll his eyes and sighed. Why was it always the famous professor in the academy had to be a villain? This normal cliché is taken out straight from all the novels. “That’s what you get for being so famous. Anyway, I’ll call Bea right away. Enjoy your leisure day to the fullest.” The Crown Prince laughs merrily and turns around. Not long after, Bea arrived. Seeing him, Bea’s brows furrowed deeply and a look of displeasure immediately showed on her face. “Is my face that bad that you need to greet me with a displeased expression on your face?” Bea pointed out while her left brow arched. “Of course, it is not. I just don’t have the energy
“Like an angel?” Jin asked him in disbelief. The Crown Prince nodded his head. Jin took a deep breath and carry on his question regarding the war that took place a century ago before the first great war broke out. Although before he was sent here, he saw different races which include Angel Race. But when he successfully transmigrated, his curiosity made him search for the memory of the old man but he failed to find anything about the existence of an angel. So when he heard about Neriah who is actually an Angel, his curiosity started building up once again. On how a mighty race suddenly vanishes. What he read about the book is that Angel is just a myth and no such race was seen during the first great war. Apparently, the Crown Prince’s ancestor was a secret powerhouse eon ago just like Celeste’s ancestors. But the Crown Prince’s ancestor is more unique, after all, they made a pact on the angel race eons ago. That begs another question which he asked the Crown Prince. “Wait, then
As her leaking mana expands, all different kinds of tall trees start absorbing the aura. Its trunks and branches sway which seems to imply they are happy absorbing such aura.After an hour of expending his mana, the trees start swaying. Their roots are being plucked from the ground. Their branches start moving like an arm. Slowly, something odd is happening on the trunk. Two horizontal lines appear on each side of the trunk and slowly open.And then they all bow in front of her.“You guys have been sleeping for centuries now. It is time to roam the world and do what I had tasked you to do.”After hearing her, the Ents stood up and slowly tread to the portal located in the heart of the forest.This portal was made, thanks to her relentless effort and the last remaining of the World Tree.Meanwhile, in the Narva Kingdom.Jin Hale is currently trying to help the students.They were in the open ground and hundreds of students are listening to his lecture.“Everyone, that’s all for today.