The dawn sun peered above the treeline, its red frame blurred by the damp morning heat. Planet Brighton's star was typically a crimson color, and as one of the only things unaffected by the Arcane Tide, it was a traditional symbol for the cultures on the world.
Below the treeline was the scene of a grassy patch within the outskirts of the Eldor Rainforest. The air hung with moisture as footwork danced through the slick blades, two figures colliding with purpose.
Ding, ding!
Metal clashed with metal before the two figures separated. Min casually spun the sword in his hand, the blade's blurred form rotating twice, before he spoke.
"You weren't really taught much, were you? Still, your instincts are quite good, Mark."
Mark, who was opposing Min, tried to maintain a stable stance while holding his sword tightly. His chest heaved as the sweat on his brow made him look not unlike their surroundings. They had been at it for about an hour and a half, and while Min had lowered his abilities down to Mark's level, it was still really tiring for the non-Super!
Amongst the Bronze ranks in Arshle, Mark considered himself rather good in the skill department. Sure, he hadn't learned from a formal teacher, but hardly any of the local adventurers had. But this Elf…
"Haahh… you're overestimating me. You must have been in a lot of danger if you learned this much in Eldor."
Mark pulled his posture upward and slowly began sheathing his sword. Min followed suit while giggling, though he felt a little awkward.
"Well, y'know, maybe some of this is from before the amnesia. My memory is gone but my muscles didn't forget. Still, we should do this regularly so I can impart some stuff onto you. Not that I'm saying you're bad!..."
The human rolled his eyes before patting Min's shoulder.
"Shut up. I'll see you another time, but we have to get back to talk to that man."
Glancing over his shoulder, Min saw the afterimage of a smile on Mark's face. A small smirk crossed Min's as he followed from behind. The grassy patch was not far from town, so it didn't take long to return.
It had been about four days since they got back from the Rainforest, and Min had been living with Angela's family for much of the time. Amongst doing chores and helping the family out, Min had actually been teaching Angela's siblings some martial arts too. They followed Min and Mark to the grassy patch a few days ago and then clamored our Elf to teach them. Having been the youth teacher at his grandfather's martial arts studio, Min was pretty happy to do this. It was a nice reminder of those times… and he didn't even have to deal with annoying parents!
On different news, Min had decided to level up once. This was because of his Energy Training Technique- the efficiency was around 75%, and after racking his brain, he recalled that it was purely tied to one's main stat, not through that plus usage. He was sad that he had kind of wasted 11 uses, but after leveling up, he got the 80% mastery without even having to put in Free Attribute Points! Over the past four days, he had used the training technique three times a day, which was quite tiring. However, he didn't have a whole lot of taxing physical activity to do, so he could tolerate it.
This cost him more than 50,000 exp in total, with the level up and Energy Training Technique uses. With less than 20,000 exp in reserve, Min was on the edge of poverty, but he had to suck it up for the investment. The extra 36 energy was extremely juicy!
The process of registering for the local Adventurer's guild was rather simple. It was just a branch part of a larger, global organization that handled the hierarchy of adventurers. The receptionist seemed a little surprised that Angela's group brought him in, and that he was a proper Super. After asking Angela about where she got him, the receptionist finally registered Min and added him to the party.
Quite a few quests were available for a Silver rank like him, but since he was with the group, he didn't take any at the moment. Besides, Angela was waiting for contact from her "personal employer"- something that came today.
After concluding a few of the morning chores, the group got together outside of Angela's house. As of now, it was uncertain if they would move out today, so everyone was geared up just in case. The group chatted a bit while leaving this residential neighborhood and strolled down the towns' center.
"So, this mission's from that "Lord Halden" guy, right? And it's special to some degree?"
Min queried to Angela amongst the conversation. No one overtly said her situation, so all he could do was beat around the bush.
"Most of these special missions from Lord Halden come from his contacts with an exploration company. Often, they need bodies to protect them, which is where we come in. The jobs contribute to my debt's principle, so I'm not complaining."
Angela shrugged nonchalantly, hiding the way her mouth twitched downward. Min simply sighed and lamented in his mind.
'Sounds like we're cannon fodder. I wonder how many missions she's had to do…'
Meng Min couldn't help but shake his head at Angela's description. While he wasn't sure about the situation on other novice planets, Aquamarine at least didn't have this kind of oppressive institution formalized. The way everyone treated this "debt" seemed like it wasn't necessarily abnormal. Min couldn't help but wonder if the French players would do their customary riots when they came to Brighton en mass-
Ding!
Come on, system! It's rude to interrupt people's train of thoug-
The sudden mission's contents cut Min's expression to a silent intensity that closely resembled murderous intent.
…
While Arshle was not inside the rainforest proper, there were still plenty of wooded areas nearby. Meng Min walked into the woods and continued for some time before stopping in a clearing. He glanced at the interface and pulled up the mission description.
—-----------------------------------------------------------
You have triggered a Sudden Mission: [Pursuer]!
Mission introduction: Someone has been contracted to remove you from Planet Brighton!
Mission requirement: Remain on Planet Brighton.
Reward: 9,500 EXP
Bonus Reward: Unknown
—-----------------------------------------------------------
This mission was, clearly, rather disconcerting. This pursuer probably wouldn't be from the government on account of the paperwork he did. Min was still surprised that his reasoning got accepted so quickly by the authorities… wouldn't it be easy for someone to lie and come here just to abuse people? Anyway, that wasn't the topic at hand.
There were a few possibilities of who would be pursuing him. Given the requirement to "Remain on Brighton", it wasn't unlikely that someone from the Arena came to take revenge. His preparations to mask himself as a Grade F Super should hopefully pay off here. If the enemy underestimated him, they might send a weak Grade E Super to fight him. The possibility of winning that fight was actually realistic.
Unfortunately, all he could do was wait. Min would really prefer to have Angela and crew on his side to beat up this pursuer, but if the pursuer's species ended up being some alien bug man, everyone would freak out. It was safer to fight this person in a secluded area… of course, if this person was too strong, Min could just try to run away to the village. Many possibilities like this ran through his head.
Soon enough, the sound of someone approaching through the woods could be heard. Min quickly collected energy in his palm to begin forming a maximum strength arrow. He had already summoned the bow earlier so he could regain a few energy points on the way here. The bow lasted for an hour or so, which was hopefully more than the fight's length.
The Elf was primed for a fight, so the moment the person rather brazenly stepped out from behind a tree, Min swiveled to him with the bow drawn. The person was large and burly, just like a Pugilist. He wore some simple light armor and had a large metal bat on his back. The man frowned and yelled, projecting his irritated voice easily.
"Don't just resort to violence instantly, you brat! Don't you remember your Uncle Brahm?"
A complicated expression crossed Min's face. Was he really being lectured by a Pugilist about rashness…?
This man didn't seem to exude any violent intentions yet, so Min slowly undrew his bow before spinning the arrow through his fingers.
"Unless my family married humans, I don't think you're my Uncle. So, why do you say you know me? Remember that I have amnesia, so if you were from before that, I've no recollection of you."
Min pointed the arrow at Brahm. The man's left eye twitched slightly as he forced a smile, taking a few steps closer.
"Come on, don't be like that! Meng Hua, your Aunt, told me to take you home. Said you were coming to this planet just to be a rebellious teenager. The Company needs you back, so just come with me peacefully like you usually do."
The previous Min was never peaceful and always thrashed around. Brahm hoped that these words would provoke the young Elf and make him attack, thus allowing Brahm to subdue him easier. He couldn't help but laugh in his mind at how easy it was to reel in egotistical brats like Min.
However, an eyebrow cocked upward on Min's face. He squinted suspiciously at the approaching man, taking as many steps back as Brahm did forward. This guy's tone was like when one tries to entice a toddler to get away from the electrical outlet and back to them… it was quite annoying.
"I didn't know that woman married a human, let alone a Pugilist. Maybe she has a type for brainless men."
Brahm's expression froze at the words. He coughed a few times before glaring at Min, reaching behind him.
"You really did hit your head too hard! Not only did your forget how honorifics work, but you even tried to mock a Super! That arena may have given you a few skills, but you're still nothing compared to me."
Brahm reached to his back and unclipped the metal bat from its holster. Min immediately backpedaled toward one of the tall trees behind him, climbing up it. The Pugilist raised an eyebrow at the monkey action but dashed toward the tree anyway, raising his bat to knock it down.
'Ah! He's fast!'
The Elf couldn't help but scramble up the tree faster, reaching one of the thicker branches. He strode across it just like with the alligator fight and jumped off in an arc. The fully formed arrow shot and embedded itself in Brahm's back.
-260 damage!
This was a decent amount of damage for Brahm. He wasn't really trying before this attack, so it landed without much resistance. The Pugilist gritted his teeth and turned around.
Min was way too close to start kiting, so he tossed the bow to the side and let it float in the air. Meanwhile, he drew his blade and began deflecting or parrying the incoming bat swings. He didn't really have any proper melee combat abilities to use against this guy. Any other class would have a generalized skill, like the Mechanic's [Strafe], but Espers were too unique. At least he knew combat techniques from the Arena and his previous life!
'Damn, slightly wishing I hadn't swapped off [Internal Energy Control].'
An arrow slowly began to form at Min's side as a way for him to use his energy effectively. Brahm's attacks continued to be either dodged or deflected. The Pugilist felt like he couldn't break through Min's defenses!
'Why is this guy's technique so impeccable?!? It's like fighting one of those damn dojo dorks from back home!'
Brahm gritted his teeth while considering a plan. This fight wasn't going the way he expected it to. His own skills were pretty good and born mostly from experience, but this kid somehow had both experience and education!
In a last ditch effort, Brahm feinted a bat swing before squatting down low and readying his energy. He swung upward with tremendous force as the wind around them howled.
This technique was a combination of the [Energy Burst] Knowledge skill and the teachings of his wind school. It actually made an oppressive area of effect, slightly reducing speed of all targets caught in it!
Min held his sword tightly as he tried to maneuver to the side. However, while he was able to barely avoid the bat, the wind effect blew him off into a nearby tree.
-83!
The Elf couldn't help but spit out some air as his back hit the trunk. He glanced over at the interface and gave Brahm's sheet another look. Originally, while this guy was level 24, his stats seemed relatively poor compared to his skillset. Min could only conclude that he had probably slacked off in recent years. It was time to take this fight more seriously.
He fell off the tree trunk and his gaze snapped upward, glaring darkly at Brahm. A modicum of murderous intent flowed out from Min as he shot forward.
Min, expressionless, let go of his sword and dodged to the side, the floating energy weapons besides him following his form at a certain distance. He grabbed the fully-formed arrow by his head and stabbed the tip into the Pugilist's side before pulling it out and twirling under another bat swing. In the same motion, he pulled the arrow back on the bow and shot it into Brahm's shoulder.
The Pugilist jumped back and held his shoulder, gritting his teeth while glaring at Min. This kid was as dangerous up close as he was at range, and his speed was too much for Brahm to handle! Not to mention the arrows still stuck in him making it harder to move… Brahm's grip on his shoulder began to tighten as his veins became more and more prominent. Raising his chin, Brahm yelled out at Min in frustrated rage.
"I. Don't. Get. It! Why do you reject your position of power?!?! It would be so much easier for you to just return with me and act as a figurehead, but NO, you have to always be in your little dreamland adventure. Ordinary people have to fight tooth and nail to get even a step closer to the pillars of power. But here you are, someone born and groomed to become the CEO of Meng-Tsu Shai, fighting with your entire spirit just to f*ck off to some backward planet. It's absurd!"
Before Min went to the Arena, it was tolerable. All Brahm had to do was tear a weak little teenager from whatever delusion of the time he was going through. Hell, it was even vindicating to use the money allocated to him by Meng Hua to bribe whatever protection the boy bought. But now, this kid had grown up and "effortlessly" became stronger than him. Life was simply too unfair!
As for Min, when he heard this…
"Hmm?"
The Elf blinked blankly a few times before his mind fell into crisis.
'T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-That's what the Auntie wanted me for!?!? Not to be a little pet or "with the family", but to run a whole damn company?!? I'm pretty sure I've even heard of this company before!'