The dust kicked up by the mysterious wind wasn't just ordinary sand; it was a curtain of opportunity granted by the World. However, to Viper, a Tier 3 Warrior, it was nothing more than a minor annoyance.
"Cheap tricks!" Viper roared.
Dense yellow aura exploded from his body, creating a shockwave that swept the dust clear within a ten-meter radius. The street was instantly visible again.
But Elian was no longer in his original position.
"Find him!" Viper shouted to his ten subordinates.
"You won't be finding anyone," Lunaria's voice rang out, cold and melodious, from the roof of a bakery on the side of the street.
Before the thugs could look up, three arrows flew in a single breath.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
Three men dropped instantly with arrows embedded in their shoulders—disabling their weapon arms. Not killing shots, but enough to make them howl in pain and drop their weapons.
"It's an Elf!" one thug screamed in panic. "She's a Magic Archer!"
Lunaria leaped down into the middle of the crowd of thugs. She didn't draw a sword. She moved like water, dodging swings of clubs and crude swords with minimal movement. Every time she touched an opponent, she pressed a nerve point or broke a joint with terrifying efficiency.
"Elian!" Lunaria called out without turning as she kicked a thug in the chest, knocking him unconscious. "I'll handle this trash. The snake is yours! Remember, he is faster than you. Don't try to match his speed!"
Elian, now hiding behind an overturned fruit cart, heard the warning. His heart beat so hard his ears were ringing.
He peeked out. Viper stood alone in the middle of the street, his snake-like eyes scanning the surroundings calmly. He didn't care that his men were being slaughtered. He was enjoying the hunt.
"Come out, Little Rat," Viper hissed, twirling his twin karambits. "I can hear your trembling breath."
Elian knew he couldn't hide forever. His Nature Sense told him that Viper was concentrating Aura into his legs—preparing for a Dash.
He's coming. He knows my position.
Elian took a deep breath, swallowing the fear that felt like a stone in his throat. Tears still welled in his eyes—a child's physiological reaction to extreme danger—but his hand gripped the Elven short sword steadily.
Go.
Elian jumped out from behind the cart.
"Found you!" Viper grinned wide.
BAM!
The ground beneath Viper's feet cracked. In the blink of an eye, he had shot across the ten-meter gap. His right dagger aimed for Elian's neck, his left dagger for the stomach. A dual attack: Twin Fang Strike.
His speed was terrifying. Elian could see the attack thanks to his Nature Sense, but his body wasn't fast enough to dodge completely.
Don't dodge. Parry and flow.
Elian raised his short sword vertically, pressing the flat of the blade against his arm to brace for impact.
CLANG!
The impact of metal against Tier 3 aura felt like being hit by a carriage.
"Ugh!" Elian was pushed back, his boots grinding against the cobblestones, creating sparks. His arm bones vibrated violently, but—thanks to the Dragonblood Nightshade—they didn't break.
"Oh? Your bones are tough for a brat," Viper looked surprised. "But how long can you last?"
Viper gave no respite. His attacks came in a flurry. Left, right, up, down. Each strike was coated in heavy yellow aura, creating cuts on Elian's skin even without direct contact due to the sharp aura wind.
Elian's tunic was shredded. Blood began to seep from a dozen small cuts.
Elian kept retreating, parrying what he could, rolling, jumping. He was like a dry leaf played by a storm. He cried silently, the physical pain and mental pressure pushing him to his limit.
It hurts... scared... Father, help...
Those childish thoughts surfaced. Yet, every time they did, the face of Elara from Madam Vex's memory slapped him back to reality.
No one is coming to save you. You are alone.
"Die!" Viper grew bored of playing. He leaped high, joining his two daggers for a finishing strike: Viper's Bite.
Elian saw the opening. In mid-air, Viper couldn't change direction easily.
But the attack was too strong to parry. If Elian tried to block it, his sword would break or he would be crushed.
So, Elian did the only thing Lunaria had taught him for impossible situations: Sacrifice.
Elian didn't raise his sword to block. Instead, he opened his arms wide, leaving his chest exposed.
Viper's eyes widened. Suicide?
Just as Viper's dagger was about to pierce his heart, Elian twisted his body slightly to the left.
THUNK!
Viper's right dagger buried itself deep in Elian's right shoulder, piercing muscle, grazing the collarbone, and punching through to his back.
"ARGHHH!" Elian screamed. The pain was blinding. Hot blood sprayed into Viper's face.
But it was a trap.
Because the dagger was stuck in Elian's dragon-steel-hard bone, Viper couldn't pull it back quickly. His weapon was clamped by Elian's muscle and bone.
Viper was locked in. Zero distance.
Through his screams of pain, Elian opened his tear-filled eyes. That gaze wasn't the look of a victim, but the look of a madman.
"Got you..." Elian whispered between sobs.
Elian's left hand, holding the looted steel dagger, moved from below. No beautiful technique. Just a brutal, desperate stab toward Viper's lower abdomen—toward his Dan Tian.
SQUELCH!
The dagger pierced Viper's leather armor, sinking into his gut.
Viper's eyes bulged. He tried to kick Elian, but Elian hugged him tight. Elian embraced his enemy like a lover, letting the dagger in his shoulder tear his own flesh further just to keep Viper close.
"Let go of me, you Crazy Devil!" Viper shouted in panic. His yellow aura flickered chaotically as his Dan Tian was disrupted.
"No..." Elian sobbed, blood flowing from his mouth. He twisted the dagger in Viper's stomach, churning his insides. "You... wanted... to take me..."
With the last of his strength, Elian used his head to smash Viper's nose.
CRACK!
Elian's head spun, but Viper's nose was shattered.
Viper, who never expected to fight someone this reckless, lost his nerve. The pain in his stomach and face destroyed his concentration. He let go of the dagger handle stuck in Elian's shoulder and tried to retreat.
But Elian didn't let him.
Elian dropped the dagger in his left hand, grabbed the Elven short sword he had dropped when he was stabbed, and with a horizontal sweeping motion...
Slash.
A thin red line appeared on Viper's neck.
Viper stumbled back two steps, clutching his throat. He tried to speak, but only a wet gurgling sound came out. Blood sprayed between his fingers.
He fell to his knees, staring at Elian with disbelief. He, a Tier 3 Warrior, killed by a crying Tier 1 brat?
Viper's body collapsed to the ground. Dead.
The street fell silent for a moment.
Viper's ten henchmen, already battered by Lunaria, saw their leader dead. They turned pale as ghosts, then fled in terror, abandoning their boss.
Elian stood swaying. Viper's dagger was still stuck in his right shoulder, piercing through to the back. Blood soaked the entire right side of his body. His beautiful face was a horrific mix of tears, snot, and enemy blood.
"Master..." Elian called out weakly.
The world spun. Elian fell forward.
A pair of strong but gentle arms caught him before he hit the ground. Lunaria.
"You fool," Lunaria whispered. Her voice sounded angry, but her hands quickly checked Elian's wound. "You let him pierce your shoulder? You could have lost your arm!"
"He was... too fast..." Elian murmured, his eyes half-closed. "That was... the only way..."
Lunaria looked at the embedded dagger. She didn't pull it out. Removing it now would cause massive bleeding.
"We have to go. City guards will be here any second," Lunaria said. She hoisted Elian onto her back with ease.
Lunaria glanced at Viper's corpse with disgust, then dashed into the dark alleys, disappearing into the shadows of Stormwatch.
***
That night, in an abandoned boathouse on the edge of the swamp—far from their inn which might be watched—Elian groaned in pain.
He lay on a pile of straw. Lunaria was heating a scalpel over a candle flame.
"Bite this," Lunaria shoved a piece of leather cloth into Elian's mouth. "I have to pull this dagger out and stitch your muscle. Healing potions won't work if the iron is still inside."
Elian nodded weakly, tears flowing again from fear of the pain to come. He bit down hard on the cloth.
"One... two..."
Lunaria yanked the karambit dagger out in one swift motion.
"MMMPPHHHH!!!!"
Elian screamed a muffled cry, his body arching violently. Black blood spurted out.
Lunaria immediately pressed the wound with gauze soaked in Moon Moss potion. Green light glowed from Lunaria's hands as she cast advanced healing magic to close the severed arteries.
For the next hour, Elian felt every prick of the sewing needle piercing his skin. But, amidst that pain, he felt another familiar sensation.
His Regeneration.
The cells around the wound vibrated, responding aggressively to the trauma. They weren't just reconnecting; they were reinforcing. The scar tissue forming inside his shoulder would be harder than before.
When it was all done, Elian lay limp, cold sweat soaking his body.
"You're lucky the poison on that dagger was low quality," Lunaria said, wiping her blood-covered hands. "Your body has already neutralized it."
Lunaria sat beside Elian, looking at her student with a complicated expression.
"Today you proved two things, Elian," she said quietly. "First, you have the survival instinct of a cockroach. That is a compliment."
Elian tried to smile, but his lips hurt too much.
"And second," Lunaria continued, her face grim. "You are too weak. Tier 3 is the standard for squad captains in this world. And you almost died fighting one. If we go to the Swamp Ruins tomorrow to find that Soul Mirror... you will be a burden."
Those words stabbed sharper than Viper's dagger.
"I... will get stronger..." Elian whispered hoarsely, spitting the gag cloth from his mouth.
"There is no time for years of training," Lunaria cut in. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a plain black ring. The ring was made of meteorite stone that seemed to absorb light.
"This is a Ring of Weight," Lunaria explained. "It is a suppression artifact. If you wear it, your body will feel double the gravity, and your mana flow will be restricted. It is usually used to torture prisoners."
Lunaria held Elian's left hand.
"If you wear this starting now, your body will be forced to work three times harder every second. Your regeneration will be constantly stimulated. It will be painful. You will feel exhausted all the time. But when you take it off... you will fly."
"Put it on," Elian said without hesitation.
Lunaria looked into her student's eyes. She saw fear there, but she also saw a small flame that couldn't be extinguished. The fire of vengeance and love for his sister.
Lunaria slid the ring onto Elian's left index finger.
WHAM.
Instantly, Elian felt as if he were being crushed by a giant boulder. His breathing became heavy. His heart had to pump harder. His wounded shoulder throbbed with more pain.
"Heavy..." Elian hissed.
"Indeed," Lunaria stood up. "Sleep. Tomorrow morning, we enter the Black Swamp. We will face the undead. And you... you will learn to use the pain in that shoulder as a reminder never to get hit again."
Outside the boathouse, rain began to fall, washing the blood from the streets of Stormwatch. But inside Elian's soul, the bloodstain was permanent. He had killed a knight-level warrior (Tier 3) while he was just a child.
His reputation in the underworld began to form that night. Not as "Eli the Mute," but as "Eli the Mad."