6

Honestly, I didn't want to appear like I was showing off, but the circumstances made it seem that way. As a result, Naville Donatien is now keeping his distance and staying vigilant. His sharp gaze is directed right at me.

"Calm down, Naville Donatien," I said. "Like I said, I'm just a commoner passing by and have no connection whatsoever with Nevaeh or anyone who's hostile towards you. Just try to trust me a little."

Naville was very reluctant to believe, still highly cautious. He took a deep breath. "If that's the case, what is your purpose for coming here? I won't believe it if you say it's just a coincidence! I'm sure you've been following the troops from the beginning."

"Haah... although I could twist your words, I'm not in the mood for it now, so I'll admit it." Now it's time to get straight to the point. "I was genuinely curious about the person who made Keres Nevaeh bring a large army to capture him. Now my curiosity is satisfied, and I find you quite intriguing."

"Just tell me what you want."

"It's simple." I immediately emitted an intimidating aura to make it more convincing. "Let's destroy this insane world system! We have the power to do it."

Still emanating a strong intimidating aura, I reached out my right hand to shake hands with Naville. However, he didn't immediately accept my handshake, instead putting his hands in his pants pockets and standing casually.

Naville took a deep breath. "I know your power is formidable. But I don't think that alone is enough to change this broken world system."

"Yes, of course. If I were to do it alone, it would be impossible. However, if there's a team consisting of other powerful individuals like yourself, then the story would be different."

"I'm curious, where does your high self-confidence come from?"

"From your fighting style earlier."

"Alright..." Naville seemed to have no intention of shaking my hand. He then looked up and said, "I will help you, but only if you help me eliminate the Nevaeh family. All of them!"

I immediately withdrew my outstretched hand, stopping my intimidating aura from manifesting, while taking a deep breath. "Revenge, huh?" Not wanting to be a hypocrite, I replied, "I like your honesty. I will assist you in dealing with them."

"I thought people like you were just pretending to uphold justice while being hypocrites, but it seems you're different from my assumptions." Naville didn't seem fully convinced by what he heard, but I didn't really care. What matters now is that I've gained his trust. "Alright, this is an agreement. I, Naville Donatien, will join your team."

"I'm Ars Salazar, pleased to welcome you to the team, Naville Donatien!"

"Just call me Naville."

***

Question: What will two inexperienced young men stranded in the forest do in the evening?

Right... the answer is to eat whatever they can find. I didn't realize that hunting is incredibly difficult for amateurs, especially for young men who have just left a cave and a city boy.

Although I had to take a few deep breaths before eating, in the end, I had to put the roasted snake in my mouth, chew it quickly, and swallow it. I didn't know how it tasted, but the important thing now is that I'm grateful to still be able to eat in front of a small campfire in this forest.

"I thought you would take me to the city for at least a proper dinner as a welcome for joining the team, but instead, I'm greeted with a burnt snake..." Neville complained.

I could only stare blankly at him and replied, "Who would bring a fugitive like you into the city? Do you really want us to die quickly?"

"Cih..." It seems that Naville doesn't want to prolong the conversation on the topic he brought up.

Taking a short breath, I stood up and started walking away from the campfire on my own. "Don't worry about me, I'll be back soon after I finish my 'personal business.'"

"You're probably just going to take a dump!" Naville responded nonchalantly.

I didn't answer and just waved my hand, entering the row of closely spaced trees. I took a slightly roundabout path, then quietly sneaked up on and subdued a man who was hiding himself in all-black clothing. I covered his mouth with my left hand, holding both his hands with my right hand.

The man who had been secretly spying on me and Naville now started trembling, cold sweat pouring out of his body, but I took advantage of his fear. "I don't know who you are, but it seems you're very interested in what my friend and I are doing."

He struggled a bit, his mouth trying to say something. Unfortunately, I wasn't interested in listening to what he wanted to say right now.

"I'll tell you that I don't care and I'm not interested in whatever you want to say. However... pass the message to your boss." I intentionally created a brief distance before continuing, "Tell Nevaeh..."

Shortly after I mentioned that name, the man became more agitated, and deliberately, I let go of him. He kept his distance and was very cautious of me, saying, "What do you mean? I don't work under Nevaeh!"

"Yes... you just said it." I didn't know what kind of smile was on my face. However, one thing was certain, it wasn't a pleasant smile. "Don't worry, I won't hurt you. But... "

For the second time, the man was ambushed. This time, not by me, but by Naville, who appeared out of nowhere and immediately immobilized the man. It seemed that Naville wasn't as foolish as I thought, he understood that I was giving him a clue earlier.

"Are you testing me, Ars?" Naville asked, sounding slightly displeased.

I shook my head. "Not at all. Trust me, things will become more interesting from now on."

Now, the spy who had been subdued by Naville was completely drenched in cold sweat. He seemed to understand his current situation, so I took advantage of it.

"I will let you go, don't worry," I said. "But you have to promise me that you will tell your boss that Naville Donatien died in the forest after using a forbidden technique."

The man quickly nodded, and Naville immediately released him. He then prostrated himself and replied, "Very well, Sir. I will do it as long as you spare my life."

"Alright, you can go now."

Without waiting any longer, the man quickly ran away from the place.

"Do you really believe that he will say what you told him, Ars?" Naville didn't understand why I let the man go.

I turned around, walking back. "Of course not." I waved my hand. "But I can guarantee that tonight will be so interesting that we won't be able to sleep soundly."

"Damn. It seems like you're digging a grave after all."