I'm back

/3 YEARS LATER/

On a bright morning in the land of the frogs, Golden Clover, in a certain location with landforms similar to spikes jutting out from the ground, pointing high up at the golden clouds floating around in the sky.

A certain person sat atop one of these spikes, making use of a stone slab to ensure the spike did not ram its pointy edge through his behind.

He was currently meditating while shirtless, allowing the elements of the world to slam into his empty back.

His body looked muscly, testimony to the amount of work that had been put into it for quite some time. What's more, the presence of several scars was a testament to just how much pain he had experienced.

Suddenly, he grimaced before his expression calmed down. Slowly, he opened his eyes, his gaze possessing a certain shimmer to it.

With a smile, Max exclaimed. "I did it!"

He had just made it past the first stage of Ordena cultivation, graduating from the ranks of Hermit to become a Daoist. It was a joyous thing for him.

For Sage cultivation, there were six ranks in total. Hermit, Daoist, Venerable, Immortal, Grandmaster, and finally, Samsara Sage.

The requirements to break through each rank were extremely strenuous and not something that could easily be achieved.

Thanks to the efforts of Regard and the frogs, Max's cultivation journey was made as smooth as possible, allowing him to break through to the second rank within just three years.

It was already an amazing feat compared to how long it had taken for Regard to break through.

Max clenched his fist. His journey to gaining the power required to change his fate was indeed arduous but he had made progress and that was all that mattered.

"Soon enough… Just wait for me."

As he was immersed in his thoughts, a friendly voice came from down below. "Oi, Max, Old geezer is calling for you, come down so we can go meet him."

Max looked down to find a frog roughly twice the size of an adult human male calling out to him.

"Alright, I'll be down in a minute," Max replied.

Max had spent the better part of three years training in Golden Clover and during his stay, he had learned a lot.

Like the fact that apart from the frogs, there were very few beings that could accept Ordena apart from those old monsters that had lived for so long and expressed interest in it.

The most important information however would be what Regard had informed him about regarding the way Sages fought.

Most of their combat arts were lost to time and currently, there was not enough to work with thus the fighting capabilities of a current Sage would obviously be affected by this.

This was why Regard had spent time trying to merge Ordena as a Sage with the concept of summoning.

It was the same principle with regards to Summoners. Normal magic only helped to enhance a person's capabilities.

Anything more would be impossible but with the capacity to summon creatures from other realms, magicians would be able to bolster their offensive prowess.

It took him quite some time before he finally came into contact with the Golden Clover who was also interested in contracting with a Sage.

It was an interesting arrangement and thus gave birth to the alliance they had today.

Thanks to being the sole contractor of an entire world, Regard commanded power that could rival those top powers and now Max had joined him.

It was a nice thought.

In any case, his time in their land was not in vain. He could only feel grateful for their help.

He swore to himself that if there was ever a day they were in trouble, he would surely stand up alongside them.

Without further Ado, he pushed the thoughts aside and leaped down from the spike. The drop was indeed a steep one but for Max, it might as well be close to the ground.

Controlling his weight, Max landed lightly on the ground.

The frog snorted. "Show off."

Max flashed a smile. "Heh."

***

Sometime later and Max found himself back in the familiar cave. The last time he was here, his journey as a Sage officially began with the Old geezer gifting him a certain ability as well as contracting him with the entirety of Golden Clover.

He felt grateful to the old frog.

"You called for me," Max said while bowing.

The old frog replied. "I did… I can see your cultivation had risen to the rank of Daoist."

Max nodded. "It is all thanks to your help, thank you."

"No need to thank me, we only provided the resources, you were the one that made good use of it."

"Still I must thank you for keeping me."

"…Alright then. Unfortunately, your stay here would have to come to an end. It is time for you to return to Midgard."

Max sighed inwardly. It was finally time for him to return, for some reason he felt unwilling but he knew it would come.

He could sense that staying further in Golden Clover would stunt his growth. It was just painful to leave the lovely inhabitants to return to a world that scorned him.

"I understand."

The old frog nodded. "… You have a strange future ahead of you, boy. The choices you make would determine your endpoint, ensure you make the right choices."

Max grasped a little of what the old frog was referring to as he replied. "I will commit your words to heart."

"You may leave after saying your goodbyes." The old frog was done speaking.

Taking a few breaths to compose himself, Max left the cave only to find Frog grandpa and grandma waiting for him.

"Hello seniors, you are here?" Max asked with a smile.

"The old geezer has sent you on your way?" Frog grandpa asked back.

Max paused before nodding. "Mn."

Frog grandpa and grandma exchanged looks as a solemn expression appeared on their faces. "We wish you good luck out there."

Max saw the expressions they held and could not help but feel warm inside. He had spent good times with them. "Don't worry, I'll visit whenever I have time."

Frog grandma pouted. "You better do so else I will come over there and pull your ear."

Max nodded. "Of course."

Frog grandma seemed satisfied as she nodded before suddenly pulling something out of her mouth. Max narrowed his eyes at this.

That was a bit uncalled for, no?

In any case, he did not voice his apprehensions as he watched her pull out an unassuming stick with a few weird patterns on it. It was roughly the length of his thigh and its girth was the size of his pinky finger.

"Grandma, what is that?" He curiously asked.

Frog grandma did not bother with a response as she winked before handing it to him. "Our gift to you, treasure it well."

Max alternated his gaze between her face and the stick before sighing. Whatever, it was a gift from her so it probably wouldn't be bad… right?

As he took hold of it, he realized that it was completely dry, like it hasn't just come out of frog grandma's stomach.

Studying it closely, He could feel a faint connection between the stick and him. Before he could probe further, the old frogs called his attention.

"Be careful, Max. Midgard is a tense place now, try not to get into much trouble, alright." Frog grandpa felt the need to inform him.

"I will be extra careful." He replied as he put the stick away.

Satisfied, Frog grandpa added. "Go to the hut, your things have already been packed."

Max obliged as he moved toward the residential part of their world.

As they watched his retreating figure, Frog grandma sighed. "Poor boy, his fate just has to be so cruel."

Frog grandpa comforted her. "We have done what we can. All we can hope for is that he gains the strength he needs to fight against his fate."

Reassuring themselves, they followed after Max.

***

It was late at night at a certain pond in the forest. The area was empty except for the occasional chirping of the crickets.

The calm wind did not manage to stir the water, talk more of move the tree leaves, only reducing the temperature to a low point.

At this point, a frog popped up from the water and climbed on a leaf pad. It seemed quite unassuming as it turned left and right, surveying the area.

Suddenly, it opened its mouth, and a human shot out from it, landing safely on the land just beside the lake.

Max got to his feet. "Thanks for the ride, Gibby."

The frog croaked before replying. "Don't sweat it. Take care of yourself." After it was done, it leaped back into the water and was seen no more.

After stretching his body, Max glanced at the starry sky above. With a smile on his face, he muttered. "I'm back."