The Old Hermit.

"Luciel, I almost died. Once again, I was giving with the cruel truth, I was weak, and I could die against a rival with the power of the Snow Bear. I was going to died, or that is what I thought would happen, but destiny didn't want me to die, and I and the others survive, we survive thanks to the apparition of the Legend, the strongest human, or so I believe, the Old Hermit." – said the old man who still regret being weak, and still thanks the Old Hermit for saving his life.

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The Snow Bear, a powerful SS-Rank Monster was toying with us, a superior creature to five human adventurers, the damn thing knew that we like the dozens of dead bandits, we were not rival for it, because it was a terrific monster, that only real powerhouses of the kingdom could take it and kill it.

A monster whose habitat was one of the Five Dangerous Zone, the Range of White Mountains of Ganbus, far away from its habitat, the strong monster had already been killing dozens of humans with such an easy, that the monster was tempting in its mind if it was worth it to attack a human settlement.

A powerful monster, corrupt, and yet intelligent, cunning, but with the power to do whatever it wants to do, a real being whose representation of the word monster was perfect, a being that toy with five C-Rank Adventurers and had killed dozens of bandits, a being whose terrific power was the third biggest I had felt in my life, just behind the power of Urs and his Silver-haired friend.

A monster more powerful than even Gladius, and that monster was crushing my leg and was preparing to kill me, but then, when its paw was going to crush my head, the wind blow, and the monster blood fell in my back.

"What?"

I wasn't the only one who didn't understand what was happening, seconds before the huge monster was going to kill me, and now, there was no monster, just the destroyed corpse of the strongest monster I have encountered.

"It seems I had been late." – said a strong voice. – "Looking at your appearances I could say that you are adventurers, am I right?"

"Yes…" – said Old Lino.

We all saw the one who was speaking, a person wearing a robe who didn't let us see his face, a tall person who make me shiver, because the power that I felt… was like looking at the sun… we were all just drops of water, ants, and in front of us stood a being with a power bigger than the ocean, bigger than anything, I profound power… and then, he look at me, and just like magic, I could not feel his amazing power.

"It seems you are a Natural Sensor, not bad." – said the robe man. – "Also… your color of hair… your ancestor seems to be from the same nations as the one I used to live… nice to see a descendant of my people."

"I…" – I couldn't say nothing, I couldn't comprehend what happened, how I couldn't feel his power.

"Take this." – he throws at each of us a potion. – "It will cure you instantly, but sadly you would have the scars… sadly that I only bring a high-grade healing potion, I should always bring at least an Outstanding-Grade Healing Potion, but with my age I sometimes forget."

"Excuse me." – Old Lino who was the first to drink the potion came closer to the robed man. – "But who are you?"

"Oh, little kid, many people know me by many names and titles, but you could call me Old Hermit."

"That OLD Hermit?!" – ask excitedly our blind friend.

"Indeed."

"I… it's an honor." – said Pak who knee in front of the Old Hermit.

"Hm, not only in your group is a Natural Sensor, but also a Spiritual Sight, interesting." – said the Old Hermit. – "Those men?"

"Bandits your excellency, people who had killed and don't deserve your help and salvation." – said Pak with absolute respect.

"I see, then everything is fine." – said the Old Hermit with a little of relief in his voice. – "Well, youngsters, is time that I departed, there are still a lot of monsters from the Five Dangerous Zone who had departed from the territories to the human territories, is my mission to annihilate those bugs, so, goodbye."

In just like he appeared, he disappeared suddenly, none of us could see how or how fast he get away from here.

"Pak, who was here?" – ask Lapz, who was touching with happiness his arms.

"That man, just one attack and he eliminated the Snow Bear, how strong is he?" – ask Clinton to me.

"The strongest person I had felt." – I said.

Then we all look at Pak who still was in his knee, and after another minute more he stood up.

"You idiots, how can't you don't know who his Excellency Old Hermit is?"

"We don't know, after all we are asking you, his identity." – said a little angry Lino a being called idiot by someone younger than him.

"The Old Hermit, the living legend." – said Pak. – "My master who trained me and helped me to bring my Spiritual Sight to its maximum capacity, he once told me about a man who once was the Great Master of the whole Guild of Adventurers, a man who was unbeatable, and that every nation fear, a man who protect our continent for millennia, the one and only Old Hermit, also known as the Old Great Master."

"If here is that famous, why we don't know anything about him?" – ask Lapz.

"Because the Old Hermit leave his position as the Great Master of the Adventurers more that five centuries ago, and he doesn't appear to any public event, so… people start to forget."

"Then how does you teacher know him?" – ask Clinton.

"Because my teacher is an old bastard of seven centuries of age." – said Pak. – "But enough of that, his excellency already left, I think is time that our little leader takes everything he needs, and we leave this damn place."

"I agree." – said Lapz.

"I think we all agree." – Lino said.

"Yes." – I said.

That day, we learn many things.

That day, we all understood the harsh reality, the great difference in power between us, and the real powerhouses.

Snow Bear, SS-Rank Monster, a monster who only toyed and without a lot of effort almost killed us, annihilates by just one strike… a strike that none of us could see.

Yes, the Old Hermit really is the strongest.