Chapter 10: who is your master?

Above the clouds over the beautiful island in the middle of the ocean, floated a ship, or to be more precise, a 'cruise ship', pure white with gold details and a structure of smooth, elegant lines, giving it a regal and sophisticated appearance, as if it belonged to royalty.

But it was much more than just the exterior beauty of the cruise ship. What stood out the most were the intricate runes carved into every visible surface, emitting a soft light. These runes were engraved with millimetric precision, testament to the powerful magic that kept the vessel afloat.

At the bow of the impressive flying ship stood a female figure, dressed in elegant white robes embroidered with threads that seemed to be made of gold and silver. The outfit appeared to be a uniform due to the emblem embroidered on the left side of the chest. Despite being loose-fitting, the robes could not hide the curvaceous and voluptuous body of the wearer.

The woman on the bow could only be described as the epitome of feminine beauty, with fine, delicate features that seemed to have been sculpted by a divine artist using their best skills. Her skin was as white as snow, and her long blonde hair fell softly over her shoulders, highlighting her mesmerizing blue eyes that seemed to reflect the color of the ocean.

This beautiful woman, whose beauty could incite entire nations to war, was looking towards the island, where she could see a camp fenced by large wooden logs, with a clay-tiled cabin in the center, followed by two other gigantic cabins compared to the first one.

In the camp, a boy of about fifteen years old was practicing movements that appeared to be some form of martial art, performing movements that reflected a serenity and precision only possible with years of discipline and practice. Every punch, every kick, every stance, and weight shift was executed with unmatched grace and fluid beauty, turning each movement into a spectacle worth watching.

The boy was dressed in simple leather garments designed for combat and easy movement, which could not hide his incredible beauty, with fine features, white skin, and a defined, muscular physique that seemed to be the perfect combination of strength and agility. This contrasted greatly with his impressive jet-black hair, which looked like a piece of the night sky adorned with stars and galaxies.

Despite his incredible appearance, the boy had a charm that went beyond physical beauty, an innate elegance and dignity, along with a charisma that extended beyond his looks. This was evident in the way he carried himself, the serenity on his face, and the expression in his green eyes, as vibrant and alive as the forests in spring, full of concentration and focus.

The woman had a curious look on her face as she observed the boy on the island. At the same time, she murmured some words, which somehow caused a shocking scene. The gigantic ship began to shrink until it was the size of her palm, looking like an incredibly detailed toy.

Contrary to logic, the woman did not fall from the sky but remained suspended in the air as she extended her right hand towards the miniature ship. Shortly after, it disappeared without a trace, as if it had never existed.

After collecting her ship, the woman vanished from sight like a ghost and descended slowly from the sky until she was standing on the roof of the smallest cabin, from where she continued watching the boy with curiosity, who continued practicing his movements, completely unaware of her presence.

A while later, the boy stopped as a pair of beautiful wolves over 3 meters tall, one with silver fur and the other jet black, could be seen in the distance. They were carrying a gigantic black bison over 10 meters long in their jaws as they ran towards the camp.

With a calm step, the boy reached the camp fence, where he opened the huge wooden gates and then stood there with his arms crossed, waiting for the gigantic wolves.

When the wolves arrived at the camp gates, they carelessly dropped the bison, causing a small tremor, and then barked loudly as they sat down, wagging their huge tails, creating gusts of wind and small tornadoes in the surroundings.

"Seriously, you are supposed to be wolves. Why do you bark?... But anyway, today you hunted a really big one, and I don't see too many bite marks or cuts. You did a very good job."

Upon hearing the boy's words, the enormous wolves barked happily and lowered their heads to the ground while wagging their tails, bringing a smile to the boy's lips. He proceeded to pet them affectionately for a moment, then turned towards the bison and lifted it off the ground, creating a strange scene of a 1.75-meter-tall young man effortlessly lifting a 10-meter-long bison.

(Are those mystical wolves? How did he manage to tame them and make them so obedient? Moreover, they are too young for their size and even managed to hunt a century-old Gaia bison, leaving its hide intact... those wolves are just as strange, if not stranger, than the boy.)

The beautiful woman watched with surprise the interaction between the boy and the wolves, who, unaware of her presence, calmly entered the camp. There, the boy began skinning the bison while collecting its blood in large clay pots, as the wolves played a bit among themselves not far from the site.

(The boy's mana control is insane; he's a genius to be able to achieve something like this at his age. Not only does he know how to reinforce with his mana, but he can also use magical sharpness... Is he possessed?... It doesn't seem like it; there's no trace of possession in his soul... but then... what master could have cultivated such a monster?)

The beautiful woman on the roof observed the boy's skills with surprise written on her face, completely focused on each movement he made. Before she knew it, he had finished dismantling the bison and began cleaning his tools.

Totally fascinated by the young man's peculiarities, the beautiful woman could no longer contain her curiosity and made herself visible to start a conversation. But the moment she did, the boy dropped the bison hide he was holding and instantly drew a pair of machetes from his waist.

Without delay, the boy assumed a defensive stance and activated his 'chi sphere'. Simultaneously, the wolves, who had been playing just a moment before, jumped and positioned themselves on either side of the boy, growling powerfully in aggressive poses, ready to attack at any moment.

"Calm down, boy, I'm not a threat, I just want to talk."

(He even knows Ethereal Projection, I'm really more and more interested in him with each new thing he shows.)

The beautiful woman spoke softly with a smile on her lips, looking into the boy's emerald green eyes. He stared at her from head to toe for a moment, then lowered his guard and sheathed his machetes while giving a strict command.

"Calm down!"

At the boy's command, the wolves immediately stopped growling and relaxed their attack stance, but they did not move away from him, constantly watching the woman with caution.

"That's better. Now tell me, why are you on my island?" the woman asked curiously, looking into the boy's eyes, feeling somewhat surprised that he could hold her gaze.

"I apologize for invading your island," the boy said with a slight bow before continuing. "But I am here because the waves brought me after a giant monster attacked the ship I was sailing on and destroyed it. If my presence here is a bother to you, I will build a raft to leave. I would just appreciate it if you could give me a map or at least a direction where I can find land again, as I have no idea where I am."

"Oh, don't worry about that. It's not like it bothers me or anything, it's just that something like this has never happened before. This island is in the middle of the sea, far from any other island or sea route," the woman said, waving her arm as if to express that it was of no importance.

"Is that so? Then how did I get here? I was on a ship traveling from Azur Coast to Quayhold, how far is that from here?" the boy asked the woman with doubt.

"Are you serious, boy? That's literally on the other side of the planet," the woman looked at the boy as if she were looking at a madman, but his surprised expression confused her.

"Impossible!! I was really on a ship called 'the Salt Dragon' that covered the Azur Coast-Quayhold route..." the boy looked incredulously at the woman, trying to see if she was lying.

"I'm not lying; it really is on the other side of the planet. But let me ask you, who is your master?"

The boy looked at the woman for a few seconds before sighing and responding.

"I don't have any masters. I don't even know how to read or write; no one wanted to teach me, and those who do charge a lot."

"Then who taught you your techniques?" the woman asked, a bit puzzled by his answer.

"Techniques? What techniques?" the boy asked with equal confusion.

"The ones you used a moment ago, mana reinforcement, magical sharpness, and Ethereal Projection."

"Honestly, I don't know what you're talking about; I've never heard those names in my life."

The woman looked at the boy suspiciously, but after analyzing him carefully, she realized that he was telling the truth. The boy had no idea what she was talking about.

"I mean what you did while dismantling the bison. You reinforced the knife and applied magical sharpness, and you also tried to identify my position with ethereal projection."

"Wait, are you telling me those are techniques? And you could see what I did?" the boy asked, looking at the woman in surprise.

The woman smiled softly and rose into the sky from her position on the cabin roof, then flew closer to the boy. This put a look of disbelief on his young face while the wolves began growling again, assuming combat positions. But with just a wave of the boy's hand, they calmed down once more.

"Yes, and those are the names of those techniques. Where did you learn them?"

"You can fly?!! How?"

"Yes, I can fly and do many other things. But I really want you to tell me where you learned those techniques. If you tell me, I could teach you how to do it."

"From nowhere in particular, I discovered them little by little after realizing that 'chi' was real," the boy responded, looking at the woman who was still hovering a few centimeters above the ground. He wasn't sure what to be more surprised by—her supernatural beauty, the way she was flying, or the overwhelming presence she emitted.

"'Chi'? Do you have any connection with the Jade Union?" the woman asked the boy with a sharp look, firmly intending to uncover any lie.