Unpredictable

Invisible, but not entirely invisible cars. That's what people have been calling them. The invisibility of the cars wasn't so much about vanishing from existence; it was more like covering the car with a transparent cloak, capable of rendering the interior unseen.

The car remained tangible, with the risk of detection still present, especially if they were unlucky enough to encounter a Level 6 or a high-tiered Level 5.

"Hey! Won't you stop!?"

"Claire, stop the car."

"Why?"

"Just turn around and stop the car."

"Whatever you say, old man."

Dissatisfaction crept in, "It's just been five hours or something, man," clicked her tongue, Claire.

"I told you that from time to time, we have to let it rest a bit."

Just before Claire could utter another word, the guard who had yelled at them approached the car. His right hand rested on his sword as he closed the distance between the windows.

He moved with extreme caution, his eyes darting around the car, searching for any signs that they might be guards, such as a pyramid emblem.

"Can we be of help to you, dear comrade on the path of the Highest One?" He smoothly opened his mouth and spoke words that momentarily shocked the kids, Porna.

They had no idea what those words meant, but they were clear that now wasn't the time for questions.

He raised an eyebrow and lightened his grip on the sword, "May I ask for your guard ID, my friend?"

"Of course," putting out a brand new cigarette, "You would like to approach my side, I believe."

With a nod, the guard slowly shifted his position, never taking his eyes off them.

As he slowly made his way towards Porna's side, he casually slipped his little gray hand into his pocket and withdrew something, clutching something tightly.

"Friend, let me see—"

Thud!

Everything happened in the blink of an eye. The guard literally fell silent the moment he began speaking, before even realizing what was happening.

Even the kids were caught off guard; before they could fully comprehend, the guard was on the ground, and Porna's hand was engulfed in an ominous matte black aura.

A scenario they had never witnessed before unfolded before their eyes. After the initial shock, the same thought crossed their minds—the very thing they had heard about since a young age and seen in videos on the internet.

""Was that Spiritual Image!?""

"Partial one."

""Wow!""

"I didn't know it was this strong!"

"I've seen it a few times on the internet, but seeing it in person is really a completely different matter."

"It's always the case, kid, always," this sentence was incomprehensible to them, completely unrelated to their inquiry

Added to his own words, "We are living in a world where powerful people keep roaming around. Unpredictable situations may also occur," he added slowly, "For both sides."

"Like that?" Triss giggled, "That guard literally came out of nowhere and caught us just as we deactivated the invisibility."

"Unpredictable, indeed. But it has always been a possibility."

"What was that comrade thing?" Leon asked curiously, though he already had an idea of the obvious outcome.

"You are a smart kid, you can guess."

"But I haven't heard guards calling each other that way."

"They may not do so now, but they were calling each other that way before."

"I see."

"Old man, what you just did, wasn't that dangerous?" Triss drew attention to another matter, one that she realized she should learn before it was too late, especially after all the experiences she had gone through so far, "How did you become certain that his level was lower than yours? I mean, you couldn't see his back, right?"

"Yes, I couldn't. And of course, I wasn't sure of his level."

"So, you risked it?"

"I had to," playing with a cigarette with his fingers, "We are living in a world where anyone can be stronger than you, and we can only learn that fact when we're fighting with them unless they wish to show it."

As everyone anticipated, knowing his words were not yet finished, they quietly waited for him to light up a cigarette, a shred of sadness evident on his face.

"Sometimes you have to risk it. After all, if you hesitate, something worse could happen."

His slowed-down speech and the way he smoked, as though exhaling his entire life, told the story. They had nothing to say, nothing there to be said, and Porna must have heard anything they could ever say a million times before.

Sometimes, silence can be the greatest form of friendship you can offer to someone you know.

The journey from Stone City to Terre City was a three-day trip at a Level 2 walking speed. However, with their car's faster speed, the three days shortened to just one and a half, with five hours of travel already behind them. This information was something they had already discussed before.

If they were thinking clearly, they might have deduced that the guard who ended up on the ground was a genuine Level 3. Perhaps Porna did realize this and chose not to care, a possibility that didn't occur to the kids, who were captivated by the beauty of the sun bidding farewell.

Their long journey to the border city of Clawor had just begun.

---

While Leon and his team were preoccupied with their own affairs, so too was the one left behind.

"I don't blame the leader for not agreeing," Mike murmured, after finishing his training, "I'd have done the same thing if I were in his place. But… I need a chance to shine…"

Leon and Triss didn't just vanish without a word. They explained everything to Mike before leaving, and he nodded in understanding. However, merely understanding the situation might not be enough to alleviate the disappointment in his heart.

"I'm a Level 2, too… I can also do the same things as them… But I just need a chance, a chance to prove myself…"

He reassured himself a little longer before finally opening the doors to pondering.

"How can I prove myself? What did Leon do when he came here?"

Just like everyone else, he also knew the answer to the second question, realizing it right after asking himself. He had indeed killed a guard, earning the respect of everyone as a true rebel.

"Should I do it? But where will I find one to kill?"

He pondered over it once again, thinking about the other things Leon had managed so far. Then, at that moment, his eyes brightened like white dwarfs scattered across the universe. There was one thing that he could easily do.

Well, he had already done it before them, even before Triss, but that felt like a long time ago to him.

"I can do it! This time, I can fight properly!"

Excitedly, he rushed out of his room and ran all the way to the next door of Triss.

Knock, knock, knock!

His excitement was evident in his knocking, a realization of his mistake that briefly crossed his mind but was quickly dismissed.

Seconds passed and passed until the girl behind the door lazily opened it. There wasn't any emotion on her cute face; not even a single word was uttered by her. She just kept looking into his eyes.

"Memma, can you spar with me?"

Nodded, "Learn how to fight first, noob."

"…"

"…"

"Are you agreeing or not?"

A nod was her answer.

"Thank you, Memma. I really appreciate it."

Another nod followed before...

Thud!

Before the door shut in his face.

"You could always just say you need to get ready or something."

---

"It looks like a nice city," Triss's eyes, aglow with curiosity, fixated on the window.

"Just like any other city out there."

"Why are you being so rude?"

"What? Is that your city?"

"No, but it's someone else's."

"Harbinger looks like sh*t too."

"Isn't that your city?"

"And? Why should I care about being a city nationalist? Does that even mean anything?"

"Well…"

"Great answer."

A chuckle emanated from their cool chauffeur, "I agree with Leon too."

"It's nice to know we're on the same page, Miss Claire."

"Haha," momentarily easing their pace, "Do you know the history of this city?"

"Not really."

"What about you, Triss?"

"I'm not sure."

"Then, old man can explain."

Slowly turned his head, "Why am I the one explaining?"

"You're the oldest, that's why. Plus, you've been reading a lot of history stuff."

The girls' laughter harmonized, filling the air with a melodic resonance.

"I'm not even from Earth."

Raised an eyebrow, "Weren't you born and raised on Earth?"

"I was, but---"

"Then you're as much of an Earthling as we are."

"That's right, old man."

Even Leon nodded in agreement this time, "Yes, you are."

As if compelled by an irresistible urge to assert his affinity for cigarettes, once again placed one between his lips.

He gazed deeply at the horizon, parting his lips slowly, "My parents are originally from Zeta Reticuli."

"Have you ever been to Zeta Reticuli, old man?" Triss, driven by her insatiable curiosity about outer space and other planets, couldn't resist asking.

"No."

"But you want to visit there, right?" Claire.

"Let me talk about Terre first."

And so, he embarked on recounting the history of Terre City, once a humble Terre Village.

Its catastrophic destruction marked one of the most sorrowful chapters in Rehtolar's history.