The Mysterious Man

In front of us, the pirate was embedded in the road. Above him stood a man who looked exactly like the one I met when visiting the event with the princess.

He looked down, snorted happily, and then approached with one hand in the pocket of his black streetwear pants. After observing him closely, I realized how handsome this person was, like an idol. He was over 180cm tall, had a sharp nose, smooth porcelain skin, and eyes as sharp as a dagger that seemed to pierce into the soul.

"He's indeed examining your soul," Z said while hiding behind a tree, peeping through the branches.

Oh...

What are you doing there? He can't see you, right?

"I don't know. I feel uncomfortable about this person. It's better to be cautious than to regret later... Um, Zent?"

Yes?

"Aren't you running away? We know we're no match, okay? If ill intentions show, we'll die like mosquitoes in a flash, no delay. You wanna meet your end in a split second? That's what you say?"

Are you rapping?

"Oh come on, let me feel cool for a bit. It's been a few chapters, and I rarely make an appearance. I know I drive the readers crazy with my handsomeness, but come on, give me a chance to gather a fanbase," he pleaded.

Readers?

Sometimes your words, they leave me in a haze. But I won't flee, I'll stay in this maze. Can we escape him? It's a doubtful quest. Running won't save us, trouble is our guest. What else rhyme with 'est' ?

"Are you challenging me?"

No.

"Zent! We meet again!" shouted the man in front, extending his arms to show off his black hoodie adorned with gray and white stickers, making the hoodie look so cool. Truly the appearance of a main character.

And me? What am I wearing?

Plain black clothes and plain black pants without any design at all. Embarrassing.

"Do I know you?"

"Seriously? Is that the best response you can give?" Z asked.

It was a reflex, alright!

I'm sure you can feel how fast my heart is pounding. Do you want me to stutter in front of a main character like him? As a mere side character, I don't want to be further humiliated.

"You're the main character, idiot."

I know you're trying to make me feel better, but I value honesty more. I know it hurts, but that's the process of growing up, Z, you should know that.

Tsk tsk, how pitiful.

"Um, Zent? Are you okay? You've been mumbling to yourself since earlier."

I quickly adjust my posture, not wanting to be overshadowed by the aura of his greatness. But it only makes me feel more desperate, realizing that no matter what I do, he's still far superior to me. "I'm fine, thank you for asking. What's your reason for appearing here? Wait."

Didn't Iona mention about a strange man who defeated Zhao and Wei?

"Are you the one who injured Zhao Feng and Wei?"

"ZENT! WHAT ARE YOU DOING! WE'RE REALLY GONNA DIE!!"

Stay quiet. I won't let anyone hurt my friends, even if they're much stronger than me. Haven't I said it already? I won't let go of those who dare to touch the ones close to me.

"Blah blah blah, I know, Zent," he interrupted, making me slightly annoyed. "But Zent, you have to realize that the person in front of you is not human. No human could possess such immense power, not even a Demon. The last thing you want to do is provoke him," Z explained, suddenly becoming serious.

I know, Z, but if it's really him, maybe we can negotiate or at least ask why he did such a thing. We can't just stay in the dark, can we? We have to find a way to help save this world.

Besides, how do you even know what kind of power a Demon has?

"Just guessing."

Hmm...

"Zent, are you listening to me?" the man asked while lightly tapping his finger on my shoulder a few times.

"Hmm? Ah, no. What were you saying?"

He fell silent, took a deep breath, and then grinned at me. A grin that was anything but friendly. "I said, I'm the one who made them the way they are now.

Why? Do you want to seek revenge for them? You'd better think of a way to save your little princess and your girlfriend who are struggling in Alfcity.

You still need hundreds of years to face me, Zent. I came here to meet you because your soul feels intriguing. But since you weren't around, I thought maybe bringing the pirates to attack Elecya could lure you out, but that didn't work either. So, I took matters into my own hands to deal with your two Murim friends, and behold! Here you are!"

I clenched my fists tightly, trying to hold back my anger from striking him now because I knew it would be me lying weak on the ground. "So, you did all this, causing suffering to the lives of the elves just to find me?"

"Yes!" he replied cheerfully with an innocent smile, like a little child, which only made me more cautious.

"I don't know if you're a hardcore stalker or just a pervert, but I'm not interested in men, and I already have a girlfriend. You should find someone else to fulfill your weird desires."

Damn it, I said it out of anger.

"Hmm... You're actually braver than I thought," he responded, moving closer to my face, examining my eyes closely, as if searching for something within them, before finally stepping back and showing the same smile. "Well, never mind. I know I've gone too far.

I just couldn't resist myself from doing it because your soul, it's so captivating. Farewell." He turned around, walking away while waving his hand as if this were a normal life and not in the midst of a war.

"You don't want to be responsible for this!?" I retorted, unable to restrain myself any longer, infuriated by his infuriating behavior.

Damn it, he thinks he can do whatever he wants just because he has power?

"SO MANY HAVE SUFFERED BECAUSE OF YOU, YOU BASTARD!!"

"Oh my.. Well then, bid farewell. Glory Hunt ends here-"

"Do I look like someone who cares about that?" he replied coldly, turning back to me before finally disappearing, vanishing into a black shadow and merging with the road like liquid ink. Leaving me alone in the middle of the road, standing in silence as if just dumped by someone.

"Even though I'm not in a relationship with him, it feels like I just got dumped."

"Are you gay?"

That's not it, you bastard!

"I was just kidding. If you're gay, that would mean I'm gay too because I am you, but I'm not gay, so it goes the same for you."

What on earth...

Z emerged from his hiding place, sighing with relief, and dropped his body, leaning against the tree trunk behind him. "What I want to say is that we're lucky, Zent.

If he were someone who couldn't control his emotions, we might have turned into dust by now. I know you're angry and feeling useless, but you can't just unleash your anger like that.

Especially towards someone you yourself aren't sure if you can defeat or not. It would be a foolish gamble in my opinion, a gamble that would have surely meant your demise. It's a miracle that you managed to escape."

But I really dislike how he treats other people's lives as if they mean nothing. Too many have suffered because of this, Z, too many have suffered for a reason that isn't even significant.

Searching for me? What nonsense? He's not the creator of the universe or anything.

"DAMN IT!!"

"Um, Zent..."

I turned around, finding the figure of Ren trembling in fear, probably because of my earlier outburst.

"It's definitely because you shouted."

Alright, it's because I shouted earlier.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm down the raging anger within me, and walked towards him. "Let's go back, Ren. I'm sure the others are waiting. That's why you came to fetch me, right?"

The teenager nodded, lowering his head, aware that he had been disobedient to the Captain's orders. I gently stroked his head as I passed by, offering a little comfort that might help him.

On the way back to White Leaf's hiding place, my mind was filled with questions from the man's words that I had just realized.

What really happened in Alfcity?

Unconsciously, my right hand had already struck the wall of the underground space beside me. Small cracks appeared, causing me to click my tongue in frustration at the harsh reality of my own weakness.

Ren fell silent, shocked by what had just happened.

As he was about to catch up with Zent ahead, his mouth hung wide open as he witnessed the small cracks from earlier transform into a large crevice, ultimately crumbling the wall and revealing a massive hole that concealed Zent's true power.

Behind, there was no solid rock, but instead, a vast empty space formed from the impact.

The teenager turned to look at Zent, who was already far ahead, questioning himself whether Zent was truly an ordinary human or not.

Because if he was, Ren wasn't sure if he could consider him human at all. He seemed more like a dormant monster, waiting for the right moment to rise and astonish the world.