He can't be that bad... Right?

Kuroko ignored all the notifications and kept running. Eventually they reached an exit point and cautiously walked out of the building.

When they both realised they were safe for now, they sighed in relief.

"That was one hell of a day. I feel like I should head home and take a shower." Kuroko said, exhausted.

"Can I come with you?" Yui asked.

"... You don't have a house?"

"No."

"How do you survive?"

"I steal."

"Alright, that's good enough for me."

"Really?"

"Sure."

Yui furrowed her eyebrows.

"Come on, if this is the theatre, then it should take around 5 - 10 minutes if we walk." He said while trying to make a mental map of the village in his head.

And so, they walked. Every now and then Yui would turn her head to check if anyone would sneak up on them.

"Oh, I just realised that I leveled up twice after that! Plus, I got a new skill - Strong wind." Kuroko wasn't too surprised because he did defeat a level 60 slime after all.

"Well, you did kill something that high of a level." Yui responded.

"That's true but I might want to try this skill out soon."

When they got to the Elder's house, they were met with a different guard but she was skinnier, slightly shorter and had long black hair but was more relaxed than the other behemoths. Kuroko and Yui instantly tensed up and got more wary.

"Hey. I got direct orders from the General to inform you guys what's happening. So, we have taken over your village and got your Elder as prisoner. Everything will be the same but a different hierarchy and different rules." Her voice felt strong but feminine in a way.

"Good that dad is safe."

"No. No he isn't. He was being tortured for this very rare necklace called 'Necklace of the lost' that he stole from someone important." The woman denied him instantly.

Kuroko buried his face in his hands.

'Dad can't be that bad.'

Then Kuroko remembered all the times that the Elder cared for him and finally, thinking of his most recent words to him. `Please don't come for me now. Get stronger and sav-`

With a determined look on his face, he said, "I will save the Elder."

"Sure buddy. But you'll have to get through me, the General, this entire army and at some point, 𝙝𝙞𝙢. Anyway, that's all I have to say to you two, good luck on beating the General." She said as she wondered off.

Yui looked over at Kuroko and admired his spirit and perseverance.

"Let's go inside."