Raynas and Elly

---

The battle was over in an instant as compared to everyone else; Nero was too weak. Two figures stood back when he challenged the Tyrant Slime and observed in silence. As they saw how the slime knocked him unconscious, they couldn’t help but laugh in mockery as he unconsciously lay on the ground.

The Tyrant Slime yawned in boredom; it reformed into normal slime form and jumped back onto the boulder at the center of the riverside.

“Pssh! That guy is no different trash. Master was right; he’s nothing more than a useless stud.”

“Indeed, he couldn’t even land a hit on the beginner slime. The master shouldn’t be wasting his time on him. He’s not worth it.”

The two men discussed while leaving the area; one turned around and made a slightly pensive look as he spoke to his companion.

“That’s right, but isn’t he a bit too lacking? He doesn’t even know any basic combat arts of any family or dojo. Is he even a part of a Digitizer Union? It doesn’t make sense for someone from a union to lack combat knowledge.”

The other man looked at Nero before he shook his head and replied, “Indeed, but the only explanation for this is if he’s some commoner citizen that awakened, but we both know how rare that is. For now, let’s forget about him. Once we show the recording to the young lord of the family, I’m sure it will appease his jealousy.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” replied the former.

Promptly, the duo had left this region, disappearing behind the ripples of the arched tree entrance that appeared once more before vanishing.

Time passed, and a few other beginners would occasionally come to challenge the Tyrant Slime; some would win easily, and others would succeed after a fierce fight. After each bout, each of them would perform a similar action before they left, staring at the unconscious youth with eyes filled with disdain.

Eventually, a different party appeared; they were the brother-sister duo wearing refined armor and equipment. The sturdy-looking brown-haired man in heavy armor looked around and sighed as he spoke to the petite girl with long chestnut-brown hair.

“Elly, why are you bothering to rechallenge it? Haven’t you beaten it enough times already? You should know you won’t be getting any exp to level up again,” the man said while shaking his head.

Elly looked up at her brother and shook her slender fists as she spoke, “Big Brother Raynas, I want to join that ranking list, I have to prove myself before the date of the Legacy Gate, and the best way to do that is to show that I can easily overcome my current self.”

“Hmm? That’s a good mindset. So you want to compete with those rising monsters. Haha, my little sister, you sure are ambitious, but I love it! Fine, I’ll let you have your way, don’t take too long. We need to hurry and level you up,” Raynas said with a smile as he looked at her.

“Hehe, as if I’ll even need ten seconds,” Elly said as she cheerfully went toward the Tyrant Slime’s direction, but right then, her eyes shifted to the side as she noticed a familiar face.

Elly knitted her brows before she spoke, “It’s that pretty face womanizer from the village, hmph! He’s so useless!”

“Hmm?” Raynas also noticed Nero. He couldn’t help but shake his head as he spoke, “Poor guy, he must have given it his all. I wonder just what kind of fierce fight he must have had to end up like this?”

Elly spoke, “Brother; he’s no expert; he just arrived today and barely has any weapons. He’s likely doing the beginner version of the quest, and for him to lose against that Tyrant Slime, he’s no different from a weakling!”

Raynas couldn’t help but shake his head and spoke, “Yes, it’s such a pity.”

Elly no longer paid Nero’s corpse any attention; she pulled out a short sword and stood at a spot in silence. Soon, her action triggered the Tyrant Slime’s combat routine.

The Tyrant Slime then appeared before her and transformed into her. It carried a stern look, far different from the kind shown to ordinary people and Nero, as if it knew this would be a fierce battle.

A calm wind blew across the lush field, rustling the grass and plants as it swayed the dress on their bodies and hair as they faced each other in a classic standoff.

“Swiftness!” Elly yelled as the Tyrant Slime made a similar cry, a dim magic power their feet as they dashed forward simultaneously. They blurred as they charged toward each other at speed, no different from a speeding car driving on the highway.

“Sword’s Blossom!” The two shouted at the same time, invoking a special skill.

Instantly, a torrent of sword magic power flowed from her weapon, forming a sea of semi-transparent blossoms that swirled around as if guided by the wind. Their figures became indistinct, as if the buds had hidden them from sight.

Oh, so she’s using that already. While it’s not as good as the skill of her yet-to-be-awakened Plum Blossom Digitize Card, her mastery of the Sword Blossom Emission skill is enough to prove her progress.

Raynas watched the battle with calm but satisfied eyes, a smile creeping onto the corner of his lips. 

The sounds of metal hitting each other resounded as if one could perceive the scene more clearly. They would even see a few flashes of white arcs and sword sparks. Occasionally, one would see Elly and the Tyrant Slime shifting positions as they attacked each other over and over, their swords hitting the same spots each time.

Eight seconds after the battle had begun, Elly, now ready to finish this battle, charged to the Tyrant Slime’s flank. Her sword was moments away from finishing it, but strangely, she frowned as her feet tripped over something. Her petite body fell on top of Nero, who rested on the ground. 

The Tyrant Slime didn’t let this chance pass it. It sneered as it swung its sword down with great force, Elly reacted quickly, but it was swift enough. With a loud bang, a shockwave formed due to their clash, knocking Nero back as it smashed into a rock at the corner of the field.

“No!” Elly cried out remorsefully as she fell back due to the force of the attack, her arm, which held her weapon, gave out, causing her to fall to the ground. The Tyrant Slime sneered and swung the sword halting it at her neck as if proclaiming victory.

“I… lost,” Elly said, a bit dizzy as the notification of quest failure sounded in her mind, but the Tyrant Slime ignored her and jumped back onto its rock as it returned to its slime form.

Raynas wanted to laugh, but as he saw his sister’s look, he held it in and spoke, “Elly, come on now, it’s okay. You can always try another day.”

Elly, a bit tearful, rose from the ground brushing off the dirt from her buttocks and pointed at in the distance Nero.

“Brother, it’s all his fault, this darn pretty-faced devil!” Elly cursed as she stepped forward at high speeds wanting to teach Nero a lesson.

“Elly!” Raynas shouted in a rage, no longer showing his gentle brotherly look.

With his shout, Elly soon came to her senses; she halted a little bit away from Nero and murmured, “Oops.”

Raynas blurred and appeared at her side, smacking her head with his fists as he reprimanded, “Elly! How many times have I told you? It would help if you learned to control your anger; it is for this reason that you are transferring. You should know that this kid had to do with your loss. You failed because you weren’t aware of your surroundings. You even got him injured because of your fight!”

“I… I’m sorry, brother, I didn’t mean to; I just lost my focus for a bit,” Elly said while lowering her head.

“I know, I know… my little sister isn’t bad, come, let’s go check on his condition.” Raynas said with a sigh as he rubbed her head, he then began to walk over to Nero.

“O-Okay.” Elly replied as she followed.

The duo was only moments away from arriving at Nero’s side, but soon, Nero suddenly jumped up, looking around in shock and alarm as he spoke, “Who? What? Where am I?”

Nero didn’t seem to be in the right state of mind, as everything looked blurry in his eyes. The blow to his head was far more damaging than the shockwave to his body. He gripped his head as he felt a surge of pain far beyond the kind he had to face against the thugs in real life.

“I… I can’t believe I lost to that darn bastard!” Nero cursed out loud while grasping his head in pain. He now recalled his battle against the Tyrant Slime.

Raynas and Elly looked at each other in surprise. Raynas then asked with a concerned look, “Hey there, kid, you okay?”

Elly remained silent, standing by her brother’s side as she peeked at him with a hint of embarrassment. She thought that she was the one who caused him to lose common sense due to the battle from before.

Nero, whose eyes were still blurry, couldn’t make out anything; he only saw two silhouettes, one which seemed like a square-shaped giant, and the other had a slender petite form.

As the pain had now fallen a bit, Nero could think better. He knew the duo must also be challengers of the quest, so he replied, “I… I’m fine. I only, I…”

Nero felt a bit embarrassed. He recalled that he shouted out he was defeated just now. He didn’t want people to know of such a disgraceful thing. Yet, he knew that he couldn’t hide it from them, nor anyone else who must have seen him when he was unconscious.

Raynas knew Nero’s worry. He spoke, “Ah, that’s good; that’s good, as long as you are fine. Kid, we’ll be taking our leave. I’m sure we’ll meet again on another day.”

Raynas then began to leave the area. Elly looked at Nero deeply before she turned around. Her soft voice sounded in his ears, “Womanizer…”

Nero had never heard a voice like this; it sounded akin to the calling of a charming spirit in a pristine lake of roses. If anything, only Nero’s mother could let him sense that soothing voice.

Nevertheless, the feeling didn’t last long as he recalled the latter’s words. Nero frowned as he spoke, “Who are you calling a womanizer?”

Nero soon recovered his senses; he slapped his head and closed his eyes before opening them again. Yet, by the time he did so, his vision had returned to normal, but no one was there but himself.

Nero didn’t feel good. He got trashed by a mere slime and mocked by an unknown girl. He sighed as he spoke in his mind, You know, you could have at least told me this was going to happen.

Unlike usual times of silence, Adult Nero replied, “I could, but I didn’t. It’s quite boring here, and I also need entertainment. Still, after experiencing it firsthand, I trust you already know your weakness.”

Nero gritted his teeth at this, but he didn’t bother to complain. His eyes showed a sharp look as he replied, “Correct.”

Adult Nero nodded and spoke, “Good, the day is still young, and it typically takes 24 hours before you get sent back to the original world. You should use the rest of this time to defeat this creature by any means necessary. If you can’t beat it, forget about finding the treasure or being the strongest. You won’t be able to do anything in these lands.”

Nero gritted his teeth at those words; he balled up his fists and sucked up his pride as he inwardly asked. Please teach me.

Adult Nero smirked and replied, “Naturally, I would have done so without you asking.”

After saying this, the world within Nero’s mind started to glow in bright lights as a new road appeared, one that would lead him to his destiny.