"!!!" Tarkan widened his eyes in shock. Even the referees were ready to help Ragna.
For the second time of the day, Ragna surpassed their imagination again by not moving.
'No. I can't move?' Tarkan panicked, realizing something was wrong. 'There is something hard… No, is his bone so hard that this kick is not enough to break it? No way, Bone Hardening?'
Ragna's expression turned dark as he couldn't help but remember all his past memories.
"Aaahhh!" Ragna was blown away by the beast as the rest of the team members actually left him behind. They were running away because the beasts were too strong and as a guardian he was supposed to protect their rear.
But because of his useless constitution, he ended up getting overwhelmed. And no one even bothered to help him.
However, Ragna managed to survive that as he came back with blood drenching his shirt. It was his own blood. Due to his body, he ended up surviving again.
In another group, they ended up expelling him again. "Sorry. We can't bring you anymore. You're simply too weak as a guardian."
Another group gave him a different experience. They were more brutal as they actually beat him up.
He could still remember the person who beat him black and blue with a huge grin on his face. "Hahaha. You can really recover from this? Instead of being a guardian, I think you're more suitable to be our punching bag."
Eventually, his manager from the agency that recruited him after knowing his evolution rate apologized to him. With his head hanging low, he said, "I'm sorry, Ragna. I've done my best, but I can't keep you here anymore due to the lack of results."
Everyone abandoned him. They did everything they wanted to him. Yet his body refused to die.
It was painful, but every single time, he remembered the promise he made when he was a child. He had to live on, not just for his sake.
Despite being beaten up… despite bleeding all over the body, he just returned another day.
'I'm sick of this. I'm tired. Why do I have to experience all this? Even I don't want this body… I want to be a capable guardian. Why?' Ragna was breaking down from time to time.
He always asked why he had to suffer and thought about ending it all, yet his body refused to die. He didn't know how many times he stopped himself from committing suicide.
And that was when he met this new group called Libation Fiesta.
Each person had unbelievable strength. Yet they didn't actually mind having a useless person in their group. No, they didn't even see him as useless.
He didn't know why until that encounter with the Tier 4 beast.
Clovis gave him items that actually solved his weakness. It was shocking… It felt surreal.
Clovis sat next to him while saying, "You can keep those items for now."
"Are you sure? What if I run away?"
"That's fine. Well, my family will probably try to kill you, but all I can say is that… it's fine if you run away. After all, it just means that you're not going to be able to fulfill your ambition."
"Yeah. Even if you run away right now, those items won't be able to help you as you continue to progress. Their effects will become lesser and lesser due to the gap between tiers."
"…" Ragna looked down, falling into deep thought. "Ambition, huh? I have never thought about this, but Clovis, you are really from a big family… It must be nice."
"Well, I do have a great family. But do you know how high my evolution rate is?"
"Wha—!" Ragna widened his eyes in shock.
"You couldn't believe it? Well, I couldn't accept it at first. There aren't any family members that will protect me by my side. Yet their enemies are so many that I'm powerless against them. One mistake will lead me to my death. And I have to do it with only a 15% evolution rate."
"That's…" Ragna understood the burden. That evolution rate alone made him look hopeless, but Clovis didn't give up.
"Still…" Clovis raised his head, looking at the night sky. "I want to surpass my grandfather and become the greatest explorer."
"With that evolution rate?"
"Because of this evolution rate… I will surpass anyone's imagination and break the custom. But that's not the limit. Even as a Tier 9 explorer, my grandfather still fails to be with me and I have to fight against all odds just to survive. If I want to surpass him, I will need a group.
A group that can protect my family, defeat my enemy, and grow together with me so that even if I'm not there, I won't have to worry about anything."
Ragna didn't know why, but those words resonated in his heart. It felt like the fire in his heart that had stopped burning and kept giving up had been reignited.
"That's why…" Clovis extended his hand to Ragna. "I'll need you as my shield, Ragna. I'll give you the strength you desire, but in exchange, follow me as a member of my group. It's going to be a long journey, Ragna."
Ragna was stunned because Clovis worded it like it was already a done deal. But Ragna had a change of vision. After everything he had seen so far, Ragna had a feeling. If it were this person, he might be able to do it.
Taking his hand meant he would bind himself to this guy. But surprisingly, he didn't hesitate when making his decision.
"I haven't found the reason for me to love this group from all my heart, but I might find it pretty soon with such a captain. Fine with me. I'll become your shield… I shall protect everyone here, your family, as well as the group's honor." Ragna took Clovis's hand as he saw him smiling.
When Ragna remembered it, he couldn't help but smile as he blocked the kick with his arm.
'Yeah, yeah. It hurts… I already know that. However, he has asked me to win and that's what I will do. I've gotten sick in getting beaten and I might never escape from this fate. But this time, I'm also going to fight back.
'As long as my body refuses to die, I'll continue to fight on. I'll keep coming back up and become that person's shield.' Ragna gritted his teeth as his body started leaning forward.
"!!!" Tarkan gasped, not expecting that Ragna still had the power to move after blocking that kick. More importantly, since when did Ragna's right arm recover?
In that confusion, Ragna roared like a beast as though he were declaring his supremacy. He broke free from that kick and moved forward, punching Tarkan in the face. "Raaaaggghh!"
Tarkan felt much more than just a punch. It was powerful enough to break his nose. But more importantly, it was heavy… with responsibility. The punch blew him away, causing his body to bounce several times on the ground until he crashed into a pillar.
Ragna panted a few times as he looked at Tarkan, muttering inwardly, 'You must have your reason to suddenly fight with your legs. But I, too, have a reason to win. After all, I love this group so much.'