A voice rang out across the empty ground.
The sound of impacting metal echoed in repetition over that lonely environment.
"That hurts..." Hector groaned, grimacing as he struggled to get up after the fall.
He tightly clenched his cane, a B-Rank artifact, using it as support to prop himself up.
"That’s all my power... I can’t do anything more..." Hector sighed and slowly sat down, exhausted after hours of intense training with his instructor.
Then, he took a healing capsule from his space system and chewed it, savoring the taste.
Over time, all the wounds on his body healed.
Michael breathed deeply. Then, he glanced at Hector for a moment before speaking, tired, worried.
"Honestly, you’re bad at all combat skills... but you’re missing one thing far more vital than any of that... Do you know what it is?"
Hearing that, Hector simply shook his head, confused.
He didn’t understand what Michael was saying.
"You barely have the will to survive! In short, you’ve never truly tried to use all the power you have."
Michael locked his gaze onto Hector as he spoke.
"That was something I saw in you from the very beginning... but now, I don’t see it anymore! Right now, tell me—WHY?"
A heavy silence followed.
Hector slowly furrowed his brows while looking off into the distance, his mind lost in thought.
"I don’t exactly know what you mean."
"I always try to handle everything with my full strength and intelligence."
"Alright! That will be your homework... I have nothing more to teach you! Each person has their own style, and I don’t want a copy of myself." Michael nodded, his face showing no emotion in response to Hector’s answer.
However, what he worried about was something else. At first, he suspected Hector was trying to trick him, but after months of practice, he changed his mind.
Hector seemed to have lost his memory, or something along those lines. Michael couldn’t explain it clearly, especially since he still remembered the very first time they met.
At first, during training, Hector looked just like a normal child. But then his growth in strength became absurd, as if he was trying to prove he was some kind of genius—someone who could rise from an ordinary boy to a martial arts master in just six months.
But in truth, it wasn’t really growth. It was a recovery.
Hector was regaining his old strength. He would soon be powerful again, strong enough to rival the prodigies of the Big Clans. Still, to him, the process felt far too slow. To truly push himself, Hector needed a stronger motivation.
Better, He wouldn’t say those to him; he would be complacent.
He wasn’t disappointed or bored.
"Huh? Is that so?" Hector asked, looking puzzled.
"Can you give me a hint?"
A few seconds later, Michael shifted his gaze back to Hector and spoke in a cold voice.
"You will understand soon. But I want you to remember—don’t rely too much on your ability."
"When things become too easy, but your skill doesn’t match, you’ll never grow."
"Don’t choose a dull path... or you’ll regret it."
"H-Huh? W-What do you mean?" Suddenly, Hector began to shudder at Michael’s words, his voice uneasy.
In truth, Hector felt as if Michael was reading his thoughts. His words were eerily precise—almost as if he knew the future.
"Tsk! Don’t bother trying to hide it from me!" Michael scoffed. "I assume that I probably possess something—an ability to predict the future, or something similar... You always stay unnaturally calm, and there’s this strange certainty in your demeanor, as if you already know everything before it happens."
"W-What the fuck?! Have I really been doing that?" Hector staggered back a few steps, his eyes filled with horror as he stared at Michael.
"Impossible! How could he see through me?" he thought in panic.
He dug deeper into his memories, and a chill ran down his spine.
"T-That’s right! I... I’ve always been acting like I know everything."
Yet, a few seconds later, his expression became visibly disturbed as he heard Michael’s next words.
"That’s the second lesson I want to teach you!... No... more precisely, I’ve told you this before!"
"Although you forgot!... This time, you won’t forget!"
"Y-You tricked me!" Hector scowled, pointing at Michael with angry eyes.
Michael let out a breath, shaking his head lightly as he responded calmly.
"Don’t say that... You’re just too innocent to realize when you’re being tricked."
"Do you really think I have all the time in the world to observe every little thing?"
Michael repeated himself, his voice firm.
"Damn! How could I make such a stupid mistake?" Hector pressed his forehead with his fingers, avoiding Michael’s sharp gaze.
"He’s right! My body always reacts instinctively, answering his questions even when I try to lie!... Michael told me this a long time ago."
"I automatically give him answers, even when he’s just guessing or throwing out random thoughts!"
"Don’t worry! I don’t enjoy it... I’ve seen several people with similar abilities, but they all died by my hand." Michael added.
"They always become complacent with their abilities, but against absolute power, all are just trash."
"Of course, there are many different types out there... and one of them is something special..."
"For example: The Wolf Clan’s ability, or..." Michael’s voice trailed off as he recalled something he didn’t want to say.
His voice grew heavier.
"Haizz! Again!" He gave Hector a tense glance before continuing.
"If you meet someone from the Harmon clan, just run... just run."
"Huh? Harmon? What is that?... Which clan?" Hector narrowed his eyes, confused.
"So... your ability has a certain limit!... You don’t know him?"
Hector’s face darkened. It seemed that he would not say anything more to Michael, who always repeated lies to him.
"I’m just joking... Yet, what I said is true." Michael laughed, "Those clans have a kind of ability to see the future in a few seconds... It’s a dangerous ability!"
He decided not to say anything more and guessed it was time to leave. He didn’t want to stay any longer.
Yet, before he stepped a short distance, Michael’s voice echoed.
Then, something was thrown toward Hector... It was a strange, monotonous coin, just like any other coin.
It flew through the air and quickly fell into Hector’s hand.
"What is this?" Hector felt the coldness of the coin in his hand while glancing at Michael, who was standing at a distance. He asked with a curious voice.
"Well... It’s a badge that proves that you’re my student... Keep it for yourself." Michael shrugged his shoulders, smiling lightly.
However, contrary to what Michael thought, Hector just shouted loudly in disgust.
"What the fuck! I’m not gay!"