Inside the mysterious realm, at the peak of a mountain where the wind roared fiercely.
"Where the hell am I?" Nox muttered under his breath, scanning the environment with sharp, calculative eyes. The last thing he remembered was being teleported away, and now he...
Suddenly, Nox's thoughts were interrupted by a slow clap.
"Well, well, I see they've delivered you straight to me," came a mocking voice.
Nox snapped toward the direction the voice had come from in a flash, and his eyes narrowed, a dangerous light flickering within them as he recognized the person.
Appearing from the direction of the mocking voice was a figure clad in blue robes that fluttered in the wind. A cocky grin played on his features, and his eyes flashed with irritation, as if he were staring down at someone far beneath him—like one would look at an ant.
For a moment, I thought it was him because of their appearance, Nox thought, narrowing his eyes. Are they related?
At that moment, his eyes sparkled with realization. Now that I remember, even those three looked very similar.
It was the only thought that came to mind after seeing this uncanny resemblance. Though he still had lingering doubts about who this person was, as they hadn't met before entering the mysterious realm, one thing was certain.
This person was an enemy.
"I won't ask your name or your goal for this. I only have one simple request." The aura around Nox changed drastically at that moment, becoming more dangerous as he added in a cold, dark tone, "Take me back to my teammates, or do you want me to force you myself?"
"Hmph, big words for someone who got beaten up badly by my little brother." Adam, the firstborn, sneered as he took a step forward, cracking his knuckles. "I was told you're the second-strongest person in this tournament—second only to Hendrix, of course."
Nox narrowed his eyes as Adam continued. "That little bastard also seemed obsessed with you for some strange reason... so I thought I'd see what all the fuss was about myself," Adam finished, his sneer deepening as he rolled his shoulders. "But from where I'm standing, you don't look so impressive."
So he is related to him. Nox's suspicion was right. This person was not only Hendrix's relative but his eldest brother... which made him an enemy! Nox didn't care if this brother had no hand in what happened to him and his people back in the barony.
To him, anyone who shared the same blood as Hendrix was as vile and cruel as Hendrix himself, and they would all receive equal treatment! At first, Nox's aura had been slightly contained, but after realizing who Adam was, a tremendous wave of energy burst forth from him and slammed into Adam.
"So you're just here to stroke your ego? Or is this some twisted family bonding exercise?" Nox asked, his gaze unwavering as he closed the little distance between them.
The thick, suffocating murderous aura forced Adam a couple of steps back, and a mixture of confusion and surprise crossed his features.
T-This... is this killing intent? he thought, an incredulous glint in his eyes. Nox was just ten—could it be this little boy had already made his first kill? That was the only explanation that came to mind as he felt the aura.
"Why?" Nox's calm, cold voice echoed through the surroundings. "Why do you look so scared all of a sudden, as if you've seen a ghost?"
The confusion and surprise vanished from Adam's face in an instant as he bellowed, "Who said I'm scared? Your fickle amount of killing intent doesn't scare me! I'll admit I was surprised for a little bit there, but don't think for a second that I fear you, kid!" Adam's sneer twisted into a grin as his own aura flared, clashing with Nox's.
Adam's aura was overwhelming. It made the air crack with tension and could force most people to their knees, spitting blood. It was several times more powerful than Nox's, yet Nox remained calm and composed, as if Adam's aura were nothing more than a breeze grazing his face.
"What?!" Adam's eyes widened in shock as he saw this! He had expected Nox to crawl on his knees and beg, but... he was perfectly fine. T-There was even a smile on his face! How was this possible?
"Your aura is nothing compared to what I faced in Snowhelm," Nox stated, his voice cutting through the silence. He took one big step and appeared in front of the stunned Adam, as if he had stepped straight out of a horror movie! Then, his fist shot forward like a bolt of lightning.
The large fist reflected in Adam's wide eyes. The speed! It was too blinding! Adam hadn't even noticed when Nox made a move.
The next moment, Adam found himself flying through the air, an arc of blood escaping from his mouth.
A resounding BOOM echoed throughout the area as Adam's body crashed hard into the ground, forming a relatively deep crater with him at the core. A cloud of dust briefly shrouded the crater.
"H-How? He's clearly lower level than me, and I'm already level 20! This doesn't make sense!" Within the dust cloud, Adam struggled to make sense of what had just happened, his eyes full of confusion.
As the dust slowly cleared, he saw Nox looming over him like a giant statue, blocking the sunlight. His figure cast a long shadow across the ground, making Adam gulp down a mouthful of saliva. Those dark eyes, filled with malevolence, only added to his unease. The previous arrogance had completely vanished from Adam's face without a trace.
Without saying a word, Nox stretched his hand and wrapped it around the skull of the dazed Adam, pulling him out of the crater. With a swift kick to Nox's midsection, Adam loosened Nox's grip slightly and distanced himself.
"Hmph, bastard! Let's see how cocky you'll be after I activate my skill!" Adam sneered. His initial plan had been to beat Nox without relying on his class skills, but... things had changed. He needed to stop underestimating Nox and take this fight seriously.
"You can take your time," Nox simply yawned, waving his hand dismissively.
"Hahaha! I bet you've never witnessed a mutant-class awakening in action! If you had, you wouldn't be this confident!" Adam laughed.