A week had already passed since Ryn's training with Zhan started. Sure, time does fly by fast, doesn't it? Anyway, within just a single week, Ryn had already reached the first essence of Ind Magic. His Eon Discharge and Eon Supply had boosted way beyond his normal capacity.
Zhan was quite... well, he felt pretty useless right now. The guy was drowning in drama because he envied how fast Ryn was growing. Though he didn't betray him as a teacher or anything. A man will always be a man, maybe.
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"Haah..."
Zhan sighed as he sat down on the grass, resting his head on his left hand like he was having some kind of crisis. He had never expected Ryn to grow this fast within a week—honestly, no one would.
"You certainly do keep surprising me, Ryn..."
"S-sorry, teach..."
"Ay! What ya apologizing for Ryn? You didn't do anything wrong here. Seems like this training will end way faster than I thought it would."
"..."
"Alright, come here."
"Hm?"
—What's he gonna do now...
Ryn approached Zhan, totally confused by this sudden request. Was it time for the second step already? The second lecture maybe?
Suddenly, Zhan grabbed Ryn just as he felt all the Eons focusing and packing up in one spot—Zhan's legs. He crouched down, coiling his legs like some kind of spring, then extended them and jumped. They shot up high into the sky, reaching the same height as the clouds themselves.
—What the fuck is happening here?!
Ryn widened his eyes in pure terror, shutting them tight and expecting they'd fall any second now. That's what he thought would happen anyway.
Before he knew it, when Ryn opened his eyes again, cool heavy wind was hitting his face. It was this relaxing sensation he'd never experienced in his life, but all of that changed right now.
"T-TEACH!? YOU CAN FLY!?"
Ryn exclaimed, waving his arms around in total panic, eyes wide as dinner plates.
"Hah! No need to be so scared, we won't die. I've been using this spell for quite a while now!"
"T-that's not what's important right now! I can sense this heavy, dense pack of Eons down there. It's like there's some powerful being hanging around!"
"Oh..?"
Zhan grinned, looking all devious as he stared at the dense Eon pack below them. He was definitely surprised that Ryn could actually sense it.
"Well, Ryn. Time for the second step."
"Huh..? What do you mean?"
A few seconds later, Zhan completely let go of Ryn, making him float for a few seconds in the sky before gravity kicked in.
"TEAAAAAAACHHHHHH!!!!"
When Ryn opened his eyes, he was already free falling, hundreds and hundreds of feet up in the air. The wind was blowing hard, hitting his face while adrenaline shot through his entire body.
Meanwhile, Zhan was just floating up there, watching Ryn fall like some crazy maniac. This definitely isn't what a teacher is supposed to do, right? Whatever's going on in this man's head is completely unreadable. His personality switches are way too sudden.
"WHAAAT DO YOU EXPECT ME... TO DOOOOOOO!?!?!?"
"Good luck, Ryn."
Zhan linked his hands together, hoping for the best for his student. Well, he should probably save him instead of just praying, since he actually has the power to do that.
"AAASHHWBXHDJWNXBDJUSBSBWJWJSBSBSJSJDNN DNDJDJDNDNDNDJEJDBDBDJEJEJDJNDN!!!!!"
Ryn's face stretched to its limits, looking like it was about to break apart any second now.
—FOCUS... FOCUS.. Focus... HOW CAN I FUCKING FOCUS WHEN I'M FALLING THROUGH THE SKYYYYYYYY!?!?!?!?!
Ryn smacked his face with both hands, making it bright red and clearing all the unnecessary thoughts from his head. After that, the crackhead finally managed to calm down.
—Alright... Visualize... Reason...
As Ryn got closer to the ground, he focused all his attention on judging the distance. He needed to time the execution of his spell just right. It was pretty unbelievable that he could actually focus in this crazy situation.
"NOW!"
*FWOOOOSHH!*
The wind gathered up in one spot, acting like a cushion for Ryn to land on. He made it down completely unfazed and uninjured.
"T-THAT WAS INSANE..."
"I FUCKING DID IT TEACH! YOU SEE THAT!?"
"HAHAHA!"
"Hah! He really did pull it off."
Zhan laughed at Ryn, actually tearing up because he couldn't believe it. He'd been a hundred percent sure that Ryn would fail at saving himself, so he'd made sure to put a safety magic circle underneath him just in case. But it looked like that precaution wasn't needed after all.
"But,"
"That's still not everything. Time for lesson one."
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*RUMBLE*
*RUMBLE*
"D-damn it... What the hell is that now!?"
Ryn exclaimed as he quickly took up a fighting stance, completely rattled by the sudden ground shaking beneath his feet. It felt like massive footsteps were smashing against the hard earth itself, each one sending vibrations through his bones. The sound alone was enough to make his stomach drop.
But with a monster this huge, it was gonna be serious trouble for Ryn to handle. A kid is still just a kid after all, one who hadn't grown strong enough or gained the experience needed for something like this. He was way out of his league here.
—J-just what the fuck is that thing!?
Ryn raised his head up slowly, staring at this completely disfigured humanoid creature towering above him. His heart started beating way faster than before, blood pumping through his veins like crazy. This time it wasn't adrenaline rushing through his system—it was pure, raw fear.
The humanoid creature had its skin completely ripped and torn off in chunks, showing the raw muscles and white bones underneath. Its nerves were hanging down like bloody ropes, creating this image that looked like some kind of never-ending nightmare from hell. The thing had its eyes wiggling around like fat worms, already hanging outside of their sockets but still somehow staring directly at Ryn.
"N-not only that... but the Magic Power radiating from it... It's way stronger than mine!"
Ryn muttered under his breath, trying his best to stay calm while taking deep breaths one at a time. His hands were shaking slightly.
—One wrong move here, and I'm completely screwed.
Ryn thought as he started moving carefully to the left, testing to see if the monster would react to his movement. But he made one critical mistake—he took his eyes off his opponent for just a quick second to check his footing. When he looked back up, the thing was already gone.
*Fwshhh....*
Dust flew up in the air from where the creature had been standing. Each particle fell back down slowly.
—DAMN IT! I'M SO STUP—
Before he could finish his thought or say anything else, the creature was already right in front of him. Left foot planted forward, right fist curled and coiled back like a loaded spring, the creature's mouth twisted into this sick, devious smile. Its tongue was sticking out, like it was straight up mocking Ryn.
"SHIT—"
*SLAM!*
The punch connected hard against Ryn's face, completely disfiguring his features as the impact sent him flying backward at crazy high speeds. He crashed through multiple thick trees like they were paper, wood splinters exploding everywhere around him. He traveled through the air for a full five seconds before finally slamming into a cliff wall with a sickening thud.
"G-ghrugh..."
Ryn coughed violently, blood pouring out of his mouth and chest in steady streams. He couldn't move a single muscle in his body. He was ready to give up right there, his spirit completely crushed by the overwhelming power difference. This was a fight he never could've won from the very beginning.
—STAND UP, RYN. I CAN'T DIE LIKE THIS. NOT LIKE THIS!
—ZHAN... HE WON'T BE ABLE TO HELP ME FROM UP THERE..! EVEN HE'S NOT EXPECTING A MONSTER OF THIS LEVEL TO SHOW UP...
Ryn's heart sank deep into his chest as he felt the ground start shaking again underneath him. He got goosebumps all over his body just from the sheer terror this creature was putting him through. He instinctively took a step back, his foot jolting.
After a few seconds of sudden, deadly silence, Ryn felt a tiny bit of relief wash over him. But when those heavy footsteps came back—even louder and deeper than before—the creature finally stepped out of the darkness again.
"S-shit... Then, COME AT ME, BITCH!"
*CRACK*
Ryn dashed straight toward the monster with everything he had, his left foot leading the charge and his body ready to brake hard on impact.
*KRSHHHG*
His left foot hit the ground with serious force, scraping off dirt and rocks while leaving this thick line behind him like a trench. Ryn coiled his left hand into a tight fist, ready to extend it at any moment, but he delayed the punch for just a few milliseconds. He was expecting the creature to counter.
And it did exactly that.
—Visualize the target, reason through the timing... EXECUTE THE PLAN!
Ryn's fist got completely enveloped by bright green fire and swirling particles, the energy wrapping around his entire arm and acting like a powerful thruster to boost his punch. But that wasn't even all he had planned.
"DECOMPRESSION, IMPACT!"
*KAA———BOOOOM!*