Zhou Rui and Julius were momentarily stunned.
They hadn't expected this.
To be thrown into a battle against Marcus's own friend—the man known as Jonathan Jozelle—was the last thing they had anticipated.
Marcus simply smiled, as if this was nothing out of the ordinary.
"Yeah, sure." He nodded casually.
Jonathan stood up from the wooden chair, the glint of excitement in his purple eyes.
"Well then, let's head to my farm and have our battle there."
Marcus rose too, stretching his arms before nodding.
"Sounds good to me."
He turned toward Zhou Rui and Julius with a smirk.
"You boys up for this?"
But the moment he looked at them, he could see it—the subtle tremble in their legs, the way their eyes widened in anxiety. They were both frozen in fear.
Zhou Rui gulped and whispered,
"But Lord Marcus… isn't your friend on the same level as you?"
Marcus tilted his head with a grin.
"Yeah, he is. So what? Are you scared?"
Julius snapped, though uneasily,
"Scared, my ass. But if he's at your level… how the hell are we supposed to beat him?"
Marcus crossed his arms and said sternly,
"You weren't like this when I first met you, Julius. Where's your fire now? Show some spirit—both of you. If you two fight with proper coordination, you can win against him."
Jonathan grabbed his large battle axe, which was resting near the wall, and slung it across his shoulder with ease.
"Come on. Follow me."
Julius and Zhou Rui hesitantly stood up, exchanging one last nervous glance, and followed Jonathan.
Marcus walked behind them, calm and confident.
They exited the living room, passing through the open kitchen on the way to the backdoor.
The kitchen was neat and organized.
Two ceiling-mounted gas stoves were on the far end of the counter. To the right of them stood a silver-colored utensil rack, loaded with clean plates, spoons, glasses, and cups.
Just beside the rack was a steel tap with a built-in dishwasher below it.
Above the entire counter were several glass-front cupboards, displaying neatly arranged glassware and crockery.
Amanee stood at the sink, washing the dishes, while Lance and Lisa carefully placed the cleaned items on the drying rack.
She looked up and asked,
"Where are you all going?"
Jonathan replied without turning,
"I want to test these two boys' strength."
Amanee raised a brow and said with a light chuckle,
"Just don't wreck the place, please."
Jonathan grinned,
"Alright, honey."
The door leading to the farm looked like the main one—wooden and traditional, with iron hinges.
Jonathan opened it, and it creaked loudly as it swung open.
What lay before them was astonishing.
A vast farm, much larger than what they'd seen from outside the house. It stretched far into the distance.
Julius blinked, shocked.
"Wait… this wasn't behind the house from the outside!"
Jonathan looked over his shoulder, smiling like a magician revealing his trick.
"I used a spatial spell to shift it into a pocket dimension. We're inside that dimension now."
Zhou Rui and Julius exchanged a glance, their faces pale.
The scenery, however, was almost surreal.
The grass was a vibrant emerald, swaying softly under the clear blue sky where the sun hung like it would in the real world.
Around them were peculiar creatures—bulky pig-like beasts with massive tusks protruding from their mouths and enormous, wing-like ears. Their skin was pink, but their size and muscle structure made them look intimidating.
Just then, Lance emerged from the kitchen.
Jonathan pointed toward the herd and said,
"Lance, guide the Buars to the corner."
Lance clapped his hands once, sharply. The Buars obediently moved toward the far edge of the farm and settled quietly.
Jonathan turned back to Julius and Zhou Rui.
"Alright boys, this entire field is now our battlefield. Are you ready?"
The two of them nodded, voices shaking.
"Y-Yeah…"
Lance taunted them from behind,
"Hah, these adults are such scaredy-cats."
Julius turned around, his eye twitching.
"What did you say, brat?"
But Lance had already run off to help his mother again.
Marcus leaned against the wooden wall beside the door with a smile.
"Good luck, both of you."
The farm was surrounded by wooden fences, clearly marking the boundary of this training ground.
Jonathan now stood a few meters ahead of them, gripping his battle axe with both hands. His aura was calm—but overwhelming.
"Come at me whenever you're ready," he said, eyes gleaming.
Without hesitation, Zhou Rui dashed forward.
His movement was sharp—too fast. Even Julius had trouble tracking him.
In Zhou Rui's right hand was his signature weapon: the Guardian Blade.
He swung it fiercely toward Jonathan—
But Jonathan vanished.
Disappeared into thin air.
Even Julius, with all his training, couldn't detect it. His jaw dropped.
"What!?"
Marcus, still leaning against the wall, smiled faintly.