The water babbled through the wide mountain stream, echoing like it was retelling the stories of the forest.
The voices of merchants haggling, laughing, talking—mixed into each other and filled the air with a vivid liveliness.
The evening sun had begun to fall, dyeing the world in warm shades of orange.
Thump — thump — thump.
Hurried footsteps pressed into the soft grass.
-"Reina! Slow down a little!" Shun shouted.
-"It's because you're too slow, turtle boy!" Reina looked back, grinning, before she sprinted out of Shun's sight.
Shun stopped for a breath, one hand resting on his knee—yet a small smile still lingered on his lips.
-"Greedy Reina…"
He then raised his eyes toward the crimson-stained sky.
"Six more months… until they return.
I have to become stronger. At least… starting from now."
Shun kicked off the ground again and dashed after Reina's fading silhouette.
Fireflies and dragonflies drifted under the golden light.
The water of the large stream poured down, glittering like a mirror reflecting the sunset.
Clouds floated lazily across the sky, dissolving into the breeze—as if the heavens themselves were breathing.
-"Good afternoon, Mr. Nel!" Shun ran past the wooden house by the stream.
-"Oh, afternoon, Shun!" Mr. Nel said, wiping the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand, still holding an axe he had used to chop firewood.
-"Do you need my help with anything? I can do anything!" Shun said, brimming with energy.
-"No, not much…" Nel chuckled. "Anyway, Shun—your two older brothers have been away for seven months already. Don't you miss them?"
He poured Shun a cup of water.
They both sat down at the small wooden table.
-"Of course I do! But… I can't let my brothers get too far ahead of me forever. I want to become stronger too." Shun replied, drinking the water with determination.
-"Haha! You're becoming a man, kid. Thomas would be proud of you." Nel laughed and patted Shun's back.
-"Thank you, sir! But I'm still far behind my brothers. I'll catch up to them soon!" Shun grinned.
-"Oh right… you like Reina, don't you?" Nel teased with a sly smile. "You two are always together."
-"W-Well… I… I do like her a bit…" Shun stuttered, blushing. "Reina is kinda rough sometimes, but… I think she's cute. And really feminine too…"
Nel took a sip of water, exhaled slowly, then spoke:
-"You know… Reina is going to get married soon."
Shun froze.
-"W-What…?" his eyes widened, his voice cracking.
-"It's true. Her mother is going to send her to the Losga family—the wealthy household in the eastern district." Nel said calmly, pouring more water.
-"That's impossible! What are you talking about? Reina's only thirteen, fourteen! How could—" Shun's voice trembled.
-"When she turns eighteen, she has to marry." Nel explained quietly. "The two families made the agreement a long time ago. They said Reina's family owes the Losga house a major favor."
Shun's whole body stiffened.
His mouth hung open, his eyes wide—unable to believe what he just heard.
Shun lowered his head, voice trembling.
-"Thank you for telling me, sir… I'll be going now."
He stood up abruptly and sprinted off — searching for Reina.
He ran at full speed, breath ragged, heart pounding in his chest.
Inside his mind, memories of the two of them suddenly came flooding back:
"You couldn't even lift that wheel! You're so weak!"
"You eat so little — how are you supposed to get stronger, idiot?"
"Good night, Shun. Sleep tight, you blockhead."
Those echoes stabbed at him like blades — every memory hurt.
Shun ran through every place they used to go together: the stream, the meadow, the roads through the village.
He even ran to her house.
She wasn't there.
Then his eyes caught sight of a huge tree outside the village, where the sunset lay across the ground like molten gold.
In the distance — Reina was there, talking with a group of strangers.
Shun dashed towards them.
-"Shun? What are you doing here?" Reina turned, surprised.
-"Reina… is it true… you're going to get married?" Shun panted.
-"Yes. Reina will be my wife. Is there a problem?" a deep voice answered before she could speak.
Shun slowly turned around.
A young man much taller than him stood there, wearing a noble's coat, eyes sharp like steel reflecting the sunset under the tree's shadow.
-"I am Jogris Losga, son of Garmish Losga," he said with arrogant calm.
Two tall guards stood behind him like statues.
-"I don't care who you are," Shun shot back, steady and unwavering.
"But I won't let you take Reina away!"
Jogris raised an eyebrow.
-"And who exactly are you supposed to be?"
Shun clenched his fist — then smiled.
"I'm Shun — the future strongest hero in the world. Remember my name!"
Jogris let out a small disappointed sigh.
-"So confident… even I wouldn't dare boast like that.
I've heard about you from Reina. So then…"
He slowly drew his sword, steel catching the deep-red sunset.
-"…let's see what you can actually do."
-"STOP!" Reina yelled, jumping between them.
"Shun isn't trying to fight! He has nothing to do with this! Leave him alone!"
"No need, Reina! I'll fight him." Shun curled his lip into a grim smile.
Two guards tossed a sword to him. He bent, grabbed it, eyes hardening.
"All right!" Shun shouted and surged forward, swinging a heavy strike at Jogris.
Jogris easily sidestepped — then the two clashed, steel meeting steel, sparks flying with each blow.
-"You dare challenge me with that level of skill?" Jogris sneered.
-"Don't underestimate me!" Shun growled, unleashing a flurry that forced Jogris to step back.
He pressed on, striking repeatedly, but each blow was effortlessly parried. Shun gritted his teeth, sweat beading on his brow.
-"I told you — you're not at my level." Jogris said coldly, then with a flash of speed drove his sword through Shun's chest.
Shun's eyes went wide; he had no time to dodge — the blade tore across his torso.
-"Shun!" Reina cried, lunging forward to catch him.
-"Jogris! I told you Shun has nothing to do with this! Leave him alone!" Reina spat, anger plain in her voice.
Jogris curled his lip.
-"A weakling like him… is unworthy to sit beside Reina. He should bow to her, that's all he deserves."
-"You bastard!" Shun ground out, clutching his wound to staunch the blood.
-"If you can't even protect the girl who matters to you, then who can you save?" Jogris said, turning away and striding off with his guards.
He rode off toward the east. Shun watched him go, his chest burning — part fury, part shame, part a fierce hunger for recognition. Jogris was far stronger, and that stung.
He clenched his fists until his knuckles went white.
-"Shun! Why were you even here?! Do you know that facing Jogris means certain death?! The Losga clan has a law: anyone who dares to fight them is killed — if they don't yield, it's considered an insult to the Losga family's strength!" Reina said hurriedly as she helped Shun back into the village.
-"I don't care who he is. If he so much as lays a finger on you, I'll tear him into a hundred pieces!" Shun whispered, his eyes burning with resolve.
-"You're all mouth when you're like this! Rest and conserve your strength, idiot," Reina scolded, the old teasing habit returning.
-"Reina… I may be weak now, but I swear I will never let my family or the people I love be harmed. I swear it with my life!" Shun said, his voice grave.
-"Alright, alright — enough already!" Reina squeezed his shoulder tighter as she supported him.
"OW—EASY, REINA!" Shun yelled, wincing in the amber light of dusk. Crows passed overhead, their wings cutting the air — a sharp echo to the tension that had just passed.
-"Hello Eobard, working hard as always huh?"
The curtain slid aside as Drake, Willin and Bruno entered. They stood there watching Eobard tending to wounded patients.
-"Oh? Your group isn't out searching for Miliana anymore?" Eobard asked, continuing his treatment without looking up.
-"We've searched all over Gustavo but… it feels like Miliana isn't there at all. She must be held somewhere we don't know yet." Willin sighed and sat down on a chair.
-"I see… then the only thing we can do is wait for Jurgard and Kazru's report. They're investigating the most suspicious zones in Gustavo." Eobard said, carefully pulling a small metal shard out of one patient's wound with a pair of forceps.
-"I hope they bring something useful this time." Bruno leaned against the door frame, arms crossed.
"Why didn't they ask Araki to go? That guy's insanely strong!" Drake asked.
-"Because Araki doesn't take investigation missions." Eobard replied.
"He is one of the Five Great Captains of Hard-Wirrt. He's under Master Yakur, but above hundreds of thousands of other students — including squad captains. Araki only steps onto the battlefield when there's a massive threat to civilian lives."
-"One of the Five Great Captains? I still don't get the ranking system of Hard-Wirrt." Willin said, puzzled.
-"Mmm… think of it this way — the academy has twelve ranks." Eobard explained slowly.
Applicant student
Apprentice student
Support student
Courier student
Battlefield student
Recovery student
The remaining six ranks are classified. They're recorded only in royal and national military training books — used to produce the strongest 'heroic products'."
-"So Araki is one of those 'products'?" Bruno asked.
-"Hahaha… it sounds logical, but no." Eobard chuckled.
"Araki wasn't chosen at all. He trained by himself, learned on his own, and surpassed every standard. He even defeated experimental monsters created by the State and Royal Government. He's special because he came from nothing — born in poverty, in the middle of war."
"No way… that's insane!" the three — Willin, Bruno and Drake — all gasped at the same time.
Holland's footsteps suddenly echoed through the hallway. Then he stopped.
-"Yo, Eobard. Someone sent you a message. And… I've got something to say to Willin too." Holland said.
Eobard and Willin exchanged a quick look. They both waved goodbye to Drake and Bruno, then followed Holland down the hall.
Holland dropped Eobard off at Headmaster Yakur's office first.
Then he took Willin to the western training grounds—
full of rifles, bows, targets, sandbags, everything.
Holland folded his arms, leaning against a metal pull-up bar.
-"Willin. Today, my job… is to make you stronger."
Willin gave a small smile.
-"I trust you. You're my brother. Of course you'll help."
Holland stepped closer, hands in his pockets.
"Today I'll teach you the true power of our bloodline— Ultimax Life Form."
Willin's eyes widened a bit.
"Ultimax Life Form…? Like some kind of maximum life-form?"
"Simple." Holland said slowly. "Every family has its own special ability.
And ours is— the Ultimax Life Form."
Willin swallowed.
-"So… how do you activate it?"
Holland raised a finger:
-"There are two branches."
— the healing branch
— the combat branch
-"And which one you awaken… is totally random." Holland chuckled.
Willin frowned slightly.
-"So how do I activate it?"
Holland snapped his fingers.
-"Pick up the bow."
Willin grabbed a bow and one single arrow.
-"Like this?"
"You're allowed to hold only that one arrow.
And you only shoot it when you get in range." Holland said slowly.
-"As for me— I'll be throwing stones at you.
You dodge. You don't get to use anything except that arrow."
And with that— Holland vanished.
Appeared exactly fifty meters away.
Willin smirked, adrenaline flaring up.
-"Alright!"
Fshhh! Fshhh! Fshhh! Stones came flying in waves.
Willin slid aside— rolled— slipped through tiny gaps in the barrage.
-"Not that hard." he thought.
CRACK! A stone grazed his shoulder— slicing skin open.
-"What—?!" Willin froze. Holland's speed had suddenly spiked.
-"Holland! I thought this was just training?! Why are you trying to kill me?!" Willin yelled, barely dodging— skin tearing— blood, then instantly closing again.
Willin grit his teeth. In his eyes— a small lightning spark flickered for the first time.
-"…Holland!!!"
FWOOSH!!!
Willin fired the arrow—
it shredded through every stone flying toward him.
A streak of lightning. Straight toward Holland.
Holland calmly raised his hand— caught the arrow. It hissed smoke, burning red from friction.
He grinned.
-"Just once is enough."
He let go. The arrow hit the ground—
CRACK!!
The earth split open, a crater bursting wide.
Willin stood afar— every wound on his body restitching itself back. Lightning flashed again and again in his eyes.
The finger he shot with twisted grotesquely— then instantly healed.
Holland watched him— proud smirk curling up.
-"The true power of the Ultimax Life Form… is to push your strength and potential to their absolute maximum."