Ralph lunged toward Eugene like an arrow, his fist clenched and the veins on his hands bulging like the roots of ancient trees. His steps hit the ground heavily, carrying an unmistakable threat.
But Eugene was like a shadow.
As the punch came, he rotated his entire body to the left in a smooth motion, letting the fist cut through empty air. Then, like a serpent, he grabbed Ralph's left wrist and spun sharply, flinging him ten steps backward with force.
Silence fell with a strange weight, as if even the air held its breath.
Ralph's feet barely touched the ground before he surged forward again, throwing a punch identical to the first. But Eugene simply caught his fist in his palm as if holding a mischievous child.
His voice remained laced with mockery, a calm smile playing on his face:
"That's all you've got?… You've truly disappointed me."
Then he pulled Ralph toward him and delivered a powerful punch that made his nose bleed. Ralph felt a dizzying shock—his pampered body unaccustomed to such blows. But Eugene gave him no time to process or regain his balance.
Another punch from his left hand sent blood spraying like red dew. Then another from the right, and another…
Thwack… thwack… thwack.
A relentless flurry of punches, each one making Ralph's face bleed more and more, swelling his already bruised eyes.
Poof.
Ralph finally collapsed, his nose bleeding and an eye swollen into a dark purple hue.
"Hah… Seems your money won't help you now, you spoiled brat."
Eugene turned toward the chest on the opposite side. As he walked, he suddenly felt heat behind him. In an instant, he dashed to the right, colliding with a black creature marked with a white stripe along its side, fangs nearly a meter long.
The monster left Eugene no time to think and charged at him like an arrow.
Eugene dodged skillfully once more.
Thwack.
But Ralph landed another punch from behind, sending Eugene flying into a tree with tremendous force.
"You scoundrel, using your power even though it's forbidden?!"
Ralph paid no attention, summoning four more creatures like the first, circling around him.
"Haha, what's wrong? I feel you're scared, you orphaned villager!" Ralph laughed condescendingly, his tone dripping with arrogance and insult.
Veins appeared on Eugene's forehead, but he took a deep breath and stood firm. His anger was like fire under ashes, burning but hidden.
This brat uses his fingerprint… since he does, why shouldn't I?
Eugene extended his hands forward, fists straight, one foot slightly ahead of the other.
"See? You're such a coward that you rely on your fingerprint." His gaze was sharp as a blade, cutting through the air to meet Ralph's eyes.
In a moment of silence, the wind stirred their hair, as if sharing in the confrontation.
Poof.
Eugene surged forward at incredible speed, faster than Ralph could follow. The strange creatures lunged at him, but he placed his right foot forward as a pivot and spun beside Ralph, evading the monsters. He planted his left foot and shot forward like an arrow, landing a punch.
Thwack.
Ralph raised his hand at the last moment as a shield, and it turned bright red, nearly numb from the impact.
Crunch.
Eugene's eyes widened for a moment as he felt his left foot vanish. He looked down quickly but could neither see nor feel it, as if it didn't exist. He flipped backward with a series of rapid jumps, relying on his right foot, until he was more than fifteen steps away.
He leaned against a tree, staring at his foot.
Why can't I see it?! Why can't I feel it?! And why isn't there blood?!
Questions swirled through his mind like a storm, as one of the monsters held a holographic blue image of his foot in its mouth.
"Haha, what's wrong? Need some help? Beg me, and maybe… maybe I'll forgive you."
Eugene assessed Ralph and the situation in his mind quickly. Five fast, strange monsters capable of devouring a part of the body's spirit. His foot probably existed, yet he couldn't see or feel it.
"Move quickly, I have more important matters, like seeing what's in that chest." He glanced briefly at the chest, then back at Eugene.
Poof.
A gray mist spread through the area as if the ground itself exhaled smoke.
"Hah… what is this?… Ah!" Ralph took a hard punch to the back, flying forward slightly. "Hey!... Where did you go?!"
Eugene had disappeared from his sight, and soon the mist reappeared.
"Attack him wherever he is!" The monsters moved randomly.
One lunged at Eugene, who quickly reached behind Ralph. Eugene didn't care, jumping in a swift somersault to evade the monster. Ralph's foot appeared before him, colliding with him and sending him flying toward a tree, but upon touching it, it vanished as if it had never existed.
"Huh?! What is this strange ability?!"
Thwack.
Another punch to Ralph's face knocked him off balance. The five monsters charged Eugene, but every time one approached, he vanished and reappeared elsewhere, moving like a part of the mist, dissipating and reforming at will.
Poof… poooof… poooof.
All the monsters' attacks failed, and with each failure, Eugene drew closer to Ralph.
Suddenly, as he reached him, Ralph raised a pistol.
Eugene's eyes widened: a weapon?! Is he trying to kill me?! Has he lost his mind?!
Bangbangbang.
Bullets fired, but Eugene dodged at the last moment and vanished again.
"What's wrong, monkey? Why are you running? Hahaha!"
The spoiled brat had gone mad. He was using a silenced weapon, which is why no one heard the shots.
Eugene's disappearance didn't last long. The mist spread again, and this time he appeared in its center.
"Ha! Got you! Attack him!" The monsters charged at once.
Crunch… crunch… crunch.
Multiple bites aimed at Eugene.
But a shadow emerged from the mist behind Ralph. Out of the corner of his eye, Eugene saw himself stepping out of the mist. He glanced at the monsters—they had lunged at a large rock, not him. He realized it had been a trick.
Boom.
A devastating punch to Ralph's stomach sent him flying backward. Upon hitting a tree, he vomited everything he had eaten that day. He raised his eyes to Eugene, teary and bloodshot at the corners.
When he looked at Eugene's foot, his pupils widened.
Eugene manipulated the mist into a small whirlwind at the spot of his left foot. The wind lifted his unseen foot a few centimeters off the ground, as if placing a tiny flying wheel beneath it.
"What's wrong? Where's your pride gone?"
Poof.
Eugene's nose bled slightly. His body wasn't entirely accustomed to this ability yet.
Ralph stood again, his nose swollen, traces of saliva on his lips, trembling from using his strength.
He had punched him repeatedly, slammed him into trees… how… how is he still standing as if nothing happened?!
"Wondering how I'm still standing? Simple. I was raised in a village in the high mountains. Strong winds, rolling rocks, fights between houses… all things you, who lived among palaces and servants, would never experience. Yet martial arts and endurance training truly paid off."
Ralph wasted no time, attacking again with his monsters and pistol.
Bang… bang… bang.
Three rapid shots toward Eugene.
Relax… let your body flow like water… feel the air around you… think of nothing. He closed his eyes, breathing deeply, perfectly in sequence.
Poof.
Eugene vanished, dodging all bullets and monsters. He leapt upward, placing his feet on a tree branch.
"If you had trained diligently in Master Roger's lessons, your shooting would be better."
He pulled his hand back, the mist curling around his arm to his palm. He aimed at Ralph, releasing a misty mass that struck his face.
"Ah! My eyes!"
The attack caused Ralph to lose focus and balance for a moment. At that moment, Eugene shot forward like an arrow.
"You really are a spoiled boy."
Boom… boom… boom.
A rapid series of powerful punches rained down from left and right on Ralph's face like a storm. Blood spatters stained Eugene's hands. The punches were so fast and strong that Ralph lost consciousness.
Eugene pulled back his arm slightly, and just as he was about to strike again, a giant rough hand grabbed it.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Thor, the head of the Border Guardians.
"Stop, that's enough." His voice was rough and heavy as stone, sending a shiver through Eugene.
After Ralph lost consciousness, the monsters disappeared, and Eugene could see and feel his foot again.
"I don't know why the fight started, but I must admit… you were skillful with that mist."
Eugene bowed his head slightly, showing great respect: "Thank you for the compliment, but it wasn't anything worthy of praise."
"Eugene… aaah… what is happening here?!"
Melissa was in shock. Blood everywhere, trees marked from impacts, some bullets lodged in branches. Her eyes widened, her hands tense, veins on her forehead prominent.
"What have you done?!"
Eugene felt a slight fear. Clearly, he had started the fight, given his relatively good condition compared to Ralph's.
Before she could speak, Thor said: "Excuse me, Miss Melissa, but Ralph started the fight. Eugene was only defending himself. As you can see, it began because of that chest." He pointed to the chest containing the egg.
Melissa looked at Eugene, then Ralph, then the egg.
"R… really?… But Ralph…"
"Ralph was reckless, weak compared to Eugene, whether in using the fingerprint or physical strength. As for minor damages, I will take care of them."
Melissa looked at Thor, tense and surprised: "But if Ralph started the fight, shouldn't he be the one to repair the damage?"
Thor brushed his hair slightly while glancing at Ralph and Eugene: "Technically, yes. He started it, so he should fix the damage. But… I was wandering the garden when I saw Eugene chasing Ralph… technically, if I had intervened instead of observing, this damage wouldn't have occurred. So, I'll handle the repairs and treat Ralph's injuries, and close the matter so it doesn't escalate into a problem for this boy."
Eugene approached the chest and picked it up: "Thank you, Commander Thor."
"Commander Thor, not Mister Thor."
"Sorry… Commander Thor." Eugene muttered in his mind: Mister or Commander… in the end, Thor… why complicate it?
Eugene and Melissa headed inside, Melissa scolding Eugene for what he did to Ralph, thinking he had gone too far.
As they disappeared, the silence in the garden felt different, as if the trees themselves exhaled in relief.
"Hah… that boy isn't just smart, he's strong too."
Thor's voice came from the side. A tall man in loose clothing adorned with a potion emblem inside a gear. He wore glasses, his long black hair tied back, long gloves reaching his elbows, his eyes emerald green.
Thor easily carried Ralph in his left hand, the size difference significant.
"You're right…"
To be continued…
In the quiet corners of the garden, darkness crept silently like black velvet, carrying the chill of night and the promises of an uncertain tomorrow.