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Kai's new..slave had just woken up
Kai looked at the boy begging at his feet. Mud streaked his face. His voice cracked as he pleaded, lips trembling, hands out like prayer. It was pathetic, and it made Kai feel... awkward. He didn't like pity. Didn't want it. But more than that, he couldn't afford to look soft. Not here. Not now.
So, he kicked him.
Not hard enough to break anything but enough to make the boy shut up.
"Your name," Kai said, voice flat. "Tell me your name."
The boy choked on a breath. "R-Ren! I'm from Class B! Long-range fighter fire affinity!"
Class B. That explained the decent speed. He had some talent then—maybe even decent spells. Kai gave a nod.
"Good. Rest. You've got about three hours to recover your mana. We're heading further south after that."
Ren looked up, confused and still in pain. "Wait, what? Why south? I heard fighting there real fighting. People are losing limbs over there."
"Exactly." Kai said it like it was obvious.
Ren went quiet.
They rested. Kai didn't sleep. He kept his back against a tree, eyes half-lidded, but alert. Ren leaned against a rock, sipping water he'd had on him before thetrial, hands still shaking slightly from exhaustion and fear.
Kai kept running numbers in his head.
Three hours. Ren's aura is recovered. Mana output is returning to baseline. That should be enough for one full volley, maybe two if he pushes. Good. He doesn't need stamina. He just needs to distract them long enough for me to strike.
When time was up, Kai stood and gave the order. "Get up. You're scouting."
Ren stood, wobbly. "I'm not good at scouting, though. I—I fight from a distance. I can't track or detect like that."
Kai didn't answer. He just raised his hand and pulsed the slave seal enough pain to make Ren's leg buckle.
"Doesn't matter," Kai said coldly. "You're a Slave... Not a person. Don't talk back again."
Ren didn't say another word. Just nodded, jaw clenched.
They moved out. Ren stayed 100 steps ahead, just like ordered. Kai trailed behind, eyes sharp, senses open.
He walks too heavy, Kai thought. Still not used to soft terrain. But he's not totally useless. If he panics, the enemy will focus on him first. That's all I need.
Suddenly, Ren stopped. Turned. Signed quickly with two fingers—Three ahead. Possibly hostile.
Kai's brow furrowed. Ren signed again. Two bruised. One holding a weapon on them. Might be a captive situation.
Kai activated the seal again. Ren flinched but said nothing more.
They waited.
Kai issued a silent command—Engage at full output. No hesitation.
Ren's body shifted immediately. His feet planted. Arms raised. A reddish glow flared around him as fire mana condensed around his hands. Heat poured from his body in rippling waves, distorting the air.
The three targets ahead noticed.
"Who the hell—?"
No time for them to finish. Ren launched.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
Three condensed beams of flame exploded forward, scorching through the trees. The charge time made them obvious, but it wasn't about landing the first hit—it was about panic. All three scattered instinctively.
Kai was already moving.
The bulky one—a tall guy with a spear—sprinted toward Ren, probably thinking he was alone. Wrong move.
Ren reacted fast.
His leg shot upward with surprising speed he hadn't shown anything like this before. The kick wasn't fancy, but it was fast and close-range. The spearman flinched, barely dodging it, stepping back to reset his stance—
That's when Kai struck.
Lightless Slash.
The black arc cut across the clearing and slashed through the tall boy's ribs. It wasn't deep, but it hit. He shouted.
"HE'S NOT ALONE—!"
Too late.
Second slash.
It slammed into his shoulder just as he was trying to pivot. The impact knocked him sideways, forcing him into a roll, trying to recover.
Kai didn't let him.
Ren unleashed another fireball—this one high, detonating above the enemy's head, forcing him to duck just as Kai closed in.
The other two targets were reacting now one was prepping a spell, the other drawing a blade. But the flames scattered their focus. They couldn't see clearly.
And that's all Kai needed.
He moved like a shadow, low to the ground. The first target didn't see him until the last second—and by then, Kai's elbow was already driving into the back of his neck.
Crack.
The boy dropped, arms limp before he even hit the ground.
Kai didn't stop.
The second one turned, slashing wildly with a short sword but he was too slow. Kai ducked low, swept his legs, then brought his knee down into the kid's chest the moment he hit the ground.
Thud.
Wind knocked out. Lights out.
Two down.
He glanced up.
The big one the original threat was still stumbling, trying to recover. Mana leaked from both wounds Kai had inflicted. His movements were sluggish now, unsteady.
Kai raised his hand.
Lightless Slash.
This one hit clean across the chest.
The spearman dropped to one knee, tried to cast something but Ren beat him to it. A mid-level flame spell detonated directly in front of him.
Boom.
Only Smoke and silence remained
Kai walked over, checked pulses. All three were alive. Unconscious or barely hanging on.
He crouched next to them, rummaging through their belts and satchels. Standard gear. One Class C. Two Class D. That explained why it was easy.
Each of them had tokens.
Kai grabbed the Slave Tokens first and activated them one by one, pressing them into their palms. The seals burned into place. Magical bindings flared red, then dimmed.
Three more.
He stood up slowly, flexing his shoulders. Ren was standing nearby, breathing heavily, arms still slightly glowing from residual heat.
Kai looked at him with a wide grin
"You did alright."
Master is pleased
Ren didn't smile.
Just nodded once.
Kai turned his eyes south.
More shouting. More clashing steel. More chaos.
Plenty more left.
And he was just getting started.