When the clouds vanished, tens of people started pouring in with more coming from the distance behind them. The clouds were acting as a barrier so they were forced to wait outside, the Shrub Hills was isolated from the outside but the unnatural clouds could be seen from miles away, people were bound to be curious especially those who were confident of their power and had some measure to stay alive if unexpected danger occurred.

Most of them came from the direction of Luxore town, the nearest human settlement. They found the area wrecked like the scene after a natural disaster, which was not far from the truth. Soon, they started exploring, the bulk of them went deeper inside to the center. Before long some of them found Viers buried inside the rubble.

If possible, Viers wanted to simply get away unseen like a thief. However, with the region locked down and he had no confidence he could avoided the people who would be coming from all directions. With various Path-seekers prowled the area, how could he hide or getaway? He did not forget that just a tracker from the first trio he killed could find him in the woods, playing possum was his answer to this predicament.

Viers pretended to be unconscious when they called him and slapped his cheeks, but after awhile he opened his eyes, let out some hurting groan, and raised his hand to hold his head. To them, he appeared to be dazed and still groggy, Viers hoped they bought his acting, the blood smear on his head served as a plus on realism.

He pretended to pass out again, he glimpsed there were four or five people around him, voices of them talking were picked up by Viers. One wanted to wake him up by force, one wanted to search his belongings, one argued they should help him.

Viers never had acting lessons or attend drama club, he was afraid other people could pick up he was lying or pretending, the more he did something, the riskier it got.

He could feel they checked his body, from the voices Viers knew they had taken his backpack and searched inside. The inside of the backpack only contained various herbs and berries, some coins, the quest paper for Red Sorrel, some standard adventurer’s equipment and unimportant things, nothing valuable that could stoke their greed. They found the small bottle containing the woman’s blood, found it a bit unusual but that's it. Potions have various appearances and effects, they thought it was just a red potion. A bit pricey but not impossible for a 15 year old kid to had.

Viers already anticipated this, he hoped to give his body time to adjust after eating the bull so he did not drink the blood immediately. When he cooked up the PDP, he thought even if all goes well and he could deceive them by showing them he had nothing valuable on him, some could be still suspicious about him, he could be detained so the higher-ups could ask questions or some other similar scenario.

Should he get held up against his will, he needed to gave a logical reason for his wounds healing so quickly. The blood could be used for this, some of the potions he saw at Somaya’s place were very similar to blood liquid so he hoped it would work. He could say to them that his wounds were hurting and he could drink the blood posed as potion with healing attributes in front of them so they could witness it.

It was risky, Viers realized this, but he only had the woman’s blood that could act as potion look-alike. Viers knew his plans were not perfect nor devoid of loopholes, he couldn't anticipate everything and so many things could go wrong, he could only prepare to the best of his capability with whatever available means he had.

Three men went toward the center after convinced he had no valuables on him and read the soaking wet quest paper which indicated he had a solid reason to be here, if they wasted too much time on some insignificant boy, even if there were valuables or treasures around the area, others would get them first. Two remained beside him.

Perhaps they want to ask me information and benefits are not their main concern. Viers thought, he opened his eyes again.

He couldn't act unconscious for too long because he was still in danger zone, he groggily confronted the two, some small talk then they asked about what he knew. Viers said to them that there was a storm here, he did not think it was natural because it happened so suddenly and he heard some beast’s roar above the clouds but he did not see its figure, he got hit by debris and lost consciousness.

Viers did not know whether they were not too interested in Viers or they bought his acting, they left him quite easily after asking his personal information such as who he was and where he lived. Then they left to a deeper area. Viers rejoiced for his good luck and started to walk back to Luxore town.

Most likely those two are town officials looking for info, their gear was quite high-quality. I replied to their questions truthfully, I think they can found out my face, name, and info easily enough since I enrolled at the Training Center, it’s useless to lie.

During his journey back he saw many other people were investigating the area, most of them were adventurers. He noted that none of them came by flying, they all walked on wet ground, leaving many footprints all over the area.

With so many tracks, I hope my own tracks shall be hidden and they do not find my secret stash. Since none of them are flying, the trio and the bull power must be off the charts... It's over 9000! But they are dead, too bad, so sad.

Some of the people he met on the road asked him about what happened here and about what he knew, standard questions that he heard a few times, he answered while acting in pain then they left him be, they were so eager to search the area like there was a sudden gold rush at the Shrub Hills.

Since the quest board difficulty is only like that, the average adventurers' strength around the area should only be so-so, I hope none can use some ingenious investigative method or there are people who can detect if I'm lying.

“SHHAAAA!”

The foreign animal sound startled Viers and the looked at the source, a bit far from his direction. A man was riding a giant green iguana look-alike the size of a car and was running away from the center area, Viers reckon the iguana ran with the speed of 100 kilometers per hour, it’s the speed of a speeding car. The iguana was pursued by a dozen men. They created wind blades, chains of metal, nets made of fire, and many more. They used various methods to chase the living car, one of them pursued by jumping great distances between each jump like a grasshopper.

That iguana man must have found the bull corpse and run away with all or some of the precious materials, his chosen direction of exit is not to Luxore, wise I suppose. But the feeding frenzy will begin shortly, I should pick up the pace and get the hell away from this melting pot.

After some time, he reached the town safely. The town was bustling with commotion, guards were assembled and ready to mobilize if the order was given. Apparently the dark clouds the size of gigantic storm stirred things up for the town people, combined with the fresh threat of beast tide from the south, the townsfolk were restless and uneasy. Viers was cleared to enter after getting checked at the gate, then he went straight back to the dorm.

Matron Yisha was perplexed by Viers’s appearance, some of his other classmates were there too. He told them the false story version, he took a quest then encountered disaster at Shrub Hills, after replied some of their inquiry, he excused himself. He went to his room, took his toiletries and went to the bath.

“OOhhh… that’s the stuff,” Viers let out his true feelings. In both worlds, the bath had a way of giving Viers the urge to speak to himself or sing a song. The warm water shower felt great on his body, for a brief moment he felt all his troubles washed away along with all the blood and dirt.

Thanks to the healing factor Viers’s wounds were mere scratches now. He told Yisha he already drink a healing potion so the wounds were already much better despite the amount of blood on his clothes. The wounds felt painful as Viers bathed, he was never a masochist and never wished to be, the amount of injury he underwent since the day he reincarnated was overwhelming, just earlier his chest was fatally impaled.

I’m surprised I just didn’t go into shock and died instantly, the pain was extraordinary, was it because of the healing factor? Or was it just generic iron spirit and sheer will that enabled me to remain awake?

I invited pain to be a friend, yes I did, but it still hurts. Pain, oh pain, since we are buddies, could you hurt me less? Pretty please? Did pain reject my invite? Will it turn into six bodies and inflicts six times more suffering to me? Geez, what a pain…

After he became spick and span, Viers get dressed and told matron Yisha he would go to bed now and didn't want dinner. She urged him to eat a little bit, she already prepared a simple warm soup. Viers gratefully accepted, the main reason he avoided dinner was because his classmates’ attention would be on him. Viers was spent, he had an extraordinary tiring day and had no patience to deal with teenager's curiosity at the moment. Finally, he returned to the sanctuary of his room.

Viers dived into his bed, the sun was setting and the night was closing in. While he looked at the wooden ceiling, he planned his next move.

The PDP worked, at least I managed to get away from ground zero, the reason the people I met let me go relatively easy, was because they had no idea that someone already get the best parts from the bull, as the news spread maybe some will investigate the suspicious suspects and most likely I will be investigated.

Perhaps I will get a few days, I hope the iguana man and possibly others, draw the fire away from me. But I must prepare for the eventuality, should it happen, and the state of my stash worries me too…

Oh my poor treasures, buried in the dirt, perhaps when I return I would find only an empty hole. If that’s the case then I can only suck it up, life gives you lemons and all that… No, not in this world. When I am strong enough, if life gives me lemons, I will take over life’s lemon farm and become lemon king!

Now that I think about it, that’s a pretty good idea! NAY, scratch that, it’s a DAMN good idea! Lemon King, I love the sound of that. Good, I think it’s a very noble aspiration to have, suitable for my not-hero-not-villain way of life!

Now back to reality, to be the Lemon King is a long journey. Focus on the present, what to do… I should hide the Mana crystal, the magic ring, and some gold coins in case of anyone investigating me ransacked the place.

Viers went to the window and opened it, he kept thinking while looking at the setting sun.

I need to give time for the mutation to happen if it would happen at all… damn, I’m getting edgy, what if nothing happens… oh well, worrying it won’t change anything, I do not regret rejecting Guo Song offer to be my spirit guide, If I get no power from his flesh then I will find other power, simple as that.

Evening wind gently passed by and a leaf landed on Viers’s head, it snapped him out from his inner office meeting. He took the leaf and gazed at it for a while.

I got an idea.

***

Gusts blew carrying tunes of leaves shaking, despite the windy weather tonight Viers’s mind was calm like still water. In front of him was a water glass filled to the brim, there was a leaf floating on top of the water, Viers’s hands were beside the glass without touching it. Viers had done this every day since he arrived at the dorm and he already familiar with the process. The leaf was something new that he started to use today. Strictly speaking it was useless, yet he couldn't help to put it on the glass anyway, it would help him focus.

If I can concentrate harder surely there will be improvement, the leaf is just a symbol, now this looks very similar to the book about hunters, this is their way of training too, and with the leaf included it looks cooler now.

Water, water, water. The element of life, water below the earth, water on the surface of the earth, water in the air above the earth, water inside me, water outside me. Can fit any form, ever-changing, weak yet strong, soft yet hard, can move like the fury of nature, can be still like the mountain. Be like water… water… water…

Viers’s eyes were closed and he was concentrating fully in his meditation, this time he managed to reach in deep inside his consciousness, somewhere he wasn’t able to reach during his previous attempts.

Viers have tried mediation on Earth but except the calm feeling afterward for some time he didn’t feel anything in particular, thus he wasn’t attached to the act. Here, he saw Nakala created water out of nothing with his own eyes, he had witnessed the storm like battle without CGI or any special effects from the films, and he was shown the height of power he could possess. If Nakala said he had to drink his own urine every day to be like her, Viers would do it.

Viers didn’t know how long this training session had last but he felt it was time to stop, over committing his effort would harm him in the long run. He imagined absorbing the aura he released as he inhaled a deep breath before ending his training, as he did so, he heard a plop.

When Viers opened his eyes, afraid he was hearing things, he saw the leaf was moving a little bit while the water surface rippled, two droplets of water flowed out from the glass. It was very little but Viers sure something indeed happened to the water inside the glass, he kept staring at the glass until the water returned to stillness.

Viers let out a smile, he let himself relished in his own accomplishment for a few seconds, he raised his head upward with pride, he took deep breaths and returned his gaze at the glass.

There was a fire burning inside Viers’s dark eyes, a fire called ambition fueled with faith, faith in himself. The fire was still weak, barely a little flicker… but it was burning.

My very first step… with my talent I will walk slower, slower than others in my own generation, slower than countless others who have lived throughout history, they have walk far on the Path, creating their own legends and made their mark in the annals of history. But I am here now, I have come… and I will not stop. Try to stop me and die.